Life
Out of action
Home sick again today. My fifth illness in the last two months. I'm glad I have a couple of weeks off over Christmas and New Year's—I clearly need it.
Latest
History
One other effect from the '08 election...
During the new Obama administration and 111th Congress, the old South will be shut out of power, for only the third time since 1930. The other two times were brief (1953-54 and 1965-66). If Obama does well, then the coming dry spell for the old South could match the post-Reconstruction
Sports
Darn Coogs...
So I was all set to head to a bar tonight with a fellow Houston refugee to watch the University of Houston men's basketball team play against mighty Duke on national television. All the Coogs needed to do was to beat Georgia Southern yesterday afternoon, and they would
History
Armistice Day
The 11th minute. Of the 11th hour. Of the 11th day. Of the 11th month. Ninety years ago today, Europe ended its first attempt at collective suicide. At war's end, France had suffered 1.7 million dead and 4.3 million wounded from a population of 39 million;
Politics
Still crazy after all these years
Tom Hayden is still not a member of the reality-based community. If we've learned anything from the last eight years, isn't it that evidence is a good thing?
Tarot
The Empress (Card 3)
We have just seen the close of two major presidential campaigns: one driven primarily by love and hope, and the other driven primarily by hate and fear. The campaign that was driven by love and hope was a productive and fertile campaign, amazing observers with a stream of innovative methods
History
Obama's biggest accomplishment
It just hit me what Barack Obama's biggest accomplishment was this week. Let's look at the last three Democratic presidential wins. When Clinton won in 1992 and 1996, Republicans could blame Perot. When Carter won in 1976, Republicans could blame the long-departed Nixon. Obama's
Humor
Headline of the day
You cannot convince me that this headline was not deliberate. (…"members of the FMC brought an open, empty guitar case to the meeting"…)
Music
"Moonlight in Vermont"
I've been listening to a lot of '50s recordings of standards lately, and I enjoy listening to how various vocalists handle these lines from "Moonlight in Vermont": The phrasing is awkward, which I think is exactly why the lines can be so touching when sung
Politics
Heckuva job, Rovey
Karl Rove aspired to be the Mark Hanna of our time. He has ended up being its Harry Daugherty.
Politics
Words to remember after Tuesday
VauvenarguesSpinoza -- Jonathan I. Israel, Radical Enlightenment (New York: Oxford University, 2002), page 71.
Music
At Waterloo / Ol' Blue Eyes did surrender...
February 17, 1955. Frank Sinatra is in one of his final recording sessions for a new album, a concept album. An album for the weary, the sad, the broken. "In the Wee Small Hours", he was going to call it. In the last two days, he had cut