Books, Beaches, & Blather

Does This Guy Still Think He Can Be President?

It's hard to imagine that the GOP could possibly nominate a guy who not only (notoriously) cheated on his wife, but wasted taxpayer dollars in the process.  Conservatism at its finest.

Michael Casey Memorial Service

Yesterday afternoon was Mike Casey's memorial service here on campus.  Today is the 20th anniversary of his and Judy's wedding day.  It was an uplifting celebration of his life, and the hymns, sermon, readings, anecdotes, and slide show were perfectly appropriate for the occasion.  The service's theme seemed to center on the hymn "The Church's One Foundation," and especially this verse which we sang in remembrance of Mike's life and work:

Mid toil and tribulation,
and tumult of her war
she waits the consummation
of peace for evermore;
till with the vision glorious
her longing eyes are blessed,
and the great Church victorious
shall be the Church at rest.

Contemporary songs just can't express sentiments like these.

The Other Malibu

From this morning's paper.

The Thing Is...

...not everyone who loses her/his home in Malibu wildfires is rich.  In this weekend's installment of Malibu wildfires, two Pepperdine library employees lost their homes.  The public services assistant in my library (my right-hand aide) lost her home.  She's been a Malibu resident for over 30 years and bought her home in Corral Canyon decades ago when land in Malibu was much, much cheaper.  She's now homeless.  The other library employee was a renter who had no insurance who rented a guest house from a Corral Canyon resident.  She's now homeless, too.  I just spoke with her and she kept saying over and over "I never expected to be a recipient of aid from FEMA or the Red Cross.  I feel so humbled."

Last month's fire came through the canyon directly to the east of campus and burned and skirted that edge of campus.  This fire came down the adjacent canyon to the west, missing the campus by one ridgeline.

This is getting old.

No Wonder I'd Rather Check BBC or the NYT

Not to be too picky, but right now, and for at least the past 30 minutes, the front page of CNN.com has had this obvious error (click on the image to the right).  If you can't tell simply by looking (sorry, I know it's small), they've spelled "scheduled" as "sheduled."

Has CNN become British? 

Or just plain stupid?

Yawn.  I'd rather watch PBS.

Be Sure to Wear Some Flowers in Your Hair

This year we're continuing our tradition of ignoring our respective families over the Thanksgiving holiday.  Friday is our fifth anniversary, and as our anniversary always falls sometime around Thanksgiving, we usually don't celebrate that day with anyone but ourselves.  Growing up, my family always celebrated Thanksgiving at the local Cracker Barrel, so when we were on our honeymoon in South Beach back in 2002 we drove to the nearest Cracker Barrel...in Boca Raton, FL...to celebrate.  Since then we've normally done a Thanksgiving/Anniversary trip somewhere fairly local.  Last year was Sedona.  This year is that oppressively quaint and charming city to the north, San Francisco.

So of course on our fifth anniversary we're heading here.   Hopefully we'll get photos of ourselves trapped behind bars to put in this year's Christmas cards.   The people who know us well will hopefully get our dark sense of humor, and those who don't know us very well can add us to their prayer list.  Priceline did us well (and cheaply) on this trip, and with other activities and reservations planned (Thanksgiving dinner in Chinatown, too!) I'm looking forward to the weekend.   

Hopefully all of you will enjoy your Turkey Day, as well.  May you momentarily forget that gluttony is as much of a sin as the rest of them.

From the other night

Last week I watched the CMA Awards; I normally try to watch them even if so much of today's country music is rancid vomit compared to the past (cue Billy Collins' Nostalgia).  I have to admit, however, that I'm a pretty big fan of Brad Paisley, and I had never heard the song he performed with the Brentwood High marching band.  It's hilariously typical Paisley, and it's now on my iPod - I recommend it if you're looking for a laugh.

Online

I work down at the Pizza Pit
And I drive an old Hyundai
I still live with my mom and dad
I'm 5 foot 3 and overweight
I'm a scifi fanatic
A mild asthmatic
And I've never been to second base
But there's whole ‘nother me
That you need to see
Go checkout MySpace

'Cause online I'm out in Hollywood
I'm 6 foot 5 and I look damn good
I drive a Maserati
I'm a black-belt in karate
And I love a good glass of wine
It turns girls on that I’m mysterious
I tell them I don't want nothing serious
'Cause even on a slow day
I could have a three way
Chat with two women at one time
I’m so much cooler online
So much cooler online

When I get home I kiss my mom
And she fixes me a snack
And I head down to my basement bedroom
And fire up my Mac
In real life the only time I’ve ever even been to L.A
Is when I got the chance with the marching band
To play tuba in the Rose Parade

