Saturday, December 27, 2008
Hawaii blackout left Obama in dark for 12 hours
Strange. I guess if they felt they'd be sleeping thru it there was no reason to need electricity. Wonder how the Secret Service dealt with it?
HONOLULU (Reuters) – U.S. President-elect Barack Obama was without electricity for 12 hours at his vacation home on Oahu following a major blackout across Hawaii's most populous island, an aide said on Saturday.
The outage on Friday night left hundreds of thousands of people, including Obama and his family, in the dark as an electrical storm rolled over Oahu.
"Power was restored to the residence during the 6 o'clock hour this morning. The Obama family is grateful for the offers of assistance from local officials," said Ben Labolt, a spokesman for Obama.
Rachel Maddow a "Coup" on LA Times Image Index
Man, 2008 is def Rachel's year.
How refreshing to see a TV pundit — and Rhodes scholar — who’s loyal to her signature style. Rachel Maddow, 35, waxes poetic about politics and takes on the GOP on her daily eponymous show on MSNBC. This month she appears in Vogue, and the self-described butch lesbian didn’t succumb to a glitzy glam makeover; she’s wearing a Jil Sander suit and black Converse high-tops.Added- Rachel gets a shout out from the SF Chron also. (along with Walt Goggins from The Shield, who just floored me in the last season.) h/t Zeke in comments.
Fitzgerald asks panel not to subpoena Obama aides
So much for Blago trying to throw up dust to obscure the situation.
CHICAGO—The Illinois House committee investigating a possible impeachment of Gov. Rod Blagojevich won't subpoena two incoming White House advisers, the committee chairwoman said Saturday, shutting down a request from the governor's attorney.
In a letter received by the committee Friday, U.S. Attorney Patrick Fitzgerald asked the special investigative committee specifically to not subpoena President-elect Barack Obama adviser Valerie Jarrett, incoming chief of staff Rahm Emanuel, U.S. Rep. Jesse Jackson Jr. and Nils Larsen, a Tribune Co. executive vice president.
Fitzgerald said any such subpoenas "would interfere with the ongoing criminal investigation into the activities of Governor Rod Blagojevich and others."
Evening Distraction- Everyone wants Barack to hold their baby edition
So what do you think it is? Just the parents wanting to be able to tell their kid someday, "President Obama came out of the gym and boom, we shoved you into his arms!"?
Via
YouTube's Best Of 2008: Top Ten
Yes, I know I was just bitching about these yesterday, but there is literally nothing going on, so I'll do like all the "journalists" do and fall back on teh easy. Via HuffPo.
1. O'Reilly Does It Live
2. Indian Baby Toss Ritual
3. Drunk History
4. Corey Won't Take Off His Sunglasses
5. Star Wars According To A Three-Year-Old
6. Andy Samberg, King Of YouTube
7. Tom Cruise On Tom Cruise: Scientologist
8. You Can Vote However You Like
9. Yes We Can
10. Everybody Knows Who Sarah Silverman Is F***ing
GOP mum on 'Magic Negro' parody
But of course they are!! Democrats haven't figure out that whole "outraged" thing that the R's have learned so well.
A candidate for the Republican National Committee chair sent out a holiday CD to committee members that includes the song "Barack the Magic Negro," a parody first aired on Rush Limbaugh's radio show.Original story here.
(snip)
To date, no Republican officials have condemned the CD.
UPDATE- Seems someone finally checked their Blackberry. But note that Duncan is one of Saltsman's rivals for RNC Chair-
Republican National Committee Chairman Mike Duncan issued a statement Saturday distancing the party’s leadership from one of the GOP’s best-known operatives, Chip Saltsman, who distributed a CD containing “Barack the Magic Negro” as part of his campaign to be elected chairman of the Republican National Committee next month.Update to the Update- Saltsman is toast.
(snip)
Duncan's statement, in full: "The 2008 election was a wake-up call for Republicans to reach out and bring more people into our party. I am shocked and appalled that anyone would think this is appropriate as it clearly does not move us in the right direction."
