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Lost 4.12: Hurley's Numbers on the Dashboard
2008-05-16 06:03:00
The single most astonishing, reassuring image in tonight's thrilling episode 4.12 of Lost was Hurley's sequence numbers on the odometer of his red car, in his part of the ensemble Oceanic Six flashforward shortly after they are back into some kind of semblance of a normal life...Lost has been making a fabulous attempt this season to give rational explanations - or, at least explanations not totally beyond the pale of understanding - for some of the major puzzles and mysteries of the past few years. We got an inkling of why Locke is the way he is, a little more about what makes Ben and the island tick, some powerful insights into Desmond's capacity to see the future ... But those numbers. They never made sense in the past, and seeing them again tonight, at Hurley's birthday party in the flashfoward, brings home how stubbornly they defy any rational explanation. Why do they keeping coming up in Hurley's life? It's tempting to think they are just part of Hurley's delusion - ...

Chris Matthews Lambastes Bush Apologist for Bush Comparison of Obama to Naz
2008-05-16 00:33:00
Chris Matthews was at his best on Hardball tonight, taking talk-show host Kevin James apart on his inability to say what Neville Chamberlain did wrong in his appeasement of Adolf Hitler before World War II. The correct answer, of course, is that Chamberlain allowed Hitler to carve up Czechoslovakia - which emboldened rather than satisfied the Nazis, and led directly into World War II.The wrong answer is that Chamberlain talked to Hitler. Talking wasn't the problem - giving away a piece of a sovereign country, in the hope that it could be bring peace, was the problem.Matthews made all of that very clear.It's especially helpful to keep that in mind, today, in the aftermath of Bush's comment in his address to the Israeli parliament, comparing Americans who want to talk to Iranian leaders to appeasers of the Nazis.Barack Obama wasn't mentioned by name, but he was clearly the main target. Unsurprisingly, McCain issued a statement that agreed with Bush. (Click here for McCain's...

Travis Childers - Democrat - Wins Special Election in Republican Mississipp
2008-05-14 04:42:00
The most significant election result tonight was not Hillary Clinton's big win over Barack Obama in West Virginia, but Democrat Travis Childers' win over Republican Greg Davis in the 1st Congressional district in northern Mississippi.Why is Childers' victory so important? In addition to having a name that seems to come right out of some great work of Southern fiction or an early rock 'n' roller, Childers was stridently opposed by Republicans who sought to link him to Barack Obama.The technique not only failed, but showed the kind of coattails Obama will have in the general election this Fall. Americans are tired of the Republicans, plain and simple. In Mississippi, the failure of the Bush administration in Hurricane Katrina's aftermath is all too close at hand. In Mississippi and everywhere around the country, Americans are fed up with high gas prices, the flagging economy, and the war in Iraq.Hillary Clinton's victory speech in West Virginia tonight - one of her best ...

Sopranos Symposium at Fordham University, Final Program, May 22-25, 2008
2008-05-13 20:55:00
The Sopranos: A WakeFordham University , New YorkLincoln Center Campus? Lowenstein Hall60th Street and Columbus AvenueMay 22nd-25th, 2008Conveners:Paul Levinson and Al Auster (Fordham University) David Lavery (Brunel University, London)Douglas Howard (Suffolk Community College)FREE AND OPEN TO THE PUBLIC=================================== =================================The Sopranos: A WakeProgram at a GlanceAll events at Fordham University, Lincoln CenterLowenstein Hall, at 60th Street and Columbus AvenueThursday, May 22nd, 20087:00 pm: Opening Session [Lincoln Center 816]Housekeeping (Doug Howard)Welcome (Paul Levinson, Fordham University)Opening Panel (Gary Edgerton, David Lavery)-------Friday, May 23rd, 20088:00am-9:00am: Registration, Coffee [Pope Auditorium]Track A: 9:00am-10:00amSession 1?Featured Speaker: Franco Ricci [LL 310]Session 2?Featured Speakers: Kim Akass and Janet McCabe [LL 311]10:00am-10:30am: Coffee [Pope Auditorium]Track B: 10:30am-12:15pmSession 3?Film Form and...

