This post introduces One Answer Only, a new feature from As Good As News which will provide the answer to one, and only one, New York Times crossword puzzle clue each weekday.
As Good As News will endeavor to select a long answer (so you actually get some worthwhile help solving the puzzle if that's what you seek) that is otherwise of interest.
Today's One Answer Only is 34 Across: "Floral" film of 2006 with Josh Hartnett and Scarlett Johansson - The Black Dahlia - Scarlett Johansson, author James Ellroy and crime fiction noire are all of interest here at As Good As News.
No promises are made on timing. I do the crossword every weekday, but not always in the morning. There is no absolute guaranty on daily posting due to travel and other commitments.
Monday, November 12, 2007
It's Still Fun City Dammit!
With Theaters Dark, Finding Their Fun Elsewhere - This feature focuses on NYC visitors finding alternatives in the face of the theater strike - alternatives like shopping, Madame Tussauds, eating, Starbucks and St. Patricks Cathedral. Visitors - especially visitors with kids - Awake! Your family has seen hundreds of movies and tv shows set in NY, do you really think your 10 year old son would rather see St. Pat's than ride on the Roosevelt Island Tramway that Spiderman saved from Doc Oc? Would your 13 year old daughter choose a Starbucks just like the one at home over a visit to the top of the Empire State Building a la Sleepless in Seattle, and for the six year old crowd- what could possibly beat the toy museum from Big, also known as FAO Schwarz. Your New York City visit does not have to be a dud just because your show was cancelled, but you need to look at the alternatives from the kids' point of view - and by the way, even suggesting the possibility of a family trip to Saks Fifth Avenue is cruel and unusual punishment.
If you don't want simple, unenriched fun - then take a subway downtown, the ride itself is an educational view of the real NYC. Board the Circle Line, sail close by the Statue of Liberty and visit Ellis Island. When you're done, grab a cab to the Tenement Museum on the Lower East Side. The Tenement Museum is an under publicized NYC gem featuring a tenement building in which individual apartments are restored with genuine artifacts from real families who were once tenants, each from a different ethnic group and a different wave of immigration. Ellis Island and the Tenement Museum are a one two punch that will painlessly teach the family a volume of history in a single, enjoyable day. When you're done, stay on the Lower East Side, grab supper in a trendy neighborhood, maybe you can even find an off off Broadway show that's family friendly and not struck................................................................................................................................................
If you don't want simple, unenriched fun - then take a subway downtown, the ride itself is an educational view of the real NYC. Board the Circle Line, sail close by the Statue of Liberty and visit Ellis Island. When you're done, grab a cab to the Tenement Museum on the Lower East Side. The Tenement Museum is an under publicized NYC gem featuring a tenement building in which individual apartments are restored with genuine artifacts from real families who were once tenants, each from a different ethnic group and a different wave of immigration. Ellis Island and the Tenement Museum are a one two punch that will painlessly teach the family a volume of history in a single, enjoyable day. When you're done, stay on the Lower East Side, grab supper in a trendy neighborhood, maybe you can even find an off off Broadway show that's family friendly and not struck................................................................................................................................................
Some Wonder if the Banks’ Stabilization Fund Will Work - The Time's responds to yesterday's criticism by As Good As News with a long feature explaining, among other things, that one purpose of the Big Bank subprime rescue fund is to preserve a liquid market for the collateralized debt obligations that structured investment vehicles may need to unload. The mere existence of a market for the SIV's underlying asset should, in theory, reduce the chance that lenders to the SIV's will pull the plug on essentially solvent entities because of a liquidity crisis. Enough gobbledy-gook. The Big Banks hope to recruit contributions from friends, support the market for the less risky bundles of mortgage loans, thereby forestalling rapid collapse of the special purpose companies that own those bundles. Those same special purpose companies borrow from the Big Banks, so the Big Banks are trying to avoid writing off significant loans by indirectly propping up their borrowers..............................................................................................................
