I know...I know!
I am NOT blogging enough!
I'll start blogging more soon
-Writer
Friday, October 31, 2008
Tuesday, October 28, 2008
To all the blog's readers in California (if there are any): Please vote NO on Proposition 8
I just thought I should post this. If you read this blog, live in California and are voting in the 2008 presidential election. Please vote NO to Preposition 8 which will take the right of Gay marriage in California if voted through.
Thank you.
Thank you.
Monday, October 27, 2008
Clothes
from: http://thecaucus.blogs.nytimes.com/2008/10/26/palin-on-wardrobe-this-is-ridiculous/#more-6877
Uh oh!!
“Those clothes, they are not my property,” Ms. Palin said. “Just like the lighting and the staging and everything else that the R.N. C. purchased. I’m not taking them with me. I’m back to wearing my own clothes from my favorite consignment shop in Anchorage, Alaska.”
Uh oh!!
Election Post Roundup
Here are two posts/sites on the election:
http://goraina.livejournal.com/199731.html
http://yaforobama.ning.com/
http://goraina.livejournal.com/199731.html
http://yaforobama.ning.com/
Friday, October 24, 2008
Sarah Palin's Makeup Artist
From The New York Times:
Updated | 12:20 p.m. Who was the highest paid individual in Senator John McCain’s presidential campaign during the first half of October as it headed down the homestretch?
Not Randy Scheunemann, Mr. McCain’s chief foreign policy adviser; not Nicolle Wallace, his senior communications staffer. It was Amy Strozzi, who was identified by the Washington Post this week as Gov. Sarah Palin’s traveling makeup artist, according to a new filing with the Federal Election Commission on Thursday night.
Ms. Strozzi, who was nominated for an Emmy award for her makeup work on the television show “So You Think You Can Dance?”, was paid $22,800 for the first two weeks of October alone, according to the records. The campaign categorized Ms. Strozzi’s payment as “Personnel Svc/Equipment.”
Sarah Palin's Interview
from People.com:
– but you don't get to be governor without being smart, so how would you describe your smarts?
SP: How would I describe my smarts?
Do you think you're intellectual?
Sarah Palin: Yessss. And you have to be up on not only current events, but you have to understand the foundation of the issues that you're working on as a governor. I had to do the same thing as a mayor. So it is not just current events but it's much more in-depth than that to understand how, in the case of me being governor, how did our state get to the position that we are in order for a decision to have to be made. You can't just go on what is presented you. You have to know the background, you have to know the players involved before you make a policy call. So, um, it's uh, it's a good job, it's a tough job and it's a very, very serious job. And no. You don't get to be a governor by being –
TP: – going with the wind.
SP: Yeah definitely. You don't just go with the flow and take a political pulse on policy. You have to go with what the foundational knowledge is that you have on issues in front of you and you have to put the people you are serving, put them first. You put them before partisanship you put them before special interests. That's how you make decisions as governor.
How do you get that knowledge?
SP: I'm a voracious reader, always have been. I appreciate a lot of information. I think that comes from growing up in a family of schoolteachers also where reading and seizing educational opportunities was top on my parents' agenda. That was instilled in me.
What do you like to read?
SP: Autobiographies, historical pieces – really anything and everything. Besides the kids and sports, reading is my favorite thing to do.
What are you reading now?
SP: I'm reading, heh-heh, a lot of briefing papers on a lot of issues that are in front of us in this campaign.
What about for fun?
SP: Do we consider The Looming Tower something that was just for fun? That's what I've been reading on the airplane. It's about 9/11. If I'm going to read something, for the most part, it's something beneficial.
Jessica of Yucca Valley, Calif., wants to know, When someone screamed, 'Kill him,' at your rally, why didn't you say anything?
SP: I haven't heard anybody scream 'Kill him' at a rally.
Have you read that people in your crowds yelled hateful things about Barack Obama?
SP: With 23,000 people at a rally it would be difficult to pick out one comment. If I heard somebody say something like 'Kill him,' I would certainly not condone that… and I would say something
Alicia in New York City asks, Do you think about having more children?
SP: No-o-o-o. We got our starting five. That's the final five.
You're not the first parents to cope with a teenage pregnancy. How did you get that news and what was your reaction?
SP: Just a very quick acknowledgement that Bristol and her fiancé will have to grow up a lot quicker. But she is quite mature, very kind-hearted and a very strong young woman. She's also kind of an old soul who's beyond any desire to be out there partying. It will all be good. We look forward to another life coming into our family.
Do you worry about her finishing high school or going to college?