Battlestar Galactica 4.6: Cylon on Cylon
2008-05-12 20:56:00
More good revelatory Cylon on Cylon interactions in 4.6 of Battlestar Galactica - or, more specifically, Cylons killing Cylons, not in the civil war, but one on one...The most significant was Six killing a sister Six. The angel of death Six was my favorite Six - the one who is in a life-and-death political struggle with Brother Cavil (Dean Stockwell). Her sister was a platinum blonde Six, much like the one who is cosmically intertwined with Baltar, and is currently under lock-and-key on the Galactica. The blonde Six on the Cylon ship kills someone from Starbuck's party - a woman who as part of the resistance had killed this Six back on new Caprica - and everyone with Starbuck, especially Anders (a secret four Cylon himself), takes umbrage. Anders, in fact, wants to kill this Six, and the lead Six takes it upon herself, as a way of keeping peace, to kill her sister. Since there's no Resurrection ship around, these deaths really count.One of the Sharons also gets blasted - in ...

The Tudors and the Printing Press
2008-05-11 22:44:00
Some wonderful, decisive moments in history have been brilliantly portrayed in the past few episodes of The Tudors on Showtime. I've currently seen 8 of the new season, thanks to Showtime On Demand.My single favorite moment, being the media historian that I am, was Thomas Cromwell's introduction - to us as well as Archbishop Cranmer and George Boleyn - of a great "new weapon" for the Protestant reformers, in Episode 6: the printing press. This scene was right on in its portrayal of how monarchs such as Henry were able to harness the advantages of the press in their campaign to break free of Rome, and establish their national identities. (And James Frain superbly played Thomas Cromwell, as he does in every episode.)As media historians such as Marshall McLuhan and Harold Innis explained back in the 1950s, and I elaborated upon in my 1997 The Soft Edge: A Natural History and Future of the Information Revolution, books printed in English and other national vernaculars in Europe ...
More About: Press , Thomas Jefferson

Announcing My Next Nonfiction Book: New New Media
2008-05-10 22:21:00
I'm pleased to announce that I signed a contract with a great company - Pearson, Allyn & Bacon - for publication of my next nonfiction book, in 2009: New New Media .This will be my first nonfiction book since Cellphone: The Story of the World's Most Mobile Medium was published by Palgrave/St. Martin's in 2004.New New Media will look at blogging, YouTube, Wikipedia, Digg, MySpace, Facebook, Twitter, Pownce, podcasting, Second Life, iPhones, and other key examples of media in which consumers are producers, and the results are changing all aspects of our lives, from the way we watch television to how we are choosing our next President.I'll give you more details as I write the book, which I just started doing last week.Meanwhile, you can read about most of my other books over here.listen to Light On Light Through podcast also iTunes Paul Levinson's books
More About: Nonfiction

Lost: A Theory of How the Oceanic Six Were Chosen (Not Being Able to Run Fa
2008-05-10 03:34:00
I just watched Episode 4.11 of Lost again, and was struck with the way Juliet was making such a big deal about Jack not being able to run, and it all came together for me (talking with my wife and daughter) about how the Oceanic Six - mentioned in the coming attractions - came to be chosen.Here's my guess about what will happen:Keamy, as we know, is on a mission to kill everyone on the island. The only way to be at least somewhat safe from him is to run fast into the jungle...Jack can't run. One of the Oceanic Six.Kate can't run very fast with Aaron in her arms (Sawyer will give Aaron to Kate before this). Kate and Aaron are Two and Three of the Six. (Sawyer can run fast into the jungle.)Sun is pregnant and can't run very fast. Fourth of the Oceanic Six.Hurley (who will be reunited with the beach people) also can't run fast. Fifth of the Oceanic Six.And Sayid will be needed to pilot the boat ... Sixth of the Six.What do you think?See also...Further Questions about Lost ...

