Marty Feldmanize Me: Your eyes pop out in wonder

Sarah Palin, Sportscaster

2008-09-01T20:15:00.002-05:00

if she and McCain win, I hope she's a better VP than she was a stand-in sportscaster!

Pat Buchanan "Gushing" about Obama's Speak

2008-08-30T18:24:00.001-05:00

If this is what the conservatives thought of the speech, imagine what the liberals thought!

Ray Charles, Jerry Lee Lewis, Fats Domino at One Time

2008-08-20T00:10:00.002-05:00

Almost too much piano jammin' for one stage: Ray Charles, Jerry Lee Lewis, and Fats Domino. (I think Ray Charles taught 'em a lesson, but that's just my opinion.)

The Benefits of Ad Network Data Collection

2008-08-18T00:05:00.002-05:00

Seems every week someone else is complaining about data gathering by companies that serve ads on the Internet. While I understand (to some extent) the concerns about privacy, I also see the benefits of getting ads served to me that I actually want to see.

For example, I use Thesaurus.com quite a bit and as a result have seen this ad dozens of times. I am willing to give up my surfing privacy if I can avoid ever seeing this ad again because, I can assure you, I've never, ever wondered why a man gets physical and then pulls away!

Sam Kinison's Broadcast TV Debut

2008-08-17T23:20:00.003-05:00

Couple of observations:

How the heck can this be 23 years old?!?
So politically incorrect, and still so darn funny.

[Via OtherCrap]

Imogen Heap: Hide and Seek 2

2008-08-10T01:41:00.003-05:00

I was a huge fan of Imogen's "Hide and Seek," so I can't say this new acoustic version grabs me much. Her voice is great and I love the harmonies, but one bass chord throughout the whole song?

Click here for the original, which is one of my favorite tunes from the past decade.

The song's also inspired quite a few covers, particularly by vocal groups. This high school choir offers an impressive arrangement and performance:

And this may be one of the more unusual (but still lovely) vocalese covers I've ever seen:

Can a Man Who Lies as a Candidate be Trusted as President?

2008-08-09T23:32:00.005-05:00

I had a rather high opinion of John McCain at the start of the campaign, but now he's just disappointing me. He seems unable to tell the truth or get his facts straight about Obama's and his own policies. And you don't need to believe me; check out FactCheck.org, the Washington Post, or St. Petersburg Times PoliFact.

Here's what you'll find. Both candidates could have a better record of being accurate in their ads and statements, but all three sites find McCain to be significantly less truthful or accurate than Obama. Some of the misstatements are really excessive, and I find this striking considering McCain promised a clean campaign.

Over on FactCheck.org, they've posted three updates in the past week. One of these is about an Obama ad that says McCain's campaign got $2 million from "Big Oil." The total is actually $1.3 million. Obama's campaign did not do a thorough job of adding up McCain's donations received from individuals employed in the oil and gas industry. It is accurate to say that McCain has received more money from "Big Oil" than has Obama, but I wish Obama would focus on things that matter; the fact that McCain got $1.3 million and Obama received $394,465 from oil and gas donors isn't really that important.

FactCheck.org's other two updates are about McCain errors or misstatements, and they are significantly more egregious than Obama's inflating donations from oil industry sources. McCain's first ad positions him as a green candidate by claiming, "Renewable energy to transform our economy, create jobs and energy independence, that's John McCain." But if you look at his policies you'll find his energy plan doesn't specify any new federal spending for renewable energy. He brags about increases in clean coal and nuclear energy, but neither of these are renewable. He has stated that he'd "rationalize" existing tax credits to provide incentives, but even the people in industry have no idea what that means.

In short, McCain paints himself as a man with a plan when his Web site and stated policies provide no such evidence. McCain is greenwashing himself--trying to appear a friend of the environment while being weak on policies on renewable energy.

The second FactCheck.org update is even more critical of McCain. The ads it takes to task are part of a long series of ads that mischaracterize the impact of Obama's tax policies. McCain's been criticized for these statements in the past, but he keeps making them. I can't think of any other word to ascribe to repeated assertions that are contrary to objective analysis other than "lies."