Pat Buchanan is delusional
By GottaLaff
I know I said I wouldn't post again until I got home, but I couldn't let this statement slide by. On MSNBC just now, Pat Buchanan said:
"Sarah Palin wiped the floor with Joe Biden in the debates."As I picked myself up off the floor, I wondered once again why this man is consistently invited back to opine on the Tee Vee Machine.
Now back to my Big San Francisco Vacation.
'Toughest Sheriff' takes act to small screen
What a wonderful idea Fox!! A reality show about a facist, racist bully. Alert Lou Dobbs!!
HOLLYWOOD, California (CNN) -- Reality television featuring law enforcement officers on the beat is nothing new. A show featuring a lawman who makes jailed inmates wear pink underwear and uses actors to trick suspects, however, is a new twist.More here.
Maricopa County, Arizona, Sheriff Joe Arpaio -- whose showy brand of justice has raised charges of discrimination and civil-rights abuses while making him a hero among fans of his tough-on-crime attitudes -- will star in "Smile: You're Under Arrest."
The show, which premiers this weekend on Fox Reality Channel, features Arpaio and other officers using elaborate ploys crafted by comedy writers and carried out by professional actors to arrest suspects with outstanding warrants.
(snip)
But Arpaio's critics aren't amused.
They say they fear the show will give the controversial sheriff positive publicity, ignoring what they call a darker side to his 16-year tenure as top lawman in the county that includes Phoenix.
"It's going to celebrate a sheriff that's frankly scaring this community, a sheriff that has seen violent crime increase significantly in his county, a sheriff that is racially profiling the Latino community, and I doubt that the show is going to reflect that," said Paco Fabian, spokesman for the immigrant-rights group America's Voice.
UPDATE- Seems Joe is finally getting called on his "enforcement" of immigration laws-
A state civil-rights panel is recommending that, because of racial-profiling complaints, the Maricopa County Board of Supervisors end a contract with the federal government that allows the county Sheriff's Office to enforce immigrations laws.
The Arizona Civil Rights Advisory Board also is asking federal officials in Washington, D.C., to investigate the Sheriff's Office for possible civil-rights violations during the enforcement of immigration laws. Phoenix Mayor Phil Gordon made a similar request earlier this year.
Late Show - Top Ten Least Popular Holiday Songs
Missed this the other day, but it fits in well with the inevitable onslaught of Top 10's that are coming. Via John.
Saturday Links For Thee
When did it become okay to play the 911 calls of horrified victims over and over?
UK Culture secretary Andy Burnham wants cinema-style age ratings for websites
Israeli air strikes in Gaza Strip kill 155
Suffering Ohio begs for federal lifeline
Budget Cuts Shutter Juvenile Justice Programs
Laws to Track Sex Offenders Encouraging Homelessness
Socialist healthcare horror story
Blackout hits Oahu, vacationing Obama
I thought two things when I heard about this earlier- first, that I was sure that wherever the PE was staying had back up generators (but it still made me nervous) and then I wondered when the last time we had heard anything like this about Hawaii? As Oliver says, "It’s quite possible that for the next 4-8 years we’re going to hear more about Hawaii than we did about Crawford, Texas. And that’s going to be a pretty cool thing." Yep.
OAHU, Hawaii — A thunder storm left most of the Hawaiian island of Oahu without power Saturday night. The blackout left about 800,000 residents and tourists — among them vacationing President-elect Barack Obama and his family — in the dark.
The blackout began when a lightning strike at 6:05 p.m. local time overloaded the system, knocking out several generators. The Obamas were then at their vacation home, having returned from the excursion the press had dubbed 'Waikiki-gate.' That house lost power at 8:08 p.m., and by 8:35 p.m., all 11 of the island's generators were out.
While the transition has yet to issue any statement about the blackout, Honolulu Mayor Mufi Hannemann told reporters that he had contacted Obama at 9:30 p.m., and that the president-elect said everything was fine and he was going to bed to sleep through the outage. By that point, the Obamas had power supplied by a portable generator.
Friday, December 26, 2008
Obamas visit aquatic park, eat shave ice on outing
Hope he enjoyed it 'cause I'd bet no one in Chicago is having shaved ice right now.
