Caught this on Americablog just now, Obama's acceptance speech last night was ranked as having remarkably high viewership by Nielsen Media Research, which rated viewership as 38 million making this speech more watched than the Olympics opening ceremony in Beijing, the final "American Idol" or the 2008 Academy Awards.
Given that most felt the speech itself was quite strong, this would seem to bode well for Mr. Obama and his good friend Mr. Biden.
Friday, August 29, 2008
Wonkette Wonder Sarah Palin
I'm not going to lie, most of what I know about Sarah Palin, I've learned from reading one of my favorite political blogs, Wonkette, where for quite some time they've alternated between calling her the hottest governor ever and a GILF (now changed to VPILF). One of my favorite all time posts they tossed up was about Palin being the hottest Lego governor, but today they posted a collection of past posts, and I also enjoyed one about her being a snow dwarf, and one they created based on a picture of Palin giddily revealing the state quarter of Alaska (the title? "Hot Bear on GILF action!").
That all said, I would echo the strengths and weaknesses I've seen most places related to this whole thing. On one hand, it truly is remarkable to think that in four months we'll either have a woman swearing in as Vice President or a black man swearing in as President. It's also just remarkable to think that in four months we'll be past the Bush Cheney nightmare. That's beside the point, though.
Ok... back to Palin. I think the notion that she'll somehow be the magic bullet on recruiting Hillary voters who are disgruntled is completely bogus. It might help some tiny bit with that particular constituency, but I'll be honest, I think the media is over-blowing the size and importance of that faction. Simply put, I think most Hillary supporters are Democrats with a capital "D" who are likely pretty jazzed up about the strong ticket their party has put together, even if they might think very rightly that their woman would have headed a strong ticket herself (and they're right). While I think this notion of aiming Palin at the PUMA camp and somehow wooing them all is bogus, I do agree with Matt and many others who say Palin will help with all the uber social conservatives who think McCain isn't sufficiently crazed over abortion, appalled at gayness or ready to open oil rigs in every national park. I think Romney, Lieberman, and Ridge would all have caused big challenges with this crowd, and having been teased with those possibilities for weeks I imagine they're pretty giddy.
Meanwhile, back over in the world of how this all will unfold, I just can't imagine a debate between Palin and Joe Biden being anything but lopsided, but then again I thought Biden was pretty stellar in the early Democratic Primary debates and it clearly didn't keep him in the running for that job. I guess we have an interesting fall to look forward to.
That all said, I would echo the strengths and weaknesses I've seen most places related to this whole thing. On one hand, it truly is remarkable to think that in four months we'll either have a woman swearing in as Vice President or a black man swearing in as President. It's also just remarkable to think that in four months we'll be past the Bush Cheney nightmare. That's beside the point, though.
Ok... back to Palin. I think the notion that she'll somehow be the magic bullet on recruiting Hillary voters who are disgruntled is completely bogus. It might help some tiny bit with that particular constituency, but I'll be honest, I think the media is over-blowing the size and importance of that faction. Simply put, I think most Hillary supporters are Democrats with a capital "D" who are likely pretty jazzed up about the strong ticket their party has put together, even if they might think very rightly that their woman would have headed a strong ticket herself (and they're right). While I think this notion of aiming Palin at the PUMA camp and somehow wooing them all is bogus, I do agree with Matt and many others who say Palin will help with all the uber social conservatives who think McCain isn't sufficiently crazed over abortion, appalled at gayness or ready to open oil rigs in every national park. I think Romney, Lieberman, and Ridge would all have caused big challenges with this crowd, and having been teased with those possibilities for weeks I imagine they're pretty giddy.
Meanwhile, back over in the world of how this all will unfold, I just can't imagine a debate between Palin and Joe Biden being anything but lopsided, but then again I thought Biden was pretty stellar in the early Democratic Primary debates and it clearly didn't keep him in the running for that job. I guess we have an interesting fall to look forward to.
First thoughts on Palin
This is obviously a very gutsy pick. An unknown woman who has been the governor of a solidly Red state for less than two years. It could be brilliant, or exceedingly not brilliant, or it could not matter at all.
You can't help but contrast this pick with Biden. Biden was a great choice, but a very conventional one. Palin is anything but conventional. One of the reasons that I liked Biden is that he was chosen not for any specific demographic group but because he is so well-suited to the job. Don't get me wrong: I know Obama's choice is every bit as politically motivated. McCain's choosing Palin, on the other hand, is obviously an attempt to woo disgruntled HRC voters. I applaud his choosing a woman, but it seems very transparent. Are HRC voters just going to vote for McCain because he chose a woman as Veep?