McCains ads have repeatedly attempted to deceive voters about Obama's tax policies. One new ad claims Obama once voted for a tax increase "on people making just $42,000 a year." On the screen it shows a woman with two children, but as a single mother, she would not have been affected unless she made more than $62,150. In fact, a single taxpayer who made $42,000 would have seen a tax increase of just $15 for the year. And if all that doesn't leave you feeling McCain is playing loose with the facts, there's this: The tax vote McCain references was part of a Democratic budget bill and isn't even part of Obama's plans.

According to FactCheck.org, one of McCain's Spanish-language radio ads claim the measure Obama supported "would have raised taxes on 'families' making $42,000, which is simply false. Even a single mother with one child would have been able to make $58,650 without being affected. A family of four with income up to $90,000 would not have been affected."

But wait, there's more; the McCain deception campaign is just getting started. Another McCain TV ad claims Obama would "raise taxes on middle class." In fact, Obama's plan promises cuts for middle-income taxpayers and would increase rates only for persons with family incomes above $250,000 or with individual incomes above $200,000. Is this your definition of middle class? Apparently, this is McCain's definition. (I guess this is to be expected from a guy who, with his wife, is worth between $36.6 million and $53.4 million.)

A McCain radio ad claims Obama would increase taxes "on the sale of your home," but Obama's policies would exempt home-sale profits of up to $500,000 per couple. John McCain knows that very few home sales would see an increase under Obama's proposal to raise the capital gains rate, but that's not what his ads say.

FactCheck.org refers to "a continuing pattern of deceit" by McCain and notes that "McCain (is) repeatedly misrepresenting what Obama is proposing." The site states, "McCain has been twisting tax facts about Obama" and McCain's latest ads "continue his long-running pattern of deception on taxes." Despite McCain's claims that Obama will raise taxes on the middle class, FactCheck.org finds that "the vast majority of small businesses, seniors and individual taxpayers... would see their taxes go down under Obama's actual plan. He proposes to increase taxes only for those with more than $250,000 in family income, or $200,000 in individual income."

So, maybe you don't trust that FactCheck.org is as nonpartisan as it claims. You'd be wrong, but let's look at the other fact-checking sites on the Internet.

Over on PolitiFact, they are tracking statements and ads by the campaigns and rating them on a scale from True to False to "Pants on Fire." I'd prefer to see Obama get a better rating. Thus far, the site has rated 36% of Obama's statements as True and 56% as True or Mostly True. But Obama looks like Honest Abe next to John McCain. PolitiFact finds that just 23% of McCain's statements were true and only 42% were True or Mostly True.

PolitiFact awarded the "Pants on Fire" rating to no Obama statements but did so for three McCain statements, including one where McCain's campaign portrays Sen. Barack Obama as an opponent of electric cars, nuclear power and energy "innovation." This is a patently ridiculous claim, and the St. Petersburg Time makes this clear: "McCain is way, way off with these charges. It's not that he's just missing nuances or exaggerating; he has completely distorted Obama's positions, falsely claiming that Obama opposes research and innovation on the most significant political issue of the summer."

The Washington Post's Fact Checker doesn't get updated as often as the other sites. It has been updated just three times in the past six weeks. One of these updates pertains (curiously) to the Cuban Missile Crisis, but the other two take McCain to task for yet more misstatements and untruths.

The first Fact Checker update counters a McCain claim that he supports equal pay for equal work. He recently told an audience that, ""We have not done enough. And I'm committed to making sure that there's equal pay for equal work. That there is equal opportunity in every aspect of our society. And that is my record and you can count on it." That struck some as odd, considering his established opposition to the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act, which seeks to legislate equal pay for equal work. McCain has stated that the measure would "only serve to fatten the pockets of trial lawyers." The McCain campaign was asked to validate the candidate's statement that he supports equal pay for equal work, but the best they could do was further criticism of the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act and references to McCain's support 15 years ago of acts such as the Older Workers Benefit Protection Act and the Americans with Disabilities Act.

The second Fact Checker update contradicts statements McCain has made about released Guantanamo Bay detainees trying to attack America. He told a crowd that "thirty of the people that have already been released from Guantanamo Bay have already tried to attack America again." The Washington Post finds no support for this claim, noting that "McCain is wrong to claim that 30 former Guantanamo detainees 'have tried to attack America again.' While it is true that some of the former detainees named by the Pentagon were involved in attacks against coalition forces in Iraq and Afghanistan, it is a stretch to claim that Chechen separatists accused of terrorism by the Russian government were trying 'to attack America.'"

