ad hoc Daily

Because it's one of those years again...

2012-01-16T20:39:00.003-05:00

And because four different people randomly asked me about this blog in the past couple of weeks, I'm going to fire her back up. I can't promise I'll update as regularly as I like (he said, after not providing an update in 20 months), and I can't say I have the same passion for consuming political news I once did.Ok, I'm not selling this very well, am I? Let's do a quick rundown of Obama's first 3

Paddy Chayefsky was the mad prophet

2010-04-06T12:41:00.003-04:00

Remember the film "Network"? If you don't, here's the Cliff's notes: Long-time network news anchor Howard Beale suffers a decline in his ratings and some personal upheaval, is given notice, and then has a breakdown on air. In which he promises to blow his brains out on network TV the following week.This, of course, provides a ratings spike. Beale, now completely mad, takes the bully pulpit

It's better to ask forgiveness than permission

2010-03-25T14:18:00.002-04:00

That lesson, learned by four year olds world wide, seems to finally have sunk in to the democrats in congress.U.S. Senate passes reconciliation bill and sends it back to the HouseAbout time. It goes without saying that I think the bill itself needs some fixing, but a big part of politics is just pushing stuff forward. Bush and the republicans won elections over the first half of the last decade

Snooki is pissed

2010-03-23T10:37:00.003-04:00

The President is signing the new Health Care Bill 4872 today. Some rejoice, some gnash their teeth, some call civil rights hero John Lewis a ni**er.In other words, politics as usual.If you don't know what health care reform means for you, here's a helpful article called "So what does health care reform mean for you?" Trust me, it's on-topic.Or as a friend of mine put it:Let's see, seniors get

Some bullshit happened somewhere

2010-03-12T19:57:00.002-05:00

The Onion says it better than I could:Breaking News: Some Bullshit Happening SomewhereJust want to point out that this is how our national debate is formed. Beware the 24/7 news cycle.

Of health care, credit bans and Boba Fett

2010-03-10T09:18:00.003-05:00

Part of a modern existence is that you're obliged to come to terms with the interconnectedness of pretty much everything. That iPhone you just bought generates profits not only for Apple and AT&T, but for the guy in the Village who created a video game app that sells for 99 cents. And he spends his money on coffee at the corner store, and that guy lives out in Brooklyn, and spends $80 a month

A dangerous precedent

2010-03-04T13:19:00.003-05:00

Sliding under the radar, what with all the health care news, jobs news, and crazy old Kentucky senator news, was this little gem:Bush administration lawyers John Yoo, Jay Bybee cleared on torture rapIf your memory is a bit hazy on the specifics, let me help you recall them: Yoo was an associate in the Bush administration's office of legal council and Bybee was his superior. Yoo is the twisted

Random Musings on Education/Policy

2010-02-25T22:17:00.003-05:00

Why Do Failing Schools Fail?Having taught for five years at high-poverty Brooklyn public schools -- schools where far less than half of the students could read and do math at grade level -- I've spent a lot of time pondering the dynamics of failing schools. I now teach at a much more successful school, where more than 90% of the students are meeting or exceeding standards (according to state

Reconciling a lack of political courage

2010-02-25T13:08:00.006-05:00

I had intended, today, to write about the lame jobs bill that was passed earlier in the week. But with the health care summit off to such a thrilling and freaking confusing start, today's time is best used on that subject.For the past 13 months we've been told that the magic number is 60. The democrats needs 60 votes in the senate to prevent the republicans from filibustering any new health

The War on Fat

2010-02-24T15:45:00.003-05:00

According to the North American Association for the Study of Obesity, better than six in ten American adults are overweight. Better than one in four are "obese." By 2015, trends say that will be three out of four overweight and two out of five obese.If this doesn't include you - if you're not reading this while shoving a Twinkie down your throat - it surely includes people you know and care

Go Ahead, Make Me

2010-02-23T19:15:00.002-05:00

On the heels of my rant yesterday, we have this missive from the White House:Gibbs: We Didn't Include The Public Option Because It Doesn't Have The VotesAnd it brings to mind this old one-liner from then-newly elected Franklin Roosevelt to leaders of the progressive movement:"I agree with you, I want to do it, now make me do it."Adam Green, of the Progressive Change Campaign Committee, has taken

I want every toy I see

2010-02-22T15:12:00.002-05:00

Remember when you were six and your parents brought you to Toys 'R Us or Kay-Bee's? Remember running to the GI Joe aisle and picking out your favorite... then picking out one more... then two more after that... and eventually returning to your folks with a double-armful of crap that you absolutely had to have?If you say "no," you're lying. But that's immaterial.What is material is the fact that

Fun With Analogies

2010-02-11T19:17:00.003-05:00

When Clinton was Captain of the Ship of State, it was smooth sailing. Even though, near the end of his stewardship, he pointed that sucker right at an iceberg. However, in an act of foresight if not courage, he left detailed instructions on how to avoid said iceberg.Captain Bush burned those instructions, called for "full speed ahead," and hit the iceberg squarely, resulting in a giant gash in

Fun party... who's the host?

