Mister Leonard Pierce's coverage of CPAC continues. See the bottom of this post for links.
This latest report covers Ann Coulter's speech.
Saturday, February 09, 2008
Friday, February 08, 2008
MLP Update (Chs. 7-10 now available)
Mister Leonard Pierce's coverage of CPAC continues. See the bottom of this post for links.
Thursday, February 07, 2008
Still More Security News: Firefox 2.0.0.12 and MS Heads-Up
Firefox just offered me the latest patch, which I accepted. Quick and painless. If you don't get the same offer, try pulling down the Help menu and clicking "Check for Updates." Bug details here, if you want them.
What's that? Still haven't gotten Firefox? Go here now.
Also, word 'round the campfire is that this coming Patch Tuesday will be a big one. If you don't have Windows Update turned on, remember to check in manually.
Or the terrorists win.
More On Mitt
Shorter Mitt Romney withdrawal speech:
Our country, our world, our culture, our existence face enormous threats. I quit.
Let's Get Scared
Joel Achenbach preys on my liberal paranoia:
Scalia to Determine Democratic Nominee
I gotta admit, he makes it sound plausible.
More CPAC Love
Video from Veracifier -- Mitt's quit and Dr. Laura dissing St. John:
To be fair about it, Veracifier has played with the time sequence: Dr. Laura was introducing Mitt's speech, but she appears second in Veracifier's report. But that just makes it more delicious.
And let's not forget who taught us all about quoting out of context for purposes of political gain, right?
So, what else is happening at CPAC?
(Updated several times: added chapters)
(Updated later: typo fix)
Besides the cutting and running, I mean?
Mister Leonard Pierce describes [Ch. 6] the reception McCain received during his big speech:
He goes on to say the word “conservative” about eleventy seven billion more times, but honestly, he goes over like a lead balloon encased in a lead safe that has been thrown out of a lead airplane while someone plays Led Zepplein III.
MLP has been filing detailed coverage of the big Conservative Political Action Committee 2008 whoopdeedoo [Ch. 3] …
Here’s a description of Hell they never give you: a huge room full of all the people you hate most, and they’re all having a wonderful time.
... and it is great stuff. So far available:
Security Updates: QuickTime
If you're running OS X Leopard, Tiger, or Panther, or Windows Vista or XP SP2, go get the latest version of QuickTime: version 7.4.1. This patch fixes a security hole which could allow a malicious web site to do, um, malicious things, it sez here.
Mac users can also get the patch via Software Update. I don't know about Windows boxes -- Apple no longer issues QT updates for Win2K.
Willard Won't
Willard "Mitt" Romney, Tuesday:
We're going to keep on battling. We're going to go all the way to the convention, we're going to win this thing, and we're going to get in to the White House.
Willard "Mitt" Romney, Thursday:
... I feel I have to now stand aside ...
A flip-flopper to the very end. Good riddance to bad rubbish.
Wednesday, February 06, 2008
Security Updates: Adobe Reader, iPhoto, Internet Explorer/Social Networks
If you use Adobe Reader to view PDF files, go get the latest version (8.1.2). This version includes many bug fixes and patches for several security holes. If you use iPhoto (Mac people only), make sure to run Software Update to get the latest version -- there's a security hole that needs fixing. Brian Krebs has the details.
Larry Dignan says that Adobe Reader should be prompting you to update when you run it. I can't say for sure -- I uninstalled Adobe Reader long ago.
<evangelizing>
If you use Adobe Reader, I do have to ask why. I run FoxIt. It's much smaller to download and way faster to start up. It renders every PDF file I've ever looked at without a glitch.
One hiccup: if you like clicking on PDF links while surfing, and reading the files right in your browser, FoxIt doesn't do this very well. For that purpose, I recommend the Firefox add-on somewhat confusingly called PDF Download. It does do downloads, if you want, but it does a lot more. Click on a PDF link and the add-on will pop up a window offering various ways to handle the file. The feature I usually use is "convert to HTML." This option converts the PDF file on the fly, right in your browser. It doesn't always work perfectly, but it usually does a good enough job for reading text and seeing most graphics. If the result is unsatisfactory, you can always download the file and use FoxIt to look at it. These two bits of free software are much better than Adobe Reader, IMNSHO.
If you use Internet Explorer, I really have to ask why. Just don't. Get Firefox. Or any other browser. Reserve IE exclusively for doing Windows Updates.