Time after time, sites that track the veracity of the candidates are noting the loose way McCain is playing with the facts. Some of these may be misstatements, but there can be no mistaking his consistent misrepresentations of Obama's tax policies: McCain is lying. Is this really the kind of honesty we want from the man leading our country? Doesn't McCain have anything positive to offer about his own policies, or is his plan so empty that McCain can only lie about his opponent in order to win the election?

McCain used to be a maverick senator who reached across the aisle and ran the Straight Talk Express. Now, he's a do-whatever-it-takes-to-win partisan who doesn't let something as small as the truth get in his way.

Models, Women, and Marketing

2008-07-31T20:10:00.002-05:00

According to AdRants, a survey of 194 female college students, aged 18-24, found women feel uglier after seeing thin models. Well, duh.

But the thing I find curious and a little infuriating is that those same women are also more likely to buy products promoted by waifish models than from ads with "regular-size models."

If people want to start changing the pressure on women to be thin and create an environment that invites healthy body image, the place to start isn't by protesting Sports Illustrated swimsuit issue but to stop buying the damn products promoted by suicide-thin models!

Summer Webisodes

2008-07-28T21:39:00.003-05:00

If you're missing your favorite shows, take heart--the summer webisode season has begun.

The Office offers a series of two-minute episodes about Kevin's money troubles and his plan to get out of debt.

It seems as if Heroes hasn't been on for ages, but you can enjoy some new short episodes online.

Truthfully, neither webisode series is very good--you might find better stuff to watch on YouTube--but both series may get better as they go along. Watch for new episodes to be posted in future weeks.

Is this the kind of leadership we want in the White House?

2008-07-28T18:35:00.003-05:00

John McCain has positioned himself as some sort of "new" Republican, a maverick who will go his own way. Perhaps that is why I am so bitterly disappointed with the typically Republican way he is running his campaign.

Is this the kind of integrity, honesty, commitment to telling the whole story, and leadership we want in the White House?

Fidel's Comments about Obama: McCain has been running a Web ad that shows photos of Fidel Castro and Barack Obama, and says, "Fidel Castro thinks he is 'the most advanced candidate.' "

First of all, I don't appreciate the kind of campaigning this represents--should Americans choose their president by voting against the candidate endorsed by a hated foreign leader? Doesn't McCain have something positive to say about his own campaign rather than trying to link Obama to Castro, a link that simply doesn't exist?

But if you're going to campaign this way, at least tell the complete truth. The "advanced candidate" quote comes from an article by Castro that was largely critical of Obama. Castro complained that Obama views the Cuban revolution as "anti-democratic" and that Obama makes the "exact same" arguments used by U.S. administrations "to justify their crimes against our country."
Obama caused high gas prices? A new McCain ad places the blame for high gas prices not on the oil man in the White House but on the junior senator from Illinois. That's patently absurd, of course.

The ad starts with this voice over: "Gas prices - $4, $5, no end in sight, because some in Washington are still saying no to drilling in America. No to independence from foreign oil. Who can you thank for rising prices at the pump?" At his point, the ad plays an audience chanting Obama's name.

Does the McCain campaign have problems with reality? John McCain may not have noticed, but gas prices are falling. Where does this talk of $5 and "no end in sight" come from? From the same GOP ad machine that always tries to scare voters rather than inform them. Whether its Willie Horton or 9/11, no subject is too taboo that it can't be callously played like a trump card for the benefit of the Republicans party.

So, what's the truth? Obama has voted against new drilling in the waters of the Outer Continental Shelf, but so have many others. More importantly, there is no relation between this drilling prohibition and current gas prices; the Energy Information Administration estimates that if the go-ahead were given right now for such drilling, it would be 2030 before there would be enough oil flowing to have a "significant impact on domestic crude oil and natural gas production or prices." The entire basis for this ad is nothing but a lie--and yes, McCain himself "approved" the message.
Obama Supports the Troops: Yet another ad claims, "Barack Obama... voted against funding our troops." It's true that Barack once voted against funding the troops, but he did so because the bill funded the war in Iraq without containing a timetable for withdrawal, a stand on which many Americans agree. Moreover--and you can rest assured McCain knows this--Barack has voted to support the troops ten times in five separate measures.

