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Dr. C: Boston and the End to the Endless War Maiello's Book-Almost Hits the Metaphorical Stands Miami Fans Mistakenly Chant "Let's Go Eat" During Playoff Game |
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Mike Finnigan is:
A) A universally respected musician that has played with the likes of Jimi Hendrix and Etta James;
B) A one-time player on the Kansas Jayhawks basketball team;
C) A liberal d-list blogger’s best friend;
D) The coolest cat you’ll ever know;
E) Long-time Husband to Intervention`s Candy Finnigan
F) All of the above. [Read more]
At the beginning of this year, I had a grand ambition to explore world music and write about it. I got off to a pretty good start and then my year took a turn. For me, music is a happy experience and I haven’t had a particularly happy year. As a results, I’ve had almost zero interest in listening even to my favorites, let alone exploring new musical styles.
But 2009 is ending on a bit of a high note. I’m about to make a big change and in honor of that change, I’m resurrecting the world music series with a post in honor of my soon-to-be new home: Jakarta. [Read more]
SIMI VALLEY - Celebrated golfer Tiger Woods - in the midst of his biggest personal crisis - has announced that he will do a full photo shoot for Playgirl Magazine’s Christmas issue.
“Tiger’s aware that he’s let down many of his fans recently,” said a spokeman for Woods. “We believe this photo shoot will remind people of just how impressive Tiger really is.” [Read more]
After a lifetime of being casual about her appearance, Candy Finnigan - one of three Interventionists on the hit Reality show “Intervention” (which debuts its new season tonight on A&E, Nov. 30 8/9c) - has learned that fame can make you change your perspective. [Read more]
When CNN forked over whatever amount they had to in order to get Lou Dobbs off the air, one could imagine that Dobbs was sufficiently chastened for his Birther/Mexican-hate ideologies. That would be far from the truth, however, as Dobbs is already making it clear that he should be the one making policy, not discussing it. [Read more]
When a network goes from the top of the ratings world to the very bottom, generally there's a reason. Look no further than CNN's Wolf Blitzer's Twitter stream to see those reasons. From Wolf: [Read more]
Laura showed up at my door today. Well actually, a UPS guy. But he handed over a copy of The Original of Laura, Vladimir Nabokov's final, unfinished, fragmentary novel.
I had never ordered a book pre-publication before, without waiting for the reviews or (more likely) for it to go into paperback. This was different. This was Nabokov -- his first "new" work in more than 30 years. And, obviously, his last. I had to have it. [Read more]
At first glance, Audrey Niffenegger's second novel seems to be a complete departure from her debut, The Time Traveler's Wife. It's mostly set in London and it follows a whole host of characters, none of whom, except for the ghost, have any supernatural powers. However, both novels ultimately struggle with the same two questions: 1) How final is death? and 2) How suffocating is life for those who won't leave the ones they love even if maybe they should? [Read more]
With the film “2012″ opening soon, many of the world’s great thinkers have accepted the movie’s premise as fact. The world as we know it will come to a grinding halt in the year 2012, they believe, because the Mayans said so.
Such logic is impossible to refute. When ancient civilizations predict something, it generally happens. The history of the planet has been foretold long ago by civilizations that - while blessed with incredible foresight and predictive powers - were unfortunately unable to see their own demise staring them in the face. Thus, the end of the world is a virtual certainty. [Read more]
When I began looking into one “M. Thomas Eisenstadt” last May, part of me was irritated about how the hoax was screwing with public discourse. But as time went on, that feeling changed. And that’s because Eisenstadt changed, and not just the first name. [Read more]
So last Sunday I was thinking: could Chris Berman be a political talking head in this country? And would he be any worse than the natterers on cable news, or the morning shows? I mean, Berman is clearly a silly and shallow blowhard, but that never stopped Tim Russert.
My suspicion, fully borne out this week by l'affaire Limbaugh, is that sports are treated far more seriously in this country than politics are, especially by our media. That a comment on the state of our political press and on our national priorities. [Read more]
Near the end of his televised confession Thursday night, David Letterman admitted that the details of his affairs with staffers might be embarrassing, "especially for the women."
That line was a lot of things: a self-deprecating joke, an appeal for privacy, an attempt to position himself as the defender of his former employees and girlfriends. Perhaps it was a disingenuous piece of rhetoric; perhaps it was a sincere moment of protectiveness; it could very easily be both. But whatever else it was, it was the truth.
The most vulnerable people in this scandal are the people who are not rich or famous. That means, as it so often means in sexual scandals, the women.
