Friday, October 08, 2004

Stuffwriter doesn't like what he's hearing in the schoolyard. "This is pretty straight forward. If I hear the phrase 'thats gay' again, I'm gonna hit who says it." 12:04:12 PM    comment []

Ed Hardin's column on the great football rivalry that almost exists between Carolina and the Woofpack is a classic. Here is what Chuck Amato said this week about the North Carolina-N.C. State rivalry: "It's big, not only in this part of the country, but everywhere.'' Here's what John Bunting said: "There's a pride there. It's two universities 25 miles apart. It's history. It's a culture. It's fun.'' Here's what most everybody else says: "Please." More Hardin: "We've tried since 1919 to spin this, but it just won't take. North Carolina and N.C. State share a long and boring history." He's got the numbers to back it up, too. 12:01:43 PM    comment []

Depressing essential reading: John Cassidy's article about the steep challenges of energy independence in The New Yorker. The money quote, from Robert Mabro, chairman of the Oxford Institute of Energy Studies, on the campaign rhetoric about energy policy from Bush and Kerry: "The two candidates, with due respect, are lying to the people, or they don’t know what they are talking about.” Cassidy puts the idea of war for oil into historical and economic context, and explains why your SUV is unpatriotic (in addition, I would note, to being a vulgar space-hog). 9:16:39 AM    comment []

The Bowles rally in Greensboro got only a couple of paragraphs in this morning's N&R, buried deep in section B. Anyone have more substantive coverage to offer? I was at the Weatherspoon, introducing the Michael Palin movie. My brief talk addressed the question of how these sisters were able to do what they did -- they had resources and opportunity, but what was it that gave them permission to be great? My guesses include the energy and optimism of their immigrant father, the love and support of their large, close family, and some combination of inborn talent and the group dynamic that sometimes allows several members in a pod of talented people to excel to their full potential, encouraged and fueled by the success of those around them. 8:39:55 AM    comment []

Matt Gross is looking for bloggers to make election predictions. Put your cards on the table, and then link back to his site . I don't usually do predictions. That's why they play the game, and what the hell do I know anyway? But Matt asked nicely, and if I don't answer he might be all frosty when we have lunch today. I have thought since 9/12/01 that W would win in November. I thought that 8 days ago. But the cracks showed in the first debate, and now it seems clear that the campaign he is running is incredibly weak. It comes down to telling people, Don't believe the facts, believe me. Bush could be humble. He could say, things have gone much differently than we expected, but we will still win. Instead, he admits only to winning the combat phase too quickly. He seems desparate and dishonest. A flip-flopper, if you will. For me, the mismanagement of Iraq is the reason he deserves to lose. The underlying issue is the connection between WHY he screwed it up and his inability to admit it. The election thus becomes a race against time -- public opinion is souring on the misadventure in Iraq, but the vote is less than four weeks away. A lot can happen in that time. And tonight's debate could be critical, in helping Bush to stop the bleeding, or in erasing his credibility even further. I'm going with the momentum play, and calling it for Kerry, with the caveat that I don't have any idea what I'm talking about. 8:20:01 AM    comment []

Ten years ago yesterday, Dave Winer started writing for an audience. An email newsletter was not unique, but this one flopped up onto land and evolved into a proto-blog, and then became a real weblog, making Dave an ur-blogger and a patriarch to the blogging tribe. My own blogging career is a direct result of Dave's example. Thanks, Dave. 8:03:45 AM    comment []