Steeler Nation Arise - Big Ben Roethlisberger refused to lose, making one big play after another to lead the Steelers to victory despite a rocky first half, some great plays by the Browns and some serious Steeler problems on special teams. Ben is emerging as the best of the young QBs, the only one climbing the pedestal on which sit Tom Brady and Peyton Manning. Meanwhile Peyton Manning threw six interceptions and the Colts also suffered from special team problems in a loss to San Diego. So, we commit the cardinal football sin of looking ahead. The Steelers are now number two in the AFC (better intra-conference record than Colts). The Steelers may be the '72 Dolphin's last hope - the only real obstacle standing between the Pats and 16-0. The Steelers will probably need to beat the Pats or face a play-off death march that runs through both Indianapolis and Foxborough.............................................................................................................................
Increased Compensation Puts More College Presidents in the Million-Dollar Club - Ohio State President E. Gordon Gee makes over $1Million /year, for that kind of money he really needs to beat Illinois. The real champ is recently retired Northeastern University President Richard Freeland, who was making $2.9 Million/year. President Freeland boosted Northeastern's credentials and reputation, in part by realizing the co-op program was a diamond necklace, not a millstone around his neck, but if I had known about his compensation package I would have organized the parents to stage a 1970s style tuition protest rally.
Sunday, November 11, 2007
olio
That's olio as in crossword puzzlese for mixed bag, not a typo ridden effort to evoke a disease nearly eliminated by the Salk and Sabin vaccines of my youth. Standing in long lines with my family waiting for sugar cubes dosed with the Sabin vaccine is an early, and essentially happy, memory. Did this distribution system contribute to the use of LSD among my peers?
Hey Candidate, I'm All Yours - Story on odd couple endorsements of questionable value (Pat Robertson - Rudy Giuliani) doesn't go far enough. Michael Jackson - Aqua Dots. Darth Cheney - Musharraf. Musharraf - Darth Cheney. Maureen Dowd (she might be a crook but she can make small talk with a cocktail in her hand) - Benazir Bhutto. Bill Clinton (shortly after meeting his wife) - Dennis Kucinich. Alberto Gonzales (unfamiliar with the Constitution) - George W. Bush. Angelina Jolie (it was too late to adopt him) - Barack Obama. Ho Chi Minh (he's one tough mother) - John McCain. Al Gore (he's the only candidate who really understands my Internet) - Ron Paul.
The Tables Turn for Dilbert's Creator - Any truth to the rumor that Scott Adams is introducing Rachel Ray as an heroic character in Dilbert? She takes over the company cafeteria, previously the purveyor of a select line of overpriced inedibles, and turns it into a gourmet paradise. Will this desperate effort to curry favor (not to mention lamb and chicken) and get some tips (asparagus, sirloin, hot) on running a food empire hit paydirt.
As Stagehands Strike, Shows Don't Go On - Photographer Sara Krulwich and Times editors send a not so subtle message that striking stagehands are the Grinch stealing the shows from this year's Christmas. (Sorry readers, the Times on-line ran a different strike photo - look at page 1 as you walk by the Newstand.) Meanwhile, Maureen Dowd lets striking SNL writer/performer Seth Myers take over her column, A Bite of the Bagel. Union propaganda? Maybe, but it's funny propaganda.
