From a collection of cartoons from the November 3, 2008 issue of The New Yorker, by Mike Luckovich. All their rights reserved.
See the rest in the the series here: http://www.newyorker.com/online/2008/11/03/slideshow_081103_georgew
31 October 2008
Happy Halloween (from Dick Cheney)
Happy Halloween, everyone!
My Halloween Costume
I'm so busy blogging these days that I haven't made any time for my usual Arts & Crafts thing. But this mustache-on-a-stick that I saw on sfgirlbybay.blogspot.com inspired me to make one for myself as a Halloween costume. Except mine is made of felt. Took all of 20 minutes, which is as much time as I felt like devoting to a Halloween costume this year. So lazy.Why The Lame Duck Needs To Be Shot...
... with a Tranquilizer Gun. Or Tasered.
The Washington Post reports that "The White House is working to enact a wide array of federal regulations, many of which would weaken government rules aimed at protecting consumers and the environment, before President Bush leaves office in January."
On Bush's hit-list? Lowering the standards for our drinking water, easing controls on greenhouse gases, and removing key restrictions on mountaintop coal mining.
And as the Post correctly points out, "Once such rules take effect, they typically can be undone only through a laborious new regulatory proceeding, including lengthy periods of public comment, drafting and mandated reanalysis."
I wish Bush Jr. would take a cue from his supposed role model, Ronald Reagan, who in his final days in office took the controversial step of recognizing the PLO. So that his successor, Bush Sr., wouldn't have to. That's the classy way to leave office. And leave your legacy as a President. Closing that global public-relations nightmare known as Guantanamo Bay would be a far worthier way, Bush Jr., to spend your final days in the White House.
Read the Washington Post article here: http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/10/30/AR2008103004749.html?hpid=topnews
The Washington Post reports that "The White House is working to enact a wide array of federal regulations, many of which would weaken government rules aimed at protecting consumers and the environment, before President Bush leaves office in January."
On Bush's hit-list? Lowering the standards for our drinking water, easing controls on greenhouse gases, and removing key restrictions on mountaintop coal mining.
And as the Post correctly points out, "Once such rules take effect, they typically can be undone only through a laborious new regulatory proceeding, including lengthy periods of public comment, drafting and mandated reanalysis."
I wish Bush Jr. would take a cue from his supposed role model, Ronald Reagan, who in his final days in office took the controversial step of recognizing the PLO. So that his successor, Bush Sr., wouldn't have to. That's the classy way to leave office. And leave your legacy as a President. Closing that global public-relations nightmare known as Guantanamo Bay would be a far worthier way, Bush Jr., to spend your final days in the White House.
Read the Washington Post article here: http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/10/30/AR2008103004749.html?hpid=topnews
Why Hollywood is Fretting Over an Obama Presidency
Leave it to Hollywood to worry about how the outcome of the Presidential Election will affect them.
According to the Center for Media and Public Affairs, the Republican ticket is 7x more likely to be the butt of jokes than the Democratic one. And the last eight years have been a huge career boon for the likes of Jon Stewart, Bill Maher, Stephen Colbert and MSNBC. But an Obama presidency? Even SNL hasn't figured out a way, yet, to really make Obama funny.
During the Clinton years, it was the careers of Bill O'Reilly, Matt Drudge, Rush Limbaugh, and others of their conservative ilk that surged. Because opposition sells, and ultimately rules. In the world of entertainment, anyway.
But to all those Daily Show fans made a bit nervous by this news, just remember: in the days following 9/11, everyone was predicting The Death of Irony (and Satire). But then Bush/Cheney saved the day by providing a wealth of comic riches and material. So you never know...
You can read the Hollywood Reporter article here: http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/hr/content_display/news/e3ib356467890c70c66bfc8f0d609f72d13
According to the Center for Media and Public Affairs, the Republican ticket is 7x more likely to be the butt of jokes than the Democratic one. And the last eight years have been a huge career boon for the likes of Jon Stewart, Bill Maher, Stephen Colbert and MSNBC. But an Obama presidency? Even SNL hasn't figured out a way, yet, to really make Obama funny.
During the Clinton years, it was the careers of Bill O'Reilly, Matt Drudge, Rush Limbaugh, and others of their conservative ilk that surged. Because opposition sells, and ultimately rules. In the world of entertainment, anyway.
But to all those Daily Show fans made a bit nervous by this news, just remember: in the days following 9/11, everyone was predicting The Death of Irony (and Satire). But then Bush/Cheney saved the day by providing a wealth of comic riches and material. So you never know...
You can read the Hollywood Reporter article here: http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/hr/content_display/news/e3ib356467890c70c66bfc8f0d609f72d13
30 October 2008
The "Celebrity" Hall of Shame: Joe the (Unlicensed) Plumber
Even Madonna is impressed by the speed and chutzpah of your self-reinvention, Joe the (unlicensed) Plumber. Sorry, I mean Joe the (talentless) Country Singer.
I can't keep up. Because last I heard, you wanted to run for Congress... Oh wait, maybe that was before you announced your plans to host your own talk show (on Fox News, I'm sure). Whatever.
See, “Joe” now has "representation", as they say in The Biz--what "celebrity" doesn't, right? All those interview requests, and media appearances, not to mention career planning... you've got to have someone managing your bright bright career--just ask Paris Hilton, with whom you, Joe, have much in common (except for, you know, the great hair).
Under this "representation," Joe is now courting a record deal with a major label because... well, Joe's a longtime country music fan, you see, and he “knocks around on guitar” according to his reps. “He’s a complicated guy with a very dynamic personality,” say his reps. “He can sing and obviously has a strong political point of view.” Obviously.
So much for your "dreams" of having your own plumbing business (if only that mean little Socialist, Obama, would just get out your way). But hey, why earn a decent American living if you can just fast-track your way into being a "Celebrity" instead.
So to all you aspiring musicians out there: maybe you should "play out" less and just hang at campaign rallies instead. Look how far it got Joe...
I can't keep up. Because last I heard, you wanted to run for Congress... Oh wait, maybe that was before you announced your plans to host your own talk show (on Fox News, I'm sure). Whatever.
See, “Joe” now has "representation", as they say in The Biz--what "celebrity" doesn't, right? All those interview requests, and media appearances, not to mention career planning... you've got to have someone managing your bright bright career--just ask Paris Hilton, with whom you, Joe, have much in common (except for, you know, the great hair).
Under this "representation," Joe is now courting a record deal with a major label because... well, Joe's a longtime country music fan, you see, and he “knocks around on guitar” according to his reps. “He’s a complicated guy with a very dynamic personality,” say his reps. “He can sing and obviously has a strong political point of view.” Obviously.
So much for your "dreams" of having your own plumbing business (if only that mean little Socialist, Obama, would just get out your way). But hey, why earn a decent American living if you can just fast-track your way into being a "Celebrity" instead.
So to all you aspiring musicians out there: maybe you should "play out" less and just hang at campaign rallies instead. Look how far it got Joe...
Calling Bullsh*t on the Bailout: Part #1
Many many renowned economists wrote a letter to Congress, dated September 24, 2008, strongly opposing the Bailout plan as proposed by Treasury Secretary Paulson. Here's what these renowned economists said:
"As economists, we want to express to Congress our great concern for the plan proposed by Treasury Secretary Paulson to deal with the financial crisis. We are well aware of the difficulty of the current financial situation and we agree with the need for bold action to ensure that the financial system continues to function. We see three fatal pitfalls in the currently proposed plan:
1) Its fairness. The plan is a subsidy to investors at taxpayers’ expense. Investors who took risks to earn profits must also bear the losses. Not every business failure carries systemic risk. The government can ensure a well-functioning financial industry, able to make new loans to creditworthy borrowers, without bailing out particular investors and institutions whose choices proved unwise.
2) Its ambiguity. Neither the mission of the new agency nor its oversight are clear. If taxpayers are to buy illiquid and opaque assets from troubled sellers, the terms, occasions, and methods of such purchases must be crystal clear ahead of time and carefully monitored afterwards.
3) Its long-term effects. If the plan is enacted, its effects will be with us for a generation. For all their recent troubles, America's dynamic and innovative private capital markets have brought the nation unparalleled prosperity. Fundamentally weakening those markets in order to calm short-run disruptions is desperately short-sighted.
For these reasons we ask Congress not to rush, to hold appropriate hearings, and to carefully consider the right course of action, and to wisely determine the future of the financial industry and the U.S. economy for years to come."
As that dude from The Onion said on Charlie Rose last night: these are the same people who can't even deliver the mail, fer Chrissakes, and now we're asking them to run the entire Banking System?!
You can see the letter in full with the long list of signatories here: http://faculty.chicagogsb.edu/john.cochrane/research/Papers/mortgage_protest.htm
"As economists, we want to express to Congress our great concern for the plan proposed by Treasury Secretary Paulson to deal with the financial crisis. We are well aware of the difficulty of the current financial situation and we agree with the need for bold action to ensure that the financial system continues to function. We see three fatal pitfalls in the currently proposed plan:
1) Its fairness. The plan is a subsidy to investors at taxpayers’ expense. Investors who took risks to earn profits must also bear the losses. Not every business failure carries systemic risk. The government can ensure a well-functioning financial industry, able to make new loans to creditworthy borrowers, without bailing out particular investors and institutions whose choices proved unwise.
2) Its ambiguity. Neither the mission of the new agency nor its oversight are clear. If taxpayers are to buy illiquid and opaque assets from troubled sellers, the terms, occasions, and methods of such purchases must be crystal clear ahead of time and carefully monitored afterwards.
3) Its long-term effects. If the plan is enacted, its effects will be with us for a generation. For all their recent troubles, America's dynamic and innovative private capital markets have brought the nation unparalleled prosperity. Fundamentally weakening those markets in order to calm short-run disruptions is desperately short-sighted.
For these reasons we ask Congress not to rush, to hold appropriate hearings, and to carefully consider the right course of action, and to wisely determine the future of the financial industry and the U.S. economy for years to come."
As that dude from The Onion said on Charlie Rose last night: these are the same people who can't even deliver the mail, fer Chrissakes, and now we're asking them to run the entire Banking System?!
You can see the letter in full with the long list of signatories here: http://faculty.chicagogsb.edu/john.cochrane/research/Papers/mortgage_protest.htm
The Taliban's Hidden Stash of Heroin (Opium)
According to a new Time piece, the Taliban might be hiding as much as $3.2 billion worth of opium inside Afghanistan:
"According to the U.N. Office on Drugs and Crime, between 6,000 and 8,000 tons of opium have vanished during the past three years somewhere between the poppy fields of Afghanistan — which produce about 93% of the world's opium — and the world market. That's enough to supply all the world's heroin addicts for nearly two years. The whereabouts of the missing opium is a mystery so far, but international drug- and law-enforcement agencies say they believe the Taliban has begun to stockpile large quantities of the drug, which is worth about $464,000 per ton once it is exported from Afghanistan."
But why? Here's what the piece goes on to say:
"It might sound like good news that so much opium has disappeared from the world drug market, but Costa believes the missing opium is a potential time bomb, and many law-enforcement officials agree. That's because the Taliban is believed to be "stockpiling to control the prices," says a spokesman for Britain's Serious Organized Crime Agency, who confirmed that NATO forces have uncovered Taliban stockpiles of opium." "This is classic market manipulation," Costa says."
The good news is that heroin use is on the decline in the U.S. and Europe. The bad news? It's a growing problem in Russia and China--the last two countries I want addled by that shite, as a matter of Global Security. And the thought of such a huge stash of heroin in the hands of the Taliban concerns me.
And I've never forgiven Heroin, you see, for taking Elliot Smith away...
Read the Time article here: http://www.time.com/time/printout/0,8816,1854660,00.html
"According to the U.N. Office on Drugs and Crime, between 6,000 and 8,000 tons of opium have vanished during the past three years somewhere between the poppy fields of Afghanistan — which produce about 93% of the world's opium — and the world market. That's enough to supply all the world's heroin addicts for nearly two years. The whereabouts of the missing opium is a mystery so far, but international drug- and law-enforcement agencies say they believe the Taliban has begun to stockpile large quantities of the drug, which is worth about $464,000 per ton once it is exported from Afghanistan."