The same ad claims, "Barack Obama never held a single Senate hearing on Afghanistan." This is true, but perhaps McCain needs a geography lesson; Obama is chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee's subcommittee on European Affairs. Last time I check Afghanistan isn't in Europe, but it seems McCain doesn't know this.

Here is what McCain knows: The full Senate Foreign Relations Committee has held three hearings on Afghanistan during the past two years, and Obama attended one of them. If that sounds like a poor record, take a look at McCain's record for Afghanistan: He's the highest ranking Republican on the Senate Armed Services Committee and has missed all seven of the hearings that his panel held on Afghanistan during the same two years.

This sort of"politics as usual" is disheartening to see from McCain. His drift to the right and toward the sadly predictable way of GOP campaigning is disappointing. This is not the kind of leadership I want to see in the White House (because it is the kind of leadership we've had in the White House now for almost eight years.)

By the way, the information for this post came from the bipartisan FactCheck.org. You can subscribe to their email, which reports on the truth contained in candidates advertising and speeches.

Star Wars Flashdance

2008-07-24T21:44:00.001-05:00

I'm enough of a Star Wars geek and a stop-motion animation lover to post this, despite the obvious ridicule I may endure:

Mandalorian Dance @ Yahoo! Video

Me Starring in Jib Jab's Latest Campaign Toon

2008-07-18T11:44:00.001-05:00

Send a JibJab Sendables® eCard Today!

Watchmen Trailer

2008-07-18T11:31:00.003-05:00

Considering two of the best movies I saw this year were superhero movies based on comics (Iron Man and Hellboy II), I guess I'll look forward to Watchmen next year. Nice trailer...

Homemade Roller Coaster

2008-07-06T17:13:00.001-05:00

A guy loves roller coasters but gets tired of waiting in line, so he makes his own--complete with a 360-degree loop.

I'm actually relatively impressed! The homemade Blue Flash Coaster...

RIP: Jesse Helms

2008-07-05T10:08:00.002-05:00

When a politician dies, it's become fashionable to laud him, no matter how offensive or wrong-headed his or her policies and actions. When Nixon passed, those who read his many obituaries and tributes would've have had a hard time telling he was the man responsible for shaming the Office of the President with clandestine, domestic spying against Democrats, that he cost the country billions of dollars in lost productivity and Federal spending to address his crimes, or that he ushered in a period of distrust of those in Washington, D.C.

So, while others are praising Jesse Helms for the way he stuck to his ideals and values, I think we ought to instead be pointing out how those "values" and "ideals" were hate and intolerance. The irony is that this man, who worked most of his life to deny equal rights to so many, died on Independence Day while so many Americans were celebrating that all men are created equal.

Some may feel this is unfair--that Helms was a product of his times, so we should ignore the bigoted and hateful things he said. I might actually agree with this if so many people don't still believe the same things. The fact these words were uttered by a man who influenced the thinking of so many others is why they deserve to be seen for what they are today, the day after his death.

"White people, wake up before it is too late. Do you want Negroes working beside you, your wife and your daughters, in your mills and factories?" (1950) (Source)
"Crime rates and irresponsibility among Negroes are a fact of life which must be faced." (1981) (Source)
"The University of North Carolina (UNC)... the University of Negroes and Communists..." (1995) (Source)
"All Latins are volatile people." (1986) (Source)
"The government should spend less money on people with AIDS because they got sick as a result of deliberate, disgusting, revolting conduct." (1995) (Source)
"Mr. Clinton better watch out if he comes down here [Fort Bragg]. He'd better have a bodyguard. " (1994) (Source)
"Because she's a damn lesbian. I am not going to put a lesbian in a position like that."--Senator Jesse Helms after failing to block the confirmation of Roberta Achtenberg as assistant secretary for the House and Urban Development Department, May 1993 (Source)
"The Negro cannot count forever on the kind restraint that has thus far left him free to clog the streets, disrupt traffic and commerce, and interfere with other men's rights."--Helms on "the Negro problem," 1963 (Source)
"We've got to have some common sense about a disease transmitted by people deliberately engaging in unnatural acts."-- Helms on why he opposed approval of AIDS research. (Source)
"I'm a conservative progressive, and that means I think all men are equal, be they slants, beaners, or niggers."-- Helms, 1985, quoted from the Democratic Alliance (Source)
"Your tax dollars are being used to pay for grade school classes that teach our children that Cannabilism, wife-swapping, and the murder of infants and the elderly are acceptable behavior."--Helms from a fundraising mailer sent out by his campaign (Source)
"The subject matter is so obscene, so revolting, it's difficult for me to stand here and talk about it. I may throw up." 1987, commenting on an HIV prevention comic book (Source)
"There is not one single case of Aids reported in this country that cannot be traced in origin to sodomy." 1988 (Source)
"Think about it. Homosexuals and lesbians, disgusting people, marching in our streets, demanding all sorts of things, including the right to marry each other. How do you like them apples?" 1990, during his re-election campaign (Source)
On Larry King Live, Helms took a call from Tilk, Alabama. "I just think that you should get a Nobel Peace Prize for everything you've done to help keep down the niggers," the caller said. "Thank you, I think," Helms replied. (Source)
"You were the best qualified for that job, but they had to give it to a minority." Helms' 1990 campaign ad (Source)