I find it unlikely, but time will tell.
Also, Palin has been governor for less than two years and has never worked in a foreign policy job. Ever. Maybe I'm giving the voting public too much credit, but doesn't this undermine the argument that Obama isn't ready to be President? Basically, McCain is saying this is the person who will take over if anything happens to me. It seems strongly implied that he believes she is ready to do the job. But how can it be that she is ready and Obama isn't? It can't. Which means that McCain's argument about experience is just politics.
Disappointing.
One thing that I haven't yet heard anyone point out: Palin is a social conservative who is not associated with the Bush administration. In other words, she pleases the base without alienating the Bush-weary independents. From this perspective it's a good choice.
You can't help but contrast this pick with Biden. Biden was a great choice, but a very conventional one. Palin is anything but conventional. One of the reasons that I liked Biden is that he was chosen not for any specific demographic group but because he is so well-suited to the job. Don't get me wrong: I know Obama's choice is every bit as politically motivated. McCain's choosing Palin, on the other hand, is obviously an attempt to woo disgruntled HRC voters. I applaud his choosing a woman, but it seems very transparent. Are HRC voters just going to vote for McCain because he chose a woman as Veep?
I find it unlikely, but time will tell.
Also, Palin has been governor for less than two years and has never worked in a foreign policy job. Ever. Maybe I'm giving the voting public too much credit, but doesn't this undermine the argument that Obama isn't ready to be President? Basically, McCain is saying this is the person who will take over if anything happens to me. It seems strongly implied that he believes she is ready to do the job. But how can it be that she is ready and Obama isn't? It can't. Which means that McCain's argument about experience is just politics.
Disappointing.
One thing that I haven't yet heard anyone point out: Palin is a social conservative who is not associated with the Bush administration. In other words, she pleases the base without alienating the Bush-weary independents. From this perspective it's a good choice.
Obama's Speech
Damn. I said, damn. This was more than a home run, this was a grand slam. I have to admit, having this guy as President wouldn't be so very bad.
Thursday, August 28, 2008
More Southern Photos!
I'm going to post more picture on Flickr tomorrow, that's my plan at least. Here's a quick post of two goats we named Wilburrr (on the left) and Fiona (on the right). They were deuling... literally butting heads over a third goat, who I just named Elouise. Elouise was pretty freaked out by the whole affair so she scooted away pretty darn quick. These two were pretty impressive going at it. GOATS! In the SOUTH! Yeah!
New Favorite Political One-Liner
There have been lots of barbs tossed around this week at the Democratic Convention, and I hope people are starting to feel satisfied that the party is really going on the offensive against McCain, the Republicans, etc. Still, I missed this great line and only caught it today when Andrew Sullivan posted about how he missed it.
Peggy Noonan caught it, as did, apparently everybody out in Denver:
Peggy Noonan caught it, as did, apparently everybody out in Denver:
"By the way, the best line of the convention so far? Ted Strickland of Ohio, when he echoed the 1988 Democratic convention joke about George H.W. Bush, that he was born on third and thought he hit a triple. Strickland said of George W. Bush that he was born on third and then stole second. It didn't get much attention in any of the commentary, but it's all people were talking about in the bars of Denver that night."
Wednesday, August 27, 2008
Rootlessness, America and Identity
A couple days ago the NYT had a fascinating article about Barack Obama (and John McCain), rootlessness, wandering, and the American identity. A someone who has only just passed the two year mark living in Connecticut (a tenure of residence in one state unparalleled since since the day I graduated college) I found the read interesting and engaging.
They offer a lengthy meditation on the subject, weaving together literary references, discussion of the wanderer as essentially American, but also the wander as feared and mistrusted. Towards the end they also present an alternate take, asking if Obama, who has lived in Chicago for years now, is once married, has a seemingly stable family, and wants to maintain his ties to Chicago, is in fact more rooted than your average politician.
As I think about it, I also now wonder how the Obama/Biden ticket offers an interesting sampling of wandering with rooted-ness. Biden certainly, as someone who regularly commutes home to Delaware even while the Senate is in session, displays strong roots and ties to the community that has elected him many times over.
The article is worth a read, and I'd love other peoples' reflections on it, if you have any to share in comments!
They offer a lengthy meditation on the subject, weaving together literary references, discussion of the wanderer as essentially American, but also the wander as feared and mistrusted. Towards the end they also present an alternate take, asking if Obama, who has lived in Chicago for years now, is once married, has a seemingly stable family, and wants to maintain his ties to Chicago, is in fact more rooted than your average politician.