But why? Here's what the piece goes on to say:
"It might sound like good news that so much opium has disappeared from the world drug market, but Costa believes the missing opium is a potential time bomb, and many law-enforcement officials agree. That's because the Taliban is believed to be "stockpiling to control the prices," says a spokesman for Britain's Serious Organized Crime Agency, who confirmed that NATO forces have uncovered Taliban stockpiles of opium." "This is classic market manipulation," Costa says."
The good news is that heroin use is on the decline in the U.S. and Europe. The bad news? It's a growing problem in Russia and China--the last two countries I want addled by that shite, as a matter of Global Security. And the thought of such a huge stash of heroin in the hands of the Taliban concerns me.
And I've never forgiven Heroin, you see, for taking Elliot Smith away...
Read the Time article here: http://www.time.com/time/printout/0,8816,1854660,00.html
BotherVoting.org
Send your lazy, flaky, or "Undecided" friends an eCard that nudges them to the polls. BotherVoting.org also has a link that can help them find their nearest polling places.
How To Win Enormous Cash & Prizes
$25 million: Richard Branson's prize for the solution to Climate Change
$30 million: The X Prize for landing a lunar rover on the moon by 2012
$75 million: The Michaelson Prize for inventing "The Pill" for dogs and cats
$75 million! Doesn't that make you wish you had become a Scientist? And all you'd have to do is just, like, use your mind... and get all "Mavericky" about it.
But that pill... well it has to be single-dose. And completely non-surgical. There's the rub.
Regardless, it seems all the really big money these days is in R&D: Research and Development. And it takes some tycoon philanthropist to really make change happen. Hmm...
Hey... what's Warren Buffet doing with his money these days, do you think?
$30 million: The X Prize for landing a lunar rover on the moon by 2012
$75 million: The Michaelson Prize for inventing "The Pill" for dogs and cats
$75 million! Doesn't that make you wish you had become a Scientist? And all you'd have to do is just, like, use your mind... and get all "Mavericky" about it.
But that pill... well it has to be single-dose. And completely non-surgical. There's the rub.
Regardless, it seems all the really big money these days is in R&D: Research and Development. And it takes some tycoon philanthropist to really make change happen. Hmm...
Hey... what's Warren Buffet doing with his money these days, do you think?
Treasury Department Redacts Bailout Contracts
Meaning, there are huge chunks of these Bailout deals that are being blacked out before they are released to the public--as though they were CIA documents, or something.
Unredacted, these documents would allow the people to know just how their taxpayer money is being doled-out and spent. In our system of supposedly transparent government, this sort of secrecy is unacceptable, and outrageous even to the been-there-seen-that experts and commentators.
Currently at issue: Various law firms, accounting companies and stock management houses are going to receive money from the Bailout fund that we taxpayers provided. But much of that information has been redacted, so that the public can't know the details.
Here's a sample culled from these redacted documents:
The law firm whose rates have been redacted above once offered me a job as an Associate--Simpson, Thacher, Bartlett blah blah... Why their rates are suddenly such sensitive information, I have no clue. Because it doesn't jibe with what I remember.
And redacted documents are hardly new to me. But even I am rather shocked by this shroud of secrecy increasingly surrounding the way the Treasury Department is spending our desperately-needed taxpayer dollars.
You can watch CNBC's coverage of this story here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XbYLf6lU55A
Unredacted, these documents would allow the people to know just how their taxpayer money is being doled-out and spent. In our system of supposedly transparent government, this sort of secrecy is unacceptable, and outrageous even to the been-there-seen-that experts and commentators.
Currently at issue: Various law firms, accounting companies and stock management houses are going to receive money from the Bailout fund that we taxpayers provided. But much of that information has been redacted, so that the public can't know the details.
Here's a sample culled from these redacted documents:
The law firm whose rates have been redacted above once offered me a job as an Associate--Simpson, Thacher, Bartlett blah blah... Why their rates are suddenly such sensitive information, I have no clue. Because it doesn't jibe with what I remember.
And redacted documents are hardly new to me. But even I am rather shocked by this shroud of secrecy increasingly surrounding the way the Treasury Department is spending our desperately-needed taxpayer dollars.
You can watch CNBC's coverage of this story here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XbYLf6lU55A
29 October 2008
The "Solid as Barack" Variety (Half) Hour
As I'm sure you've heard, Barack will be taking to the airwaves for a half-hour tonight. The contents of that production have been a well-guarded secret. SNL recently did their brilliant take, though, on just what that half-hour might include... Did SNL get it right?
Here's a link to the video clip, for all those who missed it. Watch it, then compare it with the reality...
http://politicalhumor.about.com/gi/dynamic/offsite.htm?site=http://www.nbc.com/Saturday%5FNight%5FLive/video/clips/obama%2Daddress/787181/
Here's a link to the video clip, for all those who missed it. Watch it, then compare it with the reality...
http://politicalhumor.about.com/gi/dynamic/offsite.htm?site=http://www.nbc.com/Saturday%5FNight%5FLive/video/clips/obama%2Daddress/787181/
Lipstick On A Pig: A 2008 Campaign Quiz
Here's a fun little quiz from The New Yorker that you can take to see how just much you've "learned" in Election 2008. I've culled a choice few for you here:
4. How many times was McCain caught on camera during the first debate appearing to mutter "Horseshit" under his breath?
(a) Forty-seven.
(b) Ten.
(c) Six.
(d) Fifty-seven.
(e) Two.
(f) At least eleven.
9. Complete John McCain's boast about Sarah Palin: "She knows more about ________ than probably anyone else in the United States of America."
(a) Russia
(b) energy
(c) the Bush doctrine
(d) aerial hunting
(e) hiding a pregnancy
(f) lipstick
17. True or false: During a post-debate appearance on "Fox News Sunday," Senator Lindsey Graham (R.-S.C.) interrupted his pro-McCain spin and said, "It's Sunday, I'm tired. Senator Obama did well. Senator Obama helped himself."
(a) True.
(b) False
21. Who wrote a book relating an incident in which "Cindy playfully twirled McCain's hair and said, 'You're getting a little thin up there,' and McCain shot back, 'At least I don't plaster on the makeup like a trollop, you c*nt'"?
(a) Levi Johnston.
(b) Chris Rock.
(c) Ed Koch.
(d) Cliff Schecter.
(e) Sarah Palin.
27. Who said about the original bailout legislation, "If I were a dictator, which I always aspire to be, I would write it a little bit differently"?
(a) John McCain.
(b) Representative Paul Broun (R.-Ga.).
(c) House Minority Leader John Boehner (R.-Ohio).
Take the quiz here: http://www.newyorker.com/humor/polls/slansky2008campaignquiz/01013sh_shouts_slansky
I only got 9 of the 29 correct. See if you can outdo your humble blogger.
4. How many times was McCain caught on camera during the first debate appearing to mutter "Horseshit" under his breath?
(a) Forty-seven.
(b) Ten.
(c) Six.
(d) Fifty-seven.
(e) Two.
(f) At least eleven.
9. Complete John McCain's boast about Sarah Palin: "She knows more about ________ than probably anyone else in the United States of America."
(a) Russia
(b) energy
(c) the Bush doctrine
(d) aerial hunting
(e) hiding a pregnancy
(f) lipstick
17. True or false: During a post-debate appearance on "Fox News Sunday," Senator Lindsey Graham (R.-S.C.) interrupted his pro-McCain spin and said, "It's Sunday, I'm tired. Senator Obama did well. Senator Obama helped himself."
(a) True.
(b) False
21. Who wrote a book relating an incident in which "Cindy playfully twirled McCain's hair and said, 'You're getting a little thin up there,' and McCain shot back, 'At least I don't plaster on the makeup like a trollop, you c*nt'"?
(a) Levi Johnston.
(b) Chris Rock.
(c) Ed Koch.
(d) Cliff Schecter.
(e) Sarah Palin.
27. Who said about the original bailout legislation, "If I were a dictator, which I always aspire to be, I would write it a little bit differently"?
(a) John McCain.
(b) Representative Paul Broun (R.-Ga.).
(c) House Minority Leader John Boehner (R.-Ohio).
Take the quiz here: http://www.newyorker.com/humor/polls/slansky2008campaignquiz/01013sh_shouts_slansky
I only got 9 of the 29 correct. See if you can outdo your humble blogger.
The Bush Administration Wants To Go Out With a Bang... Literally
"With the clock winding down on the [Bush] administration, it has a greater appetite for racking up victories against al Qaeda—and less worries about any residual political consequences from striking."
That's from a new article in The New Republic entitled Twilight Struggle: In its closing days, the Bush administration escalates the war on terror. The article goes on to say:
"We have entered a new phase in the war on terror. In July, according to three administration sources, the Bush administration formally gave the military new power to strike terrorist safe havens outside of Iraq and Afghanistan."
So. Now the military no longer needs approval from President Bush (or presumably even the next President--yikes) to launch a military strike in a country like Pakistan or Syria (where last Sunday, U.S. military helicopters attacked a civilian building under construction in a village near the Iraq border, killing eight):
"Now, those kinds of strikes in the region can occur at the discretion of the incoming commander of Central Command, General David Petraeus."
And in this "new order", countries like Kenya, Mali, Pakistan, Sudan, Syria, and Yemen may all be fair game, because they are "all places where the American intelligence believe al Qaeda has a significant presence, but can no longer count on the indigenous security services to act. In the parlance of the Cold War, Petraeus will now have the authority to fight a regional "dirty war."
(shudder). So there's yet another facet of the Bush Legacy for you.
Here's another: The Syrian government ordered an American School and a U.S. Cultural Center in Damascus closed Tuesday in response to the deadly attack. So. Another important opportunity for good Public Relations lost, thanks to Sunday's attack. And reports say that Syrian villagers held banners declaring "Down with American enemy" as they carried the coffins of relatives who died in the strike.
See what happens when we all take our eyes off the Bush? (sigh) If America really wanted to win the War on Terror, maybe it would stop helping al Qaeda with it's recruitment drive.
If you're thinking to yourself, Well if they're not with us then they're against us and so they are "Terrorists", please see my earlier post, Is Bjork a Terrorist?
I'm going to go watch Dr. Strangelove now... and hopefully I'll be able to see the comic side to all this... again.
And let me know if you are stumped for things to say to Bush if/when you email or call him (see my post below). Because it's high time for the American people to "engage", to use military-speak--and no, yelling at your TV screen does not count.
Here's the link to the article: http://www.tnr.com/politics/story.html?id=9c613d05-0441-4a14-bf40-ef3ac16a42b5
Bush Jr. is So Bored... Maybe You Should Give Him a Call!
Seriously. The info below is legit. And you really can email/call him (or whoever is playing him that day, anyway). Who knows, you may find it, er... cathartic. And personally, I think every concerned and responsible citizen should have their President's number on speed-dial. Think of it as your civic duty, in fact. The Founding Fathers would expect no less of you...
And if you do, and share it with me, I'll submit your "entry" in with all the others. The winner will get a personally and custom designed T-shirt handmade by Arts & Craftsy me. For real! The deadline for submissions is November 4, 11:59PM PST. All submissions should be made by posting a comment here. But if you want your submission to stay anonymous, just say so in your comment, and I won't post it.
Enjoy...
President George W. Bush
Email: comments@whitehouse.gov
Phone: 202-456-1111
And if you do, and share it with me, I'll submit your "entry" in with all the others. The winner will get a personally and custom designed T-shirt handmade by Arts & Craftsy me. For real! The deadline for submissions is November 4, 11:59PM PST. All submissions should be made by posting a comment here. But if you want your submission to stay anonymous, just say so in your comment, and I won't post it.
Enjoy...
President George W. Bush
Email: comments@whitehouse.gov
Phone: 202-456-1111
You Can Peek Into My Voting Booth, California
This only applies to California residents voting on Propositions 1A through 12. Here's how I'm voting, along with a short tag-line explaining why.
1A: No--Not now...
2: Yes--You are what you eat
3: Yes--Do it for the kids
4: No--Laws can't make dysfunctional families communicate
5: Yes--"Just Say Yes" because we have enough "Wars" as it is
6: No--A 14-year-old is not an adult (no matter what they think)
7: No--Good Cause, Bad Law
8: No--Love is good. Period.
