Thursday, August 28, 2008
Wednesday, August 27, 2008
Mark Warner for President '08
So, for those of you that don't know, I was a huge fan of Mark Warner for President '08. But then he broke my heart with this announcement. It is some consolation that at the very least he is going to be the next Senator to represent Virginia.
Imagine my excitement when I found out that he would be giving the keynote address at this years Democratic National Convention!!!
... I should probably interrupt myself and mention that the DNC is my Olympics. Allow me to explain - my coworker, Kevin, watched every night of the Olympics. He stayed up late to watch the Olympics and he watched a live feed of the events during the day. He was completely distracted by the Olympics. When he wasn't watching the Olympics, he was reading news about the Olympics. The DNC is my Olympics ...
I signed up for Mark Warner's "Convention Diary" (I'm a nerd, I know, I know), but it meant that I got to see an advance copy of his speech. This speech (aside from being awesome) was so Virginian! I'm not sure if it plays as well in the other 49 states, but talking about Thomas Jefferson really works in Virginia. I thought Mark Warner's speech was intelligent, funny, critical of the current administration while still full of his usual anti-partisan rhetoric, hopeful for the future, and accurate!
I have not been very excited about this Presidential election. I've know who I would vote for from the beginning, but I haven't found either candidate particularly compelling. I have been extremely annoyed with the media this year - I think they have not only done a HORRIBLE job of covering the campaigns, but I think they've manipulated the tone of this campaign into something very disheartening.
But Mark Warner's speech was so uplifting! I am fired up for this election in a way that I wasn't before. So, in lieu of Mark Warner for President '08, I'm thinking ... Mark Warner for President '16?
My favorite part of the speech:
"People always ask me, "What's your biggest criticism of President Bush?" I'm sure you all have your own. Here's mine: It's not just the policy differences. It's the fact that this president never tapped into our greatest resources - the character and resolve of the American people. He never asked us to step up.
Think about it: After September 11, if there was a call from the President to get us off foreign oil, to stop funding the very terrorists who had just attacked us, every American would have said, "How can I do my part?" This administration failed to believe in what we can achieve as a nation, when all of us work together."
Imagine my excitement when I found out that he would be giving the keynote address at this years Democratic National Convention!!!
... I should probably interrupt myself and mention that the DNC is my Olympics. Allow me to explain - my coworker, Kevin, watched every night of the Olympics. He stayed up late to watch the Olympics and he watched a live feed of the events during the day. He was completely distracted by the Olympics. When he wasn't watching the Olympics, he was reading news about the Olympics. The DNC is my Olympics ...
I signed up for Mark Warner's "Convention Diary" (I'm a nerd, I know, I know), but it meant that I got to see an advance copy of his speech. This speech (aside from being awesome) was so Virginian! I'm not sure if it plays as well in the other 49 states, but talking about Thomas Jefferson really works in Virginia. I thought Mark Warner's speech was intelligent, funny, critical of the current administration while still full of his usual anti-partisan rhetoric, hopeful for the future, and accurate!
I have not been very excited about this Presidential election. I've know who I would vote for from the beginning, but I haven't found either candidate particularly compelling. I have been extremely annoyed with the media this year - I think they have not only done a HORRIBLE job of covering the campaigns, but I think they've manipulated the tone of this campaign into something very disheartening.
But Mark Warner's speech was so uplifting! I am fired up for this election in a way that I wasn't before. So, in lieu of Mark Warner for President '08, I'm thinking ... Mark Warner for President '16?
My favorite part of the speech:
"People always ask me, "What's your biggest criticism of President Bush?" I'm sure you all have your own. Here's mine: It's not just the policy differences. It's the fact that this president never tapped into our greatest resources - the character and resolve of the American people. He never asked us to step up.
Think about it: After September 11, if there was a call from the President to get us off foreign oil, to stop funding the very terrorists who had just attacked us, every American would have said, "How can I do my part?" This administration failed to believe in what we can achieve as a nation, when all of us work together."
Thursday, August 21, 2008
What a drag!
Bravo's Project Runway, Season 5, Episode 4 had the designers creating outfits for drag queens (they brought back Season 4's Chris March to help the designers)!! \o/ Oh, the excitement ....