Online I live in Malibu
I pose for Calvin Klein, I've been in GQ
I'm single and I'm rich
And I've got a set of six pack abs that would blow your mind
It turns girls on that I’m mysterious
I tell them I don't want nothing serious
'Cause even on a slow day
I could have a three way
Chat with two women at one time
I’m so much cooler online
So much cooler online

When you got my kind of stats
It’s hard to get a date
Let alone a real girlfriend
But I grow another foot and I lose a bunch of weight
Every time I login

Online
I’m out in Hollywood
I’m 6 foot 5 and I look damn good
Even on a slow day
I could have a three way
Chat with two women at one time
I’m so much cooler online
Yeah, I’m cooler online
I’m so much cooler online
Yeah, I’m cooler online

Yeah, I’m cooler online

Yeah, I’ll see ya online

This Week's Homework

You don't have to agree with it, but at least read this piece from the current issue of The Atlantic.  A few nuggets:

Given this quiet, evolving consensus on policy, how do we account for the bitter, brutal tone of American politics? The answer lies mainly with the biggest and most influential generation in America: the Baby Boomers. The divide is still—amazingly—between those who fought in Vietnam and those who didn’t, and between those who fought and dissented and those who fought but never dissented at all. By defining the contours of the Boomer generation, it lasted decades. And with time came a strange intensity.

and this -

Of the viable national candidates, only Obama and possibly McCain have the potential to bridge this widening partisan gulf. Polling reveals Obama to be the favored Democrat among Republicans. McCain’s bipartisan appeal has receded in recent years, especially with his enthusiastic embrace of the latest phase of the Iraq War. And his personal history can only reinforce the Vietnam divide. But Obama’s reach outside his own ranks remains striking. Why? It’s a good question: How has a black, urban liberal gained far stronger support among Republicans than the made-over moderate Clinton or the southern charmer Edwards? Perhaps because the Republicans and independents who are open to an Obama candidacy see his primary advantage in prosecuting the war on Islamist terrorism. It isn’t about his policies as such; it is about his person. They are prepared to set their own ideological preferences to one side in favor of what Obama offers America in a critical moment in our dealings with the rest of the world. The war today matters enormously. The war of the last generation? Not so much. If you are an American who yearns to finally get beyond the symbolic battles of the Boomer generation and face today’s actual problems, Obama may be your man.

and, finally -

Consider this hypothetical. It’s November 2008. A young Pakistani Muslim is watching television and sees that this man—Barack Hussein Obama—is the new face of America. In one simple image, America’s soft power has been ratcheted up not a notch, but a logarithm. A brown-skinned man whose father was an African, who grew up in Indonesia and Hawaii, who attended a majority-Muslim school as a boy, is now the alleged enemy. If you wanted the crudest but most effective weapon against the demonization of America that fuels Islamist ideology, Obama’s face gets close. It proves them wrong about what America is in ways no words can.

Another Election Thought

Much of the Rudy momentum seems to rest on his supposed ability to beat Hillary Clinton.  I have two thoughts:

1)  I am not at all convinced this is true.  On issue after issue there is very little difference between HRC and RG.  I still can't imagine social conservatives will support RG with the same level of intensity that they supported GWB in 2000 and 2004.  Moreover, if there's one thing Team Clinton knows how to do, it's win elections.  I don't see RG moving any blue states into the red column (not NJ, not PA, not CT, and certainly not NY), and assuming the Democrats take Ohio next year (which they will, for the Ohio GOP has turned into a laughing stock), that's it, election over, game, set, match.

2)  I am not at all convinced Hillary Clinton will be the Democratic nominee.  John Edwards seems to be staking his entire campaign on Iowa, which he will not win.  After Edwards gets drubbed in Iowa and New Hampshire (and then in South Carolina), surely he will get out of the race.  I would suspect that the overwhelming majority of Edwards' support would then shift to Obama, just in time for the February 5 primary.  Without Edwards in the race, Hillary may be toast.  Again, Edwards may hang on through February 5 because of vanity and ego, but if Obama can hang around (which he can, for he has the money) long enough to pick up Edwards' supporters, he very well could end up the Democratic nominee...in which case he crushes Giuliani in the general election.

My prediction?  Romney will be the GOP nominee.  All things considered, who is the best candidate the GOP could nominate?  McCain.

Throwing the Baby out with the Bathwater, Part Two or Three

Operation Rescue is so yesterday.  Today's candidates need to describe their personal relationship with Torquemada.

(h/t REW)