SP: No. She's a very smart girl. She's got great grades. She's always been a very good athlete, very plugged into school. These are less than ideal circumstances, but she is making the most of this and she will be a very, very good and loving mother. And Levi will be a very good father. And it's going to be good. And certainly, of course, as you point out, we're not the first.
Has this changed how you talk about sex with your other children?
SP: I've always been a proponent of making sure kids understand – even in schools – they'd better take preventative measures so that they don't find themselves in these less than ideal circumstances. Perhaps Bristol could be a good example to other young women that life happens and preventative measures are, first and foremost, the option that should be considered –
Do you mean abstinence or contraception?
SP: Well, both. Ideally abstinence. But we have not been ones to say that students, should not know what preventive measures are all about. I've been taken aback by some criticism that mainstream media has thrown my way saying, Oh, what a hypocrite she is and she's now learned her lesson because she's been against sex education in the schools. And I'm like, when? Where? When have I ever said that there should be no sex education taught in our homes or even in our schools?
Carlie from Winston Salem, N.C., asks, If Sen. McCain doesn't win, will you run for President in 2012? I will be old enough to vote then and you have my vote.
SP: Awww. That is so nice to hear. But our focus is between now and November 4.
Wedding next summer, is that right?
SP: Um. Hopefully before that. But Bristol turns 18 in a few days. That's what we wanted her to wait for: 18 and a decision on her own about how she's going to go forward, her and Levi, at this point.
Are you disappointed that he's dropped out of school?
SP: He's working right now full-time, but there have been a lot of very successful, hard-working American families led by men and women who have received their GED and have figured out through home-schooling and alternative schooling how to get that high school diploma and Levi will be on that road to get his education, also. But in addition to that, they're not going to be looking for anybody to hand them anything. They're going to be working for provisions for their new family and I respect that Levi is out there working hard. He's got a good job right now, working hard, ready to take care of his new child. I respect that.
STAFF: We've got to get going.
Do you have a favorite childhood book you'll be passing on to your new grandbaby?
SP: Awww. Gosh. That's a good question. Piper and I read lots and lots of nursery rhymes, of course, and we still do. There's a couple of really good Alaskan child books, also, about the Iditarod, the sled-dog race so, in fact a couple of those – and I'm reading one of them to Piper right now – we'll be passing those on.
Is that a series?
SP: No, different books. Susan Butcher, she was one of the Iditarod champions. She had written a book before she died. It was a beautiful book that she and her husband, Dave Monson, wrote. It's called Granite and it's a good one. And a lot of the Alaskan-oriented books because our kids are Alaska native, they're Eskimos, so it helps them understand more of their culture, the history there in Alaska.
Just get Tina Fey to say these lines and it will be TV gold.
– but you don't get to be governor without being smart, so how would you describe your smarts?
SP: How would I describe my smarts?
Do you think you're intellectual?
Sarah Palin: Yessss. And you have to be up on not only current events, but you have to understand the foundation of the issues that you're working on as a governor. I had to do the same thing as a mayor. So it is not just current events but it's much more in-depth than that to understand how, in the case of me being governor, how did our state get to the position that we are in order for a decision to have to be made. You can't just go on what is presented you. You have to know the background, you have to know the players involved before you make a policy call. So, um, it's uh, it's a good job, it's a tough job and it's a very, very serious job. And no. You don't get to be a governor by being –
TP: – going with the wind.
SP: Yeah definitely. You don't just go with the flow and take a political pulse on policy. You have to go with what the foundational knowledge is that you have on issues in front of you and you have to put the people you are serving, put them first. You put them before partisanship you put them before special interests. That's how you make decisions as governor.
How do you get that knowledge?
SP: I'm a voracious reader, always have been. I appreciate a lot of information. I think that comes from growing up in a family of schoolteachers also where reading and seizing educational opportunities was top on my parents' agenda. That was instilled in me.
What do you like to read?
SP: Autobiographies, historical pieces – really anything and everything. Besides the kids and sports, reading is my favorite thing to do.
What are you reading now?
SP: I'm reading, heh-heh, a lot of briefing papers on a lot of issues that are in front of us in this campaign.
What about for fun?
SP: Do we consider The Looming Tower something that was just for fun? That's what I've been reading on the airplane. It's about 9/11. If I'm going to read something, for the most part, it's something beneficial.
Jessica of Yucca Valley, Calif., wants to know, When someone screamed, 'Kill him,' at your rally, why didn't you say anything?
SP: I haven't heard anybody scream 'Kill him' at a rally.
Have you read that people in your crowds yelled hateful things about Barack Obama?
