November 30, 2004

Tennis Center Edge

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Where the edge of Arthur Ashe Stadium meets the sky. Taken during the 2004 Women's US Open Final between S. Kuznetsova/E. Dementieva.

Supersize Jesus

Really Big Jesus'

So it seems that a church in Cincinnati have placed a 6 story statue of Jesus (a) off of I-75. I thought one upping other churches ended in the Middle Ages by building large cathedrals for parishiners to pray in. I guess things have merely shifted to giant-assed statuaries (b). Good thing the JC bought a new covenant with his death, because I believe this would fall squarely into the "graven images" category. I find it amusing that Jesus is always shown as a long-haired white dude eventhough the real face of Jesus would not be caucasian nor probably have long hair. Either way, both of those Jesus' (Jesu, Jesusi?) are f-ing huge!

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November 29, 2004

Christian Theological Seminary

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What I like best about this photo is that it looks incredibly vintage, but was taken in 2003. This is the main chapel at Christian Theological Seminary in Indianapolis, Indiana by Edward Larrabee Barnes (one of the Harvard "Whiz Kids").

NYCTA moves forward with photo ban

update - 20 March 2005
MTA fails to pass subway photo ban

Well, it looks like the MTA has trotted the proposed photography ban out again (here's a recap) - just in time for the holidays.

The proposed rule amendment was killed six months ago in a blaze of negative press, but it surfaced again in the state register. The comment period began on 24 NOV 2004 and runs for 45 days. The text of the proposed amendment change:

1050.9.c. No photograph, film or video recording shall be made or taken on or in any conveyance or facility by any person, except members of the press holding valid press identification cards issued by the New York City Police Department or by others duly authorized in writing to engage in such activity by the authority. All photographic activity must be conducted in accordance with the provisions of this Part.

1040.4.f. No photograph, film or video recording shall be made or taken on or in any conveyance or facility by any person, except members of the press holding valid press identification cards issued by the New York City Police Department or by others duly authorized in writing to engage in such activity by SIRTOA or the authority. All photographic activity must be conducted in accordance with the provisions of this Part.

Address/contact info where you can send your polite objections is at:

David Goldenberg
New York City Transit Authority
130 Livingston Street
Room 1207
Brooklyn NY 11201
718-694-5454

I don't think I'm alone in thinking this is bad for all the reasons which were discussed LAST time the MTA brought it up. How can this really increase security? Is this photo a breach of security? Do tourists get a free pass? What is the penalty for taking photos? This proposed rule change would even make Grand Central Station's Grand Hall off limits (it is a "conveyance" and a "facility") as well as any station or train yards in full public view or anything that the police don't want you to take a picture of. This amendment is the opposite of a "bright line rule" and infringes on our First Amendment rights.

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On Thoughts and Deeds

On gay issues and fundamentalist Christions, Armitage Shanks has a great quote:

Does anyone think about gay sex as much as fundy Christians? Do gay people even think about gay sex as much as fundy Christians?

If I were a fundy Christian, I'd spend all my time asking God to help me stop thinking about gay sex. Well, all the time that isn't already taken up thinking about gay sex, that is.
-Armitage Shanks

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November 28, 2004

November 24, 2004

Empty Car

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One night I got on the 6 train at Spring Street at about 7pm and the train was empty. The train in front and behind was empty, as well. This was literally the first time I have been alone in the City since I have moved here. It was quite discomforting - I kept looking for muggers or puke or feces or whatever would make people not want to be in this car. In the end, it was just a freak occurance, a part of living in the city of millions, when you find yourself alone.

Retro Mac Days

So it seems that everyone is talking about Wired's old article, 101 ways to Save Apple. There is Jason Zada's article entitled Save Apple and George's article, I got 101 problems but Apple ain't one. I'm waiting for John Gruber's take on the 101 Ways (in fact I think he has already weighed in, I just can't find it). Meme Intersections like this interest me, because they both seem like an uncontrollable singularity and a forced contrivance. But in either case, I think Wired's article makes some good points (which both Jason and George pick up on) but also make some pretty funny suggestions. I mean, dump hardware? Commence with Mac Fanyboy Geekery!

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November 23, 2004

Cement Spill

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Near my neighborhood, a bulk tanker filled with cement had an accident spilling cement all over the road (and backing traffic up).