Subprime stories rear their ugly head thrice. Banks Said to Agree on Credit Backup Fund is the umpteenth story on this special fund that fails to explain what it will do. This item reports agreement of the three sponsors, JPMorgan Chase, Citibank and Bank of America on a simplified structure and notes that the fund is not funded (it will seek contributions) and won't save the special purpose mortgage bundlers who face death from the subprime crisis. OK, but what will it do? Will this fund ever really exist and actually do something, or is it just a PR gimmick to create a long running, confidence inspiring news story without actually doing anything? Countrywide's Chief Salesman and Defender gives CEO Angelo Mozilo a platform from which he blames special pressure from minority advocates for relaxed credit standards (yes, Angelo, we're sure this was a big factor in your credit review process) and demands a bailout. Help individual mortgage borrowers with government support? Maybe, in a very focused program. Help Countrywide with tax dollars? Sorry Angelo, you are on your own. Call those Big Banks, oops, we don't know what they will do, but we already know they aren't going to save you. Ben Stein is a funny guy who knows his economics, but he seems to be getting even crankier than me. It's Time to Act Like Grownups starts out snapping at mortgage borrowers, who have gains to match the huge write-offs reported by lenders. Correct in theory Ben, the borrower who defaults when he has borrowed to the hilt and can't make the payments when his adjustable rate moves up does have a theoretical gain equal to the amount of any debt he can't repay. He also gets to lose his home, which will be sold at a foreclosure auction in a buyer's market, producing less than enough cash to pay off his mortgage loans. Unless he has a non-recourse mortgage loan, the borrower will then get to struggle with the unpaid balance while he looks for a new home. Maybe this borrower made a bad decision, maybe he even blew his home equity on lap dances during a trip to Vegas, but he is not sitting very pretty right now and those unsold homes are a problem for everyone. Ben then attacks the Big Bank Boards that slept as this crisis was created, singling out both diversity appointments, who didn't have the competence to spot the problem, and Robert Rubin for criticism. First, not every board member needs to be an expert banker, although you need some. Second, any Big Bank board member who asked questions like: why are we betting so much on collateralized debt obligations? Is the high yield on CDO's in relation to our borrowing cost telling us there is risk here that we are not evaluating properly? Are we putting too many eggs into the CDO basket? What happens to our position if interest rates move up and real estate prices fall?-- Would have been told by the CEO: We constantly evaluate all positions including simulations on rising interest and falling real estate scenarios, the risk is hedged through derivatives, understanding risk is a core competence to which we devote significant resources, blah, blah,blah. The audit committee has a better shot at getting into detail on a risk evaluation issue, but even there it is very hard for a board member to question specific decisions if he's assured by management and outside auditors that there is an effective process in place. Some of those college presidents are smart people who ask good questions. If the model board is composed soley of bank experts wouldn't you get a dozen Robert Rubins, the same guy you flay in the next paragraph? Ben, if you want to get cranky, then whine about the huge compensation packages the departing CEO gets after wrecking the bank's balance sheet - even a college dean can understand that one.
In Serfs of the Turf, Michael Lewis makes a strong case for paying college football players, a case that proves too much. Let's turn major college ball into a professional development league for the NFL and let the colleges get back to education. Notre Dame's Fighting Irish become the professional minor league team the South Bend Fighting Irish, in a league with the Columbus Buckeyes and Ann Arbor Wolverines. Universities get fees for allowing the minor league football franchises to use their nicknames, mascots and stadiums plus a lucrative no-compete payment if they promise not to start a replacement college team as part of the deal.
Hey Candidate, I'm All Yours - Story on odd couple endorsements of questionable value (Pat Robertson - Rudy Giuliani) doesn't go far enough. Michael Jackson - Aqua Dots. Darth Cheney - Musharraf. Musharraf - Darth Cheney. Maureen Dowd (she might be a crook but she can make small talk with a cocktail in her hand) - Benazir Bhutto. Bill Clinton (shortly after meeting his wife) - Dennis Kucinich. Alberto Gonzales (unfamiliar with the Constitution) - George W. Bush. Angelina Jolie (it was too late to adopt him) - Barack Obama. Ho Chi Minh (he's one tough mother) - John McCain. Al Gore (he's the only candidate who really understands my Internet) - Ron Paul.
The Tables Turn for Dilbert's Creator - Any truth to the rumor that Scott Adams is introducing Rachel Ray as an heroic character in Dilbert? She takes over the company cafeteria, previously the purveyor of a select line of overpriced inedibles, and turns it into a gourmet paradise. Will this desperate effort to curry favor (not to mention lamb and chicken) and get some tips (asparagus, sirloin, hot) on running a food empire hit paydirt.
