Pushmi-Pullyou

It's been decades since I read the Doctor Doolittle books by Hugh Lofting; certainly before Rex Harrison and Anthony Newley did the first movie version in the 1960's, and long before Eddie Murphy got hold of them. I don't remember how many of the series I read, but I distinctly remember one of the strange creatures that the good doctor ran into in his adventures was the Pushmi-Pullyou, an animal that resembled a llama, but instead of a rear end, it had another head at the other end, like conjoined twins. It walked about on four legs, so no matter which direction it went, it was always looking backward and forward.

That's how I feel at the end of this calendar year - looking back over 2003 and forward to 2004. I'm writing this post from the same place I wrote a similar e-mail to a friend last year, wrapping up 2002 and looking into the new year. At that time I was excited about my new job in Miami, I was sure the country was heading into the war in Iraq, and I was wondering if John Kerry would sweep the primaries. I certainly knew of Howard Dean, and I admired him, but a year ago I thought his chances were slim. On a personal level, I was making plans to find a new place to live in Miami and possibly buy a house (didn't happen), beginning the negotiations to buy my Mustang (that did happen), and sniffing out possibilities of getting my newest play done even as a staged reading (didn't happen, but might this winter as long as I keep bugging the guy who promised he'd do it). Blogs were things I read, but there were only two I paid attention to; now I'm part of a great bunch of like-minded (that is, each slightly goofy and wonderfully erudite in their own way) bloggers, and looking forward with hope, passion, and zeal to do what we can from our keyboards to make this country great again, strong again, and free again.

A few things occur to me as the sun sets on the last day of this calendar year:

I am grateful for my family, my friends, and my health - none of which can be taken for granted but so often are.

I am delighted to have made so many new friends through this loose and vibrant world of blogging, especially NTodd, who, through a fortuitous post about the Florida Marlins back in October, I discovered grew up in the same small town in Ohio that I did and shared childhood friends, and who patiently showed me into the magical world of blogging. Had it not been for him, Bark Bark Woof Woof would be nothing but a bunch of comments on other peoples' blogs (so he gets the blame, too, if you want to take it that way).

I look forward to a year when the people of this country finally wake up to the fact that our country has been slyly hijacked by people who cannot accept the fact that not everyone sees things their way and are hell-bent to bend us to their will nonetheless. If they cannot do it by persuasion, they use whatever means they can find - overturning elections, changing the rules, crying foul when hit with their own hypocrisy - and using the forces of political blackmail and intimidation to get their way. But there are signs - small, discreet, almost unnoticed - that the people are not going to allow this to continue, and if enough of them are rallied, the smug and the arrogant can be turned back.

I look forward to a year when "acceptance" and "tolerance" of gays and lesbians is not an issue - when it is as much a part of the fabric of America as any of the elements that make up this crazy quilt of a country. I'm hoping for a time when the idea of the first Constitutional amendment since Prohibiton that would restrict rights rather than bestow them is rejected out of hand. And I look forward to a time when defending marriage is defined as keeping people together, not forcing them apart.

I look forward to a time when we look to our leaders - be they state, local, or federal - for leadership, not for a punchline. I look forward to having a government that does not just govern the least but governs with only one thing in mind: the quality of life that will provide for the common good and protection, not fear and avarice.

And I look forward to a year when the most important thing I have to worry about is whether or not I'm able to do the best I can for the people I serve - the children of Miami-Dade County Public Schools - and the people I care about, and the people who care about me.

This may not happen in 2004. It may be another year. But it's worth working for. Thanks to all of my readers, contributors, friends, and visitors for getting Bark Bark Woof Woof off the ground (Sam's memory is glowing with joy), and I hope we'll all be around to look forward - and back - for many years yet to come.
Fetch more...

Stop That Noise!

Internet Reality Bites

Two articles from The Christian Science Monitor on some of the realities of the internet revolution:

The Internet hasn't reeled in everyone yet
Once it was edgy and cool. Now the Internet has settled down into a comfortable middle age and become merely ... indispensible.

After spiking in the 1990s and early 2000s, the percentage of adult Americans online has leveled off in the past two years at 63 percent, says a new study from the Pew Internet & American Life Project. That percentage is expected eventually to rise, but not as quickly as some had imagined.

Internet bullying
For one middle-school girl it was a rumor, circulated via text messaging, that she had contracted SARS while on a trip to Toronto. She returned to school and found nobody would come near her. For an overweight boy in Japan, it was cellphone pictures, taken of him on the sly while he was changing in the locker room and then sent to many of his peers. And for Calabasas High School in California, it was a website - schoolscandals.com - on which vicious gossip and racist and threatening remarks grew so rampant that most of the school was affected.

The actions themselves - rumors, threats, gossip, humiliation - are nothing new. But among today's adolescents - a generation of instant messengers, always connected, always wired - bullies are starting to move beyond slam books and whisper campaigns to e-mail, websites, chat rooms, and text messaging.

So, what they're saying is that while the internet is becoming a powerful force in our society, it's not gotten everyone on board; and thanks to cyberspace, we now have virtual wedgies. Ah, humanity.

[Note: I had this post all ready to go when Blogger cratered this morning. Reminder to self: draft in Word first.]

Fetch more...

Stop That Noise!

Can You Top This?

From the Sun-Sentinel:

Another strange, strange year in Florida
By BRENDAN FARRINGTON
Associated Press
TALLAHASSEE -- Chalk it up as another strange year in Florida.

There was the defendant who mooned a jury and the bank robber who used an Easter egg defense when he was caught red-handed. There were nude park rangers and a sex-crazed emu - thankfully not in the same place at the same time. All were among the dozens of bizarre events in 2003.

Yeah, it's the state I proudly call home and the people I proudly serve. The only consolation is that I know there are as many other bizarre stories in every other state. If you have your own, please feel free to tell me about them; I'd hate to take all the glory.

Fetch more...

Stop That Noise!

How To Win While Getting Hosed In The South?

The New Republic &c has an interesting take on how the Democrats can win the election while losing the South. Taking their cue from an analysis in the Los Angeles Times that says the Democrats are done for in border states such as Kentucky (which just elected a Republican governor for the first time since the 1960's) and Tennessee, which Al Gore couldn't win in 2000, TNR takes a look at states where the Democrats may pick up former Republican states in the Southwest (New Mexico and Arizona) and the Northeast (Maine and Connecticut), and may even get Florida back. Meanwhile, states that have been considered borderline red are being drawn back to blue by issues such as the faltering economy and the threats to the environment and civil rights posed by the Republicans.

I've heard whistling past the graveyard in past elections - somewhere I have stashed a copy of an article from a newsweekly in 1984 laying out in great detail how Mondale will sweep away Reagan. But if the Democrats play their cards right (a very big IF), capitalize on the deficit, the arrogance of the Right, an the erosion of civil rights in the name of a nebulous war on terror, they could turn it around and win without the South.

But hope is not a plan.
Fetch more...

Stop That Noise!

This Week's TTLB Weblog Showcase Vote

Hands (or paws, rather) down, this week's vote is for Barney's First Dog Blog; the view (in black and white) from probably the most astute observer in the White House since Fala.
Fetch more...

Stop That Noise!

McPaper Is On To Us

From Kick the Leftist comes this link to USA Today's article on blogging:

Freewheeling 'bloggers' are rewriting rules of journalism
By Kathy Kiely, USA TODAY
WASHINGTON - They used to be known as the boys on the bus: the big-name columnists, network TV producers and reporters for large-circulation newspapers who had the power to make or break a presidential candidate's reputation. Now they've got competition.

In the 2004 election, the boys (and girls) on the bus have been joined by a new class of political arbiters: the geeks on their laptops. They call themselves bloggers. Their mission: to remake political journalism and, quite possibly, democracy itself. The plan: to run an end around big media by becoming publishers on the Internet.

"Geeks on their laptops?" Excuse me? I can still bench press my own weight (210 lbs).

The freewheeling, gossipy Internet sites they operate can be controversial: Matt Drudge, the wired news and gossip hound who broke the story about Monica Lewinsky's affair with Bill Clinton, is a blogger. Many bloggers are not professional journalists. Few have editors. Most make no pretense of objectivity.

No, we're just "Fair and Balanced."

Yet they're forcing the mainstream news media to follow the stories they're pushing, such as the scandal that took down Senate Majority Leader Trent Lott. And they've created a trend that almost every major presidential candidate is following. Even President Bush's campaign Web site hosts a blog.

Yes, it's called "Preznit Writes Good Stuff."

Bloggers get their name from Web logs, a new form of publication on the internet. A blog is a cross between an online diary and a cybermagazine, aggressively updated to draw readers back. Just a few years ago, blogs were relatively rare. Now there are millions. They're devoted to every topic imaginable, from knitting to dating to homelessness. But those who have had the most impact write about politics.

That's true. It's because politics combines knitting, dating, and homelessness...and cats. Don't forget the cats.

A sampling of political blogs

Instapundit.com: Those who keep track say that this site, operated by University of Tennessee law professor Glenn Reynolds, is one of the most popular.

AndrewSullivan.com: Sullivan, 40, writes regularly for the Sunday Times (of London) and the New Republic, a magazine he used to edit.

TalkingPointsMemo.com: Joshua Micah Marshall, who operates this left-leaning blog, is a Washington-based journalist.

DrudgeReport.com: The granddaddy of all blogs, operated by Matt Drudge, was instrumental is breaking the story of President Clinton's affair with a White House intern.

DailyKos.com: Markos Moulitsas Zuniga, 32, began operating this Web site in 2002. It gained such a following among liberals that some candidates have now hired him as their web consultant.

