snap culture: September 2004

  1. Dr. Phil defeats Bush... William, 9/30/2004
  2. Tyramania Anonymous, 9/30/2004 2 comments
  3. Why hasn't anyone suggested the Washington Wonks? Unknown, 9/30/2004 2 comments
  4. Mr. Darcy is Dreamy! Anonymous, 9/30/2004 0 comments
  5. Kramer vs. Kramer Anonymous, 9/30/2004 0 comments
  6. Whoa William, 9/30/2004 0 comments
  7. Kobe / Shaq battle heats up ben, 9/29/2004 1 comments
  8. Put him in a lock-box! ben, 9/29/2004 0 comments
  9. Enough already William, 9/29/2004 0 comments
  10. mmm mmm good Anonymous, 9/29/2004 1 comments
  11. Colin and Christie: The Nicest Team Anonymous, 9/29/2004 0 comments
  12. "Dear Third, Fourth, and Fifth Grade Parents:" William, 9/29/2004 0 comments
  13. Painting prodigy? Anonymous, 9/28/2004 1 comments
  14. Just like you're there William, 9/28/2004 0 comments
  15. The Daily Show Factor William, 9/28/2004 0 comments
  16. Catching up William, 9/28/2004 0 comments
  17. Tonight's the night William, 9/27/2004 2 comments
  18. the dreaded "rear admiral" ben, 9/24/2004 0 comments
  19. landmark my a**! ben, 9/24/2004 0 comments
  20. don't you hate pants? ben, 9/22/2004 1 comments
  21. We've got mail William, 9/22/2004 0 comments
  22. Trail of cheers William, 9/22/2004 0 comments
  23. What the Washington Post doesn't want you to see... William, 9/21/2004
  24. On the tube tonight William, 9/21/2004 1 comments
  25. Is Ali G's reign over? William, 9/20/2004 0 comments
  26. Searching for Dick Cheney William, 9/20/2004 0 comments
  27. Oops... she did it again William, 9/20/2004 0 comments
  28. It's his prerogative William, 9/17/2004 1 comments
  29. Anonymous, 9/17/2004 0 comments
  30. Kobe, Kobe, Kobe... William, 9/17/2004 0 comments
  31. Give Mary-Kate le Big Mac, ou deux. William, 9/17/2004 0 comments
  32. It was only a matter of time William, 9/16/2004 0 comments
  33. Unknown, 9/15/2004 2 comments
  34. A well regulated militia, indeed ben, 9/13/2004 0 comments
  35. The people on the bus... William, 9/13/2004 0 comments
  36. Great First Names ben, 9/10/2004 2 comments
  37. Baghdad gets TLC, but not tender loving care William, 9/10/2004 1 comments
  38. The Rules of Hurricane Journalism William, 9/09/2004 1 comments
  39. In My Eyes, Sure Ain't Diamonds in the Sky Unknown, 9/08/2004 0 comments
  40. Unknown, 9/07/2004 0 comments
  41. The Bonds Flotilla William, 9/06/2004 0 comments
  42. Their Parents are Actually Proud! William, 9/02/2004 0 comments
  43. Bush Daughters Flop William, 9/02/2004 1 comments
  44. Anonymous, 9/01/2004 0 comments

9/30/2004

At least in getting his message across during Dr. Phil's visit with the Bush family. Lisa de Moraes summarizes Dr. Phil's message as "a TV talk show hack using the president of the United States as a prop while delivering a big fat plug for his syndicated television show and upcoming book." A funny partial transcript follows suit. William