As Stagehands Strike, Shows Don't Go On - Photographer Sara Krulwich and Times editors send a not so subtle message that striking stagehands are the Grinch stealing the shows from this year's Christmas. (Sorry readers, the Times on-line ran a different strike photo - look at page 1 as you walk by the Newstand.) Meanwhile, Maureen Dowd lets striking SNL writer/performer Seth Myers take over her column, A Bite of the Bagel. Union propaganda? Maybe, but it's funny propaganda.
Subprime stories rear their ugly head thrice. Banks Said to Agree on Credit Backup Fund is the umpteenth story on this special fund that fails to explain what it will do. This item reports agreement of the three sponsors, JPMorgan Chase, Citibank and Bank of America on a simplified structure and notes that the fund is not funded (it will seek contributions) and won't save the special purpose mortgage bundlers who face death from the subprime crisis. OK, but what will it do? Will this fund ever really exist and actually do something, or is it just a PR gimmick to create a long running, confidence inspiring news story without actually doing anything? Countrywide's Chief Salesman and Defender gives CEO Angelo Mozilo a platform from which he blames special pressure from minority advocates for relaxed credit standards (yes, Angelo, we're sure this was a big factor in your credit review process) and demands a bailout. Help individual mortgage borrowers with government support? Maybe, in a very focused program. Help Countrywide with tax dollars? Sorry Angelo, you are on your own. Call those Big Banks, oops, we don't know what they will do, but we already know they aren't going to save you. Ben Stein is a funny guy who knows his economics, but he seems to be getting even crankier than me. It's Time to Act Like Grownups starts out snapping at mortgage borrowers, who have gains to match the huge write-offs reported by lenders. Correct in theory Ben, the borrower who defaults when he has borrowed to the hilt and can't make the payments when his adjustable rate moves up does have a theoretical gain equal to the amount of any debt he can't repay. He also gets to lose his home, which will be sold at a foreclosure auction in a buyer's market, producing less than enough cash to pay off his mortgage loans. Unless he has a non-recourse mortgage loan, the borrower will then get to struggle with the unpaid balance while he looks for a new home. Maybe this borrower made a bad decision, maybe he even blew his home equity on lap dances during a trip to Vegas, but he is not sitting very pretty right now and those unsold homes are a problem for everyone. Ben then attacks the Big Bank Boards that slept as this crisis was created, singling out both diversity appointments, who didn't have the competence to spot the problem, and Robert Rubin for criticism. First, not every board member needs to be an expert banker, although you need some. Second, any Big Bank board member who asked questions like: why are we betting so much on collateralized debt obligations? Is the high yield on CDO's in relation to our borrowing cost telling us there is risk here that we are not evaluating properly? Are we putting too many eggs into the CDO basket? What happens to our position if interest rates move up and real estate prices fall?-- Would have been told by the CEO: We constantly evaluate all positions including simulations on rising interest and falling real estate scenarios, the risk is hedged through derivatives, understanding risk is a core competence to which we devote significant resources, blah, blah,blah. The audit committee has a better shot at getting into detail on a risk evaluation issue, but even there it is very hard for a board member to question specific decisions if he's assured by management and outside auditors that there is an effective process in place. Some of those college presidents are smart people who ask good questions. If the model board is composed soley of bank experts wouldn't you get a dozen Robert Rubins, the same guy you flay in the next paragraph? Ben, if you want to get cranky, then whine about the huge compensation packages the departing CEO gets after wrecking the bank's balance sheet - even a college dean can understand that one.
In Serfs of the Turf, Michael Lewis makes a strong case for paying college football players, a case that proves too much. Let's turn major college ball into a professional development league for the NFL and let the colleges get back to education. Notre Dame's Fighting Irish become the professional minor league team the South Bend Fighting Irish, in a league with the Columbus Buckeyes and Ann Arbor Wolverines. Universities get fees for allowing the minor league football franchises to use their nicknames, mascots and stadiums plus a lucrative no-compete payment if they promise not to start a replacement college team as part of the deal.