While I disagree with the design they chose for the winner (shout out to Terri whose samurai outfit was definitely the best!), I loved this challenge. So creative and, more important, so much fun!!!
Who knows what the future holds for Project Runway, but I am glad to know that they are working hard to make this season great!
While I disagree with the design they chose for the winner (shout out to Terri whose samurai outfit was definitely the best!), I loved this challenge. So creative and, more important, so much fun!!!
Who knows what the future holds for Project Runway, but I am glad to know that they are working hard to make this season great!
Saturday, August 16, 2008
Friday, August 15, 2008
Tropic Thunder
I saw the new Ben Stiller/Jack Black/Robert Downey Jr comedy/action/adventure/war movie, Tropic Thunder on Wednesday night. Personally, I thought it was hilarious!! I haven't laughed that hard in a Ben Stiller movie since Zoolander. After the movie, my fiance and I spent the night debating whether Tropic Thunder was the greatest spoof movie of all time.
However, despite the brilliance of Stiller's hollywood satire (no part of the film industry is safe from Stiller's harsh portrayal), Tim Shriver, chairman of the Special Olympics, is in the process of organizing a nationwide boycott of the film.
Tim Shriver claims that what I thought was some of the funniest dialogue in the movie amounts to little more than hate speech. New York Times reviewer, Manohla Dargis (with whom I rarely agree), accuses Tropic Thunder for being primarily anti-semitic.
Political satire is one of the - if not the - most highly protected form of speech (as protected by the 1st Amendment). People have to be able to challenge and mock institutions of power. To attempt to silence political satire is un-American.
Note: for the history of parody & satire + the 1st Amendment, check out: http://www.firstamendmentcenter.org/Speech/arts/topic.aspx?topic=parody_satire
Satire will by its very nature upset and offend many people. You don't have to like the movie, but it makes a powerful statement about the absurdity of the film industry. Appreciate it for what it is ...
senior prank '86-style
Best Senior Prank EVER!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! (ok, so I'm probably biased, because this prank was pulled off at my high school)
On April 1 of their senior year, the Class of 1986 ran nine hoses all night long to turn the Pit (aka the Forum) at Norfolk Academy into a giant swimming pool. Dozens of students spent the night on campus, and a good time was had by all - but the highlight was unmistakeably when Patti "Bat" Masterson (teacher and administrator) joined the class for an early morning swim.
"The Pit" is hard to explain if you've never been on the campus of my high school, but it's a sunken concrete structure in the middle of the campus. Lots of events happen around and in the pit. It's one of the things that I loved and continue to love about Norfolk Academy.
I'd heard about this senior prank (everyone at NA has heard about this prank), but I didn't know until today that it had been memorialized for all time on youtube.com. It's priceless to watch the legendary prank in action. Kudos to the class of '86!
Note: my senior prank was that we put 102 (# of people in my class) rubber duckies in a fountain. LAME!
On April 1 of their senior year, the Class of 1986 ran nine hoses all night long to turn the Pit (aka the Forum) at Norfolk Academy into a giant swimming pool. Dozens of students spent the night on campus, and a good time was had by all - but the highlight was unmistakeably when Patti "Bat" Masterson (teacher and administrator) joined the class for an early morning swim.
"The Pit" is hard to explain if you've never been on the campus of my high school, but it's a sunken concrete structure in the middle of the campus. Lots of events happen around and in the pit. It's one of the things that I loved and continue to love about Norfolk Academy.
I'd heard about this senior prank (everyone at NA has heard about this prank), but I didn't know until today that it had been memorialized for all time on youtube.com. It's priceless to watch the legendary prank in action. Kudos to the class of '86!
Note: my senior prank was that we put 102 (# of people in my class) rubber duckies in a fountain. LAME!
obamaclark.com
From the obamaclark.com blog:
"General Clark currently leads all contenders for the Vice Presidential nomination in a poll on one of the top recommended diaries on Daily Kos with nearly 70 percent of the vote. Jordans11 notes:
Let’s face it.