RealClearPolitics.com: Tom Bevan, 34, started this conservative-leaning Web site with a college friend in 2000 and added a blog in 2002.

Kausfiles.com: Mickey Kaus, 52, worked at the New Republic and Newsweek before starting one of the first political blogs in 1999.

Notice how nobody from The Liberal Coalition makes the list? Can we sue?

No one claims that political bloggers have anywhere near the audience of political reporters, whose work is broadcast on TV or printed on paper. "We're not USA TODAY yet," says Eberle, the co-founder of GOPUSA.com, an Internet publication for conservative Republicans.

No, GOPUSA.com is more like Mein Kampf.com. But wait, here's the best part:

Their audience tends to be an elite crowd of political junkies who have almost non-stop access to a computer and large amounts of time to surf the Internet for breaking news. In short: political consultants and journalists.

That's what makes political bloggers so powerful, says Jeff Jarvis, an executive with Advance.net, the online branch of Newhouse newspapers and the blogger behind Buzzmachine.com. "It's influencing influencers."

Wow...cool. Okay, you political junkies, listen up! Stop talking among yourselves and get out there and talk to real people! Bookmark this website and read it every day! (Oh, and while you're at it, could you guys at the New York Times please list the Crossword puzzle on your front page index? I only read it for that, y'know.)

[Update - 10:54 p.m. to correct an egregious grammatical error - a double negative - in one of my comments. Ouch! Swat me with a copy of Warriner's.]
Fetch more...

Stop That Noise!

Have Yourself a Krylon Little Christmas

From The Blade:

Thief returns icon of baby Jesus, says prank proves point
By DAVID YONKE
BLADE RELIGION EDITOR

A figure of baby Jesus stolen from a Maumee church is back in his manger, wearing a new coat - of paint, that is.

During his two-week absence, Jesus’ white skin was covered with dark brown paint, said the Rev. Roger Miller, pastor of St. Paul’s Evangelical Lutheran Church on East Wayne Street.

"Sorry I took your baby Jesus. It was a childish prank," the perpetrator said in a handwritten note. "As far as his new color, I thought I would point out that Jesus was not an Aryan but actually a man of color. Although you probably knew this but would rather not be reminded."

The thief added that the paint job was "not some sort of racial thing ... actually I’m white. But I know what color Jesus was."

Dr. Henry Bowden, executive secretary of the American Society of Church History, said the dark-skinned Jesus is probably more historically accurate than the light-skinned image commonly seen in the United States.

"He was of Jewish heritage, from the eastern coast of the Mediterranean. Most Jews were swarthy, with olive skin, brown eyes, and brown or black hair," said Dr. Bowden, a Rutgers University professor from Red Bank, N.J.

The thief meticulously applied the new coat of paint to the Fiberglas statue, Mr. Miller said, with the figure’s fingernails and palms carefully painted a shade of gray.

A police report on the missing 21/2–foot statue had been filed Dec. 13 when John Stout, the owner of the creche set, discovered that Mary and Joseph were suddenly childless.

Mr. Stout, who bought the Nativity about 10 years ago, said yesterday he was "pleased we have it back."

"Somebody went off the deep end," he said "I have no idea what weird things went on in people’s minds. But I think God has a sense of humor. Somewhere, he’s touched somebody some way with all this rigmarole."

Dr. Bowden, of the American Society of Church History, said the image of Jesus as a white-skinned, fair-haired man with blue eyes dates to ancient Europe, when artists painted Christ to look like one of their own population.

Americans have carried on the European image of Jesus for centuries.

"Christianity is ‘indigenized’ into various cultures," Dr. Bowden said.

In Africa, for example, Jesus is usually portrayed as a dark-skinned man; in Latino cultures he has Hispanic traits, and in Japan the Virgin Mary and Jesus often are painted to look Japanese, he said.

Michael Youngblood, director of Black Catholic Ministries for the Toledo diocese, said he has been making an effort to show diversity in local depictions of Jesus.

Some of the artwork at Rosary Cathedral School shows Jesus as a man of color, he said, and Black Catholic Ministries often uses black images of Christ in their services.

"Nobody knows the real color of Jesus," Mr. Youngblood said.

"In a black church, Jesus often is a black image. The majority of people look at Jesus as blond-haired and blue eyed.

"I don’t find it offensive," Mr. Youngblood said. "It’s whatever people can relate to more. They’re all valid. There’s room for interpretation."

Mr. Miller, pastor of the 1,500-member St. Paul’s Lutheran Church, said he is not sure if the paint can be removed from the Jesus statue without damaging it.

"I think we ought to leave it, personally," he said. "There’s something poignant about this Jesus coming to us like this, representing another race. It’s a reminder to us all that Jesus came for all people."

The decision on whether to alter Jesus’ skin color yet again is up to the statue’s owner, he added.

Mr. Stout, 70, said he is not sure what he will do.

"It was nice the way it was," he said. "I don’t know, we’ll just pray about it and see."

Well, since the statue of Mary is still white, they'd better repaint Baby Jesus or the other statues will start to gossip.
Fetch more...

Stop That Noise!

Crosses What Line?

I read yesterday's NY Times story about Howard Dean's criticism of Terry McAuliffe. I didn't think much of it, probably because I agree with him. The sometimes over-the-top shots that Dr. Dean's been taking from the Liebermann camp, for example, are basically supplying Karl Rove with B-roll footage for next fall, and it's fomenting ill will between Democrats who will have to pull together pretty soon.

But Josh Marshall, one of my favorite writers, gets worked up over Dr. Dean's comments in today's Talking Points Memo. Now I certainly think that Dr. Marshall has far more political insight than me, and he may be more aware of the nuances that take place in the hurly-burly of politics, but I wonder if by saying Dr. Dean "crosses the line," he's just piling on, too.
Fetch more...

Stop That Noise!

It's The Little Things That Count

I don't really like "spectaculars." I've always been suspicious of overblown, loud, and huge productions, both on stage and on the screen. It's one of the reasons I don't care for shows like Cats or The Phantom of the Opera - they're all about the scenery, lights, costumes, and props, and I don't give a good goddam about the characters. The same goes for movies. The bigger the special effects, the more suspicious I am that I have just coughed up a lot of money to watch cars crash, asteroids wreak havoc, or machines take over the world, and the characters don't really matter at all. (Paradoxically, I think Titanic would have been a whole lot more interesting without the stupid love story. As one review said, "Oh, just sink already.") Give me a bare stage with interesting characters, nuances and shades of meaning that are caught in a glance, a gesture, or silence, and I'm much more interested.

The Lord of the Rings - The Return of the King is not a "spectacular." Yes, it has lots of special effects, battle scenes that boggle the mind, and some of the most incredible scenery in cinematic history. But director Peter Jackson never forgot that he was telling the story of people - Frodo, Sam, Gollum, Gandalf, Merry, and Pippin when you get right down to it - and he kept the focus on them the entire time, leaving the scenery to be just that - scenery. The best things were the little touches; from the opening shot of the worm wiggling in Smeagol's fingers, the exchange between Merry and Pippin as they said goodbye in the stables of Rohan, the fly caught in Shelob's web, even the "oh, shit" look on the Chief Orc's face when he saw the Dead approaching (quite a testimony to the make-up artist, too). Even the final credits with the sketches of the characters next to their names was artistry. There were many other wonderful moments, too, but you get the idea.

That's not only a testimony to Jackson's craft as a director, it's also witness to his fealty to Tolkien's story. This, after all, is a story of small people in every sense of the word, and Jackson took great pains to show it through their eyes. It's also clear that Jackson cared deeply that the story be translated from page to screen with as much care as possible without being a slave to every word. The cuts he made were judicious, and the re-shuffling of scenes actually helped the story-telling. (While I loved Christopher Lee as Saruman - he's so deliciously low and snakey - if you're going to throw out "The Scouring of the Shire" chapter, there's no point in bringing him back after Treebeard and the gang trash Isengard.)

All in all, this was an amazing film. It may have been 3 hours and 20 minutes, but I didn't notice it. After all, when you care about the people you're with, time does not matter.
Fetch more...

Stop That Noise!

We're Off to Middle-earth

I'm taking my parents to see The Return of the King, continuing our holiday tradition of seeing The Lord of the Rings. I'll have a full review either tonight or tomorrow morning.
Fetch more...

Stop That Noise!

"Spike TV" President

From the Los Angeles Times via the Sun-Sentinel:

Polls: White men flocking to 'High Noon' Bush
By RONALD BROWNSTEIN
Los Angeles Times

WASHINGTON -- President Bush's overwhelming strength among white men looms as a central obstacle between Democrats and the White House as 2004 approaches.

In an election season heavily shaped by terrorism and national security, several recent polls suggest that Bush could dominate white male voters as thoroughly as Ronald Reagan and George H.W. Bush did during their three successive presidential victories in the 1980s.

"Clearly, it is where the Democrats are going to have their biggest difficulty," said Ruy Teixeira, a public opinion analyst at the Century Foundation, a liberal think tank.

In the modern political era, Democrats never expect to carry white men, who reliably tilt Republican. But the emerging threat to Democrats in 2004 is that Bush will win white men so decisively that the party can't overcome his advantage with other voter groups that lean in their direction, including minorities and college-educated white women.

Analysts in both parties agree that Bush is benefiting among white men from his aggressive use of force against terrorism and his alternately folksy and blunt "bring 'em on" personal style. Some senior strategists on both sides believe the risk to Democrats with white men could increase if the party nominates Howard Dean, whose opposition to the war, liberal positions on social issues and buttoned-down persona create clear contrasts for Bush.