9/30/2004 Add a comment

Don't get me wrong. I love America's Next Top Model just as much as the next girl. And I was psyched when the third cycle (apparently the fashion industry is too fierce for ordinary words like "season") began. But the first two episodes have bummed me out. The girls are just as nasty to each other; the editing is just as entertaining; the fashion shoots are just as ridiculous to watch. So what's the problem? Too much Tyra. Get off my TV screen, woman! She's gorgeous, she's accessible, and she's clearly the star of the show. But ANTM always worked best when Tyra was a little remote, a little inaccessible. She was the judge who was too glamorous for the girls, the model who made cameo appearances among the mere contestants to dole out advice. But she's had more camera time in these two episodes than the contestants combined. And the cheese factor is way up. Witness, for example, the scene where Tyra, reclining in her boudoir, views the photos from the Jamaica swimsuit shoot on her laptop. She's obviously acting--there's no way she's making that decision in that shot. And you can tell--especially when she decides to kick out Magdalena and proceeds to rest her head on her pillow and switch off her night lamp. Umm, yeah. Are we supposed to believe that Miss Tyra just didn't notice the massive camera crew and the sound guys tiptoeing out of her bedroom? Whatever. ANTM is at its best when it's most real--and by pushing Tyra into every shot, it becomes less authentic and more staged. It's as if Phil gave inspirational comments to the Amazing Racers while jogging along besides them, or as if Jeff Probst joined the Survivors for dinner every night. I'm sure Tyra is launching her talk show and all, but the editors have to make a choice between Tyra's career and the integrity of their silly and fabulous modeling show.
Anonymous

Comments

  1. Anonymous Anonymous: Hey ##NAME##,
    I've been out searching for ##LINK## blogs for hours and it was nice to have found yours. Just thought I would check out the post ##TITLE## and come up with ideas for extra income. Have a nice day :-)     12/08/2005  
  2. Anonymous Anonymous: Good comments. But, I do not agree with most of them. People sure have a lot of time on their hands. 3/23/2006  

9/30/2004 Add a comment

I appreciated this list (a few graphs down) of potential names for the new DC baseball team. "Snakeheads" is a great idea, because those fish are quite scary. But the "Filibusters (Busters)" and "Federals (Feds)" have comic value, along with cute nicknames. Maybe they could get real Feds to come to games as mascots!

It all reminds me of when my elementary school, Glover Elementary, picked a new school team name in a schoolwide ballot. I think "Globetrotters" won, but my favorite choice was the "Gobstoppers".
Unknown

Comments

  1. Blogger ben: Best name I've heard is the Washington Grays (it's on the list), which would pay much-deserved and much-overlooked homage to the Negro Leagues. Plus they had really cool uniforms and hats, which would make the team popular before it even exists! 9/30/2004  
  2. Anonymous Anonymous: Awesome! Searching for the keyword
    seek traffic came across ur blog.
    http://www.1st-choice-4-website-traffic.com
    seek traffic     3/06/2006  

9/30/2004 Add a comment

Apparently, Mr. Darcy (from Pride and Prejudice, for those of you not completely obsessed with the books of Jane Austen) is the fictional character most women would like to date. How dare all of these women try to steal my literary boyfriend! But Cherry Potter, writing in the Guardian, thinks we're all crazy anyway. "The fact is that dark, smouldering, moody, charismatic, arrogant Darcy types, whom we hate at first sight and then later find ourselves falling in love with, often - particularly after we have married them - turn out to be rigid, dominating and controlling," she argues. But what she doesn't get is that these characteristics are exactly why Mr. Darcy is my literary boyfriend, not my real-life boyfriend. That's the point of reading, after all--to be able to live different lives, imagine ourselves differently. And besides, Colin Firth is dreamy. (Thanks to Bookslut for the link.)
Anonymous

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9/30/2004 Add a comment

Larry Kramer, the author, activist, and founder of ACT-UP, gave a million dollars to Yale University in 2001 to found the Larry Kramer Initiative for Lesbian and Gay Studies at Yale. Last week, LKI organized a conference: Regarding Michael Jackson: Performing Racial, Gender, and Sexual Difference Center Stage. Happily post-modern and pop-culture savvy? Larry Kramer doesn't think so.
Anonymous

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9/30/2004 Add a comment

The Crawford, Texas, newspaper endorses Kerry. The LAT has a story about the decision. (LAT registration required, via Romenesko) William

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9/29/2004 Add a comment

The LA Times has a piece today which details what Kobe Bryant told police during the questioning when he was accused of rape. Specifically he talks about how Shaq would pay up to a million dollars to women to not say anything in "situations like this".

Needless to say, Shaq is none too thrilled about these allegations, or the fact that his name would come up in a criminal investigation like Kobe's. Shaq's comments are not yet online, but he says something to the effect of "I'm not the one who pays for love. He's the one paying for love" (I heard the quote on SportsCenter, so I'm paraphrasing here).

