...
If you haven't seen the movie Stranger Than Fiction yet, do so. It's a great film. It's one of the best I've seen all year. In addition to excellent performances by Will Ferrell, Dustin Hoffman, Emma Thompson and Maggie Gyllenhaal, this song plays a prominent role in the pic.
WRECKLESS ERIC - WHOLE WIDE WORLD - LIVE 1977
Saturday, November 11, 2006
Friday, November 10, 2006
Rediculousness
...
President Bush Today:
President Bush Today:
And years from now, when America looks out on a democratic Middle East growing in freedom and prosperity, Americans will speak of the battles like Fallujah with the same awe and reverence that we now give to Guadalcanal and Iwo Jima.Me today:
Dear Mr. President,
Please stop comparing your little war in Iraq with World War II. They have nothing in common and you’re making an ass of yourself (again) trying to make the square war fit into the round history.
Thank You,
Dave
Friday Beer Blogging: Dem Sweep Edition
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The Democratic sweep of Congress requires a special Friday Beer Blogging Edition.
Let’s start with the now defunct Congress beer that was once brewed in New York.
Also no longer made is Senate beer. Not sure why congressional themed beers didn’t survive in the marketplace. Er, yes I do.
Here’s an old Budweiser magazine advertisement from 1952 depicting the feuding donkey and elephant. The donkey looks tougher and the elephant just looks sick, a metaphor useful even today.
And speaking of donkeys, here’s an old FDR beer bottle opener from back in the day.
And finally, I found this picture while doing my research. Keg Go Karts!
This needs more investigation.
The Democratic sweep of Congress requires a special Friday Beer Blogging Edition.
Let’s start with the now defunct Congress beer that was once brewed in New York.
Also no longer made is Senate beer. Not sure why congressional themed beers didn’t survive in the marketplace. Er, yes I do.
Here’s an old Budweiser magazine advertisement from 1952 depicting the feuding donkey and elephant. The donkey looks tougher and the elephant just looks sick, a metaphor useful even today.
And speaking of donkeys, here’s an old FDR beer bottle opener from back in the day.
And finally, I found this picture while doing my research. Keg Go Karts!This needs more investigation.
Thursday, November 09, 2006
Patience is a Virtue
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Well it took 35 years but someone finally got a reaction from Jim Morrison’s dad on the death of his son. He thinks it was “unfortunate”. OK then.
Seriously though, who knew Morrison’s dad was even still alive?
Well it took 35 years but someone finally got a reaction from Jim Morrison’s dad on the death of his son. He thinks it was “unfortunate”. OK then.
Seriously though, who knew Morrison’s dad was even still alive?
Ed Bradley
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Another iconic broadcast journalist has died…
Another iconic broadcast journalist has died…
(CBS) Veteran 60 Minutes correspondent Ed Bradley died of leukemia this morning. He joined the staff of the venerable news magazine 26 years ago.Christopher Glenn a few weeks ago and now Ed Bradley. Not a good time for veteran CBS broadcasters. Both men were only in their 60s. Life is way too short.
1994: Coming Full Circle
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Something big happened Tuesday. And something even bigger, in my mind, happened yesterday. Yes, the first involves the election but the other isn’t Rumsfeld resigning as you might expect (although I’m glad Rummy’s gone, it will have little practical impact on the war or the Bush administration).
A little background. In the fall of 1994, before the midterm elections that year, I had become increasingly concerned with the influence of rightwing talk radio. I was foreseeing it having an impact on the upcoming elections. My concern had less to do with ideology per se than with the staggering amount of, and I’ll be nice here, misinformation that was being disseminated. Equally bad, I felt, was the tone and viciousness that demonized opponents in ways I had never seen in the American political realm, at least not during my lifetime.
The rightwing talkers had only gained a solid footing in the late 1980s and early 1990s in the vacuum created when AM radio finally and totally gave up on music. They quickly gained an audience with their special blend of easy answers and vitriol. People like Rush Limbaugh became celebrities (remember Rush rooms). It had become fashionable to be an extremist.
What alarmed me the most about guys like Limbaugh, who I listed to quite frequently back then, was the style of propaganda they employed. It reminded me of another broadcasting experience I had had years earlier. When I was in my mid-teens I got a shortwave radio that allowed me to listen to international broadcasts from all over the world, including places like the Soviet Union and China. The propaganda coming out of my radio from Radio Moscow or Radio Havana Cuba was both amusing and obvious. It was what it was, but I often wondered why they even bothered. I mean who would believe this stuff.
By 1994, however, I was hearing the same style (different politics) of propaganda over our domestic airwaves. And people were actually buying it. That scared me and as the midterm elections approached, I feared it would have an impact. I was right. The “Republican Revolution” ushered in a whole new breed of conservative politicians that hve dominated the political discourse in this country ever since.
