Spiders Building Spiders

Nature is a wonderful thing.  Here is a story of a small spider building fake larger spiders to fool predators.  Awesome.

20 December 2012

Connecticut Shooting: Here Comes the Crazy

The wing-nuts are out in full force following the mass shooting last week in Connecticut.  These people are certifiably crazy.  Sad, very sad, for our country.

• Tennessee Considers Training And Arming Schoolteachers To Protect Against Shootings
• On the Road to Peak Stupid

I also wanted to post a gun owner's take on how gun culture has changed since 1980.  This is a good read on the alternate reality that many gun owners have created for themselves today.

18 December 2012

19 December 2012 Additions to the Stupid:

• The Arms Race of Stupid

.

Mental Illness: A National Conversation

Following the horrific events in Connecticut last week, there was another call for gun control.  All previous calls have gone unanswered and honestly, most were not pushed that hard.  This time it might be different, but even if something passes, my guess is that it will be the barest minimum of restrictions.

Guns aside, I heard from friends about this writing last night and I think that it is worth sharing.  Liza Long wrote "I am Adam Lanza's Mother:  A Mom's Perspective on the Mental Illness Conversation in America."  It is worth your time.

I would argue that she is correct.  I would also argue that there are a lot of things that we should be doing as a society to minimize the likelihood of this type of event, on a lot of different fronts.  And yes, "minimize" because we are never going to prevent them.  Sad, but true.

17 December 2012

Puppy Loves His Kibble!

This is too cute for words.



17 December 2012

"The G.O.P.’s Existential Crisis"

Paul Krugman has written a good op-ed in the NY Times outlining his thoughts as to why the Republicans in Congress -- and perhaps generally -- are acting as they are in the negotiations surrounding the bypass of the sequestration agreement.

And look at where we are now in terms of the welfare state: far from killing it, Republicans now have to watch as Mr. Obama implements the biggest expansion of social insurance since the creation of Medicare.So Republicans have suffered more than an election defeat, they’ve seen the collapse of a decades-long project. And with their grandiose goals now out of reach, they literally have no idea what they want — hence their inability to make specific demands.It’s a dangerous situation. The G.O.P. is lost and rudderless, bitter and angry, but it still controls the House and, therefore, retains the ability to do a lot of harm, as it lashes out in the death throes of the conservative dream.Our best hope is that business interests will use their influence to limit the damage. But the odds are that the next few years will be very, very ugly.

It is worth a read.

14 December 2012

Lunch Room Nativity

A creative type at my place of business created this nativity scene in our lunch room yesterday.  I thought it was great.  I especially like the organic sugar packet as Jesus.

I asked which Biblical figure Gwen Stefani represented.  God?  An archangel with washboard abs?  I was told that Gwen had been a part of a previous creation and "the artist" didn't to remove her and, more to the point, why wouldn't Gwen Stefani be at the birth of baby Jesus?  She's everywhere else these days!

12 December 2012

The History of the Daily Show

Stephen Colbert recently did an on-stage interview with Jon Stewart as part of a fundraiser.  Very interesting information about them both and The Daily Show.

11 December 2012

Campaign Coverage Post-mortem

Great recap of media failures during the presidential campaign this year today on The Huffington Post by Dan Froomkin.  I recommend it highly.

10 December 2012

Brontosaurus No More

It would appear that one of the most famous dinosaurs never even existed, the Brontosaurus.  Like a lot of boys, I was dinosaur-crazy for a lot of my youth and I never remember seeing this bit of info then or since -- well, until today.

Goodbye, Brontosaurus.  Hello, Apatosaurus.  From the linked article:

"Brontosaurus means 'thunder lizard,'" he says. "It's a big, evocative name, whereas Apatosaurus means 'deceptive lizard.' It's quite a bit more boring."

So true.

10 December 2012

Toddler Walking His Dog

This YouTube clip is marvelous, featuring a toddler out walking his dog.  It displays trust, friendship, and joy in full measure.  Fun!



10 December 2012

Amazing Football Receptions

Two from college are something to see.

