Personal Note

I am going to be off line for a couple of days.

And then we came to the end

Clinton to Accept Secretary of State Job - The Caucus Blog - NYTimes.com

It's been an interesting week regarding this...

and now, apparently, it is done.

This is going to make our diplomacy a heck of a lot more interesting.

I do wonder how the transfer of power from Dr. Rice (who I do like) to Sen. Clinton is going to go.

They both are very intelligent people with clear (if differing) views of the world.

Wonkette : Nate Silver Has Mathematical Theory For Prop. 8

Wonkette : Nate Silver Has Mathematical Theory For Prop. 8

Hey gays, you like Nate Silver, yes? He is a vanquisher of angry cursing wingnuts and the sexual mentor to a hot new generation of polynomials.

It isn't just the gays that have a thing for Nate Silver...maybe he is my new man-crush...

Obama the Smoker

Smoking Gun: Media Conspiracy!

Let the Guy Smoke

It is still okay to discriminate against one group of Americans. This discrimination is not only legal, it is encouraged. You see members of this oppressed minority huddled outside in rain and snow, forbidden to seek refuge. No one feels sorry for them. And yet we may have just elected one of these pariahs as president.

And this was the featured article on Wikipedia the other day...

I see conspiracies everywhere.

Media Habits

I watch three news programs religiously.

• Countdown with Keith Olbermann
• The Rachel Maddow Show
• Anderson Cooper 360°

I also listen to NPR obsessively.

And I admit to reading a metric crapton of blogs, too numerous to list here...

That being said, I am going to talk about my NPR habits.

When I am home, and not watching one of the aforementioned news programs, I am listening to my local NPR affiliate (WAMC), I also grab the podcasts of Fresh Air and a couple of other shows (TAL being the one I am addicted to...something about aging hipsters who think that every day life is interesting)...every morning, my alarm goes off at 5:30 and I listen (half in and out of sleep) to Morning Edition. Every so often, there is a story that stays with me, dominating my conscious mind...

This morning, one of those stories came to the fore...

Analysts: By 2025, U.S. Won't Be Top World Power

I am amazed by stories like these...maybe it is my love of speculative fiction...and it forces me to do things, like follow-up and read the report that they are talking about.

Some of the things that are mentioned in the report (and the story on Morning Edition):

• The whole international system—as constructed following WWII—will be revolutionized. Not only will new players—Brazil, Russia, India and China— have a seat at the international high table, they will bring new stakes and rules of the game.
• The unprecedented transfer of wealth roughly from West to East now under way will continue for the foreseeable future.
• Unprecedented economic growth, coupled with 1.5 billion more people, will put pressure on resources—particularly energy, food, and water—raising the specter of scarcities emerging as demand outstrips supply.
• The potential for conflict will increase owing partly to political turbulence in parts of the greater Middle East.

And from the story on Morning Edition:

Among the more startling conclusions in the Global Trends 2025 report is a judgment that an unnamed government in Eastern or Central Europe "could effectively be taken over and run by organized crime." The report also speculates that some states in Africa or South Asia could "wither away" as a result of the failure of their governments to provide basic services to the population.

It's a brave new dystopian world.

You have to wonder...

Mukasey alert after collapsing Thursday : The Swamp

Not that I am saying that I am looking forward to the pain and suffering of old men (I am not, at all, and strokes are horrible horrible things) but, I wonder if more of these events are going to happen...maybe in a way that is convenient to the out going Administration.

Edit: And Wonkette chimes in...

A Comment on Prop 8

I want to talk for a second about Prop 8.

I mean, come on California!

What were you thinking?!?

What are you scared of?

I mean, I understand not wanting ANYONE to get married but to deny the pain and discomfort of marriage to a specific group who had just been granted these rights?

Let more people of the alternative sexualities get married!

After a while, the fad will fade.

And...I know some of you worry that liberals like me will try to force stuff like marrying my buddy here...

But...

That's silly.

Curly would never marry me.

So...I guess...

The important thing is to look to role models for support.

I recommend Larry Craig.

I have my boarding pass right here, Senator!