Lost 4.11: Unlocking Locke
2008-05-09 05:38:00
A mind-blowing extraordinary episode (11 of Season 4) of Lost tonight.Richard Alpert is Locke's father - the timeless man, maybe a time traveler, perhaps an eternal like John Amsterdam who doesn't seem to age, who knows, who helped get Juliet to the island, who helped Ben kill the Dharma people, who has a life as a "hostile" on the island that seems to transcend the Others, Dharma, and everyone - well, he's Locke's father. He impregnated a teenage girl - Emily, half his age, who dug Buddy Holly in the 1950s. She has the baby, names him John, gives him her last name (Locke), and leaves the hospital. Her mother gives John Locke up for adoption - but not before we see Richard Alpert in the hospital...Before we go any further - if the name Emily sounds familiar to you - that might be because someone named Emily was also Ben's mother. So, are Locke and Ben at very least half-brothers (same mother), and who knows, maybe full brothers (if Richard not Roger was Ben's father) .... ...
More About: Unlocking

Brian Williams' Complete Interview with Barack Obama
2008-05-09 03:52:00
Brian Williams' 23-minute interview today with Barack Obama follows. Some six minutes were aired on the NBC Nightly News. But, as Williams said, the full interview was too long for the Nightly News (which is 30 minutes, including commercials). So the entire interview was made available on msnbc.com - with an easy way to embed it on any blog, such as this one. That, in itself, is something laudable about this interview. Its mode of presentation serves as a good example of the way traditional media such as broadcast television and new media such as the web can work together to assist democracy.I thought the best thing about the interview itself was Obama's relaxed, engaging, Presidential style. Asked about Joe Scarborough 's advice that Obama should just come right out and say he was President of the Harvard Law Review and he was proud of it, Obama said he'd be happy to interview Scarborough for a press job in his administration. Williams countered that Scarborough was a Repu...
More About: Brian Williams

Obama Is Now Unbeatable for Democratic Nomination
2008-05-07 07:24:00
A great night for anyone who loves to watch politics and election coverage on television - not to mention supporting Barack Obama .Obama beat Clinton by 14% in North Carolina. Clinton won by a bare 2% in Indiana after a long, edge-of-your seat night which started with Clinton well ahead. These results will more than make up for the 12 delegates and popular vote lost by Obama in Pennsylvania. Obama will gain at least 15 delegates in North Carolina, and lose a total of 2 in Indiana - he'll be leading by at least 160 delegates again, and considerably closer to the finish line. With just a handful of primaries remaining, there's no chance for Hillary to overtake him.These results show that Obama has indeed come back from the damage done to him by Rev. Wright. As he said in his victory speech in North Carolina tonight, he loves America. The people of North Carolina and Indiana, added together, believe him.They also were responsive to his refusal to play games with our out-of-co...
More About: Nomination , Hillary Clinton , Democratic , Cain

Battlestar Galactica 4.5: Mutiny on the Demetrius
2008-05-05 19:01:00
Well, Mutiny on the Bounty it wasn't, but Episode 5 of Battlestar Galactica 's final season provided some interesting moments, as Kara Thrace's grumbling crew of the Demetrius moves towards mutiny in its so far unsuccessful attempt to find Earth.Actually, I thought the most interesting part was the arrival on the Demetrius of Leoben the Cylon, fresh with news of the Cylon civil war. This fight within the Cylons is the most significant element of this final season, and points towards some ultimate permanent reconciliation between the better Cylons and humanity.But Leoben only aggravates tensions on the Demetrius, and it's pretty clear that Helo won't be able to maintain order much longer. One character whose motivations seemed somewhat unjustified to me was Sharon - shouldn't she have a little more confidence in Leoben, and what we pretty much know to be his true story - Sharon being a good Cylon herself, after all?Meanwhile, back on the Galactica, and speaking of Cylons, Tyr...

Obama Makes Sense on Meet the Press
2008-05-05 03:14:00
I just saw Barack Obama interviewed by Tim Russert on NBC's Meet the Press , and was especially impressed by the following points:1. Obama said his "DNA" makes him ideally suited to bring Americans together - his black father and his white mother. I like that - the way Obama thinks and talks. When was the last time you heard another Presidential candidate of either party talk about DNA, in any connection to politics?2. Obama again spoke about the superficiality of the American flag pin issue - the degree to which Obama wears and does not wear a pin. I couldn't agree more. Did it ever occur to those who think flag pins are so important that a terrorist could easily wear one? What counts is what candidates say and do - not what they wear in their lapels.3. Obama explained his opposition to the gas tax holiday (McCain ) and gas tax holiday plus windfall profits reduction (Clinton) proposals. They're sugar fixes, and, in the case of the windfall profits reductions, not likely to ...
More About: Sense , Hillary Clinton

