tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18114222011-07-28T19:31:41.478-04:00apulrangWeb wanderings and sketchy opinions.apulrangnoreply@blogger.comBlogger21571100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1811422.post-73293560510711853742010-04-24T14:13:00.002-04:002010-04-24T14:16:42.888-04:00Taking A BreakI haven't posted here in over a month ... ever since I set up my Facebook page I guess. I don't want to give up on my blog entirely, but I think I'll take a break from posting for a few months. I'll reassess in August. Until then ...apulrangnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1811422.post-58582576197161241932010-03-22T19:39:00.003-04:002010-03-22T19:52:59.838-04:00Health Insurance Reform ... how about a real opt-out option?The most recent and virulent opposition to Health Insurance Reform has seemed to center on the idea that requiring people to buy insurance is tyrannical. I have some small sympathy for this argument. People who own and drive cars are required to buy car insurance, so that if they hurt themselves or others, any damage will be reliably apulrangnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1811422.post-21070693579129591542010-03-18T18:47:00.001-04:002010-03-18T18:49:32.858-04:00Health Care ReformDear Rep. Owens:As your constituent, I'm writing to tell you why I'm such a strong supporter of health reform.Although I am writing as a lone constituent, in my professional life serving people with disabilities, I could name hundreds of people just in the North Country alone who suffer from our current irrational "system" of heath care insurance. While many people with apulrangnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1811422.post-45838740131737518942010-03-06T09:54:00.004-05:002010-03-06T10:06:09.198-05:00My Oscar PicksThese are the nominees I would like to see win, not necessarily those I think will win:Lead Actor, Jeremy Renner, "The Hurt Locker"Supporting Actor, Christoph Waltz, "Inglourious Basterds"Lead Actress, Carey Mulligan, "An Education"Supporting Actress, Anna Kendrick, "Up In The Air"Animated Feature, "Up"Director, Quentin Tarantino, "Inglourious Basterds"Best Picture, "Up In The apulrangnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1811422.post-91020610533903481932010-02-16T18:34:00.002-05:002010-02-16T22:05:47.641-05:00More Propaganda PleaseI had the Olympics on pretty much all the time this weekend, mostly tuned to Canadian coverage on CTV. I've noticed an interesting ad in heavy rotation. Its a Canadian government ad that simply and appealingly lays out the various services available to help laid off workers get help during this recession. It includes a simple title to cover all the programs discussed ... "apulrangnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1811422.post-11968467544220178752010-02-14T21:48:00.003-05:002010-02-14T21:57:11.136-05:00BilodeauAlexander Bilodeau won the Gold Medal in Men's Moguls at the 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver. This is the first time Canada has won an Olympic Gold Medal on home soil.CTV did one of those patented "inspiring stories" about him, highlighting his relationship with his brother, who has cerebral palsy. The story was done by Rick Hansen, who is a Canadian wheelchair athlete, and a segment apulrangnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1811422.post-91240900232092001172010-02-14T17:11:00.004-05:002010-02-14T17:23:55.914-05:00BonecrackDick Francis, author of scores of horse-racing-related thrillers, has died. I've read about fifteen of his books. Each one featured horse-racing, usually of the British steeplechase variety, plus one other topic or profession. One was about racing and computers, one about racing and winemaking, one about racing and worldwide cargo transport, etc.One of the best things about Francis' apulrangnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1811422.post-36108651023837616812010-02-14T15:33:00.005-05:002010-02-14T21:27:45.415-05:00FlickchartWhich movie do you prefer, "Casablanca" or "Fast Times At Ridgemont High"? What about "Ghostbusters" and "Beverly Hills Cop"? "The Godfather" or "Gandhi"?If you like movies ... I mean really like movies ... set up a Flickchart account. By choosing your favorite of hundreds of pairings of movies, you gradually develop a list of all the movies you've ever seen, ranked in your preference apulrangnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1811422.post-43818247441017502142010-02-14T13:11:00.003-05:002010-02-14T14:21:41.001-05:00FacebookI decided to set up a Facebook page for NCCI, and soon found out that in order