The Flatland Almanack

Political Developments I Did Not Like (March 13)

First, I most definitely did NOT like this story about a woman who stayed on a toilet for so long (two years) that her skin grew around it, her legs atrophied, and she had to have surgery. 

While I did like Sean Wilentz's piece in The New Republic (written in response to that awful NYT op-ed), I did not like reading about the tactics used by Obama's campaign and I did not like hearing any Dem accuse others of race-baiting, even when the shoe is on the other foot.   

I did not like Keith Olbermann's nakedly partisan and unfair comments on Hillary and her campaign. 

I did not like the implications of  some of Obama's 2006 earmarks or the fact that he is calling for Clinton to disclose all of hers at the same time he is refusing to disclose his earmarks during the period he was in the Illinois legislature.  Meet the New Politics, just like the Old Politics!

I did not like TPM's Josh Marshall blaming Hillary Clinton---I forget through what twists of logic---for the revelations about Obama's angry minister.

To see the whole set of things I did not like, you can just click here. 

T13 #14 | Pictures from the Earth: Broken Hearts for Every Situation (13)

For this Thursday, in the honor of all the pain we've all ever undergone, a collection of 13 broken hearts.  See the photo essay here.

Soundtracks of My Life: Music from a Vietnam Era Adolescence

The Seguedilla from Carmen, which I dreamed at the age of 15 I would grow up to perform.  Alas, I never did.  But I have retrieved two charming renditions for your listening and viewing pleasure.    

My list of  13 songs from the day aren't all favorites of mine, though most would be somewhere in my top 100.  All refer---tangentially, at least--- to the war or to the Peace Movement. 

Political Developments I Didn't Like on March 12

There was quite a lot today that I didn't like.  I don't like the ever more vicious feeding anti-Hillary feeding frenzy in the media and on the blogosphere, and I'm very grateful for Obama supporter Kevin Drum for calling them out. 

Meanwhile, Paul Krugman commented something I don't like: the ever-decreasing sanity of the progressive wing of the Democratic party.

At Salon, Camille Paglia unleashed some Hillary hate---to the pleasure of Ann Althouse, be it said (didn't like), to which the good people of Sadly, No! and certain other blogs responded with admirable style (did like).  (Why is she still writing for Salon?  Why?)

Ferraro stepped down (did like), but her doing so was accompanied by further ridiculous accusations of 'racism' among their fellow Dems (did NOT like); once again, Kevin Drum spoke up on behalf of balance, proportion, and sanity (did like).

Satirist Jon Swift suggested a way that just-resigned New York governor Eliot Spitzer could turn the politics of identity to his advantage (did like).

See it all here.