LSU



Ohio State



24 November 2012

"Old School" Music Walk

Lush - Ladykillers



The Breeders - Cannonball



Veruca Salt - Volcano Girls



Veruca Salt - Seether



Elastica - Stutter



Elastica - Connection



Republica - Ready to Go



Chumbawamba - Tubthumping



Sugar - If I Can't Change Your Mind



Eve 6 - Inside Out



The Offspring - Self Esteem



 Live - I Alone



 Blur - Song 2



Oasis - Wonderwall



Depeche Mode - Enjoy the Silence



Depeche Mode - Personal Jesus



Semisonic - Closing Time
 


Vertical Horizon - Everything You Want



James - Laid



Lifehouse - You and Me



Lifehouse - First Time



That will do for now.  A walk down memory lane.

23 November 2012

World of Warcraft x 8

World of Warcraft is turning eight this month and I've played it almost since release.  (EQ2 and I had a very short run in the fall of 2004.  After enjoying five years of EQ, I so wanted that game to be better.)  To mark the occasion, Blizzard has created a short film recapping vanilla WoW and its expansions.  If you are not familiar with WoW, this won't mean much.  If you are, it will get your blood flowing.

This Thanksgiving, one of the things for which I'm thankful is WoW.  I've been playing with the same folks for all eight years and have formed some real bonds.  In conjunction with that, I am thankful that I have a wife who supports my geeky ways.  Amen.



The Sha of Fear is next on our list.  We are coming for you.

20 November 2012

The Guild: Music Videos

I've posted regarding my admiration for The Guild before, but wanted to get some of their related music within the "music" section of the blog.  The Guild has moved to Geek and Sundry and there is a lot of good material on the site.

Felicia Day rocks and the show that she has created and the people who are involved are pure win.

Do You Wanna Date My Avatar



Game On



Now I'm the One That's Cool



15 November 2012

Saving a Humpback Whale

This is an awesome video about a group of people that saved a young humpback whale from a fishing net.

13 November 2012

Bart on Karl

Brought to my attention by The Huffington Post:

12 November 2012

Skyfall

Official Trailer


I hope there is some movie in there amongst all that action!

Adele - Skyfall



8 November 2012

Roly Poly

I think this photo is cool.

8 November 2012

Election 2012 Reaction & News

President Obama's Victory Speech

The part of this speech that affects me the most is the president's words about his family.  I still respond with wonder and delight seeing this family of color in the White House.  They set a good example for us all.



Governor Romney's Concession Speech

This was as good a concession speech as I've ever seen a loser in a presidential campaign give.  He is to be commended for it and thanked.  I also commend those attending his speech for their honorable response to his words.



Gay Marriage Wins at the Ballot Box

Unfortunately, while the outcomes in these races are positive for the nation and its citizens, the fact that these votes took place ultimately isn't positive.  Civil rights are exactly that, rights.  Government and the Constitution under which that government stands exist in large part to guarantee the rights of the minority against the majority.  Period.

Karl Rove Meltdown

This one is just for fun.  I can understand Rove's worry.  That is a lot of money that went up in smoke.  As New York Magazine's Jonathan Chaite put it, "Repbulicans bet everything and Obama won it all."  BTW, if you don't read NY Mag, you should.




Okay, let's move forward.

7 November 2012

8 November 2012 addition:  Jon Stewart's take on the Fox News-Karl Rove implosion.  Classic.

The Daily Show
Get More: Daily Show Full Episodes,Political Humor & Satire Blog,The Daily Show on Facebook

.

Obama Wins

America wins.

7 November 2012

Where to Vote

If you do not know your local polling place, The Huffington Post has linked a Google search function to find it using your street address.  No excuses, go vote!

6 November 2012

Election 2012: Vote Obama, Warren

We are in the final 24 hours before the election.  It is going to come down to ground game versus PAC money and voter suppression    My gut tells me that Obama will win, although I think Florida will likely be stolen for Romney.  (Those cards are being played out before our eyes.)

If you've voted early great.  If not, vote tomorrow.  And vote Obama.  Romney is a weather vane politician if there ever was one.  Mitt is only for Mitt and will do or say anything to advance his only cause: Mitt Romney.   I've had my ups and down with Obama as president, but on balance there have been more ups than downs.  And he's no weather vane.