What a low blow by Kobe. I'm sure many NBA players are going to be gunning for him for slurring a teammate like Shaq, especially given the level of respect Shaq has in the league. Shaq's Miami Heat face the Lakers for the first time on Christmas Day. Looks like Santa's bringing a pissed-off seven-footer to the Staples Center. ben

Comments

  1. Blogger ben: I beat ESPN to this one by a few hours...here's their story with the actual Shaq quote:

    "I'm not the one buying love. He's the one buying love."     9/29/2004  

9/29/2004 Add a comment

Today's must-read: Al Gore gives advice on how to debate George Bush in the Times.

My personal advice, number 1: Speak in short sentences, as advised by Harry Shearer in this NPR piece from yesterday. Some great fake Kerry-isms, such as, "I am, as it must now be obvious, speaking in short sentences".

Number 2: Don't try to be all buddy-buddy with the American people. You're not going to fool anyone with lines like "Who among us doesn't like NASCAR?" Show us that you know what the right direction for this country is.

Take this advice to heart, and go get him, Kerry! ben

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9/29/2004 Add a comment

I'm so tired of the back-and-forth, will-they-or-won't-they to really care about the Expos moving to D.C., but it's worth noting that they finally announced that they will. William

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9/29/2004 Add a comment

Happy birthday to Chocolate and Zucchini! No, not the foods--the blog. For those of you who pay no attention to the food blog scene (and yes, there is such a thing!), Chocolate and Zuccini is a darling food blog written by Clotilde, a Frenchwoman who writes in English, takes terrific digital photos, and has a knack for inventing lovely recipes and even more lovely phrases to describe them. Plus, C&Z gives you insight into what it's like to be French with food--shopping at local markets, oohing and aahing over local ingredients, going out to restaurants, and, of course, cooking for your friends and lovers (ooh la la, tres French!). Happy First Birthday, baby blog!
Anonymous

Comments

  1. Blogger William: Has she invented a recipe for chocolate and zucchini? I'd like to see that. 9/29/2004  

9/29/2004 Add a comment

It was the edit! They were looking for villains! We're really nice to each other! And to the rest of the teams! So sayeth Colin and Christie, second place finishers of The Amazing Race's Amazing Fifth Season. The scary part is the mention of their future grandchildren (prediction: they'll be INTENSE). How are you going to explain the ox incident, Colin?
Anonymous

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9/29/2004 Add a comment

"It is with great regret that I tell you that your child may have been exposed to alcohol today at lunch." William

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9/28/2004 Add a comment

Four year-old Marla has sold 24 paintings for a total of $40,000, but her work will not be shown at the feminist exhibition Rude and Bold Women (October at the Y.M.C.A. in Binghamton). Anonymous

Comments

  1. Blogger Unknown: Huh. Her paintings are pretty neat. They look kind of like an adult imitation of finger-painting, but are better than that too. Unified somehow. Like, she could probably paint something that more resembled a dinosaur, but chose not to. All in all, nice paintings, but are they $6000 nice? At least the people buying her work have better taste than the many, many who buy Thomas Kinkead.

    Do you think people display them on the fridge?     9/30/2004  

9/28/2004 Add a comment

Want to know what it's like to travel in India? Slate's Seth Stevenson gives you a pretty good idea in this weeklong series of dispatches. William

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9/28/2004 Add a comment

Recently, when Jon Stewart went on "The O'Reilly Factor," blowhard Bill O'Reilly called Stewart's "Daily Show" audience "stoned slackers." Turns out a study shows that viewers of "The Daily Show" are more likely to have completed four years of college. Hardly surprising. (via Romenesko) William

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9/28/2004 Add a comment

Snap Culture has been pretty busy lately, so it's without further ado that we catch up on a few items we missed the first time around:

* With airlines teetering on the brink of failure, airports serving small, remote communities could shut down.

* Wonkette got a sparkling profile in the New York Times Magazine. Shows how small DC is when she has turned into a moderate celebrity. Isn't she old news by now?

* Shows like "Trading Spouses" (which can be quite good) have brought kids front and center under reality TV's harsh lights of judgment. I hate to say I told you so.

