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My new favorite cause

Made with Love by a Liberal

I'm so conflicted.

Like everyone else in the universe (or at least this corner of it) I'm going to be watching the Red Sox/Yankees game this evening. Unlike most, I don't know who I want to win. And that's not because I don't like either of the teams. It's because I like both. This is really very difficult. My family have always been Yankee fans. I never really thought about it much. But now I live outside of Boston, and being a Yankee fan here is like asking to be mugged or something. And I like underdogs in general. So. I really do not know.

At this point, I just hope the game is quick.

Ralph, Please!

Here's an interesting idea for getting Ralph Nader off the ballot and helping his cause at the same time. In this case, "interesting" seems to mean that I like it enough to tell you all about it, but not enough to actually participate. (I might have participated had I not heard Nader talking on Marketplace about how he absolutely will not accept this "bribe." His word, not mine.)

I wish I could hear it...

Bob Edwards has a new show. But it's only on satellite. Argh.

Oh, to be in Athens...

I'm the first to admit that I'm not much of a sports fan. I always love watching my little brother play on his various teams. I enjoy watching auto racing with my boyfriend and his family, and I'll watch figure skating if I notice it's on. I identify myself as a Yankees fan, but that's more because I grew up in a Yankee-supporting family than because of any burning interest in baseball. Other than those few exceptions, sports and I pretty much leave each other alone.

This all changes, though, whenever the Olympics come around. I'm really not sure why, but I'll watch any sport if it's the Olympics. Admittedly, my favorite part of the coverage is when they do the sappy little biographies of the athletes, and I'm very disappointed that they're trying to minimize that aspect this year. But even when it's just straight sports coverage, it's somehow much more interesting because it's the Olympics. I pick favorite athletes and countries and alternately cheer for the US athletes and for various underdogs. I guess I like it so much because of the historicity, the pageantry, and just the . . . bigness. It's huge and magical and all about being the best, and how can it not enthrall us?

SolarFest

Yesterday, jaQ and I drove out to SolarFest. This is a nifty annual solar energy festival that takes place at Green Mountain College in Poultney, Vermont. The drive was long, but gorgeous--I hadn't been to Vermont in years, and it's really neat. On the way back we stopped in a few little towns and stores and such. I slept through way too much of the drive, but oh well. Next time.

Anyway. A few neat links to groups, etc. I discovered...

Project Laundry List--I wish I could hang out my laundry, but it's not an option in my current apartment. They seem like a great group, though.

Vermont Boycott for Peace--I don't think I could totally boycott all of these products, but I like the idea and I'm going to try to do as much as I can.

Eagle Ray Traders--I bought a pretty batik shirt from them, and they happen to be based in the town where I went to college.

Can't say I'm terribly surprised...

Connecticut Governor Announces His Resignation

Being from CT, and having heard a lot about Rowland over the years (I went to school with his kids, and my mom was their doctor when they were little), my first reaction to this is something along the lines of "Ha! I knew it!"

Really, though, I mostly feel bad for his kids. Hopefully they're old enough now that it won't affect them so much.

I think we need something like this.

Although with some of the names they mention, I'm not sure... but would anyone actually name their child "dung" or "cancer"? Japanese Gov't Helps Determine Names

Well, that's one way to look at it...

I'm not quite sure how I feel about this. Ray Charles Dies To Stop Barrage Of 'Ronald Reagan Is Dead' Stories.

How could someone do this?

Baltimore officials working to ID abandoned girl

I just don't get it. I don't understand how anyone could abandon any child like that, nevermind their own child. Ugh. It makes me so mad.

I hope she finds her mommy.

College students already knew it,

but apparently other are starting to realize that ramen is the next big thing: Japan's working-class noodles go upscale.

One question, though. How does everyone pronounce "ramen"? My family always said "ram-yan" (I think that's the pronounciation my dad brought home from Korea), but when I got to college everyone said "ram-in." Thoughts?

I like it in concept . . .

Air America, the liberal talk radio network, has finally gone on the air. I'm all for supporting this, because I think it should exist. I'm not entirely sure that's I'll actually like it, though, because I've never been big on that kind of talk radio, I think. I don't know. Maybe I'll like it more if it's liberal. We'll see. I'm going to listen online for a while to see if I like it, and to generally support them.

Anyway, you should go listen.. Support diversity in radio!

So he's out.

I heard it on the radio on the way home from work. Actually, I heard analysis of it first, without quite realizing it. I began to worry as it became more and more clear what they were talking about. I can't say I was surprised, of course. But when the radio announcer finally actually said that Dean was officially out of the race, I surprised myself. I almost started to cry.

Why? I'm not sure. I wasn't that huge a Dean supporter. I didn't even totally make up my mind until a few hours before I voted. But even then, my conflict was between voting for electability or for what I liked. Dean convinced me. I guess that's it. I liked him and believed him. And maybe I'm upset not so much because he's out (it's seemed pretty clear for a while that he wouldn't win) but because it's yet another blow to my idealism. I want people to win (at this; in general) by being good and nice and sincere. I don't want to let that go.

I think that's me!

Look look! I think I'm in this picture of Lieberman talking to people at a diner here in Nashua yesterday. Look at the person sitting to the right of Lieberman, with his left hand raised up by his head. I'm the person right behind his hand. You can really just see my hair, but I'm pretty sure it's me. (And, well, I know I was there.) The guy next to me, looking backward toward the door, is my friend jaQ. Isn't that neat?