But that’s all ending now. On Tuesday the country, as a whole, rejected the propaganda. Then on Wednesday, the lead propagandist revealed himself:
Something big happened Tuesday. And something even bigger, in my mind, happened yesterday. Yes, the first involves the election but the other isn’t Rumsfeld resigning as you might expect (although I’m glad Rummy’s gone, it will have little practical impact on the war or the Bush administration).
A little background. In the fall of 1994, before the midterm elections that year, I had become increasingly concerned with the influence of rightwing talk radio. I was foreseeing it having an impact on the upcoming elections. My concern had less to do with ideology per se than with the staggering amount of, and I’ll be nice here, misinformation that was being disseminated. Equally bad, I felt, was the tone and viciousness that demonized opponents in ways I had never seen in the American political realm, at least not during my lifetime.
The rightwing talkers had only gained a solid footing in the late 1980s and early 1990s in the vacuum created when AM radio finally and totally gave up on music. They quickly gained an audience with their special blend of easy answers and vitriol. People like Rush Limbaugh became celebrities (remember Rush rooms). It had become fashionable to be an extremist.
What alarmed me the most about guys like Limbaugh, who I listed to quite frequently back then, was the style of propaganda they employed. It reminded me of another broadcasting experience I had had years earlier. When I was in my mid-teens I got a shortwave radio that allowed me to listen to international broadcasts from all over the world, including places like the Soviet Union and China. The propaganda coming out of my radio from Radio Moscow or Radio Havana Cuba was both amusing and obvious. It was what it was, but I often wondered why they even bothered. I mean who would believe this stuff.
By 1994, however, I was hearing the same style (different politics) of propaganda over our domestic airwaves. And people were actually buying it. That scared me and as the midterm elections approached, I feared it would have an impact. I was right. The “Republican Revolution” ushered in a whole new breed of conservative politicians that hve dominated the political discourse in this country ever since.
But that’s all ending now. On Tuesday the country, as a whole, rejected the propaganda. Then on Wednesday, the lead propagandist revealed himself:
That was Rush Limbaugh yesterday commenting on Tuesday's election results and admitting he has been broadcasting things even he didn’t necessarily believe, all in the name of the cause. That, friends, is called propaganda. Love ‘em or hate ‘em, it’s important to see Rush and his ilk for what they are. I’m just sorry that it’s taken the nation more than a dozen years to do that.The way I feel is this: I feel liberated, and I'm going to tell you as plainly as I can why. I no longer am going to have to carry the water for people who I don't think deserve having their water carried. Now, you might say, "Well, why have you been doing it?" Because the stakes are high! Even though the Republican Party let us down, to me they represent a far better future for my beliefs and therefore the country's than the Democrat [sic] Party does and liberalism.
I'm a radio guy! I understand what this program has become in America and I understand the leadership position it has. I was doing what I thought best, but at this point, people who don't deserve to have their water carried, or have themselves explained as they would like to say things but somehow aren't able to? I'm not under that kind of pressure.
Wednesday, November 08, 2006
The Near Future
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Being held accountable just might suck for some people.
One party rule has been a disaster in Washington. With an opposition party soon to be in a position of real power in one or maybe both houses of Congress, let’s hope there is finally some real oversight.
Being held accountable just might suck for some people.
One party rule has been a disaster in Washington. With an opposition party soon to be in a position of real power in one or maybe both houses of Congress, let’s hope there is finally some real oversight.
Sangamon County Hearts Topinka
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Topinka lost statewide but check this out: she won here in Sangamon County big time, carrying the county 68 percent to 21 percent! I thought this might be the case locally. Blogo is really hated here.
Topinka lost statewide but check this out: she won here in Sangamon County big time, carrying the county 68 percent to 21 percent! I thought this might be the case locally. Blogo is really hated here.
Tuesday, November 07, 2006
Pleasant Plains Hates Fags
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Yeah, so the Dems take the U. S. House, Blago wins re-election, and the Cahn-Man is the Cahn’t-Man, blah, blah, blah. But the big deal tonight is that the gay marriage ban referendum passed in Cartwright Township (Pleasant Plains). The final tally was 502 to 166. Now I think it’s imperative that the fine upstanding citizens of Plains find out who the 166 fags are and tell them that homos will not be tolerated. I mean, 166 could translate into a very femy gay pride parade.
Yeah, so the Dems take the U. S. House, Blago wins re-election, and the Cahn-Man is the Cahn’t-Man, blah, blah, blah. But the big deal tonight is that the gay marriage ban referendum passed in Cartwright Township (Pleasant Plains). The final tally was 502 to 166. Now I think it’s imperative that the fine upstanding citizens of Plains find out who the 166 fags are and tell them that homos will not be tolerated. I mean, 166 could translate into a very femy gay pride parade.
