Mitch Mitchell, drummer with the Jimi Hendrix Experience, has died. Here's Mitchell on drums, along with John Lennon, Eric Clapton, and Keith Richards, doing one of Lennon's White Album tunes. I love Ringo Starr's drumwork on the original recording and in a way, Mitchell and Starr represent diametrically opposed approaches to drumming. Starr has always claimed to hate drum … [Read more...] about Mitch Mitchell Has Died
Malcolm Gladwell’s Substantial Idea
Tech types are giddy with anticipation (well not all of them). Outliers: The Story of Success is out next week; Why Malcolm Gladwell Thinks We Have Little Control Over Our Own Success by Jason Zengerle is in New York Magazine this week. Andrew Sullivan quotes a Zengerlian observation about the Gladwellian image; David Pescovitz a synopsis of Gladwell's explanation of the … [Read more...] about Malcolm Gladwell’s Substantial Idea
Would You Fill Out the Obama Job App?
In June 2006, my denominational body required me to fill out an eighteen page document called Mobility Papers. Filling it out was a pain, but a necessary step to be taken after my wife and I had determined that, after what was then nearly sixteen years at our second parish, I needed to open myself to the possibility of being called to serve another congregation. I don't deal … [Read more...] about Would You Fill Out the Obama Job App?
Bailout Dilemma: Why Reward General Motors For Lousy Managers & Products?
I keep going back and forth on whether America's Big three automakers should be bailed out. On the one hand, the collapse of General Motors, Ford and Chrysler would have an immense psychological impact in the depths of a recession, not to mention the loss of as many as 2.9 million jobs, according to one estimate. On the other hand, why reward managers and boards of directors so … [Read more...] about Bailout Dilemma: Why Reward General Motors For Lousy Managers & Products?
French Manifesto for True Equality. Yes We Can!: Le Journal du Dimanche au Quotidien, France
As promised earlier, presented below is the 'Manifesto for True Equality' which is now making the rounds in France and was triggered by the election of President-elect Obama. The Manifesto has the active backing of French First Lady Carla Bruni-Sarkozy, who penned this article, 'We Must Help Our Elites Embrace Change', which WORLDMEETS.US posted earlier in the day. The … [Read more...] about French Manifesto for True Equality. Yes We Can!: Le Journal du Dimanche au Quotidien, France
Paulson at the Helm of the Titanic
An editor once proposed a picture book titled "They Must Know What They're Doing or They Wouldn't Be Where They Are," featuring the captain of the Titanic, the designer of the Edsel, LBJ running the Vietnam war and other disaster-prone people in high places. Add Henry Paulson to the list. After pushing Congress into a panic to let him buy toxic mortgage assets, Bush's … [Read more...] about Paulson at the Helm of the Titanic
Palin GOP Crystal Ball
Mike Lane, Cagle Cartoons … [Read more...] about Palin GOP Crystal Ball
Responding To Daily Kos
A few days ago I posted about my experiences on various web blogs and used two of them (Red State and Daily Kos) as examples of the good and the bad on the net. In my post I complimented both sites on being very informative during the campaign but also took them to task for being a tad intolerant of opposing views. To make it clear I obviously did not expect such sites to … [Read more...] about Responding To Daily Kos
Why Obama’s Victory is ‘Decisive to Our Fate’: Liberation of France
The word progressive has an interesting and storied history, and according to this article, in Obama's victory, the word and its meaning have been snatched back by the left, from the right - who had "stolen" it from them. For France's Liberation, Laurent Joffrin writes in part: "The election of Barack Obama has another meaning just as decisive to our fate. Since the … [Read more...] about Why Obama’s Victory is ‘Decisive to Our Fate’: Liberation of France
The Corn Machine: Vilsack for Agriculture Secretary?
CQ says former Iowa Gov. Tom Vilsack has emerged as the frontrunner for Agriculture secretary in the Obama administration. Ezra Klein speaks to dashed hopes: Anyone who cares about food policy, or who was excited by Barack Obama's offhand reference to Michael Pollan's food policy manifesto [that's me], should be extremely skeptical of this pick. [I am!] Iowa, of course, is a … [Read more...] about The Corn Machine: Vilsack for Agriculture Secretary?