WAIMANALO, Hawaii – A day after spending a quiet Christmas evening at their vacation retreat, President-elect Barack Obama and his children watched a dolphin show at an aquatic park and then picked up some shave ice, a local treat.Pics via.
Obama and his two daughters, Malia and Sasha, visited Sea Life Park on Friday. Reporters were not allowed to join Obama inside the park, and aides to the president-elect did not immediately have a roster of who joined Obama for the 90-minute visit. Obama's wife, Michelle, was not in reporters' view during the outing.
Visitors to the park said the Obamas attended a dolphin show. Some visitors showed reporters snapshots they took with Obama, who assumes the office of president in less than a month.
Obama has no plans to visit Iraq before inauguration, say aides
Ta da!!! Another prime example of the media taking a rumour, making it into a story and then deflating said story in the same article. Things are going to be very different for President Obama than it was for Bush I fear.
(CNN) — Aides to President-elect Barack Obama are denying speculation that he may soon head to Iraq for a pre-inaugural visit.
Obama spokesman Ben LaBolt, who is traveling with the president-elect in Hawaii through January 1, said Obama has no plans to visit Iraq before his January 20 inauguration.
The speculation was sparked by comments from Iraqi officials, who told Washington Post that Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki's decision to cancel an official trip to Iran may have been due to a "possible visit" by Obama.
Kennedy says 9/11, Obama led her to public service
By GottaLaff
I'm trying to use my son's laptop, that has no mouse of course, so everything is taking me forever to do. I also have none of my usual bookmarks, so I'm now embarking on Remedial Posting 101.
Here's a trial post all the way from gorgeous San Francisco:
Okay, this is about all I can figure out how to do on Mr. Laptop. This has already taken me four times longer than my usual posts do.Caroline Kennedy emerged from weeks of near-silence Friday about her bid for a Senate seat by saying that after a lifetime of closely guarded privacy, she felt compelled to answer the call to service issued by her father a generation ago.
She said two events shaped her decision to ask Gov. David
Paterson 11 days ago to consider her for the position if Sen. Hillary Rodham
Clinton is confirmed as secretary of state: the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks and
her work for Barack Obama's presidential campaign. [...]
She also credited her mother, Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis, with giving her
the courage to seek the job. [...]
She said she realizes she will have to prove herself and "work twice as
hard as anybody else." She acknowledged, "I am an unconventional choice," but
added: "We're starting to see there are many ways into public life and public
service."
On an unrelated subject, San Francisco is crystal clear, crisp, Obama-stickery, and as charming as ever. I lived here years ago, and it's nice to see that parts of the city haven't changed.
Muir Woods was cold and smelled foresty-dee-lish, and Boudin is the best bakery (yummmm, fresh sourdough) with the best clam chowder and the nicest people ever. Tomorrow, Alcatraz. After all these years, I'm finally breaking down and taking a look at it. I'll be surprised if they don't lock me up after seeing how insanely violent I'm feeling after trying to use this computer!
I miss you all! And Paddy's doing a superb job of keeping you all up to date all by her little lonesome. Thanks, Padlock! <3
Gallup- Americans Believe Religion is Losing Clout
Oh please oh please oh please oh please!
PRINCETON, NJ -- Two-thirds of U.S. adults today perceive that the influence of religion in American life is waning, while just 27% believe it is rising. This represents a sharp decline in the image of religion compared with only three years ago, when 50% thought its influence was on an upswing, and marks one of the weakest readings on the influence of religion in Gallup's five-decade history of asking the question.
The percentage of Americans saying religion, as a whole, is increasing its influence on American life was 50% in April 2005, 39% in May 2006, 34% in May 2007, and 30% in May 2008. The 27% recorded in the new Dec. 4-7 Gallup Poll thus marks a continuation of the recent downward trend.
(snip)
Indeed, this measure of public perceptions about religion has been quite volatile over the forty-plus years of its existence, with shifts in perception often corresponding to major political events.
(snip)
Given this historical context, it is possible that the recent decline in perceptions that religion is increasing in influence is partially a result of the decline of Republican political strength throughout President George W. Bush's second term, a trend that was punctuated by the election of Democrat Barack Obama last month.