to do that, I had to have a personal Facebook account. So, created one, and then got started on the NCCI page. It is a work in progress. I figured I would just leave my personal account undeveloped.Then this morning, I saw that someone wanted to "Friend" me. That got me thinking it might be fun to see how my apulrangnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1811422.post-16400291128551293992010-01-04T18:15:00.004-05:002010-01-04T18:17:54.667-05:00Another Health Care GraphComparing various countries in terms of life expectancy, amount of money spent on health care, and average number of doctor visits per citizen, from 538.com.apulrangnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1811422.post-54553692269432899882010-01-03T20:28:00.009-05:002010-01-04T16:59:24.757-05:00My Favorite AlbumIt's been a snowy Sunday here in Plattsburgh, and while doing some minor "homework", I listened again to what has become my favorite album, the self-titled 1989 debut of the Manchester UK band, The Stone Roses. Like a lot of Americans, I had no idea of this album or the band back in 1989. I don't think I even heard a Stone Roses song until maybe 2006, and that was probably by apulrangnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1811422.post-20647797752688136022010-01-02T13:41:00.004-05:002010-01-02T13:52:50.539-05:00I Missed It!I can't believe I forgot to watch the 2010 Winter Classic outdoor NHL game yesterday. It sounds like it was a fantastic event. The Bruins and Flyers played in a transformed and iced-over Fenway Park, and the Bruins won 2-1 in overtime. Boston punk/Celtic band The Dropkick Murphys played before the game. That that loud, boisterous Boston attitude must have been flowing like water ... apulrangnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1811422.post-43919401863639258372009-12-31T22:08:00.004-05:002010-01-01T18:13:31.334-05:00My First New Year's EveMy first clear memory of staying up till midnight on New Year's Eve was when my best friend at the time and I set up in my room and watched "It's A Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World" on TV, while our parents and a bunch of other adults had a party elsewhere in the house. That's a great old movie, full of Hollywood has-beens having a great time. Plus, the title seems fairly apulrangnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1811422.post-33451046232922298562009-12-26T12:16:00.003-05:002009-12-26T12:24:49.532-05:00A Frenchman's View of Health CareDaily Kos has an outstanding post from a Frenchman, in which he describes the French health care system and offers his two francs on the current health care reform bill in the U.S. I think he correctly pinpoints the most important reason to support the current bill ... it will change health care from a commodity to a public service. Private, for-profit insurance apulrangnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1811422.post-75410052612629261892009-12-24T16:56:00.003-05:002009-12-24T17:01:39.790-05:00"... and the bells were ringing out for Christmas Day."Still the best modern-day Christmas song.apulrangnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1811422.post-14689625464648389732009-12-24T15:33:00.004-05:002009-12-25T17:16:04.852-05:00Another Milestone for Health Care ReformI haven't posted often enough lately to keep up with the pace of change in the health care reform struggle. Last time I wrote anything I was happy that a key compromise appeared to trade a "public option" for expanded eligibility for Medicare. Not long after, Sen. Joe Lieberman scuttled that deal. Now we're closer to the end, and while it's a far cry from apulrangnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1811422.post-82160148645546115532009-12-24T13:35:00.003-05:002009-12-24T14:38:22.142-05:00IntoleranceHere's some Christmas cheer:I try to live as a tolerant person. I'm helped in that by the fact that I'm pretty good at seeing things from other peoples' point of view. As a result, while there are many people I disagree with on lots of things, I usually don't hate them and wish they'd disappear. But, if there's one group of people of whom I am unapologetically intolerant, it's people apulrangnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1811422.post-39755926492914377422009-12-10T19:48:00.002-05:002009-12-10T19:51:21.234-05:00On Health Care ...I agree with this and this, but also this.apulrangnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1811422.post-78237134127315250402009-12-09T17:25:00.002-05:002009-12-09T17:28:05.341-05:00Last night's health care reform dealI think ... I THINK that the apparent deal in the Senate, which further weakens the concept of health care reform as I understand it but would make some kind of health care reform more likely ... might be a good thing.apulrangnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1811422.post-71194347549026906562009-12-03T20:00:00.002-05:002009-12-03T20:03:18.247-05:00Best Of ...The Onion AV Club Top 50 Films of the 2000s:Of the films on the list, I've seen:47. Moulin Rouge!41. The Dark Knight37. A History Of Violence33. Punch-Drunk Love29. Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon19. Lord Of The Rings: The Two Towers17. The Royal Tenenbaums16. Almost Famous12. Before Sunset10. Children Of Men7. Kill Bill Vol. 15. Memento4. No Country For Old Men3. There Will Be Blood1. apulrangnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1811422.post-71267644491828391272009-11-12T21:37:00.005-05:002009-11-12T22:01:00.992-05:00Glee Followup ...I just watched the latest episode of "Glee", which focuses on two of the glee club characters, Kurt, who is gay, and Artie, who uses a wheelchair. Kurt wants to sing a solo normally meant for girls, and Artie ... well there are several plot points dealing with him and with disabilities in general.Here are the things they did right, in my opinion:- The show addressed the problem apulrangnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1811422.post-2444949839333914802009-11-11T20:24:00.003-05:002009-11-11T21:01:21.886-05:00November 11Some interesting thoughts here about what used to be called Armistice Day. "The eleventh hour of the eleventh day of the eleventh month ..."apulrangnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1811422.post-8349789971580597912009-11-10T19:29:00.004-05:002009-11-10T19:39:57.512-05:00Disability Portrayals, Non-Disabled ActorsI sighed a bit when I saw the title of this article, "Glee wheelchair episode hits bump with disabled". I've never been able to must up much outrage about whether or not disabled characters are played by disabled actors. For me, the quality of the portrayal is more important. Personally, I'd classify the portrayal of Artie, the character on the TV show "apulrangnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1811422.post-11130166870441802162009-11-09T18:23:00.002-05:002009-11-09T18:28:26.491-05:00The Senate Obstacle CourseHere is an interesting run-down of Senators whose votes are likely to be critical in passing a health care bill in the Senate.apulrangnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1811422.post-3859572470181110582009-11-08T16:44:00.001-05:002009-11-08T16:44:43.649-05:00Over One Hurdle, Two To GoLast night, the House of Representatives passed its health care reform bill by two votes. Now it's the Senate's turn to pass a bill of its own. If that happens, the final hurdle will be for both houses to pass the reconciled bill from the House and Senate versions. Well, I suppose from there we might consider the Presidential signature a fourth hurdle. It's theoreticallyapulrangnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1811422.post-47175716745299500062009-11-07T21:02:00.004-05:002009-11-07T21:09:02.998-05:00Health Care Milestone Tonight?The House of Representatives may well pass a complete health care reform bill tonight. Here are a few links I recommend in case you aren't sure what this is all about or what the bill would actually do:I believe the best editorial written about the need for health care reform appeared earlier this week in the New York Times: Nicholas Kristof, "Unhealthy America".Readapulrangnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1811422.post-66997836370783354112009-10-22T19:15:00.003-04:002009-10-22T19:18:41.667-04:00Huh? What? Oh. Hi.Here's a link you might find interesting ... by far the best words I've ever read about what might be my second or third-favorite movie of all time, Brick.apulrangnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1811422.post-17682659070134472782009-10-06T20:46:00.004-04:002009-10-06T21:02:13.890-04:00More Good TV ... MaybeI found another new show that seems promising: FlashForward. All over the world, everyone blacks out for a little over 2 minutes. During that time, each person gets a glimpse of what they will be seeing and doing approximately six months in the future. Then everyone wakes up. While they were out, planes and cars crashed, and all sorts of other people-less accidents create a apulrangnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1811422.post-81775618757855116372009-10-03T16:23:00.003-04:002009-10-03T16:46:31.409-04:00Entertainment UpdateI continue to be in a blogging dry spell, but find myself