</evangelizing>
Where was I? Oh, yeah. There have been a number of security holes published lately that describe how to make life miserable for people who use IE to upload photos to Facebook, MySpace, and other social networking sites, as well as those who use Yahoo! Jukebox. Microsoft has not yet issued a patch to address this problem, but Krebs has details and info on a workaround for those who insist on using IE. More gory details (slightly older) here and here on the TrendLabs Malware Blog.
Mid-Winter Slump: Fun at a Phase Transition Boundary
Sometimes the phrase "snow mixed with rain" can mean something beautiful. I failed to capture completely what my eyes could see -- Kyklops I'm not -- but have a look, anyway.
(Click pics to enlarge.)
A little earlier this morning, I tried taking the same picture. I was surprised when the flash went off (must be looking on the bright side at the moment). Amazing off-axis reflectivity:
Can't help but think of that old Richard Pryor line about being "a license-plate-making motherfucker."
By the way ... For all you Internet stalkers: that's not my license plate. That's not even my car. I don't even live in New York.
Delegate Notes
The NYT has a short handy article explaining some aspects of the delegates process. If you want to know numbers and what is meant by "super delegates," check it out.
Short version: The Reps will have 2380 delegates, meaning a candidate needs 1191 to win. As of this moment, McCain is about halfway there, with a big lead.
The Dems will have a total of 4049 delegates, meaning Obama a candidate needs 2025 to win. Right now, Clinton is slightly ahead, but not even close to halfway to the magic number.
No two news organizations count the running totals of committed delegates the same way, although there's less variance for the Republican counts.
Dems only: Of their 4049 delegates, 796 are "unpledged" or "super" delegates -- they aren't bound by any state's popular vote and don't have to say how they'll vote until the convention. Super delegates "include all of the members of the Democratic National Committee and elected officials such as members of Congress and governors."
Some states, like Florida and Michigan, have (ostensibly) been penalized by the respective parties for holding their primaries too early. Depending on how this plays out, the delegate counts could change.
Gonna be some serious dealing in the proverbial smoke-filled rooms, I'd imagine. Given the change in social mores, I wonder what they'll use in lieu of tobacco.
Looking Ahead
Here are the next primaries, through March, courtesy of Project Vote Smart:
| 09 Feb | Guam (R only) Kansas (R only) Louisiana Nebraska (D only) Virgin Islands (D only) Washington (D only) |
| 10 Feb | Maine (D only) |
| 12 Feb | District of Columbia Maryland Virginia |
| 19 Feb | Hawaii (D only) Washington (R only) Wisconsin |
| 23 Feb | American Samoa (R only) Virgin Islands (R only) |
| 24 Feb | Puerto Rico (R only) |
| 04 Mar | Ohio Rhode Island Texas Vermont |
| 08 Mar | Wyoming (D only) |
| 11 Mar | Mississippi |
What shall we call March 4th? Superette Tuesday?
Early Morning Numbers
I ran out of gas before the late results came in last night. I'm just waking up now. (Come on, coffee.)
One thing I've noticed from a quick look at the data: Where Obama won, he often won big: +25 in North Dakota, +31 in Illinois, +35 in Georgia, +48 in Kansas, +49 in Alaska, and +62 in Idaho. By contrast, Clinton only won two states with a cushion of more than 20: +24 in Oklahoma and +42 in Arkansas.
Obama won fourteen states yesterday, Clinton won eight. Clinton did get the big ones: New York (+17), New Jersey (+10), and California (also +10). (Open question: how much did early voting by mail hurt Obama in California?) It's too soon to say much about the delegate count, given the various proportional allotment schemes for the Democratic primaries, but it appears that Clinton has a slight edge at the moment. [Update: The Boston Globe has the current delegate count at 582 to 562, Clinton. This is an entertaining page -- note, for example, how many people were on the ballots in Arizona.]
Another plus for Obama: convincing wins in Georgia, Alabama (O! 'Bama!), and South Carolina (earlier, on 26 Jan) tells me that he doesn't have to worry about "balancing" the ticket with a Southern running mate. Which reminds me: I heard some interesting speculation yesterday from Daniel Drezner: what about Gov. Janet Napolitano of Arizona or Gov. Kathleen Sebelius of Kansas as a running mate for Obama? My take: Either one brings geographic diversity, some conservative cred to attract the undecideds, and could diffuse feminist resentment that might linger from a Clinton defeat. Okay, we're getting ahead of ourselves here.