Michelle Bachmann...in her own words...

Is this an "Urban Legend"?

Crooks and Liars has video of her performance from the other night...

Colmes: You said you were concerned during the campaign that Obama had anti American views and you said the news media should do a penetrating expose and take a look at the people and find out, are they pro-America or anti-America

Bachmann: Actually that's not what I said. It's an urban legend that was created and that's not what I said.

Colmes: I have the tape at my website Alan.com

Bachmann: What I called on Alan was for the main stream media to do their job. They failed to vet Barack Obama the way they had John McCain. That's what I was called for.

Colmes: I wish the American media would take a great look at the views of the people in Congress and find out, are they pro-America or anti-America. Do you really want...

Bachmann: What I said was that I'm not qualified to say whether members views are pro or anti American. That's not my job to do.

Ladies and Gentlemen, the Representative from the Minnesota Sixth!

May the FSM Save Your Souls.

See Russia from Her House!

"Warm Regards, Sarah"

Okay, this woman is going to make my head explode.

Madam Secretary...

or why should you care about who replaces Sen. Clinton as the Junior Senator from New York.

First off, I would like to thank FAU for his insight on Sen. Clinton as Secretary of State, in response to my query of him.

I think that Sen. Clinton would be an excellent choice for Secretary of State.

But who is going to replace her?

As New York tumbles towards George and Lenny territory, who will step-up? Who will write letters to television characters protesting the endorsement of the closing of Fort Drum?

Well, the choice isn't up to us.  The choice is up to Gov. Patterson.

From the NY Times (via All Over Albany):

People who are familiar with Mr. Paterson's thinking on the matter have said in recent days that while the governor had not made a short list, he has discussed several names — including Attorney General Andrew M. Cuomo, Representative Kirsten E. Gillibrand of Hudson, Representative Brian Higgins of Buffalo and the Bronx borough president, Adolfo Carrión Jr.

Of that short list, the only one I think "deserves" it, who is ready for it, and who would be the best political choice is AG Cuomo.  Why? 

• His work at HUD
• It would remove a thorn in Gov Paterson's side.
• He is another Clintonite and would pacify that wing of the party.
  
• His personality and history are not particularly well suited to Albany.
• There are many many people who are qualified to be AG in New York, the list for those who are qualified and ready to be Senator...not...so...much.

If I were to offer a choice, a name to be thrown into the ring.

H. Carl McCall.

He is a good man, a smart man, a good public servant, and he took one of the chin for the party in 2002.

Let this be his valedictory.

Really?

Local colleges see savings shrink

From the article:

Officials acknowledge that tuition hikes are possible, a burden for families already struggling in the current economic climate.

To put this in perspective...

BusinessWeek's 50 Most Expensive Colleges: Union College

From the Albany Times Union: Union College 4th Highest Tuition, Skidmore 8th Most Expensive


Tuition hikes are already possible at two of the most expensive colleges in the country?

As one of the HR blogs says...

Union College? I'm sure it's great, but once you get out of the Northeast, some Midwestern recruiter is going to ask you if that's "the junior college over by Cedar Rapids". You just paid more than 130K after discounts to get the sheepskin.

Prop 8

Prop 8

Six of seven CA Supreme Court agreed today to review the legal challenges to Prop 8 brought by married same-sex couples. Until they rule, all further same-sex marriages are suspended, and the status of those already wed remains to be determined.

But...eHarmony leads to...marriage

eHarmony.com To Accept Gay Personal Ads

If eHarmony always leads to marriage, what about those poor Californians...

Moms are wonderful

The Official Berkeley Breathed Website

This is not political at all, however, I just wanted to publicly thank my mom for bringing me soup and to pimp out my favorite book about moms. Better than "Love You Forever"...

Mars Needs Moms makes me cry.

Check it out on Amazon.com.

Thanks, mom!

The soup is helping!

The Lesser of the Evils

Coleman, Franken Camps Gear Up for Recount in Minnesota - The Caucus Blog - NYTimes.com

I had dinner last night with FAU and we were talking about this race.