SP: With 23,000 people at a rally it would be difficult to pick out one comment. If I heard somebody say something like 'Kill him,' I would certainly not condone that… and I would say something
Alicia in New York City asks, Do you think about having more children?
SP: No-o-o-o. We got our starting five. That's the final five.
You're not the first parents to cope with a teenage pregnancy. How did you get that news and what was your reaction?
SP: Just a very quick acknowledgement that Bristol and her fiancé will have to grow up a lot quicker. But she is quite mature, very kind-hearted and a very strong young woman. She's also kind of an old soul who's beyond any desire to be out there partying. It will all be good. We look forward to another life coming into our family.
Do you worry about her finishing high school or going to college?
SP: No. She's a very smart girl. She's got great grades. She's always been a very good athlete, very plugged into school. These are less than ideal circumstances, but she is making the most of this and she will be a very, very good and loving mother. And Levi will be a very good father. And it's going to be good. And certainly, of course, as you point out, we're not the first.
Has this changed how you talk about sex with your other children?
SP: I've always been a proponent of making sure kids understand – even in schools – they'd better take preventative measures so that they don't find themselves in these less than ideal circumstances. Perhaps Bristol could be a good example to other young women that life happens and preventative measures are, first and foremost, the option that should be considered –
Do you mean abstinence or contraception?
SP: Well, both. Ideally abstinence. But we have not been ones to say that students, should not know what preventive measures are all about. I've been taken aback by some criticism that mainstream media has thrown my way saying, Oh, what a hypocrite she is and she's now learned her lesson because she's been against sex education in the schools. And I'm like, when? Where? When have I ever said that there should be no sex education taught in our homes or even in our schools?
Carlie from Winston Salem, N.C., asks, If Sen. McCain doesn't win, will you run for President in 2012? I will be old enough to vote then and you have my vote.
SP: Awww. That is so nice to hear. But our focus is between now and November 4.
Wedding next summer, is that right?
SP: Um. Hopefully before that. But Bristol turns 18 in a few days. That's what we wanted her to wait for: 18 and a decision on her own about how she's going to go forward, her and Levi, at this point.
Are you disappointed that he's dropped out of school?
SP: He's working right now full-time, but there have been a lot of very successful, hard-working American families led by men and women who have received their GED and have figured out through home-schooling and alternative schooling how to get that high school diploma and Levi will be on that road to get his education, also. But in addition to that, they're not going to be looking for anybody to hand them anything. They're going to be working for provisions for their new family and I respect that Levi is out there working hard. He's got a good job right now, working hard, ready to take care of his new child. I respect that.
STAFF: We've got to get going.
Do you have a favorite childhood book you'll be passing on to your new grandbaby?
SP: Awww. Gosh. That's a good question. Piper and I read lots and lots of nursery rhymes, of course, and we still do. There's a couple of really good Alaskan child books, also, about the Iditarod, the sled-dog race so, in fact a couple of those – and I'm reading one of them to Piper right now – we'll be passing those on.
Is that a series?
SP: No, different books. Susan Butcher, she was one of the Iditarod champions. She had written a book before she died. It was a beautiful book that she and her husband, Dave Monson, wrote. It's called Granite and it's a good one. And a lot of the Alaskan-oriented books because our kids are Alaska native, they're Eskimos, so it helps them understand more of their culture, the history there in Alaska.
Just get Tina Fey to say these lines and it will be TV gold.
Sarah Palin will ban Gay Marriage
From the Associated Press
NEW YORK (AP) — Republican vice presidential nominee Sarah Palin says she supports a constitutional amendment banning gay marriage, a break with John McCain who has said he believes states should be left to define what marriage is.
In an interview with Christian Broadcasting Network, the Alaska governor said she had voted in 1998 for a state amendment banning same sex marriage and hoped to see a federal ban on such unions.
"I have voted along with the vast majority of Alaskans who had the opportunity to vote to amend our Constitution defining marriage as between one man and one woman. I wish on a federal level that's where we would go. I don't support gay marriage," Palin said. She said she believed traditional marriage is the foundation for strong families.
McCain, an Arizona senator, is supporting a ballot initiative in his state this year that would ban gay marriage. But he has consistently and forcefully opposed a federal marriage amendment, saying it would usurp states' authority on such matters.
As governor, Palin vetoed a bill that would have denied benefits to the partners of gay state employees. In a debate with Democratic rival Joe Biden, Palin said she was "tolerant" of gays and said she supported certain legal protections for same-sex couples, like hospital visitation rights.
Biden, meanwhile, said during an appearance Monday on "The Ellen DeGeneres Show" that if he lived in California he would vote against a ballot measure that seeks to ban gay marriage. DeGeneres, who is gay and newly wed to actress Portia de Rossi, has urged Californians to reject Proposition 8.
