Friday, August 17, 2007
Truth is no Stranger to Fiction
More of the Greatest Comic Strip in the Known Universe, here.
Labels: Pearls before Swine
Open Thread
|Aye, Aye, Captain
Andrew addresses the more disturbing issues related to Padilla's lengthy detainment and "non-torture torture."
Previous RT thoughts on the whole Jose Padilla mess can be found here and here.
Labels: civil liberties, Jose Padilla, war on terror
Thursday, August 16, 2007
Max Roach, 1924 - 2007
Another one of my all-time favorites has left this plane. As a teen, I wanted to be a drummer like Max Roach or Art Blakely. Alas, my folks thought the kits too expensive and I was stuck with guitar and bass. Every once in awhile, even at my age, I still daydream about hitting the skins. Then I hear a real master like Roach on CD and tell myself "fuhgeddaboutit!"
Since most of today's pop music is propelled by the electronic or small-kit version of troglodytes banging on boulders with animal bones, it's hard for many modern ears and brains to understand the drum set as actual musical instrument; a constructive and essential member of the jazz combo and composition, as opposed to the glorified metronomic background bashing of talentless pop acts.
A listen to any classic album with Max Roach is definitely a musical education that will make you look at puerile rock "drum solos" with crossed-eyes.
Alas, another great one has moved on and we're left with American Idol simpletons. Sigh ...
Labels: Jazz, Max Roach, Today's Popular Music Sucks
Wednesday, August 15, 2007
A Job To Kill For...
Forget about the fact that AGAG gets increased power in death penalty cases: Here's the interesting point in this story:
The rules would give Gonzales the authority to approve "fast-track" procedures by states in death penalty cases, enabling them to carry out sentences more speedily and with fewer opportunities for appeal if those states provide adequate representation for capital defendants.Ah, that lovely Patriot Act reauthorization! Students paying attention might remember that that bill was also responsible for giving the attorney general the power to expedite replacements of U.S. attorneys (until that provision was overwhelmingly repealed earlier this year).
Such powers were previously held by federal judges, but a provision of the USA Patriot Act reauthorization bill approved by Congress last year hands the authority to the attorney general.
Wonder how much longer we'll be finding fascinating things squirrelled away in that BRAND NEW & IMPROVED PATRIOT ACT!?!?
Labels: Alberto Gonzales, Patriot Act, U.S. Attorneys
Tuesday, August 14, 2007
The Rove One-Stop
David Frum.
Doug Bandow.
Jim Pinkerton.
John Podhoretz.
Robert Novak.
NROVErview.
UPDATE: James Carville.
Labels: Karl Rove
Holy Cow!
Famed Yankee shortstop and broadcaster (and Meatloaf's greatest backup "singer") Phil Rizzuto now plays for the angels.
R.I.P., Scooter.
Labels: New York Yankees, Phil Rizzuto
Even The Justice League Can Be Outsourced ...
To relieve the innevitable tension that arises from heated political discussion, a thread to remind RT readers of one of our gracious host's interests.
According to today's Financial Times of London, British mogul, Richard Branson is among the many content creators seeking to cash in on the next generation of polychromatic pulp fiction and endless merchandising, by presenting a new pantheon of Indo-Asiatic superheroes to the TVs and printing presses of the world:
Virgin Comics, Sir Richard Branson's Bangalore-based start-up, has entered the race to develop India's first set of modern superheroes for the big screen as global media companies look to target the country's growing youth market. The company has signed up with India's UTV Motion Pictures to create four superheroes - a move that pitches it against Walt Disney and Time Warner, which have recently launched initiatives to develop similar characters.
"India has a vast vault of mythology that spans thousands of years, so that's certainly the area from which we'll be mining a lot of ideas," said Gotham Chopra, chief creative officer of Virgin Comics. "But these new characters are meant to be more contemporary superheroes that fit a more modern age." International media companies are increasingly seeking inroads to India's entertainment market, particularly the youth segment, with nearly 70 per cent of the population under 35.
Maybe Simpsons' creator Matt Groenig was on to something when he introduced the (suitable for Burger King cups) character Apu to Springfields cast of characters.
By the way, you would think that a company named "Virgin Comics" would either appeal to Larry Flynt's or Osama Bin Laden's followers ...
Labels: Comic Books, Globalization, Multiculturalism
Monday, August 13, 2007
Veep Heart Huckabee?
Meanwhile, nobody hearts Tommy, and so the "other Thompson" returns to the land of the cheeseheads.
Labels: GOP 2008 President, Mike Huckabee, Tommy Thompson
What If?
Just about any political strategist would be happy with a resume that includes two winning presidential campaigns (the first, admittedly, being attained in some weird circumstances), does Karl Rove perhaps now think his reputation (objectively speaking) would have been better if he had left the Bush operation in early or mid 2005 -- with his legacy as being "the architect" or "Bush's Brain" secured?
Now, instead, he leaves with congressional subpoenas waving in the air and his "client" mired in the low 30s approval ratings.
What if?
UPDATE: Rove's exit interview with the Wall St. Journal's Paul Gigot.
Labels: George W. Bush, Karl Rove
Why Did I Allow My Faith To Desert Me?
Damn Yankees!
Labels: baseball, New York Yankees
No Returning To Sender
And, despite what the great PE said below, he wasn't a racist:
Labels: Elvis Presley