Time To Mail It In
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Today I voted. And today I finally decided I don’t like electronic voting machines. They take too long and I just don’t trust them. I also don’t like seeing half a dozen power cords used to run the things all plugged into a power strip in the middle of the floor just waiting for someone to come along and step on the “off” switch.
I stood in line to vote longer than I can ever remember doing in the past. Much of that was because it was taking everyone forever to get through the electronic ballot. These things make you review your vote, which could be a good thing for some people I guess, but I find it annoying. I especially don’t like the red warnings telling me I failed to vote for anyone in this or that race, as if I had done something wrong.
I’m joining the chorus of reformers who are calling for voting by mail like they do in Oregon.
Today I voted. And today I finally decided I don’t like electronic voting machines. They take too long and I just don’t trust them. I also don’t like seeing half a dozen power cords used to run the things all plugged into a power strip in the middle of the floor just waiting for someone to come along and step on the “off” switch.
I stood in line to vote longer than I can ever remember doing in the past. Much of that was because it was taking everyone forever to get through the electronic ballot. These things make you review your vote, which could be a good thing for some people I guess, but I find it annoying. I especially don’t like the red warnings telling me I failed to vote for anyone in this or that race, as if I had done something wrong.
I’m joining the chorus of reformers who are calling for voting by mail like they do in Oregon.
Well, I don't agree exit polls are necessarily unreliable but the rest sounds good to me.-Voter participation: It increases turnout -- 84 percent of registered Oregonians voted this year.
-Convenience: People can vote according to their schedule.
-Education: People have time to study issues and candidates before voting.
-Fraud protection: It has built-in safeguards that increase the integrity of the elections process.
-Built-in paper trail.
-Voter eligibility: Built-in time to resolve disputes.
-Actual results are released when polls close as opposed to unreliable "exit polls."
-Financial: It saves money.
Voter Suppression?
...
Dick Cheney is out hunting today…with a loaded gun. Please go to the polls anyway as it is very unlikely it will be you that gets shot in the face.
Dick Cheney is out hunting today…with a loaded gun. Please go to the polls anyway as it is very unlikely it will be you that gets shot in the face.
Hidden Costs
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I’m looking forward to this but I’m not likely to order extra copies at $0.75 plus $13.06 tax/shipping/handling. That's a lot of tax on 75 cents.
I’m looking forward to this but I’m not likely to order extra copies at $0.75 plus $13.06 tax/shipping/handling. That's a lot of tax on 75 cents.
Monday, November 06, 2006
Dumb Politics
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Judy Baar-Topinka just isn’t very smart:
Judy Baar-Topinka just isn’t very smart:
Topinka said Sunday that [Gov, Rod] Blagojevich, a well-known Cubs fan, spends more time at the ballpark than he does at the Legislature.Maybe the Cubs are “losers” in the technical sense but is it really a good idea to alienate millions of voters who call themselves Cubs fans two days before the election? Friggin’ clueless.
"Maybe he ought to run for manager of the Cubs," she quipped in Bloomington. "They're a bunch of losers, too, and need some help."
Telemarketer’s Lament
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One of the many jobs I held in previous chapters of my life included telemarketing. Desperation is the mother of dehumanizing choices. With that experience always with me, I was amused to read this from Ezra Klein who has been doing some politicking over the phone:
One of the many jobs I held in previous chapters of my life included telemarketing. Desperation is the mother of dehumanizing choices. With that experience always with me, I was amused to read this from Ezra Klein who has been doing some politicking over the phone:
There's little more depressing than phone banking, which consists of nothing save you bothering people who don't want to be bothered, and are all to happy to tell you so. My friendliest conversation -- by far -- was with a Republican woman I neither convinced nor got threatened by. Out of 60 calls, I reached 10 humans (though left a lot of messages). Of those 10 humans, I think four would tell me who they were voting for. A fair swath of the rest told me, semi-politely, to fuck off. Indeed, the annoyance is such that you wonder if you're not turning potential voters off…There really should be a National Be Nice to Telemarketers Day. You can’t imagine what it takes sometimes to sit down and look at that phone at the beginning o a work day and have to steel yourself for what you are about to do. It’s a crappy job.
But, the pollsters, data divers, and all the rest assure us this helps, so it gets done. By the end of a few hours though, you feel abused. I've never been that unlikable in my life. I'm already pretty polite, but I hereby pledge to be kinder to telemarketers.
Bye Mark!
...
I can’t let this little piece of good news from over the weekend go without comment.
Anyway, so long Mark. I hope you enjoy your bitter, hate-filled life for a long time to come. Maybe someday a bit of humanity will creep in (try turning the Rush Limbaugh and Sean Hannity shows off for a few days) and you’ll see it really isn’t necessary to lie and demonize you way through life.
I can’t let this little piece of good news from over the weekend go without comment.