Thanks for all the Fish

Dolphins Protect New Zealand Swimmers from Shark

They started to herd us up, they pushed all four of us together by doing tight circles around us," Howes told the New Zealand Press Association (NZPA).

Howes tried to drift away from the group, but two of the bigger dolphins herded him back just as he spotted a nine-foot great white shark swimming toward the group.

"I just recoiled. It was only about 2 m away from me, the water was crystal clear and it was as clear as the nose on my face," Howes said, referring to a distance of 6 feet.

"They had corralled us up to protect us," he said.

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November 22, 2004

Typewriter

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A Yiddish Typewriter at the exhibition, Radicals In The Bronx featured at the Museum of the City of New York. It is a great exhibition showcasing left-wing Jewish utopian settlements in the Bronx.

The Stealth Campaign to repeal the New Deal

Publius over at Legal Fiction has a great essay entitled, The Tempting of the Federalist Society, which lays out they case that we should not be worried about Roe v Wade being repealed, but rather that the GOP will pack the courts to overturn the New Deal Administrative State:

Much of the conservative judiciary has adopted a judicial philosophy that is strikingly anti-democratic in the economic sphere. This philosophy - if enacted - would shift the power to judge economic regulations from the legislature to the judiciary. The Lopez line of cases lends itself quite well to a frontal assault on the regulatory state. More precisely, an expansion of these cases would allow judges rather than legislators to be the final arbiters of what regulations may be enacted. Another (though less likely) line of attack could come from a renewed or revived version of Lochner, which would also shift power to the judiciary at the expense of the legislature.

Why is this so scary? Well, if you like eating disease-free meat, or drink clean water, or like smog free air, or make sure airline safety is regulated, or a whole host of basic human safety issues, those will be eroded. Just like we have seen before, the GOP can't possibly pass legislation to repeal these popular (and necessary programs) so they are using stealth and misdirection (oh my god, thos GAYS are going to get you!) in order to achieve what is politically impossible.

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Short Quotes

The Ten Commandments contain 297 words. The Bill of Rights is stated in 463 words. The Lord's prayer has only 67. The story of creation in the Bible uses only 200 words. Lincoln's Gettysburg Address contains 271 words. On the other hand, a recent Federal directive to regulate the price of cabbage contains 26,911 words.
- James Roosevelt (I think)

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November 21, 2004

Rhizome Panel

Rhizome.org to host Blogging and the Arts panel:

Public Program:
Blogging and the Arts
Tuesday, November 23, 6:30 p.m.-8:00 p.m.

Location:
New Museum of Contemporary Art / Chelsea
556 West 22nd Street

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MoMA opening via Flickr

Admiring Warhol}

Admiring Warhol · by LarimdaME

All photos tagged with momaopening.

So I am pretty embarrassed that this post is the number 2 result in google for "MoMA Opening" and all I have is this link to Flickr's photostream. I haven't been inside the new MoMA, but plan on going there this weekend so that I can transform this post into a full review.

For now, here are some photos from Jake Dobkin of Bluejake fame - 1 & 2.

UPDATE
OK so I went, and I will have a longer write up. For now, check out some of my photos.

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Congress buys Pres a boat

Pres gets a boat while troops have no body armor:

The Senate voted 65-30 for the legislation late on Saturday that sets aside funds for a range of priorities including a presidential yacht, foreign aid and energy. It is one of the final pieces of work for the 108th Congress and they may return to finish a spy agency overhaul before the end of the year.

This is what conservatism has devaulved to: crony capitalism.

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Differences between how Men and Women Shop

Dave Barry drives home a point that I have made time and time again. There is a Difference between how Men and Women Shop. Herself makes fun of me because I hate to shop. I hate just walking around looking at crap without a purpose. When I shop it is a tactical strike, with way points and goals - a mission so to say. Research has been done before the mission so that make, model, and style are decided upon before hand so that time can be spent on important things: like spending time with loved ones. Once the target has be acquired, it is vetted, and if the target passes the test, it is bought. Seems pretty simple to me - but every woman friend shops exactly the opposite way as I do.