If you live in Massachusetts, I also urge you to vote for Elizabeth Warren for US Senate.  There are not enough words to describe how much of a better senator she'll be than has been Scott Brown.

This one is for all of the marbles, kids.  Vote, and make your vote count.

5 November 2012

Joss Whedon: Pro Romney, Pro Zombie

Director Joss Whedon tells why he's Pro Mit Romney.  It is because Romney will bring on the Zombie Apocalypse!



5 November 2012

Best Political Ad Ever

My sister turned me on to this political ad from South Dakota.  While it is sad that education, the environment, travel, and corn dogs are now seen as a political liability, at least it provides us with this level of comedy.



26 October 2012

How-to Tips

An article on The Huffington Post by Bruce Lubin reads (w/o links):

For 20 years, Bruce Lubin and his wife Jeanne have been collecting tips and hints to save time, money, and make everyday tasks easier. Their book "Who Knew?"by TeleBrands includes thousands of money saving secrets for cooking, cleaning, and all around your home. We are republishing a fabulous cleaning tip from the book on how make white socks white again. 

Saving money starts at home, and the tips in this section will give you simple ways to make your money go further both inside and outside your home. As you move from room to room, you'll discover how to affordably clean your home using all-natural, homemade cleaners; get rid of any kind of stain on the planet; organize like a whiz; keep your car at its best; and perform simple household repairs. You'll be amazing by some of our surprising solutions for your most suborn parties. 

Weird but true: Discolored socks will return to their original color if you boil them in a pot of water with a few slices of lemon. 

For more unique cleaning and organizing tips, head over to Who Knew Tips.

"Who Knew Tips" can be found here.  For above links head to the story linked above.

22 October 2012

Addition:  Well, it appears that Google added the links!

Binders Full of Women

Following Mitt Romney's comment in the second presidential debate last week, the phrase took off on social media.  My sister sent me these two links.

Gawker and Tumblr

A funny example from Gawker:

The most interesting point on all of this is that what Romney said at the debate simply isn't true.  Of course, even before these facts emerged, his comments forced the question... why after that long in business, an active social life, and running the Salt Lake Olympics didn't Romney know of a great many women to tap for senior roles?

19 October 2012

Wake the F&CK Up!

From The Huffington Post & Benjy Sarlin:

Some super PACs spend millions attacking President Obama on jobs. Some super PACs tie Mitt Romney to outsourcing. Then there’s the one that has Samuel Jackson screaming “Hell no, motherf***ers!” at elderly voters.

While television ad blitz is still the go-to move for outside groups this election, one small super PAC has been generating impressive amounts of attention by focusing almost exclusively on online videos. 

You have probably seen at least one of the clips from the Jewish Council for Education and Research. Their most recent video features the aforementioned Jackson urging a family of 2008 Obama supporters via storybook rhyme to “wake the f*** up!” and volunteer again. It’s garnered 1.5 million views on YouTube and likely much more via an embedded Yahoo version where it first debuted. 

Written by the bestselling author of Go the F*** to Sleep, Adam Mansbach, and directed by Boaz Yakin (Remember The Titans), the short film contains all the hallmarks of JCER’s viral formula. Well known actor + obscenity + progressive message = Internet hit.

 Warning: Wonderful adult language.  LOL



12 October 2012

Han’s Legal Justification For Shooting Greedo First

A friend sent me this from Legal Geeks.  It is the legal argument for Han not being criminally liable for shooting Greedo in Star Wars.  Awesome.  It also again demonstrates why George Lucas is a tool.

That said, he is good for something (e.g. George Lucas In Love).  And that's it.




I am so ready for someone to write an agricultural space trajedy.


3 October 2012

Anne Geddes: Beneath the Diaper

Anne Geddes: Beneath the Diaper



3 October 2012

The West Wing Political Ad

Bridget Mary McCormack, the sister of The West Wing star Mary McCormack, is running for the Michigan Supreme Court.  Many members of the cast reunited for a political ad on the candidate's behalf.  Fun.



Previously, the cast did a spot promoting walking.

