Two Weeks

We are leaving New Haven in two weeks. Yup. We're moving to the safest city in America: Newton, Massachusetts. (I'd have said "safest in North America, but it's likely that the worst city in Canada is safer than the best of the U.S.) More details later.

Video of the Day: Raising Arizona

Raising Arizona was the first Coen Brothers movie I'd seen (I taped it off HBO back in '87 and subsequently had seen it dozens of times) and it got me hooked for a while [Dec 09 update: until "No Country" which I stopped watching after the second gruesome murder]. Also, it was when Nic Cage wasn't a total joke. So here's the best scene from the movie, which is also the best thing made in the 1980s (slightly NSFW).



Backpost finished 2009-12-06, fixed link.

Poem of the Day

From the genius, Ogden Nash:

The Cow

The cow is of the bovine ilk.
One end is moo, the other, milk.

Ho Hum, Another Terror Attack in Israel

It took nearly 18 hours for the NYTimes to report on the second bulldozer terror attack in a month in Jerusalem. This attack took place right next to the hotel where I spent my honeymoon. No worries, right?

My favorite part of the recent terror is this quote from the eventual Times story: "The attack occurred near the Israeli presidential residence, where President Shimon Peres was having lunch with the Palestinian president, Mahmoud Abbas. It was the first visit by a Palestinian leader to the residence."

So just in case you think this type of perfect timing is only found in movies/TV. The chairman of the PLO was in the Israeli President's house - having lunch - when a terror attack occurred.

Satire Compare and Contrast

Everyone's agog over the New Yorker cover which depicts the biggest smears against the Obamas. I was holding off from writing about it on the blog until I got my copy so I could see the title of the piece, which is "The Politics of Fear." As such, the cover isn't as tasteless as it first appeared. It's just stupid. Or, to put a specific term to it, it is a botched joke. And like other recent botched jokes (cf. John Kerry in 2006, Don Imus, or even Michael Richards) the fact that you WANTED to be funny, doesn't exonerate you from actually not being funny.

A botched joke isn't bad, many comedians suffer through them, but when the subject of the joke is a taboo (Kerry: Democrats talking about soldiers; Imus & Richards: whites about blacks), then the botched-ness shows a maladroitness in not only delivery but in judgement. Taboo humor is like live ammunition. Leave it to the professionals.

Speaking of professionals, compare the cover of the New Yorker to Jib-Jab's latest on the campaign (from Slate). Jib-Jab goes even further into taboo territory than the NYer, but because its so skillfully done, the jokes work:



Pic nicked from gawker.

Argument for Disco

Warning: this is a treatise to defend (some aspects of) Disco. Everyone is entitled to their own sense of taste (as can be seen from the Latin maxim: De gustibus non est disputandum - a.k.a. "there's no accounting for taste.") This is a crucial concept of life and wisdom, and it's well worth remembering. [Yeah, I can be this supercilious even when defending Disco.]

OK. Everybody knows that Disco is an easy musical punchline. However, in my extensive music listening, I have come across quite a few disco songs that are worth salvaging (the rest, like any 'pop' genre, can be ground into guano).

Note, one shouldn't lump the whole "Seventies" into the Disco heap. There were many quality music movements in the 70s, and many purely 70s bands, that redeem the decade (put another way, the decade ain't all the Bee Gees). Funk was basically the R&B version of Disco, and a far superior genre.

And 70s Rock bands are some of the best. For example, while Zeppelin acted as unreformed hippies, they were a pure 70s band. Same with Black Sabbath, Elton John (till 1975 he's incredible), AC/DC (even though they're identified as an 80s band, more on that another time; though the same holds for Aerosmith), Queen, Chicago, The Eagles (yeah, I know, but I like 'em), ELO (technically not disco and if you don't think they're good, listen again to "Evil Woman"), Boston, the best of Springsteen, the Doobie Brothers, Jethro Tull, and the heilige ZZ Top.

