The monster mash

Unoriginal, perhaps. But this is my favorite Halloween song.

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I think these cats are related to me

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Quote for the day

I’m often interrogated about being vegetarian (e.g., “What if you find out that carrots feel pain, too? Then what’ll you eat?”).

I’ve also been afraid to feel as if I know better than someone else — a historically dangerous stance (I’m often reminded that “Hitler was a vegetarian, too, you know”). But this book reminded me that some things are just wrong.

Natalie Portman’s column on the HuffingtonPost.

It’s a guilty pleasure reading the celebrity columns on HuffingtonPost. I usually don’t find fault with the ideas just the execution. Some of them are so unbelievably badly written. Not a fan of Jamie Lee Curtis or Alec Baldwin, but I like Steven Weber. Sometimes the celebrity you least think of as a good writer surprises you, as was the case with this column by Rob Thomas.

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Children who run

Here’s a great New York Times article along with great pictures about children who ran the New York Marathon before age restrictions were imposed.

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Quote for the day

You find out the most interesting things in articles detailing the fall of financial institutions. I found out this about failed bank Washington Mutual (WaMu):

“Someone in Florida had made a second-mortgage loan to O.J. Simpson, and I just about blew my top, because there was this huge judgment against him from his wife’s parents,” she recalled. Simpson had been acquitted of killing his wife Nicole and her friend but was later found liable for their deaths in a civil lawsuit; that judgment took precedence over other debts, such as if Simpson defaulted on his WaMu loan.

“When I asked how we could possibly foreclose on it, they said there was a letter in the file from O.J. Simpson saying ‘the judgment is no good, because I didn’t do it.’ “

Well you know, WaMu really got what they deserved.

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I love this

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Organic Chickens

I really enjoyed this column from food writer Nancy Leson. What did I learn? Heritage turkeys = bad. Organic chickens = good.

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Hotmail Stinks (yes, I’m just getting around to this)

I’ve been dealing with Vista issues for the last 2 years of my life, but sometimes something happens that just astounds you. It’s not only that hotmail is incapable of knowing that my email address ends in “@hotmail.com” when I go to log in at http://www.hotmail.com, or that it seems incapable of preventing me from getting bombarded with spam everyday, no that is not the only failure…It now thinks it can predict that I, that would be me the customer, is sending out something suspicious in my message. That’s right. After I’ve logged in to the web site and manually typed in an email address, it thinks I’m doing something bad. Un-fucking believable.

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Can LOL Cats save Seattlepi?

Nearly seven months ago the Seattle Post Intelligencer newspaper converted to an online-only news source. So how’s that going? Judging by the fact that they’re looking to LOL cats to save the day, I’d say not so good.

Today seattlepi.com begins to feature content from the blockbuster site, where site users both submit the funny photos and decide which are good enough to make it to the home page.

By way of introduction, we asked Ben Huh, CEO of Cheezburger Network, formerly Pet Holdings, Inc., to explain what this “lolcat” thing is all about.

Oh, how the mighty have fallen.

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Todd Willingham

Ever since reading the heartbreaking New Yorker article about Todd Willingham’s execution, I haven’t been able to stop thinking about him. I haven’t talked about it, because what can you say? What can say about something so evil as the execution of an innocent man? It challenges our beliefs in a way that isn’t comfortable to think or talk about.

Since I read that article, Governor Rick Perry of Texas has done everything in his power to sabotage an investigation of his conviction and execution. While I can’t transfer my own feelings into words, I feel that John Cole and DougJ at Balloon Juice are really on target.

Pointing out a comment on a Megan McCardle post, DougJ cites the following user comment:

Well Megan, I really don’t see any smoking gun in this case. We know you’re anti death-penalty but this is grasping at straws.

And then says this:

There is no smoking gun that the guy is innocent, so the state was right to execute him.

I totally agree with his sentiment. We’ve come to a point in this country where “innocent until proven guilty” is meaningless. We have guilty until proven innocent. We see that in the indefinite detention of Americans in America, and we see it here in Willingham’s case.

How about this from John Cole:

No, we will not have a serious discussion about the death penalty. In fact, if you want to be exceptionally horrified, check out this Kay Bailey Hutchison statement referencing Rick Perry’s actions:

Cole then quotes Hutchinson:

“As hard as Rick Perry’s office and his campaign may try to divert from the issue, this is not about one man or one case. The issue is Rick Perry’s heavy-handed politicization of a process and Commission established by the legislature to provide critical oversight. First, Rick Perry delayed the formation of the Texas Forensic Science Commission, then he tried to ensure it didn’t have funding and when all else failed, he fired everyone he could. The only thing Rick Perry’s actions have accomplished is giving liberals an argument to discredit the death penalty. Kay Bailey Hutchison is a steadfast supporter of the death penalty, voted to reinstate it when she served in the Texas House and believes we should never do anything to create a cloud of controversy over it with actions that look like a cover-up.”