[edit]

"He kind of runs a testosterone-driven White House, in terms of both the rhetoric and the dominant issue, which is war," said John Anzalone, an Alabama-based Democratic pollster. "It's a natural resonance with men, particularly white men. Usually the only thing that knocks that down for a Democrat is the economy."

Indeed, Democrats are depending largely on an economic message to erode Bush's commanding advantage among white men. Paul Maslin, the pollster for Dean, said that if the former Vermont governor wins the nomination, he'll run much better with white men than analysts expect by offering them a fierce populist critique of the president.

Gee, I guess the best campaign strategy would be "Hooter Girls for Dean"? Or maybe these guys:

Just keep it dignified, all right?
Fetch more...

Stop That Noise!

Sailing Away

Bob Herbert's editorial in this morning's NYTimes notes that while the U.S. economy is taking off, it's also sailing overseas:

The economy is going great guns, we're told, but nearly nine million Americans are officially unemployed, and the real tally of the jobless is much higher. Even as the Bush administration and the media celebrate the blossoming of statistics that supposedly show how well we're doing, the lines at food banks and soup kitchens are lengthening. They're swollen in many cases by the children of men and women who are working but not making enough to house and feed their families.

I.B.M. has crafted plans to send thousands of upscale jobs from the U.S. to lower-paid workers in China, India and elsewhere. Anyone who doesn't believe this is the wave of the future should listen to comments made last spring by an I.B.M. executive named Harry Newman:

"I think probably the biggest impact to employee relations and to the H.R. field is this concept of globalization. It is rapidly accelerating, and it means shifting a lot of jobs, opening a lot of locations in places we had never dreamt of before, going where there's low-cost labor, low-cost competition, shifting jobs offshore."

An executive at Microsoft, the ultimate American success story, told his department heads last year to "Think India," and to "pick something to move offshore today."

The corporations are also trying to cover their tracks about their current off-shore operations, and thanks to satellite technology, they're trying to convince American consumers that when they call a support desk they're talking to someone here in the U.S. This was made apparent to me a while back when I called Microsoft tech support and had a long conversation with a very helpful guy named Kevin. He was very helpful with my problem, and we solved it quickly. Kevin had a very distinct Indian accent - like Fisher Stevens in Short Curcuit - and he was a little puzzled by some of the American slang that I threw into the conversation. When I made a reference to the Florida Marlins in the World Series, he said he was not really much of a football fan. My guess was that Kevin was in India, that his real name was something else, and he chose that rather Celtic moniker just to make me think I was talking to somebody here. After all, I doubt "Kevin" is a common name in New Dehli.

If this is globalization - sending jobs overseas to increase profits at home at the sacrifice of our own employees - I think it is wrong. What would make it right is if the companies going off-shore were forced to pay their workers over there the same as they would pay over here - or at least more than just minimum wage - and raise the standard of living there, too. But I doubt that will happen. After all, what's the point of making things right if you can't make a profit at it?
Fetch more...

Stop That Noise!

Small Indulgence

My flight back next week involves a three-hour stretch from Chicago to Miami. What the heck - I spent 15,000 miles and $50 to upgrade. I'm worth it.
Fetch more...

Stop That Noise!

Fun With Words

Ann McFeatters of The Blade sums up President Bush's pre-emptive War On English:

In France, a much-loved anecdote tells how President Bush supposedly turned to British Prime Minister Tony Blair and confided at an international economics conference, "The problem with the French is that they don’t have a word for entrepreneur," the joke being that "entrepreneur" is a French word.

There's lots more.
Fetch more...

Stop That Noise!

Why Am I Not Surprised?

Congress exempted itself from the anti-spam law they just passed.
Fetch more...

Stop That Noise!

Blame Canada!

The kids from South Park were right:

U.S. Officials Say Ill Cow Is Linked to Alberta Herd
WASHINGTON, Dec. 27 — In an announcement that brought measured relief from researchers and beef industry experts, federal officials said on Saturday that they believed a dairy cow infected with mad cow disease came to the United States in 2001 as part of a herd of 74 cattle from Alberta, Canada.

The infected animal, said Dr. Ron DeHaven, chief veterinarian for the Department of Agriculture, entered the country through Eastport, Idaho, in August 2001 before being transported in October of that year to what the authorities called the index herd, the herd in which it was discovered to have been infected, in Mabton, Wash.

"This puts a different perspective on things," Dr. DeHaven said at a news conference on Saturday. The announcement may allay the worries of American consumers and the nation's cattle industry about mad cow disease, also known as bovine spongiform encephalopathy.

Canadian officials, however, said it was too early to definitely pinpoint the cow's origins. "We feel there is more investigation that needs to be done," Brian Evans, chief veterinary officer for the Canadian Food Inspection Agency, said at a news conference in Ottawa.

Earlier news reports said it would take weeks before the source of the BSE infection could be known. But hey, as long as we can point the finger somewhere else, what the hell.

Update - 11:00 a.m. Corrente has more on this story. (And GMTA on headlines...)

Further Update - 2:37 p.m. The Canadians are not only not convinced the infected cow came from Canada, they're openly skeptical. From CTV:

CFIA not convinced mad cow came from Canada
The Canadian Food Inspection Agency says it's "premature" for the United States to conclude that the cow carrying its first case of BSE came from Canada.

Dr. Brian Evans, chief veterinary officer for the CFIA, says not only is he not convinced the cow came from Canada, he's skeptical.

"As yet, there's no definitive evidence that the BSE infected cow came from Canada," Evans told reporters Saturday.

"We don't have the kind of evidence we feel you would have to have to say: 'It's that animal and it's this herd and it's that location'."

Evans adds that Canadians have been working on the ground with U.S. authorities since "the early days of their presumptive diagnosis," and have not completed their investigation on the Canadian side of the border.

"While we understand that the U.S. is pursuing other avenues of investigation... it would be premature to draw such conclusions at this time," Evans said.

Evans spoke several hours after U.S. Department of Agriculture officials said they've tentatively confirmed the cow in Washington state infected with bovine spongiform encephalopathy came from Canada.

For the record, the smoked salmon we had for lunch was very tasty.
Fetch more...

Stop That Noise!

Home Improvement

I've made a couple of additions and changes here at Bark Bark Woof Woof. I have added links to some sites that I have been reading a long time and have become regulars, but I didn't link them here for some reason I can't remember now. Anyway, check them out under Websites, Magazines & Great Reading. They include some of the best writing on and off-line, including The New Yorker, which I have been reading since I could first read. Well, actually, I looked at the cartoons, mostly; it wasn't until I was in high school that I started to read the articles and the movie and theatre reviews and stories. It is far and away some of the best writing in this or any language...and a Booth cartoon with dogs and cats will crack me up no matter what. Also added are Media Whores Online, Salon.com, Slate, and Tom Paine.com, plus three of the best humor sites on-line: BartCop, The Daily Howler, and The Onion.

In the Blogs roll, I've linked Eschaton/Atrios... or is it Atrios/Eschaton? Either way, he's a great blogger, inspirational to many, and it's where I first met a lot of my TLC co-conspirators, including NTodd, queen crab, Tena, and the gang from Corrente, just to name a few. Also included is Pandagon, hosted by Jesse and Ezra, and Roger Ailes, who is quick to point out he is not the Evil Roger Ailes of Fox News (aka Der Volkischer Beobachter).

I've also added a self-serving link so you can easily add Bark Bark Woof Woof to your own site or to your Favorites list. I trust that my musings and thoughts will continue to be worthy of your attention, and I would welcome additional suggestions for new links and sites. As always, feel free to drop me a note. Bribery works, too - dark chocolate or American Airlines frequent-flier miles really get my attention.
Fetch more...

Stop That Noise!

This Is More Like It

We're going to be hearing a lot from the Republicans how Dr. Howard Dean is a "Park Avenue blueblood," a "preppie snob," and a "tax-and-spend liberal" who knows nothing of life in "real America." But this backgrounder by Rick Lyman in the NY Times shows us a true portrait of his background and education. Interesting reading, especially when it's pointed out that Dr. Dean's life history - on the surface - is not so different from the current president.

George Walker Bush and Howard Brush Dean III are from opposite sides of the nation's political fault line. Yet it may be their similarities and the inroads Dr. Dean might make among swing voters that worry some Republicans, especially when Dr. Dean's current image as a Vermont liberal is leavened with details of the fiscally conservative way he governed Vermont for 11 years.

The difference is that in spite of his family's wealth, Dr. Dean has actually worked for a living.

[On a personal note, it's nice to see quotes in the article from the Rev. Hayes Rockwell, who was the chaplain at St. George's when I was there and a good friend. It was Rev. Rockwell who suggested I read up on the Quakers.]
Fetch more...

Stop That Noise!

Looking Around

Check out my fellow travelers:

Steve at Yellow Doggerel Democrat wishes us all a happy holiday of choice and, in one of the comments, explains the origins of NODWISH, which was the brainchild of Mercury X23.

Corrente on presidential eating habits and a post asking about one of my Four Questions.

Steve Gilliard has a long and thoughtful post on gun control, summing it up thus: "We need to make sure that there is a balance between the rights of gun owners and the right not to be shot by some idiot with a weapon." I agree, and that's true with just about every other right we have, too: balance is the most important thing.

Andante at Collective Sigh has her own thoughts on gun control.

Scott at The Gamer's Nook has the stats on the casualties in Iraq this week.

Rook's Rant touched a nerve with some of his commenters with his prediction for the GOP convention next summer.