Anyway, here's the decent disco list (and this website is the final arbiter as to what counts as Disco, and the list is basically in their order; not every song is on this list, but I'm only one blog):

1. That's the Way I Like It, K.C. and the Sunshine Band
   
2. Stayin' Alive, Bee-Gees [can't use this song to hate on Disco, even if you hate the song, it's very good quality]
   
3. Born To Be Alive - Patrick Hernandez
   
4. Boogie Wonderland - Earth, Wind and Fire [I actually consider this song 'funk' but I'll include it here to (a) pad out the list, and (b) to prove to you skeptics that funk is just Afro-Disco]
   
5. Funkytown - Lipps Inc. [You can still buy shares]
   
6. Take Your Time (Do It Right) - S. O. S. Band
   
7. Dancing Queen - Abba [sorry, it has to be said, even if they are they Mayors McCheese, many of their songs are good]
   
8. Knock On Wood - Ami Stewart
   
9. Ring My Bell - Anita Ward
   
10. Play That Funky Music - Wild Cherry [one of my favorites of all time; it's funny because it's true]
    
11. Y.M.C.A. - Village People [It's good, just admit it!]
    
12. Get Down Tonight - KC & The Sunshine Band
    
13. September - Earth, Wind and Fire [The official song of the 9th month; I just love EWF]
    
14. Shake Your Groove Thing - Peaches & Herb [face it, sometimes your groove thing does need shaking]
    
15. Your My First, My Last, My Everything - Barry White [yeaaaah. This is not really disco, either, but I ain't arguin']
    
16. Thank God It's Friday - Love and Kisses [especially the intro]
    
17. Celebration - Kool And The Gang
    
18. Macho Man - Village People [or this version]
    
19. Open Sesame - Kool And The Gang
    
20. Call Me - Blondie [yeah, why not]
    
21. Can't Get Enough Of Your Love, Babe - Barry White
    
22. Brick House - Commodores [Even the Muppets know]
    
23. Don't Stop Till You Get Enough - Michael Jackson
    
24. Theme From S.W.A.T. - Rhythm Heritage [neh-neh-neh, neh-neh-neh...]
    
25. Upside Down - Diana Ross
    
26. It's Raining Men - Weather Girls ["not no more it ain't"]
    
27. Flashdance - Irene Cara [Did I ever tell you that I'm a gen-Xer? Well here's proof]

First pic is the album cover for Sesame Street Fever. Second pic from Basic Instructions about the Bee-Gees. Backpost finished 2009-12-06.

Hey, I Know This Guy!

That's fun, when you know a guy featured on Colbert:

Slifkin blog

As I (hope I've) mentioned before, me and my family are big supporters of Rav Natan Slifkin. He fought the good fight against the forces of intolerance and ignorance. And he now has a blog!

Pic from a website about his book. Backpost finished 2009-12-06.

Victims From July 2 Attack

I'm out of practice for this minhag - something I did almost every week (day?) back a few years ago - keep track of every single victim of the Islamic terror against Jews.

The terror attack on Wednesday was in Jerusalem, in a location I often was in. The three victims:

Batsheva Unterman (33), Jean Relevy (68) and Elizabeth (Lili) Goren-Friedman (58).

Read this about Mrs. Unterman, but prepare your heart to be broken:

Batsheva was born in Israel to Rivka and James Lubenstein, a couple who immigrated from Holland, and was a resident of Jerusalem's Rehavia neighborhood. She married London-born Ido Unterman, whose grandfather, Isser Yehuda Unterman, was chief rabbi of Liverpool and Tel Aviv before he became Israel's chief rabbi between 1964 and 1973.

For years, the couple underwent fertility treatment until their only child, Efrat, was born six months ago. Batsheva had worked for years in a religious kingergarten in Jerusalem's Har Homa neighborhood. "Neither of them gave up on their dream to have children," said Meira Schwartz, a family friend. "Before Efrat was born, she treated all the kindergarten children like they were her own. She was a graceful kindergarten teacher with the utmost patience for each and every child."

Batsheva Unterman was buried was buried at the Har HaMenuchot cemetery at Givat Shaul in Jerusalem. She is survived by her husband, Ido, and daughter, Efrat.

Lit 101 Class in Three Lines or Less.

McSweeney's Internet Tendency: Lit 101 Class in Three Lines or Less. by Ben Joseph

1984

WINSTON: Don't tell the Party, but sex is way better than totalitarianism.
EVERYONE: Surprise! We're the Party.
WINSTON: Oh, rats.