2010-02-08T10:28:00.005-05:00

Sarah Palin was the guest of honor at a Tea Party convention in Nashville this weekend. Six hundred people showed up, paying $500 a head to listen to Sarah America call for a new revolution here in the States.Totally ignoring the legality or her call to arms, I think it's important to first address just what the Tea Party is, who's running it, and who it's aiming to help. According to the head

Some Weird-ass Cognitive Dissonance from Sarah Palin

2010-01-28T17:01:00.006-05:00

From the never ending goldmine that is Sarah Palin's Twitter feed:SarahPalinUSA: What's N.O.W. thinking? Censoring a pro-women/pro-child Super Bowl ad? Unbelievable. Pls see my FB post on this: http://tinyurl.com/y9oho5hOh, you bet I will."The ad will feature Heisman trophy winner Tim Tebow and his mom, and they’ll speak to the sanctity of life and the beautiful potential within every innocent

She Was Against Climate Change Before She Was For It

2010-01-28T16:24:00.004-05:00

"Copenhgen=arrogance of man2think we can change nature's ways.MUST b good stewards of God's earth,but arrogant&naive2say man overpwers nature""Earth saw clmate chnge4 ions;will cont 2 c chnges.R duty2responsbly devlop resorces4humankind/not pollute&destroy;but cant alter naturl chng"--Sarah Palin, via TwitterOkay, I know these gems from our favorite twit were tweeted over a month ago. This is old

Education and Free-Market

2009-09-09T08:49:00.005-04:00

*Edit: Links didn't carry over.*A friend of mine sent along this article and asked for thoughts I figured why not just post it? Article:Education, Entrepreneurship, And The President Today, President Barack Obama addressed school children across America. Political emotions are running hot, the Drudge Report has highlighted the speech for days and it has been daily fodder for blogs, radio and

Horrifying

2009-08-18T09:41:00.003-04:00

Man carrying assault weapon attends Obama protestPHOENIX – About a dozen people carrying guns, including one with a military-style rifle, milled among protesters outside the convention center where President Barack Obama was giving a speech Monday — the latest incident in which protesters have openly displayed firearms near the president.Gun-rights advocates say they're exercising their

Technology Fail

2009-08-09T00:24:00.002-04:00

Attacks on lone blogger reverberate across WebThat's the AP headline, and my reaction is threefold:First, why is "Web" capitalized? Is it the proper name of a specific place, like Des Moines or Middle Earth?Second... technology fail:On Friday, the surge of traffic to Twitter was about as it was Thursday — as much as 20 percent above normal traffic levels. But Gomi said NTT was better able to

Follow the Money

2009-07-27T15:18:00.002-04:00

Working for the New York City public school system has taught me at least one universal truism. That is, if you want to find the root of any social problem, follow the money. Once you realize who is profiting from the failure of education, or health care, or international relations... then you know who is really invested in obstructing any sort of solution. Bill Maher seems to have figured this

Retail Politics

2009-07-18T09:46:00.001-04:00

Off to see a soccer match. In the meantime, enjoy this:The American Conservative Union asked FedEx for a check for $2 million to $3 million in return for the group’s support in a bitter legislative dispute, then the group’s chairman flipped and sided with UPS after FedEx refused to pay.For the $2 million plus, ACU offered a range of services that included: “Producing op-eds and articles written

Mom! I'm being blackmailed again!

2009-07-09T19:06:00.003-04:00

You may recall John Ensign, the GOP senator from Nevada who had the good sense to make his affair public just days before Mark Sanford hiked the Appalachian Trail (thereby knocking Ensign off the front page).Let's find a nice picture of Ensign so you can get his image back in your head. Something that suggests his character:Pretty much nails it.Ok so, blah blah blah, snarky comment snarky

Drudge is Fun

2009-07-08T13:39:00.002-04:00

Headlines like this are why I check Drudge.

Out With a Whisper

2009-07-07T10:26:00.002-04:00

I have to agree with Bob Herbert today, not that I was there the first time around."Robert McNamara, Lyndon Johnson’s icy-veined, cold-visaged and rigidly intellectual point man for a war that sent thousands upon thousands of people (most of them young) to their utterly pointless deaths, has died at the ripe old age of 93."

The '80s Greatest Hits

2009-07-06T10:56:00.004-04:00

Last week, and over the weekend, we reprised one of the classics: A Central American military coup. Brought me back to the days of Reaganomics, Spandau Ballet and Bloom County.And as you can see in the background, we had absolutely nothing do do with it.Not to be outdone, China - always China! - stepped up to the plate with some good old fashioned anti-state riots. Not exactly Tiananman Square