iddybud: Sep 27, 2004

Monday, September 27, 2004

Howard Altman Enters the Blogosphere

Howard Altman Enters the Blogosphere

Howard Altman, former editor in chief of the Philadelphia City Paper, has begun to blog.
Welcome, Howard.

Raimondo: Blowhards Left and Right

Raimondo: Blowhards Left and Right

Justin Raimondo has written an article about all the blowhards, left and (especially) right in this season's heated presidential campaign. He lays out some cold hard facts We are not being talked to honestly about the war and the future battles we'll face in places with strange names of which many Americans have not yet learned. I warned you about this one a long time ago.

Conan O'Brien to Succeed Leno on NBC's `Tonight Show'

Conan O'Brien to Succeed Leno on NBC `Tonight Show' in 2009

Will CBS Kill Important Iraq News Because of the November Elections?

Will CBS Kill Important Iraq News Because of the November Elections?

With the damage recently done to the credibility to CBS News, will we be getting more self-censorship from the network? Will we see less of the truth about what's happening with our troops in Iraq because of impulsive mistakes CBS has made and because of men like Buckhead McDougald who wait in the shadows to silence all who would embolden the people who'd love to see more of the truth killed off as if the truth, in itself, was our enemy?

Blogging Academics

Blogging Academics

An increasing number of academics are using blog technology. For example:

Charles Tryon(http://chutry.wordherders.net) gets students to blog for a first year composition course he teaches at the school of literature, communication and culture at Georgia Tech. Last year, they kept personal blogs. This year, they are working on group blogs while Tryon coordinates the class via a blog (http://democracymatters.blogspot.com), which points students to relevant material online. He suggests that blogging - reading and writing posts, following links and discussions - encourages students to think critically about technology and how it affects the way we write and think.

"Gloomy" Cheney is disappointing his hand-picked crowds

"Vote for us or you're all going to die. Arrrrr."

"Gloomy" Cheney is disappointing his hand-picked crowds

Nothing is left to chance with Dick Cheney or George W Bush these days. They cannot risk one heckler slipping in to one of their rallies lest the public should realize what a real cross-section of America actually thinks about their policies. Unfortunately, even Cheney's hand-picked audiences have been turned off by his cataclysmic gloom-and-doom schtick. From a NYT article:

Campaign advance workers for each of the rallies and town hall or round-table discussions chose every participant, combing lists of Republican activists and donors. But these advance workers could not control what Mr. Cheney said or predict that his dark message would be out of sync with what many in his ardently supportive audience wanted to hear: his stand on domestic social issues.

The Kerry campaign is putting out a new ad slamming Cheney and Bush for their behavior. They claim the Republican ticket is using an appalling and divisive strategy of playing politics with the war on terror.

I find it very much like living in a cartoon whenever I'm watching Bush and Cheney employing fantasy while speaking about how Iraq is on-track, and then watching them bare their fangs and terrorize their crowds with blood-dripping talk of terror and death at the hands of John Kerry.

It feels like flitting fairies are carrying me off to Utopia and Darkwing Duck is reading the script of "Nightmare on Elm Street" to me all in one sitting.

Kim Jong Il Turns Cannibal

Kim Jong Il Turns Cannibal

Evil North Korean tyrant Kim Jong Il has sunk to a new low of depravity:
He's eaten his first human.

Strange Twist of Fate

Strange Twist of Fate

Who would ever have thought some of the information from this article would wind up being gazed upon by people standing in long grocery lines?

desiderata - by max ehrmann
Go placidly amid the noise and haste, and remember what peace there may be in silence. As far as possible, without surrender, be on good terms with all persons. Speak your truth quietly and clearly; and listen to others, even to the dull and the ignorant, they too have their story. Avoid loud and aggressive persons, they are vexations to the spirit. If you compare yourself with others, you may become vain and bitter; for always there will be greater and lesser persons than yourself. Enjoy your achievements as well as your plans. Keep interested in your own career, however humble; it is a real possession in the changing fortunes of time. Exercise caution in your business affairs, for the world is full of trickery. But let this not blind you to what virtue there is; many persons strive for high ideals, and everywhere life is full of heroism. Be yourself. Especially, do not feign affection. Neither be cynical about love, for in the face of all aridity and disenchantment it is perennial as the grass. Take kindly to the counsel of the years, gracefully surrendering the things of youth. Nurture strength of spirit to shield you in sudden misfortune. But do not distress yourself with imaginings. Many fears are born of fatigue and loneliness. Beyond a wholesome discipline, be gentle with yourself. You are a child of the universe, no less than the trees and the stars; you have a right to be here. And whether or not it is clear to you, no doubt the universe is unfolding as it should. Therefore be at peace with God, whatever you conceive Him to be, and whatever your labors and aspirations, in the noisy confusion of life, keep peace in your soul. With all its sham, drudgery and broken dreams, it is still a beautiful world. Be cheerful. Strive to be happy.
Max Ehrmann c.1920

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