Walk & Talk - The West Wing Reunion from Martin Sheen     

20 September 2012

Romney Cash + Congressional Polling

A very interesting piece in the NY Times yesterday regarding Romney's campaign cash and his spending habits.  It seems that much of the cash that he's raised cannot be spent on his campaign and that the president is out-spending him on advertising in many swing states.  It has been a constant refrain in the media how much more money Romney has that Obama, especially when factoring in third-party ads.  However, at least in some key states, this may not being playing out that way.  Very interesting.

What is more is that Romney being linked to down-ballot candidates is sinking GOP hopes for the Senate and a Democratic House, while still a long shot, is a possibility.  Again, there is a lot of time left, but this is a hopeful trend.

20 September 2012

Romney, Shrapnel, & the President

Romney had a bad day yesterday.  A really bad day.  Press reports abounded about infighting in his campaign, much of it targeting the candidate himself.  Compounding that was video footage of Romney at a high-dollar, closed-door campaign fundraiser where he disdainfully wrote off about half of the American electorate.  All of the press regarding the Romney campaign at least through the first debate will be told through the prism that these two stories revealed.  This is in no way shape or form positive for Romeny's chance of being president and it will likely continue his inability to shoot ahead of the president.



That said, he's not doing too badly either.  The reason for this isn't the economy, gas prices, the employment rate, or anything else that pundits normally call out in a presidential race.  No, the reason is money and disenfranchisement.

Romney has out-raised and is outspending Obama campaign-for-campaign; the margin isn't huge, but it is significant.  Much more importantly, however, is that outside spending is 3-to-1 in favor of Romney... 3-to-1.  That Romney is even in shooting distance of Obama, and he most certainly is, is because of the triumph of money in politics.  Whether Romney will actually win is still unknown, but that he even has the chance is absolute proof of the overwhelming power of big money in our elections.

What may ultimately give Romney the election, however, is the wholesale removal of registered voters in swing states, all by Republican officials targeting traditionally Democratic-leaning constituencies.  These are a modern "poll tax" and their only purpose is to disenfranchise legitimate voters.  We as a nation should feel nothing but burning shame.

If Romney wins, he will have both bought and stolen the election.  God, I hope he doesn't for all of our sakes on so many levels.

18 September 2012

19 September 2012 Addition:  First from Stephen Colbert:

The Colbert Report
Get More: Colbert Report Full Episodes,Political Humor & Satire Blog,Video Archive

And now Jon Stewart, part 1:

The Daily Show
Get More: Daily Show Full Episodes,Political Humor & Satire Blog,The Daily Show on Facebook

Part 2:

The Daily Show
Get More: Daily Show Full Episodes,Political Humor & Satire Blog,The Daily Show on Facebook

20 September 2012 Addition of another Jon Stewart moment:

The Daily Show
Get More: Daily Show Full Episodes,Political Humor & Satire Blog,The Daily Show on Facebook

21 September 2012 Addition from SNL.  It's funny because it's true.




Paul Krugman also wrote a good op-ed in the NY Times.  Titled Disdain for Workers, he lays out how Romney's words are not a "slip," but rather a concise description of the Republican party's feelings towards workers.  From the op-ed:

For the fact is that the modern Republican Party just doesn’t have much respect for people who work for other people, no matter how faithfully and well they do their jobs. All the party’s affection is reserved for “job creators,” a k a employers and investors. Leading figures in the party find it hard even to pretend to have any regard for ordinary working families — who, it goes without saying, make up the vast majority of Americans.


Am I exaggerating? Consider the Twitter message sent out by Eric Cantor, the Republican House majority leader, on Labor Day — a holiday that specifically celebrates America’s workers. Here’s what it said, in its entirety: “Today, we celebrate those who have taken a risk, worked hard, built a business and earned their own success.” Yes, on a day set aside to honor workers, all Mr. Cantor could bring himself to do was praise their bosses.

Death Cab for Cutie - I Will Follow You into the Dark

Death Cab for Cutie - I Will Follow You into the Dark



Wow, just wow.

