September 17, 2007 archive

Sep 17 2007

Pony Party: Monday NFL Roundup

ooooh 1 aaaahh 1
Houston 34 Carolina 21
Cincinnati 45 Cleveland 51
Atlanta 7 Jacksonville 13
Green Bay 36 NY Giants 13
Buffalo 3 Pittsburgh 26
San Francisco 17 St. Louis 16
New Orleans 14 Tampa Bay 31
Indianapolis 22 Tennessee 20
Seattle 20 Arizona 23
Minnesota 17 Detroit 20
Dallas 37 Miami 20
NY Jets 13 Baltimore 20
Kansas City 10 Chicago 20
Oakland 20 Denver 23
San Diego 14 New England 38

Washington @ Philadelphia, 8:30 pm edt

Special thanks to HTMLdog for teaching me how to make the lovely table you see above.  Its my first time *blush*…..

Sep 17 2007

So Long! Farewell!

After a long time of staring at the compose essay blank screen and trying to write something cogent, I realize that this isn’t the right community for me.

This is my fond farewell.

I dipped my toes in the water here, and I really enjoy the excitement that people bring to it.

But what I came in search of doesn’t seem to be here.  I am seeking a community of progressive policy wonks.  People who want to write about and discuss policy over campaigns; programs over partisan politics; common good over political sway.

While there are occasional essays touching on policy, and I appreciate them, overall, that doesn’t seem to be the overarching focus of the “serious” content component of the site.

And that’s what I crave.

I’d like to thank buhdy and the admins for creating such a neat site. And buhdy’s “Be excellent to each other” dictum is one I hope is honored. Thanks, too, for the folks who provided commentary and feedback for my essays. That helps me, and I appreciate it.

So bon voyage, safe trip, and have a great time!

I wish you all the best here, and I hope you all enjoy your ponies, pooties and other precious creatures.

Sep 17 2007

Move On: Misunderstanding The Moment

I have never been a fan of George Lakoff. I imagine he may be an effective academic. I believe he is clueless when it comes to politics. For example this:

MoveOn’s “General Betray Us?” ad has raised vital questions that need a thorough and open discussion. The ad worked brilliantly to reveal, via its framing, an essential but previously hidden truth: the Bush Administration and its active supporters have betrayed the trust of the troops and the American people.

MoveOn hit a nerve. In the face of truth, the right-wing has been forced to change the subject — away from the administration’s betrayal of trust and the escalating tragedy of the occupation to of all things, an ad! To take the focus off maiming and death and the breaking of our military, they talk about etiquette. The truth has reduced them to whining: MoveOn was impolite. Rather than face the truth, they use character assassination against an organization whose three million members stand for the highest patriotic principles of this country, the first of which is a commitment to truth.

(Emphaiss supplied.) This has to be the dumbest thing I have read yet in defense of the Move On ad. I’ll just focus on the two bolded statements:

In the face of truth, the right-wing has been forced to change the subject — away from the administration’s betrayal of trust and the escalating tragedy of the occupation to of all things, an ad!

I would change a few words, “in the face of the truth, the right wing has been forced to WAS ABLE TO CHANGE THE SUBJECT — away from the administration’s betrayal of trust and the escalating tragedy of the oupation to of all things, an ad!” And Lakoff calls this ad brilliant? IS he joking? The Move On ad enabled the REFRAMING of “the truth” about Iraq. It allowed the Iraq Debacle to be overwhelmed by the stupidity of an ad, and Lakoff says Yay! He calls that good framing. Lakoff is perhaps the worst political strategist I have ever seen in my life.

More.

Sep 17 2007

The Morning News

The Morning News is an Open Thread.

From Yahoo News Top Stories

1 Greenspan reportedly warns on rate cuts
By Mark Felsenthal, Reuters
1 hour, 48 minutes ago

WASHINGTON (Reuters) – Former Federal Reserve Chairman Alan Greenspan said his successors at the U.S. central bank should be cautious about cutting interest rates because of inflation risks, and he forecast home prices will drop further, according to interviews published on Sunday.

Greenspan, whose memoirs hit book shelves on Monday, said the Fed should be careful not to cut rates too aggressively because the risk of an “inflationary resurgence” is greater now than when he was chairman, the Financial Times reported.

The U.S. central bank meets on Tuesday and is widely expected to cut benchmark federal funds rate — currently at 5.25 percent — by at least a quarter of a percent age point to help the economy weather a housing downturn and a credit crunch.