today with some unscripted time, so here I go. Since politics are so aggravating these days, I'll talk about TV.I used to watch a lot more TV than I do now. I do watch a lot of reruns of favorite shows on DVD, but mostly I listen to podcasts, radio, and watch movies. There just aren't as many good shows on TV right now apulrangnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1811422.post-8538545617200669342009-09-30T21:33:00.002-04:002009-09-30T21:36:16.734-04:00 Canadians Are Back TomorrowWell, some of them are, with more than the usual supply of brand new ones making their debut. Bill Stubbs' column in the Montreal Gazette is a great way to follow their fortunes.apulrangnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1811422.post-23466311583330607992009-09-20T13:32:00.002-04:002009-09-20T13:43:29.371-04:00Frank Rich Explains Glen BeckI highly recommend NYT Columnist Frank Rich's column about Glen Beck and the people he represents and interprets. He seems to have figured out what's up with all these tea-baggers, conspiracy theorists, and health care alarmists. What I'd like to know is:1. Are these basically the same people, in roughly the same number, no matter what year it is or which party is in apulrangnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1811422.post-18575528420423761102009-09-15T20:04:00.005-04:002009-09-15T20:32:19.078-04:00KFC CreationsI admit it. I've purchased and eaten KFC's "Famous Bowls" ... twice. But I don't think I will ever try even a bite of the new "Double Down Sandwich", currently being test marketed in Providence, RI and Omaha, NE. Just for fun, or grim amusement, read these two reviews:The Bowl At The Howling Rim Of Famous-Ity, by Patton Oswalt KFC's Double Down Sandwich, by Nathan RabinListen, the "apulrangnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1811422.post-86131367833807835462009-09-10T21:12:00.004-04:002009-09-10T21:50:44.909-04:00The President's Health Care SpeechI'm too tired to write anything of my own about last night's speech by President Obama. So, I'll link to several blog posts that spoke to me about it:FiveThirtyEight.comWilson's Outburst Merely a PeepThe Speech as Rhetorical DeviceState-of-the-Healthcare Speech: Final ThoughtsMatthew YglesiasScattered Speech PointsPublic Option OpponentsRevisiting The "You Lie" apulrangnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1811422.post-75094023732482687252009-08-11T19:05:00.002-04:002009-08-11T19:08:08.465-04:00Now this is how to do venom and invective right!Read the first section of Montreal Gazette sportswriter Jack Todd's column, concerning the ongoing back-and-forth over bringing Formula One racing back to Montreal.apulrangnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1811422.post-85242828931697197922009-08-11T18:43:00.002-04:002009-08-11T21:13:55.668-04:00In which Andrew tries to decipher wingnut logicObviously, the loud hecklers showing up at and hijacking "town hall" forums on health care reform are hanging their hats on a set of lies and massive distortions about what such reform will include, fueled by vested interests who know better, to protect the health care system as it is, for their narrow benefit. Poorly-informed people are genuinely apulrangnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1811422.post-25848914055647004762009-08-06T18:42:00.002-04:002009-08-14T22:25:56.795-04:00Another Bit Of My Youth DiesJohn Hughes died today of a heart attack, aged 59.The Breakfast Club (1985)apulrangnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1811422.post-7544429511862174132009-08-03T20:34:00.004-04:002009-08-03T20:53:31.401-04:00Yes, more about music ...I've been reading up a bit and re-listening to music by Joy Division and the band it became after Ian Curtis' suicide, New Order. I've always kind of liked the better-known New Order songs, but until now I'd never much taken to Joy Division. Now I realize that may be because I've been listening to very poor recordings. Now I've found some better, more full-blooded apulrangnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1811422.post-2424456136807896952009-08-03T20:00:00.001-04:002009-08-03T20:38:30.085-04:00Craig Ferguson - "Why Everything Sucks"It's a bit much, I know, for me to celebrate Craig Ferguson's rant against excessive youth, when I'm 42 and so many of my posts lately are about rock bands. What can I say. I'm inconsistent. This is great anyway:And hopefully, I'm neither as young or stupid as I once was, regardless of my taste in music.apulrangnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1811422.post-23083603463551763422009-08-02T21:45:00.002-04:002009-08-02T21:50:36.416-04:00CoversI