As I think about it, I also now wonder how the Obama/Biden ticket offers an interesting sampling of wandering with rooted-ness. Biden certainly, as someone who regularly commutes home to Delaware even while the Senate is in session, displays strong roots and ties to the community that has elected him many times over.
The article is worth a read, and I'd love other peoples' reflections on it, if you have any to share in comments!
Round Mound of Obamanation
So there's clearly a good bit of Democratic Convention related stuff a person could be blogging about today, but instead of weighing into the, "Did Hillary do enough?" conversation, or the "Was Mark Warner at all interesting?" conversation or the, "What the hell was Ed Rendell thinking calling Obama Adalai Stevenson?" conversation I'm going to take up the Charles Barkley conversation. "What with the what now," you might say. That's right, former Philadelphia 76ers basketball great Charles Barkley has tended to lean republican throughout his life, but is a big-time supporter of Obama this year, and HuffPo has all the details.
Celebrity endorsements, who cares, right? I agree, but I just thought this was kinda fun, in part because of the very direct way in which the very opinionated Barkley describes what he sees as appealing in Obama, "We're a country of haves and have-nots. America needs a new leader. Someone who can give poor people a chance"
Celebrity endorsements, who cares, right? I agree, but I just thought this was kinda fun, in part because of the very direct way in which the very opinionated Barkley describes what he sees as appealing in Obama, "We're a country of haves and have-nots. America needs a new leader. Someone who can give poor people a chance"
Tuesday, August 26, 2008
Abides does the Dude
Rolling Stone Magazine has a nice writeup called the Decade of the Dude, sending up the 10 year love affair many in our generation have developed with the Big Lebowski. They spend some time with Jeff Bridges and the article, among other things, includes the following priceless quote from Philip Seymour Hoffman:
Thanks to Tyler for posting this on Facebook!
"There's a freedom to The Big Lebowski," theorizes Philip Seymour Hoffman, who played Brandt, the wealthy Lebowski's obsequious personal assistant. "The Dude abides, and I think that's something people really yearn for, to be able to live their life like that. You can see why young people would enjoy that."
Thanks to Tyler for posting this on Facebook!
V.P. Drama? Right.
CNN goes a little nutty over the Obama VP drama... or well, not drama exactly, really just their impatience. Check it out.
Remarkable Woman, Remarkable Speech
I imagine most folks who caught it last night were touched and impressed by Teddy Kennedy's speech at the Democratic convention. He seems to be doing remarkably well for someone who has endured the sort of surgery he recently went through, and he was impressively powerful and clear in his words and presentation. I missed Michelle Obama last night, but I'm watching it this morning, and I'm so pleasantly impressed, but not surprised. She is an incredible person who has achieved remarkable things in her own life, so I think none of us should be surprised she can deliver an incredible speech. If you're up for spending 20 minutes with her, check out the full video below:
From Purple State Blog's Live-blogging of the convention last night:
Another wonderful reaction documented by Saramerica: young girls who aren't interested in politics find Michelle Obama inspiring.
From Purple State Blog's Live-blogging of the convention last night:
"I had thought going into tonight that Ted Kennedy's speech would be the one that could bring Democrats together across the Obama-Clinton divide. I was wrong. Michelle Obama proved herself a dynamic, captivating, and fantastic public speaker. I will post the video tomorrow. If you didn't see her speech tonight, watch it."
Another wonderful reaction documented by Saramerica: young girls who aren't interested in politics find Michelle Obama inspiring.
Monday, August 25, 2008
Water water everywhere and you thought Face-off was just a B-Movie
I am a B-movie fan. I love them. They give me interesting ideas for my own stories and thoughts. Sure they often take a bit more suspension of disbelief then other movies but if you can get there you will experience a fun time.
Face-Off was an initial exception, I just couldn't wrap my head around it the first time I watched it. It took a second watching sometime later to get my suspension to the level I felt it needed to be to enjoy the movie. Well low and behold I need not have suspended anything at all!
You too can get your face transplanted with someone else's! How wonderful! and with an implantable voice synthesizer, you can sound like them too! Electronic Voices
A quick point on bottled water: STOP USING IT! Seriously!
Bottled water in the vast majority of cases is no cleaner or healthier then tap water! There have been numerous instances where bottled water often has been tested as having higher amounts of potentially dangerous bacteria then any U.S. tap water. Not to mention the amounts of particles that come off the plastic itself. Ever notice the interesting taste and smell a bottle of plastic water has when it heats up a bit. Yeah, thats the plastic degrading.