Saturday, November 10, 2007
Guaranteed Upgrade for Civil Unions
A Flawed Law - A New Jersey Section editorial in the Sunday NY Times reports that New Jersey's civil union law is not working, citing testimony before a special commission. The column notes that the NJ Supreme Court has mandated equal treatment for same sex couples and concludes that recognizing gay marriage, not improving the status of civil unions, is the path to achieve that end.
What about a completely different approach. Get government out of the marriage business altogether. As Good As News is not suggesting the abolition of marriage, merely recognizing a clash between freedom of religion and equal rights and presenting an alternative that meets both objectives. Marriage has always been a mixture of A) spiritual commitment and B) contract defining legal and economic rights. Leave part A to religion. Rename Part B as civil union and use it as the sole basis for any and all governmental interaction with the committed couples. Once these two roles are separated, renaming will very gradually lead to redefinition and a governmental approach that can logically, without fear of religious entanglement, address the legal and economic consequences of any law that treats a committed couple as something different than two individuals.
Implementation will raise many issues, but here's a start. Amend all laws so that they refer to civil union, not marriage, and let each religion continue to make its own rules about marriage with no legal concern, subject to one key limit - as is currently the case with a marriage certificate, each couple must obtain a civil union certificate before marriage. A civil union certifcate is all they can get, there will no longer be any marriage certificates. Certificates will not be issued to minors (or any other group of citizens - for example those with severe mental handicaps - the legislature declares ineligible), close relatives or those who are already committed to a prior civil union. Thus the state can use the civil union certification process to aid in the enforcement of laws preventing bigamy, incest and the exploitation of children and other groups that do not have the capacity for a marriage or civil union.
All existing laws referring to marriage are, by omnibus amendment, changed to refer to civil union instead. This would include everything -divorce, joint tax returns (it would be nice to implement the same plan simultaneously on a federal level) medical privacy and visitation, government pension - you name it - any place that any law, including any municipal law, mentions marriage it now means civil union. Pre-amendment marriages are recognized as valid civil unions under a grandfather clause. The same omnibus amendment automatically replaces the the term spouse with civil union partner. The same law also covers mandatory reinterpretation of marriage and spouse in private documents like wills and pension plans.
A qualified couple (same sex or otherwise) can get a civil union certificate and never get married. They will have the same legal rights as a couple (same sex or otherwise) who gets the civil union certificate and then exchanges vows in a religious marriage ceremony. The civil union, not the marriage, is the basis, the sole basis for all governmentally granted or enforced rights.
This approach guarantees equal legal treatment for same sex couples who enter into a civil union. It also lets each religion make its own rules on eligibility for marriage and may, at least partially, reduce the concern of conservatives who do not want to see government endorsing gay marriage. Once the legal and economic side of marriage is separated from the spiritual, government can begin to deal more freely and effectively with the civil union couple.
What about a completely different approach. Get government out of the marriage business altogether. As Good As News is not suggesting the abolition of marriage, merely recognizing a clash between freedom of religion and equal rights and presenting an alternative that meets both objectives. Marriage has always been a mixture of A) spiritual commitment and B) contract defining legal and economic rights. Leave part A to religion. Rename Part B as civil union and use it as the sole basis for any and all governmental interaction with the committed couples. Once these two roles are separated, renaming will very gradually lead to redefinition and a governmental approach that can logically, without fear of religious entanglement, address the legal and economic consequences of any law that treats a committed couple as something different than two individuals.
Implementation will raise many issues, but here's a start. Amend all laws so that they refer to civil union, not marriage, and let each religion continue to make its own rules about marriage with no legal concern, subject to one key limit - as is currently the case with a marriage certificate, each couple must obtain a civil union certificate before marriage. A civil union certifcate is all they can get, there will no longer be any marriage certificates. Certificates will not be issued to minors (or any other group of citizens - for example those with severe mental handicaps - the legislature declares ineligible), close relatives or those who are already committed to a prior civil union. Thus the state can use the civil union certification process to aid in the enforcement of laws preventing bigamy, incest and the exploitation of children and other groups that do not have the capacity for a marriage or civil union.
