Hate To Say I Told You So

Watch Peter Schiff, president of a Connecticut brokerage firm, predict exactly what would happen to our economy as he appears on news talk shows a couple years back. I hope all the other commentators who laugh in his face have choked on their own feet by now.

Side note: predictably, Schiff was an economic advisor to Ron Paul's 2008 presidential campaign.

Books That Make You Dumb

Some guy at Cal Tech decided to compare the Facebook lists of favorite books at various colleges and universities with the average SAT scores. It's not exactly sound statistical methods, but it's still kinda fun to see what the top books are at each SAT range. You can also look school by school to see what's most popular. I'm disappointed but not surprised that those terrible Dan Brown books (Da Vinci Code, Angels and Demons) appear pretty frequently. I don't have much hope for the future of our youth if those are seriously so many people's favorite books.

Girl Talk

Brigitte sent me the MySpace page of this DJ dude who goes by the name "Girl Talk", which has nothing to do with the style of music he mixes. He puts together upbeat, dancy combinations of hip hop, classic rock, pop, even folk stuff (I think there's some Shawn Colvin in there). I've had it on in the background at work happily tapping my foot under my desk and possibly doing a slight head bob till someone sees me and I turn red. If you have it on though, keep it low because it is hip hop after all so there's some non-PG language. My favorite combination is on track 4 on the MySpace page that's a mix of Jackson Five's "ABC" with the drums from Rihanna's "Umbrella" and some melodramatic guitar from "Bohemian Rhapsody." Musically I think he has some better mixes, but I give him a lot of credit for creativity on that blend.

Dogs 101

I am hooked on the Animal Planet show "Dogs 101." Each episode covers about four different dog breeds, discussing the origins, physical makeup, temperament, health concerns, friendliness, grooming needs, hot or cold tolerance, etc. of each breed. You can always expect precious video of puppies, as well as spotlights on trainers and owners devoted to the featured breeds. Last night's episode featured the English bulldog with a good fifteen minutes about UGA, Athens, and of course, the Uga and Seiler family legacy. The clip isn't online yet, but I'll post it when it comes up.

The Web site also has a cool feature: the Dog Breed Selector. As we consider getting a new friend for Laveau (our high maintenance but wonderful Weimaraner) sometime in the next six months to a year, we'll look to this resource that gives you suggested breeds based on your answers to a series of questions regarding your preferences, family situation, living area, etc. It suggested spaniels, beagles, or Corgis for us. I'm partial to Shelties and golden retrievers, so we'll see what happens!

Dear Prudence

Yeesh, has it been a week since I've posted? Apparently so. Work's been nuts, so less time for fun things like blogging. Thank goodness for the impending arrival of the greatest holiday ever--TURKEY WOOOOOO!!

I love a good advice column, and my favorite by far has got to be Dear Prudence (published by Slate). Today's tagline reminded me that I need to plug her column for anyone who is not already a reader:

My family thinks an exorcism will cure my mental illness. How can I spend Thanksgiving with them?

People write to her with some crazy and hilarious problems, and Prudence loves to cut to the chase. She's not afraid to tell people they are being whiny, narcissistic, overly sensitive, an idiot, or other colorful names. Her column is the highlight of my Thursdays; I only wish she published daily.

Rachel Maddow on Colbert

I've only recently become aware of Rachel Maddow and how awesome she is, so I was happy to see her on Colbert a few days ago. She's sharp, witty, and most importantly, really holds her own with Stephen (not an easy feat, as we know). I loved her description of how conservatives in government saying they want to reduce government is like hiring a vegan to be your butcher.

Interesting note: Maddow was the first openly gay American to win a Rhodes Scholarship.

The Ugly Aftermath

I had no idea that "The Onion" makes videos, but what a great discovery! (Thanks Clark). Here's a faux news segment on the ugly aftermath of the election for obsessive Obama supporters who now realize they have no life, no purpose, and nothing to talk about. I'll have to check out some of their other clips for future posts.

Decemberists' Return

I'm not a huge music person (meaning I listen in the car and sometimes at home, but I'm not obsessive about it and don't go to shows very often). I do, however, LOVE the Decemberists and am thrilled they have new music out. They are releasing seven new songs in three installments (two of the three are out already, the last to come in December), and they are also working on a new full length album to come out sometime next year. You can listen to some of their new stuff (and great old stuff, especially from "The Crane Wife" cd) in this NPR concert recording.

In other music news, my all-time beloved favorite artist in the universe, Lucinda Williams, also has a new album out...more on that later.

Obama on Higher Ed

Good Inside Higher Ed overview of Obama's stance on various higher education issues. I hope he follows through on his 2007 statement that eliminating subsidies to lenders and moving to a system of direct loans only would allow more support for Pell Grants. I think this is crucial to reforming the integrity and utility of the financial aid systems at colleges and universities. I also LOVE this quotation and hope it guides his higher ed policy:

[Obama] has pledged to “restore the basic principle that government decisions should be based on the best-available, scientifically valid evidence and not on the ideological predispositions of agency officials or political appointees.”

The Invention of Hugo Cabret

The Invention of Hugo Cabret by Brian Selznick

My review

rating: 5 of 5 stars
What a glorious, wonderful day it was when this book mysteriously showed up on my doorstep, a gift from one of my best friends for no special occasion--she just knew I would love it.



"The Invention of Hugo Cabret" is a novel told through both words and over a hundred gorgeous pencil illustrations. The illustrations tell crucial portions of the story themselves rather than simply complementing the narrative, an interesting device that makes the reader feel like he or she is watching an old film. This sensation was almost certainly intentional on the part of Brian Selznick as much of the story revolves around the magic and legends of early cinema. My enjoyment of this novel was greatly enhanced because as a wanna-be film nerd, I've seen and loved many of the classic early films that are referenced and pictured throughout the story.



I will keep this book a long time and read it to my children one day (that is, after savoring it myself several more times!).


View all my reviews.

Sic Em, ACLU!

It wouldn't be an election day without shenanigans. Apparently in Maryland, some cell phone users have gotten texts saying that voting lines are too long and to come back tomorrow. The ACLU's on the case, in partnership with the state attorney general's office, to investigate who is sending these messages. I'm glad they have snatched this up and will work toward bringing the culprits to justice. How SHADY and DISTURBING.

"Getting people misinformation about their right to vote to keep them from exercising the franchise is fundamentally undemocratic and unfortunately a growing problem that must be countered immediately," says Meredith Curtis, spokeperson for the Maryland ACLU.

Wassup....WAAAAAAAAAAAAA!

In honor of election day being less than 24 hours away, I've got to post one more funny political clip. Remember the "wassup!!!!!" beer commercial from a couple years back? Here's the 2008 version.

GOBAMA!
(And by Bama I mean Barack, NOT the Crimson Tide. Obviously.)