What I don't get, and what often becomes a sticking point, is that I don't see shopping as a communal activity, much like sitting around a table talking to friends. But many women I know do see shopping as a communal activity, for reasons I can't fathom. Maybe I just don't get the value of finding the best deal, or coolest shoes, or fighting through all of the crap to find the best pair of pants. I also don't get the pack-like methods of some of my female friends - to me shopping is a solitary adventure or with one other person who's opinion you trust. Perhaps it goes back to the idea that teaming together makes for a better offense? Also, I don't like fighting the crowds while shoppping, which is funny because I like the crowded city.

What is the root of these two distict, and opposite, methods of shopping? What kind of nature/nurture programming causes such a rift that (for the most part) men and women attack the problem from different ways?

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November 19, 2004

We're closed for the next 4 years

Awesome Gawker Stalker entry:

...the bush twins along with 2 massive secret service men tried to have dinner they were told by the maitre 'd that they were full and would be for the next 4 years upon hearing the entire restaurant cheered and did a round of shots...

Welcome to New York. Have a nice four years.

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November 18, 2004

November 17, 2004

Bad idea, part 1 & 2

Don't you think the first time around was a bad idea? Now you want to do it again? For those not in the know, the first book tired to make the case about invading Iraq (which we did), and the second book tries to make the case that we should invade Iran. Which we shouldn't - for a whole host of reasons - but namely due to the old school yard taunt:

"Yeah, you and who's army?"

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GOP Hypocrites, continued

And this is the party of law and order?

House Republicans proposed changing their rules last night to allow members indicted by state grand juries to remain in a leadership post, a move that would benefit Majority Leader Tom DeLay (R-Tex.) in case he is charged by a Texas grand jury that has indicted three of his political associates, according to GOP leaders.

House Republicans adopted the indictment rule in 1993, when they were trying to end four decades of Democratic control of the House, in part by highlighting Democrats' ethical lapses. They said at the time that they held themselves to higher standards than prominent Democrats such as then-Ways and Means Chairman Dan Rostenkowski (Ill.), who eventually pleaded guilty to mail fraud and was sentenced to prison.

That's right, they are changing their "ethics" rules so that Tom DeLay won't get forced out. Nice. Next time Republicans scream about anything ethics-related, you should remember this.

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Books arranged by spine color

I linked to the art project, There is nothing wrong in this whole wide world a bit ago. This was the project that would reshelve every book in a bookstore by spine color. Well here are some pictures of the result. And here are some additional pictures.

I myself, organize my books by pile, making sure that fiction is in one pile, and non-fiction is in another. Perhaps I need some bookshelves.

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November 16, 2004

Cab Ride

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A night cab ride in Midtown from the back of the Cab.

November 15, 2004

Elder's Church

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First Christian Church in Columbus, Indiana by Eliel Saarinen built in 1940. Columbus, Indiana is an architectural mecca with buildings from many different famous architects from I.M. Pei, to both Saarinens, to Gunnar Birkerts, to Robert Venturi. If you are anywhere near Indianapolis or Cincinnati, the hour trip is worth it.

November 14, 2004

Ellis Island

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The Great Hall of Ellis Island was quite impressive with its' arches of Guastavino tile.

Arlington: Field of Honor

If you can, watch National Geographic's Arlington: Field of Honor on PBS. It is a great overview of the history of Arlington National Cemetary told by the people who work there everyday. For instance, I never realized the connection between the Lincoln Memorial, the Custis-Lee Mansion, and the Memorial Drive linking the two. Two ideas of what America should be connected forever - pretty powerful stuff. So powerful, that when President Kennedy visited there, he remarked that he could stay there forever. As things go, he is buried on that spot, and the eternal flame marks the Lincoln-Kennedy-Lee continuum.

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Site Feeds

Continuing on my quest to better organize this site, I have finally put all of my feeds in one place. For those not in the know, you can use programs called feed readers/newsreaders/whatever such as NetNewsWire or Ampheta Desk or News Gator to read all sorts of sites from the New York Times to other blogs. The advantage of this is that you don't have to constantly refresh favorite sites, the newsreader will alert you to new entries and display them for you. Sounds complex right? Well, not really. I have over 200 feeds I subscribe to in my feed reader, so it saves me going to 200 different sites just to see if it has been updated. If it hasn't been updated, or the post/entry is boring, I skip it. Thus saving me lots of time.

So without further ado, here are my feeds:

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November 13, 2004

Washington Memorial Chapel

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Washington Memorial Chapel at Valley Forge, PA.