All existing laws referring to marriage are, by omnibus amendment, changed to refer to civil union instead. This would include everything -divorce, joint tax returns (it would be nice to implement the same plan simultaneously on a federal level) medical privacy and visitation, government pension - you name it - any place that any law, including any municipal law, mentions marriage it now means civil union. Pre-amendment marriages are recognized as valid civil unions under a grandfather clause. The same omnibus amendment automatically replaces the the term spouse with civil union partner. The same law also covers mandatory reinterpretation of marriage and spouse in private documents like wills and pension plans.
A qualified couple (same sex or otherwise) can get a civil union certificate and never get married. They will have the same legal rights as a couple (same sex or otherwise) who gets the civil union certificate and then exchanges vows in a religious marriage ceremony. The civil union, not the marriage, is the basis, the sole basis for all governmentally granted or enforced rights.
This approach guarantees equal legal treatment for same sex couples who enter into a civil union. It also lets each religion make its own rules on eligibility for marriage and may, at least partially, reduce the concern of conservatives who do not want to see government endorsing gay marriage. Once the legal and economic side of marriage is separated from the spiritual, government can begin to deal more freely and effectively with the civil union couple.
Friday, November 9, 2007
Special Edition
As Good As News posting times this week have been erratic, but there is at least one post for each day. Don't miss Fuji Watch Day 6, Revenge of the Nerds, Conan - Vixen or Victim, and film reviews of previews for "The Cake Eaters" and "Look". The October 28, 2007 entry on my father now includes pictures.
Mike's MySpace page includes new comedy clips posted today. If you haven't visited yet, use the MySpace link in the right hand column and play "Mike's Best Show Yet!" for an introductory shot of political and autobiographical humor. If you don't have six minutes and forty seconds to spare for some laughs, then try the shorter clip, "41 Tells 43 How to Pick an AG."
Today instead of picking on one or two headlines of the NY Times, As Good As News takes on all of them. Fox has endured endless enmity from the NY Times crowd for slanting its news coverage to pander to its conservative viewers. Is the Times on-line doing the same thing? Those who utilize an RSS feed to keep up with the NY Times online (generally a technically aware crowd) get a heavy dose of tech articles, markedly different than what you see if you simply click on the Time's home page the "old fashioned" way. Does the front page reflect the Times editorial view of what is important, or what will sell? If the former, why does it change so dramatically when the subscribers are in the technophile demographic?
Mike's MySpace page includes new comedy clips posted today. If you haven't visited yet, use the MySpace link in the right hand column and play "Mike's Best Show Yet!" for an introductory shot of political and autobiographical humor. If you don't have six minutes and forty seconds to spare for some laughs, then try the shorter clip, "41 Tells 43 How to Pick an AG."
Today instead of picking on one or two headlines of the NY Times, As Good As News takes on all of them. Fox has endured endless enmity from the NY Times crowd for slanting its news coverage to pander to its conservative viewers. Is the Times on-line doing the same thing? Those who utilize an RSS feed to keep up with the NY Times online (generally a technically aware crowd) get a heavy dose of tech articles, markedly different than what you see if you simply click on the Time's home page the "old fashioned" way. Does the front page reflect the Times editorial view of what is important, or what will sell? If the former, why does it change so dramatically when the subscribers are in the technophile demographic?
