Politics
The GOP message to the base in 2000: "After eight years of that elitist liberal Bill Clinton, we need to send a good, earthy Christian like George W. Bush to Washington to clean up politics." The GOP message to the base in 2008: "After eight years of
Portland
Few things are as bracing as leaving work in the evening, looking into the distance, and noticing a pillar of thick black smoke rising from the street you live on. Fortunately for me, the fire was about two miles down the street from my house. And the wind was blowing
Politics
Seen this afternoon at The Original Pancake House: A guy wearing a Ronald Reagan t-shirt with a McCain/Palin button pinned to it, and carrying a copy of Barry Goldwater's Conscience of a Conservative. I resisted the temptation to walk over to him and say: "Dude…
Portland
I have two new reviews on Yelp!: Glowing Greens in Downtown Bluefin Sushi Bar in Hollywood
Music
The Temptations work out on "I Can't Get Next to You". This one also impresses.
Philosophy
In Book II (369a-372d) of the Republic, Socrates reasons step-by-step through what would be required to create a simple and harmonious city, one in which the citizens "will live in peace and good health, and when they die at a ripe old age, they will bequeath
Politics
The GOP has nominated a ticket of which both ends are unfit for the presidency. John McCain is unfit because he is a 72-year-old whose mental faculties are evidently declining. The presidency is a mentally and physically demanding job, and McCain is not up for it. Sarah Palin
Music
* "All Alone" by Julie London * "Brimful of Asha" by Cornershop * "You, Me and the Bourgeoisie" by The Submarines * "Dry the Rain" by The Beta Band * "Hi Hi Hi" by Paul McCartney & Wings
In Memoriam
Don LaFontaine, the man of a thousand trailers, died yesterday. His voice is familiar to us all, but he also got a little screen time in a recent GEICO commercial.
Music
Jerry Reed, best known for his role as Snowman in "Smokey and the Bandit," died yesterday. "Smokey and the Bandit" is a great and timeless comedy. It's still hilarious after 30 years, in large part because of Reed's good ol' boy
Politics
In tomorrow's New York Times, David Brooks writes: When McCain met Sarah Palin last February, he was meeting the rarest of creatures, an American politician who sees the world as he does. […] Sarah Barracuda was picked because she lit up every pattern in McCain’s brain, because she
Life
I'm back to work in less than 12 hours. It's been a good time off. Mostly relaxing. Of the seven things I had hoped to do during the vacation, I finished two and made serious headway on a third. Round about Tuesday, my will to get