November 12, 2004

The Liberty Bell

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On a trip to Philadelphia, we stopped and did the tourist thing and saw the Liberty Bell. The actually was worth it.

iPod Predictions

I was looking at /.'s announcement of the release of Apple's iPod and some of the quotes are awesome. Like this one:

Raise your hand if you have iTunes ...

Raise your hand if you have a FireWire port ...

Raise your hand if you have both ...

Raise your hand if you have $400 to spend on a cute Apple device ...

There is Apple's market. Pretty slim, eh? I don't see many sales in the future of iPod.

-- LoudMusic

Heh.

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November 11, 2004

Veteran's Day

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Today is Armistice Day, and we wish to thank Veterans of all wars for their service to country. You protect America with courage and determination, and we thank you.

lest we forget

lest we forget}

lest we forget · by striatic
Today is Armistice Day, and we wish to thank Veteran of all wars for their service to country. You protect America with courage and determination, and we thank you.

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Troops in Need

The number one request at Walter Reed Medical Center are phone cards. The word on the street is that soldiers need an "endless supply" of phone cards in order to talk to their loved ones. The government does not pay for long distance phones and calling cards are the only choice. I might not agree with this war, but the soldiers who die or are wounded in the course of duty deserve the utmost respect, gratitude, and help. Any dollar amount of phone cards (minimum $5) is greatly appreciated. You can send them to:

Medical Family Assistance Center
Walter Reed Medical Center
6900 Georgia Avenue, NW
Building 2, Third Floor, Room 3E01
Washington, DC 20307-5001

Or, you can use Any Soldier or Military Exchange Prepaid Calling Cards to send calling cards to troops stationed overseas. I sent a set earlier through MEPCC and got a nice thank you note.

Also, it hasn't been said, but I am sure those at Walter Reed would appreciate cards during the holidays.

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Of Mice and Men

What is a good ratio for vermin sighting to vermin population?

I saw one in my laundry room, set a half dozen traps, and spent the next two hours in the living room listening to SNAP! SNAP! in the back of the house as the death toll mounted. I wound up bagging about 15 over a few days.

Oddly, I set some traps in the basement under the laundry room, same bait (peanut butter), and so far something(s) have licked the peanut butter out of about a dozen traps without springing them. So, all the stupid/clumsy ones are apparently out of the gene pool, and I'm worried I'm creating a superrace of communicating, tool-using, PhD-having mice.

-- stupidsexyFlanders

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November 10, 2004

Little Red Inside

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The Little Red Lighthouse interior. See also Porthole, Little Red Graffiti, Pudlescape, Puddlescape II, Puddlescape (final), and Little Red.

November 9, 2004

Little Red

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The Little Red Lighthouse and the George Washington Bridge. See also Porthole, Little Red Graffiti, Pudlescape, Puddlescape II, and Puddlescape (final).

Comment Spam

There has been some recent comment spam that has been been going around which I had been thinking about and Ben Hammersley has written about. He discusses why anyone would create a spambot pointing to a registered, but not active, domain. Is it some sort of initial security probe to figure which site is less secure in order to unleash a barrage of spam?
Whatever the reason, here's some info that I have collected:

NameIPwhoisregistered
Jenny Connor69.193.88.30whois01 Oct 2004 19:44:40
Sarah Sterlingno ipwhois01 Oct 2004 19:44:56
Ming Ho Leeno ipwhois01 Oct 2004 19:44:50
Steph Jonesno ipwhois01 Oct 2004 19:44:59

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No Quarter

Jeff Jarvis gives way too much credit to our President in a post entitled, A letter to my fellow Democrats:

If you continue to treat him like the devil in a gray suit, you will only drive him to his fringe and drive his supporters toward their fringe and you will lose any hope of winning in four years. You will continue to divide America and give the other side license to do the same. So retract fangs and claws and empty the venom.

Treat him like your President and he might just act like it. Put country above party and we might even get somewhere. I don't mean that you should suddenly start agreeing with him -- 'stem cells bad!' -- but that in this political process we hold so dear, you can push for what matters to you: You can get your congressmen, as many as we have, to drive the tax cuts down a little lower and improve the environment a little more and maybe even do something to fix health insurance. Compromise. Negotiate. Wheedle. Flies. Honey. You know the story.