Thursday, November 8, 2007
Conan - Vixen or Victim
Priest Jailed In Stalking of TV Host - Even the Times could not resist this tabloid dream story. David Ajemian, a priest from Boston, was arrested on Friday while trying to attend a taping of "Late Night with Conan Obrien". The Preying Padre attended Harvard with Conan. On Ajemian's ordination in 2001, the Boston Globe noted that the converted Episcopalian was "turned on to religion" by Felliini's La Dolce Vita. Quite a character, did Satyricon inspire him to stalk Conan? Court papers included a history of menacing, if somewhat obtuse, letters and postcards Ajemian sent to the TV host, including references to the Virginia Tech gunman and the 1957 murder of gangster Frank Costello in the Majestic, the building where Conan now lives. The Diocese of Boston has placed Ajemian on leave. A Diocesan spokesman noted that the Conan situation was regrettable, but cited the improvement in the performance of the Diocese itself, "at least Ajemian is preying on someone his own age."The story is bare bones so far, an arrest report, court records and some google results, but with strike deprived fans hungry for a Conan fix, it will keep on exploding, in the National Enquirer if not in the Times. Ajemian is the Manhattan bred son of a journalist who worked through a series of jobs (including telemarketing) and tried law school before finding his vocation (as a priest - not a Conan stalker.) This Enquiring mind wants to know:
Was Conan an altar boy?
How well did Ajemian and Conan know each other at Harvard? Is there any possibility that they were roommates briefly until Conan demanded reassignment? Is there any possibility that they were roomates briefly until Ajemian demanded reassignment?
Did Ajemian ever make real time Conan contact with a visit or a call? Was he wearing his clerical collar at the time?
Did Conan respond to any of the communications from the Padre? Are there deleted e-mails that haven't actually been erased from his hard drive?
Did the stalking start shortly after Conan's 2002 marriage? Did Ajemian perform the ceremony? Did he attend disguised as a flower girl?
Is any particular obsessvive trigger apparent in the communications sent by Ajemian? Did the decision by Congress not to push the resolution condemningTurkish genocide against Armenians set him off, or was it Max Weinberg's extended absences?
Does Ajemian have any other stalking victims? Is anyone surprised that Conan and Letterman, but not Craig Ferguson and not Jay Leno, have that stalk me vibe? Does Ajemin have friends in his non-stalking life? Does he know Mrs. David Letterman? Would he like to know Mrs. David Letterman?
As Good As News Readers - do not hesitate to comment with answers (humorous answers and/or answers based on actual knowledge of Ajemian preferred) or questions. Despite the separated at birth pictures, Conan is not related to any As Good As News contributor, don't worry about stepping on any toes.
Wednesday, November 7, 2007
Revenge of the Nerds
Kucinich Offers Bill to Impeach Cheney - As with some other Kucinich offerings, the bill has no shot even though it would make perfect sense to an impassioned minority. The news here is that the Republicans actually tried to allow an hour of debate so they could score some points. Poor Dennis was then sold out by his own Democratic leadership. Concerned that they would be distracted and embarrassed, Pelosi & Co. have returned the bill to the Judiciary Committee. The nerd's revenge? Dennis is married to an attractive, 6 foot tall, 29 year old redhead with a tongue stud. If that is not revenge enough, she will soon be replacing him in all debates and speaking engagements - says Kucinich, "they can dis me, they can dis my ideas, but no one is going to give Elizabeth any grief and it's still my name on the ballot."
M.I.T. Sues Frank Gehry, Citing Flaws in Center He Designed - MIT sues the noted architect and the construction firm that designed and built its $300 Million Stata Center citing leaks, cracks and drainage problems. Gehry, who once said the building looks like "a party of drunken robots got together to celebrate" basically blows the claim off with the view that MIT got what it wanted and paid for. Nerds say - drunken robots OK with us, but they were not supposed to piss on the amphitheater. Based on the expensive corrective actions the Tute has been forced to take the suit will be revenge indeed.
A Firsthand Experience Before Decision on Torture - Daniel Levin, then acting head of the Office of Legal Counsel at the Justice Department, decided to experience waterboarding first hand before offering his opinion on its legality. He didn't like it and was pushed off the sinking ship of the Bush administration into the lucrative law firm White & Case - do we really need to explain the nerd's revenge here? If you tire of the endless rant from As Good As News on torture and warrant less surveillance, remember just these names - Levin and Jack Goldsmith, who withstood tremendous pressure to do their job and give advice based on the law, not what Darth wanted to hear, and John Woo and Steven Bradbury, yes men supreme who enabled the mess we are in today on both these issues.
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