The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe
C.S. LEWIS: Finally, a utopia ruled by children and populated by talking animals.
THE WITCH: Hi, I'm a sexually mature woman of power and confidence.
C.S. LEWIS: Ah! Kill it, lion Jesus!

Paradise Lost

ADAM: Paradise has arbitrary dietary restrictions?
DEVIL: They're really more like guidelines.
GOD: Incorrect.

Moby-Dick

ISHMAEL: I'm existential.
AHAB: Really? Try vengeance.
ISHMAEL: I dig this dynamic. Can we drag it out for 600 pages?

The Great Gatsby

NICK: I love being rich and white.
GATSBY: Me, too, but I'd kill for the love of a woman.
DAISY: We can work with that.

Oliver Twist

OLIVER: Poverty ain't so bad, what with all the Cockney accents and charming musical interludes.
ME: Thanks to movies, no books were read in the passing of this class.
PROFESSOR WATERMAN: You're half right.

h/t Sullivan. Pic from McSweeny's page, cropped by me. Backpost finished 2009-11-30.

Goldblog: Ketziot & Abu Ghraib

I've rapidly changed my opinion about Jeffrey Goldberg. When I read his pieces in the New Yorker, he sounded like just another American leftist against Israel. But then I found out that he actually lived in Israel and served in the IDF - which is way better than what I've done. So his Zionist bona-fides are greater than mine and as such, I allow him his left-wing opinions. I say 'allow' and not 'agree' because I can still think he's wrong - but since he's paid his dues and comes to his opinions from real experience, he's an "Israeli" voice in my mind, and not a Diaspora Jew.

That said, read his post about comparing his IDF service as a prison guard in Ketziot to the reports about Abu Ghraib. Here's the first few lines to whet your appetite. How Ketziot Never Could Have Prepared Me for Abu Ghraib:

When Sy Hersh first told me about Abu Ghraib, I could not understand him, and not merely because he begins sentences in the middle of sentences. This was a problem of cognition. I had long ago built a template in my mind about these sorts of issues, and the story Sy was telling me did not fit.

This template was something I devised in the 1991, when I was a military policeman at the Ketziot Military Prison Camp in the Negev Desert of Israel. I had moved to Israel at the age of 20. I was drafted, and after many strange and discomfiting turns, I found myself in Ketziot, where I didn't want to be, for several reasons, including a) it's very hot in the Negev and I have the melanin of a Finn; b) I was raised as a socialist Zionist, which meant that I was a Jewish nationalist who opposed the occupation of the West Bank and Gaza; c) the job itself, which was to maintain order in a prison holding 6,000 Palestinians, most of whom would kill me if given a chance. This is not to say that I wouldn't die for Israel. I just didn't want to die enforcing an occupation I thought morally and politically dubious.

Pic from here. Backpost finished 2009-12-06.

Dowd and Hillary

Via TPM, the NYTimes Ombusperson (a.k.a. Public Editor) criticizes Maureen Dowd's coverage of Hillary (Pantsuits and the Presidency). I guess I don't expect much from Dowd to even bother outrage anymore. Dowd is an embarrasment to the profession, and that's saying a lot since 'pundits' are usually the lowest form of writer. 'Pundits' as we now have them are either bought-and-paid-for partisans or glib hacks. I really have no idea how Dowd got to her position (and I'm not surprised that she's won a Pulitzer - because those things are given out like meth at a hillbilly wedding).

But what makes this particular line of criticism important is the recognition that Dowd is basically gay-baiting. She applies a stark sexual politics onto Democrats - painting Democratic men as gay (unless they're like Bill Clinton and then they're pimps), and the women as lesbians. Considering Dowd is unmarried, and has attacked the notion of marriage in her book (Are Men Necessary?), her fixation on gender and sexuality goes beyond creepy into the pathology zone.

The whatever blog, Hullabaloo, put it very well:

"Again, the question isn't whether she should have treated Clinton any differently. It's that her entire worldview is toxic, both culturally and politically. She uses explicitly sexist and homophobic imagery that favors traditional authoritarian leadership to explain politics. She gets away with it because she has a rapier wit and is a physically beautiful person, thus insulating herself from the kind of criticism others would receive for writing this crud. But in truth she's a walking anachronism, more like a character in Mad Men than a modern sophisticate."

Pic self-made. Backpost finished 2009-12-03.

