First Drafttag:typepad.com,2003:weblog-6152772009-11-21T03:31:00-06:00Writing is only real on the first draftTypePadSubscribe with My Yahoo!Subscribe with NewsGatorSubscribe with My AOLSubscribe with BloglinesSubscribe with NetvibesSubscribe with GoogleSubscribe with PageflakesSubscribe with PlusmoSubscribe with The Free DictionarySubscribe with Bitty BrowserSubscribe with NewsAlloySubscribe with Live.comSubscribe with Excite MIXSubscribe with Attensa for OutlookSubscribe with WebwagSubscribe with Podcast ReadySubscribe with FlurrySubscribe with WikioSubscribe with Daily RotationWeekend Question Thread: Spending Editiontag:typepad.com,2003:post-6a00d8341c5ced53ef0120a6bd2bef970b2009-11-21T03:31:00-06:002009-11-21T03:31:00-06:00AthenaeAre you cheap or extravagant? (I'm the worst of both worlds. I tend to go nuts -- especially with gifts, and this is like the most dangerous time of the year -- and then freak out about it later.) A.Saturday Blogwhoring Threadtag:typepad.com,2003:post-6a00d8341c5ced53ef0120a6bd2704970b2009-11-21T03:28:00-06:002009-11-21T03:28:00-06:00AthenaePost away. A.The Dark Side Of SEC Footballtag:typepad.com,2003:post-6a00d8341c5ced53ef0120a6bef52b970b2009-11-21T00:00:00-06:002009-11-20T22:01:18-06:00AdrastosSEC football is like a religion, which means that along with the good stuff it also breeds intolerance and bigotry. Jerit Roser, the managing editor of LSU's student paper the Daily Reveille, wrote an excellent op-ed piece for the Friday...Let Me Explain, Then, Joshtag:typepad.com,2003:post-6a00d8341c5ced53ef0120a6bf236b970b2009-11-20T23:05:57-06:002009-11-20T23:05:57-06:00AthenaeIt's pretty simple: "I'm just worried he's going to win this argument for months before he gets executed." This is Chris Matthews from a few moments ago on Hardball, worrying about the propaganda victories he fears KSM will win spouting...Palin Booed By Hoosierstag:typepad.com,2003:post-6a00d8341c5ced53ef012875c0bb9c970c2009-11-20T21:39:05-06:002009-11-20T22:21:31-06:00AdrastosAnd I'm not talking about Michael Palin either: he's the nice member of Monty Python and he's a bona fide writer to boot. Anyway, "author" Sarah Palin crapped out of a book signing at a Borders in Noblesville, Indiana without...Quitting Time Booster Shottag:typepad.com,2003:post-6a00d8341c5ced53ef0120a6bd2932970b2009-11-20T15:33:04-06:002009-11-20T15:33:19-06:00DocWelcome to the Booster, where we’re giving the divine Ms. A a hat tip for this tweet: “Yay, holidays. Time for jewelry ads about bribing your unpleasant wife to fuck your stupid ass.” Here’s the ad we at the QTBS...Vantag:typepad.com,2003:post-6a00d8341c5ced53ef0120a6bb6160970b2009-11-20T10:30:45-06:002009-11-20T10:30:45-06:00AthenaeAnybody wanna Crack Van the cloture vote tomorrow night? The van's just sitting there in the driveway, and one of the neighbors asked why we never drove it anymore. A.Friday Ferretbloggingtag:typepad.com,2003:post-6a00d8341c5ced53ef0120a6bb27dc970b2009-11-20T09:28:23-06:002009-11-20T09:28:23-06:00AthenaeBucky: Hellooooooo there! Riot: I'm certainly not on the table. And I'm definitely not curling up in your scarf. No. That's another ferret. Who looks like me, and is doing what I'm doing. Another ferret. Yeah. A.The Fingertag:typepad.com,2003:post-6a00d8341c5ced53ef0120a6baee93970b2009-11-20T08:15:20-06:002009-11-20T08:17:10-06:00DocWhen I was in my grad program, I started feeling pain in my groin. I didn’t remember doing anything stressful to it and it sure wasn’t due to an overabundance of sex. I had no real insurance to speak of,...Malaka Of The Week: Rudy Giulianitag:typepad.com,2003:post-6a00d8341c5ced53ef012875b338ff970c2009-11-19T22:26:02-06:002009-11-20T07:57:13-06:00AdrastosYeah, I