[Read more]
In 1977, a publicly-admired man committed a violent crime against a woman, and the actual events are not in dispute. Between his arrest and his sentencing, the man fled the United States and settled in France. Decades later, the French strenuously resisted extraditing him to the States.
I'm talking, of course, about Ira Einhorn. Einhorn was a well-known Philadelphia activist who murdered his girlfriend, Holly Maddux, and stuffed her body in a trunk. He turned up living in France, happily married and using another name, in 1997. (h/t to Atrios for the reminder)The French didn't want to extradite.
[Read more]
John Varvatos is not just a designer. He is a rock-and-roll designer. His ads have featured Franz Ferdinand and ZZ Top. Robert Plant wore three of his suits to the Grammy's. [Read more]
I have to apologize for my prolonged posting absence, but things have been getting hectic.
And with several trips upcoming, including two jaunts to Vegas (one my bachelor party!!), a pre-wedding party in my hometown St. Louis, a wedding (with still a millions things that need to be done), a minimoon, and various other things happening all in the next couple of months, I have a feeling it's going to get worse before it gets better. [Read more]
Greetings on this beautiful Monday!
This video is for all the 8-bit and lego lovers out there. Not only are the lego-animated features 8-bit in this video, but the music is as well. Also, there is a special appearance from Karate Mario and a brief cameo from Bubble Bobble (10 points for anyone who remembers Bubble Bobble). Enjoy the video!
Compare and contrast.
Louisiana Republican Sen. David Vitter (whose job it is to enact legislation): "I have a fundamental problem with any 1,000-page bills."
The Daily Show's Jon Stewart (whose job it is to make us laugh): "I've read the bill." [Read more]
I just want to take this moment to thank John Hughes for some of the most indelible movie moments of my childhood. The director died of a heart attack while taking a walk in NYC, where he was visiting family. He was 59. 
This website is about Important Things. About Discussions That Matter. About the Debates That Move People. If persistence of a discussion is any marker of its broader significance then, my friends, there is little more important than a considered analysis of Which Star Trek Is Best (and which Captain, and which villain, and so forth). Because I am all about the Big Issues, I am here to explain it all for you. Short answer at the end; you have to wade through the Weighty Analysis to get there. [Read more]
(IMPORTANT UPDATE: Full video - embedded below in the comments section - seems to exonerate the POTUS of his 'checking the goods' gaffe, tho not Sarkozy.)
So the media is all abuzz of this picture of Barack and French President Nicolas Sarkozy apparently checking out the rear end of a 16-year-old girl from Rio de Janeiro. 
Gotta love the New York Post writer, headlining this important, hard-hitting story - 'Tail to the Chief' and leading the story with 'Baby got Barack!' Damn, they're good. [Read more]
By Karl Vick, Time Magazine, May 22, 2013
For the cleric who runs Iran, there’s no such thing as a pleasant surprise, especially on election day. Ayatullah Ali Khamenei was not pleased when a librarian named Mohammed Khatami was swept into the President’s office in 1997, leading a wave of reformists who challenged the status quo in which Khamenei, as the unelected Supreme Leader of the Revolution, was most heavily invested. In every election cycle since, the self-appointed portion of Iran’s government has done all it can to winnow the choices placed before Iranian voters. On Tuesday, that system tightened the screen once more, ...
By Eric Lipton & Ben Protess, New York Times, May 23/24, 2013
WASHINGTON — Bank lobbyists are not leaving it to lawmakers to draft legislation that softens financial regulations. Instead, the lobbyists are helping to write it themselves.
One bill that sailed through the House Financial Services Committee this month — over the objections of...
By Jane Perlez, New York Times, May 24-25, 2013
BEIJING — The Chinese leader, Xi Jinping, bluntly told a North Korean envoy Friday that his country should return to diplomatic talks designed to rid North Korea of its nuclear weapons, according to a state-run Chinese news agency.
“The denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula and lasting peace on the peninsula is what the people want and also the trend of the times,” Mr. Xi said in a meeting at the Great Hall of the People with Vice Marshal Choe Ryong-hae, a personal envoy of the North Korean leader, Kim Jong-un, the China News Service reported.
Vice Marshal Choe, who has been in Beijing for three days on a mission to...
A bridge collapsed over Skagit River tonight near Mount Vernon. This was on Interstate 5 both north bound and south bound, four lanes total. No word yet on how many cars went into the water. This is so sad. How many of these will we have to have before we start financing infrastructure? Most of our bridges are in sad shape.