NYC man sells bubbly calendars for popping fans
I'd love one of these, but I'm pretty sure I'm one of the people that would pop all of them right away.
NEW YORK— A New York City man has designed a calendar that will drive Bubble Wrap fanatics popping-mad.
The Daily News of New York reports in Thursday editions that Stephen Turbek is selling a poster-size calendar covered with the plastic bubbles. Customers can pop a bubble each day to mark the passage of time.
Bad Gift Emporium
Now I don't feel so bad about my presents. Go here, you know you want to. (Pickled hot dogs? Really?)
AP Exclusive: Caroline Kennedy Talks Senate Seat
I'm with Matt and Kos, Jerry Nadler would be fantastic for this seat. More here-
ALBANY--Caroline Kennedy sat for an interview with the Associated Press.
Details out later, but the AP moved a brief in which Kennedy, who is seeking appointment to a U.S. Senate seat, called herself "an unconventional choice" and said she knows she'll have to work hard to prove herself because of her famous name.
The fact that making herself available for formal interviews should mean the end of theme that Kennedy is the Sarah Palin of New York, based on how she's dealt with the media. But the "unconventional" claim could well end up as the punchline of a whole new line of gags from her critics.
The #1 Best Selling Calendar On Amazon
I'm thinking there were alot of gag gifts given this season. Via Taegan. (ps- I just check 'cause I was curious what place Obama's calendar was at (8) and Palin's calendar isn't at the top anymore, it changes every hour)
A Salute To Tito The Builder
Not as well known as JTP, but easily twice as crazed. h/t Greg.
Tito is an extremely angry Colombian immigrant who did in fact own his own construction business and might even have paid his taxes (suck it, Joe!). Tito's trademark look could only be described as "Village People, but scary." He took the stage and appeared on TV in a construction helmet and orange vest, and almost always wore black biker sunglasses. The few times he appeared on TV without the sunglasses revealed that Tito has a slight tic that makes him appear to be incessantly winking at the viewer. No wonder Sarah wanted him by her side.
Of all the hail Mary's thrown by the McCain campaign, Tito was the final stunt that really made voters think "Oh man they are officially out of ideas." Possibly the least appealing campaign spokesman since, well, Tucker Bounds, Tito the Builder constructed hope in the hearts of Obama supporters. We knew that if Tito was being put on the air and on the stage at rallies, McCain really didn't have any tricks left up his sleeve, and maybe this would be the year we finally wouldn't lose.
Candidate For RNC Chair Sends Out CD With Song Called "Barack, The Magic Negro"
Keep up the good work guys and you'll be a single digit member party in no time.
If one of the Republican Party's challenges is how to effectively oppose the first black president without coming off as racist, one of the candidates for RNC chair is hardly off to a good start -- he is now distributing a CD that includes a racially-charged song called "Barack, The Magic Negro."Cartoon via Town Called Dobson.
Chip Saltsman, the former campaign manager for Mike Huckabee, has distributed a goodie bag to committee members that includes a CD by Paul Shanklin, a writer of right-wing parody tunes who is often featured on Rush Limbaugh. The "Magic Negro" track, which first gathered controversy in the Spring of 2007, featured Shanklin portraying Al Sharpton as an Amos & Andy stereotype, ridiculing white liberals who support Obama.
One in Four Campaigns Ended with Debt
There has got to be a better way. Via Taegan.
Analysis from the Center for Responsive Politics found that 665 out of 2,339 candidates for public office don't have enough cash on hand to pay off campaign debts -- for a total debt of about $144 million.
Caveat: $125 million of that total debt is money the candidates actually lent their own campaigns.
Indians warned to avoid Pakistan
This, following on the news that Pakistan is moving troops to the Indiana border, makes me very nervous.
India has advised its citizens against travelling to Pakistan as tension continues in the wake of last month's deadly attacks in Mumbai.
India's foreign ministry said travel was "unsafe" after reports Indians had been detained following recent bomb attacks in Pakistani cities.
Pakistani officials say the tension has meant scaling down military operations against militants and redeploying east.
The attacks on several targets in Mumbai left more than 170 people dead.