The GOP hasn't cut Democrats any slack, and so what comes around goes around. Jarvis is dead wrong - Democrats are now, even more so, the minority party and the GOP is doing everything possible to keep it that way. From double redistricting in Texas, to changing the Senate floor rules to not allow judicial filabusters, to changing blue slip holds the GOP, with the President at the helm, is creating a Parlementary-style faction where the Congress and the Executive are monolithic entities. Remember all of those "checks and balances" you learned about in high school? Well, the GOP is slowly eroding those, and it is bad for Democrats, but it is horrible for democracy.

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November 8, 2004

Fountain Square

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I had over 30 rolls of undeveloped film from during my undergrad days that I am slowly developing. This image is from Cincinnati, Ohio at the top of the Carew Tower looking down onto Fountain Square.

Condeming Condescending Remarks from NRO

Rod Dreher starts strong, and then up and makes an ass of himself:

At the risk of repeating some of Frederica's points, let me say that "The Incredibles," typical of Pixar's work, gives us a terrific story absent the standard elements you see in kids' movies these days: 1) smart-mouthed kids, 2) parents set up to look like boobs, 3) too-clever-by-half pop culture references, 4) sexual double entendres, and 5) politically correct messages. You get none of that in "The Incredibles."

In fact, one particularly surprising and wonderful aspect about the film is how conservative it is in one particular respect. You know how the Disney films are always, always about building self-esteem, e.g., the need to "believe in yourself" and all that? Well, "The Incredibles" is about a world in which superheroes are not allowed to use their gifts because society has decided, in various ways, that mediocrity and avoiding risk-taking are the qualities it wishes to honor. In fact, the villain in the film is an untalented twerp who uses his grievous sense of envy to destroy the talented elites. "The Incredibles" shows that a unified traditional family in which everyone is prepared to sacrifice for the greater good of the family is a source of strength, and that an aristocracy of merit is good for society overall. I'm sure the Left would hate this movie if they stopped to think about it, but their kids will be having too much fun to be denied.

First, it is pretty funny that someone who champions limiting families and basic human rights talks at all about societal constrictions. What makes Dreher think that liberals don't want stable families? Could it be because most liberals/progressives entertain a more open idea of what constitutes a "family unit?" This is just another conservative jumping the gun and pointing to "eeeevil libruls" as ills of society, agitating for the "destruction of the family." What actually does a "traditional family" consist of? Is it three or four generations living under one roof, all caring for each other? Is it a man and his harem taking care of a brood of children? Is it a mother and father and 2.1 kids? Or perhaps a single mother raising her children, or a gay couple raising their children? When it comes down to it, the notion of family has changed over the years, and it is insulting to those parents who don't fit in Dreher's small acceptable box of "traditional families." There are no doubt merits to two-parent households but, and I can attest to this as I grew up in a single parent household, it doesn't matter how many parents you have as long as they care for you and create a good environment for the children to grow up in. Are the sacrifices of my mother less so because she didn't have a spouse who also sacrificed with her? No, in fact our lives turned out pretty good. What conservatives like Dreher don't get is that many liberals (including myself) believe that certain family units are superior to others, but realize that the world is not perfect. Therefore those family units which don't fit in our preconceived notions of "family" should not be penalized, but rather, cheered along - since their struggle is greater than ours was.

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November 7, 2004

Puddlescape (final)

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Is it a view from an airplane, or is it a puddle? A moss encrusted rock on the edge of the Hudson River at the Little Red Lighthouse (see here also).

November 6, 2004

Puddlescape

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Is it a view from an airplane, or is it a puddle? A moss encrusted rock on the edge of the Hudson River at the Little Red Lighthouse (see here also).

November 5, 2004

Puddlescape

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Is it a view from an airplane, or is it a puddle? A moss encrusted rock on the edge of the Hudson River at the Little Red Lighthouse (see here also).

November 4, 2004

Subway Speed

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I have never been to the 168st-Washington Heights 1/9 station ever (I rarely get in to 60's much less the 160's) so this station was a pleasant surprise.

And your Mandate is Where?

Some great imagery from Kieran Healy on the supposed mandate. The first image is the 2004 U.S. Presidential Election in winner take all per county, the second is U.S. Population Density by County, the third image is the 2004 U.S. Presidential Election as a continuum from Red to Blue (we are all purple), and finally the last is the New York Times Cartogram of the 2004 U.S. Electoral College.