first realized that "covers" of well-known songs could be as good, or better, than the originals when I heard Ann & Nancy Wilson's version of Led Zeppelin's "The Battle of Evermore" (found on "Led Zeppelin IV"), on the soundtrack to the movie "Singles". Years later I started listening to the Coverville podcast. Now I really notice interesting covers when I found them. Today I've been apulrangnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1811422.post-10109453684381995812009-08-02T17:07:00.002-04:002009-08-02T17:10:45.446-04:00YouTube Find ... I Didn't Have To Look FarSeriously ... this was right there on the YouTube home page. I usually don't randomly sample what's on the home page, but I'm glad I took a look at this one:Left 4 Dead Beatlesapulrangnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1811422.post-69976896886068172262009-08-02T16:35:00.003-04:002009-08-02T16:43:39.789-04:00Worth HighlightingThanks to Chris in the comments below for pointing me to Christopher Hitchens' article in Slate on the Henry Louis Gates, Jr. arrest. My general opinion is that Hitchens is wrong about 60% of the time, and isn't nearly as clever as his writing would indicate, but that he's definitely someone to listen to for an intelligent and honest Libertarian point of view. I emphasize "apulrangnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1811422.post-56381817340139945122009-08-02T16:14:00.003-04:002009-08-02T16:20:51.675-04:00Interesting Take On The Role Of JournalismYglesias says what a lot of people, particularly on the Left, have been saying about mainstream journalism over the last several years ... that by not calling foul on lies and inaccuracies when politicians say them, they encourage politicians to lie and say wrong things. At the very least, journalists don't do much to discourage these things.I think that apulrangnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1811422.post-43299757162929070812009-07-23T18:55:00.003-04:002009-07-24T09:02:56.243-04:00Back to BloggingI seem to have dropped blogging again for awhile. Not enough to say, or too much? I'm not sure. Here are two Yglesias posts that made me laugh the bitter laugh of a liberal today:Politico's Anonymous Sources Slam Barbara Boxer's Abrasive Personal StyleBias, Racism, Being a Jerk, and Abuse of PowerAnd for a bonus, Ta Nehisi-Coats has two excellent, clear-headed posts about the apulrangnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1811422.post-40687834907391704772009-07-05T20:18:00.005-04:002009-07-05T20:52:31.970-04:00ABC, 123Apart from a two month period in the summer of 1982, I was not a Michael Jackson fan. Also, I find it hard to buy the notion that he changed or even significantly influenced popular music. He may have been the most famous and most successful individual performer of the last 30 years, but his impact was fairly narrowly focused. In effect, he was a one-person genre unto himself.On the otherapulrangnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1811422.post-85624090513987021932009-07-05T18:25:00.005-04:002009-07-05T19:48:27.889-04:00Ask CanadiansThe Montreal Gazette published an editorial a few days ago commenting on the health care debate in the United States ... "Americans are being misled about our health care". It is a rare dose of truly balanced analysis. It acknowledges the flaws in Canada's Medicare system ... actually, only one flaw: waiting lists for certain procedures. At the same time, the editorial notes, apulrangnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1811422.post-3306546506009061082009-06-23T20:39:00.002-04:002009-06-23T20:42:24.070-04:00The Real DivideJohn Hodgman gave a wonderful speech at the Radio and Television Correspondent's Dinner last weekend. It was a comedy speech, of course, but I think Hodgman was onto something when he said that the real divide, the real culture war in America today is between the jocks and the nerds:apulrangnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1811422.post-71271318782853508042009-06-21T16:42:00.003-04:002009-06-21T16:50:40.577-04:00"Wow" IndeedMy response to this?Not just "wow." Maybe Princeton did recommend that Sotomyor brush up on her English over the summer by reading kids' books. That doesn't equate to her being stupid or academically unfit for the Ivy League. Ivy League universities, and many other colleges and universities, admit quite a few foreign students every year. They're generally accepted because they're apulrangnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1811422.post-56947357868872909162009-06-21T16:29:00.003-04:002009-06-21T16:34:07.441-04:00Polls