The Flatland Almanack

Florida Light & Shadow: Palm Fronds & a Haunted Lighthouse

Two beautiful captures:  the famous St. Augustine light-house and a pattern woven from palm fronds and sunlight. 

Florida Light & Color: Vignettes

Another Miami sunset complete with skyline; more 'subtropical noir' from photographer Caleb; the ambiance of a small-town cafe; the reflection of a pastel sunrise from a somewhat different angle; light shining through the petals of an orchid; raindrops glittering on the petals of a cluster of azaleas; a sunrise in HDR; and the blue and shining glory of Navarre Beach. 

All on this page.

Soundtracks of My Life: Operatic Gender Bender & the Doll Song

Famous mezzo-sopranos in traditionally transgendered roles.....

...and famous sopranoes sing the coloratura trills and rills of  'the doll song from Hoffman (La Chanson d'Olympia) in various sorts and degrees of surreal weirdness, from the silly surreal to the deeply disturbing surreal.  What's more terrifying, after all, than a doll coming to life (of a kind)?   

EXCELLENT. 

Buck Naked Politics Political Round-Up: March 29-April 4

The battle for the Democratic nomination just gets crazier and crazier.  Progressives are turning against progressives; in fact, I find myself occasionally thinking, "No wonder the right winger hate those bastards!"  And that's not good.  But we have met the enemy and they really are us.  Who knew?

Mar. 29
James Carville compared Bill Richardson to Judas on good Friday and the detractors of Hillary Clinton naturally---as I predicted they would---tried to pin this on Hillary.  (Shut up some more, Keith Obamaman).  Carville responded in The New York times by reiterating that he meant every word that he said.  Heh.  The whole 'surrogate' thing is so effing stupid anyway.  Anyway:  yet another excellent illustration of how the 'Clinton rules' are way different from the 'Obama rules.'

Mar. 30
Obama said it was okay with him if Hillary insists on staying in the race.   I was glad he said what he said---he called her a 'fierce and formidable opponent'---but D Cupples suspects him of a lack of sincerity.  Not for the first time.

In other news, D Cupples was impressed that Hillary managed to gain grudging approval from long-time Clinton enemy Richard Mellon Scaife.  Her point, by the way, wasn't that Scaife's endorsement should cheer up Dems, but that it proves Hill's ability, and willingness, to reach out to traditional opponents. 

Apr. 1
The 11th Circuit dismissed a case brought by a Florida Dem against the Democratic National Committee.  The problem was that he filed it before the primary had even taken place so he didn't have standing to sue.  But did they hint that the us-disenfranchising  DNC bastards might well be on the hook now?  Oh, I do hope.

The Liberal Journal---a blog we've always liked--- wanted the pro-Hillary blogs (we're one) to get a grip:  what's with the repeated references to right-wingers who are slightly aghast (if also amused) at the hatchet job our fellow progressives are doing on our fellow Democrat Hillary.  I invited TLJ to consider why this is happening.

D Cupples suggested that all these superdelegates who are debating whether they should just put an end to Hillary's aspirations by just going ahead and throwing their support behind Obama step back and consider the consequences.  After all, Hillary's got quite a lot of supporters out there who are prepared to resent a primary-level replay of the 2000 election.  And while I'll vote for Obama if he's foisted on me without my primary vote counting, we have reason to know that there are a lot of Hillary supporters out there who aren't prepared to be so forgiving. 

Mr. Doesn't-Take-Money-from-Lobbyists has actually accepted quite a bit of money from persons not unconnected to the oil industry.  It's all in the packaging, I guess. 

Apr. 3
Hillary discussed her economic plan on Mad Money.  Damn, she's just so impressive.  Why, why, why, why, why, why----?

Howard Dean:  a man with a (long, long overdue) plan?  Will some, all, or none of my state's delegates be seated at the convention and will it matter by that time whether they are or they aren't?   Who the hell knows anymore?

Obama's Adventures in Blue Collar Land.  I found it rather endearing, actually.  Never mind the bowling balls, give that man a (pricey European) beer! 

Apr. 3
Poet Maya Angelou, one of my heroines of old and Oprah's mentor, writes a beautiful and moving tribute to Hillary. "Rise, Hillary.  Rise."  Indeed.

Though Edwards isn't interested in endorsing either candidate, Elizabeth endorsed Hillary's health care plan.

Air America's Randi Rhodes did a stand-up routine in which she referred to two distinguished female Democrats as....just read the piece, all right?  While it will disgust you, you will be cheered to know that Air America finally drew the line.  Meanwhile, Obama supporters argued for one rule for Imus, another for anyone who attacks Hillary.

Buck Naked Politics News Round-Up: March 29-April 4

Mar. 29

Why don't all the Americans who gripe about paying taxes care about this sort of flagrant waste and abuse of the system? D Cupples reports on yet another arms dealer who has allegedly ripped off taxpayers to the tune of hundreds of millions.   I'm not even talking about the cost of the war in Iraq generally; I'm talking specifically about wasted tax dollars that are spent without getting anything close to equivalent value.  What if we could get all those tax dollars back?  That would be one hell of an 'economic stimulus package.'  PS.  Where's mine?

D Cupples, having had the chance to hear former Secretary of State Madeline Albright alive and in person, reports on MA's wit, charm and insight. 

Mar. 30

I was puzzled by the al-Maliki/al-Sadr dance in Basra.  And I still am.  But give me this:  at least I don't pretend to understand the nuances (unlike certain right-wing bloggers)

In other news, an elephant painted his own self-portrait.  Though I cross-posted at The Moderate Voice, you saw it here first!  It was and is an important story---maybe THE story.

Mar. 31
As D Cupples neatly put it, Bush's disapproval ratings have a voice of their own.  Poor old W---who I remember reading way back last year once said plaintively that he wanted as much as anyone else to be loved---got booed.  At a baseball game.  While throwing the ceremonial pitch.  Come on, that's just mean.

Although....I say that, and then I read how the Bush Administration, and with its trademark callousness toward the poor,  continues to bungle the Katrina relief effort.  (Isn't it tiresome how they insist on continuing to play the victim card after all this time?!)   About the booing?  Never mind.

After regaling D Cupples and other with her humor and insight, Madeline Albright did the same for viewers of The Daily Show.  See her interview with Jon Stewart here.

Apr. 2
D Cupples reports that the  Government Accountability Office slammed the Pentagon for all the billions paid to defense contractors who then proceeded to piss all those tax dollars down the latrine.  Damn, can't somebody make the hemorrhaging stop?

Speaking of pissing away money, gas prices are up again.  I know; you hadn't noticed, right?

Apr. 3
Hillary discussed her economic plan on Mad Money.  Damn, she's just so impressive.  Why, why, why, why, why, why----?

Apr. 3
Gonzo's successor sticks his foot in his mouth, unwittingly impaling the Bush Administration on a two-pronged Fork Of Unfavorable Inferences.  Oopsie.

The Chinese want the Olympics to be a pleasant and harmonious experience for all.  To that end, they're jailing dissidents.

In the UK, the trial of eight terror suspects has begun.  They're the ones who had the idea of using soft drinks as weapons to blow a very large number of jets right out of the sky.

The new National Intelligence Estimate says that security in Iraq has improved.  They have their own definition of 'success,' you know. 

Pineda and Key Biscayne (Floridiana Gloriana)

A fabulous, painterly photograph by one of my favorite Florida photographers; a magnificent sunset on Key Biscayne by another;