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Fuzzy Bunny Humor

bunny faceplant

I agree with Mathowie: this is how I felt yesterday. Somehow bunny comics makes defeat a bit more funny.

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Quotes from CBS Anchor Dan Rather on Election Night 2004

  • "Do you hear that knocking...President Bush's re-election is at the door."
  • "This race is hotter than the Devil's anvil."
  • "His lead is as thin as turnip soup."
  • "This race is humming along like Ray Charles."
  • "The presidential race is swinging like Count Basie."
  • "This race is hotter than a Times Square Rolex."
  • "Ohio becomes like a sauna for the two candidates. All they can do is wait and sweat."
  • "One's reminded of that old saying, 'Don't taunt the alligator until after you've crossed the creek.'"
  • "Bush is sweeping through the South like a big wheel through a cotton field."
  • "What Kerry needs at this point is the equivalent of Tom Brady coming off the bench to rescue him. But it's still too close to call."
  • "No question now that Kerry's rapidly reaching the point where he's got his back to the wall, his shirttails on fire and the bill collector's at the door."
  • "John Kerry needs something on the order of a 55 or 60-yard field goal to win this."
  • (To Joe Lockhart) "I know that you'd rather walk through a furnace in a gasoline suit than consider the possibility that John Kerry would lose Ohio."
  • (To Joe Lockhart) "What about Michigan? It's been out there for a long time. Is that making your fingernails sweat?"
  • "This presidential race has been crackling like a hickory fire for at least the last hour and a half."
  • "Let's see where it goes from here. Round and round it goes, where it stops nobody knows."
  • "We keep talking about Ohio if you've been tuning in and out or you put the baby to bed or you went to pop the cap on an adult, or otherwise, beverage..."
  • "We used to say if a frog had side pockets, he'd carry a handgun."
  • "No one is saying that George Bush is not going to win the election, and if you had to bet the double-wide, you'd have to bet that he'd win."
  • "In southern states they beat him like a rented mule."
  • "If you try to read the tea leaves before the cup is done you can get yourself burned."
  • "We need Billy Crystal to Analyze This"
  • "You know that old song, 'it's delightful, it's delicious, it's de-lovely' for President Bush in most areas of the country."
  • "We had a slight hitch in our giddy up, but we corrected that."
  • "In some ways, George Bush's lead is as thin as November ice."
  • "Put on a cup of coffee, this race isn't going to be over for a while."
  • "You look at the map and say it's all a big Bush victory. But this is one time when your Mother is right, looks can be deceiving."
  • "John Kerry's moon has just moved behind a cloud, as far as Florida is concerned."
  • On Kerry's chances: "To use a metaphor, he's gotta draw to an inside straight. But hey, sometimes you get lucky and hit that straight."
  • "Is it like a swan, with every feather above the water settled, but under the water paddling like crazy?"
  • "What you have here is the football equivalent of a fourth quarter rally by Kerry."
  • "The election is "closer than Lassie and Timmy"
  • "Keep in mind they are teetotally meetmortally convinced they have Ohio won."
  • "Vice President Dick Cheney would not have flown all the way out there (Hawaii) overnight and put that lei around his neck and sort of hula-danced, if you will, unless he thought there was a chance of carrying that out there."
  • "President Bush smiling there with his family. He's laid down aces so far."
  • "You can almost hear the GOP (deep breathing sound). We're getting within maybe smelling distance."
  • "We don't know what to do. We don't know whether to wind a watch or bark at the moon."
  • On how the results are affecting strategists: "It's one reason so many of them drink a lot."
  • Sen. John McCain (R-AZ), on being congratulated on victory by Rather: "Thanks Dan, I always believe you." Rather: "Now, ladies and gentleman, if you believe that, you'll believe rocks can grow."
from Chuck

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November 3, 2004

Little Red Graffiti

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Graf in the sidewalk mark the direction to the Little Red Lighthouse.

Some Never Learn

So, George W. Bush won. And he's done so by a solid margin. The Democrats' attempted coup managed to last all of eight hours. Not only is the President the first candidate to win a majority of the vote in a Presidential Election since 1988, but he also won more popular votes than any other candidate in history. The Democrats spent months telling us that high voter turnout would equal a win for them but, as it turns out, when 60% of the electorate showed up at the polls it translated into a Bush lead of nearly four million votes. In short: take that, you sons of bitches.