On Health CareThe New York Times has a poll that reinforces the notion that a hefty majority of Americans support, in one way or another, health care reform plans that include the choice of joining a government-run health insurance plan of some kind. As Matthew Yglesias points out, not for the first time, this underlines the fact that the "political barriers" to a public option on health apulrangnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1811422.post-57086004302093274122009-06-13T16:19:00.005-04:002009-06-13T17:43:22.014-04:00Health CareIf we don't, in the end, get a public option, it may finally trigger my long overdue crackup. The logic of public plan opponents is airtight. It proves that their priority is not providing health care to more people at lower cost, but rather preserving the health insurance industry. And if any Republican or conservative lawmakers who vote against a public plan option ever again utter apulrangnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1811422.post-41774281501676712582009-06-13T15:43:00.003-04:002009-06-13T15:53:45.634-04:00O'Reilly vs. WalshTa-Nehisi Coates has a good overview and point-of-view on the wisdom and honor of debating Bill O'Reilly on his TV show. I like his "I ain't no punk" analogy. It seems to describe the "honorable pundit's" responsibility pretty well, and provides a useful perspective on it ... that often it is no loftier than the noble victim side of a playground bully mismatch.The even more apulrangnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1811422.post-81051508560481847252009-06-09T20:43:00.008-04:002009-06-09T20:56:47.336-04:00Sonic Youth Rocks & Swings I'm listening to the new Sonic Youth album, The Eternal, and it's really remarkably good. I don't know how to describe it, except to say that it rocks and it swings, qualities people don't usually associate with Sonic Youth, though their best work has always done both. I may feel differently about it in a week or two when I'm less influenced by the novelty, but at thisapulrangnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1811422.post-8642284175635579332009-06-09T20:09:00.004-04:002009-06-09T20:15:18.629-04:00What are we actually talking about here?The final outcome of health care reform will probably be determined not by the relative merits of various models of providing and paying for health care, but by who wins the contest to define what it is we are discussing. Are we discussing how to provide quality healthcare in ways that every American individually, and America as a whole, can afford? Or are apulrangnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1811422.post-64369481191682259682009-06-06T09:56:00.002-04:002009-06-06T09:59:46.351-04:00A Good Idea and A Better IdeaI must be a liberal, because I'm really starting to enjoy reading peoples' ideas for creative ways to tax people, to pay for healthcare. Seriously, here's a discussion about two angles on taxing alcohol consumption and / or negative alcohol-influenced behaviors.apulrangnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1811422.post-18425977991511716802009-06-02T20:18:00.005-04:002009-06-03T19:32:56.846-04:00Big News in North Country PoliticsPresident Obama's appointment of Rep. John McHugh to be Secretary of the Army is interesting on many, many levels. McHugh has represented my district in the House since 1993 and, barring unforeseen events involving Army administration, the biggest waves from this appointment will probably land on us here in he North Country. There aren't too many people in line apulrangnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1811422.post-49955846962424090592009-06-02T20:12:00.001-04:002009-06-02T20:14:59.946-04:00Flight 447Sane words, though not very comforting, about what might have brought down Air France Flight 447.apulrangnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1811422.post-30562067709225676702009-05-30T07:41:00.003-04:002009-05-31T17:24:28.608-04:00Seeing with Jean-DoThe Diving Bell and The Butterfly is a better depiction of disability than most reviews would indicate. It isn't "heartbreaking", or even especially "uplifting". It is, above all, authentic and absorbing. It seems like "Jean-Do" Bauby was absorbed by the experience of his disability, though obviously he also experienced heartbreak and uplift. What keeps him going, as he says inapulrangnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1811422.post-19994306047174492312009-05-27T19:28:00.004-04:002009-05-27T19:49:23.286-04:00Yglesias, Coates, and "Celestial Navigation"This is the best thing I've read so far on the