Pen-Elayne has a dry spell.

Kick the Leftist reports an unusual upturn in his site traffic. Perhaps it's because of this excellent post.

SoonerThought has a reflection on my favorite Marxist.

edwardpig disects Bush's next "big idea."

And please welcome the latest blog to the BBWW Blog of Note roll, Green Voicemail, offered by tinheart, a faithful TLC commenter and now member of the Gitmo-bound.

Of course, you can keep in touch with all of us at The Liberal Coalition. Visit early and often.
Fetch more...

Stop That Noise!

La Meme du Jour

The meme "Angry Democrats" has been getting a work-out since Dr. Dean worked his way to the front of the Democratic race by showing some gusto in his stump speeches and getting a reaction from his audiences. C-SPAN had a segment this morning on their Washington Journal program asking callers if the Democrats were "the party of anger," or some such wording (and of course the calls in from the right-wing were in complete agreement that the Democrats were using "hate speech" to attack George W. Bush, who was, according to one caller, decreed by God to be president at this time). Mona Charen used her syndicated column today to rail against Time magazine for not making Bush "Man Of The Year," offering that their news judgment was suspect and that choosing the American soldier was a "safe" choice; to do otherwise would have risked the "anger" of the Democrats. She can't seem to understand what the Democrats have to be angry about; it's like they're having a tantrum or something.

Leaving aside the reasons for Democratic anger - there are, after all, entire websites and blogs cataloguing in excruciating detail the reasons - the Republicans have decided to exploit this to their advantage, all the while protesting their innocence. NTodd points out that Dr. Dean's "anger" is mostly a Rovian piece of fiction, but nevertheless this will get some traction with voters who have forgotten or ignored the Republican storms of Newt Gingrich who called President Clinton a "criminal," or William Safire who called Hillary Clinton a "congenital liar," or Rep. Dan Burton of Indiana who referred to Mr. Clinton as a "scumbag."

The way to deflect this meme is to produce the reasons - in a calm and deliberate manner - that the Democrats and fully half the electorate have a right to feel angry and betrayed by the present leadership in the White House and Congress. The fact that Dr. Dean is doing something like that has Karl Rove on alert...which means we're on the right track.
Fetch more...

Stop That Noise!

Senate Ethics and Other Myths

Sen. Ted Stevens of Alaska knows how to make a buck. Good for him; that's capitalism. He also knows how to look out for his state and his family. Good for him; that's being a good citizen. But if the NY Times editorial page has it right, he's been making out like a Klondike gold baron:

In just a few years, Mr. Stevens built a $50,000 investment tailored for him by a developer into a personal fortune of perhaps a million dollars or more in real estate. In a separate dealing, the senator, whose clout at the Pentagon is legendary, helped this private-sector patron secure a $450 million Air Force housing contract over Pentagon objections. "I am a passive investor," Senator Stevens declared, defending as entirely proper the dealings that have also benefited his wife and his brother-in-law, an Alaskan lobbyist. The senator argues that he loves Alaska and is entitled to show his faith in the state. Constituents may wish that they, too, had the opportunity for such profitable acts of faith.

Now just imagine what would be the reaction if this was, oh, say...I'm just guessing here...the junior senator from New York?

Of course nothing will happen to Senator Stevens. No questions asked, no special investigation. Why not? Simple: he's a Republican in a Senate controlled by Republicans who owe a lot - in many ways - to similar deals in their own state. And it's not just Republicans, let me be quick to point out. But just once I'd like to hear a Democrat raise the issue of questionable ethics. Yeah, that'll happen.
Fetch more...

Stop That Noise!

Safely Arrived

I know you've all been waiting to hear that. I made it through all the hoops and hurdles without any incidents and I am now set up with a view overlooking a snow-covered front yard. It's actually sunny here! Wow.

One thing I noticed as I went through O'Hare on my way to my connection were the posters announcing the "heightened alert status" and the periodic announcement over the P.A. that "The Department of Homeland Security has elevated the alert level to Orange. Please do not leave any luggage unattended, and please report any suspicious activity to any T.S.A officer." Well, I think that's what they said. What I heard was "The Department of Homeland Security, in a craven attempt to boost the polls for our Dear Leader, frighten the bejesus out of the simple, and annoy the rest of us during the busiest travel time of the year, has elevated the alert level to Orange just to get some more face time for Tom Ridge on Fox. Thank you for your attention to this matter; we'll let you go back to your normal lives as soon as our Dear Leader finds something else to do."

No, I did not leave my smart-ass comments in Miami.
Fetch more...

Stop That Noise!

Travel Day and a Reading Assignment

Heading out to Miami International, hoping to find a parking space, and looking forward to seeing the folks this afternoon. I should have the road version of Bark Bark Woof Woof up and operational before sundown.

While I'm traveling, check out Paul Krugman in today's NY Times. Good reading and a good question: can the SCLM actually focus on what's important in the 2004 election? Well, here's hoping.
Fetch more...

Stop That Noise!

Four Questions

I'd like to see President Bush answer these four questions:

Where is Osama bin Laden?

Where are the Iraqi Weapons of Mass Destruction?

Who leaked Valerie Plame's name to Robert Novak?

Why isn't Ken Lay in jail?

If he can't answer those simple questions, we have ourselves a real race for the White House next November.
Fetch more...

Stop That Noise!

No More Uncle Fluffy

Dr. Dean* has decided that enough is enough. Since the Gore endorsement and the capture of Saddam Hussein, he's been taking it in the shorts mainly from his Democratic rivals John Kerry and Joe Liebermann, and he's been trying his best to stay above it all, smiling and waving and ignoring most of their attacks. But apparently now the Department of Homeland Security agrees with him that America isn't safer with Saddam Hussein in the Rebar Hotel, and Dr. Dean is fed up with the sniping from within his own party, which he sees as doing little to advance the debate and only helps supply soundbites for Karl Rove. "It certainly isn't helping me in the long run, because Bush will eventually use their criticisms in his ads. But in the short run, I think it makes them look smaller." So he's back to the feisty style that got him where he is in the race, even to the point where his attacks have become personal. "The gloves have really come off" he told the Times.

I think he's shown remarkable restraint the last couple of weeks, especially when the ad from the mystery group of anti-Dean Democrats came out saying Dean was unprepared to lead the country against somone like Osama bin Laden. (Excuse me, that's "Dead Or Alive Osama bin Laden," right, Mr. Preznit?) So this reversion from Uncle Fluffy to his former style is no big surprise, and I look forward to some tasty sound bites. Most importantly, though, we need to keep everyone focused on the issue - sending Bush back to Crawford on January 20, 2005 - and let the attacks come from the other side, not so-called "friendly fire."

*I've bounced back and forth between using the term "Gov. Dean" and "Dr. Dean" to describe the former governor of Vermont. But he's still an M.D., and he was before he was governor, so I'm going to follow the style lead of the New York Times. That is, until it becomes "President Dean."
Fetch more...

Stop That Noise!

Great Gifts

It's not about the presents (although they were great, and yes, I'll be writing the thank-you notes this week), it's about taking the time with friends and family and enjoying being with them. If you want to attach religion to it, go for it, but when you get right down to it, it's the human connection - the gifts we give each other - that's important to me.

Call it Christmas, call it NODWISH, call it your Aunt Mathilda: just enjoy the blessing of it and keep it as well as you can.

Fetch more...

Stop That Noise!

Christmas Card

From 1995, this is me and Sam. I'm a little greyer now, and Sam is gone, but you get the idea.

Let there be peace on earth, and let it begin with me.
Let there be peace on earth; the peace that was meant to be.

Merry Christmas to all...and to all a good night!
Fetch more...

Stop That Noise!

God is Not a Right-Wing Zealot

The Rev. Albert Pennybacker is a Bible Belt preacher with a drawl who's urging people to support "basic religious values." But he's no Jerry Falwell clone.

LEXINGTON, Ky. -- In the heart of the Bluegrass, a Bible Belt preacher is rallying people to political action around what he calls "basic religious values." Think you can describe his politics? Think again. This man of the cloth wants "regime change" in Washington.

Read the rest in Salon.com. [Requires subscription or free Day Pass.]

Fetch more...

Stop That Noise!

Check the Eggnog

William Safire is suggesting that if Dean doesn't get the Democratic nomination, he'll split off and go for a third-party run, which will hand Bush a Nixon/Reagan-sized landslide and lead to arrogance and tyranny from the Republican majority.

Where, oh where to begin?

First, the Democrats are not the party that splinters off third-party movements. Those usually occur when there is an ideological split in the party, and no one has ever accused the Democrats of being ideologically unified about anything, so what would they have to split from? The Republicans, however, have done it several times, going back to 1912 with Teddy Roosevelt and his progressive Bull Moose party. Restless in his retirement and disgusted with the corporate cronyism in his old party, TR ran against his hand-picked successor, William Howard Taft. Democrat Woodrow Wilson, who was nominated only after a bitter fight within his own party, swept the country. In more recent times, Pat Buchanan, representing the medieval wing of the Republicans, bolted to run as the Reform Party candidate in 2000. And then there was New Hampshire Senator Bob Smith who also ran as an independent after dissing the Republicans for a month or so because they weren't conservative enough. (In true Republican opportunistic fashion, he returned to the Republicans following the death of Senator John Chaffee because he wanted Chaffee's committee appointments. Smith lost his re-election bid when the RNC backed John Sununu, Jr. in the primary.) The Democrats have had only one notable split-off, which was Strom Thurmond and the Dixiecrats in 1948. Ol' Strom revolted against the civil rights plank in the Democratic platform. Truman won anyway. In 1968, Alabama governor George Wallace, a DINO (Democrat In Name Only), started the American Independent Party, a rehash of the Dixiecrats, and ran on a platform of xenophobia and states' rights. (The movement became the Reagan Democrats in 1980. Good riddance.) The Republicans are the party that has to struggle with the big-tent concept; they're torn between the right wing-nuttery of Phyllis Schlafly and the schultzstaffen of the Christian Coalition, and the moderates of the Olympia Snow / Lincoln Chaffee / Log Cabin wing. I expect there will be such a divide in 2008, regardless of whether or not Bush is re-elected in 2004, which can only be good news for the Democrats, whether or not they win the White House in 2004.