9: No--Too much grandstanding, too little change
10: No--Why don't you go home and ask Texas to foot your bill, Pork-y (aka T. Boone Pickens)
11: Yes--"We the People" say "Power to the People" (because clearly, y'all can't be trusted)
12: Yes--Supports our troops, costs us nothing
The one I feel most adamant about is actually Proposition 10. If I have any cred with you, please please please do not vote "Yes" on Prop 10. I want Clean and Sustainable Energy as much as anyone. But this is not the way--please trust me on this one. A man who believes people should pay for water (water!), and has bought up subsurface water rights in Texas for that very purpose, is not the one to help save our Planet.
1A: No--Not now...
2: Yes--You are what you eat
3: Yes--Do it for the kids
4: No--Laws can't make dysfunctional families communicate
5: Yes--"Just Say Yes" because we have enough "Wars" as it is
6: No--A 14-year-old is not an adult (no matter what they think)
7: No--Good Cause, Bad Law
8: No--Love is good. Period.
9: No--Too much grandstanding, too little change
10: No--Why don't you go home and ask Texas to foot your bill, Pork-y (aka T. Boone Pickens)
11: Yes--"We the People" say "Power to the People" (because clearly, y'all can't be trusted)
12: Yes--Supports our troops, costs us nothing
The one I feel most adamant about is actually Proposition 10. If I have any cred with you, please please please do not vote "Yes" on Prop 10. I want Clean and Sustainable Energy as much as anyone. But this is not the way--please trust me on this one. A man who believes people should pay for water (water!), and has bought up subsurface water rights in Texas for that very purpose, is not the one to help save our Planet.
28 October 2008
Bailout for U.S. Auto Makers?
Um... no. Not unless they can demonstrate that they actually deserve it. And won't fritter our money away. Again.
Because they want a bailout, and are lobbying Congress to give it to them. And but fast. Last month, Congress granted them $25 billion in guaranteed loans. U.S. automakers are now clamoring for $25 billion more. Already!
To follow is my case for why they maybe don't deserve it. Here's a blurb from an earlier posting of mine entitled Going Green To Make Some Green:
"Innovation is Capitalism's best friend. Which is why it boggles my mind that America, which invented the automobile, is now getting its ass kicked by Japan and South Korea in the production of those fuel-efficient cars every fashionable hipster (and responsible consumer) seems to want. What's up with that, Detroit?"
Well, here's what's up. Detroit has successfully lobbied Washington to keep their fuel economy standards ridiculously low. The standards in Europe and Japan are roughly 35 miles per gallon. Only in late 2007 did Congress finally move the U.S. fuel economy standard (currently 27.5) up to match that--but by 2020, twelve years from now. Even China (China!) has higher standards currently. Well. Why "innovate" when you can "lobby"... Right? It's certainly easier on the mind. (Although it explains why the world doesn't buy our cars--why would you buy a car you can't drive in your country?)
You know what else Detroit has done? They successfully lobbied Washington to label SUVs as "light trucks" so they'd only have to meet the standard of 20.7 m/p/g, rather than the 27.5 m/p/g required for cars. (Maybe we should stop calling them "Soccer Moms" and start calling them "Trucker Moms.") And their excuse for why they don't make more fuel-efficient cars? Here's General Motors' response: "We build what the market wants. If people want SUVs and Hummers, you have to give them what they want."
Really? Cuz that's not what I want! Personally, I like to walk... and have been very frustrated since moving out to L.A. County from NYC, where walking and an easily-accessible public transportation system are the norm. I'd really appreciate good public transpo out here in L.A., especially when I've been out-and-about, drinking and carousing, and I'm worried about the specter of drunk-driving. But in L.A., having a car is pretty much a necessity.
But it hasn't always been that way in L.A.--did you know that? Los Angeles once had a glorious cable-car system. But it was ripped out, thanks to those who favored (and I'm sure lobbied heavily for) cars-for-everyone and urban sprawl--you wouldn't believe the sprawl in L.A. And I've never seen so many strip malls in my life. I fled the suburbs of Chicago in large part to get away from the strip-malls. Oh the irony...
And see, our Addiction to Oil is very much related to our current woes--economic, military, environmental, political, and moral. (See my earlier posts if you need convincing). And the taxpayers hardly have $25 billion to waste on an industry that has very much contributed to our woes and seemingly refuses to innovate. Which is what Capitalism should be all about.
Here's the article that "fueled" this post: http://www.latimes.com/business/la-fi-autos28-2008oct28,0,1118586.story?page=2
And if it makes you as pissy/snippy as I'm currently feeling, start contacting your elected officials. Please.
Because they want a bailout, and are lobbying Congress to give it to them. And but fast. Last month, Congress granted them $25 billion in guaranteed loans. U.S. automakers are now clamoring for $25 billion more. Already!
To follow is my case for why they maybe don't deserve it. Here's a blurb from an earlier posting of mine entitled Going Green To Make Some Green:
"Innovation is Capitalism's best friend. Which is why it boggles my mind that America, which invented the automobile, is now getting its ass kicked by Japan and South Korea in the production of those fuel-efficient cars every fashionable hipster (and responsible consumer) seems to want. What's up with that, Detroit?"
Well, here's what's up. Detroit has successfully lobbied Washington to keep their fuel economy standards ridiculously low. The standards in Europe and Japan are roughly 35 miles per gallon. Only in late 2007 did Congress finally move the U.S. fuel economy standard (currently 27.5) up to match that--but by 2020, twelve years from now. Even China (China!) has higher standards currently. Well. Why "innovate" when you can "lobby"... Right? It's certainly easier on the mind. (Although it explains why the world doesn't buy our cars--why would you buy a car you can't drive in your country?)
You know what else Detroit has done? They successfully lobbied Washington to label SUVs as "light trucks" so they'd only have to meet the standard of 20.7 m/p/g, rather than the 27.5 m/p/g required for cars. (Maybe we should stop calling them "Soccer Moms" and start calling them "Trucker Moms.") And their excuse for why they don't make more fuel-efficient cars? Here's General Motors' response: "We build what the market wants. If people want SUVs and Hummers, you have to give them what they want."
Really? Cuz that's not what I want! Personally, I like to walk... and have been very frustrated since moving out to L.A. County from NYC, where walking and an easily-accessible public transportation system are the norm. I'd really appreciate good public transpo out here in L.A., especially when I've been out-and-about, drinking and carousing, and I'm worried about the specter of drunk-driving. But in L.A., having a car is pretty much a necessity.
But it hasn't always been that way in L.A.--did you know that? Los Angeles once had a glorious cable-car system. But it was ripped out, thanks to those who favored (and I'm sure lobbied heavily for) cars-for-everyone and urban sprawl--you wouldn't believe the sprawl in L.A. And I've never seen so many strip malls in my life. I fled the suburbs of Chicago in large part to get away from the strip-malls. Oh the irony...
And see, our Addiction to Oil is very much related to our current woes--economic, military, environmental, political, and moral. (See my earlier posts if you need convincing). And the taxpayers hardly have $25 billion to waste on an industry that has very much contributed to our woes and seemingly refuses to innovate. Which is what Capitalism should be all about.
Here's the article that "fueled" this post: http://www.latimes.com/business/la-fi-autos28-2008oct28,0,1118586.story?page=2
And if it makes you as pissy/snippy as I'm currently feeling, start contacting your elected officials. Please.
VIDEO: The Vet Who Did Not Vet--A Cautionary Tale
It's a retelling of the McCain/Palin saga, told Dr. Seuss style. And as a child who once loved her Schoolhouse Rock, I'd recommend it highly. I've watched it 3x already... that's how much it made me laugh out loud.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=03fcGelz8Hw
If you love it as much as I did, cast your vote on The Atlantic magazine's site, which is taking a poll on the top campaign videos: http://andrewsullivan.theatlantic.com/the_daily_dish/2008/10/taking-back-t-8.html
Support the Arts. And the indie talent out there. Because believe me, it's out there...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=03fcGelz8Hw
If you love it as much as I did, cast your vote on The Atlantic magazine's site, which is taking a poll on the top campaign videos: http://andrewsullivan.theatlantic.com/the_daily_dish/2008/10/taking-back-t-8.html
Support the Arts. And the indie talent out there. Because believe me, it's out there...
Don't Call 911 If You're Stuck in Traffic
Amazing. I used to work in Show Biz, so I've had encounters with the children or relatives of Stars who love to ride on those sparkly and famous coattails. The line usually goes something like: Do you know who my father/brother/son is?
It seems even the brothers of Presidential candidates are not above such behavior. Allegedly.
A man named Joe McCain (and John has a brother named Joe) called 911 to complain about the 15 minute traffic jam he had to endure. Here's a transcript of that call:
Operator: 911 state your emergency
Caller: It's not an emergency but do you know why on one side at the damn drawbridge of 95 traffic is stopped for 15 minutes and yet traffic's coming the other way?
Operator: Sir, are you calling 911 to complain about traffic?
(Pause)
Caller: "(Expletive) you." (caller hangs up)
So. The 911 operator called him back, presumably to inform him that 911 was for actual emergencies--you know, of the life-threatening variety. But the caller's voicemail picked up instead:
"Hi this is Joe McCain I can't take this message now because I'm involved in a very (inaudible) important political project... I hope on Nov. 4th we have elected John."
Think it ended there? Nope. The angry Joe McCain called 911. Again!
Caller: Somebody gave me this riot act about the violation of police.
Operator: Did you just call 911 in reference to this?
Caller: Yeah.
Operator: 911 is to be used for emergencies only, not just because you're sitting in traffic.
See why I rail at politicians who act like "celebrities?" If they act like celebrities, then their friends & family start acting like celebrities, and so on and so on...
To date, the McCain campaign has refused to comment.
Hear it (see it) for yourself here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_Y6_s3O5Bj0
It seems even the brothers of Presidential candidates are not above such behavior. Allegedly.
A man named Joe McCain (and John has a brother named Joe) called 911 to complain about the 15 minute traffic jam he had to endure. Here's a transcript of that call:
Operator: 911 state your emergency
Caller: It's not an emergency but do you know why on one side at the damn drawbridge of 95 traffic is stopped for 15 minutes and yet traffic's coming the other way?
Operator: Sir, are you calling 911 to complain about traffic?
(Pause)
Caller: "(Expletive) you." (caller hangs up)
So. The 911 operator called him back, presumably to inform him that 911 was for actual emergencies--you know, of the life-threatening variety. But the caller's voicemail picked up instead:
"Hi this is Joe McCain I can't take this message now because I'm involved in a very (inaudible) important political project... I hope on Nov. 4th we have elected John."
Think it ended there? Nope. The angry Joe McCain called 911. Again!
Caller: Somebody gave me this riot act about the violation of police.
Operator: Did you just call 911 in reference to this?
Caller: Yeah.
Operator: 911 is to be used for emergencies only, not just because you're sitting in traffic.
See why I rail at politicians who act like "celebrities?" If they act like celebrities, then their friends & family start acting like celebrities, and so on and so on...
To date, the McCain campaign has refused to comment.
Hear it (see it) for yourself here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_Y6_s3O5Bj0
27 October 2008
IF McCain Loses...
Could we round them all up? The ones who can't seem to resist back-stabbing each other and playing the blame-game and bitching about each other to the press (and before we've even held the election!?). Then drop them all off on some remote desert island somewhere for the next season of Survivor: Republican Island? I think it would make for Reality TV at its best/worst. And it's been suggested...
My early pick for the final two? Sarah Palin and Mitt Romney (btw, your schadenfreude is sooo obvious, Mitt. And most unbecoming). Think of it as a precursor for 2012.
And what about McCain? If I had to guess, I'd say he'll end up hiding high up in a coconut tree somewhere, muttering to himself like a Turrets victim driven mad from all this bickering... and wondering how things went so terribly wrong.
IF he loses, that is. Which I don't know... Add all those "undecided" voters to his tally, and Obama's lead all but disappears...
My early pick for the final two? Sarah Palin and Mitt Romney (btw, your schadenfreude is sooo obvious, Mitt. And most unbecoming). Think of it as a precursor for 2012.
And what about McCain? If I had to guess, I'd say he'll end up hiding high up in a coconut tree somewhere, muttering to himself like a Turrets victim driven mad from all this bickering... and wondering how things went so terribly wrong.
IF he loses, that is. Which I don't know... Add all those "undecided" voters to his tally, and Obama's lead all but disappears...
How To REALLY Support Our Troops
And it doesn't end with the selection of the next best President, or the members of Congress. Bush Jr. will be gone come next January. And our troops will eventually be withdrawn from Iraq. Someday.