Sonia Sotomayor nomination. It doesn't speak to her qualifications, other than alluding to the obvious ... that Harvard U. and Yale Law don't give degrees to dummies. But Yglesias' personal perspective on this actually does go well with his political observations.I also appreciated Ta-Nehisi Coates' commentapulrangnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1811422.post-61950292083364914312009-05-24T20:35:00.000-04:002009-05-24T20:36:07.872-04:00About "Glee"I just watched the pilot episode of "Glee", a new hour-long comedy-drama that will start for real this fall. I can't think of another time in my life when my opinion of a TV show went from contempt to rapture in under an hour. About halfway through, I paused so I could eat dinner. As I ate, I was formulating all of the nasty things I was going to say about this show ... mostly apulrangnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1811422.post-21203594910748603322009-05-24T17:53:00.007-04:002009-05-24T18:30:46.901-04:00RecommendedI've lost track of when I started reading Ta-Nehisi Coates' blog regularly. I think it was 5 or 6 months ago. I like his politics. His social commentary is consistently challenging and never dull. Hs music posts are a joy. And, I like his writing, whatever he's talking about.Today's jem from Mr. Coates is this video:Passion Pit - "The Reeling"(Note: I am posting a YouTube clip of the apulrangnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1811422.post-26317256952253915522009-05-24T17:31:00.002-04:002009-05-24T17:41:05.554-04:00Taxing and SpendingWhen it comes to taxes and spending, are American voters "rational actors", or are they "delusional"?This morning I read some blog posts that pose and address this question, and they lean towards the "delusional" interpretation. The short version: American voters don't want taxes raised, and while they very much want spending cut, they don't approve of cuts in most things the apulrangnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1811422.post-31637047872767682009-05-21T19:36:00.001-04:002009-05-21T19:40:11.457-04:00I'm BackIt's time for me to get back to blogging. My batteries are recharged, so to speak, and I have a lot to talk about again. Still, I think I'll ease into things gradually. How about some music?Green Day - "Know Your Enemy"(The Uptown Club, Oakland, California)I'm not that old in years, but I am way too old to be excited by a new Green Day album. Nevertheless here I am, watching this YouTube apulrangnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1811422.post-4317259234630074572009-03-28T17:06:00.004-04:002009-03-29T14:27:15.815-04:00"We've gone on holiday by mistake ..." -- Withnail and IIt's been over a month since my last blog post. I didn't set out to take a blogging "holiday", but I guess I'm on one, so I'll now plan to let it continue for awhile longer. My next post will be on May 21st. That would make a three-month break from blogging ... except for this announcement of course.apulrangnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1811422.post-42515800722624376192009-02-21T09:33:00.002-05:002009-02-21T09:41:31.884-05:00Starbucks vs. McDonaldsMatthew Yglesias discusses who prefers Starbucks and who prefers McDonalds. Survey results say pretty much what you think they will. Yglesias thinks it's an unfair comparison, since you can get a full meal at McDonalds but not at Starbucks. True, but the survey simply asks which place you would most like to have in your immediate neighborhood, not which place is more apulrangnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1811422.post-18303400386289406422009-02-20T19:15:00.002-05:002009-02-20T19:27:57.013-05:00What's the deal with all the spending?I haven't said much over the last couple of months about the idea of massive Federal "stimulus" spending as response to severe recession. This is what it's all about.This is one of the ways I think one can define the difference between liberals in our country and conservatives. Liberals understand and often embrace things that are "counter-intuitive" ... for apulrangnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1811422.post-61475508281274734762009-02-20T18:23:00.002-05:002009-02-20T18:44:51.801-05:00"Dollhouse" ReviewI watched the first episode of Joss Wheadon's new TV show, "Dollhouse" last Friday. I'll be watching again tonight.I liked the first episode. There was more to chew on that you'll find in 95% of hour long shows on TV today. On the other hand, I'm afraid that I didn't experience anything like the same instant delight I got my first time watching "Buffy The Vampire