The likelihood that Howard Dean would ever run as an independent is so remote that you really have to wonder what they've been slipping into the eggnog at the New York Times Christmas party. Such a thing would require an alignment of so many cosmic elements that there is a better chance that Charles DeGaulle will show up in my living room and play the Waltz of the Flowers on my baby grand piano. First, Dean is re-directing the Democratic party in a dynamic grass-roots fashion, re-energizing the party the same way Bill Clinton did in 1992 with the DLC. That caused much gnashing of teeth among the old die-hard liberal wing until they realized he was on the right track. While party unity has never been a hallmark of the Democrats, they know when they have a winner and they can close ranks with some semblance of order ("Okay, cats! Forward march!"). Also, Howard Dean's temperament is not that of a divider - he has worked all of his political life as a negotiator with his opposition (far more than Bush ever did in Texas) - and while Safire may pray that Dean's "prickliness" will lead to a split, the truth is that Dean is holding the winning hand and it will more likely be that some other candidate will split off from the Democrats than he will (Al Sharpton? Dennis Kucinich? Wil Wheaton?).

He doesn't come right out and say it, but Safire is still nursing the idea that somehow, some way, Hillary Clinton will run. He has invested so many pixels and paranoia in this obsession that he cannot conceive that he's wrong. He's pushing Wesley Clark, "egged on by his Clinton handlers," as the thorn in Dean's side. Safire envisions that the general will provoke the governor into an on-camera meltdown that takes them both out of the running (you can hear Safire cackling over the "he said / he said" veep flap) so that She Who Must Be Obeyed will then materialize on the stage of the Democratic convention in a cloud of green smoke. Oh, acme of delight for the once-vanquished Safire!

As for the idea that a split in the Democratic party will hand Bush a huge victory - "Landslides lead to tyrannous majorities and big trouble" - check your Blackberry, Bill. It's too late. Tom DeLay has your number.

[Update: Bill at StoutDemBlog reminded me of another Republican split-off: John Anderson in 1980, running against Reagan and Carter. How could I forget? I voted for him!]
Fetch more...

Stop That Noise!

Mad Cows & Terrorism?

From CNN:

BREAKING NEWS U.S. Department of Agriculture confirms a cow in Washington state has tested "presumptive positive" for mad cow disease. Details soon.

From the AP:

First Suspect Case of Mad Cow in U.S.
WASHINGTON (AP) -- The first-ever U.S. case of mad cow disease is suspected in a single cow in Washington state, but the American food supply is safe, Agriculture Secretary Ann Veneman said Tuesday.

"We remain confident in the safety of our food supply," said Veneman.

She told a news conference that a single Holstein cow that was either sick or injured - thus never destined for the U.S. food supply - tested presumptively positive for the brain-wasting illness.

Mad cow disease, known also as bovine spongiform encephalopathy, is a disease that eats holes in the brains of cattle. It sprang up in Britain in 1986 and spread through countries in Europe and Asia, prompting massive destruction of herds and decimating the European beef industry.

Veneman said Tuesday: "This incident is not terrorist related. ... I cannot stress this point strongly enough."

Is there anything that this administration won't use to insert the word "terrorist" into the transcript?
Fetch more...

Stop That Noise!

Pen-Elayne's Fun Page

She has a daily "Silly Site." This is today's, and here's my entry:

Try it yourself and have some fun!
Fetch more...

Stop That Noise!

Holiday Plans

Since everybody else in our cozy little circle of The Liberal Coalition is announcing their holiday blogging plans, it's time for you Bobby-fans to mark your calendar.

Tomorrow, Christmas Eve: off to visit my brother and his wife who are spending the holidays in Delray Beach. I plan to cruise up I-95 with the top down and carols on the CD player just to get into the spirit of it. Maybe a post or two in the morning; depends on what's in the papers.

Christmas Day: Christmas dinner with friends in the afternoon, so I'll be on duty here until then to see what I can foment.

December 26 - January 3: to Ohio for eight days with my parents. I'll be having some good food, seeing ROTK with my parents, visiting old friends, and rendering a salute to Commordore Oliver Hazard Perry on behalf of NTodd who had the good fortune to grow up in the same town I did. Expect postings on visits to a cold climate.

January 4: back in Florida. Back to "normal," and to see what kind of damage my house-sitter did to the place (just kidding, Chris).

By the way, I'm still looking for a free upgrade on my flights on American Airlines.

PS: Thanks to my buddies at TLC for hints on the HTML tags. As you can see, I figured a couple of them out.

Fetch more...

Stop That Noise!

Rush Gets Off Easy

Hey, compared to what Ken Starr made the Clintons go through, it's a cakewalk.

Judge: Prosecutors can examine Limbaugh's medical records
WEST PALM BEACH, -- Prosecutors may examine Rush Limbaugh's medical records to determine whether he should be charged with "doctor shopping" for prescription painkillers, a judge ruled Tuesday.

Limbaugh accused prosecutors of going after him for political reasons.

Palm Beach Circuit Judge Jeffrey A. Winikoff denied the conservative commentator's request to keep the records sealed, but did say prosecutors cannot make the records public. Limbaugh's attorney promised a prompt appeal. [Emphasis added.]

The judge said the state has a "compelling" interest in determining whether Limbaugh broke the law, trumping his right to keep his medical records private.

Rush told his radio audience that this case is an attempt by Democrats to damage his reputation.

"The Democrats still cannot defeat me in the arena of political ideas. And so now they're trying to do so in the court of public opinion and the legal system," Limbaugh said. "And since I'm not running for office, they can't get to me that way. They're going to seek the occasion of this event in my life to see, to find out if they can do any damage."

I believe paranoid delusion is one of the side-effects of opiate addiction. Anyway, read the rest here if you like.
Fetch more...

Stop That Noise!

Required Reading

Stradiotto once again hits it out of the park with his essay Heresy! He speaks to the apathy of the electorate, the danger of arrogance and smugness in the blogosphere, and reminds us of our rights and duties of citizenship.

I'm proud to share the bandwidth with him.
Fetch more...

Stop That Noise!

Idiotic Quote of the Week

From the Miami Herald:

Rush Limbaugh's lawyer said the conservative radio commentator was "bled dry" by a former maid who demanded $4 million and threatened to reveal his addiction to prescription painkillers.

Yeah, Rush was afraid he'd have to go back on unemployment.
Fetch more...

Stop That Noise!

Still A Fascist

Cal Thomas proves that once you're militaristic bastard, you stay that way.

If Kadafi follows through on his promises, the Bush administration (along with its equally steadfast partner, British Prime Minister Tony Blair) can rightly claim success for the proper use of force, power and resolve against those whose sole "weapon" is diplomacy, aided by the feckless United Nations. The only thing a bully understands is a fist in the face instead of a shake of the hand and meaningless signatures on documents recording promises they never intend to honor.

Gee, Cal...why you didn't get that job in the diplomatic corps is beyond me.
Fetch more...

Stop That Noise!

Beware of Geeks Bearing Gifts

David Brooks has more insightful advice for the Democrats:

Today, the Dean campaign is immeasurably stronger, but faces its second test. Bush's recent successes have halted Dean's momentum. Nearly 60 percent of Americans now approve of the president's performance, while roughly a fifth of voters say they hate or strongly dislike him — calling into question a campaign built almost entirely on mobilizing the Democratic base. If there is a moment to rethink Dean's campaign, this is it.

And yet the mood within the Democratic establishment is dour and fatalistic. While most Washington Democrats expect that Dean will get trounced in the fall, they are not trying to head off the catastrophe. Some fear a party feud more than a defeat. Some don't want to get on the bad side of the likely Democratic nominee. Some privately love what Dean says even as they fear he will lead to disaster. Most important, the Democratic establishment lacks the will to stand up for its beliefs.

[...]

Presidential campaigns climb a hill of righteous indignation. By the time they squared off in South Carolina in 2000, the Bush and McCain campaigns loathed each other. But in the Democratic race, the Dean campaign has all the loathing and the passion.

It is a loathing not only for Bush but also for the Democratic establishment, and contempt for its weakness. Nothing has so vindicated the Dean campaign as the Democratic establishment's pallid response to it.

Just as Bush and McCain were able to bury the hatchet (although McCain wanted to bury it in Bush's skull) for the remainder of the 2000 campaign, by Super Tuesday the Democrats will know they have to rally around the nominee - Dean or otherwise - and present a united front against the Rove machine. Of course, David would love it if it didn't happen that way. This is his version of "Let's you and him fight."
Fetch more...

Stop That Noise!

Nothing To It So Far

Josh Marshall of Talking Points Memo takes a look at the story making its way around the blogosphere - including Bark Bark Woof Woof - that Saddam Hussein was captured by the Kurds before we got to him.

What I think we've got here is a rumor which got picked up by an inexperienced reporter and then made its way on to some mainstream newswires.

[...]