17 September 2012

Presidential Campaign Today

In my last post, I linked an article from New York Magazine detailing Romney's missteps in relation to the events unfolding in Islamic countries around the world.  Today, I want to link another article from the same magazine, this on by John Heilemann.  In this article, Heilemann details the political fallout in America from these events, noting the potential pitfalls for both presidential candidates going forward.  The downside for Romney is much greater because of how he opened last week, but there is risk for the president as well.  It is a good read.

Regarding the events abroad themselves, the best overview that I have seen was a round table discussion on Up with Chris Hayes last Saturday, September 15th.  This program was hosted by Sam Seder, filling in for Chris Hayes.  This program is certainly my favorite of the weekend political morning shows.  If everyone in America could have seen the show on Saturday, we'd be much better informed and thus much better off as a nation.  I'll try to find a podcast to link.

17 September 2012

Addition: Josh Marshall at TPM has another good analysis of where the Romney campaign finds itself today.

Addition 2: Politico had an interesting look inside the Romney campaign published yesterday.

Romney & the Embassy Attacks

There has been a great deal reported this week regarding the brutal attacks on American embassies and consulates.  Some of it has been the usual blather -- including political blather -- but much of the media coverage has actually been quite good.  By and large, I think that the president and the foreign service have acquitted themselves quite well to date.  The general consensus, however, is the Mitt Romney has not.  Again, a lot has been said, but I think that this piece in New York Magazine by Jonathan Chait sums up Romney's actions nicely.

Romney's actions, beyond being destructive to the actual, unfolding situation, are a political mystery.  Even if everything he said had been correct, what is the upside for him?  Sure, he might have looked slightly more presidential in an area where he is rightly seen as a novice.  Be this as it may, conversation by him right or wrong shifts the focus of the presidential campaign off of the economy and squarely onto foreign affairs, a topic on which everyone agrees the president is nearly universally regarded by Americans as being tough and in-charge.  So again I ask, what were they thinking?

Romney will not be a good president if elected.  However, over the course of his career, he's proven to be a pretty good campaigner.  That has not being demonstrated lately, however.  His campaign is all over the map, splintering the media coverage on topic after topic and taking it off of the economy again and again.  He's looking weak and desperate, a narrative that once seized upon by the media at large is hard to void.

Romney has had another bad week, something I do not lament.  And while the Democrats seem to be bringing their A-game and -- amazingly -- are staying on message like never before, much of the damage done to the candidate has been selfinflicted and on-going.

Of course, the political arena in America is the least of this story.  Four Americans serving their country were killed during an attack on their country.  There is little doubt that their deaths were savage and I can only guess at their terror.  And we have many more Americans in harms way.  If we were smart -- and if we were moral -- we would unite with a common purpose.  That is beyond us, however.  I'm left wondering if we'll ever be able to act with unified purpose again.

14 September 2012

Pro Sports & Gay Rights: The Tale of "A Lustfull Cockmonster"

This is the introduction to a letter posted on DeadSpin.com:

Baltimore Ravens linebacker Brendon Ayanbadejo has spoken out in favor of a Maryland ballot initiative that would legalize gay marriage. Yahoo has published a letter that Maryland state delegate Emmett C. Burns Jr. wrote last week to Ravens owner Steve Bisciotti, urging him to "inhibit such expressions from your employee." This is Minnesota Vikings punter Chris Kluwe's response to Burns.

As indicated, this is an NFL player responding to a politician.  However, I don't really believe that this is actually the case.  Oh, sure, he may be addressing Burns directly, but I don't believe that this is his target audience.  Rather, I'd say he is targeting the prototypical NFL fan.  This type of letter -- both in terms of style and substance -- will almost certainly not influence a politician.  Its form will likely not influence a middleaged house wife... or a similar house husband for that matter.  However, its language is very much music to the ears of a young, male, and wanting-to-be-macho NFL fan.  And many of these young men will see this letter as sports media and social media spread the word.  This type of support may move the moral compass of these fans just a bit more in a positive direction.  I hope so.

Well done Mr. Kluwe and bravo Mr. Ayanbadejo.

A word of warning, the letter does contain adult language.  And it contains this sort of verbage that is both funny and spot-on:

I can assure you that gay people getting married will have zero effect on your life. They won't come into your house and steal your children. They won't magically turn you into a lustful cockmonster.

