I’ve got some questions

 Politics/Law  2 Responses »
Nov 142006
 

I never took a civics course, so I never learned a lot of things I should have. And now I feel like they are so obvious that I shouldn’t admit that I never learned them. But as a public service to anyone else who may be equally ignorant and too ashamed to admit it in public I will ask anyway (rather than just spend an hour figuring it out via Wikipedia).

What is the difference between the Speaker of the House, the Majority Leader of the House, and the Majority Whip? I mean, I know that they are different, and I’ve got some general suspicions, but I don’t really have a strong idea of how it all works. And will the answer to that query explain to me what the Minority Leader and Minority Whip do? And are there other positions that I should be asking about also?

And how embarrassed should I be that I don’t already know these things?

 Posted by JHW at 5:02 pm

The silver lining of getting beating 27-3

 Redskins  No Responses »
Nov 132006
 

Well, they’re finally starting Campbell next week. Better late than never. Let’s hope that Gibbs leaves him in the starter’s spot for the rest of the year–it’s already a lost season, playoff-wise, so we might as well use the time to evaluate the guy.

Maybe now that Portis is injured we can get Duckett in there, too. You remember, the guy we traded a draft pick for last summer and haven’t put in a single game yet? It no longer matters for this year, of course, but we might as well see what he can do without Michael Vick to distract the defense.

 Posted by JHW at 8:47 pm

Whither the O.C. of old?

 Television  2 Responses »
Nov 092006
 

‘The O.C.’: So Over-the-Top It’s Hit Rock Bottom:

By the second season, we sniffed more heavy-handed manipulation. “The O.C.,” which had developed a rep for bringing the indie-rock likes of Sufjan Stevens and Bloc Party to the masses, started featuring the bands on the show, and it sure looked like an ad.

The death knell, though, was Marissa’s second-season foray into lesbianism. Viewers scoffed, but not out of homophobia; rather, the show’s hipness suddenly felt so forced.

From there, it got absurd. Summer (Rachel Bilson) is now a campus activist (she’s such a literal tree-hugger that the writers seem to want to imply that environmentalism is a cheesy cause). Ryan (Benjamin McKenzie) fights in cages. Marissa’s sister, whose name is not even worth learning — the show being doomed and all — sluts around. And all that boozing and fighting has gotten most of the kids admitted to the Ivies.

It’s all so silly and so false that it has the desperate feel of the end. So we’ll say it now:

Peace out, “O.C.” It was a party while it lasted.

Yeah. I agree 100%. I can’t really say it’s worse this year than last year–it was horrifying last season, too–but it’s sunk to depths few shows manage to reach without scuba gear. At this point a cameo from Oliver would be an improvement. The good news is that it ought to be canceled really soon so I won’t have to ever write about it again.

 Posted by JHW at 10:43 pm

Whew.

 Television  No Responses »
Nov 092006
 

Word on the street is that Studio 60 has gotten a full season order. I think this is good news, since it might take a little pressure off of Sorkin (and the cast/crew)–maybe that’ll chill everybody out and allow for some decent television. The show has been improving (slowly); last week’s episode was still clunky and ham-fisted, but it exhibited a little promise. Maybe they’ll manage to turn this ship around.

 Posted by JHW at 3:37 pm

Well that was exciting.

 Politics/Law  No Responses »
Nov 082006
 

As of 12:42am:

Looks like a convincing House win for the Democrats and (probably) a narrow hold in the Senate for the GOP. I’m hesitant to even guess what the result of this will be except that with the Democrats’ new position of responsibility each party can now credibly blame its opponent for every problem. And I don’t anticipate President Bush reaching out to anyone across the aisle. So, okay, I guess I have a prediction: two years of stalemates and mutual finger-pointing, with little accomplished as each side prepares and postures for 2008.

But I’d be happy to be wrong on that point.

 Posted by JHW at 1:44 am

It’s a special time to be alive.

 Irony, Links, Music  No Responses »
Nov 062006
 

This song and video have certainly made the rounds online, but I rediscovered it recently and the idea that anyone out there hasn’t already seen it keeps me up at night. So, for my own peace of mine, I give you… Tunak Tunak Tun.

The song alone is something special, but the accompanying dance/video are extraordinary. Daler Mehndi is the best. The image of the moustachioed crooner and his three clones twiddling their fingers and clapping in relative time to the beat is seared into my brain–in a good way.

Bonus video: Toothpaste for Dinner‘s alter ego, KOMPRESSOR, with his extremely creepy cover:

KOMPRESSOR’s greatest triumph, in my opinion, is his transcendent cover of Beck’s “Debra”–KOMPRESSOR WANT TO GET WITH YOU. I can’t even describe this song except to say it’s the product of a disturbed mind (like all great art). It’s one of those songs that I enjoyed as a novelty for a while, but after literally years of listening to it I now appreciate it in a serious way. I hope you enjoy it, too.

The world is so strange sometimes!

 Posted by JHW at 9:50 pm

An adorable little riddle.

 Links  2 Responses »
Nov 062006
 

This Boing Boing post is about a book that seems pretty interesting, but the throwaway excerpt from it really got in my head.

A man buys several loaves of bread at $1 a loaf and sells them at 25 cents a loaf. He does it again and again. Entirely as a result of this, he becomes a millionaire. How?

I think I know the answer, or at least one answer, but I’ll give you a chance to make your guess before clicking on to tell me what you think.

Continue reading »

 Posted by JHW at 4:20 pm

We’re the best!

 Redskins, Sports  No Responses »
Nov 062006
 

So the Redskins managed to screw up second-to-last and won one of the ugliest games in the NFL this season. Let’s not get distracted–we’re still awful. Our defense gave up approximately 87 first downs on third-and-long passes in which we managed to mount no pass rush yet leave receivers wide open. On our first drive, we had seven cracks at the goal line and couldn’t punch it in the end zone. Our temp kicker is clearly an emotional train wreck who can’t be trusted. We regularly gave up big returns on punts and kickoffs. We didn’t exactly put a lot of pressure on Romo, and he responded with a ton of big plays (should have been even more big plays, but T.O. is garbage). We rushed for barely any yards at all (and we ran worst when it was most important–that first drive I complained about above). Brunell had his usual half-decent follow-up to his equally usual terrible game. Don’t be fooled–we still need to throw Campbell into the fire ASAP.

On the plus side, our receivers are getting less terrible. Our defense was great on first and second downs. Randle-El had a few good kick returns. Novak eventually came through. Terrell Owens is a whiny little baby. We beat our hated rivals and salvaged a modicum of pride.

Anyway, it is nice to know that as much as the Redskins suck, the Cowboys are even worse. The finish to this game was insane–three tie-breaking kicks attempted in the last 30 seconds, with the actual winning kick about as repugnant a game-winner as I’ve ever seen. I thought Bill Parcells was going to cry in that post-game press conference.

 Posted by JHW at 11:40 am
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