But there's still Afghanistan. And Syria may be tomorrow's Iraq, for all we know (if the U.S. launched attack there yesterday is any indication). And the underlying roots of the problem, for which the American people have to accept their 50% share of the responsibility, will still remain. Regardless of who occupies the Oval Office.
Here are two things you can do:
1) Don't let 9/11 continue to be this country's "Groundhog Day." I've blogged on that point before. But let me punt here to someone far more qualified to state the case--Andrew Bacevich, the author of The Limits of Power:
"[A] state of perpetual national security emergency aggravates the disorders afflicting our political system, allowing the executive branch to accrue ever more authority at the expense of the Congress and disfiguring the Constitution."
We as citizens can't declare war, or withdraw our troops. But we can refuse to allow ourselves to be consumed by a false sense of a perpetual national security emergency. The threats are real, sadly. But a "State" of Emergency is not a sustainable, habitable place for us all to live. We know that, don't we.
2) Set thine house in order. Again, I punt here to Mr. Bacevich:
"U.S. troops in battle dress and body armor, whom Americans profess to admire and support, pay the price for the nation's collective refusal to confront our domestic dysfunction." (emphasis added, and of my doing).
We all know about the dysfunction in Washington and on Wall Street. But we need to start thinking about our own dysfunction. There's a "disparity between how much we want and what we can afford to pay." "As individuals, Americans never cease to expect more. As members of a community, especially as members of a national community, they choose to contribute less."
I don't want to be preachy--I really don't. I've been no better, really, for most of my self-absorbed life. But there are all these truly important ideas already out there... and have been for quite some time now. I just want to share them with you, in case you haven't already discovered them for yourself. (But take heart, the "preachy" factor should largely disappear after November 4th).
And I'll leave it to the presidential historians to render their final verdict on Bush. But I do wonder about how History will judge us, the American people. And so, I'll leave you with this one last passage from The Limits of Power:
"History will not judge kindly a people who find nothing amiss in the prospect of endless armed conflict so long as they themselves are spared the effects. Nor will it view with favor an electorate that delivers political power into the hands of leaders unable to envision any alternative to perpetual war."
One last note of backstory, though, on the book and author. His son was a First Lieutenant in the U.S. Army, and died in Iraq last year. The book is dedicated to him.
But there's still Afghanistan. And Syria may be tomorrow's Iraq, for all we know (if the U.S. launched attack there yesterday is any indication). And the underlying roots of the problem, for which the American people have to accept their 50% share of the responsibility, will still remain. Regardless of who occupies the Oval Office.
Here are two things you can do:
1) Don't let 9/11 continue to be this country's "Groundhog Day." I've blogged on that point before. But let me punt here to someone far more qualified to state the case--Andrew Bacevich, the author of The Limits of Power:
"[A] state of perpetual national security emergency aggravates the disorders afflicting our political system, allowing the executive branch to accrue ever more authority at the expense of the Congress and disfiguring the Constitution."
We as citizens can't declare war, or withdraw our troops. But we can refuse to allow ourselves to be consumed by a false sense of a perpetual national security emergency. The threats are real, sadly. But a "State" of Emergency is not a sustainable, habitable place for us all to live. We know that, don't we.
2) Set thine house in order. Again, I punt here to Mr. Bacevich:
"U.S. troops in battle dress and body armor, whom Americans profess to admire and support, pay the price for the nation's collective refusal to confront our domestic dysfunction." (emphasis added, and of my doing).
We all know about the dysfunction in Washington and on Wall Street. But we need to start thinking about our own dysfunction. There's a "disparity between how much we want and what we can afford to pay." "As individuals, Americans never cease to expect more. As members of a community, especially as members of a national community, they choose to contribute less."
I don't want to be preachy--I really don't. I've been no better, really, for most of my self-absorbed life. But there are all these truly important ideas already out there... and have been for quite some time now. I just want to share them with you, in case you haven't already discovered them for yourself. (But take heart, the "preachy" factor should largely disappear after November 4th).
And I'll leave it to the presidential historians to render their final verdict on Bush. But I do wonder about how History will judge us, the American people. And so, I'll leave you with this one last passage from The Limits of Power:
"History will not judge kindly a people who find nothing amiss in the prospect of endless armed conflict so long as they themselves are spared the effects. Nor will it view with favor an electorate that delivers political power into the hands of leaders unable to envision any alternative to perpetual war."
One last note of backstory, though, on the book and author. His son was a First Lieutenant in the U.S. Army, and died in Iraq last year. The book is dedicated to him.
David Sedaris takes on the "Undecideds"
And all I can say is, Thank You David Sedaris. You saved me the trouble of blogging about it myself. Because I've seriously wanted to knock some common sense into undecided heads myself these days.
Not that anyone really needs my inducement to go read a funny David Sedaris piece, but here's a teaser anyway:
"I look at these people and can’t quite believe that they exist. Are they professional actors? I wonder. Or are they simply laymen who want a lot of attention?
To put them in perspective, I think of being on an airplane. The flight attendant comes down the aisle with her food cart and, eventually, parks it beside my seat. “Can I interest you in the chicken?” she asks. “Or would you prefer the platter of shit with bits of broken glass in it?”
To be undecided in this election is to pause for a moment and then ask how the chicken is cooked."
Here's the link--do your funny bone a favor and go read it: http://www.newyorker.com/humor/2008/10/27/081027sh_shouts_sedaris
Not that anyone really needs my inducement to go read a funny David Sedaris piece, but here's a teaser anyway:
"I look at these people and can’t quite believe that they exist. Are they professional actors? I wonder. Or are they simply laymen who want a lot of attention?
To put them in perspective, I think of being on an airplane. The flight attendant comes down the aisle with her food cart and, eventually, parks it beside my seat. “Can I interest you in the chicken?” she asks. “Or would you prefer the platter of shit with bits of broken glass in it?”
To be undecided in this election is to pause for a moment and then ask how the chicken is cooked."
Here's the link--do your funny bone a favor and go read it: http://www.newyorker.com/humor/2008/10/27/081027sh_shouts_sedaris
"Red Sex, Blue Sex"
Or: Why are so many evangelical teens getting knocked up? And why do their parents seem so "unfazed, or even buoyed, by the news"?
Here are some interesting things I just learned from reading the advance copy of a The New Yorker article that officially comes out on November 3rd:
"But the reactions to [Bristol Palin's pregnancy] have exposed a cultural rift that mirrors America’s dominant political divide. Social liberals in the country’s “blue states” tend to support sex education and are not particularly troubled by the idea that many teen-agers have sex before marriage, but would regard a teen-age daughter’s pregnancy as devastating news. And the social conservatives in “red states” generally advocate abstinence-only education and denounce sex before marriage, but are relatively unruffled if a teen-ager becomes pregnant, as long as she doesn’t choose to have an abortion."
And guess what? According to this piece, evangelical teens are a lot "faster", and "coming out" earlier (typically just after turning sixteen) than even I would have ever guessed:
"[A]ccording to Add Health data, evangelical teen-agers are more sexually active than Mormons, mainline Protestants, and Jews. On average, white evangelical Protestants make their “sexual début”—to use the festive term of social-science researchers—shortly after turning sixteen. Among major religious groups, only black Protestants begin having sex earlier."
Once again, I feel a bit like I'm "Through the Looking Glass" here, where black is white and up is down, and "Family Values"... sigh. I just don't know any more...
What I do know, though, is that explosive population growth worldwide is/will be one of the biggest challenges facing the 21st Century. And it makes the call for a "Code Green" in our country, and worldwide, just that much the harder to accomplish.
But listen up, future teenager of mine (if I ever have one), in the event you ever get yourself into such a life-altering predicament. I will first give you a hug... and let you know that I support you 100%. But then... I'm gonna set the kitchen timer at 5 minutes, and my words will fly...
Read the full article here: http://www.newyorker.com/reporting/2008/11/03/081103fa_fact_talbot
Here are some interesting things I just learned from reading the advance copy of a The New Yorker article that officially comes out on November 3rd:
"But the reactions to [Bristol Palin's pregnancy] have exposed a cultural rift that mirrors America’s dominant political divide. Social liberals in the country’s “blue states” tend to support sex education and are not particularly troubled by the idea that many teen-agers have sex before marriage, but would regard a teen-age daughter’s pregnancy as devastating news. And the social conservatives in “red states” generally advocate abstinence-only education and denounce sex before marriage, but are relatively unruffled if a teen-ager becomes pregnant, as long as she doesn’t choose to have an abortion."
And guess what? According to this piece, evangelical teens are a lot "faster", and "coming out" earlier (typically just after turning sixteen) than even I would have ever guessed:
"[A]ccording to Add Health data, evangelical teen-agers are more sexually active than Mormons, mainline Protestants, and Jews. On average, white evangelical Protestants make their “sexual début”—to use the festive term of social-science researchers—shortly after turning sixteen. Among major religious groups, only black Protestants begin having sex earlier."
Once again, I feel a bit like I'm "Through the Looking Glass" here, where black is white and up is down, and "Family Values"... sigh. I just don't know any more...
What I do know, though, is that explosive population growth worldwide is/will be one of the biggest challenges facing the 21st Century. And it makes the call for a "Code Green" in our country, and worldwide, just that much the harder to accomplish.
But listen up, future teenager of mine (if I ever have one), in the event you ever get yourself into such a life-altering predicament. I will first give you a hug... and let you know that I support you 100%. But then... I'm gonna set the kitchen timer at 5 minutes, and my words will fly...
Read the full article here: http://www.newyorker.com/reporting/2008/11/03/081103fa_fact_talbot
Never Forget 9/11... But Start Living Like It's 9/12
When the wind changes direction, there are those who build walls and those who build windmills--an old Chinese proverb
I have very vivid and first-hand memories of 9/11... most of the New Yorkers I once knew did too. I remember that I was working on a film shoot deep in the heart of Brooklyn... and I remember the surreal snowfall of ashes that floated down on our crew as we tried, for a few hours anyway, to continue on with our day. I remember walking towards Manhattan, and my home, like the sole salmon swimming upstream against an apocalyptic current of the masses fleeing that history-changing scene. And I watched, from my bedroom window, the ruins burn and smoulder for days on end... and won't easily forget the smell that lingered in the air for too many months thereafter...
But see, I moved past 9/11 long long ago... and I believe most New Yorkers did too. Which is why it so puzzles, and deeply troubles me, this unwillingness (or inability) of others in our nation, who weren't even there, to do the same. You can hear it in the cries of "Terrorist!" at our campaign rallies... and smell it, that stench of Fear, in the rise of a new form of McCarthyism in our country, this "Us" vs. "Them", "Pro-America" vs. "Anti-America" talk that frankly, shames us all... and keeps us in a lock-step march headed straight towards ruin, on every front that truly matters, and far far away from the Middle East.
There's this mind-altering book I'm currently reading called Hot, Flat, and Crowded: Why We Need a Green Revolution--And How It Can Renew America. I will be blogging about it. A lot. This post is just a teaser, really, for what's to come.
Because the book is 412 pages long... and as much as I love blogging and sharing this stuff with y'all, I do have a life. Well... in theory, anyway.
And so do you. Which is why I'll share these thoughts piecemeal, on a need-to-know basis. Given the crucial election we face in just 8 days, I do want y'all to think, though, on this one passage:
"The other disturbing trend has been building slowly since the 1980s. It is a "dumb as we wanna be" mood that has overtaken our political elite, a mood that says we can indulge in petty red state-blue state catfights for as long as we want and can postpone shoring up our health care system and our crumbling infrastructure, postpone addressing immigration reform, postpone fixing Social Security and Medicare, and postpone dealing comprehensively with our energy excesses and insecurity--indefinitely. The prevailing attitude on so many key issues in Washington today is "We'll get to it when we feel like getting to it and it will never catch up to us, because we're America."
But, as the author himself puts it, "We have been living for far too long on borrowed time and borrowed dimes."
The Urgency of Now... we've heard that phrase before in Election 2008. So enough with all these "walls"... right? Let's all start thinking, instead, upon how to build some "windmills"...
Otherwise, we as a nation are going to feel like Bill Murray, reliving Groundhog Day... But for the rest of our lives...
Purging Eligible Voters in Swing States
Oh... someone please talk me down. I know I made a quip about Groundhog Day earlier, but this...