Those are health risks, lets look at the actual monetary costs. Your average 20 oz. bottle of water costs between $0.70 and $1.50 depending on brand and location. The average cost of tap water in the united states in 2000 was between $0.07 and $0.40 per gallon. That is a milk jug of water folks. Inflation has not affected this cost significantly. Modern water treatment plants are top of the line and in most of the civilized world provide perfectly safe drinking water to millions of house holds. No bacteria, no harmful build up of chemicals.
Lets say you live in an older section of town and you have old pipes which do tend to harbor strange tastes smells and potential bacteria. You can get yourself an in house water treatment system that will provide mountain spring clear water for a fractional increase in cost over your standard tap water. These eliminate the 'taste' often associated with with older pipes.
Let's look at the environmental impact. I will just give you this fun fact. Despite the fact that recycling is continually growing through out the country in 2004 only one in six bottles were recycled. Check out some figures: Bottles Bottles everywhere
And you don't have to take my word for it, listen to two one of my favorite two man acts, Pen & Teller, call out the BS.
Bull $%*&
-J.R.
Editorial Note from John:
First, a big thank you to J.R. for a tremendous post. I really enjoyed the combination of two interesting and different topics, and what you had to say on both. If folks click through there are some great links here, and the bottled water issue is one J.R. and I both agree on and have talked through many times in the past.
If you're looking for a little multimedia to drive home the point, check out this video on where some of the plastic that doesn't get recycled goes. Warning, this video and the series that follows it are actually very disturbing. To give a quick synopsis they document a crew sailing out into the Pacific Ocean to document "trash island" a mass of swirling trash (largely plastic) and other debris that swirls around way out in the middle of nowhere unclaimed and unaddressed by governments to date. I posted this a little while back, but I think it really reinforces J.R.'s point.:
Face-Off was an initial exception, I just couldn't wrap my head around it the first time I watched it. It took a second watching sometime later to get my suspension to the level I felt it needed to be to enjoy the movie. Well low and behold I need not have suspended anything at all!
You too can get your face transplanted with someone else's! How wonderful! and with an implantable voice synthesizer, you can sound like them too! Electronic Voices
A quick point on bottled water: STOP USING IT! Seriously!
Bottled water in the vast majority of cases is no cleaner or healthier then tap water! There have been numerous instances where bottled water often has been tested as having higher amounts of potentially dangerous bacteria then any U.S. tap water. Not to mention the amounts of particles that come off the plastic itself. Ever notice the interesting taste and smell a bottle of plastic water has when it heats up a bit. Yeah, thats the plastic degrading.
Those are health risks, lets look at the actual monetary costs. Your average 20 oz. bottle of water costs between $0.70 and $1.50 depending on brand and location. The average cost of tap water in the united states in 2000 was between $0.07 and $0.40 per gallon. That is a milk jug of water folks. Inflation has not affected this cost significantly. Modern water treatment plants are top of the line and in most of the civilized world provide perfectly safe drinking water to millions of house holds. No bacteria, no harmful build up of chemicals.
Lets say you live in an older section of town and you have old pipes which do tend to harbor strange tastes smells and potential bacteria. You can get yourself an in house water treatment system that will provide mountain spring clear water for a fractional increase in cost over your standard tap water. These eliminate the 'taste' often associated with with older pipes.
Let's look at the environmental impact. I will just give you this fun fact. Despite the fact that recycling is continually growing through out the country in 2004 only one in six bottles were recycled. Check out some figures: Bottles Bottles everywhere
And you don't have to take my word for it, listen to two one of my favorite two man acts, Pen & Teller, call out the BS.
Bull $%*&
-J.R.
Editorial Note from John:
First, a big thank you to J.R. for a tremendous post. I really enjoyed the combination of two interesting and different topics, and what you had to say on both. If folks click through there are some great links here, and the bottled water issue is one J.R. and I both agree on and have talked through many times in the past.
If you're looking for a little multimedia to drive home the point, check out this video on where some of the plastic that doesn't get recycled goes. Warning, this video and the series that follows it are actually very disturbing. To give a quick synopsis they document a crew sailing out into the Pacific Ocean to document "trash island" a mass of swirling trash (largely plastic) and other debris that swirls around way out in the middle of nowhere unclaimed and unaddressed by governments to date. I posted this a little while back, but I think it really reinforces J.R.'s point.:
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