I will not rejoice in the passing of another human being, but I will not allow a person's death to turn him from ignorant bigot to saint. Helms' words speak for themselves. It's a shame a man in a position of power for as long as Helms was couldn't use his pulpit to enlighten rather than to reinforce false stereotypes and to deny other humans the right to equal protection under the law.

Cutest. Video. Evar!

2008-07-04T11:51:00.002-05:00

Animal Friendship Between Different Species.

This video is presented to make your Independence Day a little more warm and fuzzy.

How Pathetic Has the American Male Become?

2008-07-03T15:51:00.003-05:00

I understand it's just a movie, but I went into Wanted expecting a fun Summer movie ride and I walked out depressed at the state of the American male.

Warning, there are spoilers below, so if you want to see two hours of slow-mo bullets piercing heads and the laws of physics being violated, then you may not wish to read further.

Wanted is Matrix without Matrix's heart and soul. There's lots of slow-mo action, some of it quite good but most of it simply ridiculous. In one scene, a car slides sideways, hits a small lateral crack in the pavement, vaults 20 feet over a phalanx of police cars, hits the side of a bus with its wheels, pushes the bus over on its side, and drives off the bus to safety. In another scene, a single bullet pierces the heads of six different people consecutively. Some movies this season are about super heroes, but this one is about super bullets!

I'm not going to complain about the ridiculously unbelievable action sequences in Wanted; instead, I'll complain about what it says about my gender. The movie's about a feckless office worker named Wesley Gibson who lives a miserable life ruled by shrew-like women--his obese boss is a bully and his girlfriend is an unfaithful witch. The flick is one of the most misogynistic movies I can recall in quite some time. (Of course, his one and only buddy is no better--he's screwing Wesley's girlfriend and actually borrows money from our protagonist to buy the condoms to do so.)

Wesley comes to learn that he has special powers and is the son of the world's greatest assassin, which is pretty lucky for the guy since the movie makes clear that working in an office is the equivalent of modern slavery. Stripped of his dignity in the most crude and cartoonish of ways, Wanted makes sure the audience cannot miss how unmanly it is for Wesley to work in a cubicle. As a result, his conversion to an assassin's way of life has less to do with family honor and almost everything to do with the fact the modern male is a wimpy, downtrodden, sterile, powerless being who can really only realize his potential by causing mayhem and death.

I have nothing against fantasies where people escape a burdensome existence for something more exciting (see Star Wars, Lord of the Rings, etc.), but I do object when the exciting way of life is nothing more than an adrenalin rush from killing others. The writers, sensing they needed to give Wesley some semblance of a conscience, paste a fraudulent and brief scene where he hesitates on his first assassination assignment. Luckily, he quickly learns it's all right to kill other people, and his momentary lapse gives him script license to smile lustily as he mows people down from that point forward.

The men in the audience at my showing seemed to eat it up, and that is what I found depressing. How sad have we males become that we empathize with the powerlessness of an office employee and cheer as the character graduates from puberty to manhood by sending bullets into people.

Maybe I just take things too seriously, but I found Wanted to be more disturbing than entertaining. Perhaps the misogynistic, misanthropic ideas are just in the heads of the film makers, but heaven help us if they've tapped into the psyche of the modern man.