We both agreed that at this point, neither of these men deserve to win. We (or I) have known since the the murder of Paul Wellstone (calling a spade a spade) that Norm Coleman was a bad person and a bad public servant, and FAU mentioned that Franken has been a demagogue for the left for years (Rush Limbaugh of the latte drinking set) and he probably hasn't been the best example of the paradigm of bi-partisanship that President-Elect Obama wants.

So...can we work this so that neither of these men win? Norm Coleman can go back to doing whatever he does since he switched from being a Democrat (he was elected as a Democrat to the Mayorship of St. Paul) and Al Franken can go back to his writing and Air America gigs...

And all will be right with the world...

What?!?!?!

Wonkette : Getch’r Tickets To Sean Hannity’s Concert Series! FOR AMERICA.

Here is the line-up...

Billy Ray Cyrus (Hannah Montana's Dad [Who posed nude...or something...hell of a role model there, America...and lest we forget...that really creepy father-daughter portrait)

Charlie Daniels (Who sings about the DEVIL, much like Judas Priest and Stevie Wonder)

Michael W. Smith (Who sings love songs to Jesus...which is the only man on man loving that is appropriate, yet...still banned in California)

Lee Greenwood (Who is proud to be an American, yet was born in California, during the 1940s...take from that what you want)

and...

Wait for it...

Oliver North (who set up Fawn Hall [remember her?] to be the bad person in like 198-something and who worked with Terrorists...yes, the Contras were terrorists folks)

Wow

Surrounded by chaos: Things I never do

I kind of love this woman from afar.

I didn't know that SoyJoy was a real brand either...

The Trouble With Using Product Integration to Write TV Shows -- New York Magazine

Interesting article on content for...old media.

We, the people?

It’s a full-scale p*&*ing match! - New York Politics Capitol Confidential - Albany Times Union - timesunion.com

The meeting is now wrapping up with with Paterson conceding that “this special session here on Nov. 18 will not yield the result that we want today.”

Who is we?

I am just curious here...

If we means Gov. Paterson and Sen. Smith and Speaker Silver, well...I guess not.

Sen. Skelos wants something different too.

And, really, who knows what Jim Tedisco really wants?

If we means the voters (and it never means the voters), well...most of us don't want the cuts to health care and education that Gov. Paterson wants. (Siena College Research Center via The Albany Project)

We can't all agree on a way to fix the broken New York, and it is broken, but a plurality of us agree that health care and education need to stay fully funded. Why? Education is the foundation of our society, and without (the barely adequate) funding that we have now, we are doing an incredible disservice to this generation.

As to health care, well, as we are all losing our jobs and benefits with the onset of this *cough* depression *cough*, wouldn't you like to know that your local hospital is fully funded (and that there is a safety net for those wonderful bills) when the next great pandemic hits (come along with me on this one, please?) or would you prefer that education and health care get cut so that we simply aren't prepared for the new world?

One of the problems that New Yorkers face, aside from entrenched interests (like the health care lobbies and the teachers' unions {I am aware of the irony here}) and institutional malaise (nothing gets done because nothing can get done) is that the leadership has all come out of the legislative body. I am not saying that our experiment with a State Executive without legislative experience *cough* Client #9 *cough* did us any good, but that was mostly because he was a megalomaniac, and not because of the way the system is set-up.

So, we, the people, deserve better, and we deserve a budget that is not so draconian to hurt the most vulnerable.

Or don't you care about the us that make up the we, Gov. Paterson?

On the Junior Senator from NY

Now that Eliot Spitzer has crawled out of his hole — figuratively speaking! — to join the national conversation again, Politico and The New Republic have a suggestion: If Hillary Clinton is named Secretary of State, Gov. Paterson of New York should replace her with Spitzer. That would rule. Now that we've broken through with a black president, our next barrier to overcome is a presidential candidate who has openly had unprotected anal sex with prostitutes.

Will Leitch of New York writing on the site he founded, Deadspin.

Well...you all know how I feel about Spitzer...

With its Pension Fund Grab, is it ‘Déjà Vu All Over Again’ For Argentina?

With its Pension Fund Grab, is it ‘Déjà Vu All Over Again’ For Argentina?