"I think it's regressive," the Delaware senator said. "I think it's unfair, and so I vote 'no.'"
Biden added that he and Barack Obama, the Democratic presidential nominee, opposed a similar initiative nationally. In the debate with Palin, Biden said he supporters partnerships rights for gays and lesbians, although he also opposes same-sex marriage.
30 Rock
You can watch the new episode of 30 rock on hulu now, for free. If you live in the U.S., which I don't. Darn!
Thursday, October 23, 2008
Biden Was Right!
Within his first six months in office, Barrack Obama will face a crisis within six months of his first term in office, Spring Awakening is closing in January!!
Wednesday, October 22, 2008
Biden says the sky is falling....
So...
I have been continually unimpressed by Joe Biden through this time. I thought that Obama as anyone watching the debate would agree, chose a lackluster running mate. I'll tell you why. As someone who viewed the debates between Clinton and Obama and thought Clinton won, I am quite unimpressed by Barrack choosing instead of Clinton someone who Clinton squashed in the primaries. Even with that early bias, Biden in the debate, even when he says the EXACT SAME THING AS PALIN which I disagree with (the gay marriage issue) is less sympathetic. Now he does this. Not that he is necessarily wrong. With the financial crisis, it is likely Obama will face troubles in his first six months. But he just should not do this kind of thing which will soon make him, like Palin, never have another press conference and also as seen in the clip below by doing this he is just feeding Obama to the sharks.
UPDATE: From an article in the New York Times:
Thank you to my two sources: The Daily Beast and The New York Times
Postnote: I am not writing this as a republican. I am a democrat and I support Obama.
I have been continually unimpressed by Joe Biden through this time. I thought that Obama as anyone watching the debate would agree, chose a lackluster running mate. I'll tell you why. As someone who viewed the debates between Clinton and Obama and thought Clinton won, I am quite unimpressed by Barrack choosing instead of Clinton someone who Clinton squashed in the primaries. Even with that early bias, Biden in the debate, even when he says the EXACT SAME THING AS PALIN which I disagree with (the gay marriage issue) is less sympathetic. Now he does this. Not that he is necessarily wrong. With the financial crisis, it is likely Obama will face troubles in his first six months. But he just should not do this kind of thing which will soon make him, like Palin, never have another press conference and also as seen in the clip below by doing this he is just feeding Obama to the sharks.
UPDATE: From an article in the New York Times:
On the trail this fall, Mr. Biden has curbed his noted volubility — or, rather, had it curbed for him by his masters at Obama headquarters, in Chicago. He never goes to the press section of his campaign plane to talk to the reporters who accompany him, he has not held a news conference since early September and he does not take questions from his audiences (not since he told one person that he thought Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton of New York would have been a better choice for vice president). Then again, Mr. Biden’s assignment does not include outreach to the national news media.
Thank you to my two sources: The Daily Beast and The New York Times
Postnote: I am not writing this as a republican. I am a democrat and I support Obama.
Friday, October 17, 2008
Laugh Lines
Reading this and this I had to post them (with slight editing for clarification.)
“What they don’t know — what they don’t know — is that Joe the Plumber recently signed a very lucrative contract with a wealthy couple to handle all the work on all seven of our houses ’’ Mr. McCain said, in an allusion to a flap he caused last summer when he was unable to remember how many homes he and his wife own.
“Joe, if you’re watching, I’m sorry,” Mr. McCain said referencing to his attacks on Obama's running mate Joe Biden.
Cyclops in Space
How UNBELIVIBLY awful and cheesy will this be:
O Spaceship, Where Art Thou: Warner Bros. and Brad Pitt are turning Homer's Odyssey into an outer-space saga that focuses on a guy's adventures as he tries to get back to Earth. WB hopes the director will be none other than George Miller, who is hilariously still attached to helm Justice League (new release date: July 4, 2018!). [Variety]-http://nymag.com/daily/entertainment/
Wednesday, October 15, 2008
Nick & Norah's Infinite Playlist
When the book is better then the movie and the movie is quite good, it means the book must be very good. The only ills I have with the movies adaptation is sometimes it waters down aspects of the book too much and adds too much. Let me tell you, if you enjoyed the movie at all you should buy the book. You will enjoy it. Watch the movie too.
Tuesday, October 14, 2008
MOMA MIA!
In New York, a few days ago, I went to MOMA (The Museum Of Modern Art) and saw a lot of wonderful (and not so wonderful) pieces of art. Here is my photo report on MOMA.
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