Archives for 2008

Oh shit. Studs Terkel has died. He was 96. He was the blackest white man I ever met. Blacker even than his lifelong friend the novelist Nelson Algren, another black man who happened to be born white. Anyway, here’s what several former Chicago Sun-Times colleagues of mine had to say. Roger Ebert: “Was he the […]

As mentioned here at the beginning of the week, “there must be millions of cleverly individualized videos like this one circulating now.” But whether it’s the “novelty of personalization” achieved through “multiple layers of Flash animation” or the “third order of simulacra,” PalTalk got there first with its faux presidential candidate Sarah Wheaton. Watch the […]

Look at what the wind blew in … a news story about the arrest of a couple of neo-Nazi creeps who “talked of ‘killing 88 people and beheading 14 African-Americans,” and topping that off with a drive-by of Barack Obama. From the NY Times: The two men each had “very strong views” about Aryan white […]

I know because I saw it on my video screen: There must be millions of cleverly individualized videos like this one circulating now. In other words, “all reality is an imitation,” as a friend of mine, Bill Osborne, says. He cites Baudrillard. Third Order of Simulacra: The present age — dominated by simulations, things that have […]

Here in New York, the City Council backed Bloomberg’s bid to run again. The logic went like this: It would have been undemocratic to deprive voters of the chance to elect the mayor to a third term, despite the fact that voters had twice approved a two-term limit for elected officials. So the City Council […]

Can’t stomach the political campaign? The media spin? Neither can The Onion. Have a look: Gunman Kills 15 Potential Voters In Crucial Swing State Tip of the hat to a gimlet-eyed Straight Up staffer who sent it in. EmailFacebookTwitterReddit

Quick take on who won, besides Joe the Plumber. CNN poll: Debate watchers say Obama wins. Time magazine: McCain Threw the Sink — and Plumber — But Obama Doesn’t Falter. CBS poll: Uncommitted Voters Say Obama Won Final Debate. So anyone who believes the kind of horseshit being dished up by George Stephanopoulos that the […]

I mean McCain of course. Seems to me that Andrew Sullivan, live-blogging last night’s Nashville encounter between Obama and the overheated Gasbag, got it just about right: 9.51 pm. Why is McCain wandering around the stage .?. It’s weird. He looks like an old man pacing aimlessly. 10.33 pm. This was, I think, a mauling: […]

It’s no surprise that Ralph Nader makes more sense than anyone else in politics. What’s surprising is that, at 74, he is as smart and as principled as ever. Watch the video. It was recorded last week in San Francisco at The Commonwealth Club of California and runs a little more than an hour. Skip […]

… and the award for best exploitative photojournalism goes to … … this photo. It appeared yesterday on the front page of the Las Vegas Review-Journal. The caption reads: “Panorama Towers is shown in Las Vegas on Sunday as a commercial airliner flies in the distance.” The excuse for running the photo was an FAA […]

The Rick Davis story continues to percolate with this New York Times headline, “McCain Aide’s Firm Was Paid by Freddie Mac Through August.” The disclosure undercuts a remark by Mr. McCain on Sunday night that [his] campaign manager, Rick Davis, had had no involvement with the company for the last several years. How long will […]

Before it’s too late, three cheers for the lead editorial in The Wall Street Journal on Friday, “McCain’s Scapegoat,” which began this way: “John McCain has made it clear this week he doesn’t understand what’s happening on Wall Street” — oh, wait a minute — “any better than Barack Obama does.” Hmmm … make that […]

… in the wake of yesterday’s Wall Street meltdown … …in case anyone needs a reminder. EmailFacebookTwitterReddit

It was up tonight — briefly. The techs must have been rehearsing.