Perhaps Patrick should have written:
"welcome BACK to rule by . . ."
. . . because to the crowd we're talking about Clinton was an exception to the can-do-no-wrong clause.
Thank goodness that long nightmare of peace and prosperity is over.
I've been debating whether to pick up a copy of Summerland. It got utterly ripped by critics, but maybe I'll give it a shot.
Chabon's website is full of fun stuff:
http://www.michaelchabon.com/
I particularly liked the Report to the Carnegie Institute, having lived in the neighborhood he describes.
Brother Howitzer of Courteous Debate, at your service.
Cripes, Dave, you should really put spoiler warnings on posts like that. What You Describe is supposed to be a surprise.
You beat me too it David.
Man, is that tacky.
It's like your HMO painting its logo and website URL and phone number on your leg cast.
Or your dog coming home from getting fixed wearing a cone-collar advertising NutraFeed Gold.
Rob Cockerham rates the papal candidates.
Someone with more energy than me should come up with a random papal name generator. You'd have to have a list of used names.
Hey, anyone else remember the New York Times spoof that predicted the untimely death of John Paul I?
Violence, hell: If CNN *did* run the ad, a significant fraction of the calls they'd be flooded with would be from soreheads taking them to task for showing United Nations propaganda.
James Lileks is probably writing a column about it already, just in case.
I don't think it is a case of not caring . . . it's a lack of guts.
Look what happens when someone dares to print or blog an article about casualties: The administration's yap dogs and assorted soreheads pounce on them something fearsome. Bringing up casualties labels you as a coward, and by some bizarre convolution of logic, as Not Supporting the Troops.
I mean, cripes, look at the way Ted Koppel was savaged when Nightline showed pictures of the dead.
The only thing more depressing than living with the cowards we have in office is the thought of sharing the country with creeps and soreheads who support them.
Quote Out Of Context:
"I predict that Cory Doctorow will beat the immortal Gene Wolfe."
Well, if you're going to pound on somebody, I guess it's wise to pick on someone who can't die. Although it's still not very nice.
When I read "It's the self delusion," my first thought that this would be about how Bush's supporters can continue to be supporters despite his administration being clavicle deep in cranks, creeps, greedheads, and jingos.
Is there something slicker and non-stickier than Teflon (tm)?
Smith is the ultimate "YMMV" author.
Enjoying him requires you suspend your disbelief that anyone could write that sort of thing with a straight face. I managed to, last time I tackled Lensman. I'm not sure when I'll be up to trying again.
Three minutes old. Delete it quick!
Julia asks:
"You're doing the Reillys'?"
If by that you mean 'going to the family get-together on the 24th,' yes indeedy. I'll be arriving all jet lagged and maybe unemployed the night before.
"Stefan, you're going to be back on Long Island?"
Unfortunately, on a day twixt Christmas and New Year's.
OTOH, I have lots of frequent flyer miles and may soon have lots of time to use them.
Julia, I was bringing the first Jeff Smith BONE book back east with me. For keeps, no strings. If that's what you meant by Charlie Bone, don't order it if you haven't already.
Soli notes, on discovering Sterling:
"I am going to kick myself for taking so long..."
Good thing you didn't start with Holy Fire, or you might have felt compelled to do something really painful to yourself.
Heavy Weather was OK, but Holy Fire and some of the stories in bruce's collections are astonishing.
River Horse by William Least Heat Moon. Traveling by river and lake from NY Harbor to the mouth of the Columbia by boat, with minimal portages.
Good Omens by Pratchett & Gaiman. Entertaining fluff of the sort I don't read a lot of but that I need right now.
Wigu, Volume 2 by Jeff Rowland. Printed, color edition of the charming and strange web comic.
The Life and Adventures of Santa Claus by Frank L. Baum, the comic book edition. A nice adaption, but the art is a trifle bit elaborate given the size of the panels, and the lettering is ugly and hard to read.
I just recently read a small pile of Daniel Pinkwater books, before wrapping them up for my nieces. Similarly, I hope to start and finish reading a collection of Dick Tracy comics before wrapping it up for my father.
RE "Deceiving us has become an industrial process:"
I don't think deception is a strong enough a term for what is going on.
Even manufacturing consent isn't strong enough.
There is an fanaticism generation industry out there.
It personalizes and demonizes a manufactured foe ("trial lawyers," "tree huggers"). It turns an issue that effects a particular industry or class into a threat to all we hold dear. (Environmentalists hate humanity; the estate tax becomes the Death Tax.)
I was just reading through the comments to a Kevin Drum post about global warming. The usual suspects pull out and wave around various pieces of greenhouse denial F.U.D., plus one new one:
This awful greenhouse thing wouldn't have happened if you tree huggers hadn't opposed nuclear power!
The whole pretense that global warming isn't happening, or isn't a bad thing, has been dropped. The peanut brain gallery have switched from defending the fossil fuel industry to promoting the nuclear power industry.
What mayakda asked; I have a fair wad of cash I'd like to invest in overseas furriner money.
When frigging WAL-MART finds its sales growth slipping, something is up.
As far as domestic stocks go: I think that stock in companies that fulfill basic needs will probably do OK. Medical stuff, personal care items, that sort of thing.
Yeah, but our cars are way bigger.
| Year | Number of comments posted |
|---|---|
| 2005 | 11 |
| 2004 | 93 |
| 2003 | 186 |
| 2002 | 20 |
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