know: Rudy is overqualified for malaka of the week. His malakatude is eternal but it's particularly egregious this week. My original plan was to kick Rudy around for his opposition to trying that furry mass murderer, Khalid Sheikh...ACORN The Omnipotent?tag:typepad.com,2003:post-6a00d8341c5ced53ef0120a6b75093970b2009-11-19T13:34:27-06:002009-11-19T13:34:04-06:00AdrastosThe wingnut's attempts to demonize ACORN seem to have reached their zenith: a majority of Republicans think ACORN stole the 2008 election for Obama. I suppose I shouldn't be gobsmacked or speechless but I am. ACORN? All powerful? Who knew?...Moderate Biastag:typepad.com,2003:post-6a00d8341c5ced53ef0120a6b5fb65970b2009-11-19T13:13:00-06:002009-11-19T13:13:00-06:00AthenaeHoly crap, something intelligent published in Time Magazine: All of which underlines the obvious: the news audience, if not news itself, is getting more polarized. But categories like Pew's "liberal," "conservative" and "neither" imply that our society is as simplistic...And In Today's News of the NO KIDDING Varietytag:typepad.com,2003:post-6a00d8341c5ced53ef0120a6b62dcf970b2009-11-19T09:12:25-06:002009-11-19T09:12:59-06:00AthenaeNo shit: NEW ORLEANS - A federal judge ruled Wednesday that the Army Corps of Engineers' failure to properly maintain a navigation channel led to massive flooding in Hurricane Katrina, a decision that could make the federal government vulnerable to...Bloggers Are Such Assholes! tag:typepad.com,2003:post-6a00d8341c5ced53ef012875b7ba02970c2009-11-19T08:12:31-06:002009-11-19T08:12:31-06:00AthenaeThe Internet is so mean to Candy Crowley: The blogosphere has been awash for months, I discovered, in other incisive speculation about CNN's senior political correspondent: She must have had a face-lift. No, it had to be gastric bypass. One...Our Lady of Wingnut...tag:typepad.com,2003:post-6a00d8341c5ced53ef012875b7a110970c2009-11-19T07:44:04-06:002009-11-19T07:44:04-06:00Michael FFrom Album3 ...patron saint of, like, you know, the Barnes & Noble at the mall? OK, so much for trying to imply a mall rat accent, and also, yes, my graphics have lately had a religious theme, which is part...'1867 called. They want these douches back.'tag:typepad.com,2003:post-6a00d8341c5ced53ef0120a6b4cec2970b2009-11-19T00:26:51-06:002009-11-19T00:26:51-06:00AthenaeThank God racism is over. A.Time to pick up the phone againtag:typepad.com,2003:post-6a00d8341c5ced53ef0120a6b11524970b2009-11-18T15:33:34-06:002009-11-18T15:33:34-06:00Virgo TexToday is National Call-In Day for Equality, as designated by a coalition of LGBT groups, a day to burn up the Capitol Hill phone lines in support of the Employment Non-Discrimination Act (ENDA) of 2009. This iteration of ENDA (H.R....It's Never Overtag:typepad.com,2003:post-6a00d8341c5ced53ef012875b1f153970c2009-11-18T13:24:00-06:002009-11-18T13:24:00-06:00AthenaeThis is why I'm always hesitant to sum up the war that's still going on: BERLIN (Nov. 17) — A former SS sergeant who worked unnoticed for decades as a train-station manager was charged with 58 counts of murder Tuesday...Roll the Hard Sixtag:typepad.com,2003:post-6a00d8341c5ced53ef0120a6afd238970b2009-11-18T10:06:27-06:002009-11-18T10:06:27-06:00AthenaeI realize asking Harry to use his balls is like asking God to make it rain cotton candy and five dollar bills, but I want my money and my sugar anyway. A.Weatherize! tag:typepad.com,2003:post-6a00d8341c5ced53ef012875b1af68970c2009-11-18T08:37:42-06:002009-11-18T08:37:42-06:00AthenaeGet money to close the gaps: In the very near term, the way we can generate the most jobs, we believe, is through