Carla Bruni-Sarkozy: ‘We Must Help Our Elites Embrace Change’ – Le Journal du Dimanche au Quotidien, France
BERLUSCONI: 'Young, beautiful and tanned is a compliment.' OBAMA: Yeah, so is 'Old Jerk'! [Courrier International, France] The ripples of Barack Obama's rise continue to be felt across the world. In France, a petition calling for major changes in how French and Europeans think of race - and a call to forcibly open up the political process - is circulating. And France's … [Read more...] about Carla Bruni-Sarkozy: ‘We Must Help Our Elites Embrace Change’ – Le Journal du Dimanche au Quotidien, France
The Pitfalls of Obama GOP Appointments
Attention continues to focus on President Elect Barack Obama's possible selections for his staff and Cabinet, and some of the questions I'm hearing center on the dearth of Republicans popping up on the list. Today I'd like to address a couple of potential issues with this debate. It's a tricky high wire act for Obama, with barriers being thrown up on both sides of the … [Read more...] about The Pitfalls of Obama GOP Appointments
The Myth of “One-Party Rule”
As the presidential campaign was nearing its end, as the Republicans were getting more and more desperate amid prospects of doom, the McCain-Palin fear- and smear-mongering focused not just on Obama's "socialism" but on how horrible so-called "one-party rule" would be for the country. McCain himself put it this way: "We're getting a glimpse of what one-party rule would look … [Read more...] about The Myth of “One-Party Rule”
Show Me the Votes: The Ongoing Presidential Election Tally in Missouri
I've been focusing much of my attention lately on the still-unresolved Senate races in Minnesota and Alaska, but, lest we forget, there is still one undecided state in the presidential election: Missouri. Here's the latest: [T]he vote count in Missouri is tightening. Republican John McCain's statewide lead has shrunk to fewer than 5,000 votes, as various counties have … [Read more...] about Show Me the Votes: The Ongoing Presidential Election Tally in Missouri
Gates and Change: Will Obama Keep the Current SecDef?
The WSJ is reporting that "Obama is leaning toward asking Defense Secretary Robert Gates to remain in his position for at least a year, according to two Obama advisers. A senior Pentagon official said Mr. Gates would likely accept the offer if it is made." I'm sorry, but that's not change I can believe in. (To those of you who think I'm now turning on Obama because he's … [Read more...] about Gates and Change: Will Obama Keep the Current SecDef?
Political Parties: Anticipating Their Demise
I’ve lived through and studied enough politics to know that -- even as individual voters like me abandon the Republican Party -- the chances of the GOP eventually turning itself around are still quite good. Think about it: Who could have imagined darker days for the Republicans than those between Nixon’s exit and Carter’s triumph? And yet, a few short years later, a … [Read more...] about Political Parties: Anticipating Their Demise
GMail “Video & More”
Google has introduced free voice and video chat in GMail: Video chatting from Gmail is as easy as sending an instant message. With our team spread out across Google offices in Sweden and the U.S., it's been really handy in helping us work together. Just click on the new "Video & more" menu in a Gmail chat window and select "Start video chat" or "Start voice chat." You can … [Read more...] about GMail “Video & More”
Senator Chris Matthews?
There have been a number of people who move from public office into the media. One example is Joe Scarborough, a former Congressman who now hosts a political-analysis show on MSNBC. Mike Huckabee also has his own show on Fox. But do people ever move in the opposite direction, going from the media into government service? The word on the street is that Chris Matthews of Hardball … [Read more...] about Senator Chris Matthews?
Silk Underpinnings For The First Dude
I was reading my favorite New York Times column this morning (Maureen Dowd's Op-Ed with a strange title, "Boxers, Briefs or Silks?"), and my negative opinion about Sarah from Alaska continued to be reinforced. But, towards the end, I read that Sarah Palin was "still receiving shipments of custom-designed underpinnings up to her ‘Saturday Night Live’ performance in October." … [Read more...] about Silk Underpinnings For The First Dude
Generation O
The NY Times said essentially what I said about how this election defined a generation, only they, of course, said it earlier and better: These young voters and those slightly older, who together may forever be known as Generation O, were the ground troops of the campaign. They opened hundreds of Obama offices in remote areas, registered voters and persuaded older relatives … [Read more...] about Generation O