I can only assume that "Lustfull Cockmonster" will be someone's Twitter handle very soon.  LOL

11 September 2012

The Script - Break Even

The Script - Break Even



11 September 2012

Finnegan: Adorable Beyond Words

I make it a habit to rotate the photos that I use for my desktop background on my work computer.  (At home, my desktop rotates automatically, a feature I love.)  The photo that I'm featuring now is perhaps the cutest photograph ever.

How he can sleep like that is beyond me, but I'm certainly glad that he does!

7 September 2012

Krugman: Cleaning Up the Economy

Paul Krugman has written an op-ed in the NY Times detailing why the next four years are likely to be better economically than the last four unless Republican-supported policies are put back into place.  From the op-ed:

Bill Clinton’s speech at the Democratic National Convention was a remarkable combination of pretty serious wonkishness — has there ever been a convention speech with that much policy detail? — and memorable zingers. Perhaps the best of those zingers was his sarcastic summary of the Republican case for denying President Obama re-election: “We left him a total mess. He hasn’t cleaned it up fast enough. So fire him and put us back in.”


Great line. But is the mess really getting cleaned up?


The answer, I would argue, is yes. The next four years are likely to be much better than the last four years — unless misguided policies create another mess.

Krugman doesn't overly-laud the president.  He simply doesn't buy anything that the Republicans are selling.  Great line by Clinton, BTW.  Glad that it was noted.
  7 September 2012

Democratic National Convention: Day 3

The DNC wrapped up last night with President Obama accepting the nomination.  TPM highlighted three goals that the president set for a second term and outlined three themes for the convention as a whole.

Reelection in this economy will be a tall order for the president.  Too-weak job growth, however understandable, will throw cold water on the better nature of many voters.  And sadly, racism stoked by the Right in ways both subtle and not will have other voters succumb to their ignoble natures as well.

Still, Democrats have to feel pretty good coming out of the DNC.  Every night killed with the base.  Every night seems to have played well to the center.  Every night was tightly messaged in such a way that both citizens and the media can both digest and convey it.  The proof will be in the pudding, however, as polling tells us whether the president -- and perhaps Democrats as a whole -- will receive a significant bump and whether any such bump will be lasting.  Governor Romney received a blip of only a single point, something almost unheard of after a national convention, although his favorability did creep up a bit.  The Republican convention was seen in political circles on both the Right and the Left as a complete failure.  There is little chance that the DNC will prove such, but there are still sixty days until the election and the president faces the twin headwinds of the economy and unlimited money on the Right.

Vice President Biden gave a good, solid speech again attempting to connect the president to voters in a personal way, following in the steps of Mrs. Obama two night prior.  His focus was different from the First Lady, but his goal was the same.

Senator John Kerry gave the speech of his career, focusing on the myriad foreign policy triumphs of the administration and highlighting how weak the Republicans are on what used to be their cornerstone.  This election may be about domestic issues, but any reasonable person who gives thought to American standing abroad can only count the president as a blessing.  (And where was this Kerry in 2004?  Would that he had spoken this way then!)

The word on the street is that former Michigan Governor Jennifer Granholm gave what may have been the speech of the evening.  I wasn't able to see it live, but will post it here to watch later today.

Finally, two fun bits surrounding the speech of President Clinton.  The first is how very much Clinton departed from his written text, something that mast have given his teleprompter jockey fits!  (Thanks to my sister for pointing me to this wonderful illustration on The Atlantic Wire.  Amazing!)  The second revolves around a meeting between Sandra Fluke and the president just before he was about to take the stage.  Cute.  (What wasn't so cute -- at all -- was Ann Coulter's new comments about Fluke.  Fluke's speech and Coulter's vitriol tell you all you need to know about this young woman and her attackers.)

I will also post a bit of humor, giving Jon Stewart the last word on the convention... or at least on Clinton's speech.


President Barack Obama



Vice President Joe Biden



John Kerry



Jennifer Granholm



Jon Stewart

The Daily Show
Get More: Daily Show Full Episodes,Political Humor & Satire Blog,The Daily Show on Facebook

7 September 2012

Addition:  I will throw out two more additions to watch, folks who acquitted themselves well.