Conservative commentaries that have been a staple on WICS-TV newscasts in recent years are coming to an end - at least for a while.Ding-dong the dickhead is gone. I stopped watch Ch. 20 news for the most part because of Hyman. And I told WICS what ZI was doing. I got into a short email discussion with an Alaina C. Marx who was, at the time and may still be, the Human Resources/Programming Coordinator at WICS. Here was the final email to me in response to my protests over Mark Hyman appearing on the station:
“The Point with Mark Hyman,” will “take a recess” following its Nov. 30 broadcast, according to a news release from Sinclair Broadcast Group in suburban Baltimore. Sinclair owns WICS-TV, Channel 20, in Springfield.
Dear Mr. [TEH]:A pretty half-hearted defense of the station's programming I’d say. Alaina didn’t seem too thrilled with Hyman and having to field the angry complaints from viewers. And by the way, that was the only time in my entire life I’ve ever contacted a TV station to complain about their programming.
In a perfect world I would be able to do whatever I want at this station. Unfortunately, in the real world I would no longer have a job. We are one of 62 stations owned or operated by Sinclair Broadcast Group. The "I was just following orders" defense, as you called it, is my only defense as I have responsibilities beyond this station that require I keep my position. I cannot afford the luxury of standing up for your cause.
Judging by the volume of emails that we, as well as other Sinclair stations, have received today, I believe that our Corporate Officers will take notice.
Sincerely,
Alaina C. [Last name deleted becuase I won't put mine on the blog]
Human Resources/Programming Coordinator
Anyway, so long Mark. I hope you enjoy your bitter, hate-filled life for a long time to come. Maybe someday a bit of humanity will creep in (try turning the Rush Limbaugh and Sean Hannity shows off for a few days) and you’ll see it really isn’t necessary to lie and demonize you way through life.
Sunday, November 05, 2006
Friday, November 03, 2006
Friday Beer Blogging: Flensburger Edition
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I’m posting another rare personal beer recommendation this week. I was in Friar Tuck’s Sunday (mmmmmmmmm, beeeeeer) and I decided to take a chance on an unknown (to me) import. Well, it was from Germany and the bottle was kind of cool so I bought it. May I introduce to you…Flensburger.
That’s the Pilsner. I also tried the Gold.
I liked both and will be going back for more someday.
I wasn’t sure Flensburger is actually brewed in Germany. Sure, the label says it’s a “German Beer” but it does not say where it’s brewed. I suspected it was actually made in Denmark. I thought that because the Flensberger website has a .de extension. In other words, it’s originating from Denmark. However, I found this entry in Wikipedia that says it is brewed in the German town of Flensburg which is on the Danish border in far northern Germany.
Flensburger gets the TEH seal of approval.
Update: Commenters smarter than me say the the .de extension is Germany, while Denmark is .dk. Sheesh, you'd think I wasn't really the one who invented the internets.
I’m posting another rare personal beer recommendation this week. I was in Friar Tuck’s Sunday (mmmmmmmmm, beeeeeer) and I decided to take a chance on an unknown (to me) import. Well, it was from Germany and the bottle was kind of cool so I bought it. May I introduce to you…Flensburger.
That’s the Pilsner. I also tried the Gold.
I liked both and will be going back for more someday.I wasn’t sure Flensburger is actually brewed in Germany. Sure, the label says it’s a “German Beer” but it does not say where it’s brewed. I suspected it was actually made in Denmark. I thought that because the Flensberger website has a .de extension. In other words, it’s originating from Denmark. However, I found this entry in Wikipedia that says it is brewed in the German town of Flensburg which is on the Danish border in far northern Germany.
Flensburger gets the TEH seal of approval.
Update: Commenters smarter than me say the the .de extension is Germany, while Denmark is .dk. Sheesh, you'd think I wasn't really the one who invented the internets.
Thursday, November 02, 2006
Excuses, Excuses
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Light blogging this week. I've been out of town for a couple of days for a funeral. Also, I've been just a little under the weather and I think it's affected the blog part of my brain. I'll try to do better.
Light blogging this week. I've been out of town for a couple of days for a funeral. Also, I've been just a little under the weather and I think it's affected the blog part of my brain. I'll try to do better.
Wednesday, November 01, 2006
Rising Star
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The State Journal-Registar may be up for sale.
The State Journal-Registar may be up for sale.
Well, I certainly think it's time for the Sangamon Star to step up and make a move. Or perhaps such a concentration of media control would be bad for the community.The announcement by The Copley Press Inc. also affects papers in Peoria, Lincoln and Galesburg in Illinois, as well as three in Ohio.
In a statement, the family-owned chain said it is “exploring strategic alternatives for its newspapers in Ohio and Illinois, including possible mergers, sales or other transactions.”
The decision was based on the continued “contraction” of the newspaper industry, as well as inheritance taxes resulting from the 2004 death of owner Helen K. Copley, the statement said.No timetable has been set.
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