|
|
by doug | November 7th, 2008 @ 12:18 am
I am still drifting along in a combination of post-election denouement and increased workload. This blog has new areas to delve into now that Barry O. is assembling his transition team. In short – Lonely Blue Boy, the political arm of the grammaticalaxy, will be transitioning as well… from cheerleader to watchdog. Now that we have placed our presidential candidate in power and helped consolidate our position in congress, it is time to make sure those that represent our interests in Washington and in the world stay true to the movement, to the promises they made, and to the commitment to strive ever onward toward that impossible ideal – a more perfect union. We will be watching, President Obama.
And while I’m on a political tangent, I might as well voice my incredulity at the fact that, in California, a vast majority of that state’s citizens voted a progressive, African-American man into the highest office in the world, and at the same time voted against equality for same-sex couples. It is disturbing. And I am having to try very, very hard not to let that abominable intolerant streak get in the way of my jubilation in the wake of the national election.
 My creativity is in a bit of a slump this week, but it is due to the acquisition of a new creative tool – my new Nikon D90. So my literary ramblings and photo posts have ebbed as I am reading up on the technical and artistic elements involved in sophisticated digital photography. In other words, be patient. Less posting now should equal a deluge in the near future.
It is actually a pretty good time to take up this new diversion, since the election season is over and my workload at the office is on the rise. I can let myself recharge and re-imagine some things – about this blog, about my daily life, and about my short- and long-term goals. I am going to devise a system, either public or private, with which I will be able to track my progress health-wise. I was kicking around implementing an entirely electronic “to-do list” system, but I ultimately decided against it. Diet and exercise and other routine, day-in and day-out goal oriented tasks lend themselves well to the kind of online journal I’m envisioning, but good old pen and paper has never failed me in organizing my daily priorities. Technology, like all things, is probably best embraced in moderate amounts.
Anyhow, please continue to watch this space, if you are so inclined. There will be more content shortly. And there should be more, and better, photographs as well.
by doug | November 4th, 2008 @ 7:57 pm
Well, here I am. I voted at lunch today – all for Democratic candidates with the exception of the congressional race, where Republican incumbent Spencer Bachus is running unopposed (I wrote-in Nick Saban). I have gone against party lines before – two years ago I voted for our Republican governor Bob Riley – but not this time. And for every sarcastic or sadly non-ironic pro-McCain quip I have read tonight on social networks Facebook and Myspace, I cast, along with my vote for progress, my middle finger high into the Alabama air. I try real hard to be gracious, but blind, ignorant comments like those spoil the whole thing.
It is early yet, and I intend to update this post periodically throughout the night with random thoughts on the election and the coverage and what not. So far, my only comment is a negative one regarding the coverage on CNN. I eventually had to turn it to MSNBC when CNN broke out the “never before seen on television” Jessica Yellin hologram. Re-fricking-diculous.
Of course, now that my wife has gotten home, the TV is back on CNN (she likes John King). More to come.
…
8:15 CST
Looking like a good night for us so far. Pennsylvania was called surprisingly early, and with not a whole lot of explanation as to why. I’m a little skeptical of races that are called before any precincts are reporting, but I’ll take it nonetheless. Florida is interesting. Virginia looks a little closer than I thought it would be, especially with such strong support for its former governor Mark Warner. North Carolina might be the early dagger to the heart.
I’m not popping the champagne corks just yet, but I am optimistic.
…
8:43
Ohio. That’s got to hurt. This is now about how big a win this is going to be for Barack. John King is spelling it all out on the map, in a way that is really all the more amusing due to the fact that John King is trying very hard not to sound amusing. I have been waiting eight years for a night like this, my friends.
…
9:35
Not much happening in the past hour or so. They’ve made the fascinating determinations that Arkansas and Mississippi have gone to McCain. Extra, extra… read all about it. I hate the mainstream media.
…
9:50
That f#$%ing hologram is back. Will.I.Am. That’s news?
Speaking of, you know, actual news – it looks like we’re going to fall a little short of the 60-seat filibuster-proof majority in the U.S. Senate. It was always kind of a distant dream, but I’d held out a sliver of hope anyway. No matter. Polls close on the west coast in about 7 minutes. Let’s see if the talking heads and crappy special effects can make enough predictions to push this one over the edge.
…
10:00
And there you have it. I don’t have the words. Now I only hope that he can be the President that we all hope he will be. These crowd shots are truly incredible. The greatest disgrace now would be for President Obama to just turn out to be another two-faced, power hungry politician. I, obviously, do not believe that will be the case. I think, though, that we cannot approach this as merely the end of the journey (though it certainly seems like a victory celebration is in order). This is a beginning, and we have to keep the movement rolling on. Progress is not an end goal. It is a state of constant motion toward a higher ideal. We cannot stop. We cannot congratulate ourselves for what we have achieved – though we certainly have achieved a great deal as Americans and democrats and world citizens. We must, must, must push on. Equality. Liberty. Prosperity. Responsibility. And halle-freakin-lujah – there is one end we can celebrate. The final chapter of this eight-year long national disaster has been written at last.