Let me be clear: I'm not saying there's nothing to this. I haven't had time to make any calls. Anything could be true. And it's entirely possible that there are dimensions to the intel leading to Saddam's capture, which haven't yet been revealed. But none of the publish accounts I've seen strike me as credible or even close to substantiated. So until I see more I assume there's nothing to it.

I agree with Josh. Rumors are always sexier than the real story, and I think if people who actually suffered under Saddam Hussein's regime caught him before we did, he'd be buzzard meat.
Fetch more...

Stop That Noise!

Perhaps It Was the Wrong Size

From the Longmont Daily Times-Call, via AP:

Man Says He Gave Wife Toilet Seat As Gift
LONGMONT, Colo. (AP) -- Gary and Karri Clark haven't forgotten their second Christmas together. He knew she wanted bathroom accessories, so he wrapped up a couple of gifts and waited.

The toilet seat and towel rack didn't go over too well.

"Here I thought I was doing good," he recalled with a laugh. "It was something she can always use, day after day. It's the gift that keeps on giving."

The Clarks were among those who responded to requests by the Daily Times-Call to share their stories about bungled gifts and best intentions - the waffle makers, blenders and vacuum cleaners given with love and practicality in mind that will never be forgotten or forgiven.

Karri Clark admits she wanted a new toilet seat a decade ago because there was a crack in the old one. She just didn't think she'd get one gift wrapped.

"I could not believe it," she said. "What man gives you a toilet seat for Christmas? A fricking toilet seat, and it wasn't even that expensive."

For the record, I would like some DVD's, like the 60th anniversary edition of Casablanca.
Fetch more...

Stop That Noise!

Criminal Ignorance

Tell me there's no connection between this grant opportunity that I posted:

Program Title: Community-Based Abstinence Education Project Grants
Agency: U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS)
Sub-Agency: Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA)
Program URL: http://www.tgci.com/fedrgtxt/03-30597.txt
Summary: The Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) announces that approximately $33 million in fiscal year (FY) 2004 funds will be available for making competitive grants to provide abstinence education to adolescents, subject to the availability of appropriations. There are no cost sharing, matching or cost participation requirements of the program. Eligibility is open to public and private entities, including faith-based and community organizations, which develop and/or provide an abstinence program consistent with the definition of "abstinence education'' in section 510 of the Social Security Act. In addition, the entity must agree not to provide a participating adolescent any other education regarding sexual conduct in the same setting. [Emphasis added.]

and this story from the Santa Fe New Mexican:

ANTHONY, N.M. - The Gadsden Independent School District says 66 students are pregnant - most of them younger than age 15 and two of them still in elementary school.

Young girls getting pregnant is nothing new, but the problem appears to be increasing, said Sue Gowing, a nurse with La Clinica de Familia who splits her time between the district's two high school clinics.

Forty of the pregnant girls this year are freshmen, seven are in middle school and two are in elementary school. Sixth-grade is elementary school in the Gadsden district.

Girls in elementary school. Jeebus. "Not provid[ing]...any other education regarding sexual conduct in the same setting" really seems to be working. NOT.

Fetch more...

Stop That Noise!

Clark Fires Back at Tom DeLay

On Meet The Press yesterday Tom DeLay lit into Wesley Clark. The Clark campaign didn't let that go unanswered:

Clark Campaign Beats The Spit Out Of Tom 'Chicken-Hawk' Delay
This morning on Meet the Press, when asked about Clark's criticism of the Bush administration's failure to capture those responsible for 9/11 and his stance that the threat in Iraq was not imminent, Tom Delay said, "unfortunately Wesley Clark must live in a different world."

Clark Campaign Strategist Reid Cherlin responded to Tom 'Chicken-hawk' Delay's latest cowardly comments, "The closest to real combat that Tom 'Chicken-Hawk' Delay has ever come was when he got himself a student deferment from Vietnam and instead suited up in his exterminator outfit and defended the people of Texas against invading cockroaches, marauding red ants and hostile moths. Wes Clark has seen real combat, given his blood for our country, and commanded troops in battle, which is why he believes we need to win the war on terrorism instead of declaring victory when we all know that the terrorists directly responsible for 9/11 are still out there at large. General Clark lives in a world where he believes that America will be stronger, safer and more secure if we are focused on winning the war against the terrorists, getting Osama bin Laden and working with our Allies."

Just to remind people of the Chicken-hawk's views on military service, here is what he has said about his lack of military experience, in an excerpt from the Houston Press:

"He and Quayle, DeLay explained to the assembled media in New Orleans, were victims of an unusual phenomenon back in the days of the undeclared Southeast Asian war. 'So many minority youths had volunteered for the well-paying military positions to escape poverty and the ghetto that there was literally no room for patriotic folks like himself.' Satisfied with the pronouncement, which dumbfounded more than a few of his listeners who had lived the sixties, DeLay marched off to the convention." [Houston Press, 1/7/99]

They toned it down in a later release, but it's nice to see a Democrat go after a Republican for a change.

[via TAPPED]

Fetch more...

Stop That Noise!

Who Had Him First?

Corrente and the Blog of 4 have been posting some intriguing stories from papers abroad (South Africa and the UK) that the Kurds actually caught Saddam Hussein, drugged him, and then left him in the hidey-hole for us to find him. As yet, no US media have picked up on this story (what a surprise), but it would be a hell of an embarrassment to the Bush Administration if that was the case. It would make the carrier landing look like a spontaneous demonstration.

My gut reaction is that if the Kurds had actually caught Saddam Hussein and dealt with him in the same manner he treated them, the only way we would have found him would have been as a collection of body parts in Hefty bags in the bottom of that hole. But perhaps they knew that he was more valuable alive than dead and the Americans would be able to make more of his capture than they could; and perhaps the Kurds have a stronger sense of justice than the Iraqis. How ironically fortunate for Saddam Hussein.
Fetch more...

Stop That Noise!

A Classy Lady

From the NY Times

Hope Lange, Versatile Actress and Emmy Winner, Dies at 70
Hope Lange, a film, television and stage actress noted for a natural comedic style and intelligent portrayals of women in difficult circumstances, work that brought her two Emmy Awards and an Academy Award nomination, died at a hospital in Santa Monica, Calif., on Friday. She was 70 and lived in Los Angeles.

When I lived in Petoskey, Michigan, she spent summers near there. I shared a common background with her husband, producer Chuck Hollerith, in that we had at separate times worked for Ruth Bailey, who started the Cherry County Playhouse in Traverse City. Hope was a warm and gentle friend and I extend my sympathies to her family.
Fetch more...

Stop That Noise!

What, No Fishnet Stockings?

From the AP, via The Blade:

Fishermen Dress Lobster As Barbie
MOUNT DESERT ISLAND, Maine (AP) -- Practical jokers Jim Bright and Chris Costello never imagined that their idea of dressing a female lobster in a Barbie outfit - accessorized with pink high heels - would save her from the steam pot.

But it did - at least 10 times.

As a gag, the fishermen clad the crustacean and placed her in a friend's trap last September.

"It's a monotony hauling traps day after day," said Costello, "and we just wanted to break it up a little bit. It totally worked."

Barbie Lobster, as she has come to be known, has been hauled up - and thrown back - at least 10 times. The radios used by lobstermen buzzed with chatter and laughter each time a new sighting of Barbie was reported.

Costello made a special trip to Wal-Mart to buy the blue blouse, red- and white-checkered skirt and shoes.

The men had wanted to dress up a jumbo lobster, but it was too fat to fit into a Barbie ensemble. Instead, they chose a svelte 1 1/2-pound model.

"They slipped right on, just like Cinderella," Bright said of the footwear.

Costello disagreed, saying it was a challenge to put the high heels on the little lobster legs. There are four legs on each side so the men attached them to the two in the center.

"You try squeezing Barbie shoes on a lobster," he said. "That was the most time-consuming thing."

Barbie hasn't been seen since early December and apparently was unkempt and nearly naked, except for her shoes.

If she survives a few more months, she may be home free for another season, Costello said.

"We have our spring fashions all ready to go," he said.

Well, anything's possible with a little taste and charm.
Fetch more...

Stop That Noise!

Orange Yawn

So much for heightened alert:

Americans Mostly Shrug Off Terror Warning
SAN DIEGO -- Americans continued to check items off their holiday lists and mostly shrugged off new terror warnings as security tightened at the nation's airports, bridges and major facilities. "They're like earthquakes. You learn to deal with it," said 42-year-old Jeff Shaw, of Reno, Nev., at the San Francisco Shopping Mall. "If it's going to happen, it's going to happen."

Fetch more...

Stop That Noise!

My Favorite Day of the Year

Yes, it's the first day of winter. I know that sounds strange coming from someone who lives in Florida and can go off in full rant mode about the depressing grey skies and raw temps of the season up north, but now that we've reached the shortest day/longest night, the sun will start to rise earlier and set later. Yay!

Florida sunrise as seen from space

Happy Winter Solstice!
Fetch more...

Stop That Noise!

Dean/Graham?

The Democratic veepstakes guessing games continue. Assuming that the Democratic nominee is Howard Dean, so far it's been Dean/Richardson as in Bill Richardson, former congressman, ambassador to the UN, Secretary of Energy, and now governor of New Mexico. Then we had speculation about Dean/Clark as in Gen. Wesley Clark, but based on his interview with ABC on Sunday, it's Dean/Clark. Today it's Dean/Graham as in Bob Graham, the senator from Florida who folded his presidential bid after polling lower than everybody else.