First surprise from a quick look at the GOP results: Romney carried seven states yesterday: Alaska, Colorado, Massachusetts, Minnesota, Montana, North Dakota, and Utah. (He just squeaked out that last one, with a margin of +84. Wonder why.) That's better than I expected. Add in five states for Huckabee (Alabama, Arkansas, Georgia, Tennessee, and West Virginia), and maybe it's not over yet for the Republicans. However, McCain did win nine states, including the biggies California, New York, and New Jersey. Adding to that the fact that most of the states are winner-take-all for the Republican primaries, it's probably not as close as a count of states won suggests. But at least neither Huckabee nor Romney seems likely to drop out yet. [Update 2: The same Globe page has the delegate count as 511-176-147, McCain-Romney-Huckabee.]
I note that Romney won Colorado by a margin of +40. Interesting. Wonder how much of that is due to the Mormon vote (Colorado is next door to Utah, remember). Or is it a Midwestern thing against McCain? McCain squeaked out wins in Missouri (+1) and Oklahoma (+3); Romney won handily in Utah and Colorado, as already noted, as well as North Dakota (+13), Montana (+14), and Minnesota (+22). McCain did win Illinois by a lot (+19), but the county-by-county returns show that he did best in the areas near the big cities. Maybe it's a rural thing?
Another piece of evidence to support this last guess: McCain didn't make the top three in Alaska (Romney: 44%, Huckabee: 22%, Paul: 17%). For a delightful in-depth analysis by a resident of this state, see d's post. Here's how it starts:
The Only Caucus that Ever Mattered
In response to the least-asked question of the primary season -- "So what the hell is happening in Alaska?" -- the answer is clear.
People in Alaska are still rug-chomping crazy.
Tuesday, February 05, 2008
Another Shot of Wackiness
Yesterday was Superbowl Sunday, so Pa Baldwin and I spent the afternoon as so many fathers and sons do around the nation: gathered in front of the big screen TV, drinking beer, and thrilling to the emotional rollercoaster that is Sophie's Choice.
-- Matthew Baldwin
First Whacked Result
Joel already noted Huckabee's win in West Virginia. That's not so weird. Here's the weird part: According to the NYT, McCain got 1% of the vote.
One percent?!?
Ah, smell that? That's Republican unity, baby!
Pins and Needles: Temporary Relief
Joel:
Super Tuesday Map In The Brain
3: p.m.
Here in DC, just about every conversation begins with a single word:
"Predictions?"
In about an hour that will change, to "Heard any exits?"
You're required to have a prognostication of some kind, or else face immediate social exile and/or public stoning. You can't just say, "We'll see what the voters decide," as that's the moral equivalent of giving up. If you can't speculate recklessly, THEY WIN.
A good all-purpose response is, "Don't overlook the Ron Paul factor." You can also impress with a highly specific, but incomprehensible answer, such as, "I'm struck by how well Romney's doing in California's 48th congressional."
There is, however, a data point that we can examine at this hour. It's the result from West Virginia, and it is portentous. According to the website of the West Virginia Republican Convention, "Because West Virginia will know its results by midday, it gives West Virginia an enormous impact on the presidential race in 2008. "
The result: Huckaboom 2.
Yes, Mike Huckabee is back, and with his West Virginia momentum he's unstoppable. He hadn't won so much as a game of Minesweeper since the Jan. 3 Iowa Caucuses, but today he edged out Mitt Romney, and won the entire slate of 18 delegates, at some sort of convention in Charleston. The West Virginians picked Huckabee even though Romney left Long Beach after midnight and flew all through the wee hours of the morning in order to speak to them at breakfast time. Romney shoulda stayed wheels-down in Long Beach.
Monday, February 04, 2008
Price Cut!
Wonder how long this link will last?
It takes a madman to find something like this. (I mean that in a good way, Scott.)
Screen shot, just in case.
Yes We Can. Sing It!
Lots more to see on the original video page.
Here's the original version of the speech, if you missed it. The good part starts at about ten minutes in:
Related: a reaction to the (music) video from a regular old commenter who goes by the handle "williamyard:" Great find, Instaputz.
At the risk of beating this one to death ...
Today is almost as cool as those other days.
For one minute this afternoon, it will be: 02/04/08 16:32.
(Our friends across the pond will once again have to wait for April to be able to say this, of course.)