Drift Away

2008-06-29T22:10:00.001-05:00

I have a keyboard gathering dust despite my perfectly functioning two hands. I am ashamed. [Via Attuworld]

Remembering George Carlin

2008-06-24T22:53:00.003-05:00

The first video below has George speaking of death. He seems more interested in working out a few demons than in humoring his audience which is, after all, classic Carlin.

If you'd like to see George at his most famous, view the seven dirty words--just don't do it at work. It doesn't seem as edgy or scandalous as it once did, but that's because George broke the barrier and pop culture followed. Nowadays, half the words on his list are in an average South Park episode.

While it may not be Carlin at his funniest, I'll always have a special place in my heart for his role in "Bill and Ted's Excellent Adventure." Enjoy this brief, hysterically-dated short film about the flick.

"I'm not left handed either"

2008-06-23T00:46:00.003-05:00

The sound and video could be better, but please enjoy one of my favorite scenes from one of my favorite movies: The first sword fight from "The Princess Bride."

Requiem For A Day Off

2008-06-22T14:40:00.001-05:00

The fake trailer for the fake movie "Requiem For A Day Off" is terrific. It uses imagery from Ferris Bueller’s Day Off and the music "Lux Aeterna" from the Requiem For A Dream soundtrack.

Ferris never looked so creepy.

Don't blame yourself; blame the Internet!

2008-06-22T11:55:00.004-05:00

Sorry for all the ranting today, but this article from Scotsman.com annoyed me. Scotland's exam pass rates are falling, and the Scottish Parent Teacher Council (SPTC) is blaming misinformation on the Internet.

Let me get this straight: the two primary sources of influence in the lives of young people--teachers and parents--are blaming Wikipedia for the fact their children aren't learning? What kind of blame-passing rubbish is that? When a child is sitting in a classroom taking a math test, which do you think is more associated with that child's performance--the way they were raised to value education by their parents, the methods used to mold young minds by teachers, or the information that child found when searching for math information on Wikipedia? (Do kids really go searching for math info on Wikipedia?!?!)

If I sound like an angry old man today with my posts, it's because the two articles I posted--The AP's depressing op-ed piece and the Scotsman's story about parents and teachers--happen to inadvertently hit on two of my biggest frustration with modern culture: The media and an inability to take responsibility.

The media bothers me because it pretends to represent an objective view of the happenings that matter, but never does. I'm not just talking about FOX News here; I'm talking about all of the news media!

The constant focus on news that isn't news is offensive and depressing. Turn on your local TV news tonight and what do you think the lead story will be? Will you learn about something happening in Washington, a change to laws or policy that impact your life, or international changes that will affect the US economy or foreign policy? Or will the lead story be a "breaking news" item from an area of town which you never visit about a murder of someone you don't know and that won't have any impact on the world of you or a loved one? Murders aren't news in modern life; the media's focus on each murder serves no function except to keep viewers in a state of heightened anxiety and glued to their 24-hour-news cycles.

As for the issue of personal responsibility, I am growing weary of people shopping only on price but then complaining when their employers are forced to cut costs; consumers visiting Wal-Mart and McDonald's while lamenting that their local businesses are failing; voters who gripe about falling government services while electing politicians who promise tax cuts; parents who ignore their children as they surf the Internet or watch TV in the privacy of their own bedrooms while objecting to pop culture's influence on America's youth; drivers of gas-guzzling SUVs who criticize the wars and US foreign policy in the Middle East; and people who live 20 miles from their employer who won't be caught dead in mass transit but complain about the price of gas.

Change won't come about by complaining, and it certainly won't happen by blaming others. Change won't even occur simply because you mark the ballot box next to Obama's name in November. Change will happen when you (and I) change our behaviors.

This officially ends my morning of griping. I'm going to change my attitude right now!

Associated Press Depresses Me

2008-06-22T11:00:00.002-05:00

This past week, the Associated Press made headlines for trying to rewrite the nation's copyright and "fair use" laws by tell bloggers what they can and cannot do when copying from or linking to their articles. Maybe they should worry a little less about how bloggers are driving traffic to their sites and a little more about whether their news articles are actually news.