True, the last three Presidential races were as follows:

2000 Bush/Gore 47.87%/48.38%
1996 Clinton/Dole 49.23%/40.72%
1992 Clinton/Bush 43.01%/37.45%
1988 Bush/Dukakis 53.37%/45.65%

As for winning "more popular votes than any other candidate in history" well, not shit. Bush won more popular votes than Thomas Jefferson. See, in real life, there is something called the birth rate and the knowledge of westward expansion of the U.S. The population grows every year, so every additional year this country exists candidates could gain more popular votes than any other candidate in history. Hardly a mandate when those votes only represent 20% or so of America. Nice try.

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Fear Won Yesterday

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This about sums it up along with this from Andrew Sullivan:

I have to say it's almost funny that for the past few months, I've been harangued about the selfishness of gays who put their issues ahead of pressing matters like the war, and yet the exit polls show something rather different. The gay vote for Bush was - amazingly - only slightly down on 2000. Many of them obviously thought the war or the economy was pre-eminent. But for evangelicals, the issue of "moral values" trumped the war! It wasn't about the war on terror for the Bush base. It was about the war on gay unions. Oh, the ironies.

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Advice

rosa parks stayed in her seat.
gandhi didn't eat
MLK kept marching
nine black students showed up for class in little rock in '57
that guy in tiananmen square kept standing in front of the tank
caution live frogs

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Today

There are things I want to say, but I am afraid that if I say them, I will regret them. I am unbelievably sad that we will have four more years of this administration, and I am truly afraid of what the next four years will bring. I am truly sorry that Senator Kerry was not given the chance to bring the country together, and now we will truly be more separate. More on how we need to continue the fight will come later, but now I must regroup.

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November 2, 2004

Porthole

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My Voting Story

Greenpoint Brooklyn, NY at 8 in the morning in the cellar of my local PS. The voting machines were nestled in a warren of vaults and passageways; lines of voters stretched throughout the space with different voting district queues seemingly overlapping the other. Found which district I vote in from the information man, got lost in the warren of passageways then finally found my district with its' massive red lever voting machine. I can't tell you how reassuring it is to see a huge chunk of metal, complete with frayed curtain, which guards my vote. I know that any voting machine have weak points for fraud, but if these machines have worked for years, I trust them more than some new-fangled computer voting (and I love computers). There were little old ladies there at my polling station, but my voting district table was manned by attractive Latinas. A definite plus over little old lady blue haired squads.

Signed the book, got my card, and then stood in line and cast my vote. Took hold of that red lever and cranked it to the right to load the machine. Looked up at the large list of candidates - some were noted twice. But I remembered that NYC has fusion balloting, where local parties endorse candidates so that tickets might appear twice. A very bad design decision, if I may add. Made my decision (research does help) and swung the red lever back and I could literally feel the gears of my vote being generated. Take that touchscreen voting!

All in all it took about 30 minutes but nary a sticker was found for me to wear. As I was leaving the queue stretched out the door and onto the sidewalk. People want to vote, and there was a mix of young first time voters, professionals my age, old Polish women, you name it; the cross section of America were voting in the vaults of Brooklyn today.

America will be on a new course, and all of us will be better for it. How was your voting experience?

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Vote

VOTE!
It took me 30 minutes to vote this morning and if it would have taken me four, I would have stayed in line for however long it would take to have my voice heard. All change happens with you and your one vote. Please vote.

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We just want people to vote

The best conservatives can come up with as a counter charge to the documented abuse and fraud by the GOP is a strongly worded letter outlining what poll challengers can and cannot do? This is the best you can do? Come on!

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November 1, 2004

Union Square Market

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View of the Green Market where you can get Stacks of Carrots and Tubers most weekdays, but the real action is during the weekend.

My (brief) Case for Kerry

I will be voting for Senator John Kerry in this election. I am voting for him because the Senator realizes the fundamental difference in the war against militant Islam starts with American policies which are directed at state and non-state entities. That the way to capture Osama bin Laden is through a multi-prong approach. That a shared defence is a more effective offense. That we should never, never place our men and women of the armed services in harm's way unless it is absolutely necessary. The Senator understands the war on terror, the Bush Administration does not, and is actively hurting America's chances to defeat militant Islam.