Your Moment of Cute
To wash away the bad taste of the previous post, this might be just the ticket: a video of a polar bear cub and his first encounter with a mirror.
Warning: An annoyingly loud 15-second commercial starts things off. Be sure to turn the sound back up afterwards -- the little grunts, snuffles, and squeaks could melt even Dick Cheney's heart.
If he had one, I mean.
Mamas, make sure your daughters see this one
Here's the short version: Somehow, the proprietors of Jezebel.com got hold of one of the "before" pictures of the Redbook cover shot of Faith Hill. They put it together with the actual cover, in an animated GIF that cycles back and forth between the two images. Their brilliant title? Photoshop of Horrors.
I'm sure I'm not telling you anything new by noting that magazines retouch their cover photos, but this is a great illustration of fashion fascists and their twisted beliefs about female beauty. The changes to Faith's eyes and mouth erase her humanity, and the changes to her arm are flat-out disgusting. Be sure to follow the "update" links below the picture, as well. The "numerically-annotated" sidebar is a marvel of righteous satire.
The one good thing about this: The longer you watch the image toggling, the more appealing you find the "before" picture. I believe I speak for all straight men on this one.
What's that? Women have other things on their minds besides making themselves attractive to me? Ah, g'wan.
Nice work, Jezebel.
Three More Reasons
1. Rosa Brooks Endorses Obama: Okay, this is not news if you read her regularly, or if you watch her on BH.tv. But her column from a few days ago is a good read. In particular, she does a really nice job debunking the "experience" question.
2. Scott Rosenberg Endorses Obama: Hey, co-founder of Salon and one of the very few people to provoke me into attempting a book review. How much more cred do you want?
3. The Dead Reunite for Obama: No word on whether Jerry will make it, but don't forget what Rosa said in this short clip. (h/t: Tim Dickinson)
Sunday, February 03, 2008
Climb Aboard!
I just joined my first Facebook group. Hard to think of a better cause. If you'd like to join, too, click here.
This is an effort put together by MoveOn.org, who recently held a straw poll among its registered members. They said that they would endorse a candidate if one received at least two-thirds of the vote. Barack Obama got 70% of the vote.
Yes We Can!
Here's an email I sent to some of my friends. In case you weren't on the list, or your spam filter ate it because it had too many people on the TO list, here it is again:
Hi, everybody,
In case you missed my recent blog posting to this effect, I'm writing to ask you to support Barack Obama for President.
This is the first time in a long time that I've ever wanted to vote *for* somebody, as opposed to voting for the lesser of two weevils.
Maybe I'm caught up in the hype and the hope. If so, so be it, but I really don't think that's the whole story. I've been following this race closely for a long time now, even though I swore "never again" after 2004. I don't agree with him on every last detail of every last issue, but overall, he's far and away the best choice.
I believe Obama when I hear him speak, and I believe he'll be good for the country.
Many of you live in a state that will hold its primary this Tuesday. Please vote for Obama.
Thanks.
Brendan
Once Again, The Irish Are Saving Civilization
A truly happy story. Excerpt:
In 2002, Ireland passed a tax on plastic bags; customers who want them must now pay 33 cents per bag at the register. There was an advertising awareness campaign. And then something happened that was bigger than the sum of these parts.
Within weeks, plastic bag use dropped 94 percent.
Hard to believe this story took six years to cross the pond. It's even harder to believe we can't have such a policy in this country. Who knew the plastic bag manufacturing lobby had so much clout?
Saturday, February 02, 2008
Really, Just Say No
What's worse than having Microsoft offer to buy your company?
How about being Hillary Clinton, and having Ann Coulter say she'll campaign for you? True story.
This part will come as no surprise: I came across the Coulter bit by following a "related" link under a fine post by John Ridley, in which he observes, among other things, "[C]onservative talk has devolved into self parody."
Friday, February 01, 2008
Move Over, Jumbo Shrimp
A new species has been discovered, and it's "a type of giant elephant shrew."
Okay, okay, elephant shrews are no longer believed to be shrews. But they are related to elephants. But they are pretty small. But saying "new elephant shrew" is kind of fun. And who ever thought it was necessary to say "giant elephant shrew," anyway?
The page whence I swiped this image has a short video of the animal, and it really does remind you of an elephant when you watch it move.
Just Say No
The headline:
Unless Yahoo thinks they're going to die anyway, this would be the worst thing they could do.
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