Cross Yourself at the Mention of this Unholy Name

Yesterday, Karl Rove came out of his underground lair to tell the world that Democrats don't understand this post-9/11 world. Actually, he had the audacity to come to New York City and deliver this message to a Republican cloister in the heart of Manhattan.

(An aside: Ah, the courage it must take to stand up to your critics like that. I gotta tell you, I'm really impressed with how the current administration restricts access at their speaking engagements. Heaven forbid they ever enter a truly public forum.)

After his goulish appearance on the otherwise forgettable American Dad, I've decided to (quite belatedly) take Christopher Hitchens' advice:

From this point forward, I'll be making the Sign of the cross after mentioning Karl Rove's unholy name. I advise you to do the same. Y'know, just to be safe.

Stanford Wins 11th Consecutive Directors' Cup. Details on Page D20.

Last week, Stanford University won the NACDA Directors' Cup for the 11th year in a row. The Directors' Cup was created to acknowledge the best overall athletic program for each division of the NCAA.

The only problem with the National Association of Collegiate Directors of Athletics' plan is that Stanford has won the Division IA award every year since the award's inception.

The Cardinal's dominance has resulted in the award receiving almost no attention, and has already scared away Sears, the award's original sponsor.

How much longer until the NACDA just decides to stop giving the award out?

A Completely Wasted Pick-Up Line

He was a giant of Filipino culture, he was a man who (without a hint of irony) could introduce himself as Cardinal Sin.


Source: CNN.com

While I'm on the topic, I like to point out that there ain't no Catholicism like Filipino Catholicism, 'cause in the Philippines some believers ritually crucify themselves every Easter.

US Invasion of Iraq: Day 824

Even as public support for Iraq dwindled to 39%, even as Republican Senator Chuck Hagel said we were losing in Iraq, President Bush claimed the US was 'making progress' towards its goals in Iraq.

He then attempted to kill all the reporters by shooting lightning bolts from his fingers.


Source: Lucas, AP

In other news, Secretary of State Rice claimed on Sunday that the administration has been correctly advertising the Iraq War as a generational commitment for the American people. Of course, this kind of thinking runs counter to the claims the Bushies made in advance of the war.

Save the Date

When one of your Google search results is a blog, it looks like Google now tells you the date of the most recent post. Nice idea.

PBSGOP

Two days ago, the House of Representatives Subcommittee on Labor, Health, Human Services, Education, and Related Agencies voted to substantially cut the congressional monies for PBS.

Yesterday, PBS announced that it would hire an ombudsman, "update" its editorial standards, and explicitly label commentary and editorial content as such.

Of course, there's no connection at all between these two events.

One Week in New York

Having lived in New York for a little more than a week, I feel obligated to share a couple reflections: (I apologize in advance if this blog becomes a little Gotham-centric as I acclimate to my new surroundings.)

New York (and when I say New York, I by-and-large mean the Upper West Side, my new home) is at once dirtier and cleaner than I expected. On the dirty side, the mountains of trash bags that accumulate on the sidewalk must be seen to be appreciated; when a few of them break open, the effect is disgusting. On a cleaner note, I'm pretty sure that trash day is every day. The sheer effort that sanitation workers, porters, and building supers go through in order to keep the city clean is really quite impressive.

Everyday, I see a New Yorker treating the city with gentle respect while another New Yorker treats it like a dump. The tragedy and charm of the commons are in full view. At the dog park or at Central Park, I see thousands of New Yorkers using common resources in a manner that is almost delicate. On the way back from the dog park, I see a man toss a wrapper over his shoulder immediately onto the sidewalk.

One block down from me, there is a stable with horses in it. In the middle of Manhattan. The Claremont Riding Academy. Awesome. City kids ride horses while old Puerto Rican men play dominoes across the street.

While walking Maggie Beagle and Molly Beagle, more people have stopped me to say hello in the last week than in the previous 6 months. My dogs seem shocked by the number of dogs they have met since we arrived.