I voted for her in this poll before I even saw the ad. She was the “None of the above” candidate. But now you can see she actually has an energy policy, which is more than Obama can say. And I can’t say it’s any worse than McCain’s.
6 August, 2008
4 August, 2008
More on Rember
Dr. Novella, writing on the essential Neurologica blog, has more on the hope behind that new Alzheimer’s drug. He includes some good advice:
By the way – this is why it is very important to insist on an autopsy for any relative who dies with a diagnosis of AD – because they really have a diagnosis of Alzheimer’s type dementia, and autopsy is your one opportunity to get a firm pathological diagnosis, which is important for your family medical history. You owe it to the next generation in your family – do it.
Is McCain on Obama’s Six?
Perhaps, since getting inside the enemy’s OODA loop is what fighter pilots are trained to do.
So far the Obama campaign has been a one note campaign. Besides any tactic that is over used wears out its welcome. The “cry wolf” syndrome. I wonder which way they can turn now? The post racialist candidate has been branded a racialist. Where do they go from here?
Check Six, Barry. The Ohio Republicans just squeezed off a few rounds.
3 August, 2008
Obama’s Hungarian Initiative
Mary Grabar on why being force-fed the language of an invader isn’t such a hot idea.
Obama, the Harvard-educated lawyer, betrays his own leftist objectives and profound lack of intellectualism. Like his radical friend, education professor and leader of the former Weathermen Bill Ayers, he does not value learning for its own sake, but sees it as a political tool, another way to use education to advance social goals. Obama’s view of foreign language acquisition is the opposite of the one of conservative parents and professors who have advocated foreign language study for the benefit of the student’s intellectual advancement. Obama, the dour schoolmaster, tells us we “must” learn the language of the border-hoppers who have invaded our country. I think I know what it felt like when my aunt was forced to learn Hungarian.
Our daughter is bilingual. It’s a wonderful gift to give a child if you can. Sadly, schools in the U.S. tend to wait until kids are just too old to absorb language naturally to start offering foreign language courses. People like me who learn as adults will forever have that “funny accent” in the other language. Being bilingual is a big advantage for individuals.
It’s a really bad idea for countries, though. Grabar nails it here:
Obama needs to be reminded that the United States is not in Europe. In a country this large, with a historically diverse ethnic population, language becomes a unifier. The fact that English is the one language spoken in a country of this size provides evidence of our independence and unity. The acquisition of a second language here, consequently, is done neither out of necessity nor under duress. Rather, a foreign language is studied for its own sake — an endeavor that signals a sure sign of higher education and a higher standard of living.
1 August, 2008
We’re Number 494,735!
According to Technorati, Buttle’s World is ranked 494,735. I’d just like to thank all our loyal readers for helping us rise above number 494,736.
The Wrecking Crew
I’ve just seen a documentary that is transformative. I am exactly the target demographic for The Wrecking Crew, a film by Tommy Tedesco’s son, Denny.
Entering my fifties I’m discovering gaping lacunae in my musical knowledge. Only recently, for example, did I discover the Brecker Brothers. How could I have missed them like that? No idea. Man, could they play.
Well, I just got to shake hands with Hal Blaine, a life-long hero who I never knew by name before today. He was here with Denny Tedesco to present the documentary, and we had a Q&A afterwards.
It’s difficlut for me to put into words what it was like for me. Blaine, Tedesco, and a small group of session musicians (including Glenn Campbell and Leon Russel) turn out to be the musical muscle behind nearly every hit rock and roll song of the sixties and most of the seventies. Only about 120 of them are represented in the movie, but Blaine himself has been on so many records they’re still trying to count. With the help of two musicologists he is trying to reconstruct a list. He’s up to 5,070 in his database so far, but that’s only up through 1971.
It was like putting my life on fast forward and rewind over and over. With each snippet of a song – Beach Boys, Herb Alpert, Nancy Sinatra, Elvis Presley – I thought, “they did that one too?” Nearly every memorable tune I grew up with turns out to really be the product of the Wrecking Crew. Yes, they were even really The Monkees and Alvin and the Chipmunk’s band.
This is Tedesco’s first documentary. It’s a labor of love that’s taken him over a decade so far. Sadly, his father passed away before it was finished. But the connection with his dad makes an intimate emotional connection to the material that literally had me laughing and crying the whole time. In a stroke of genius, Tedesco has several of the musicians, now much older than in their heyday, play along with the original tracks. All at once you see who played that, how important it was to the song, and that they can still play it!
The film has the best of a first-time effort, in that it feels fresh and intimate, and Tedesco found a really good editor to shape the material. It flows well, has zero annoying interviewer footage, and benefits from Tedesco’s narration as not just his dad’s son but a witness.
Right now the documentary is just making the festival circuit, looking for distribution. Once they get that Denny hopes to have a DVD and, tantalizingly, a soundtrack album. It would have to be a box set, and would be the first time the musicians actually get credit on most of the songs.
They’re trying to arrange a post-screening concert with some of the guys – and maybe Dave Brubeck – for when it comes to the Mill Valley Film Festival. If I’m not there I’m either dead or in jail.
Spread the word, and if you see it coming to a festival near you just go.
Update:
I found a very nice article on the Wrecking Crew which covers even more players than the documentary could. It’s well worth reading.
Democrats Write Republican Campaign Spot
I heard the audio for this today on KSFO.
Today Sen. McConnell offered several Unanimous Consent requests to lift the ban on deep-sea exploration. Democrats objected.
He asked if Democrats would allow increased deep-sea exploration if the price of gas reached a national average of $4.50. Democrats objected.
He asked if Democrats would allow increased deep-sea exploration if the price of gas reached a national average of $5.00. Democrats objected.
He asked if Democrats would allow increased deep-sea exploration if the price of gas reached a national average of $7.50. Democrats objected.
He asked if Democrats would allow increased deep-sea exploration if the price of gas reached a national average of $10.00. Democrats objected.
The designated objector was Sen. Salazar of Colorado, for those who are interested.
The RNC or McCain should grab that audio, trim it to thirty seconds, and run it. Over and over.
Update:
Well! Something is indeed stirring over at McCain HQ. They finally woke up to the fact that nobody writes a better pro-McCain ad than Barack Obama.
Another Update:
Here’s video of the RNC campaign spot the Democrats wrote.
Breaking News: Feingold is a Moron
Chertoff’s jackbooted goons still maintain that they have a right to paw through your data when you enter the country whether or not there’s probable cause.
Senator Russel Feingold is properly alarmed, and plans to introduce legislation that would require reasonable suspicion for border searches. So far so good. But get a load of the kicker:
…as well as prohibit profiling on race, religion or national origin.
What a maroon. We absolutely should be profiling on religion and national origin. Sheesh.
Electrolysis Breakthrough
I can’t tell from how it’s being reported just what separating water into hydrogen and oxygen has to do with photosynthesis, but it does seem there’s been a major breakthrough in efficiency. This could make fuel cells quite viable. It certainly seems like good news for solar energy.