* A funny story about Serbia's president and other politicians driving a taxi for a reality TV show.

* The Washington Post has published the first two parts of an excellent four-part series on what it's like to be young and gay in the south. The rest of the series runs on Oct. 3 and 4. William

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9/27/2004 Add a comment

NBC just announced that Conan O'Brien will take over for Jay Leno on "The Tonight Show" in 2009. Conan has been rumored to want an earlier time slot, and without a move by Leno, it meant Conan would be competition on another network. NBC's move means they will maintain a pretty good hold on late-night television, even when the better stuff is happening over on Letterman or, especially, Comedy Central. O'Brien will undoubtedly have to tone down his show for the 11:30 audience, which should be considered more mainstream than his usual 12:30 audience.

This announcement comes at a time that networks are increasingly worried about the future as cable and other media are eroding television ratings. Looking at the big three network news divisions, Tom Brokaw has already announced his departure after this election (to be replaced by Brian Williams), and Peter Jennings and beleagured Dan Rather aren't getting any younger. In fact, rumor is starting to spread that CBS has been looking for a Rather replacement.

This is an interesting time for television, no doubt. Stay tuned. (Sorry, it was too easy.)
William

Comments

  1. Blogger ben: Conan isn't going to be too happy about this news at all. Waiting for 5 more years to be a headliner? I don't know if he's willing to wait that long. He's voiced frustrations about it in the past. When "his turn" comes he will have already done his show for 16 years! 9/28/2004  
  2. Blogger William: It seems that Conan must be in on the deal, so I don't know how pissed he can be. He's probably quietly seething about having to wait five years, but he will eventually get the prize he wants. Also, Lisa de Moraes has an excellent piece about the announcement with a lot backbiting and behind-the-scenes networkspeak. 9/28/2004  

9/24/2004 Add a comment

John Kerry, shown shaking hands at a rally at the University of Pennsylvania, was completely unprepared for a severe wedgie ruthlessly performed by two well-dressed men on Friday. Kerry was quickly taken to the hospital for wedgie-related injuries on which the campaign declined to comment. The suit-wearing suspects remain at large.

Two points for anyone who knows the reference in the title.

[photo link] ben

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9/24/2004 Add a comment

What happens when you bastardize the sacred ground of Soldier Field? You lose your national historic landmark status. This shouldn't come as a surprise to anyone. Keeping a few colonnades from the old stadium and then dwarfing them with a spaceship-inspired glass monstrosity does not a "national historic landmark" make. Don't worry Chicago, it's still a landmark. An ugly one, but you can use it to guide your boat around Lake Michigan nonetheless. ben

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9/22/2004 Add a comment

One more reason I want to move to San Francisco...Nude yoga is legal anywhere you want, so long as you don't "exhibit lewd behavior, block traffic, or impede pedestrians". Sign me up! I'm dropping trou and heading to the coast. So long, suckers!

(link safe for work) ben

Comments

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    mens extended size yoga clothing     2/03/2006  

9/22/2004 Add a comment

Reader Andy writes:

Check out George Lucas' revisions of his Star Wars trilogy. Evidently, cleaning up the prints and touching up laser beams wasn't enough; he's gone for wholesale revisionism. Hayden Christiansen in Jedi? Was he even alive when that film was released?
Thanks, Andy! As always, readers are encouraged to send us links and suggestions. Like our new site design? Let us know! William

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9/22/2004 Add a comment

Hank Stuever's piece on the opening of the National Museum of the American Indian is a fun, interesting read about culture clashes between generations and the peculiar sight of men in full headresses talking on their cell phones. William

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9/21/2004


And the rest of this week's Boondocks. Gene Weingarten discusses the decision (and is disgusted by the decision) in his weekly chat. William

9/21/2004 Add a comment

The Emmy-winning Amazing Race wraps up its current season, and the show is finally getting the ratings to match up to the well-deserved hype. Watch it tonight at 9 EST/8 CDT on CBS. William

Comments

  1. Blogger William: Hooray for new millionaires Chip and Kim, who are quite possibly the most beloved reality show contestants in some time. 9/22/2004  