Scarlett Johansson



Gabrielle Giffords



And it was a stroke of genious to feature The Boss in relation to the president and the convention as a whole.



We take care of our own indeed!

Democratic National Convention: Day 2

Day 2 of the DNC didn't feature as many great speeches as did Day 1.  Still, there were three worth posting here.

Sandra Fluke, the woman attacked as a "slut" by Rush Limaugh earlier this year, gave a good speech designed to appeal to anyone who isn't a total douchebag.  Candidate for the US Senate Elizabeth Warren also gave a good speech.  While a competent speaker, Warren is unlikely to give a barn-burner anytime soon.  This speech was well-written for her style, however, although increasing the amplification of her soft voice would have done wonders in a convention hall.

The main event of the evening was the speech of former president Bill Clinton and he didn't disappoint.  Whatever this man's faults, he can speak to a crowd like few -- if any -- others in American life.  And this speech was a marvel, focusing on policy and yet still being a barn-burner.  (Why do barns always take it on the chin?)  TPM had good descriptions of the speech which can be found here and here.

While this night did not live up to Tuesday, it ended strong and all three of the speeches noted here appeared in prime time for the networks.  Indeed, the Fluke speech was smartly pushed back to place it appropriately for the largest TV office.  Again, staying focused around a coordinated theme, one pitched for the largest possible audience and easily recounted in the media, has been a most-welcome strong suit at this convention.

Bill Clinton



Elizabeth Warren



Sandra Fluke



Day three of the convention will feature Vice President Biden and President Obama.  Let's hope that they, too, knock it out of the park!

6 September 2012

Democatic National Convention: Day 1

My wife and I watched the first evening of the Democratic National Convention and love it.  I have to say, where has this messaging been for the past three years?  Heck, why haven't the Democrats been this focused on message for the past forty years?  It would be a very different America if they had been.

There were some great speeches and those that were not great were at least good.  And everything was unified and wove a focused tale, one that could be picked up in the media again and again and again.  It was exactly what Republicans have been good at for years.  And strangly enough, when watching this year's Republican National Convention, was lacking.  Whether the Democrats' better packaging can beat Republican money remains to be seen, but damn, it seems that they are giving it their all.

Michelle Obama



Julian Castro



Deval Patrick



Lily Ledbetter



Tammy Duckworth



Kal Penn



Stacy Lihn - Video + Speech



One final take-away from watching these speeches is the reality of diversity.  The Republicans touted the diversity of their speakers this year at their convention and indeed, they had more people of color speaking than ever before.  Be that as it may, however, when the cameras panned the RNC crowd -- its delegates, its core -- it was white on white on white.  Looking at the crowd at the DNC it is easy to see that diversity -- and by extension inclusion -- is a reality for the Democratic party, not a talking point.

It was also heartening to hear gay-friendly utternances repeated again and again in so many speeches.  Bravo!
.

Obama and Jobs

For a great, honest look at job ceration in America under President Obama, take a look at this article at TPM.

5 September 2012

GOP Nominating Convention

I think this video by Jon Stewart nicely sums up the GOP convention that concluded last night.

The Daily Show
Get More: Daily Show Full Episodes,Political Humor & Satire Blog,The Daily Show on Facebook

I hope that the Democrats can do better.

31 August 2012

Matt Taibbi: Romney & Bain Capital

Matt Taibbi has written another great article in Rolling Stone Magazine.  This one digs deep into Mitt Romney and Bain Capital.

29 August 2012

"Dog Shaming"

I post this not because I'm a cat person, but because many of them made me chuckle.

23 August 2012

Mango Loves Milkshake

Mango the kitten and Milkshake the puppy are a celebration of blissful contentment.

Pure win.

18 August 2012

Pete Townshend - Let My Love Open the Door

Pete Townshend - Let My Love Open the Door

One of those songs that just makes you happy to be alive.

17 August 2012

Mists of Pandaria

You will either get this or you won't.



The hunt continues September 25th.  Shop smart.  Shop S-mart.

17 August 2012