Jumper: The Movie Reached Much Higher than Critics Admit
2008-05-05 00:11:00
I finally got a chance to see Jumper last night. Contrary to critics and many posts on the web, I liked it.First, a disclaimer. I have a business relationship with one of the movie's executive producers - Ralph Vicinanza's agency represents my novels (I have five published so far). Plus, I've worked with Vince Gerardis, also an executive producer of Jumper. And Steven Gould, an acquaintance, wrote the novel of the same name upon which the movie was based.So, take my praise of Jumper with the above grains of salt if you like, but I nonetheless liked the movie - a lot - and here's why:It was an unusual and therefore refreshing mix of scales in a movie. In part very personal, in part global, it was not quite like anything I've ever seen before. The story is also a rare one, for both written and cinematic science fiction: teleportation. The hero, David Rice played by Hayden Christensen , jumps around not in time but anywhere from one place on the planet to another. The gold...
More About: Movie , Heroes , The Movie

The Decline and Fall of Keith Olbermann (At Least, in my Estimation)
2008-05-03 02:47:00
I first realized there was something off with Keith Olbermann when he attacked 24 and Jack Bauer as agents of the Bush administration last year.I know, that's a minor thing, but that's the point. Why go after a television show when there is so much else you can lambaste when it comes to Bush administration policy?I admit to having mostly enjoyed a lot of Olbermann's other ticks and gimmicks, including his relentless attacks on Bill O 'Reilly . They may not have been completely fair, but media personality wars are irresistible to students of the genre.In the past few months, though, Olbermann has branched out to the other targets. He histrionically announced his support of Barack Obama and disappointment in Hillary Clinton . Now, I support Barack Obama, too, and have found fault in Hillary Clinton's campaign (such as its "logic" that votes for Hillary in Michigan, where hers was the only name on the ballot, should count), but to hold up Hillary Clinton and her campaign as some...

Lost 4.10: Almost a Dream Come True
2008-05-02 06:14:00
Jack's almost ruptured appendix was center stage on the island tonight, but the least important part of a splendid almost-a-dream-come-true Episode 10 of Lost Season 4 tonight. After all, we know that Jack will survive because of the flashforwards. Speaking of which -1. Tonight's features Jack, Kate, Aaron, and brief appearances by Hurley and Jack's father Christian. It starts a little time after the trial (4.4) and the Hurley episode (4.1). Jack's with Kate, and he's making a good father for Aaron. Jack and Kate are about as happy as we've ever seen them. (Will this be the most happy we'll ever see them in the series? I fear, maybe so. But I hope not.)2. Jack goes to see Hurley, and things start falling apart for Jack, and Jack and Kate. Hurley gives Jack a message from Charley, who Hurley says has paid him lots of visits. The message: Jack should not be raising Aaron. (Who then? Claire, back on the island? Maybe.) Jack gets a long glimpse of Christian (actua...
More About: Dream , True

Hillary Does Fine on O'Reilly
2008-05-01 02:57:00
Kudos to Hillary Clinton for doing a fine job in her interview on Fox News by Bill O 'Reilly . And kudos for Bill O'Reilly for having Hillary on his show.That's right. I'm a Barack Obama supporter, and no great friend of Fox News or Bill O'Reilly - on whose TV show I've appeared three times* - but I think it's good for our democratic process for people running for President to appear and talk and be interviewed on television as much as possible.Fox News has millions of viewers. O'Reilly's Factor is its leading show. Cutting this out of the process was a disservice to both the candidates (who have done this, until now) and the American people.Hillary Clinton offered poise, humor, and tough facts in her responses to O'Reilly. It was a great interview. I'm looking forward to the second part of the interview tomorrow.Barack Obama was wise to initiate Democratic contender appearances on Fox News Sunday with Chris Wallace this past Sunday.Both candidates would be wise to cont...