India blames militant groups based in Pakistan for the attacks. They and Pakistan's government deny any involvement.
Americans Choose Obama As Most Admired In The World
Bush, not so much.
Americans choose Barack Obama as the man they admire most in the world, according to a new USA Today/Gallup Poll. It's the first time a president-elect has topped the annual survey in more than a half-century.Pic via Honolulu Advertiser
Obama's rise is matched by President Bush's decline.
"The president's support has ebbed nearly every year since 2001, falling to 5% this year. That matches the presidential low point reached by Harry Truman in 1952. Dwight Eisenhower scored first that year, the only other time a president-elect has led the list since Gallup began asking the question in 1948."
Friday Linkage
Man, that pork roast was fine. Hope your Christmas was just as tasty!!
CIA buys Afghan chief's loyalty with Viagra
Pakistan Moving Troops Toward India
Study: Teens Who Skip Breakfast Lose Virginity Earlier(warning- Fox link)
Batman Movie Too 'Sensitive' to Open in China
CNN: One in 4 candidates ended the campaign season in debt
Hillary Clinton isn't the only former candidate still fundraising long after Election Day: an analysis released this week found that one out of every four prospective officeholders this year ended the campaign season in the red.
Alzheimer's 'caused by less blood sugar flowing to the brain'
London Sex Adverts Cause Rumpus
Mystery as dozens of public artworks vanish
Amateurs Give Genetic Engineering A Try
Washington Times: Groups spend millions in 'clean coal' ad war
Interest groups spending tens of millions of television ad dollars in a fight over carbon emissions and the existence of "clean coal."
Obama drops in at Marine base in Hawaii to say Merry Christmas
What a nice guy.
KANE'OHE BAY — Before sitting down to his own Christmas dinner yesterday, President-elect Barack Obama spent about an hour shaking hands and taking pictures with more than 100 Marines and sailors gathered for a Christmas Day meal.
"I just wanted to say 'Hi,' " Obama said to service members, shortly after walking into Anderson Hall at Marine Corps Base Hawai'i, where mostly single Marines and sailors had convened for a Christmas feast of ham, turkey, mashed potatoes and other holiday favorites.
Bidens name new puppy
Awwwww.
After gathering the whole family around the Christmas tree this morning, Vice President-elect Joe Biden's grandchildren announced the name of his new German shepherd puppy.
They chose to call the new pup "Champ," Biden's press secretary, Elizabeth Alexander said Thursday.
The name has sentimental significance for Biden, whose dad always told him growing up, "Get up champ," whenever he was having a tough time. Biden often mentioned it in his campaign speeches, where he would recall his father saying "Any time you get knocked down champ - get up!"
Thursday, December 25, 2008
Eartha Kitt, sultry singer and dancer, dies at 81
Yep, I know this is kind of dorky, but in my little chubby white girl fantasies I was ALWAYS the Eartha Kitt Cat Woman, never Julie Newmar. G-dspeed Ms Kitt.
NEW YORK— A family friend says Eartha Kitt, a sultry singer, dancer and actress who rose from South Carolina cotton fields to become an international symbol of elegance and sensuality, has died. She was 81.
Andrew Freedman says Kitt died Thursday of colon cancer and was recently treated at Columbia Presbyterian Hospital in New York.
Kitt, a self-proclaimed "sex kitten" famous for her catlike purr, was one of America's most versatile performers, winning two Emmys and getting a third nomination. She also was nominated for two Tony Awards and a Grammy.
The Political Carnival RSS Feed
We've been having some problems with the feed for RSS, so if you've encountered these issues, please unsubscribe and resubscribe to our feed. I finally figured out the best way to see if it's working is to subscribe myself. Big Paddy der.
'How to Make a Snow Globe'
Consider this a public service announcement for all those that just found out a third cousin twice removed is due any minute and you have nothing in the house to re-gift.
New inauguration plans place thousands of additional buses in DC
Man, this is sounding more and more like someplace I don't want to be. I 'm thinking it would be a bad idea to try and drive into D.C..