Sep 17 2007

Muse in the Morning

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Muse in the Morning

The muses are ancient.  The inspirations for our stories were said to be born from them.  Muses of song and dance, or poetry and prose, of comedy and tragedy, of the inward and the outward.  In one version they are Calliope, Euterpe and Terpsichore, Erato and Clio, Thalia and Melpomene, Polyhymnia and Urania.

It has also been traditional to name a tenth muse.  Plato declared Sappho to be the tenth muse, the muse of women poets.  Others have been suggested throughout the centuries.  I don’t have a name for one, but I do think there should be a muse for the graphical arts.  And maybe there should be many more.

Please join us inside to celebrate our various muses…

Sep 17 2007

In The News! Help Wanted: Japanese Prime Minister

This in the first in what will be a weekly look at news from Japan and occasionally Korea. One thing you’ll discover your not the only ones with strange people, weird events and idiot politicians

Sep 17 2007

Some thoughts on the new AG nominee, Michael Mukasey

First, I’ll confess a minor bias in favor of federal judges.  I’ve clerked for federal judges, and I’ve had personal interactions with quite a few of them.  By no means are they all perfect, but compared to the politicians from the other two branches of government, I think they deserve a much higher degree of regard.

That said, I think liberals could do much, much worse than Michael Mukasey as AG.  He’s not an idiot like Gonzo, and he’s not a partisan hack like Ted Olson or Lawrence Silberman.

Sep 17 2007

Happy birthday to me!

I’m 53! In about 12 hours, central standard time.

Some think me wicked.But I heard that it was best for local birds to keep the dead flowers on the plants to give them seed. So I did. I love critters. I plant for the impossible hummingbird that dwells in the urban world. I let the wasps do what they want, and at the end of seasons am rewarded with the remnants of their precious nests. I love architecture.

Sep 17 2007

Sunday Night Theme Songs

In which some of the week’s top stories are given theme songs.

Democrats are impressed with General Petraeus’s shiny medals, before he proceeds, as expected, to catapult the propaganda about the war.

Washington Post:

Even Democrats who despise the war policy were deferential in the face of the general’s even-keeled demeanor and his shiny silver stars, four to a shoulder. “He’s one of the best,” said Democratic Rep. Ike Skelton of Missouri, who ran proceedings in the ornate hearing room and ordered a succession of protesters ejected when they shouted their anger at the war.

Bush speaks to the nation, to catapult the propaganda about the war.

Sep 17 2007

Building Resilient Communities, Round 2: Solar Ovens

Hey kids, I’ve got an idea. Let’s build resilient communities!

When the power and the natural gas go out in a disaster, or a Long Emergency…how ya gonna cook?

Try Solar Cooking!

A resilient community is a place where accidents, disasters, tragedies, traumas, and other disruptive events can be handled as well as can be expected, given competent preparation. Yes, bad things will happen. Yes, some tragedies and damages can’t be undone. But with a little foresight and creativity, the process of getting back to normal quickly, and helping everyone out around you in the process…well, this can be easier (and more reliable) than waiting for FEMA or the Red Cross to show up!

I think the way resilient communities might be built is by a community process. That is, no one like me should come along and describe, design, or dictate what a resilient community should or must have or do. Instead, I would like to adopt the way of emergent creativity from the action of a large collective of intelligent motivated agents (that’s you all, reading this, and contributing).

Interested in Round 2? please keep reading…

Sep 17 2007

Getting the word out

Here are some simple ways to spread the word about Docudharma:

1
2
Push
3!

Sep 17 2007

On TV Now: Al Gore Wins Emmy Award

crossposted at Daily Kos and Truth & Progress

BREAKING: Al Gore’s Current TV Wins an Emmy Award for ‘Interactive Television Services’ — Sunday, September 16, 2007, 8pm-11pm on FOX


Al Gore and Joel Hyatt Arriving at Tonight’s Emmy Awards (behind Actress Ali Larter)
(photo: courtesy ‘Snarky Gossip’)

I’m watching the 59th Emmy Awards on FOX — yes, even on FOX, this year’s Emmys have gone ‘all Green’ — where it was announced just now that Gore’s television network, Current TV, has won the Emmy Award it was nominated for.  Gore’s walking on to the stage now and I’ll update if more news becomes available later tonight.

More below the fold.

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