General Wesley Clark is the only Vice Presidential Candidate with Presidential campaign experience, who has military, foreign policy, diplomatic, and executive experience, with southern roots, appeal to Latinos and Hillary Clinton supporters, an existing national grassroots organization, an Oxford degree in economics, and who will not cause the Democrats to lose a Senate seat or a Governorship with his selection."
Wednesday, August 13, 2008
a must read ...
An interesting article from a Phoenix newspaper....
I confess to being annoyed to the point of tears by the 2008 Presidential race. The role that the media has played in the political games and goings-on in the past 12 months have made me lament what politics in America has become. It's the media studies student in me that finds myself more and more ambivalent about the differences between John McCain and Barack Obama and more and more angry about the way the news media has distorted politics.
I can hardly listen to what the candidates are saying anymore; it all starts to sound like the teacher from the Peanuts cartoon (wah, wah, wah, wah, wah ...)
BUT, I can't get enough of all the commentary about the news commentary (postmodernism at its best).
I don't agree with the groups who, post-Hillary-Clinton-dropping-out-of-the-race, called for women and minorities to NOT vote for Barack Obama. However, I completely agree with groups who, post-Hillary-Clinton-dropping-out-of-the-race, called for women and minorities to boycott the major news networks. A quick google search turns up a couple of interesting websites to this effect: Women Boycott MSNBC, The Real Spiel, and quite a few others.
Although I'm also seeing a lot of articles about Hillary calling on Bush to boycott the Olympics, which is a whole different story ...
I confess to being annoyed to the point of tears by the 2008 Presidential race. The role that the media has played in the political games and goings-on in the past 12 months have made me lament what politics in America has become. It's the media studies student in me that finds myself more and more ambivalent about the differences between John McCain and Barack Obama and more and more angry about the way the news media has distorted politics.
I can hardly listen to what the candidates are saying anymore; it all starts to sound like the teacher from the Peanuts cartoon (wah, wah, wah, wah, wah ...)
BUT, I can't get enough of all the commentary about the news commentary (postmodernism at its best).
I don't agree with the groups who, post-Hillary-Clinton-dropping-out-of-the-race, called for women and minorities to NOT vote for Barack Obama. However, I completely agree with groups who, post-Hillary-Clinton-dropping-out-of-the-race, called for women and minorities to boycott the major news networks. A quick google search turns up a couple of interesting websites to this effect: Women Boycott MSNBC, The Real Spiel, and quite a few others.
Although I'm also seeing a lot of articles about Hillary calling on Bush to boycott the Olympics, which is a whole different story ...
Monday, August 11, 2008
Despite the bad review on EW.com ...
For an explanation of "The Loobenfeld Decay" check out The Big Bang Theory, Season 1, Episode 10. Other episode titles include The Fuzzy Boots Corollary, The Dumpling Paradox, The Hamburger Postulate, and The Pork Chop Indeterminacy.
The Big Bang Theory (TBBT) is a guilty pleasure of mine - not a bad way to spend a half hour on Monday nights (or whenever if you are lucky enough to have TiVo).
I'm sort of appalled by the EW.com review. NOTE: EW Readers gave it a B+ ranking, a big improvement over reviewer Henry Goldblatt's C- ranking. Mr. Goldblatt's characterizes the show as 'lamebrained.'
Here's my confusion: In the Age of Reality TV, how can any television series with original characters and an original narrative be considered 'lamebrained?' EW.com gave the first season of The Hills a B-!!! I'm not here to judge anyone else's guilty pleasure, but why don't we give credit where credit is due???
First - TBBT has a catchy theme song. Theme songs are a dying art and a I appreciate a good one when I hear it. Plus, I like to sing along ...
Second - Since the Stone Age, every TV show has had a token nerd (or dork, sometimes it's a dork and not a nerd). It seems to me that over time the token nerd has gotten less an less nerdy. Television is trying to normalize and socialize The Nerd. TBBT embraces The Nerd and shows her/him for what (s)he really is: awkward. Hilariously awkward!
Third - Darlene and David from Roseanne are reunited as Leslie and Leonard in TBBT. Their relationship ... pricelesss. TV couples should alway mock their TV coupledom in future television series.
allright, I could babble on, but really, I should be watching the season finale of The Mole (there are a lot of guilty pleasures on tv on Monday nights).
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)