At first glance, it sounds like a good ticket. Graham has been very popular here in Florida during all of his political life, including three terms in the Senate and two as the governor. He would probably deliver Florida to the Democratic ticket, which would be sweet revenge for 2000, and Graham's stint on the Senate intelligence committee would give a Dean administration a good cover on foreign policy and intelligence knowledge, much as Cheney did for Bush in 2000.

There are some downsides, however. Graham's presidential campaign never got off the ground even here in Florida thanks to his late entry after heart surgery last winter, and he couldn't raise enough money to buy a pizza. And then there are those notebooks - Graham's habit of recording everything he does in a daily diary - which made him a punchline on late-night talk shows. A perception of quirkiness is not what you want in a VP candidate - ask George McGovern.

With any luck, the Democratic ticket will reflect not only electoral reality but also the future of the country. I'm not sure Bob Graham is it.
Fetch more...

Stop That Noise!

Thanks For Clearing That Up

Last week everybody and their dog (with the notable exception of former Senator John Glenn) jumped Howard Dean's case because he said he didn't think America was safer now that Saddam Hussein is in custody. We heard from the Administration and several Democratic candidates, "Of course we're safer! A terrible dictator is no longer threatening our country! Dean has no understanding of foreign policy!"

But today we get this:

Administration Raises Level of Terrorism Alert to Orange
WASHINGTON, Dec. 21 — The Bush administration raised the nation's antiterrorism alert status a notch on Sunday, indicating a newly heightened concern about the possibility of an attack in coming days.

Announcing the change at a news conference in Washington, Tom Ridge, the secretary of the Department of Homeland Security, said the danger of an attack in the "near term," possibly in the United States, was "perhaps greater now than at any point since Sept. 11, 2001."

Well, maybe Iraq is safer now that Saddam Hussein is no longer in power, but Tom Ridge evidently thinks things have gotten worse. So, which is it?
Fetch more...

Stop That Noise!

Well, I'm Googled!

Taking the lead from upyernoz, I punched in Bark Bark Woof Woof to Google, and this blog came up as number 1. How cool is that?

Bring me the finest chips and salsa in the land.
Fetch more...

Stop That Noise!

Upgraded Comments

I've upgraded the HaloScan comment system so that you, dear reader, can include more than 1,000 characters per comment. It's worth the $10 to hear what you have to say...I hope.

Now if I could only convince American Airlines to upgrade me to first class on my flights this week. (Hint, hint - anybody out there with connections to AA and would like to help, drop me an e-mail.)
Fetch more...

Stop That Noise!

Felonies Were Committed

From the Miami Herald:

A judge presiding over the cases of free trade protesters said in court that he saw ''no less than 20 felonies committed by police officers'' during the November demonstrations, adding to a chorus of complaints about police conduct.

Judge Richard Margolius, 60, made the remarks in open court last week, saying he was taken aback by what he witnessed while attending the protests.

''Pretty disgraceful what I saw with my own eyes. And I have always supported the police during my entire career,'' he said, according to a court transcript. "This was a real eye-opener. A disgrace for the community.''

In the transcript, he also said he may have to remove himself from any additional cases involving arrests made during the Free Trade Area of the Americas summit.

''I probably would have been arrested myself if it had not been for a police officer who recognized me,'' said the judge, who wears his hair in a graying ponytail.

There have already been concerns voiced that the "pro-active" stance taken by law enforcement forces during the November FTAA meeting could be a model for next year's Republican convention in New York. This story is going to get bigger, and I'll keep you posted as things develop.
Fetch more...

Stop That Noise!

Over 2K

Somebody from the Mountain Time Zone visited Bark Bark Woof Woof at 2:28 a.m. ET this morning (12/21/03) and thus became the 2,000th site visitor, at least according to Site Meter and the stats I pulled together before I started using it two weeks ago. That's a lot of visits for a site that's been up for six weeks with nothing but a small band of dedicated friends in TLC and family even knowing that BBWW exists.

Thanks a lot for your help and support.
Fetch more...

Stop That Noise!

The Next Political Force

You're looking at it. This. A blog. And according to Frank Rich in the New York Times, this and the advances the Internet has made since 2000 will be what shapes the next election and the future of politics and campaigning in the future, just as radio did for FDR in 1932 and television did for JFK in 1960. And just as those new media were greeted with skepticism and derision in their time, so is the web being given the back of the collective hand of newspaper columnists and pundits who wouldn't know a blog from a load of hay.

Such has been much of the reaction to the Dean campaign's breakthrough use of its chosen medium. In Washington, the Internet is still seen mainly as a high-velocity disseminator of gossip (Drudge) and rabidly partisan sharpshooting by self-publishing excoriators of the left and right. When used by campaigns, the Internet becomes a synonym for "the young," "geeks," "small contributors" and "upper middle class," as if it were an eccentric electronic cousin to direct-mail fund-raising run by the acne-prone members of a suburban high school's computer club. In other words, the political establishment has been blindsided by the Internet's growing sophistication as a political tool and therefore blindsided by the Dean campaign much as the music industry establishment was by file sharing and the major movie studios were by "The Blair Witch Project," the amateurish under-$100,000 movie that turned viral marketing on the Web into a financial mother lode.

The condescending reaction to the Dean insurgency by television's political correspondents can be reminiscent of that hilarious party scene in the movie "Singin' in the Rain," where Hollywood's silent-era elite greets the advent of talkies with dismissive bafflement. "The Internet has yet to mature as a political tool," intoned Carl Cameron of Fox News last summer as he reported that the runner-up group to Dean supporters on the meetup.com site was witches. "If you want to be a Deaniac," ABC News's Claire Shipman said this fall, "you've got to know the lingo," as she dutifully gave her viewers an uninformed definition of "blogging."

Fortunately, the future of this new force does not rest on the interpretations of Carl Cameron, David Broder, or Claire Shipman.

Should Dr. Dean actually end up running against President Bush next year, an utterly asymmetrical battle will be joined. The Bush-Cheney machine is a centralized hierarchy reflecting its pre-digital C.E.O. ethos (and the political training of Karl Rove); it is accustomed to broadcasting to voters from on high rather than drawing most of its grass-roots power from what bubbles up from insurgents below.

For all sorts of real-world reasons, stretching from Baghdad to Wall Street, Mr. Bush could squish Dr. Dean like a bug next November. But just as anything can happen in politics, anything can happen on the Internet. The music industry thought tough talk, hard-knuckle litigation and lobbying Congress could stop the forces unleashed by Shawn Fanning, the teenager behind Napster. Today the record business is in meltdown, and more Americans use file-sharing software than voted for Mr. Bush in the last presidential election. The luckiest thing that could happen to the Dean campaign is that its opponents remain oblivious to recent digital history and keep focusing on analog analogies to McGovern and Goldwater instead.

And what we here in the blogosphere must remember is that while there are still plenty of ways for this next wave to collapse like the Pet Rock fad - overconfidence and hubris on our part being chief among them - there is still the very good chance that, like what television did for another Northeastern candidate from a small state, it could make the difference between the old way and the new.
Fetch more...

Stop That Noise!

Too Damn Bad

A Deficit of $100 Million Is Confronting the N.R.A.
Fetch more...

Stop That Noise!

Paris Hilton

I've been getting a lot of spam about Paris Hilton, so I did some digging and came up with this. Looks nice, but I don't see what all the fuss is about. (But maybe I'll get more site-traffic.)
Fetch more...

Stop That Noise!

Cool Day Blogaround

It's still cool here, so what better to do than sit around a cozy PC (or Mac) and catch up on some good reading?

Pen-Elayne, a woman after my own heart - if not waistline - posts a recipe for latkes. Can a goyisher Quaker enjoy potato pancakes? Of course!

NTodd takes us where no one has gone before via the long-range scanners of the Spitzer space telescope. A-mazing.

Lambert over at corrente has a couple of interesting posts (well, more than a couple, but these two caught my attention). The first is his take on how Bush has turned FDR's rallying cry, "The only thing we have to fear is fear itself" into his version of car parts: "Fear This." His second post of note is on a certain presidential candidate's "balls-out" approach to politics (plus a helpful explainer to the straight crowd in the "Comments" section by yours truly).

Scott at The Gamer's Nook writes about John Glenn, genuine American hero, my former senator and brief presidential candidate in 1988, and his reaction to the capture of Saddam Hussein: "But as far as, do I feel safer because he's been captured? Well, I'm glad he was captured. But do I feel safer? No, I guess I don't feel that much safer." Wow, and they reamed Dean a new one for the same thought...

...which leads to Scout's point at And Then... about OBL's latest threats.

Peter at Kick the Leftist uses the capture of the Al-Qaeda hash-dhow to point out that keeping drugs illegal actually helps terrorism.

SoonerThought's are on gated communities and their implications.

Keith takes The Invisible Library on the road and does some powerful thinking as he heads across the country for Christmas.

Welcome Collective Sigh to The Liberal Coalition. I linked the entire site so you can see what's there - all good stuff.

Just a little taste of my friends' offerings. Check all the sites, including Blogs of Note - the one's who aren't on hiatus.
Fetch more...

Stop That Noise!

Cool Morning

As much as I enjoy living in a warm climate, the occasional cold front that brings overnight lows in the 40's doesn't bother me at all. All those years in Ohio, Michigan, Minnesota, and Colorado (including ten summers up in the Rockies) have innured me to the cold. I'm just not a fan of the long-term grey skies and semi-darkness of winter up north. This morning it's 40 here in Miami (at Tamiami Airport, to be exact) with a wind chill of 35 - how often do you hear "Miami" and "wind chill" in the same sentence? But my apartment is comfortable and there's no need to turn on the heat; I'm not sure I know how to do that, anyway. I'll dig out a sweatshirt for the morning errands - groceries, post office, and a present-hunt for a friend at the used-book store.