home retrofits. We have 17 percent of our construction workers who are out of work today, and...Sarah Palin Makes It All Okaytag:typepad.com,2003:post-6a00d8341c5ced53ef0120a6af3fad970b2009-11-18T08:05:56-06:002009-11-18T08:05:56-06:00AthenaeYour Very Serious Liberal Media: The Newsweek cover, then, cheeky and ironized though it may be, is less a knock on Palin than a nod to her—a recognition of the fact that, say what else you will about her (and...Night Traintag:typepad.com,2003:post-6a00d8341c5ced53ef012875b00704970c2009-11-18T00:00:00-06:002009-11-18T00:07:38-06:00AdrastosI live a few block from the Mississippi River in Uptown New Orleans. We're close to the Napoleon Avenue wharf so we hear the rumbling and whistling of freight trains several times a day. My personal favorite is the night...Justicetag:typepad.com,2003:post-6a00d8341c5ced53ef0120a6abc823970b2009-11-17T15:10:25-06:002009-11-17T15:10:25-06:00BuggyQThis is Justice. He's my dog-nephew. My brother acquired this walking tongue several years ago. He's a bull mastiff, and the tongue thing is due to his jaw being malformed--his mouth just isn't big enough to hold his tongue. He...The NOLA Convention Center Clinictag:typepad.com,2003:post-6a00d8341c5ced53ef012875ad549b970c2009-11-17T14:47:02-06:002009-11-17T15:46:43-06:00AdrastosThe local coverage of the free clinic event was minimal but Countdown sent a producer who focused on the *human* side of health care reform. It's an excellent piece BUT I wish Keith would pronounce Senator Landrieu's name correctly. As...How Dare You Make Us Think!tag:typepad.com,2003:post-6a00d8341c5ced53ef0120a6aa9ee7970b2009-11-17T09:24:21-06:002009-11-17T09:24:21-06:00AthenaeGod Almighty, some days the world makes me tired: Some of those who complained about the Ubiles story remained upset about the seven-part series we published recently focusing on Poppy, a homeless alcoholic on the streets of Albany's South End....Dodged That Bullettag:typepad.com,2003:post-6a00d8341c5ced53ef012875acf2ce970c2009-11-17T09:19:40-06:002009-11-17T09:18:27-06:00AdrastosAccording to David Plouffe's book, the Edwards campaign tried to cut a deal during the primaries: withdrawal in exchange for an endorsement and the Veep nod. It seems that the same offer was made to the Clintonistas. Imagine the meltdown...It's Always Worse Than You Thought tag:typepad.com,2003:post-6a00d8341c5ced53ef0120a6aa902c970b2009-11-17T09:05:45-06:002009-11-17T09:05:45-06:00AthenaeAlways: WASHINGTON (AFP) – The CIA provides hundreds of millions of dollars to Pakistan's spy service, including payments for the capture or killing of wanted militants, a US newspaper reported, citing unnamed officials and former officials. The CIA's financial support...OH YEAH WHO WANTS SOME HUH?tag:typepad.com,2003:post-6a00d8341c5ced53ef012875ace685970c2009-11-17T09:04:23-06:002009-11-17T09:04:23-06:00AthenaeThe Daily Otter. A.I Agree with Sarah Palintag:typepad.com,2003:post-6a00d8341c5ced53ef0120a6a64b7a970b2009-11-16T13:53:00-06:002009-11-16T13:53:00-06:00AthenaeThink about how crazy that makes me: "Imagine that – 11 AP reporters dedicating time and resources to tearing up the book, instead of using the time and resources to "fact check" what's going on with Sheik Mohammed's trial, Pelosi's...Nominate First Draft for Supreme Blog Overlord 2009tag:typepad.com,2003:post-6a00d8341c5ced53ef012875a92172970c2009-11-16T11:44:07-06:002009-11-16T11:44:07-06:00AthenaeEvery year I forget to beg people to shower us with accolades and attention and every year when the finals roll around I'll get an e-mail that begins, "What the fuck are we, chopped liver?" from somebody who's pissed off...