Category: Historical

The NY Times reports that the Sinclair Group, a collection of local broadcast stations, pre-empted a broadcast of ABC’s Nightline program from several of its affiliates. The reason? They dared to remind viewers that, unbelievable as it may be in today’s high-tech warefare, soldiers do actually die in combat. The program featured an on-air recitation of the names of all those who had died so far in Iraq.

Beyond the senselessness of being unpatriotic enough to allow honor to those who had been killed in combat, this once again raises the issue around media consolidation. That ABC was willing to arrange alternative ways to send their message to people in the markets where the disruption occurred was only possible because there were alternative paths to take. As consolidation continues, those paths for sending out one’s message continue to shrink.

In this Christian Science Monitor article, there is a discussion on the increasing number of “intelligentsia” being murdered in Baghdad.

The plane tickets have been booked. The itinerary is evolving, hotel prices monitored. Soon, the first week long trip of the year will be underway, with 2.5 days in Seoul and another 3.5 days in Japan. An eclectic set of adventures await, from heading to the border of North Korea, to hopefully attending a cosplay event in Japan.

This seems likely to get some hardcore conservatives all riled up.

I haven’t posted much lately, mainly because I’m either not here to post, or I’m just keeping up with all the reading and information sythesizing that’s necessary to even make a point to post. In fact, that’s the real kicker in an information age. Digital communication makes it far too easy to be overwhelmed by information, while the one thing we can still do that machines can’t is the kind of deep-thinking analysis that makes actual use of the information being fed to us. And while those kinds of deep-think projects are underway, we’re still far better at it and likely will be for awhile.

So, back to the deep-think…

Sometimes it just seems odd. Other times, it’s downright frightening.

I had a chance to see Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind finally this weekend. The movie, I will say now, will probably be one of my favorite movies of the year. This was a well-spun narrative with a dazzling plot line that, at least initially, left you scrambling to figure out exactly where you were. Once you had your bearings, the story wove together in a fantastic dance, leading you on a merry chase about the nature of love and life and destiny. Topping it off was the attention to detail, something which I wholly appreciated and was astounded by. If anyone wants a movie to see, this is it.

It’s apparently now a “partisan” attack to state the obvious, at least when it’s a Republican who screws up.

According to one of the 9/11 Commissioners quoted in the NY Times:

“This appears to be a debate within the administration,” she said. “On the one hand, you have Dr. Rice saying that the domestic threat was being handled by the Justice Department and F.B.I., and on the other hand, you have the Justice Department saying that there did not appear to be a domestic threat to address. And that is a difference in view that we have to continue to explore.”

The response, for having brought these kinds of situations to light? Not gratitude, of course, or even suggestions for improvement. No, of course not.

“Sadly, the commission’s public hearings have allowed those with political axes to grind, like Richard Clarke, to play shamelessly to the partisan gallery of liberal special interests seeking to bring down the president,” Mr. McConnell said.

From the NY Times:

The Department of Agriculture refused yesterday to allow a Kansas beef producer to test all of its cattle for mad cow disease, saying such sweeping tests were not scientifically warranted.

If a U.S. beef producer actually wants to test all its cattle, which all beef producers should be doing in the first place without complaint, why in the world should the government stop them? Certainly, it should encourage this kind of behavior, especially if it is a pro-industry, pro-consumer, pro-trade government. Oh, wait, nevermind…

This is a special edition of the weekend update, as it was my friend Bryan’s wedding weekend. Sunday was the big day for him, but the wedding-related activities began Friday.

Which was, by the way, extremely hectic. In no particular order, from 4 PM until bedtime, there was getting the mail, last minute packing, a Walmart stop, a dinner stop, my parents’ house, picking up the tuxedo rental, checking in to the hotel in Cherry Hill, driving, parking in Philadelphia, watching the movie, late-night snacking, before finally crashing around 1 a.m.

Saturday afternoon there was a pleasant “rehearsal” luncheon, at which members of the families of the bride and groom joined the bridal party for a casual lunch. The wedding rehearsal itself had been canceled on Thursday, but all was well in the end. We ate, we talked, we laughed and said “Oh wow, I can’t believe B-Dawg’s getting married!” Saturday evening, those of us staying overnight at the hotel, along with the groom-to-be, embarked on a very successful excursion in to Philadelphia to find cheesesteaks. After wandering about on South Street, the hunger pangs forced us in to Jim’s Cheesesteaks, a quite delicious place where everyone was soon satisifed. A stop off at Dairy Queen for dessert wrapped up the evening, along with the news that UConn beat Duke.

Sunday, the big day, kicked off with breakfast (Champagne and bagels) with the groom and the groomsmen. A very nervous groom took us convoy-style to the reception hall, where in a short but sweet secular ceremony the mayor married the very happy couple. Tears were shed by many, and the sheer joy of the couple lit up the room. People talked, danced, ate, and generally enjoyed themselves in a relatively casual atmosphere. And I gave my short but sweet wedding toast, and I did throw in a bit about Bryan’s jumping out of the minivan for the Dew Commercial.

It was, in fact, a splendid event, and afterward I felt quite honored to have been chosen to be the Best Man. And so, to the newly wed couple, Jennifer and Bryan Littel, I wish you all the best and many happy years to come.