Colorado is the swing state getting the most attention, currently, because things have now gotten legal there: did they or didn't they purge 30,000 eligible voters from their list? Meaning, lots of people who registered can show up at the polls only to find that their names are not on the list of voters permitted to vote. Hmm...
Here are the other swing states (yes, the all-important swing states) that may be trying to engage in some kind of dirty Voter Suppression: Indiana, Ohio, Michigan, Nevada and North Carolina.
Please read my earlier post, Don't Be a "Mickey Mouse" At the Polls. Before you head out to vote. It may not be enough to keep your vote protected, but at least it's something.
And btw, is every one of our Presidential Elections going to be like this now? It used to be that candidates just needed to earn that "Margin of Victory." Has that changed now, though, into just needing to pass the "Margin of Litigation"? (%$#@!*...)
LISTEN UP, you dirty elected officials, whoever and wherever you are: We the People own you. We hire you, and you can bet your ass we can fire you... So you better start learning how to fight fair.
Colorado is the swing state getting the most attention, currently, because things have now gotten legal there: did they or didn't they purge 30,000 eligible voters from their list? Meaning, lots of people who registered can show up at the polls only to find that their names are not on the list of voters permitted to vote. Hmm...
Here are the other swing states (yes, the all-important swing states) that may be trying to engage in some kind of dirty Voter Suppression: Indiana, Ohio, Michigan, Nevada and North Carolina.
Please read my earlier post, Don't Be a "Mickey Mouse" At the Polls. Before you head out to vote. It may not be enough to keep your vote protected, but at least it's something.
And btw, is every one of our Presidential Elections going to be like this now? It used to be that candidates just needed to earn that "Margin of Victory." Has that changed now, though, into just needing to pass the "Margin of Litigation"? (%$#@!*...)
LISTEN UP, you dirty elected officials, whoever and wherever you are: We the People own you. We hire you, and you can bet your ass we can fire you... So you better start learning how to fight fair.
26 October 2008
My Favorite Pics of Obama
Here are some of my favorites, with the original captions, which are all copyrighted to Callie Shell / Aurora for Time. I found them here: http://digitaljournalist.org/issue0810/callie-bp.html
Waiting: Obama listens from a back stairwell as he is introduced in Muscatine, Iowa. It was his second or third speech of the day. Unlike many of the politicians I have photographed in the past, I find it is easy to get a photograph of Obama alone. He lets his staff do their jobs and not fuss over him. Nov. 7, 2007.
Two staffers had just passed this site and done two pull-ups. Not to be outdone, Obama did three with ease, dropped and walked out to make a speech. Missoula, Mont., 4/5/2008.
Waiting: Obama listens from a back stairwell as he is introduced in Muscatine, Iowa. It was his second or third speech of the day. Unlike many of the politicians I have photographed in the past, I find it is easy to get a photograph of Obama alone. He lets his staff do their jobs and not fuss over him. Nov. 7, 2007. 
Two staffers had just passed this site and done two pull-ups. Not to be outdone, Obama did three with ease, dropped and walked out to make a speech. Missoula, Mont., 4/5/2008. 
It was primary morning in New Hampshire. Barack and Michelle Obama had been campaigning separately all week. In the first few months of 2008 their private time seemed to consist of a few crossover moments in back hallways before rallies. This moment was rare and you could tell they just loved being able to sit together. Jan. 8, 2008.
There's one more that I really love of Obama standing alone on the football field in Denver at the Democratic National Convention. It's one of the last photos in the series (and you'll see photos of McCain too, since I don't want to be too partisan about things).
http://men.style.com/gq/features/campaign08
Why a Coffee Shop May Be the Place to Win Dates & Make Friends
The Daily Beast calls the syndrome "Hot Coffee Goggles." When a person holds a warm drink in his/her hands, that person is more likely to rate others as "generous" and "caring."
Read this link, then give it a try...
http://sciencenow.sciencemag.org/cgi/content/full/sciencenow;2008/1023/2
Read this link, then give it a try...
http://sciencenow.sciencemag.org/cgi/content/full/sciencenow;2008/1023/2
Angels in America
Many these days are eager to cash in on the misfortunes of others, especially at auctions of foreclosed homes.
Marilyn Mock (you inspiring angel, you) was at one such auction, and noticed a woman named Tracy who was there (and crying) simply to say goodbye to the home she so dearly loved. Most people would have been human enough to feel some twinge of sympathy... but would have probably done their best to forget Tracy's heartbreak and go about the business they were there to do: namely, snatch up a house at a bargain-basement price.
But what did Marilyn do? She persevered and outbid all others on Tracy's foreclosed home (which didn't even have a photo to post on the sheet of auction listings). And then... she gave the home back, to Tracy. A complete stranger.
I will be blogging soon about a book called Hot, Flat, and Crowded: Why We Need a Green Revolution--And How It Can Renew America. The book flap says this: that the desperately needed nation-(re)building in America will require all of us "summoning the intelligence, creativity, boldness, and concern for the common good that are our nation's greatest natural resources." Marilyn Mock is a prime, and inspiring example of one such great (and under-tapped) resource in our country.
You can watch the news clip of Marilyn/Tracy's story at the link below. And yes... a tear or two may have leaked out of me--I admit it. http://www.cnn.com/video/#/video/us/2008/10/26/diaz.tx.foreclosure.angel.wfaa
Marilyn Mock (you inspiring angel, you) was at one such auction, and noticed a woman named Tracy who was there (and crying) simply to say goodbye to the home she so dearly loved. Most people would have been human enough to feel some twinge of sympathy... but would have probably done their best to forget Tracy's heartbreak and go about the business they were there to do: namely, snatch up a house at a bargain-basement price.
But what did Marilyn do? She persevered and outbid all others on Tracy's foreclosed home (which didn't even have a photo to post on the sheet of auction listings). And then... she gave the home back, to Tracy. A complete stranger.
I will be blogging soon about a book called Hot, Flat, and Crowded: Why We Need a Green Revolution--And How It Can Renew America. The book flap says this: that the desperately needed nation-(re)building in America will require all of us "summoning the intelligence, creativity, boldness, and concern for the common good that are our nation's greatest natural resources." Marilyn Mock is a prime, and inspiring example of one such great (and under-tapped) resource in our country.
You can watch the news clip of Marilyn/Tracy's story at the link below. And yes... a tear or two may have leaked out of me--I admit it. http://www.cnn.com/video/#/video/us/2008/10/26/diaz.tx.foreclosure.angel.wfaa
Sundays with Sus--10/26
It's the only day when the relentless news-cycle seems to take a rest. So I have some time to really reflect rather than just react. Here's what I'm thinking about as I sip my coffee...
It's a small world after all. We all know how much the world loves to play armchair-Quarterback with respect to the U.S. And they ain't shy about criticizing us. Yet, they still kept selling their goods to us, and chose to invest their money in our institutions. And now their markets are tumbling... and nobody knows exactly whose dominoes will topple tomorrow.
But the world now knows this: if America doesn't do well, they won't do well. So we are all in this together--that's the new Global Economy for you. And that (painful) lesson very much applies within our borders as well, btw.
It's time to try "Trickle Up" Economics. We've tried "Trickle Down" in this country... since 1980, in fact. So we've given that theory of economics 28 years now to demonstrate that it actually works. Is it just me, or does your head seriously hurt now too, from all that head-butting against a brick wall we as a nation have been doing. And it seems to me that the main thing that's "trickled down" is not Wealth, but Misery... not to mention Ruin.
Which is why I want everyone to start nudging their elected officials, especially the ones facing re-election on November 4th. One thing I took away from that brouhaha over the $700 billion bailout plan is this: our representatives will pay attention to their constituency when their elected tushies are on the line. Yes, ultimately a bailout plan was passed--because time was so of-the-essence, and no one on Capitol Hill seemed able to come up with a better, smarter plan at that time (or act enough like grownups to agree upon one).
But the next round of bailouts/stimulus-packages is coming... because it has to. And that next round must deal with the continuing decline in Housing prices and the Mortgage Crisis first. Because that's the base of the pyramid. Just picture a pyramid in your mind for a moment, and imagine what happens when the pyramid takes a devastating hit. If that hit happens near the top, the pyramid itself can still remain standing. Granted, it will be without a peak/summit, but the remainder will survive. But if you attack that pyramid at the base, the entire pyramid will probably crumble. Because that's the foundation upon which everything else was built. So rich, poor, and everything in between... they will all collapse.
Too many in Government love to use Fear as their weapon of choice in their dealings with the American people. Well, we can play that game too, can't we. Make them deal with the Housing/Mortgage Crisis first. None of them seems to have worked out yet just how to do that. Let's all make them figure it out...
And don't make me share with you just how much of its bailout money that AIG has already burned through. Trust me, y'all, you don't even want to know...
It's a small world after all. We all know how much the world loves to play armchair-Quarterback with respect to the U.S. And they ain't shy about criticizing us. Yet, they still kept selling their goods to us, and chose to invest their money in our institutions. And now their markets are tumbling... and nobody knows exactly whose dominoes will topple tomorrow.
But the world now knows this: if America doesn't do well, they won't do well. So we are all in this together--that's the new Global Economy for you. And that (painful) lesson very much applies within our borders as well, btw.
It's time to try "Trickle Up" Economics. We've tried "Trickle Down" in this country... since 1980, in fact. So we've given that theory of economics 28 years now to demonstrate that it actually works. Is it just me, or does your head seriously hurt now too, from all that head-butting against a brick wall we as a nation have been doing. And it seems to me that the main thing that's "trickled down" is not Wealth, but Misery... not to mention Ruin.
Which is why I want everyone to start nudging their elected officials, especially the ones facing re-election on November 4th. One thing I took away from that brouhaha over the $700 billion bailout plan is this: our representatives will pay attention to their constituency when their elected tushies are on the line. Yes, ultimately a bailout plan was passed--because time was so of-the-essence, and no one on Capitol Hill seemed able to come up with a better, smarter plan at that time (or act enough like grownups to agree upon one).
But the next round of bailouts/stimulus-packages is coming... because it has to. And that next round must deal with the continuing decline in Housing prices and the Mortgage Crisis first. Because that's the base of the pyramid. Just picture a pyramid in your mind for a moment, and imagine what happens when the pyramid takes a devastating hit. If that hit happens near the top, the pyramid itself can still remain standing. Granted, it will be without a peak/summit, but the remainder will survive. But if you attack that pyramid at the base, the entire pyramid will probably crumble. Because that's the foundation upon which everything else was built. So rich, poor, and everything in between... they will all collapse.
Too many in Government love to use Fear as their weapon of choice in their dealings with the American people. Well, we can play that game too, can't we. Make them deal with the Housing/Mortgage Crisis first. None of them seems to have worked out yet just how to do that. Let's all make them figure it out...
And don't make me share with you just how much of its bailout money that AIG has already burned through. Trust me, y'all, you don't even want to know...
25 October 2008
"Drill, Baby, Drill"? No. More like, "Dumb, Baby, Dumb"
I still go a little apesh*t every time I hear that chant, "Drill, baby, drill." I've talked myself down... again. But, here's what I'd like everyone to do:
Let's all do some basic math here, of an order not even challenging enough to make it onto that show, Are You Smarter Than a 5th Grader?
If we exploited every ounce of oil within our jurisdiction through off-shore drilling, we'd be able to produce around 3% of the world's oil supply. We currently consume about 25% of the world's oil supply. So. Where's that other 22% gonna come from, people?
Currently, Scientists are not entirely sure how long it takes for the Earth to produce oil. But most believe it takes something like hundreds of thousands of years. Again, given the frightening rate at which we consume oil, let's all think about the math here. If oil is indeed so plentiful, as some still argue, why are gas prices what they are? And why do our Leaders seem willing to send in our poor exhausted troops to fight to preserve our access to that oil? I wonder...
Here's a fascinating article, though, that I found this morning, entitled Scientists find bugs that eat waste and excrete petrol. Here's an excerpt:
"To be more precise: the genetic alteration of bugs – very, very small ones – so that when they feed on agricultural waste such as woodchips or wheat straw, they do something extraordinary. They excrete crude oil."
Pretty trippy, eh? Some might even say it's "radical"...