Your President-Elect:
by doug | November 3rd, 2008 @ 8:40 pm
The second post of the night is a reminder that tomorrow is, at long last, election day. It has been a long haul, but a fun one. I am not going to make any last minute pleas to your liberal leanings. You all know where I stand on things. I would encourage you, though, to take the time and vote. Vote thoughtfully. Vote your interests. But most importantly simply cast a vote for somebody. I am more disturbed by people who say they are undecided or that they don’t care or that they don’t have time. Indifference cannot be tolerated, and there are more candidates on the ballot than just the two from the major parties. Vote for Barr or Nader if you don’t like either of the top two choices. And educate yourselves on the other state and local races and initiatives that are on the ballot. This is important, and it is vitally important for each of us to be part of the process. Now go out there and pull those levers hard! Good night.
by doug | October 30th, 2008 @ 12:49 am
Look. I am either overloaded or brain-dead. All I am reading about is the election, and all I am inclined to talk about is the election (and maybe Alabama football). The problem I run into while I’m perusing all of the various blogs and news articles during the day, is that I cannot possibly make a stronger argument than those who do this sort of thing for a living. So it is with a strange mixture of relief and resignation that I endeavor to submit my personal list of must-read political material. I will continue to keep a sharp eye out for these sorts of articles from now until election day. These will be selected for their relevance to my undecided, conservative and libertarian readers. My only personal, direct plea to those friends would be that they should read these pieces with unbiased eyes. You don’t have to take them to heart. You don’t have to agree with them or with me. But please click the links and give them a once-over. I don’t want to destroy your way of life or take away your hard-earned income, and neither do the progressive politicians I endorse. I don’t want to debate or argue. I just want to present these closing arguments from a diverse range of political thinkers. Here’s the first batch:
1) Ryan Sager on how Karl Rove and his protégés have alienated the fiscal conservatives and libertarians.
2) Robert Shrum on the changing times – the failure of Reagan-era politics and economic theory.
3) Andrew Sullivan’s Top Ten Reasons Conservatives Should Vote For Obama. A snippet:
Until conservatism can get a distance from the big-spending, privacy-busting, debt-ridden, crony-laden, fundamentalist, intolerant, incompetent and arrogant faux conservatism of the Bush-Cheney years, it will never regain a coherent message to actually govern this country again.
4) Anne Applebaum, an “independent female voter” on Why McCain Lost Me.
5) An Adobe Flash presentation of the many, many conservative thinkers, writers and politicians who have turned away from the Republican Party due to “The Palin Effect”. My favorite quote is from Christopher Hitchens:
This is what the Republican Party has done to us this year: It has placed within reach of the Oval Office a woman who is a religious fanatic and a proud, boastful ignoramus. Those who despise science and learning are not anti-elitist. They are morally and intellectually slothful people who are secretly envious of the educated and the cultured. And those who prate of spiritual warfare and demons are not just “people of faith” but theocratic bullies. On Nov. 4, anyone who cares for the Constitution has a clear duty to repudiate this wickedness and stupidity.
More to come over the next and final week of the 2008 election season.
by doug | October 24th, 2008 @ 3:09 pm
It is that time again. Didn’t we just do this?
Next Thursday I will grudgingly celebrate my birthday… alone. That’s right. My wife will be out of town on a business trip. Not only do I have to ponder what it means to be striding ever closer to the death that awaits us all, I get to do that all by myself. So, in the interest of cheering myself up, I am officially opening the comment box (the “Slap Me” link at the bottom of the post) for suggestions on what I should do to take my mind off the passage of time, etcetera. Good movies, local events, sadness, happiness… it doesn’t matter. Help me out here.
…
Politics:
Aren’t we all Scott McClellan and Colin Powell, really? If we voted for George W. Bush, we were good little conservatives who believed him when he promised to cut spending and reduce the size of government. If we didn’t vote for him, at least we thought after 9/11 that he might be the right man at the right time. In the end, we were pawns. We were blindfolded and led to support wars based on falsehoods and legislation based on ill-conceived notions of “homeland security.” We were lied to, and our collective name has been sullied right along with that of the administration we elected to office TWICE. We should all be as pissed and disenchanted as the former Secretary of State and WH press secretary. We should all be ready for real change in Washington. The word is thrown around so much now that it doesn’t have much meaning left, but the concept is solid: it is time for a new philosophy, a new way of doing business in DC, a new image to show to the rest of the globe. No third term. No fear tactics. No smear politics. No McCain. No Palin.
