Kathryn @ 108: The interesting thing about the satellite photos is that they aren't very good at showing the extent to which smoke covers northern California. I live just north of Lake Tahoe (in Truckee), and on the 24th, at about the time of the satellite picture you link to, the town was full of smoke from several fires west of the Sierra crest. Yet, the view from the satellite shows what seems to be clear skies over our region.
The implication, of course, is that air quality must've been extraordinarily poor in those areas where smoke is visible by satellite.
Books by bloggers are more like a collection of newspaper or magazine columns than anything else.
Except that each chapter is maybe a page long.
I'm under the impression that many publishers now base royalties on
net revenue--that is, the money actually received from books
sold--rather than retail price. Perhaps the reporter confused the
concept of net revenue with that of profit....
What astonishes me is the market itself, which looks as warm and inviting as a mausoleum. Clueless security guards aside, why would someone want to linger in this space? Hardly a surprise that there're only one or two people in sight....
Stefan Jones @ 133: You probably already know that Gary's set of rules for medieval miniatures, TSR's Chainmail, included a chapter on fantasy creatures and combat. Although I never played D&D, I wouldn't be at all surprised if Chainmail, which was published a few years earlier, had an influence on it....
Although I never got into RPGs, despite having purchased the first edition of D&D when it was released, I'll remember Gary for his advocacy of miniatures in the wargaming world of the late sixties and early seventies. My friends and I spent many happy hours with such TSR rule books as Chainmail, Hardtack, and Tractics. He was a giant in the gaming hobby even then.
I know, I know: this thread has run its course.
But...
I just heard on NPR that Nader has chosen a running mate: Matt Gonzalez, who formerly had served on the San Francisco Board of Supervisors. When I lived there back in the nineties, Matt, a Green Party member at that time, was very much the darling of progressives, and my impression was that he had also earned the respect of others who might not have shared his perspectives. I haven't followed his career since I moved away in 1999, but given his creds, he might give Nader's campaign the juice it needs to be taken seriously by voters unhappy with the Democratic party. There's a Wikipedia listing for him, BTW.
Will, sorry, but all Langer does is raise a set of hypotheticals. He does not conclusively refute Burden's statement that "Nader's presence obviously had the effect of throwing the election to Bush."
Will, for whatever reason, my browsers aren't allowing me to read Burden's text that you link to. The abstract that you link to in post #6, however, suggests the Burden study might have little relevance with regard to answering the question of whether Nader actually was a spoiler to Gore's campaign. The first sentence of your post #254, BTW, certainly indicates he may have had just such an effect, irrespective of the motive that Burden attributes to him.
Apologies if all answers are indeed revealed in the text of the Burden study that I can't read....
I'm unable to view the text of Burden's study of Nader's 2000 campaign that Will Shetterly links to up-thread. But in reading the study's abstract, it seems Burden's analysis focused merely on motive -- were Nader's actions in 2000 driven by a desire to be a spoiler for Gore's campaign, or by a desire to garner 5 percent of the vote for the Green Party, which would have opened access to federal matching funds? Burden's analysis suggests the latter occurred. Yet, assuming his analysis is correct, it's still entirely possible that Nader's actions had the effect of being a spoiler irrespective of his intention. Which, as numerous commenters have already pointed out, is one of the hazards of third parties in our system of government....
Hot toddies are wonderful when the snow is falling and you're snug in your home. But after the storm blows on, I really enjoy taking a stroll through the hushed and huddled landscape, under the stars, with a martini in hand.
It's proper that Hillary fights for the Democratic nomination. I've been impressed at times with her spirited offense and defense during the debates. The problem, however, is how she fights. Tactics that alienate more voters than they attract obviously serve her poorly. Given the difficulty, sans hindsight, of knowing what works and how it'll be perceived by the electorate, perhaps the wisest tack is to act like a statesman, with grace, wit, and consideration.
"Does Clinton have a strength that I'm missing, or is it simply that a lot of Democrats continue to be swayed by the Clinton advantage in the DLC?"
Speaking only for myself and a few other friends, we've been drawn to Clinton because of her apparent grasp of policy detail. Although, frankly, this might partially be wishful thinking on our part--sort of an echo effect for those of us who admired Bill Clinton's policy-wonkism.
Zed, you linked to a quote of Obama's that reads, “It is doubtful that children reciting the Pledge of Allegiance feel oppressed or brainwashed as a consequence of muttering the phrase ‘under God.' Having voluntary student prayer groups using school property to meet should not be a threat, any more than its use by the High School Republicans should threaten Democrats.â€
Apologies, but I'm having difficulty reading this statement as condoning any sort of serious erosion of the separation between church and state. I suspect Obama is actually making a pragmatic observation (given my perspective, living in a rural community where the Pledge opens all public meetings), the subtext of which perhaps says there are more important battles to fight than over the wording of the Pledge or the temporary use of public property by religious groups.
Serge, I am impressed -- especially as it took you only seven minutes to dig up that quote!
But Lee, in some ways Nixon was a liberal -- for example, the Environmental Protection Agency was created under his administration, he ended the war in Vietnam, and he "opened" China. (I also seem to recall he instituted some form of price controls.) JFK, conversely, supported the Bay of Pigs invasion and putatively initiated our involvement in Vietnam -- which today would put him to the right of Hillary.
Perhaps the center has indeed shifted righward since the mid sixties. And yes, this shift could have been a result of the machinations of The Right. But this shift -- assuming it is truly a significant change -- might also have been caused through forces less conspiratorial. Opinions and values can change over time given the wisdom, perspective, and burdens one accrues -- consider the college-aged leafleteer of the Spartacus Youth League who is now a middle-aged executive worrying about her retirement portfolio....
Jon H @ 62: My thoughts, too. Seems to me the majority of the voting populace leans toward the middle and wants a relatively centrist candidate.
Huckabee, BTW, appeals because of his (modest) charisma, his "down home" values, and his obvious ease in public. Next to him, everyone else, with the possible exception of John Edwards, appears stilted. Assuming no skeletons come out of Huckabee's closet over the next year, he might be a surprisingly tough candidate to beat, assuming he wins the Republican nomination.
Fragano @33: Over the last decade-plus I've cooked each autumn and winter pork-and-apple pies that're based on a recipe from John Thorne's Simple Cooking. No onions or leeks are involved (although I'll sometimes add 'em for variety, and I've also experimented with chestnuts and even chedder cheese). The recipe calls for a teaspoon of minced fresh ginger, a teaspoon of grated lemon rind, a tablespoon of minced parsely, 3 pie apples that've been chopped into a small dice, 1.5 pounds of lean pork cut into 1/2-inch cubes, a quarter-cup of white wine, plus salt and pepper as necessary. After browning the floured meat, mix everything in a bowl and plop it onto the bottom half of the pie crust. It'll be a heap, so press it down a bit for compaction. Cover with the top crust, crimp, punch a few holes for steam to escape, and place in a 350-degree oven for at least 40 minutes. After removing, try to let it cool for half an hour or so (trust me, this is the hardest part of the instructions to follow).
It's really good....
This recipe sounds wonderful. I'm already thinking up ways to customize it! (E.g., drop the saffron, add sage and maybe thyme....)
| Year | Number of comments posted |
|---|---|
| 2008 | 18 |
| 2007 | 13 |
| 2006 | 96 |
| 2005 | 43 |
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