Read the article here: http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/environment/article4133668.ece
Let's all do some basic math here, of an order not even challenging enough to make it onto that show, Are You Smarter Than a 5th Grader?
If we exploited every ounce of oil within our jurisdiction through off-shore drilling, we'd be able to produce around 3% of the world's oil supply. We currently consume about 25% of the world's oil supply. So. Where's that other 22% gonna come from, people?
Currently, Scientists are not entirely sure how long it takes for the Earth to produce oil. But most believe it takes something like hundreds of thousands of years. Again, given the frightening rate at which we consume oil, let's all think about the math here. If oil is indeed so plentiful, as some still argue, why are gas prices what they are? And why do our Leaders seem willing to send in our poor exhausted troops to fight to preserve our access to that oil? I wonder...
Here's a fascinating article, though, that I found this morning, entitled Scientists find bugs that eat waste and excrete petrol. Here's an excerpt:
"To be more precise: the genetic alteration of bugs – very, very small ones – so that when they feed on agricultural waste such as woodchips or wheat straw, they do something extraordinary. They excrete crude oil."
Pretty trippy, eh? Some might even say it's "radical"...
Read the article here: http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/environment/article4133668.ece
Is Bjork a Terrorist?
Of course not. I was intentionally being a sensationalist to get your attention.
Because guess what the fearless (ha) Leader "across the pond" has recently done: Gordon Brown has used England’s anti-terror laws to freeze the assets of an Icelandic bank. The people of Iceland? "Terrorists"?
But will you look at the tremendous grace and style, not to mention humor, with which the people of Iceland have chosen to "fight" back. Here's how The Daily Beast put it, in their synopsis:
"But Icelanders, sweethearts that they are, have a more off-hand approach. They have sent Gordon Brown pictures of their families in matching sweaters with words like, “Darling Brown. We are not terrorists but terribly nice and friendly.” An Icelandic photographer has been documenting the anti-Brown forces. One man wielded a snowball as a weapon; another a gun made of Legos."
It makes me want to spend part of my Saturday at the record store, buying a Bjork album(!) As a symbolic act of solidarity. Because clearly, everyone needs to be very very careful about how they use the "T" word: "Terrorist."
You can read the entire article here: http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/europe/who-are-you-calling-terrorists-mr-brown-971471.html
Because guess what the fearless (ha) Leader "across the pond" has recently done: Gordon Brown has used England’s anti-terror laws to freeze the assets of an Icelandic bank. The people of Iceland? "Terrorists"?
But will you look at the tremendous grace and style, not to mention humor, with which the people of Iceland have chosen to "fight" back. Here's how The Daily Beast put it, in their synopsis:
"But Icelanders, sweethearts that they are, have a more off-hand approach. They have sent Gordon Brown pictures of their families in matching sweaters with words like, “Darling Brown. We are not terrorists but terribly nice and friendly.” An Icelandic photographer has been documenting the anti-Brown forces. One man wielded a snowball as a weapon; another a gun made of Legos."
It makes me want to spend part of my Saturday at the record store, buying a Bjork album(!) As a symbolic act of solidarity. Because clearly, everyone needs to be very very careful about how they use the "T" word: "Terrorist."
You can read the entire article here: http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/europe/who-are-you-calling-terrorists-mr-brown-971471.html
See what happens when you treat Sarahs like Patsys?
From the Cheat Sheet on the The Daily Beast; the article is entitled Palin Goes Off the Reservation:
"This is guaranteed to give John McCain heartburn. Politico’s Ben Smith reports that Sarah Palin is beginning to ignore her campaign minders. "She's lost confidence in most of the people on the plane,” a source tells Smith, adding, “I think she’d like to go more rogue.” The friction comes from two warring camps inside McCain HQ. One led by Steve Schmidt and Nicole Wallace is said to be preparing to blame Palin if McCain loses the election. Another faction contends Palin has been misused by the campaign, hidden from the press until it was too late to repair her image. How she’ll go “rogue” remains to be seen; last Sunday, she gave an impromptu interview while a minder desperately tried to cut her off."
She essentially told us all from the get-go that she was a pit-bull with lipstick. And yet, she's been treated like a patsy, and now seems ready to push back... And speaking strictly as a woman, I can't say that I blame her.
But I don't suffer "rogues." Or Executives who seem willing to abuse the powers her electorate entrusted to her.
Read the whole piece here: http://www.politico.com/news/stories/1008/14929_Page2.html
"This is guaranteed to give John McCain heartburn. Politico’s Ben Smith reports that Sarah Palin is beginning to ignore her campaign minders. "She's lost confidence in most of the people on the plane,” a source tells Smith, adding, “I think she’d like to go more rogue.” The friction comes from two warring camps inside McCain HQ. One led by Steve Schmidt and Nicole Wallace is said to be preparing to blame Palin if McCain loses the election. Another faction contends Palin has been misused by the campaign, hidden from the press until it was too late to repair her image. How she’ll go “rogue” remains to be seen; last Sunday, she gave an impromptu interview while a minder desperately tried to cut her off."
She essentially told us all from the get-go that she was a pit-bull with lipstick. And yet, she's been treated like a patsy, and now seems ready to push back... And speaking strictly as a woman, I can't say that I blame her.
But I don't suffer "rogues." Or Executives who seem willing to abuse the powers her electorate entrusted to her.
Read the whole piece here: http://www.politico.com/news/stories/1008/14929_Page2.html
24 October 2008
Oops, my bad...
I got confused by the fact that I received an email this morning telling me that the deadline for Campaign contributions was tonight, and so...
I made a gaffe. I hope you'll bear with me, though, because this "watchdog" thing is a new role for me...
And in my defense, I have been living in a bit of a "bubble" these days, in a brand new apartment, and a brand new town, and I've been (maddeningly, frustratingly) unable to work as an Art-Dog (my usual gig) due to a Workers Comp Injury to my hand. I don't look at calendars much as of late.
But, I'd like to retain this part of my prior post which I've double-fact-checked now. Here it is...
I made a gaffe. I hope you'll bear with me, though, because this "watchdog" thing is a new role for me...
And in my defense, I have been living in a bit of a "bubble" these days, in a brand new apartment, and a brand new town, and I've been (maddeningly, frustratingly) unable to work as an Art-Dog (my usual gig) due to a Workers Comp Injury to my hand. I don't look at calendars much as of late.
But, I'd like to retain this part of my prior post which I've double-fact-checked now. Here it is...
The Obama Campaign is currently negotiating with the City of Chicago over the costs of hosting the one million (!) or so supporters expected to convene at Grant Park (named after Ulysses S. Grant) on Election Night, where Obama will be, in spite of the cold and blustery conditions expected there (we are the City of da Bears, so cold & blustery is old hat for us). The Obama Campaign does not think the taxpayers of Chicago and Illinois should be stuck footing the bill. Help them help Chicago, my old hometown. And remember, Illinois was the home state of Abraham Lincoln. He was a Republican, but I'll bet old Abe himself would get a little verklempt at that sight... don't you think? Maybe old General Grant would too, as well.
And think upon this: I think we'd all love to see the 21st Century version of a Norman Rockwell painting. And if my hunch is correct, that picture will be painted against the backdrop of Grant Park in Chicago.
I guess that's the old Production Designer in me, raising her tired old head: I'm always trying to give events a bit of Art Direction... and wanting the budget to do it right. The way it deserves.
And to those who actually can, even in these brutal economic times, afford to contribute more: How about a symbolic contribution of $894, which was McCain's class rank at the U.S. Naval Academy, out of a class of 899. That's right, y'all, 894 out of 899(!) Meaning, McCain was only "smarter" than exactly five (5) of his classmates. Look it up and verify, if you want to double-check for yourself... which is a good rule-of-thumb to follow in life generally, imho. But to make it easier, here's the wikipedia link: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_McCain
TrooperGate
You're going to be hearing that term a lot someday soon. That's what my brief years of legal schooling tell me, in my mind and gut. Just wanted to get that on the record here.
Because you know what's reeeeally dangerous? An Executive who makes the argument that the Legislative Branch has no legal authority to investigate the (mis)actions of the Executive Branch(!?) Wow. And that argument was recently and successfully made by none other than... Miss Runner-Up Alaska herself.
So. Dangerously. Wrong.
Perhaps that's why Alaska's largest newspaper, the Anchorage Daily News, is actually endorsing Obama! And here's what they wrote: “[F]ew who have worked closely with the governor would argue [Palin] is truly ready to assume command of the most important, powerful nation on earth.”
Because you know what's reeeeally dangerous? An Executive who makes the argument that the Legislative Branch has no legal authority to investigate the (mis)actions of the Executive Branch(!?) Wow. And that argument was recently and successfully made by none other than... Miss Runner-Up Alaska herself.
So. Dangerously. Wrong.
Perhaps that's why Alaska's largest newspaper, the Anchorage Daily News, is actually endorsing Obama! And here's what they wrote: “[F]ew who have worked closely with the governor would argue [Palin] is truly ready to assume command of the most important, powerful nation on earth.”
Happy Days are Here Again: Opie Stumps for Obama
As a child of the 70s, it made me kinda smile to see Ron Howard, Andy Williams, and Henry Winkler reprise their famous roles, decades later, to stump for Obama. The sight of Ronnie Howard playing an 8-year-old Opie four decades later, and seeing the Fonz again... If you're at all a sucker for nostalgia, it might be worth a peek. The video is about 3 minutes long.
http://www.funnyordie.com/videos/cc65ed650d
http://www.funnyordie.com/videos/cc65ed650d
Campaign Attack Hoax
Here's a synopsis, from the article entitled Campaign Attack Hoax:
"Drudge fomented outrage in the conservative blogosphere yesterday when he posted an item about an attack in Pittsburgh where an African American mugger supposedly carved a “B” into 20-year-old Ashley Todd’s cheek after he noticed a John McCain bumper sticker on her car. Many feared the sudden injection of racial fears into the race, but it turns out that they need not to worry: The entire thing was a hoax. The supposed victim, who volunteers for McCain’s campaign, admitted to police today that she made it up after taking a polygraph test. Pittsburgh police say they will press charges against her."
Here's the link to that short news blurb: http://kdka.com/local/attack.McCain.Bloomfield.2.847628.html
and another, more in-depth (if maybe partisan) account:
http://wonkette.com/403763/gop-gal-claims-savage-negro-mugged-her-for-obama
And how did I first learn of this disgusting hoax? While trying to stamp out the many brush-fires of violent ignorance and intimations of a Race War that I unwittingly stumbled into when I chimed in to an online thread re: "Will White People Riot?" A purely rhetorical question raised simply to make an important point, imho. Here's a link to the thread; but I warn you, some of the vitriol that's spewed here is not for the faint of heart: http://www.theroot.com/id/48479/output/comments
"Drudge fomented outrage in the conservative blogosphere yesterday when he posted an item about an attack in Pittsburgh where an African American mugger supposedly carved a “B” into 20-year-old Ashley Todd’s cheek after he noticed a John McCain bumper sticker on her car. Many feared the sudden injection of racial fears into the race, but it turns out that they need not to worry: The entire thing was a hoax. The supposed victim, who volunteers for McCain’s campaign, admitted to police today that she made it up after taking a polygraph test. Pittsburgh police say they will press charges against her."
Here's the link to that short news blurb: http://kdka.com/local/attack.McCain.Bloomfield.2.847628.html
and another, more in-depth (if maybe partisan) account:
http://wonkette.com/403763/gop-gal-claims-savage-negro-mugged-her-for-obama
And how did I first learn of this disgusting hoax? While trying to stamp out the many brush-fires of violent ignorance and intimations of a Race War that I unwittingly stumbled into when I chimed in to an online thread re: "Will White People Riot?" A purely rhetorical question raised simply to make an important point, imho. Here's a link to the thread; but I warn you, some of the vitriol that's spewed here is not for the faint of heart: http://www.theroot.com/id/48479/output/comments
"Greed Good? Not even Gordon Gekko would say so now."
That's the ending line from a piece entitled, Gekko: How Reality Trumped My Sequel, by Stephen Schiff, the first writer of Wall Street, that 1987 movie by Oliver Stone. Remember that movie? Well, Schiff recently turned in to the Studios, just this past July, his sequel to that 1987 movie, which he entitled Money Never Sleeps.
But Schiff is not patting himself on the back. In fact, here's what he says: "But I’m on to the next. Still, I keep thinking of the many months I spent researching, and how little that research predicted the scorched earth we now find ourselves circumnavigating."
