A few news stories that I didn't have a chance to comment on while I was away:
- It's practically impossible to imagine the magnitude of what's going on in New Orleans right now- I had thought previously that it was beyond the realm of possibility that a major U.S. city could simply cease to function, or that nearby towns could virtually cease to exist. And even more sadly, because it's weather and not terrorism, virtually no one outside the Southeast will remember that it happened six months from now.
And one more pet peeve- stop talking about the hurricane's "wrath," or its "fury." It's a storm- it doesn't get angry.
Meanwhile, Ann Althouse ties the whole thing to Katrina and the Waves (who sang "Walking on Sunshine"). There were a bunch of girls in my high school, including the homecoming queen, who were named Katrina- must have been a Scandinavian/Midwest thing- but maybe this will all have a silver lining in bringing back the popularity of the name. Worked for Storm Davis.
- That Clemens/Damon steroid story- yea. Sorry about that.
- As for the Cindy Sheehan story, watching rival groups of dead soldiers' moms screaming at each other is just as sadly tiresome as watching the dueling rival Vietnam vets was this time last year. Cindy herself, meanwhile, gets less sympathy from me every time she opens her mouth- her attribution of the war in Iraq to "the PNAC Neo-Con agenda to benefit Israel” is just as wrong -and just as insane- as Alan Keyes' repeated ramblings about the "radical homosexual agenda."
- Pat Robertson- what a dumbass. Led to a great headline though: "Robertson neglected first rule in planning a murder -- don’t..." Pat, like Courtney Love, is at that stage now where everything that comes out of his mouth is likely to cause embarrassment to himself and everyone around him. Though at this point, Robertson's probably a better singer.
- I didn't see the "Six Feet Under" finale until today, but wow- an absolutely brilliant final ten minutes that managed to transcend cliche, probably the best ending to a great series since "Cheers" ended with Sam alone in the bar, 12 years ago. Say what you will about the show's disastrous fourth season, and a few miss-steps this year- the show pulled itself together just in time, to end just the right way.
- And finally- speaking of HBO- I caught Louis CK's standup special while on the trip. Absolutely brilliant stuff, probably the best standup I've seen since Lewis Black's "Black on Broadway," and I can't wait for his new sitcom on the network next January. Get your hands on a tape of it, or On-Demand it.
California pictures to come tomorrow.
Posted by Stephen Silver at August 31, 2005 01:18 AMGlad you liked 6FU...you indeed have good taste. Did you catch Rome yet?
As for the steroid story...even bloggers are as incompetent as the MSM...DIE BLOGGERS DIE!
Just passing through, I'm liking the blog by the way.
Posted by: HumanityCritic at August 31, 2005 01:26 PM