And provides this commentary:

She’s not concerned that an innocent man might have been killed by the state. She’s concerned that evil liberals might get in the way of killing more people.

This is truly a low point for America.

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Socialism Please Pt 2: Robyn’s Crib

How do Swedish pop stars live?

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Socialism Please

The wingnuts are crazy about not increasing taxes lest we become socialist, but have they ever wondered how stuff gets done. I happened upon this great site from Seattle Public Utilities. Public indeed:

Help Prevent Flooding and Improve Water Quality

Join over 150 volunteers who are maintaining storm drains, a critical part of our utility infrastructure. During the fall months, a combination of changing weather and falling leaves creates a perfect opportunity for flooding. Unfortunately, our full time drainage crews cannot keep up with the thousands of storm drains that need extra maintenance this time of year. That’s where you come in! Removing dirt, silt and debris from the top of the drain helps prevent flooding and diverts pollutants from streams, creeks and other natural waterways.

Watch a video to learn more about adopting a drain.

God forbid you should actually pay anyone for performing this service. Especially in this economy with all sorts of people being out of work. That would be socialism. America, number one in the GDP, can’t even afford to make sure that the streets don’t flood during winter storms without enlisting the help of volunteers. And if you don’t think this is serious business, tell that to the woman who’s partner was drowned in her basement when a storm drain got clogged.

Meanwhile a dam in Washington is at risk and the Army Corps of Engineers urges homeowners to get flood insurance. I can’t imagine how that conversation will go with the insurance companies. “Hello, yes, I’m told my home is at immenent risk from a flood. Can I have flood insurance.” Click.

Infrastructure is really important. And once again, please monitor that volcano 54 miles from Seattle.

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Americans love cars — not so much anymore

Here’s a really interesting article from the L.A. Times. A new study points to the fact that teenagers in America are much less interested in cars than they used to be.

The goal was to gauge the perceptions of Generation Y (those born in the 1980s and early 1990s) toward the automotive industry in general as well as toward specific vehicle brands. The analysis focused on “teens” (ages 12 to 18) and “early careerists” (22 to 29).

According to J.D. Power, “online discussions by teens indicate shifts in perceptions regarding the necessity of and desire to have cars.”

American teenagers without a set of wheels? James Dean, who drove a ’49 Mercury to fame in the 1955 movie “Rebel Without a Cause,” must be spinning in his grave.

Part of the reason could be economic, the study said. During the worst recession since the 1930s, the cost of owning a car probably makes less sense than it did when gas was 30 cents a gallon and every red-blooded American teenager yearned for a Chevy Camaro or a Pontiac GTO.

Later the article points out that China is wild about cars and could save the auto industry. I have a friend at work who is Chinese and he told me as much. He’s lived in the U.S. since he was 16 and recently went home to visit. He said everyone from his family wanted a car and talked a lot about cars. He described feeling the need to try and convince them that cars weren’t really that big of a deal once you had them. He wished he could get them to just trust that eventually the country would get tired of the automobile.

It’s funny, isn’t it? We’re riding our bikes more here, and China is driving cars more.

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The Host

Looking for a scary monster movie? I saw The Host several years ago when it came out. It’s tough to make a monster movie without having some funny moments. This movie certainly has them. What I really liked about it was first it’s not-too-subtle knocks at America. The movie uses as its catalyst a real event. From Cineaste:

While the film tells the story of a fictional disaster (thus making his critique less explicit), Bong intended to make references to real-life events. Bong was inspired by an incident that took place in 2000, when a U.S. military employee ordered 480 bottles of formaldehyde to be dumped into the Han River (the man was arrested, given a suspended sentence, and is now back at his original job). Moreover, the media and government mania stirred by the virus in The Host, which proves to be nonexistent, is meant to reference the Iraq WMD fiasco. And the U.S. military’s indiscriminate use of a mysterious toxic chemical called Agent Yellow alludes to the use of Agent Orange in Vietnam.

You might want to click on the above link if you’ve seen the movie. It’s a good interview.

I also liked how the heroes of this movie are members of not-too-savy family. So often we see films with ordinary people becoming extraordinary when called to duty. But what if it was my family being chased by a monster from the Han river? How would we cope? Much in the same way as the characters do in this film.