Here's what else Schiff says: no one on Wall Street seemed to see this coming, either:
"So I asked everyone I talked to what their imagination of disaster would be. What were they afraid of? What would cause the Big Meltdown? The funny thing is, not one of them mentioned the crash in housing prices. Not one mentioned subprime mortgages or mortgage-backed securities. No one imagined Bear Stearns going under, or Lehman Brothers, or AIG. No one foresaw banks Like WaMu and Wachovia crumbling.
The most common answer I got was a terrorist attack. The suitcase nuke in Central Park. An Al Qaeda assault in Dubai or Abu Dhabi. Something big and bad in The City of London. But terrorism seemed like another movie to me. When I steered my interlocutors back toward finance, it soon became clear what the number one fear was: China. China devouring the world. China breaking a nail and the ripples building into a tsunami elsewhere."
Wow. And apparently, the real Gordon Gekkos of Wall Street these days are not very, well, "Gekko-esque":
"They tend not to be suspenders-wearing swashbucklers so much as computer geeks, staring into four screens at once and crunching numbers to the beat of abstruse algorithms that may mystify even the guy one desk over. They work very, very hard, and most of the action in their world takes place between about 6:30 and 10 am, when they’re moving at a blinding pace. Doing what, exactly? Barking into telephones? Hurtling down hallways in sharp suits shouting commands? No. They now do everything by IM, and when they talk telephonically it’s usually through a speaker stalk sticking out of a device called a “turret,” which speed-dials everyone in their universe instantly. And they never wear suits to the office. At their tensest, most dramatic moments, what they’re doing, mostly, is…typing."
It's a good read, and you can find it here: http://www.thedailybeast.com/blogs-and-stories/2008-10-24/gekko-how-reality-trumped-my-sequel/2/
And remember this, what Schiff himself says at the end of his piece: "What killed us was good old greed. Our own." Not the Gordon Gekkos of Wall Street, or any other boogey-men in the night...
But Schiff is not patting himself on the back. In fact, here's what he says: "But I’m on to the next. Still, I keep thinking of the many months I spent researching, and how little that research predicted the scorched earth we now find ourselves circumnavigating."
Here's what else Schiff says: no one on Wall Street seemed to see this coming, either:
"So I asked everyone I talked to what their imagination of disaster would be. What were they afraid of? What would cause the Big Meltdown? The funny thing is, not one of them mentioned the crash in housing prices. Not one mentioned subprime mortgages or mortgage-backed securities. No one imagined Bear Stearns going under, or Lehman Brothers, or AIG. No one foresaw banks Like WaMu and Wachovia crumbling.
The most common answer I got was a terrorist attack. The suitcase nuke in Central Park. An Al Qaeda assault in Dubai or Abu Dhabi. Something big and bad in The City of London. But terrorism seemed like another movie to me. When I steered my interlocutors back toward finance, it soon became clear what the number one fear was: China. China devouring the world. China breaking a nail and the ripples building into a tsunami elsewhere."
Wow. And apparently, the real Gordon Gekkos of Wall Street these days are not very, well, "Gekko-esque":
"They tend not to be suspenders-wearing swashbucklers so much as computer geeks, staring into four screens at once and crunching numbers to the beat of abstruse algorithms that may mystify even the guy one desk over. They work very, very hard, and most of the action in their world takes place between about 6:30 and 10 am, when they’re moving at a blinding pace. Doing what, exactly? Barking into telephones? Hurtling down hallways in sharp suits shouting commands? No. They now do everything by IM, and when they talk telephonically it’s usually through a speaker stalk sticking out of a device called a “turret,” which speed-dials everyone in their universe instantly. And they never wear suits to the office. At their tensest, most dramatic moments, what they’re doing, mostly, is…typing."
It's a good read, and you can find it here: http://www.thedailybeast.com/blogs-and-stories/2008-10-24/gekko-how-reality-trumped-my-sequel/2/
And remember this, what Schiff himself says at the end of his piece: "What killed us was good old greed. Our own." Not the Gordon Gekkos of Wall Street, or any other boogey-men in the night...
23 October 2008
OMG, I'm About to DEFEND Sarah Palin(!)
I am no fan of Ms. Palin. Clearly. But I, for one, am not going to stand for this media onslaught focused almost entirely on Ms. Palin, whom I see as little more than a patsy in many respects.
Whether the RNC spent too much "styling" Ms. Palin is so beside the point. The question is, is there any precedent for this kind of spending, on candidates either male or female, by either the Republicans or the Democrats? Did the DNC spend money styling Hilary? Or Geraldine Ferraro? And when We-the-People make contributions directly to the candidate of our choice, are our contributions going towards this kind of frivolous spending? If so, do We-the-People want to perpetuate this kind of politics-as-usual gamesmanship and the worship of Style to the complete exclusion of Substance?
Which is why I just fired off a rather snippy and snarky email to CNN Headline News... and I generally like their coverage of the news.
And try to watch NBC's Brian Williams' long-awaited interview (tonight?) with Palin, and McCain. Take special note of how Daddy McCain had to sit beside her, in order for Ms. Palin to face (or be allowed) to meet the press. The Republicans are treating Ms. Palin like a patsy... and I, as a woman, am more than a little peeved. Maybe if the Republicans had just let Ms. Palin sink-or-swim on her own (like Joe Biden does, for good and bad), instead of focusing on how to dress up their "Caribou Barbie" and what words to put on her teleprompter... well, maybe she would have eventually figured out how to avoid all the embarrassing gaffes she has been making. Maybe not. But still...
*************************************************
Postscript: Thank you, Keith Olberman of MSNBC, for answering some of my questions. Neither party is innocent here--Clinton was once getting $200 haircuts, apparently, on the taxpayers' dime. The irony is, McCain himself, back when he actually acted a bit like the straight-talking "maverick" he still claims to be, raised this very issue of the frivolous spending of public funds by politicians on highly personal expenses, including one's wardrobe. Once. Oh McCain... maybe I should start calling you King McLear instead...
Whether the RNC spent too much "styling" Ms. Palin is so beside the point. The question is, is there any precedent for this kind of spending, on candidates either male or female, by either the Republicans or the Democrats? Did the DNC spend money styling Hilary? Or Geraldine Ferraro? And when We-the-People make contributions directly to the candidate of our choice, are our contributions going towards this kind of frivolous spending? If so, do We-the-People want to perpetuate this kind of politics-as-usual gamesmanship and the worship of Style to the complete exclusion of Substance?
Which is why I just fired off a rather snippy and snarky email to CNN Headline News... and I generally like their coverage of the news.
And try to watch NBC's Brian Williams' long-awaited interview (tonight?) with Palin, and McCain. Take special note of how Daddy McCain had to sit beside her, in order for Ms. Palin to face (or be allowed) to meet the press. The Republicans are treating Ms. Palin like a patsy... and I, as a woman, am more than a little peeved. Maybe if the Republicans had just let Ms. Palin sink-or-swim on her own (like Joe Biden does, for good and bad), instead of focusing on how to dress up their "Caribou Barbie" and what words to put on her teleprompter... well, maybe she would have eventually figured out how to avoid all the embarrassing gaffes she has been making. Maybe not. But still...
*************************************************
Postscript: Thank you, Keith Olberman of MSNBC, for answering some of my questions. Neither party is innocent here--Clinton was once getting $200 haircuts, apparently, on the taxpayers' dime. The irony is, McCain himself, back when he actually acted a bit like the straight-talking "maverick" he still claims to be, raised this very issue of the frivolous spending of public funds by politicians on highly personal expenses, including one's wardrobe. Once. Oh McCain... maybe I should start calling you King McLear instead...
Picture of the Day: or How We Crossed Party Lines... through Dance!
Look at this priceless gem I found on Flickr, on Photo Giddy's photostream. I believe the photo actually originated, though, from http://www.iphonesavior.com/.
Going Green to Make Some Green
The Dow may be plunging, even as I type this. And I ain't no Warren Buffet, so I have no words of wisdom or comfort to offer, not on the current state of the economy, anyway.
But here's what I can offer: the Future. And if I had even a dollar to invest, and the time to let that green grow, I'd be looking for the next Google... but in the Green Sector.
This isn't just hippie-dippie talk either, here. It's backed up by history. Innovation is Capitalism's best friend. Which is why it boggles my mind that America, which invented the automobile, is now getting its ass kicked by Japan and South Korea in the production of those fuel-efficient cars every fashionable hipster (and responsible consumer) seems to want. What's up with that, Detroit?
Times are too dire to be focusing on "going Green", you say? What with the mess on Wall Street, and wars raging on at least two major fronts...
Nuh-uh. It's all related. Let me be a boring history wonk for a moment, and tell you about a little speech President Jimmy Carter gave on July 15, 1979. In that speech, given just a few months before the 1980 Election (which of course he lost), Carter issued a warning re: our nation's Addiction to Oil. Carter worried that it would eventually destroy our country, economically, militarily, and morally. Reagan, that "Great Communicator", essentially said in response: "Pshaw! There's plenty of oil. And nothing for you, the American people, to worry about." Well. We all know just whom the American people chose to listen to. Because it was easier, and more convenient, to believe Reagan instead. And ignorance is (supposedly) bliss... as they say.
I'm tipping my electoral glove here (again), but I find Obama's talk of an Alternative-Energy based/fueled Economy, and the creation of a New Wave of Green Collar Workers, to be very interesting.... http://dotearth.blogs.nytimes.com/2008/08/05/the-obama-energy-speech-annotated/
Because there are important foreign policy implications as well. And I'm not just talking about the Middle East. We already owe hundreds of billions to China due, in large part, to our nation's addiction to oil (Why do you think our hands are kinda tied in Darfur? Even Bush Jr. would like to stop the genocide there, I'll bet). And China has already demonstrated that it is not above being ruthless--take the lead paint in our kids' toys, for example--in its pursuit of the almighty buck. But, stop borrowing money from China, and start showing them how to build a powerfully green and responsibly prosperous economy, and trust me... China will pay attention, and follow our lead.
And let's face it: Addictions can't last. And eventually, the "party" will, and has to, end. We all know that. How do you think we got into this mess in the first place? Just ask any shopoholic, or heroin addict, or the Gordon Gekkos of Wall Street: you'll forever be chasing that "first high", which requires more and more of your drug (or false "energy" source) of choice to attain, until eventually...
... you get dragged, kicking and screaming, into Rehab. By the people who truly care for you. And imho, that's where we are now: on the doorstep of the Rehab Clinic--the real kind, and not those spa-like, Look-at-me-Media-I'm-in-Rehab! facilities some celebrities seem so fond of.
Not very sexy, I know. But, I'll bet there are lots of people out there who will figure out a way to "pitch" this thing in a way that makes it sexy...
So remember kids: you gotta Go Green to make some "green". That's the new New-Wave...
But here's what I can offer: the Future. And if I had even a dollar to invest, and the time to let that green grow, I'd be looking for the next Google... but in the Green Sector.
This isn't just hippie-dippie talk either, here. It's backed up by history. Innovation is Capitalism's best friend. Which is why it boggles my mind that America, which invented the automobile, is now getting its ass kicked by Japan and South Korea in the production of those fuel-efficient cars every fashionable hipster (and responsible consumer) seems to want. What's up with that, Detroit?
Times are too dire to be focusing on "going Green", you say? What with the mess on Wall Street, and wars raging on at least two major fronts...
Nuh-uh. It's all related. Let me be a boring history wonk for a moment, and tell you about a little speech President Jimmy Carter gave on July 15, 1979. In that speech, given just a few months before the 1980 Election (which of course he lost), Carter issued a warning re: our nation's Addiction to Oil. Carter worried that it would eventually destroy our country, economically, militarily, and morally. Reagan, that "Great Communicator", essentially said in response: "Pshaw! There's plenty of oil. And nothing for you, the American people, to worry about." Well. We all know just whom the American people chose to listen to. Because it was easier, and more convenient, to believe Reagan instead. And ignorance is (supposedly) bliss... as they say.