Wow.

Wow.

Just when I thought that the American economy was the most badly "managed" one in the hemisphere, our brothers and sisters in Argentina make a grab for the title!

Go Argentina, with Maradona as your head coach, and this here...you are set to dominate the world!

Related...

A visit from mom...

Amazon.com: Queer Mobilizations: LGBT Activists Confront the Law: Scott Barclay, Mary Bernstein, Anna-Maria Marshall: Books

Amazon.com: Queer Mobilizations: LGBT Activists Confront the Law: Scott Barclay, Mary Bernstein, Anna-Maria Marshall: Books

Pre-order this book.

It is worth the wait.

*grumble*

Wonkette : Sarah Palin’s Book Advance May Dwarf Even Nate Silver’s

WTF?!?

Bible Spice is getting a SEVEN MILLION DOLLAR advance (reportedly/allegedly/hopefully not) for her book deal?

*grumble*

Please just make sure that I don't get sent to the camps

Get the latest news satire and funny videos at 236.com.

Zornak the Sword Whisperer is going to be my new nickname.

Families in the White House

First Moving Day: Relations: The Talk of the Town: The New Yorker

“I enjoy decorating. So I get to get this whole new room and do whatever I want!” Malia (Obama), who is ten, told a reporter, over the summer, and, so, some previous tenants agreed to share a few tips. “The challenge is to make it your home,” Luci Baines Johnson said. “It’s the people’s house, and it’s very much a museum. And, in fact, our ‘living room’ was the West Hall. It didn’t even have a door on it! Which is very symbolically appropriate, because your life is so open to the world.”

The Theocon State?

Another link to Andrew Sullivan...

The Theocon State

Maybe because I am a geek who reads far too much speculative fiction, but looking at this, doesn't it remind you of the Cathedrals from Alastair Reynolds' Absolution Gap?

Maybe cathedrals on wheels have been done before...I just haven't seen them...


(And the TrackBack)

Monday Morning Obama Post

From the New York Times - Obama's Thank You Note to Illinois which he name checks Lincoln which leads to Gawker's Obama as Lincoln Shows No Sign of Abating which is a little bit of a meta commentary on Newsweek's main article on Obama's Lincoln which talks about Lincoln's "Team of Rivals" vis-a-vis the rumored Sen. Clinton to the State Department appointment which leads to....the Atlantic's piece on how well Obama is staffing his White House and as Andrew Sullivan points out, he is already "waaay" ahead of President Clinton...maybe because Obama has former Clinton Administiration staffers to cherry pick from or as Cokie Roberts called it this morning on NPR's Morning Edition...the Democratic government-in-exile that has been working in and around Washington these last eight years.

Edit: And I missed N+1's (Eli Evans) posting on Privacy (in the age of Obama) which is worth a read.

For privacy, he reminded us, is not a function of being out of sight, beyond the limits of the perception of others; it is, rather, that sacred space at the heart of every intimacy, open only to those who share in it.

This would crush me...

Lose the BlackBerry? Yes He Can, Maybe

So...you are young(ish), dynamic, and plugged in and then...

"Boom there goes the dynamite"

No more e-mail for you.

Diana Owen, who leads the American Studies program at Georgetown University, said presidents were not advised to use e-mail because of security risks and fear that messages could be intercepted.

"They could come up with some bulletproof way of protecting his e-mail and digital correspondence, but anything can be hacked," said Ms. Owen, who has studied how presidents communicate in the Internet era. "The nature of the president's job is that others can use e-mail for him."

No, really? But someone else sending the e-mail doesn't have the same feeling. I am not saying, well, provide quantum crypto for Obama's BlackBerry, but...there has to be something that allows him to still be connected while maintaining a records retention policy and being secure.

Sorry, Mr. President-Elect.

What is the what now?

http://www.secureourdream.com/

Really?

J-to-the-P has a web site now?

Joe has a book on American Values coming out?

What do those include?  Tax evasion?

OK, seriously?

Really?

The election is over.  Do we really need to think about anyone from Ohio (save LeBron James) until 2012?