9/20/2004 Add a comment

A truly great Slate article talks about how Ali G is able to trick his interviewees (vague letters, effusive praise, false-front production companies) and ponders whether he's reached his saturation point in the U.S., much like he did after two seasons in the U.K. Writer Sam Schechner ponders whether there is another country as "pompous and credulous as America" in which Sacha Baron Cohen can ply his trade. Um, no. William

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9/20/2004 Add a comment

New York Times writer Rick Lyman has the Dick Cheney campaign beat, but the Veep steadfastly refuses to let Lyman (and his two immediate predecessors) have a seat on Air Force Two as Cheney travels the country leveling wild accusations about John Kerry. There is a slight tables-turning argument, which the Cheney camp uses: there are limited seats, the NYT was late getting its name on the list, it's not personal, etc. And Lyman/NYT sound a little whiny. But still, the most influential newspaper, and perhaps news organization, in the country should probably get a seat, if only for Cheney's own benefit. The NYT coverage might piss you off, Dick, but it's better than pissing them off. Oh, well. If they don't learn one of the top PR rules (Never anger anyone who buys ink by the barrel!), that's their loss. William

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9/20/2004 Add a comment

Britney married that dude. She'll soon be this generation's Elizabeth Taylor. William

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9/17/2004 Add a comment

So when does "reality tv" get the farthest from reality? It's not when people eat horse rectum or marry someone they just met or spend several weeks playing a game with little or no rules. It's when Bobby Brown and Whitney Houston get involved. Bravo will air a show called "Being Bobby Brown" next year, and it will follow the couple around as they probably do drugs (Whitney: "Crack is whack!"), ignore their children, and beat each other up. William

Comments

  1. Blogger ben: Apparently Britney is covering "My prerogative" on her next album, or it's her next video, or something. I can tell you what will happen next: Christina Aguilera will cover "Don't Be Cruel" and then, if we're lucky, Jessica Simpson will cover the "Ghostbusters 2" Song. Too hot to handle, to cold to hold... 9/21/2004  

9/17/2004 Add a comment

I don't know how to post a screen shot or 'freeze' a website on a particular day, but the 9/17/04 National Review Online is going 'rather' nuts over the CBS documents. Of the 20 articles listed on the homepage, 15 mention Rather or CBS in their 4-5 word titles! Of course, focusing on Rather means less time to review the disappearance of the bounce in the latest polls or the latest reports on Iraq.
Anonymous

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9/17/2004 Add a comment

The Vail Daily published an edited transcript of Kobe Bryant's conversation with Eagle County sheriff's office investigators the night after his encounter with the hotel employee. Interesting that Kobe thought first about his image and then about his wife and family. William

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9/17/2004 Add a comment

You would think the Olsen twin handlers (or maybe there aren't any now that they are 18?) would be more selective in their product promotions. Recently eating-disorder-treated Mary-Kate and her sister Ashley are shilling McDonald's Happy Meals in France. William

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9/16/2004 Add a comment

Given the amazing popularity of Dan Brown's The DaVinci Code, Parisian tourguides are beginning to offer tours of the book's many landmarks and plot-relevant art. I sped through TDVC in two days. It was the first novel I read in more than two years. Yes, I'm extremely pathetic, though maybe not as much as the people who shelled out $55,000 for a weeklong tour and the chance to stay in the chateau outside Paris where some of the action takes place.

Most interesting, perhaps, is the tiptoe dance the Louvre is doing to both distance itself from and embrace the book. The curator wants to be serious about the museum's art, but it's also attracts fundraising interest and the bookstore sells the French version of the book. William

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9/15/2004 Add a comment

So, have you read about New Orleans and Ivan? Rarely has a factual news article sounded so much like a Hollywood film pitch. I quote: "You're talking about the loss of a major metropolitain area." "50,000 people could drown." "By evening, the city's few escape routes were spectacularly clogged." "The stranded will not be able to turn to the Red Cross, because New Orleans is the only city in which the relief agency refuses to set up emergency storm shelters, to ensure the safety of it's own staff. Even if a 30-foot-high wall of water crashes through the French Quarter...stranded residents will be on their own."

