Musician, songwriter and filmmaker Haylar Garcia has completed work on a new independent film titled Do It For Johnny. You can read the back-story about how he and his colleagues took a "long strange trip" attempting to hunt down actor Johnny Depp and give him a custom guitar with a movie script stuffed into a secret compartment inside. There's also some background information … [Read more...] about Do It For Johnny
Blagojevich and Media Bias
Let me make it clear from the start that I am not a broad conspiracy nut, I do not think the media sits around and plots how to help the Left or hurt the Right. I also think that the media coverage of this story is perfectly proper, focusing largely on the corruption of a Governor. By all accounts he is not close to Obama and I do not expect the media or the public to hold … [Read more...] about Blagojevich and Media Bias
More Bowl-Bound Football Teams Meet Academic Standards
But the racial gap worsened: The academic performance of college football players on bowl-bound teams improved over all this year, compared with previous years, but the gap between white and African-American athletes increased slightly, says a new report from the Institute for Diversity and Ethics in Sport at the University of Central Florida. This year, 91 percent of the … [Read more...] about More Bowl-Bound Football Teams Meet Academic Standards
No Thomas Jefferson Bailout
With Congress preparing a $15 billion Christmas tip for Detroit, a more basic American industry is slowly going under. "If I had to choose," Thomas Jefferson famously said, "between government without newspapers, and newspapers without government, I wouldn't hesitate to choose the latter." The "latter" is in the grip of the financial squeeze and advertising losses in a … [Read more...] about No Thomas Jefferson Bailout
Laughter The Best Medicine
The Reader's Digest had introduced a column "Laughter The Best Medicine" that remained popular for many years. A recent report says that "Strength Through Laughter" therapy being offered by medical facilities in the US is proving effective. Ula Ilnytzky, Associated Press Writer, says: "While the verdict is out on whether laughter plays a role in healing, the American Cancer … [Read more...] about Laughter The Best Medicine
Canada’s Liberals Set to Pick New Leader
Sorry again to be so self-promotional, but, if you're interested, my latest piece at The Guardian on Canada's rather exciting political situation was posted this morning: Ignatieff's moment. It looks like the new leader of the Liberal Party will be former Harvard professor and noted international relations expert Michael Ignatieff. Ignatieff was first elected to … [Read more...] about Canada’s Liberals Set to Pick New Leader
Illinois Governor Arrested
With a hat-tip to NPR and MSNBC, I have gone to the Chicago Tribune's website: Source: Feds take Gov. Blagojevich into custody A source said today that Gov. Rod Blagojevich was taken into federal custody at his North Side home this morning. The U.S. attorney's office would not confirm the information. A Blagojevich spokesman said he was unaware of the development. … [Read more...] about Illinois Governor Arrested
Where Next for Chuck Hagel?
The generally reliable Chris Cillizza posed an interesting question at The Fix this week. He is pondering the fate of several politicos widely expected to wind up in Obama's cabinet, but who now seem destined to be left out in the cold. Three of them are fairly standard fare: Kathleen Sebelius, Tim Kaine and John Kerry. The last choice, however, left me picking my jaw up off … [Read more...] about Where Next for Chuck Hagel?
The Fall of the L.A. Times. The Rise of EPIC?
Tribune Co. which is the parent of the LA Times, among other media holdings, has now filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection. While this is doubtless sad news for the employees and their families, each time we see a story like this I wonder once again whether or not the tale of EPIC 2014 wasn't more prescient than entertainment. For those not familiar, EPIC was a flash … [Read more...] about The Fall of the L.A. Times. The Rise of EPIC?