I'm tipping my electoral glove here (again), but I find Obama's talk of an Alternative-Energy based/fueled Economy, and the creation of a New Wave of Green Collar Workers, to be very interesting.... http://dotearth.blogs.nytimes.com/2008/08/05/the-obama-energy-speech-annotated/
Because there are important foreign policy implications as well. And I'm not just talking about the Middle East. We already owe hundreds of billions to China due, in large part, to our nation's addiction to oil (Why do you think our hands are kinda tied in Darfur? Even Bush Jr. would like to stop the genocide there, I'll bet). And China has already demonstrated that it is not above being ruthless--take the lead paint in our kids' toys, for example--in its pursuit of the almighty buck. But, stop borrowing money from China, and start showing them how to build a powerfully green and responsibly prosperous economy, and trust me... China will pay attention, and follow our lead.
And let's face it: Addictions can't last. And eventually, the "party" will, and has to, end. We all know that. How do you think we got into this mess in the first place? Just ask any shopoholic, or heroin addict, or the Gordon Gekkos of Wall Street: you'll forever be chasing that "first high", which requires more and more of your drug (or false "energy" source) of choice to attain, until eventually...
... you get dragged, kicking and screaming, into Rehab. By the people who truly care for you. And imho, that's where we are now: on the doorstep of the Rehab Clinic--the real kind, and not those spa-like, Look-at-me-Media-I'm-in-Rehab! facilities some celebrities seem so fond of.
Not very sexy, I know. But, I'll bet there are lots of people out there who will figure out a way to "pitch" this thing in a way that makes it sexy...
So remember kids: you gotta Go Green to make some "green". That's the new New-Wave...
22 October 2008
Is McCain Stealing Plays from Bush Jr's Old Playbook?
Here's an excerpt from the Times Online in an article entitled, Lies and more lies: the 10 dirtiest tricks in US electoral history:
"George W. Bush and McCain’s “lovechild"
In the 2000 Republican primary campaign, then-governor of Texas George W. Bush hired Warren Tompkins to wipe out his opponent, John McCain. Tompkins and his team spread race-baiting rumours in South Carolina that McCain had secretly fathered a black lovechild (in fact his adopted Bangladeshi daughter Bridget). Bush also brought in Jeff Larson and his firm FLS-Connect to conduct robo-calls highlighting McCain’s "interracial child" and his wife Cindy’s addiction to prescription drugs.
At the time, McCain said of Larson and Tompkins that “there is a special place in hell for people like these.” He has since had a change of heart and hired Larson to run similar robo-calls against current presidential opponent Barack Obama, accusing the Democrat of “close” ties to former domestic terrorist Bill Ayers, of having an “extreme leftist” agenda and not sharing American values. Last week McCain brought in Tompkins to advise him on tactics in the battleground state of North Carolina in the final days of the campaign."
Read the whole article here: http://timesonline.typepad.com/uselections/2008/10/lies-and-more-l.html
"George W. Bush and McCain’s “lovechild"
In the 2000 Republican primary campaign, then-governor of Texas George W. Bush hired Warren Tompkins to wipe out his opponent, John McCain. Tompkins and his team spread race-baiting rumours in South Carolina that McCain had secretly fathered a black lovechild (in fact his adopted Bangladeshi daughter Bridget). Bush also brought in Jeff Larson and his firm FLS-Connect to conduct robo-calls highlighting McCain’s "interracial child" and his wife Cindy’s addiction to prescription drugs.
At the time, McCain said of Larson and Tompkins that “there is a special place in hell for people like these.” He has since had a change of heart and hired Larson to run similar robo-calls against current presidential opponent Barack Obama, accusing the Democrat of “close” ties to former domestic terrorist Bill Ayers, of having an “extreme leftist” agenda and not sharing American values. Last week McCain brought in Tompkins to advise him on tactics in the battleground state of North Carolina in the final days of the campaign."
Read the whole article here: http://timesonline.typepad.com/uselections/2008/10/lies-and-more-l.html
Al-Qaeda "Endorses" McCain?
Straight from The Washington Post:
" 'Al-Qaeda will have to support McCain in the coming election,' said a commentary posted Monday on the extremist Web site al-Hesbah, which is closely linked to the terrorist group. It said the Arizona Republican would continue the 'failing march of his predecessor,' President Bush."
But, you know, this is Al-Qaeda we're talking about here... so take it with a grain of salt. They love to capitalize on Fear... please keep that in mind.
And do weigh this "endorsement" against Colin Powell's endorsement of Obama.
So partisan of me, I know. But to borrow (steal) the words of Woody Allen, "I'm a bigot. But I'm for the Left!"
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/10/21/AR2008102102477.html
" 'Al-Qaeda will have to support McCain in the coming election,' said a commentary posted Monday on the extremist Web site al-Hesbah, which is closely linked to the terrorist group. It said the Arizona Republican would continue the 'failing march of his predecessor,' President Bush."
But, you know, this is Al-Qaeda we're talking about here... so take it with a grain of salt. They love to capitalize on Fear... please keep that in mind.
And do weigh this "endorsement" against Colin Powell's endorsement of Obama.
So partisan of me, I know. But to borrow (steal) the words of Woody Allen, "I'm a bigot. But I'm for the Left!"
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/10/21/AR2008102102477.html
The "Celebrity" Hall of Shame: Sarah Palin
This will be a recurring feature on my blog. "Celebrity" has been placed in quotation marks because I plan to name all those who, imho, behave as though they were celebrities. (And I did 8 years of hard time in The Biz, so I know a bit on that topic).
Today's winner: Governor Sarah Palin.
Congratulations, Ms. Palin. From "Miss Congeniality" to "First Lady" of my Hall of Shame... you've come a long long way, baby.
Shopping sprees at Neiman Marcus funded by the RNC, sticking the Alaskan taxpayers with the travel-expenses bill for your "entourage", trying to wink-and-charm your way out of doing any of your homework, not even the basic Government 101 lessons re: the Constitutionally-defined duties of the Vice President of the United States...
If it walks like a celebrity, and quacks like a celebrity... well, guess what? You, Ms. Palin, are acting like a Celebrity. Sadly, I have no "parting gifts and prizes" for you. But, I am working hard on your Sash (because I'm Arts & Crafts-y like that).
Look, I have no idea what your future role on the national (or world) stage will be, or which way Election 2008 will swing. But please, stop getting all Greta Garbo when it comes time to "Meet the Press." Rush Limbaugh may be part of the "media", but he is most certainly not a journalist. We citizens rely on journalists (the responsible and intellectually rigorous ones, anyway) to act as our watchdogs. Hollywood celebrities have every right to shun the press. Capitol Hill "celebrities" do not--and I'm pretty sure the Founding Fathers would back me up on that point.
And take a cue, Ms. Palin, from that so-called-celebrity, Barack Obama, who actually looks like he could do with a new pair of shoes... http://www.acouplethings.com/blog/2008/10/update-while-obama-resoles-his-shoes-palin-spends-150k-on-clothes/
Today's winner: Governor Sarah Palin.
Congratulations, Ms. Palin. From "Miss Congeniality" to "First Lady" of my Hall of Shame... you've come a long long way, baby.
Shopping sprees at Neiman Marcus funded by the RNC, sticking the Alaskan taxpayers with the travel-expenses bill for your "entourage", trying to wink-and-charm your way out of doing any of your homework, not even the basic Government 101 lessons re: the Constitutionally-defined duties of the Vice President of the United States...
If it walks like a celebrity, and quacks like a celebrity... well, guess what? You, Ms. Palin, are acting like a Celebrity. Sadly, I have no "parting gifts and prizes" for you. But, I am working hard on your Sash (because I'm Arts & Crafts-y like that).
Look, I have no idea what your future role on the national (or world) stage will be, or which way Election 2008 will swing. But please, stop getting all Greta Garbo when it comes time to "Meet the Press." Rush Limbaugh may be part of the "media", but he is most certainly not a journalist. We citizens rely on journalists (the responsible and intellectually rigorous ones, anyway) to act as our watchdogs. Hollywood celebrities have every right to shun the press. Capitol Hill "celebrities" do not--and I'm pretty sure the Founding Fathers would back me up on that point.
And take a cue, Ms. Palin, from that so-called-celebrity, Barack Obama, who actually looks like he could do with a new pair of shoes... http://www.acouplethings.com/blog/2008/10/update-while-obama-resoles-his-shoes-palin-spends-150k-on-clothes/
"Bloggers, I suppose, were children once." --Anonymous
Since I always reveal my sources, let the record reflect that "Anonymous" is none other than Me, your humble blogger and (public) servant. And my quote is just a minor tweaking of the quote by Charles Lamb that prefaces the novel, To Kill A Mockingbird. Mr. Lamb's original quote is: "Lawyers, I suppose, were children once."
And I was once... a child, that is, and a Lawyer too (for all of 10 months post-Bar-Admission, anyway). Just the first of many quirk-ilicious bits of personal trivia to come, culled from my highly itinerant, ass-forward, wandering-pilgrim-soul Life (which is currently at 38 years, and counting...).
See, I "blame" the author, Harper Lee, for inspiring me to enter Law School (*#!@%), and planting that nudgy little seed in my heart and mind that relentlessly whispers, Be a Writer... if you can.
But being a "Writer"--well, that's a pretty tall order, and one I take too seriously to muck up (not that any publisher has ever come a knockin' on my door). But a "Blogger"... well, maybe that, I can do. And should--just ask the friends/families/foes who have experienced what it is to be "carpet-bombed" with my words. And I have a lot of them, people. Too many. And I fire them off at a rapid pace, like those fast-talking, banter-loving, screwball heroines from the movies of the 30s (which my years of schooling and living in NYC--you enabler, you--did nothing to temper or moderate).
So. Here I go...
And my "Mission Statement"? To edjumacate the masses, who have been slapped awake by recent events on Wall Street, and the (overwhelming) news-cycle whirling around Election 2008, into realizing that our Watchdogs are not only asleep at their posts, but simultaneously driving too (fer Chrissakes). We can't safely rely on our watchdogs anymore... can we? (sigh) The time has come for us all to think for ourselves, and educate ourselves as much as is needed. Which is where I come in: think of me as your (self-appointed) Ambassador/Interpreter between the Intellectual Elite and the poor-hungry-tired Masses, who (I hope) just might appreciate my "gift" for dumbing-it-down (because it takes a dummy to...).
Remember Kubrick's movie, Dr. Strangelove: or How I Learned To Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb? Well, the full title of my blog is actually: The (mis)Adventures of Wonk: or The Dummies' Guide to the Universe, and Politics, and Art, and Society, and... well, the list could go on and on, really...
And it will. So consider yourselves on notice...
And I was once... a child, that is, and a Lawyer too (for all of 10 months post-Bar-Admission, anyway). Just the first of many quirk-ilicious bits of personal trivia to come, culled from my highly itinerant, ass-forward, wandering-pilgrim-soul Life (which is currently at 38 years, and counting...).
See, I "blame" the author, Harper Lee, for inspiring me to enter Law School (*#!@%), and planting that nudgy little seed in my heart and mind that relentlessly whispers, Be a Writer... if you can.
But being a "Writer"--well, that's a pretty tall order, and one I take too seriously to muck up (not that any publisher has ever come a knockin' on my door). But a "Blogger"... well, maybe that, I can do. And should--just ask the friends/families/foes who have experienced what it is to be "carpet-bombed" with my words. And I have a lot of them, people. Too many. And I fire them off at a rapid pace, like those fast-talking, banter-loving, screwball heroines from the movies of the 30s (which my years of schooling and living in NYC--you enabler, you--did nothing to temper or moderate).
So. Here I go...
And my "Mission Statement"? To edjumacate the masses, who have been slapped awake by recent events on Wall Street, and the (overwhelming) news-cycle whirling around Election 2008, into realizing that our Watchdogs are not only asleep at their posts, but simultaneously driving too (fer Chrissakes). We can't safely rely on our watchdogs anymore... can we? (sigh) The time has come for us all to think for ourselves, and educate ourselves as much as is needed. Which is where I come in: think of me as your (self-appointed) Ambassador/Interpreter between the Intellectual Elite and the poor-hungry-tired Masses, who (I hope) just might appreciate my "gift" for dumbing-it-down (because it takes a dummy to...).
Remember Kubrick's movie, Dr. Strangelove: or How I Learned To Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb? Well, the full title of my blog is actually: The (mis)Adventures of Wonk: or The Dummies' Guide to the Universe, and Politics, and Art, and Society, and... well, the list could go on and on, really...
And it will. So consider yourselves on notice...
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