Pet Costumes

Target's selection of pet costumes is always good for a laugh.

My personal favorites:

Waterloo

David Frum, conservative journalist and former Bush speechwriter, on what yesterday's passage of the health reform bill means for Republicans going forward.

"We followed the most radical voices in the party and the movement, and they led us to abject and irreversible defeat.

There were leaders who knew better, who would have liked to deal. But they were trapped. Conservative talkers on Fox and talk radio had whipped the Republican voting base into such a frenzy that deal-making was rendered impossible. How do you negotiate with somebody who wants to murder your grandmother? Or – more exactly – with somebody whom your voters have been persuaded to believe wants to murder their grandmother?"

FrumForum

RIP Alex Chilton

This week's New Yorker has a really interesting article about Justice John Paul Stevens and the current state/evolution of the Supreme Court. The author, Jeffrey Toobin (who wrote The Nine), was also interviewed on Fresh Air this evening - worth checking out if you're interested. I was particularly interested in how the authorship of the majority and dissenting opinions are used as tools to coax swing votes.

New Yorker article

Fresh Air interview

circa 1970
























in 2009

May Releases

This May is going to be a great month for new music. In part to allow myself to keep track of these, but also in case others are interested, I'm keeping a running list:

May 4th - Josh Ritter, Broken Social Scene, Black Rebel Motorcycle Club, Band of Horses, The New Pornographers, The Hold Steady
May 11th - The National, Gayngs
May 18th - The Black Keys

All of this plus Dr. Dog's new one in April and possible Radiohead and Fleet Foxes albums later this year. 2010 is shaping up nicely.