(CNN) — Big sections in the heart of Washington, D.C. will be converted into giant parking lots next month, with District officials are now planning to allow as many as 10,000 charter buses — carrying an estimated 200,000 passengers — to park in the city itself for the presidential inauguration, the Washington Post reported Thursday.
The move — which represents a dramatic shift from earlier plans that would have placed most of these buses at sites outside Washington — comes amid concerns the Metro system would be overwhelmed by the massive wave of visitors, and thousands stranded in parking lots miles from the city.
Nearly all curbside parking in a massive chunk of the downtown area, and near Union Station, will be reserved for city and charter buses and official vehicles, with the exception of some residential areas. Most of the blocks between 11th and 21st streets, and from K through P streets, will be affected. Cars parked in the area without permission after midnight on January 20 will be towed.
Santa has officially signed out for the year, says U.S. military
Sigh. You know what that means, right? For the next week we'll be bombarded with an endless string of "Best Of's", "Top 10" lists and other navel gazing tripe.
The North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD) — which has tracked Santa's travels for more than half a century — partnered with Google Maps to offer curious children a chance to follow St. Nick's journey around the globe this year.
The military command, which monitors potential threats over North American airspace, said Santa's 2008 trip began Wednesday at the International Date Line in the Pacific Ocean. Above: a map of this year's journey, now complete, on the agency's Santa Tracker Web site.
Joe and Jill Biden Serve Homeless On Christmas Eve
I don't seem to remember Cheney doing anything like this.
Vice President-elect Joe Biden and his wife, Jill, slipped on aprons Wednesday afternoon to serve meatloaf to a few hundred homeless people at a soup kitchen in Wilmington, Del.
Biden told a local news station that the long lines outside the Emmanuel Dining Room highlight the need for an economic stimulus package, which he said he hopes President-elect Barack Obama can sign as early as Inauguration Day.
"A lot of people are hurting," Biden told the reporter. "This is part of the pulse. You can just see when things pick up here. They're not good everywhere else, but a lot of middle-class folks are getting killed too. So it's the number one priority for our administration.
"This is kinda home. And it's important for people to know who are standing out there in line that there's a lot of people who are thinking about them," said Biden, whose sister is a board member of Emanuel, the news station reported.
UPDATE- If the video won't work for you, you can see it here.
Christmas Morning Linkage
Cold, but not unbearable. I have a gorgeous pork roast marinating in orange juice and hot pepper jelly in the fridge. What're you guys doing?
19 killed in Ukraine blast
U.S. Medical Trash Saving Lives In Africa
Chao Defends Her Labor Dept. Tenure
CNN: Obama picks Bible for inauguration, but what verse?
While President-elect Barack Obama will certainly be making history when he takes the oath of office on January 20, he'll also be repeating it — by placing his hand on the same Bible Abraham Lincoln used during the inauguration of 1861.
Most Stolen Electronics
Wave of the future: The dancing spider-like cruiser that can take 12 people on a 5,000-mile journey
White House announces 24 new appointments
Chicago Tribune: Festivus display at Illinois Capitol
The debate over religious displays in the Illinois Capitol's rotunda took a farcical turn this week when a student at a Lake Forest boarding school put up an aluminum pole to honor Festivus.
Wednesday, December 24, 2008
Christmas Eve Distractions
More great jokes, pics and vids that I haven't gotten around to stealing yet here. Honestly, the exit of McCain/Palin has made things a lot less amusing. Sigh.
Obama influencing reality tv show substance
Well isn't this a nice side effect of a wonderous thing to start with? From Variety via Ben-
In trying to keep its hold on young and fickle audiences, MTV over the decades has undergone some fundamental programming shifts, but never before on this scale.
(snip)While MTV pioneered reality series with 1992's "The Real World," that genre has become ubiquitous, so the network is offering a slate that avoids the backbiting and bitchery of most nonfiction fare.
"Our new shows will feature themes of affirmation and accomplishment," says Brian Graden, prez of entertainment at MTV Networks music channels and president of Logo. "Our shows are going to focus less on loud and silly hooks and more on young people proving themselves. These are themes that are consistent with the Obama generation."
