Snowed In

Just a quick little observation about the mainstream media

2013-02-08T13:20:00.001-06:00

Sarah Palin still lives rent-free in the heads of most of the Obama-supporting mainstream media. And, as always, this is most evident at that bastion of unbiased--meh, I can't even joke about that, no one would believe it--this is most evident at MSNBC. Courtesy Newsbusters via The Right Scoop: Yes, in a conversation that had absolutely nothing to do with Sarah Palin, Mika Brzezinski felt

Challenged to Civility

2013-01-25T22:12:00.000-06:00

As I said last year (when I basically made a New Year's resolution), I don't usually make New Year's resolutions. I generally break them, just as I broke last year's resolution not to read comments on articles. Instead, I repeatedly found myself looking at ignorant, ill-thought-out opinions about whatever topic had interested me on that day. Usually, it was the presidential race (which has

2012 Online Red Kettle and other ways to help out

2012-12-04T13:32:00.000-06:00

As has been my wont for the past four years, I am once again hosting an Online Red Kettle for the Salvation Army, for those who have either already finished their shopping or want to plan out their donations in advance. So, if you would like to donate through my virtual kettle, you can do so by clicking the kettle below: (Image courtesy The Salvation Army) A couple of other ways to

The most important race in Austin this weekend

2012-11-16T22:37:00.000-06:00

Anyone who has seen any news recently knows* that this weekend, the city of Austin is hosting a Formula One event that is sure to attract the attention of millions (many of whom will be found in every hotel room from Temple to San Antonio, as well as stopping traffic in all lanes of I-35). But very few know about a different event that will also take place in Austin. Also occurring this weekend

The adaptation of the institution

2012-11-15T00:01:00.000-06:00

In the past week, I have seen statements talking about how a certain group needs to change, to adapt to a new cultural mindset in order to continue to be relevant in the 2010s. There are statements documenting the fact that fewer people are aligning themselves with this group, and, moreover, that people are leaving it. You might think you know exactly which group I mean. You'd probably be

A post-election prayer

2012-11-07T12:56:00.002-06:00

Once again, the election is over. Once again, things did not go the way half the voting population wanted it to go. As I've said on Facebook already today, it would be awfully easy to say "Who is John Galt?" and be done with this discussion, but I can't do that. My faith won't allow it. And so here are the things I pray for our nation today: That President Obama, Vice-President Biden, and

Where did we go after 2008?

2012-11-05T12:53:00.000-06:00

Four years ago today, I posted an entry named "Where Do We Go From Here?" which, apart from citing lyrics from an Alan Parsons Project song, spoke to what I wanted to see both sides do after the 2008 presidential election. Four years later, did anyone take my advice? (Heck, I rarely take my own.) Let's see. (Disclaimer: I edited some portions of my own post for brevity.) Republicans: 1.

Gracious winners and sore losers: a history

2012-11-02T15:48:00.000-05:00

Four years ago, when Barack Obama won the presidential election, there was a site dedicated to reaching out to the losing side of the election, in what appears to be an attempt to work together. That site was called "From 52 to 48", based on the percentages voting for President Obama vs. Senator McCain. (No, those percentages are not correct, but that's irrelevant.) A sample pic from that site

Refocusing Snowed In

2012-11-02T14:40:00.004-05:00

Anyone who has read this blog since its inception (a list that, in its entirely, most likely consists of the author's father) knows that it has never had what could be described as an overall focus. The "Austin" portion of the site has involved many not-exactly-political topics that have virtually nothing to do with the political posts. (And what was up with those songs?) And--I could be wrong

The debate I'd like to see

2012-10-22T12:29:00.000-05:00

There is only one more presidential debate, to be held tonight. Thank God. A Facebook friend of mine had a great idea for the next debate, based on how multiple candidates behaved in the last couple. In a nutshell, it was to place the candidates in soundproof plexiglass tubes, so that each candidate would only be able to speak when it was his* turn to speak; this would rid us of all the

On finding harmony in Facebook relationships...or not

2012-09-20T16:29:00.000-05:00

I'll start with the obvious: there are many, many different opinions. If you look hard enough, each and every one of them has found expression, at one point or another, on the internet. And most of them are expressed regularly on Facebook. This can be a good thing, but it can also be a terrible thing. It's good, of course, in that you are passionate about your opinions. You should be. And

On Love

2012-09-19T07:43:00.000-05:00

Warning: somewhat long-winded and rambling post ahead. This post has languished for many weeks as a draft while I figured out how best to express myself. Please know that it got its start during the Chick-Fil-A brouhaha. Now, let me say that I'd prefer not to write on the Chick-Fil-A argument.* Also, I'm sure that not many people want to hear yet another voice added to the cacophony of

Life's a Tripp premieres tonight

2012-06-19T13:00:00.000-05:00

As I posted earlier this year, Bristol Palin has a new reality show entitled Bristol Palin: Life's a Tripp, to air on the Lifetime channel. That show will premiere this evening (June 19) for those, unlike me, who actually receive Lifetime. Bristol and Tripp Palin. Image courtesy Zap2It.com under Fair Use clause. Already, of course, there is controversy over the as-yet-unaired 14-episode