(I'm not really a Lieberman supporter, by the way, although I did vote for him for Senate in 2000. I just went to the event to see what he was like... just for the sake of it, really.)

Well, that actually helps.

Braun Is Expected to End Bid and Back Dean

Interesting. I like her, but wasn't going to vote for her because there's no way she'd beat Bush right now, etc. But if she supports Dean, that makes me feel better about supporting Dean. (I've been wavering on that the past few days.) Which is exactly their point, of course. Argh. Is it bad if I react exactly the way I'm supposed to like that?

What??

To Avoid Fuel Limits, Subaru Is Turning a Sedan Into a Truck

Ridiculous. Just ridiculous. They're making a sedan into a truck so that it can be worse for the environment. Making it an inch and a half higher off the ground. Yup. Ooh, and now it can have tinted windows. Joy. What is wrong with people?

Is there a better one?

I found this Vote by Issue quiz for the Democratic primary, but I really didn't like it. The options were all quotes from the candidates, which in some cases hinted at their identities (especially with Congresspeople talking about supporting or opposing bills) and in some cases provided slightly differently worded versions of the same option. I'd rather one that has straightforward questions about the issues (perhaps with a multiple choice and/or a 1 to 5 agree/disagree sort of thing) and then shows which candidate you're closest to. Has anyone seen something like that?

Well.

Big news today. But we all know that. And I'm not sure I really have much to say about it beyond the obvious, other than that the timing seems awfully convenient (close enough to Christmas to make it playable as a happy Christmas thing but not too close) and it caused lots of people (especially presidential candidates and senators) to say stupid things. Especially Joe "If Howard Dean had his way, Saddam Hussein would still be in power" Lieberman. Umm. No.

I did manage to tear myself away from the news long enough to finish (almost) my Christmas shopping and Christmassify my apartment. First, we found a nice wreath for the back of the door:

And then it was off on the great Christmas tree hunt. The first few places we went had either no tabletop trees, or only very small/scraggly/expensive ones. My roommate had stuff to do, so we headed home, and then I braved the beginnings of the snowstorm and set out to find one myself. Luckily, Home Depot had just the thing, and I made it home just as the roads were getting bad. Here it is, in all its geeky-cute glory:

And yes, that is Deep Space 9 on top. Isn't it pretty?

They're such babies.

I'm sure you've heard by now that countries that didn't back the U.S. invasion of Iraq aren't being allowed to bid for reconstruction contracts. How bizarre. How stupid. I don't get it. It's just . . . immature. "You didn't play with me at recess so you can't come to my birthday party." Or something.

And what's almost as upsetting is the CNN poll on the issue, found at the link above. 52% of responders seem to think that this decision is just fine. So you should go vote. (Yeah, even if you disagree with me.)

More of why I love NPR

There I am, driving to work just like any other morning, listening to NPR as I always do. Suddenly, I realize that Ari Shapiro is talking about activists and the Internet. My first thought, of course, is "Eli??" Ever since the New York Times ran an article about him in the Magazine a while back, I've been keeping my ears open for mention of Eli Pariser in the news, mostly to keep up with a friend's accomplishments (and because I didn't know he'd moved to New York until I read it in the Times), and partially because "I knew him when" is always fun. (If you're wondering, he's a friend from college. A former roommate of my current roommate. And I copyedited his thesis.)

And sure enough, the NPR story involved Eli. It's so exciting, hearing someone I know on the radio like that. You should listen to it. It's a good story even regardless of my personal connection to it, and hey, quoting Eli made Ari Shapiro say the word "wonky."

"The secret ballot was never intended to apply to Congress."

Thank you, Daniel Schorr. I heard this on the radio yesterday and was just appalled. Not "vaguely appalled," as I described my reaction to this book earlier today, but downright, really truly appalled. We elect senators to "represent" us, right? How is it okay that they can decide on something big, something huge, in a way deliberately calculated to ensure that no one can ever find out how any one senator would have voted? On a war/occupation (excuse me, reconstruction)? How does this make sense? How is it legal?

Maybe you'll tell me I'm just being naive. Maybe it's an old issue. Maybe these secret votes go on all the time, and I've somehow just never heard about it. (I did, though, check with one other reasonably well-informed person, who'd never heard of such thing either.) I don't care. It still seems just plain wrong.

And why has no one but Daniel Schorr tried to tell us about it? All I could find on CNN.com was "The Senate handed a legislative victory to President Bush by approving the bill on a voice vote, sidestepping the roll call that usually accompanies major legislation." And to find even that much took some searching. MSNBC had even less: The Senate completed congressional work on the package on Monday, approving it by a voice vote three days after the House blessed it by 298-121." Fox News said about the same. I couldn't find anything on ABCNews.com. The New York Times has the best coverage I've found so far, after Schorr's. Which means that they mention that it happened, and why. CBSNews.com told us Monday that "Senate leaders have agreed the bill will be passed late Monday without a formal roll call vote," but they imply that the reason behind this is some sort of happy camaraderie between senators, sort of a "oh, I know what you're going to say, so why bother to be so formal?", rather than a conspiracy of fear and cowardice.

(After writing all this, I did find a few relevant editorials in smaller sources, such as the Tullahoma News and the Fort Worth Star Telegram. This makes me feel slightly better.)

Bush is quoted everywhere as saying that the approval of these funds show that "The American people accept these responsibilies now in our time." The American people might, but the Senate obviously doesn't.