A Letter from a Gay Christian Conservative
It's not often that I start to write something shaking in anger, but two fellow conservatives, Joe Carter and Daniel Larison have done just that with their callous response to a Newsweek cover story on gay marriage. What's so callous about it, is that their words are written without understanding the life of a gay person who isn't interested in tearing down society, but just … [Read more...] about A Letter from a Gay Christian Conservative
Those Pesky Questions From Bob Barr
This time he has a few teenie weenie ones on...the bailout... … [Read more...] about Those Pesky Questions From Bob Barr
A D.C. Pro Handicaps Obama (Guest Voice Interview)
In this Guest Voice Interview, columnist Bill Steigerwald asks Fox News Washington bureau managing editor Bill Sammon for his impressions of how President Elect Barack Obama is doing so far: A D.C. Pro Handicaps Obama by Bill Steigerwald Bill Sammon has been the deputy managing editor of the Fox News bureau in Washington only since August, but he's no rookie inside … [Read more...] about A D.C. Pro Handicaps Obama (Guest Voice Interview)
Coleman-Franken: Update to the Update
In the seemingly never-ending battle for the Minnesota U.S. Senate seat between Norm Coleman and Al Franken, this is, I believe, how we left it on Friday: Search For Missing Ballots Called Off * About 130 ballots from Minneapolis are missing, city says * Secretary of state says city has until December 16 to find the ballots * Democrat Franken’s campaign: “Simply … [Read more...] about Coleman-Franken: Update to the Update
Canada’s Three Stooges
Cam Cardow, The Ottawa Citizen … [Read more...] about Canada’s Three Stooges
A Modest Proposal for Left and Right
Courtesy of Megan McArdle: While the progressives are shocked, shocked that Obama hasn't made Bill Ayers attorney general and Ingrid Newkirk Secretary of Agriculture, many of the conservatives who were mad about my supporting Obama continue to assure me that he is making card check and confiscatory taxation the centerpiece of his administration. Maybe the hard … [Read more...] about A Modest Proposal for Left and Right
What Obama Will and Will Not Do: Diario Co Latina of El Salvador
Unreasonable expectations. That's what commentators around the world are warning their readers about when it comes to President-Elect Barack Obama. In this variation on the theme from El Salvador - the Latin American nation the Reagan White House used as a launching pad for war in Nicaragua - Eduardo Badía Serra counsels his readers on what they can - and cannot expect - … [Read more...] about What Obama Will and Will Not Do: Diario Co Latina of El Salvador
We May Hate Ads But Are We Willing to Pay?
Mike Vorhaus, writing in AdAge, notes people complain about banner ads, pop-ups, pop-unders and all sorts of advertising. But are they willing to pay to get rid of them? When we asked consumers if they would pay $39.99 a year, which comes out to less than $4 a month, for an ad-free version of one of their favorite sites, only 2.4% said definitely yes, they would be likely to … [Read more...] about We May Hate Ads But Are We Willing to Pay?
Naming Hillary: ‘May Be One of Obama’s Great Achievements’ – Financial Times Deutschland
The world continues to react to the nomination of Hillary Clinton as secretary of state. In this editorial roundup of six regional German newspapers from the Financial Times Deutschland, most seldom heard-of on these shores, one gets an interesting sense of the range of opinion in that country. For example, Markische Oderzeitung of Frankfurt says this: "The nomination … [Read more...] about Naming Hillary: ‘May Be One of Obama’s Great Achievements’ – Financial Times Deutschland
Marine Jet Down in San Diego
A F-18 has gone down near Miramar Air Base, crashing into a residential area. Early reports are that the pilot ejected safely and that, while a home was destroyed by the crash, nobody was hurt. UPDATE: Unfortunately word is now out that three people on the ground have died. Our sympathies to the families The base was once home to the Top Gun school of the US Navy but they … [Read more...] about Marine Jet Down in San Diego
Increasingly Centrist Obama Ruffles Left And Right Feathers
For the past few years, Republican Sen. John McCain walked a political tightrope, trying to keep his independent voter constituency intact while trying to win over the Republican conservatives who scuttled his Presidential hopes in 2008. Then he got the Presidential nomination...and McCain jumped off, won conservative voters -- and lost the independents. Now it's President … [Read more...] about Increasingly Centrist Obama Ruffles Left And Right Feathers