George Carlin, Dead at 71

George Carlin died. AUUUGHHGGH!

Carlin was a major influence on my comedy education; I took a lot of my intonation, my use of voices, my use of words, from him. In my estimation, no comic had better timing than Carlin (at least until the 80s... his recent material is best forgotten). Very sad to lose an influence of such stature.

538 Map of the Week #3

538 Map of the Week

Summary Changes:
Week 3: Obama 337, McCain 201
Week 2: Obama 273, McCain 265
Week 1: Obama 279, McCain 259




What a major shift! What happened? Well, according to 538's Nate Silver: Florida, Virginia, Missouri and even Indiana are now light light blue.

Because Why Not At This Point

Still logy.

"I Am Aware of All Internet Traditions"

Because I am still logy from a 48-hour deadline push, I am easily suckered into peer-pressure, internet-style. John Cole claims that "This may be the greatest thread in the history of the intertrons."

Why? Because some doofus didn't understand what the blogger was saying, expressed his confusion and when he was corrected refused to accept the reprimand. In so doing, he defended himself from any criticism by claiming the now immortal phrase "I Am Aware of All Internet Traditions."

At least at Balloon-Juice that phrase will live long.

Fun: Do It Yourself Obama Poster

Found this rolling through the internet: :: DO IT YOURSELF BARACK OBAMA POSTER ::

Fun stuff. As you can see, I changed my blog logo to fit this new ethos.

Hillary's Martyrdom

Jason Zengerle makes a good point today in TNR: Hillary's Martyrdom Isn't All It's Cracked Up To Be:

Hillary's martyrdom differs from Bill's [Styx: post-GOP witch hunt] in one key detail: he survived impeachment; she didn't survive the Democratic primary. Heilemann makes it clear that Hillary still wants to be president, but it's really hard to see how she'll ever accomplish that. If Obama wins, she won't be able to run until 2016, when she'll be 69 and as fresh as Hubert Humphrey was in 1968. And if Obama loses, a decent segment of black and activist liberal voters will probably hold Hillary at least partly responsible for his defeat, no matter how hard (and how disingenuously) she campaigns for him this fall. And as Hillary learned in '08, you can't win a Democratic primary without those voters. In other words, Hillary's martyrdom might have made her more resonant, consequential, and potent, but I don't think it's made her more presidential.

She's damaged goods, and the damage was all self-inflicted.

Backpost finished 2009-12-03, with a fixed link.

The Hagiography of Russert

Jack Shafer, one of the best things about Slate magazine, agrees with me about the selfish wasting of airspace and attention of the death of Tim Russert (for an example, see Remnick at The New Yorker.) Basically, they are treating him as an important world leader when, basically, he's just another of the pack of journalist-talking heads who emphasized the horse-race over real substance. Every prominent journalist who was working from 2001-2008 should be ashamed about what they let the Bush Administration get away with.

Here's a choice quote from Shafer's piece, The Canonization of Saint Russert:

I wonder whether the media grievers gave a moment of thought to how this Russert torrent they produced played with viewers and readers. Did the grievers really think Russert was so important, so vital to the nation's course, and such an elevated human being that he deserved hour upon hour of tribute? I wonder whether any of the responsible journalists paused to think, Hey, this is really weird. We're using our unchecked editorial power to soak the nation with our tears about our friend, and that's unseemly!

On days like this, I, too, hate the press.

Join the club, Jack.

Pic from here. Backpost finished 2009-12-06.

Sebelius vs. Hillary

The TNR quotes from this Washpost story about Hillary supporters pushing back against Kathleen Sebelius as a possible Obama VP because, wait for it, Sebelius is too nice. And, evidently, the Hillary supporters that interest the mainstream media the most, are unhinged wackos who back Hillary mainly because she's equally mean as they.

Why is it that I - a major Hillary hater - have more respect for her than her supposed supporters? Logic would state that the media just seeks out the crazies, because certainly there must be some sane people among the millions who voted for her. These 'journalists' just prove, again, that they are out to create trouble and stir up controversy in the hopes of stirring up revenue.

I'm on record supporting Sebelius as Obama's VP, she seems to be a good electoral choice, and it is about time to have a woman hired into the White House.

Pic self made. Backpost finished 2009-12-07.