On the domestic front, Senator Kerry's call for America to end our dependence on oil is a strategic necessity to fight the war on militant Islam. He will restore Justice Department back to a defender of our freedoms and the leader against crime, foreign and domestic. Sen. Kerry will appoint judges which do not aim to roll back our inalienable rights.

Sen. Kerry will change the culture in the Executive Branch from a closed, clandestine operation headed by VP Cheney, to a more transparent government. With the Executive and Legislative branches split by party, Democrats (ironically) will bring back fiscal responsibility to DC. A deadlocked government forces compromise, and the GOP needs their power reined in badly - the abuse of power in the last four years is legendary.

This is but a small listing of why I am voting for Senator Kerry. Those who know me, or read this site, have a greater understanding of where I stand. John Kerry is not the perfect candidate, but he is my candidate. Sen. Kerry will listen to different perspectives instead of hiding in a cocoon. He will allow America to rebuild our diplomatic strength, an equally powerful tool in the fight against militant Islam. Most importantly, he will fight the right war against global militant Islam, not invade secondary countries. Senator Kerry is serious about protecting our country, our President does not; if he did, we wouldn't be in Iraq right now, we would have Osama's head on a pike.

I will be voting for him in less than eight hours, and I urge you to do the same.

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What Osama Really Said

The right is all aflutter that Osama may have said that he will bomb the Red States (note the NY Post byline) who vote for President Bush. When I saw this translation, I was less than convinced that he would actually make the distinction because many of the "Red Sates" lack strategic targets but (more importantly) bin Laden had made it clear that it makes no difference who is elected, because we are all infidels anyway. After a bit of looking into MEMRI it seems that they like to selectively translate and cherry-pick out items which make Arabs look bad. Abu Aardvark, who knows a thing about Arab translation has this to say in MEMRI's disgusting partisanship:

First, it is worth pointing out that no Arab commentators or newspapers seem to have drawn the same conclusions as MEMRI's linguistic geniuses. In an al Jazeera roundup of 'different interpretations of the bin Laden message' this morning, for example, nobody raises this interpretation. MEMRI refers to a number of radical chatroom discussions, but in the mainstream public discourse - including interviews with leading Islamists such as Montasir al Zayat - everybody makes the same 'mistake' which MEMRI thinks Americans are making. Which suggests that it is not a mistake at all: Americans, just like almost all Arabs and Muslims, understood bin Laden correctly. . . .

MEMRI's argument entirely on bin Laden's use of the word 'wilayet' instead of 'dawla' to refer to 'state.' While MEMRI is correct that in normal usage, wilayet would refer to a sub-unit (such as an American state), its dictionary definition is, in fact, 'sovereign power, sovereign, sovereignty, rule, government' (Hans Wehr dictionary). You decide. And Bin Laden's reference to not attacking Sweden suggests that sovereign states are his reference point, not American states.

MEMRI's claim that bin Laden offered an 'election deal' to Americans is blatantly false. Bin Laden clearly stated that America's security was not in the hands of Bush or Kerry, and that only American policies would make a difference.

So there you go. Oh, and if only the New York Post and some conservative bloggers are saying that Osama said "State" as in Ohio, is that really all the proof that you want? I mean come on! Page fucking six!?

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Election Night Links

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No (I) in Bush

Alan at Donkey Rising talks about Kerry's Lead Among Independents Makes Bush's Situation Extremely Dire:

No Republican in the modern era has won a presidential election without carrying the independent vote. In the 2000 election, despite losing the national popular vote, George Bush led Al Gore by a narrow margin among independent voters. However, according to the final, supersized Gallup Poll, John Kerry now has an 8 point lead over George Bush among independent voters. In fact, Kerry led Bush among independents in all four Gallup polls this month--by an average of 6 points. This is one more piece of evidence that George Bush's situation is extremely dire.

That's about right. GOTV!

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Updated Election 2004 Candidate Voting Guide

So I have updated the election 2004 candidate voting guide for zip code 11222, greenpoint brooklyn, ny with more information thanks to Patrick. It seems that the google search for brooklyn voting guide comes up second only to an about.com site which is totally useless but persists in the #1 site only because the amount of linkage inside the about.com crapspace.

I also want to note how crappy the Board of Elections in New York City website is. There is no candidate list outside of a crappily formatted .pdf which you have to almost guess which districts you are in and which races you can vote for. Why is it so hard to design usa