Obama Denounces Wright
2008-04-29 20:39:00
Barack Obama just finished an extraordinary and much needed press conference, in which he denounced Jeremiah Wright 's insulting performance at yesterday's National Press Club - insulting to the American people, the political process, as well as Barack Obama.Obama said he found Wright's statement that AIDS was introduced into the African-American community by the US government "ridiculous," and Obama took exception to Wright's praise of Louis Farrakhan. But most significant was Obama's denunciation of Wright's mocking of the political process in which all Americans are now engaged.Obama distinguished between Wright in the Bill Moyers interview and Wright at the National Press Club in Washington yesterday. I found the Moyers interview helpful - as I wrote here on Sunday - as did Obama. I also found Wright's talk to the NAACP in Detroit on Sunday to be informative and entertaining.But Wright's performance at the National Press Club yesterday was appalling. Far from putti...

Battlestar Galactica 4.4: A Little More about Cylons
2008-04-28 18:55:00
A grim 4th episode of the final season of Battlestar Galactica on Friday, in which not much happened, not much was revealed, but we perhaps learned a little more about the Cylons on the ship...1. Roslin is telling everyone she doesn't have much longer to live. I'm wondering why this is being put so prominently into the story. It occurs to me that maybe it's a lead-up to seeing Roslin die, and come back to life on the Reincarnation ship.2. Tyrol's having a tough time of it. The best scene of the night was when he tells Admiral Adama, trying to comfort him about Callie, that he hated Callie's "vacant eyes" and more. He's coming to realize that his true love was Boomer, who of course makes perfect sense.3. And Tigh seeks comfort in Six, who looks to Tigh like Ellen. We know that Tigh is a Cylon. Does this give more weight to Baltar being a Cylon, seeing as how he has more or less constant visions of Six? And does Six know that Tigh is a Cylon?Soft, intriguing questions .....

Rev. Wright in Better Context in Bill Moyers PBS Interview
2008-04-27 18:45:00
I just saw Bill Moyers ' lengthy interview PBS interview with the Rev. Jeremiah Wright - Barack Obama 's former paster, who was been the center of considerable controversy for his "God damn America" and other inflammatory statements.I urge everyone to see it, because the sound bites that the media have presented, up until now, have taken Wright's comments seriously out of context.Let's look at his "God damn America" sermon, as one example. Now, I think America is the most free country in the history of the world. Despite its many flaws, I feel happy and lucky to be living in the nation that Thomas Jefferson helped create. So those three words, taken on their own, were and are highly offensive to me.But Rev. Wright did not say those just those three words in his sermon. He started that part of his sermon with a list of nations whose abuse of power, whose attempts to act like God, made them "fail". He mentioned Germany, Japan, Russia, and England (actually, the British Empire)....
More About: Interview , Context

Lost 4.9: Daughters, Rules, and Some Truth about Ben
2008-04-25 05:36:00
We got two rare glimpses into the true nature of Ben tonight in this brutally brilliant episode of Lost - one when he said goodbye to Alex on the island, a second in what we saw on his face in the flashforward second scene with Sayid - and we learned a whole lot about some other crucial things, too.1. I was wrong when I supposed that Ben might have been the one who shot Rousseau and Karl in Episode 8 (though not wrong at all about Ben's use of murder of innocents to further his agenda - see #2 below). But it was the bad guys on the boat, Widmore's men, who did the deed. Tonight they try to get Ben to surrender by threatening to kill Alex. Ben's tries to outsmart them, by telling them, truthfully, that Alex is not his daughter (and trying to disguise his love for her). Ben's bluff is called, and Alex is shot dead, right in front of his horrified eyes. (Keamy, played with fatal precision by Kevin Durand, does the deed.)Why Widmore's killers would give up this possible lever...
More About: Truth , Rules , Daughters