Click here to read more, including perhaps a unique instance of an American city manager comparing his metropolis with Bangladesh. All it takes is a little water, folks, just a little extra water....
Unknown

Comments

  1. Blogger ben: (cue movie-guy voice:)
    In a town where the sea walls are never high enough, In a town where the bums are never drunk enough, and a town where "hurricanes" used to just be highly alcoholic frozen drinks in bong-like plastic cups,
    The...
    Party...
    Stops...
    Now...

    Ivan and the Big Easy

    Coming soon to a theater near you.     9/15/2004  
  2. Blogger pam: 'Tis too, too true.

    I recently returned to my home in New Orleans, to a beautiful blue-skied day. Two days ago my boyfriend and I were in my car for seven and a half hours. To go 75 miles. Because of this city's poor planning. (Why, make all of the lanes of the interstate go *out* of town? What a brilliant idea! But let's not do it until ten hours after the mayor tells everyone to get the hell out. Am I bitter? Do I sound bitter?)

    Now, this is a great town. But whose bright idea was it to build a city BELOW SEA LEVEL...on top of a SWAMP?

    (guess it's my own fault for living here anyway.)     9/16/2004  

9/13/2004 Add a comment

In honor of one of the most heinous moves by Congress of all time, namely letting the assault gun ban expire, here's a piece from Slate entitled What Does the Second Amendment Say About the Right To Own Guns?

Summary: Good old #2 never says that individuals have the right to bear arms.

Question: Why the hell haven't we been able to do ANYTHING about it? Infuriating! ben

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9/13/2004 Add a comment

Evidently because the title for TV watching was gone (see a few posts below), these San Francisco students decided to ride the length of every bus line in the Bay Area. What a valuable use of time! William

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9/10/2004 Add a comment

Some great first names in the FSU / Miami football game tonight. So good I had to turn to the rosters.

For FSU:
Craphonso
Brodrick
De'Cody
Claudius
Jae
Kamerion
Dumaka
Joslin

For Miami:
Antrel
Santonio
Lovon
Sinorice
Teraz
Quadtrine
Tanard
Orien
Cyrim
Calais
Travarous
Baraka

Wow, and I mean wow. Let's give it up for some creative moms in Florida! Which name is your favorite? I think my is Calais, but it's close. I wonder how he pronounces it.
ben

Comments

  1. Blogger William: No, "Craphonso" is clearly the best. 9/13/2004  
  2. Blogger ben: yeah, but it's pronounced "cra-fonso", so it's best on paper. I had no clue how it was spelled until i looked it up. if he pronounced it "crap-fonso", or, say, "POO-holes" then it would be the funniest.

    yes the cubs have self-destructed and yes, i hate you and your damn cardinals.     9/13/2004  

9/10/2004 Add a comment


I love this story about the rise of reality TV in Iraq. One of the most popular shows? "Labor and Materials," a home-improvement show for those unlucky enough to have been bombed. The story also notes an upcoming scripted drama, called "The Looters," about Iraqis who got rich by looting during the Iraq campaign. And how do you come up with the concept for this one? "Another show, called 'Iraq's Most Melancholy Home Videos,' will capture the reactions of Iraqis watching footage of former neighbors now living abroad."

And finally, this show, which reminds me of an SNL skit called "Who Wants to Eat?" featuring Darryl Hammond as Regis Philbin and Christina Ricci as a poor refugee:

"Ration Card," a series that has an only-in-Iraq feel to it, is one example. In the first episode, a curly-haired redhead in a shimmering green blouse reaches a hand into a swirl of Ping-Pong balls and pulls out one marked No. 8. She dipped her hand into the rotating bucket four more times until she had strung together No. 80497.

The digits turned out to be the national ration card number for Hwaidi Aliya Falah, a poor villager near Kut, in the southern province of Wasit. Falah was the first $1,000 winner on the show, which picks card numbers randomly by lottery and shows footage of producers appearing on the winners' doorsteps to tell them of their windfall. Think Ed McMahon and the Publishers Clearinghouse Sweepstakes, minus the balloons and the big guy in a suit.