Bush signs law protecting retirement savings for gay couples
By GottaLaff
Did he just show up P.E. Obama?Yesterday, Bush signed into law the Worker, Retiree and Employer Recovery Act of 2008 (WRERA), requiring employers to allow employees to roll their retirement plans over to nonspouse partners. The Human Rights Campaign hailed the bill for allowing gay couples to share benefits:
PPA [Pension Protection Act of 2006] made it possible for employers to allow any nonspouse beneficiary of an employee’s retirement plan—including an employee’s same-sex partner—to roll inherited retirement benefits directly to an individual retirement account (IRA) and avoid immediate taxation. WRERA requires that all employers provide this rollover opportunity to nonspouse beneficiaries.
Geek-in-chief or "nerd-adjacent"?
By GottaLaff
President-elect Barack Obama used to collect comic books, can't part with his BlackBerry, and once flashed Leonard "Mr. Spock" Nimoy the Vulcan "Live Long and Prosper" sign."'Fascinating' is a word I use for the unexpected. 'Interesting' shall suffice here."
That and other evidence has convinced some of Obama's nerdier fans that he'll be the first American president to show distinct signs of geekiness. [...]
Others see only some geek qualities, qualifying the president-elect as merely "nerd-adjacent." After all, he's an athlete and kind of cool, some experts demur. Still, there's enough there for geeks to celebrate.
Psychology professor Larry Welkowitz of Keene State College in New Hampshire hopefully speculated that there's a shift in what's cool and that "smart can be in. Maybe that started with the computer programmers of the '90s. The Bill Gateses of the world are OK.""Frankly, I was rather dismayed by your use of the term '[geek]', captain. You must admit it is an unsophisticated expression."
[...] While Margot Mifflin, now a journalism professor in New York, said she saw no geeky signs in Obama as a freshman at Occidental College in California, Amiekoleh Kimbrew Usafi recalled it differently, despite the lack of technology back in 1979.
"He's a geek because he was smart," Usafi said, noting that Occidental was a geeky school to start with, billing itself as the Yale of the West. "I remember he would be hitting his books. I would see him in the library. ... There were a lot of girls that liked him because he was cute, but he kept his head in the direction he was going in. I would see him studying all the time."
So a quick geek cultural check for Obama:
-Technology. Click that icon. He's the candidate who tried to announce his vice presidential pick by text message and embraced Facebook as a campaign tool. He's seldom seen without a BlackBerry and talks of a chief technology officer for the nation.
-Comic books. As a youngster, Obama collected Spider-Man and Conan the Barbarian comic books. His Senate Web site used to have a photo of him posing in front of a Superman statue, and in October at New York's Alfred Smith dinner he joked: "I was actually born on Krypton and sent here by my father Jor-El to save the planet Earth." Jor-El was the father of Superman, born on the planet Krypton.
-"Star Trek," the long-running TV show. According to the actor Leonard Nimoy, who played Mr. Spock in the series, Obama flashed him the split four-fingered Vulcan salute when the two crossed paths last year. In May in Des Moines, Newsweek caught Obama teasing wife Michelle about her belt buckle, saying it was studded with Star Trek-powering dilithium crystals and adding, "Beam me up, Scotty!" As he laughed at his own joke, Michelle Obama rolled her eyes, as geek wives often do.
Yes, geeks have wives. That's one of the things that separates them from nerds and dorks."Take my Worf, please."
"A geek is someone who has the knowledge of the geeky type stuff and has social graces," Blum said. "A nerd is someone who has the knowledge but not the social graces and a dork is someone who has neither."Okay, so I've dated a few geeks.
By that definition Obama is a geek, not a nerd or dork, Blum said. Nerds are the type who live in their parents' basements until they're 45, whereas geeks are more normal, he said. [...]"Logic and practical information do not seem to apply here."
Blum said Obama qualifies as the first geek-in-chief because George W. Bush was too much a cheerleader and Bill Clinton too wonky and not technological enough. The other presidents came of age before geek culture did, so don't qualify. [...]
In some ways, though, experts say Obama is just too cool, too athletic, too normal to wear the geek cape. Obama did use drugs and was a high school athlete, missing out on two prime nerd qualities, Nugent said.