This pessimistic, pandering, non-news item ticked me off this morning: Entitled, "Everything seemingly is spinning out of control," two AP writers offer an editorial that isn't labeled as such and a "news" item that contains no news. (Hint to AP: When you need to use the word "seemingly" in the headline, it's a sign to go back and reconsider the objectivity and factual basis for a news piece.)

Their contention is that everything is spinning out of control and Americans are feeling helpless. Of course, there are problems today--such as flooding, gas prices, water shortages, wars in Iraq and Afghanistan without end, and air fares rising--and to AP this all means, "The can-do, bootstrap approach embedded in the American psyche is under assault" from "dour powerlessness." The "article" ends with this: "Maybe this is what the 21st century will be about — a great unraveling of some things long taken for granted."

The Associated Press can go screw themselves. I get angry when, in times of challenge, the media accelerates anxiety by focusing on every piece of iffy news and glossing over positive signs. For example, we all know the doom and gloom in the economy, but did you know there's been positive news as of late? Keep in mind "good news" is relative, but in the past month or two came word the US economy is not in a recession (at least not yet) by any definition used by economists and the government, that manufacturing is showing surprising strength, that construction spending was stronger than expected, that the US Service Sector is still growing (albeit by a small amount), and that first-time claims for unemployment fell.

Part of the reason I get angry about this media fixation on negativity is that consumer expectation is its own self-fulfilling prophecy. If we feel anxious about the future, we stop spending and this feeds a poor economy. If we feel optimistic about our futures, we spend and live as if tomorrow will be better than today.

Perhaps it isn't Americans that feel helpless, as the AP claims, but instead are news organizations that feel helpless. Newspaper subscriptions are dropping, TV ratings are down, more people are getting their news online where ad revenues are a challenge, and the AP is lashing out at bloggers. Must be sorry times to be an AP employee!

My greatest gripe is that there are always reasons to be concerned. My grandfather lived his life assuming the very foundation of the American economy and way of life was always about to crumble. His pessimism pervaded his entire life, and while he may someday be proven right--maybe decades from now, maybe centuries from now--he could have lived a better life if he didn't think the end of our culture was imminent.

Perhaps the two AP writers who find that today is so much more uncertain and fearful than the past are young and do not remember 9/11, stagflation, the cold war, race riots, and other dark periods in American history. The Associated Press can ring its hands and worry that the country and the world are unraveling, but if Americans and other citizens of the globe would ignore the pandering and alarmist media, we'd all be much better off.

True Love: 84- and 87-Year-Old Lesbians Marry

2008-06-16T23:07:00.004-05:00

Here is an article about a happy, monogamous, lesbian couple who have been together for 55 years. That's right, 55 frickin' years! Why--that's longer than John McCain's been in the planet, which is a really long time.

And this couple, now age 84 and 87, are going to be legally wed today.

Conservatives are crying and ringing their hands (and filing petitions with the supreme court) over the legal same-sex marriages in California, but Lyon and Martin are living proof that the whiners' arguments are as empty as their minds are closed. Here is a couple who've been dedicated to each other and active in the community. They've owned and maintained a home together. And long after so many heterosexual couples are on their second or third marriages, Lyon and Martin are still together.

It makes me very happy on this, the occasion of my own 24th wedding anniversary to my wife, to welcome Lyon and Martin and other same-sex couples to legal, equal-under-the-law, marriage. Congratulations and best of luck for the future!

Obama's Father Day Speech

2008-06-15T23:32:00.002-05:00

I normally don't watch 24-minute videos online. Who has the time or the patience?

But I started watching this one and was riveted. This is Barack's Father's Day speech--instead of pandering to dads, he demands more of them, particularly in the black community. I wish every voter in America could take the time to see this.

"Yes, we need fewer guns in the hands of people who shouldn't have them. Yes, we need more money for schools and more outstanding teachers in the classroom... Yes, we need more jobs and more job training and more opportunities in our community. We know all that... We know we need to bring about change in America. We know that. But the change we need is not just going to come from government; it's not just going to come from a president; it's going to come from us... We need families to raise our children. We need fathers to recognize that responsibility doesn't just end with conception. That doesn't just make you a father. What makes you a man isn't the ability to have a child. Any fool can have a child--that doesn't make you a father--it's the courage to raise a child that makes you a father."

Happy Father's Day! [Via 37Signals]