Scariest Video Ever

Retrojunk is an important memory bank for Gen-Xers like me, especially in their trove of TV show intros.

While surfing there the other day, I came across what may be the scariest video ever: the He-Man intro in German.

Why so scary? Well, the dialogue of the intro, as you probably know by heart, contains this line: "Fabulous secret powers were revealed to me the day I held aloft my sword and said 'by the power of Greyskull. I have the power!' Cringer became the mighty Battle Cat and I became He-Man the most powerful man in the universe."

It's already pretty spooky when, in the normal English intro, 'Adam' declares "I have the power!" When it's bellowed in German? Holy moley. Everything screamed in German in scary, but especially when musclebound warriors in blond page-boys scream about being supermen.

(see another version, less scary, at youtube here; but this second youtube version is also nasty.)

538 Map of the Week

As started here, this is the 538 Electoral Projection Map of the Week ending on 6/13.

Summary Changes:
Last week: Obama 273, McCain 265
This week: Obama 279, McCain 259 (Michigan & Nevada moved from almost red to toss-up white)

Well That Didn't Take Long

Yesterday, the Supreme Court miraculously reinstated habeas corpus. The country is slowly edging back from the Bush precipice. In Boumediene v. Bush:

The majority found that the constitutionally guaranteed right of habeas corpus review applies to persons held in Guantanamo and to persons designated as enemy combatants on that territory. If Congress intends to suspend the right, an adequate substitute must offer the prisoner a meaningful opportunity to demonstrate he is held pursuant to an erroneous application or interpretation of relevant law, and the reviewing decision-making must have some ability to correct errors, to assess the sufficiency of the government's evidence, and to consider relevant exculpating evidence. The petitioners met their burden of establishing that Detainee Treatment Act of 2005 fails to provide an adequate substitute for habeas.

This is great news, right? Well, not to John McCain.

From Time, McCain Slams The Supreme Court's Habeas Decision, direct quote from the campaign trail:

The United States Supreme Court yesterday rendered a decision which I think is one of the worst decisions in the history of this country. ... So now what are we going to do. We are now going to have the courts flooded with so-called, quote, Habeas Corpus suits against the government, whether it be about the diet, whether it be about the reading material....

One of the worst decisions? Really?

When I say "didn't take long" that means that McCain has swiftly shown himself to be unfit to be President of the United States. Bush and Co. (which alas has now included Hillary) like to describe the president as "commander in chief" - using military terminology and military imagery. This allows Bush, Hillary, McCain to talk all cowboy like about punching cowpokes in the varmints, or whatever they do in Texas. But the president is actually Chief Executive of the Constitution first and foremost. Which means that he needs to protect our rights, liberties, and freedoms above everything else. That's his job.

I don't want to get all 2nd Amendment here, but ultimately that amendment makes clear that individual safety doesn't stop with the Federal government but with each individual citizen. The president's job is to make sure that government doesn't take away the liberties of the citizen. Bush failed spectacularly at that job. By rejecting Boumediene, McCain plans to fail even more. McCain is standing square on Bush's shoulders and appears to be proud to extend Bush's legacy.

If the 2004 election was about the war, 2008 is about the Constitution. McCain has failed.

h/t Sullivan.

Update: More reading - Scott Horton, Dahlia Lithwick, Marty Lederman.

Why There is no 'Liberal' Mass Media

From the TPM, an editorial writer explains why she had to censor her writing about the Iraq War:

"And yet, in the years following 9/11, I felt editorial restraints that never allowed us to tell the whole truth about the lies and deception that led to America's most catastrophic foreign policy disaster. Others in the mainstream media felt far greater restraints. Jessica Yellin, a CNN journalist, for example, says she felt pressured by corporate executives at her previous network to support the Iraq War. To Anderson Cooper, she described how she and others were 'under enormous pressure from corporate executives, frankly, to make sure that this was a war presented in a way that was consistent with the patriotic fever in the nation and the president's high approval ratings.'"

As has been said before, while the writers and even editors of newspapers/TVnews may be "liberal", because these are for-profit businesses, the corporate ownership requires the news to be biased for marketability.

This bias is institutional and also completely understandable and obvious. It's a business; you need to sell papers and/or sell advertising minutes. And since the reporters/owners believed that the country supported a crazy revenge war against the man who tried to kill the president's daddy, then that's the story they were going to sell.

