The Flatland Almanack

Random Link O' the Day for 30 April 2007. The Acatemy Awards (Presented by that Famous Blogging Cat, Skeezix)

For kitteh (TM Cute Overload) lovers everywhere, lots of video pawage of kitties doing kitty things.  You're going to love it.

To read more, go to The Flatland Chronicles.

Versus/Reversus for 30 April 2007. Notes on Comments. (Wonkette, The Volokh Conspiracy, Pandagon, Townhall, Liberal Values.)

The DC madam, Satan's plot to destroy the U.S., a call in NC for a race war, and a doubtless infallible test for determining whether one is a  liberal or conservative (and showing that it is better in every way to be a fine, upstanding, God-fearing, gun-owning conservative than a corrupt, wussy, atheistical, freedom-hating, gun-fearing liberal.  Who knew?.

To read more, go to Versus/Reversus now....

Quote[s] of the Day for 30 April 2007. Does Karl Rove Not Believe in Himself, Then? In Other News, Hitchens Reveals Himself to be A Man of Faith After All.

Christopher Hitchens' interview in New York magazine is fraught with interest.

To read more, go to Versus/Reversus now.

Versus/Reversus for 30 April 2007. The Global Warming Bus versus You-Know-Who. Speaking as a Democrat...

I haven't said a word, despite feeling provoked to do so now and again, about the confrontation between Sheryl Crow and Laurie David, but I finally felt that I felt I really ought to.  Rove---who claimed to represent the American people----certainly doesn't represent me, but then neither do they especially.  I really admire Laurie David, but she didn't run for office in my state, and I didn't appoint her to speak for me.  Furthermore, just applying Kantian moral standards, if you let everyone with an axe to grind  bring it out at every social function, nobody would ever get anything to eat. 

Speaking AS A DEMOCRAT, I am really surprised to find myself on Karl Rove's side in this.  I just feel that no issue, however crucial, EVER excuses bad manners.   Rove seems to have borne it more politely than many would have till he decided he'd had enough and went back to his seat.   According to Crow and David, he also, to the general indignation of Huffposters who'd have gone ballistic if the positions had been reversed, asked Crow to keep her allegedly poking and pinching hands off him. 

The ladies, on the other hand, went home and wrote a blog in the Huffpost, full of self-praise, oblivious to the fact that they caused a massive disturbance in the force due to the temporary shift of sympathy to Rove that is probably responsible for the recent outpourings from Mount Etna and the earthquake in Kent. 

To read more, go to Versus/Reversus now....

Versus/Reversus for 29 April 2007. A Matter of Timing, or "Remember the Abraham Lincoln!"

It's not as if the Dems don't already KNOW that the emergency spending bill calling for troop withdrawal from Iraq is going to be vetoed.  They know and the Republicans know it too.  And based on my research, such as it is, both sides are a bit worried about that.  Dems want to get the troops out of Iraq and basically, the Republicans either also want to as well or else don't want to be seen as obstructing it; I don't really understand which.  The Republicans want to give the surge a chance or at least to allow a little more time before they decide it doesn't. 

Whatever; if you go to my note, it'll take you to authoritative sources, which I don't pretend to be.  I don't know what the right thing to do in Iraq is and I've said so before.  I admire people who claim that they DO know, but I don't know who to believe.

But I DO have an opinion, sort of, on the completely coincidental timing of the Dems' intended date for presenting the bill to the President and you can read it in Versus/Reversus here.

Quote of the Day for 28 April 2007. Swampland on Lindsay Graham (R-SC).

You know, sometimes there just are no words.  Res ipsa loquitur.   To read, go to Versus/Reversus...

Random Link O' the Day for 28 April 2007. About Jack Donaghy.

Brooding, brooding, brooding over the possibility that NBC may release Alec Baldwin from 30 Rock. 

If you don't understand, if you don't watch 30 Rock, then maybe you won't understand today's random link[s], so I've included a review from Salon you probably won't find helpful either. .   Go to The Flatland Chronicles now...

Just Eat the Damn Peach for 28 April 2007. The Office (NBC): FULL RECAP: "Product Recall": Aired April 24 2007.

  The reason that The Office is so much fun to recap is that so much of the content is in the looks and gestures of the characters.  This week's offering is a full, detailed recap of "Product Recall," complete with my own questions and interpretations.   It's worth remarking that this episode had THE BEST OPENING EVER----better even than Jim using  conditioning Dwight to hold out his hand for an Altoid every time Jim booted up his computer.

To paraphrase Kevin, "It... was... AWESOME."

To read my review/recap, go to Just Eat the Damn Peach here...

Just Eat the Damn Peach for 28 April 2007. Forgive Alec Baldwin, Dammit. Why Should I Suffer?

  I've already think the whole "Alec Baldwin leaves enraged message for his daughter" issue has been blown way, way out of proportion, but that's probably because I'm not a parent (and because I still remember what I was like as a child).  Mainly I just consider it to be none of my business.

But you know what IS my business?  30 Rock.  30 Rock is one of my top three American comedies ever, and now it looks as if we might be losing Jack Donaghy.  Now Alec Baldwin wants to be released from his contract to work on the issue of parental alienation.  Noooooo!   You've suffered enough, Alec!  You went on The View!  You went on Dr. Phil, for God's sake!

Don't do it, NBC!  Don't do it!  Don't do it,  Alec Baldwin! 

For more, go to Just Eat the Damn Peach.

Versus/Reversus for 28 April 2007. Hillary Clinton and Me, Linguistic Polyglots!

Hillary's being ridiculed from all sides because of her habit of adjusting her accent to the venue, but I am sympathetic; I do the same thing. Even Al Sharpton thinks it's okay!

To read more, go to Versus/Reversus now.