Sarah Palin, Michelle Malkin at Right Online 2012

2012-06-16T09:27:00.000-05:00

This weekend the Right Online 2012 conference is going on in Las Vegas. This is a conference for conservative new-media types and bloggers (even, I suppose sixth-rate ones such as myself). It features a lot of speakers whom I would love to hear. As neither the day job nor the Snowed family budget allow for traveling to Las Vegas for two days, I usually end up missing such events as this. (

What's important again? Part 3

2012-06-11T13:26:00.000-05:00

I have a couple of friends named Danny and Christy, and they may not know it, but they are heroes. They haven't (as far as I know) done anything earth-shattering, but what they are doing is definitely a lot better than what we see some overexposed celebrities doing on the news, or TMZ, or wherever. And it's even better than...wait for it...writing a sixth-rate quasi-political blog (which hasn't

Happy belated birthday, Trig

2012-04-19T22:22:00.000-05:00

As most Palinistas are aware, yesterday was Trig Palin's 4th birthday. (And, as everyone who has accepted reality over really strange conspiracy theories knows, Trig is the son of former governor of Alaska Sarah Palin.) Every time I have ever been around a child with Down Syndrome, he or she has always been one of the sweetest people I have ever met. I have friends who have been raising a DS

Palin on Today: what to watch for

2012-04-02T21:21:00.000-05:00

Now that, as was plastered all over the net today, pretty much anyone following the news in this country knows that Sarah Palin will be hosting the Today Show tomorrow, here are a few things I expect to see during the broadcast. (You might call this a drinking game, but as this is a morning show, I do not recommend drinking any adult beverages, especially if you are planning to leave for work

Useless celebrity of the month: Spike Lee

2012-03-28T12:59:00.002-05:00

For many months now, I have been moving away from my previously much more frequent posts labeled "useless celebrity". I had wondered, in a somewhat recent entry under this label, whether spotlighting celebrities for saying ill-informed things was rewarding them for their behavior; indeed, I didn't even name the celebrity who inspired that particular post, as he probably could have used the

Bristol gets it: calling out hatred is not a one-way street

2012-03-19T12:41:00.000-05:00

Bristol Palin, in only the third entry in her new blog, nails it in calling out President Obama for his selective treatment of women who have been publicly insulted. Now, as I have previously said on my Facebook page, I am absolutely not excusing what Rush Limbaugh said about Sandra Fluke. Calling people out for their double standards and/or selective outrage does not excuse the person on my

Game Change: a hit piece masquerading as truth

2012-03-10T16:40:00.000-06:00

Tonight, HBO will air what they believe to be a blockbuster-type movie, "Game Change". As most people know by now, "Game Change" the movie ignores well over two-thirds of what was covered in the original book. The original book had a fascinating portion about the 2008 Democratic presidential primary season, covering the implosion of John Edwards, the absolute mismanagement of Hillary Clinton's

A visit to the Alamo (on Slaughter Lane)

2012-03-10T09:25:00.000-06:00

As most people in the greater Southwest Austin area know, the Alamo Drafthouse Slaughter Lane (at Slaughter and Mopac) opened on Thursday. Mrs. Snowed and I were fortunate enough to attend one of the preview/training shows earlier this week, and, for the most part, we were happy with what we saw. The inside of the theater itself was quite attractive and inviting. The tables are quite different

Facebook posts: 3/5/2012

2012-03-05T22:04:00.000-06:00

For those who need the reminder, this blog has a public Facebook page. It now also has a easy-to-remember URL: http://www.facebook.com/snowedinblog. Since I've gotten more in the habit of posting links to my Facebook page (articles that interest me but about which I do not have time to write a decent entry), I figured I would compile those links here for your benefit (along with the comments

Andrew Breitbart, 1969-2012

2012-03-01T23:35:00.000-06:00

Like most ardent followers of American politics, I was completely shocked to hear this morning of the very sudden death of Andrew Breitbart. Love him or hate him, you can't deny that Mr. Breitbart had an impact on the American political scene. From his early days with the Drudge Report to now, he had a hand in shaping the conversation. Now, I certainly did not agree with everything he said or

Bristol gets real, again

2012-02-29T15:38:00.001-06:00

Per The Hollywood Reporter (hat tip to Lisa Graas): Bristol Palin is filming another* reality show, this time for the Lifetime network (which, up to now, has been known to me mostly for Golden Girls reruns, men-are-evil movies, and Denise Austin). In it, viewers will see the life of a non-glamorized single mother raising her three-year-old son, Tripp. (Bristol Palin, image courtesy The

Who Are These People?

2012-02-17T18:56:00.000-06:00

It is common knowledge to this blog's dozens (half-dozens?) of readers that there are rather few comments posted here. What is less commonly known (or cared about, really) is that many other comments having nothing to do with the topic at hand (which might, at any given time, be music, Palin, Austin, Palin, politics, or Palin) are also left here. These comments are filtered by Blogger as spam,