The midterm election of 2002 and the crazy thin-win of 2004 convinced the media ownership that the country was perfectly OK in ignoring the Bush malfeasance. To go against Bush meant to lose advertisers. And since FOXnews was the most profitable 24hr station at the time, it showed the other owners and bureaucrats that Bush-smooching sells.

I believe that the breakdown in this corporate collusion came from two sources: (1) Katrina and then (2) the 2006 midterms.

Katrina gave the rank-and-file reporters some backbone to try to buck their corporate 'responsibilities' and actually report the horrible effects of the Bush administration. Then the polls showed most people agreed (Miers, Schiavo, war dead all helped) then it became more lucrative to allow some criticism of Bush (or at least less slavish coverage). Then the 2006 midterms showed that the country actually wanted to attack Bush, and so that's where we are.

Press 'bias' is a market decision, pure and simple.

I think another bellwether moment was Colbert at the 2006 Correspondents Dinner. At the time, the press corps (following their owners' lead) was horrified that Colbert would dare challenge the naked emperor.

Anyway, this trend of press bias following the conservative business impulse of their owners won't go away until newspapers/newsTV becomes a non-for-profit business again. And I don't know how that will happen.

But read the TPM article to see what I'm talking about.

Murdoch Bets the Smart Money

This story from Reuters has been commented on by a number of blogs, and I finally remembered to join the chorus:

Rupert Murdoch predicts landslide for Democrats By Eric Auchard, Thu May 29, 8:19 AM ET,

CARLSBAD, California (Reuters) - News Corp Chief Executive Rupert Murdoch on Wednesday predicted a Democratic landslide in the U.S. presidential election against a gloomy economic backdrop over the next 18 months.

Murdoch has yet to endorse a U.S. presidential candidate but considers Barack Obama very promising, the media magnate said in an interview by two Wall Street Journal reporters at an annual conference for high-tech industry insiders.
...
"You have got the Obama phenomenon. You have got, undoubtedly, a recession ... The average American is really getting hurt financially and that all bodes well for him (Obama), Murdoch said.
...
Murdoch is associated with conservative political views but has a reputation for a pragmatic streak in major national races where he has shown a willingness to switch sides when he detects major political changes afoot.
...
Murdoch said he had played a role in the endorsement by the New York Post, one of his global stable of papers, in endorsing Obama during the Democratic primary with Hillary Clinton in New York.

Murdoch may be the amoral tyrant of a the Vast Right Wing Conspiracy, but he must also be extraordinarily smart/cunning... and he knows what's coming. It's in the historical structure. Were Obama as untalented in politics as Kerry/Gore, he'd still win. I said before, the only person who could have lost this election was Hillary.

McCain Hates War?

This canard - McCain Hates War - is going to be repeated a lot. So, to push back early, I bring the words/analysis of Matt Yglesias of Atlantic, back from March:

nothing about the fact that John McCain (allegedly) "hates war" should blind us to the fact that McCain loves advocating for the initiation of wars. McCain has a healthy understanding of what war means -- healthier than my own or than George W. Bush's -- but also a radically unsound understanding of how international relations works. To most people, war is horrible but sometimes necessary. To McCain, war is horrible but frequently necessary.

But, read his whole post for the proofs.

Some More Balloon

A few more things I've added to this Ballon-Juice thread (note, I never used to respond on blogs, but BJ feels different: (1) it's filled with a lot of no-nonsense types, men and women, who take pride in seeing through B.S., (2) many posters have swift, sick senses of humor which makes for great reading, and (3) posts are put up pretty quickly - all three things are the opposite on most sites like, for example, TPM/TNR):

jake says: I’m convinced the dude has memorized TAoW [The Art if War].

One thing that impressed me about "Dreams of My Father" is how Barack's upbringing was influenced by lessons learned from his father and step-father - both men were chosen by their countries to come to America to be given high degrees and return back to Kenya/Indonesia to be leaders. Barack's step-father teaching him how to defend himself in the chaotic oppressive weirdness of Indonesia gives insight to how Obama learned to survive in a dangerous world.

Obama as ninja pic from here. Backpost finished 2009-12-06.