William

Comments

  1. Anonymous Anonymous: Let me set the record straight: the Onion article on "Who Wants to Eat a Meal?" came first. "Hosted by popular Russian TV personality Anatoly Ivaskevich, 'Who Wants To Eat A Meal?' gives hungry contestants the chance to answer general-knowledge questions to win food items. ... Bayonet-wielding members of the Russian army then move in to protect the table from rioting audience members, who often storm the set with crude handmade weapons in a desperate attempt to seize a beet."
    -Dan     9/10/2004  

9/09/2004 Add a comment

Miami Herald columnist and bestselling author Carl Hiaasen has a pitch-perfect take on those TV reporters who go out to the middle of the hurricane to report the big story.

For example:

Fallen-tree video is absolutely essential to hurricane broadcasts. The most sought-after footage is, in order of ratings:

1. Big tree on strip mall.
2. Big tree on house.
3. Big tree on car.
4. Small tree on car.
5. Assorted shrubbery on car.


And more of the piece is like this. A very clever read. William

Comments

  1. Blogger ben: My favorite thing to look for is if the correspondent is African-american, or another minority. It's fun to try to figure out why this particular person was shipped to the middle of a hurricane, making them the absolute bottom of the totem pole at the office. More often than not, it seems like it's a black guy out in the storms in Chicago. Detroit as well, where most of the anchors are white. 9/09/2004  

9/08/2004 Add a comment

Ew. The things you miss when you're out of the country. A Dave Matthew's song came on the radio while I was driving with my parents, and I asked my musically-inclined Dad if he knew which band it was. "Oh," he said, "That's that band that dumped the shit on people in Chicago." What?!?! Alas, it's true. And I really like Dave Matthews, but unfortunately this lovely tale has dirtied their reputation a bit...understandably.

Will and I have taken one of those architectural tours, and all I can say is, "Ew". They warn you about not looking up as you go under the open bridge gates, but that advice would not have helped much in this situation.

You can read about it here and here.
Unknown

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9/07/2004 Add a comment

I enjoyed this funny little "conversation with spam" from today's Washington Post. It's good for a laugh.
Unknown

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9/06/2004 Add a comment


Who are those people that sit in McCovey cove waiting for Barry Bonds to splash one? Interestingly, there have been only 45 hit in the bay in five years, 31 of them coming off Bonds' bat. So, the chances of getting a ball aren't very good, though one guy got both home run 660 and 661. William

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9/02/2004 Add a comment

I love this story about two teens who set a record for most consecutive hours of TV watched, especially the last quote. William

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9/02/2004 Add a comment

My favorite tales from the GOP convention involve the Bush daughters and their awkward steps into the spotlight. Turns out there were more reasons than just "letting them live a normal life" to keep them out of the press previously--they may not be the brightest or most gracious. After their horrendous performance on the convention stage on Tuesday (watch it here), the girls have been torn apart in the media. (Example: Weekly Standard editor William Kristol, a conservative, said on Fox News, "I respect Laura Bush and I'm sure the twins will grow up to be lovely women, but the last half-hour did not help, so far as I can tell, President Bush's campaign for reelection.") Maybe one of the biggest culprits in the twins' poor script was Karen Hughes, who allegedly wrote it, and a too-many-cooks vetting process.

Also, I love the mention that they were hosts of "R: The Party"--probably one of the week's few attempted-young-and-hip events--but retreated to a private room with their friends without any meet-and-greet. William

9/01/2004 Add a comment

I went searching for news accounts of the "Death in Gaza" documentary and found Phyllis Chesler's column "Race against Lies" in The Jewish Press, wherein Chesler argues that propaganda from both Western leftists and Arab/Palestinians makes for biased media coverage that consistently frames Palestinians as innocent victims of Israeli aggression. ("In my view, Israel is regrettably responsible for at approximately 5 percent of Palestinian suffering – but no more," she says.)

Of the film, she says:

On August 12, 2004, HBO will be airing James Miller's BBC/Channel 4 film, "Death in Gaza" (in Arabic and Hebrew), in which he interviewed Palestinian children only. Presumably, Miller was going to interview Israeli children too but he never did. Miller's widow, Sophy, has gone on record accusing the Israelis of purposely killing him on his last day of filming in Gaza; if this was indeed his last day then perhaps Miller did not plan to interview any Israeli children after all.

Miller never finished filming his documentary of Israeli and Palestinian children in Gaza because he was shot and killed by Israeli troops in Rafah.

Anonymous

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