Josh Marshall, over at TPM, has been chronicling the inane statements that the GOP has been making lately as regards the much-discussed stimulus bill, and he's lamented how little the media actually delves into the rhetoric to expose its inanity. Consider me pickled tink, then, that Steven Pearlstein over at the Washington Post actually applies ( Read more... )

An excellent speech overall (I especially liked his use of "My fellow citizens" in lieu of "fellow Americans"), sadly marred by a glaring factual inaccuracy ( Read more... )

Today and tomorrow, Turner Classic Movies, a channel for which I have the utmost respect and deepest affection, is taking a stab at topicality. They usually do this on holidays, like Christmas or Veterans' Day, when they can air movies that communicate some theme of the day. Fair enough.
What are they showing for Obama's inauguration? Well, the ( Read more... )

Well how do you like that! An Emmy-winning writer/producer/talented individual feels exactly the same way I do about the recent Golden Globe winner for Best Comedy, Vicky Christina Barcelona!

What happened to Joaquin Phoenix??? He announced his retirement a year ago, and now he's a mountain man.


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I was at the library earlier today, perusing the new arrivals. One book, How to Break a Terrorist by Matthew Alexander and John Bruning, looked quite interesting, but then I read the jacket copy. The book was described as "unputdownable." (Sidenote: Really?)

So I called the book idiotic, and, satisfied I'd proven the copy wrong, walked away.

I have been rather fixated with the situation in Gaza, haven't I? Anyway, reading a related thread on metafilter, I feel compelled to inscribe this comment forever on my blog:
The heart of the matter is that Israel as a nation was imposed on an indigenous people by means of the West's guilt over, not Arab, but Western antisemitism. The heart of the ( Read more... )

Last night, on the news, I saw a clip of Rep. Anthony Weiner at a pro-Israel rally say (in paraphrase): "If you voted for Hamas, you brought this on yourself." I find this attitude utterly despicable and antithetical to the principles of democracy, especially since it was the US who pushed for Palestinian elections. I may despise the Bush ( Read more... )

A childhood watching old movies has influenced me more than I thought. It occurred to me today that my view of the wealthy is taken entirely from Chaplin and Marx Brothers films. The rich are pompous, vain, capricious, often cruel, and dearly deserve a pie in the face.

ETA: But they dress well.

Winter twilight, especially on a snowy December 31st, has a certain somber finality. The clouds have lifted in time to see the last pale light fadong in the west ( Read more... )