Sandman Material, Brewers Phrase & Fable

I'm in my (semi) Annual reading of the Sandman, along with a great book I got from my favorite online remainder store (bookcloseouts.com), The Sandman Companion. The book is a set of interviews between the author Hy Bender and Neil Gaiman, the genius behind Sandman. Bender also provides a background/summary of each book and decent background.

Gaiman mentions in the interview that if come across a weird word in the Sandman you'll never go wrong looking it up in Brewer's Phrase & Fable - and, cool enough, the internet provides an online copy!

So, to test it out, here's Morpheus = (2 syl., the Sleeper). Son of Sleep, and god of dreams: so called because he gives these airy nothings their form and fashion.

Here's another online Brewers: From Bartleby.com, and the dream/morpheus entry.

Backpost finished 2009-12-23.

Meaningless Prediction: The Possible Maps

I linked below this week's 538 map which shows, I believe, the very highest number of states that McCain will get and lowest for Obama.

The stats are, Obama at 273, McCain 265. GOP gets Florida, Michigan, Virginia according to current polls and Ohio is a dead 50/50 heat.



I have developed two maps showing what I think will happen in November. Scenario is the best I can hope for if current trends continue. By this I mean that given Obama's strengths as a campaigner, and given the unobstructed field (no more Hillary), I believe Obama will be able to pick up these states: MI, VA, NV, OH, MO, and 1 seat in Nebraska (it doesn't go winner-take-all). I'm also wagering that heavy campaigning in Florida will bring it to the fold, but that's the biggest toss-up I see in November, given current trends.

Scenario 1 Total: Obama 320, McCain 218


Scenario 2 is what *could* happen if the Democratic party gets it's act together and McCain is as terrible in November now as he was Tuesday night. Also this scenario projects maximum damage from Bob Barr's Libertarian campaign which may pick up protest votes in the deep South from people who hate McCain as much as they do Obama. Ron Paul doesn't seem to be mounting a third party run, but if he did, that would just go into the Barr spoiler camp.

The pickups in Scenario 2 are GA & NC from the Barr nonsense, North & South Dakota and New Hampshire from Barr and GOP implosion. The final tallies are:

Scenario 2 Total:Obama 387, McCain 151


Note, if the Republicans had run Romney and/or if the Democrats had run an Edwards-Obama ticket like I expected, it would have been possible that we would have had a massive landslide, possibly picking up Arkansas, West Virginia, Tennessee, and others in the South. Ah well.

Hillary's Debt

Balloon-Juice quotes this Hill story:

After a long primary season, the Clinton campaign’s expenditures have far exceeded the amount of donations it has received so far, and the campaign has accumulated debt of more than $19 million, according to campaign finance reports. Much of that debt consists of unpaid salaries and bills to vendors.

One commenter asks how it's possible that Clinton went so deep in debt in what was clearly a futile contest (she was mathematically eliminated after her 11 straight losses in February weren't offset by wins in Ohio & Texas).

Here's my response:

This is ridiculous. Clinton has to pay it. You just don’t accidentally run up a $20 Million Debt

I think it's called "shooting the moon." As far as I can tell - trying to put rational thought into what appears to be a deranged woman's head - her team spent money like gangbusters, and ran a scorched-earth campaign, in order to get within 2 digits of delegates of Obama (i.e. under 100, 99 would be fine, just like her 9.2 win in PA became 10 points, it works in reverse too).

With just 2-digits separating 'em, Hillary was going to pitch to the superdelegates that she *had* to take it to Denver and to force a floor-fight. Because 2 digits is just "too close." I read yesterday (can't find so quickly) that this was the thinking.

So the spendthrifting, the bridge-burning, was going to pay off if she could just get under 100. Then she'd claw her way to a floor fight and emerge bloody and victorious... and then pay off the debts.

This also explains the behavior of her top surrogates. This pyramid scheme was the only way they'd get paid as well. The Clintons made too many promises since 2000 to too many people - my assumption is they have a "promise debt" to go with this money debt - and so all of her surrogates needed to go along.

Its the mentality of a gambler, really. If you're so deep in the hole, the concept of stopping is crazy because if you owe $10,000, then the next humongous bet will pay that off if you win! And when that fails, make another humongous bet. Lather, rinse, repeat.