…
Football:
Thanks, Auburn. Way to screw up our strength of schedule.
…
Halloween:
It is almost time for the annual Halloween Party in Memphis. My costume is coming together, finally. Right now I’m just hoping people will get it. If not, it will just be offensive. In previous years, I have been the pope, Prince, and Caligula.
I hope I haven’t set the bar too high.
…
Religion:
Those of you who are concerned for my immortal soul will be happy to know that I have taken your advice and purchased Strobel’s The Case For Christ. I have not given equal time to the pro-religion side of the argument, and I hear this is a good book for that purpose. Far be it from me to be as closed-minded as the fruitcakes I sometimes rail against. I’ll let you know my opinion once it has been read (there are a couple of titles ahead of it in the queue).
…
And that’s all I’ve got. We’re going to Ocean tonight for an early birthday celebration. Last time was divine. I will let you know how it is the second time around.
by doug | October 17th, 2008 @ 4:23 pm
Public Radio:
WBHM (90.3 FM) began their Fall fundraising campaign this Wednesday. So far it seems to be less intrusive under the new station format – they do not seem to be as willing to interrupt the national news programs with the pledge drive info as they were when they played classical music all day. So, whereas before this would have been a personal plea to please give so that I can have my radio back, this time around I will simply try to appeal to your better natures. Certainly, if you live in Birmingham and listen to WBHM regularly, you should seriously consider supporting the station with a small donation (rhyme time!). If you are outside of the B’ham market, then I would urge you to donate to your local public media outlet. It is an undervalued community service that deserves our support.
…
I’m a Funcle (again)!
That’s either “Fake uncle” or “Fun uncle,” in case you were wondering. The eminent Memphissian physician’s new baby boy arrived at 1:51 PM and weighed in at a healthy 7 lbs. 10 oz. Congratulations, mi compadre!
…
Kentuck:
 It is time again for Northport’s Kentuck Arts Festival. I have missed out on it the last couple of years – and if not for The Terminal calling my attention to it, I probably would have missed it again. If the rain holds off, the weather should be fantastic for browsing the rows of arts & crafts booths at this nationally-renowned event. I’m thinking about going on Sunday, mostly so I won’t butt up against the Tuscaloosa game traffic. In addition to artists showcasing their works, there will be food and live music. Check out the list of participating artists at their web site, and make plans to attend and support this wonderful cultural institution! I’ll be there, and I just might come back with an art or two.
…
Blog-Friendly Establishment Amendment:
Last week I bemoaned the lack of prime coffee-shop space from which to read, write, browse & broadcast. Today I decided to try out o kafés – a new coffee house in Pepper Place. It is beyond ideal. The place is huge (not that it needs to be – there is one other patron in the whole place), it has at least five easily accessible power outlets, a number of seating options, friendly staff, and good coffee – all in a wonderfully eclectic and industrial atmosphere. The WiFi connection is better than the one I’ve got at the house – as fast as you could possibly want. The lack of patronage is a little troubling, as I would really like to see this spot succeed. I’ve only been here for 45 minutes or so, but already I can say it is my new favorite place to indulge in the solitary literary and geeky pleasures.
…
Music:
I love this idea. Three songwriters (and a group of around 50 collaborating artists) took an off-the-wall suggestion and turned it into a 3-disc opus: Of Great and Mortal Men. It is a collection of 43 original songs about each of our 43 past U.S. presidents. Especially timely, since we’re going to the polls to elect the 44th in a couple of weeks, this set sounds like it should be both educational and entertaining. Sign me up. I haven’t listened to the songs yet, but I foresee an iTunes visit coming in the near future.
…
Politics:
I think we all needed this: the Alfred E. Smith dinner. Finally a little lightheartedness in a sea of slung mud.
…
Your Weekly Geeky:
Listen to your entire music library anywhere! It’s called Simplify Media. Use this service to access all your music files from your laptop, your work computer, or even your phone! I have 40 GBs of music at home, and now I can listen to every track whether I’m at the coffee house or the office or wherever. Superuseful! Plus, I can share my music with other people who use the software (and I’ll be happy to authorize you – the only stuff you can’t get are the Apple security-enabled files… and I’m working on that). Try this out. It is open-source (read: free)!
…
Toodle-oo and thanks for reading!
|
My creativity is in a bit of a slump this week, but it is due to the acquisition of a new creative tool – my new Nikon D90. So my literary ramblings and photo posts have ebbed as I am reading up on the technical and artistic elements involved in sophisticated digital photography. In other words, be patient. Less posting now should equal a deluge in the near future. 