Final Pennsylvania Results: Clinton Wins the Vote, But Obama Still on Trac
2008-04-23 05:30:00
Well, there's now more than 90% of the voted counted in Pennsylvania , and too close to call changed to too early to call to Hillary Clinton over Barack Obama by 10%.I stand corrected about the polls - they did it pretty right, after all. Apparently the cell phone vote did not make that big a difference. And perhaps the debate last week did Obama a little damage, even though I thought he did just fine.But the numbers of the overall primary campaign - the "metric" as it is increasingly called - remain with Barack Obama. Ten percent is impressive, but it is far from a blow-out. The delegate split in Pennsylvania based on this vote will likely give Clinton 15 more elected delegates than Obama will get from Pennsylvania - a drop in the bucket, given his nearly 150 delegate lead. Nor are super delegates likely to bolt away from Obama based on Pennsylvania.But Hillary Clinton will be able to take the fight, newly empowered, to Indiana and North Carolina. She was strong and clear in...
More About: Results , Vote , Final

First Pennsylvania Returns: Too Close to Call = Obama Wins Whatever the Fin
2008-04-23 02:13:00
First reports on MSNBC, based on exit polls, say the Democratic race in Pennsylvania is too close to call.This means that, whatever the final results, Obama will make progress towards the nomination tonight. Even if Hillary Clinton gets a victory, it won't be anywhere nearly enough to stop Barack Obama from getting the Democratic nomination.What does this mean in terms of what we've seen in the past few weeks:1. Either Obama did fine in last week's debate (as I said in a blog post here), or debates don't matter much between Clinton and Obama at this point.*2. Polling techniques need improvement. Call ing voters on landlines, when many younger voters have only cell phones, does not make sense any more in our mobile age. (Exit polls are usually done in person, and so the cell phone problem doesn't arise.)**But see my Final Pennsylvania Results where I admit my errors on these points...And I'll be back later when more returns come in. An exciting night for democracy!listen t...
More About: Close , Wins

John Adams Concludes, The Tudors Continues, The First Amendment Abides
2008-04-21 07:01:00
A fabulous, instructive night for history on cable television - John Adams , the splendid mini-series, concluded on HBO, and The Tudors, the magnificent, searing series, continued with its second season on Showtime.The last episode of John Adams was mostly personal, and very powerful. Adams' daughter dies of breast cancer. Abigail dies. And Thomas Jefferson and John Adams die on the same day, July 4, 1826, after they have reconciled via letters.What was mostly at dispute between them was freedom of speech and communication, and the First Amendment . Adams, early in the hour, complains that all he'll be remembered for is signing the Alien and Sedition Acts - the closest our nation has ever come to abrogating the First Amendment .Its importance was wrenchingly, brilliantly portrayed in the two episodes (4 and 5) of The Tudors I saw tonight (on Showtime On Demand). Thomas More resists the law that Parliament passed on behalf of Henry, proclaiming him the ultimate religious authori...

Battlestar Galactica 4.3: Deaths, Lessons, Questions
2008-04-19 17:50:00
Battlestar Galactica isn't missing a beat in this riveting, powerful, adrenalin-coursing last season, and last night's show fit right in with the pounding pulse.It started unsurprisingly enough, with life on the ship continuing to wear on Callie Tyrol. Things get worse when she sees her husband Galen and Tory (two of the four secret Cylons) talking, and Tory making a move on him. Galen rejects this, but Callie doesn't see that.And then things get much much worse. Callie trails Galen to a meeting of the three Cylons (the fourth, Starbuck's husband, is on her ship, looking for Earth), and discovers to her horror that that's what they are. Back in her quarters, she beats Galen with a wrench, and takes their baby to a Viper launch tube. She's thinking of opening it, and killing her baby and herself.But Tory comes by. She's compassionate, sensible, understanding, and eventually talks Callie out of suicide. She takes the baby from Callie - and knocks Callie across the tube w...
More About: Battlestar Galactica , Questions , Deaths , Lessons

Passover and Politics: Reflections
2008-04-19 00:51:00
Hey, Passover starts tomorrow night - it's always been my favorite holiday.A fine feast, catchy songs, and a great storyline - what more can you ask for?The part I like best comes early in the seder. Why do we need to have a Passover ceremony - the answer is provided by a look at The Four Sons. The first son is highly intelligent - no need to have the story of Passover told for him, because he already understands it. The second son is evil - no point in telling the Passover story for him, because he deemed himself above all of this. The third is a little bit of a dim-wit - no need to have the story told to him either, because the meaning can be satisfactorily conveyed to his weak mind in just a few, simple sentences. But the fourth son - he who has not the capacity to even inquire - he is the reason that the Passover story must be told. It must be told, in other words, for those who, for whatever reason (perhaps because they are too young, or otherwise know nothing at all ...
More About: Politics , Barack Obama , Hillary Clinton , Reflections , Judaism