As the sky lightens, it's a cloudless dawn and the sun will warm us up to the 60's today. It will be cold again tonight, but the front will pass and it will be back to the normal mid-70's and low 80's by Christmas Eve.
Fetch more...

Stop That Noise!

Poetry

A haiku:

Winter in Miami

Biscayne Bay at noon;
Pelicans soar overhead.
Do I miss snow? No.

Which brings to mind a limerick from Ogden Nash:

What a wonderful bird is the pelican.
His bill can hold more than his belican.
He can keep in his beak
Enough food for a week
But I don't know how in the helican.

Fetch more...

Stop That Noise!

Church and State

Steve Gilliard has an excellent post on Dean and religion. I recommend Steve's site in its entirety.

On a personal level, presidential candidates and religion have always made me queasy. I don't think a president should give up his religious beliefs when he takes the oath of office. After all, they are a part of who he is and cannot be put into a blind trust. But neither should he use his position to evangelize under the guise of policy. Jimmy Carter, who was labeled as a "born-again" Christian, certainly kept his faith in the forefront, but he rarely, if ever, spoke of it outwardly and certainly not as glibly as George W. Bush does who throws around evangelical phrases as if he was in a revival tent.

I do not begrudge Mr. Bush his faith. However, having been raised in the Episcopal church and then becoming a convinced Quaker, I am leery of evangelism. Spirituality is a deeply personal thing and goes far beyond rituals and iconography. To speak of "making Jesus Christ your personal saviour" sounds more like a pitch from an insurance salesman, and when people stop you on the street or ring your doorbell in an attempt to bring you to the Lord, it sounds more like they're doing out of desperation - like they're trying to meet a sales quota. (I have a friend who once emptied a revolver over the heads of some poor Jehovah's Witness who had the misfortune to ring his doorbell the morning after his house was burgled. My most memorable encounter with door-to-door evangelists was when a couple of neatly-pressed Mormon teenagers showed up when my partner and I were working in our front yard. When the "elders" asked if they could tell us about their church, my partner said, "Sure, as long as you let us tell you about being queer." They made a hasty exit.)

I think the American people are likewise circumspect when it comes to outward professions of faith. We may be the most church-going country in the world, but we have also - so far - been able to keep religion out of the halls of government and vice-versa. No serious presidential candidate has suggested that we repeal the Establishment clause of the First Amendment. The majority of Americans have rarely considered a man's faith in choosing their president; it wasn't even an issue since none but nominal Protestants ran for the office until 1928 when Catholic Al Smith ran against Quaker Herbert Hoover. By the time JFK ran in 1960 it hardly seemed to matter to most people, and Kennedy deflated the issue by taking it head-on, promising to resign if he ever faced a dilemma between his office and his faith.

As a nation, we have come to the conclusion that it is not what a person believes but how he puts his beliefs to action that are the true measure of his faith and his character. That is what makes him worthy of our trust and stewardship.


Fetch more...

Stop That Noise!

Stop Him Before He Runs Again

From Josh Marshall at Talking Points Memo:

Ralph Nader's Exploratory Committee website says he's deciding now whether to run for president again in 2004 (aka, deciding whether to repeat his tragic error of 2000 by helping give George W. Bush another four years in office and thus at least doing his critics the favor of proving that he's fallen into a black hole of egomania, bad-faith, political solipsism, and crypto-conservatism.)

In any case, he's got an online survey now, asking you to tell him how much you want him to run.

Need I say more?

No, you don't. Let's nip this in the bud.
Fetch more...

Stop That Noise!

"You want fifties with that?"

To quote the immortal Joe Pesci: "They always fuck you at the drive-through." Well, not always.

Customer gets bag of cash instead of bagel at Weston McDonald's
When Janice Meissner pulled into a McDonald's drive-thru in Weston for a quick breakfast of a bagel and Diet Coke, she noticed the food bag seemed "super heavy."

She immediately opened it up and discovered hundreds, if not thousands of dollars in a zippered bag. It turned out to be the restaurant's bank deposit money, served up like a Big Mac and an order of fries.

McDonald's officials, who wouldn't say exactly how much was involved, said the deposit was placed in a food bag as a security procedure to make it less conspicuous before it was taken to the bank.

Heck, I can't even get an extra ketchup out of them.
Fetch more...

Stop That Noise!

Those Were the Days

Eric Boehlert in Salon.com recalls The greatest week in rock history.

Thirty-four years ago this week, the Beatles, Stones, Zeppelin, Temptations, Santana, Crosby Stills and Nash, and Creedence Clearwater all shared top billing on the Billboard album chart. There's never been another lineup quite like it -- and there will never be again.

[edit]

[J]ust imagine the mix tape possibilities from that single '69 week. "Come Together," "Whole Lotta Love," "The Weight," "It's Not Unusual," "Green River," "You Can't Always Get What You Want," "Wooden Ships," "Gimme Shelter," "I Can't Get Next to You," "It's Alright Ma (I'm Only Bleeding)," "Here Comes the Sun," "Evil Ways," "And When I Die," "Bad Moon Rising," "Suite: Judy Blue Eyes," and "Born to Be Wild."

Top that, Britney.
Fetch more...

Stop That Noise!

Krugman Nails It

Paul Krugman continues to speak the truth:

The capture of Saddam Hussein has produced a great outpouring of relief among both Iraqis and Americans. He's no longer taunting us from hiding; he was a monster and deserves whatever fate awaits him. But we shouldn't let war supporters use the occasion of Saddam's capture to rewrite the recent history of U.S. foreign policy, to draw a veil over the way the nation was misled into war.

[edit]

As a practical matter, I suspect that they'll be disappointed: the only leaders in Iraq with genuine popular followings seem to be Shiite clerics. I also wonder how much real commitment to democracy lies behind the administration's stirring rhetoric. Does anyone remember that Dick Cheney voted against a resolution calling for Nelson Mandela's release from prison? As recently as 2000 he defended that vote, saying that the African National Congress "was then perceived as a terrorist organization."

Which brings me to this week's other famous prisoner. While the world celebrated the capture of Saddam, a federal appeals court ruled that Jose Padilla must be released from military custody. Mr. Padilla is a U.S. citizen, arrested on American soil, who has been held for 18 months without charges as an "enemy combatant." The ruling was a stark reminder that the Bush administration, which talks so much about promoting democracy abroad, doesn't seem very concerned about following democratic rules at home.

Expect shrill screeching from the wingers as they accuse Krugman of yet again being shrill.
Fetch more...

Stop That Noise!

You Heard It Here Second

From The New Republic &c:

THE NEXT SHOE TO DROP: The word from Iowa is that Senator Tom Harkin's long-rumored endorsement of Howard Dean is a done deal. Among party regulars, Harkin is the most beloved Democrat in the state, and his endorsement is considered the biggest prize. Harkin seems to know it, too. In Walter Shapiro's excellent new book, One Car Caravan, the senator tells the author, "I'm now the 900-pound gorilla. I have the best organization. I have the best list. I love Tom Vilsack, but he's never done the nuts and bolts of politics."
As for Governor Vilsack, we hear he has decided not to endorse any of the candidates. Dean got a bump in Iowa after the Gore endorsement. Expect another one after Harkin gives his blessing.

One more indicator that Gov. Dean is finding his way into the "mainstream," whatever that is.
Fetch more...

Stop That Noise!

The Mystery of Blogging

A friend sent me this story from The Guardian.

Weblogs may not be as innovative as some claim but they do have real potential as a form of personal publishing, argues Rebecca Blood


Hugh MacLeod on the weblog phenomenon

It is becoming obvious that no one really understands weblogs. Lots of people know what they are; the number of these reverse-chronological collections of entries has grown exponentially since 1999, when the first automated blogging tools were released. These tools brought online publishing, once the province of the technophile, to the common web-surfer, and in 2003 they are functioning as desktop printing presses for an estimated 1.5 million people.

[edit]

A weblog is something fundamentally new. Something no one can quite put their finger on, not yet. And those who try to define the phenomenon in terms of current institutions are completely missing the point.

Consider the average weblog. Maintained by an unpaid enthusiast, this site will be updated perhaps a dozen times a day with links to interesting news stories and entries on other weblogs, accompanied by a few lines - or paragraphs - of commentary. A blogger interested in current events may include links to several accounts of one event, noting differences in tone or detail, another may post the occasional recipe or pictures from a recent trip. A blogger may have a thousand readers, but more likely a few hundred or a couple of dozen, some of whom will offer comments of their own, right on the site. The weblog is at once a scrapbook, news filter, chapbook, newsletter, and community.

[edit]

All this represents something new: participatory media. And it matters. Not because of its resemblance to familiar institutions, but because of its differences from them.

Weblogs are just too varied, too idiosyncratic, to fit into an existing box. Industry analysts might call this disruptive technology because weblogs have changed personal publishing so profoundly that the old rules no longer apply. We are at the beginning of a new age of online publishing - and I predict that this generation of online pamphleteers is just the first wave.

· Rebecca Blood is the author of The Weblog Handbook: Practical Advice on Creating and Maintaining Your Blog (Perseus, 2002). She has maintained her weblog, www.rebeccablood.net since 1999.

Wow...Who'd have thought that we'd be on the cutting edge of anything...much less a first wave? This is an amazing opportunity - and responsibility. Let's get it right this time. (By the way, where does your blog fit on Hugh MacLeod's pie chart? Be honest.)
Fetch more...

Stop That Noise!