The Host Trailer – The most amazing home videos are here

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My first reaction to Obama’s Nobel Peace Prize

Well, it was easy: What does Glenn Greenwald think? I’ve really appreciated the fact that Greenwald since January has continued to criticize both Obama’s policies and continuation of policies which contradict Obama’s promises during the election. While I agree with Greenwald that there is still time to right the wrongs of the Bush Administration, I too am troubled by how slow we are going about doing so. The column is a must read.

Update: An LOL quote from Jake Tapper:

apparently the standards are more exacting for an ASU honorary degree these days

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The Explainer answers a question by yours truly

Reading the New York Times article about a woman who was paralyzed by ecoli, I was struck by the following passage:

The frozen hamburgers that the Smiths ate, which were made by the food giant Cargill, were labeled “American Chef’s Selection Angus Beef Patties.” Yet confidential grinding logs and other Cargill records show that the hamburgers were made from a mix of slaughterhouse trimmings and a mash-like product derived from scraps that were ground together at a plant in Wisconsin. The ingredients came from slaughterhouses in Nebraska, Texas and Uruguay, and from a South Dakota company that processes fatty trimmings and treats them with ammonia to kill bacteria.

How can something labeled Angus beef be a mix of trimmings? Jake wondered if “Angus” had become a fake word that didn’t mean anything similar to the word “natural.” So I asked the Explainer and surprisingly they answered. Here is the link to What is Angus Beef?

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Harry Connick Jr. on Australian Gong Show

I saw this video on the Slog. Harry Connick Jr. is a judge on the Australian Gong Show when the act that appears is in blackface. What does he do? If you can’t stand to watch the whole video, Harry’s commentary is first on 2:15 and then 5:25.

I remember watching a DVD commentary by Mira Nair for the film Monsoon Wedding. Nair was talking about how in some Bollywood films, blackface still makes an appearance.

Probably the most interesting commentary on blackface can be found in Spike Lee’s Bamboozled which I liked a lot. Here’s a trailer for the film.

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Dan Ackroyd as Julia Child

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Bye bye gourmet

I am very saddened to hear that Conde Nast is getting rid of Gourmet magazine. I have so many favorite recipes from Gourmet. Some of my favorites include tarte tatin, chicken liver mousse and fondue. I used to get both Bon Appetit and Gourmet.

While the recipes in Bon Appetit were always nice, the writing in Gourmet was always superior. I remember a great article on eating marrow, or the one about eating a sheep’s head. They described eating things I would never eat in such an entertaining way that I felt like I was able to experience the sensation without actually experiencing it.

This is very sad news. The following excerpt really says it all:

Not only did Bon Appetit have more readers, according to recent statistics from the magazines’ media kits, Gourmet had circulation of 950,000 copies while Bon Appetit had 1.3 million readers. Additionally, Gourmet had a reputation of being a very expensive magazine to run, featuring long articles by well-known writers while Bon Appetit was focused on much more economical, recipe-driven content.

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Emily Post Table Manners

You know you want to know.

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Bicycle repair classes, swimming and more

I have been monumentally busy lately. Busy at work. I think I can truly express authentically what a piece of crap Vista is. For those people who just don’t like how everything is organized, you don’t know the half of it.

Inexplicably I can’t connect to Oracle databases in Access. The whole dang program shuts down. I’ve attempted 20 different work arounds to fix my problem. At one time I had 10 browsers open with the various error messages and steps to fix them. I really liked this one: “5 tedious steps for removing Oracle.” I don’t blame Oracle though. I blame this f—ing operating system.

In livlier news, I have now started a bicycle repair class. It’s so great to think I’ll be able to fix my main vehicle without paying someone else to do so. The teacher also gave me some good tips on how to ride my bike. He talked about how you are the motor. He said keep the gears low and get better excercise rather than put strain on your muscles and joints in a high gear. Protect your motor he said.

Bad knees has led me to go swimming every now and again. It’s much more daunting than running as there is limited space. Even in the slowest lane I get in the way of others.

I’ll be running a half marathon this weekend. Hopefully my knees hold up. Plus, I hope I get over this cold that I have. Some people ask me how I manage to do so much meaning running, swimming, cycling etc. I would like to say that first of all that I am not terribly good at any one of these. And second, sadly I am a truly ultra-efficient human being. My body can survive on half the calories of a typical person, so I have to be active in order to enjoy the pleasures of food and drink. You would never know by looking at me how much I do, but there it is.

I’m sorry for the spotty posting, but as I said I’m kind of busy these days.

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