Obama Appeals to the Good Sense of Americans in 21st Democratic Debate Toni
2008-04-17 04:47:00
David Gergen on CNN thought both candidates were "pandering," Howard Fineman on MSNBC thought the debate was stale, and Patrick Buchanan, also on MSNBC, thought Barack Obama did not have a very good night ... but I thought it was the ABC-TV questioners who didn't have a very good night, and the candidates made this 21st Democratic debate the best so far. Hillary Clinton was her customarily clear debating self. But Barack Obama made some important progress in his continuing campaign to practice a new kind of politics in this election - one which respects the intelligence and rationality of the American.Obama was hit with bevy of volleys about not wearing a flag pin, his friendship with Weatherman radical William Ayers, his relationship with Rev. Wright, etc. And Obama pointed out that this is not what the election is about - and not what Americans are interested in hearing. These discussions do nothing to fix what is wrong with America.There were some important questions mixed i...
More About: Sense , Debate

John Adams on HBO: 6: Flawed President and Flawed Father
2008-04-15 22:46:00
People sometimes ask me why I'm so critical of John Adams - the real person in history, not the superb HBO series - and the answer is the damage done to, and near death of, our democracy brought by the Alien and Sedition Acts, signed into law by Adams. This grim episode, and Jefferson's protest that these acts trampled on the Constitution, were vividly portrayed in this 90-minute episode that covered the whole of Adams' Presidency.But the episode brought to light something equally lamentable about Adams - pertaining to his family not his country. Charles, the reprobate son, is disowned by John Adams . His son-in-law is turned away when in financial need. It's not that our culture was so different then. It's that John Adams could not overcome his stern New England upbringing, and give his son the love and emotional support, his son-in-law the economic support, that they needed. John Adams meted out punishment instead - just as he did to his country by jeopardizing the Firs...
More About: President , Father

New Amsterdam Bows: Lessons in Cons and Backsides
2008-04-15 04:18:00
New Amsterdam gave its final bow tonight - of the season, maybe of all time - with a line that it is destined to become classic, when John says to his annoying boss Callie (played by Susan Misner) "I won't kiss your ass - which isn't that great, by the way. The way you twitch it around, you'd think it was one of the seven wonders of the modern world."Well, it's looked ok to me, and Callie also gets creds for asking John at the end of the episode if he really meant this line, part of the little act the detectives put on to nab the bad guy (actually, a bad woman).We don't get to see John's answer, but we did get a fine final episode, in which the current police and the past part of John in historical New York are finally meshing pretty well. Con artists are the common thread, in the 1920s and the 2008 parts, and of course conning most of the people around him is just what John has been doing his whole 400-year life.Not to stretch this metaphor too far, but tantalizing the tel...
More About: Bows , Lessons , Cons , New Amsterdam

Obama's Words about "Bitter" Workers, Guns, and Religion: No Big Deal
2008-04-13 05:25:00
Barack Obama has been receiving considerable flack about this statement made earlier in the week - "It's not surprising then they [economically hard-pressed workers] get bitter, they cling to guns or religion or antipathy to people who aren't like them or anti-immigrant sentiment or anti-trade sentiment as a way to explain their frustrations." Hillary Clinton and John McCain have gleefully called such words "elitist," Obama has regretted and clarified them, and the media have been having their customary field day, ever on the lookout for a possible slip by a major contender.You know what I think? It's no big deal.Why should working families having trouble making ends meet take offense at a Presidential candidate recognizing that they may be feeling bitter? That's a normal human reaction, and ignoring or denying it - as Clinton and McCain are doing - is plain hypocrisy.What about the linking of religion to this? Well, I thought that was supposed to be one of the social purpos...
More About: Religion , Guns , Workers , Barack Obama