Dan Sarewitz, a professor of science and society at Arizona State University, said calling Obama a geek is unfair both to the president-elect and geeks.
"He's too cool to be a geek; he's a decent basketball player; he knows how to dance; he dresses well," Sarewitz said. "It's too high a standard for geeks to possibly live up to."
Mele Kalikimaka! Obama at the Gym on Christmas Eve
By GottaLaff
Mahalo, pool reporters.President-elect Barack Obama started off Christmas Eve the same way he has every day of his Hawaii vacation - with a workout at Semper Fit Center gym at Marine Corps Base Hawaii at Kaneohe Bay.
Obama's motorcade left his Kailua rental home at 7:39 a.m. [...] Michelle Obama was not with him.
Afterward, he greeted and shook hands with a throng of about 60 people that had gathered in the parking lot of the fitness center, where Obama has started his mornings each day since arriving on Saturday.
"Hey, man, how's it going," he asked one person before wishing everyone, "Mele Kalikimaka!" (The Hawaiian translation of Merry Christmas.)
He then turned to some children and asked, "You guys got your Christmas lists all together?"
[...] (The pool, as has become customary during Obama's workouts, went to the nearby McDonald's on base.)
VIDEO: Golden doodles
By GottaLaff
This was originally aired in November, but it's the time of year to review everything. At least it's not a year-end list, right?
It's BrownER, not BrownING, Washington Times
By GottaLaff
(Here's a screen grab of the error)
Don't bother looking for any electronic records of Carol Browner's first stint as a federal government executive. The soon-to-be Obama administration climate czar intentionally didn't keep many.
In sworn testimony obtained by The Washington Times, Ms. Browner disclosed that she refused to use e-mail when she served as President Clinton's Environmental Protection Agency chief in the 1990s for fear of leaving a digital trail. She also ordered her government computer hard drive wiped clean of records just before leaving office.
"It was a conscious decision not to use a piece of equipment or to learn how to use a piece of equipment because I didn't want to be in a situation similar to what I had been in Florida," she testified about government computers. The testimony referred to her days as an environmental regulator in Florida, where an e-mail message sent to her surfaced in litigation.
"This is why I made this decision not to use my computer," she said. "I was very careful." [...]
The ensuing investigation ultimately cleared Ms. Browner of any wrongdoing, concluding she was unaware of the judge's order. Her former agency, however, didn't fare as well. It was found in contempt of court for failing to preserve government records at the heart of the case.
While exonerated, Ms. Browner's testimony provided a rare insight into her distaste for keeping historical government records in electronic form. It's an aversion that concerns some government watchdogs as she prepares to take the high-profile job of coordinating President-elect Barack Obama's efforts against global warming.
Granted, this is from the Washington Times, but Browner (not "Browning") could afford to at least give the appearance of transparency, if for no other reason than to avoid all the usual innuendo.
Breaking: Toussie's pardon reconsidered
By GottaLaff
CNN just reported that Isaac Toussie's pardon is going the way of Rudy Giuliani's hair.
They're concerned about the "nature of the fraud" and his "political contributions". Uh huh. I think we kinda beat them to the punch here at TPC.
VIDEO: Paddy and Laffy Barack out with Obama/Biden
By GottaLaff
I'm sneaky. It's Christmas Eve, so very few of you will get a peek at this.
The Bush pardons: On Donor, on Blitzen! edition
By GottaLaff
Surprise! Not all of Bush's pardons were acts of altruism. The New York Daily News zeroes in on the pardon of one Isaac Toussie, an infamous real estate developer who scammed hundreds of minority homebuyers. Why pardon Toussie? His father gave $28,500 to the Republican party in April.He's all heart, that Georgie.
Coleman And Franken Make A Deal
By GottaLaff
Young Normy and Al
The Minnesota Supreme Court has granted a request from the Franken and Coleman campaigns to approve a framework for counting wrongly-rejected absentee ballots.Meanwhile:
Coleman, meanwhile, lost a bid to have 16 discarded challenges reconsidered. His only current hope seems to lie in dubious legal maneuvers, such as using the Election Day results over the recount results in 25 specific precincts.Ohpleaseohpleaseohplease...
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