Slayer", "Angelapulrangnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1811422.post-58853520881479687192009-02-15T18:13:00.002-05:002009-03-28T18:17:11.172-04:00The first blogger? I recently treated myself to the complete Twin Peaks series on DVD, and I started watching it this afternoon.There was a lot to be captivated, confused, mystified, and obsessed with about the series back when I first saw it. As I recall though, the thing that most intrigued me was how FBI Agent Dale Cooper kept a running commentary on the proceedings through notes and insight apulrangnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1811422.post-37967364970400667002009-02-08T20:21:00.001-05:002009-02-08T20:25:20.414-05:00Music for a Sunday EveningI don't usually like to post actual "music videos", but for this one I'll make an exception because the song and the sights go so well together.Stone Roses - "Sally Cinnamon"apulrangnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1811422.post-75101642525093332542009-02-03T21:15:00.000-05:002009-02-03T21:16:07.680-05:00Not just another syrupy disability story4 things I like about this story, which I first saw linked to on Kevin's web site:- The young man excelled in a real game of a real sport under apparently normal conditions of play.- It looks like his team had really, truly accepted and integrated him well before that.- The crowd's building enthusiasm is real. You can't fake cheering like that.- I was readyapulrangnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1811422.post-38417719284234833642009-02-03T20:32:00.003-05:002009-02-03T21:15:46.351-05:00InfrastructureZzzzzzzz. I know, I know. It's hard to come up with a more boring, wonkish word. Read this though. Ryan Avent, writing for Matthew Yglesias, quotes from an interview with former Governor and Democratic Presidential Nominee, Michael Dukakis on the subject of infrastructure in the economic stimulus bill.Lee Atwater and his media hit-men made this guy seem like a joke back in 1988, apulrangnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1811422.post-58863594178594255982009-01-23T20:12:00.003-05:002009-01-23T20:24:21.110-05:00Senator GillibrandI think she was a pretty good choice. Formerly Rep. Gillibrand of New York's 20th Congressional District, is a Democrat. But as several bloggers, and to a lesser extent the mainstream media, have pointed out, she is a "Blue Dog" (conservative) Democrat. Still, I think she has a solid chance at being re-elected to the statewide office, as she's from a truly "Upstate" district (apulrangnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1811422.post-16238286657656304552009-01-23T20:01:00.003-05:002009-01-23T20:04:26.804-05:00Wrap-UpFiveThirtyEight.com calls the "end of the beginning", summing up its remarkable, number-crunching campaign analysis this election year, and promising more quality work in years to come.As Sean points out, last night was the last Inaugural Ball, for the Obama campaign staff. Jay-Z and Arcade Fire performed:Arcade Fire - "Born in the U.S.A.", at the Obama Staff BallAnd President Obama spoke,apulrangnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1811422.post-22034723649762951672009-01-20T20:37:00.003-05:002009-01-20T20:43:37.247-05:00The InaugurationDavid Sanger of the New York Times has a pretty good journalistic analysis of President Barack Obama's Inauguration Address.What do I think? Here's what I wrote in an e-mail to my Uncle: am still processing my feelings about the Inauguration and in a larger sense the election itself. Yesterday on Public Radio I heard an interview with Rep. John Lewis of Georgia, who was a apulrangnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1811422.post-81804264107261265202009-01-15T21:10:00.003-05:002009-01-15T21:17:47.402-05:00Changing of the GuardApparently, by now the White House is "a ghost town", with all but a handful of senior Bush Administration officials having left, giving up their badges, Blackberries, and security clearances. That seems a bit more ahead of time than was depicted on the last episode of "The West Wing", as the Bartlett Administration exited and the Santos Administration entered.Over the next apulrangnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1811422.post-84084899962437138372009-01-13T20:07:00.001-05:002009-01-13T20:07:19.738-05:00The Final ChapterThis is the last time I will post about the return of Battlestar Galactica. There are only ten episodes left in the story, and the first of those ten will be broadcast this Friday at 10:00 PM on the SciFi Channel. It's a really complex story, and while the show's creators want everyone to believe they can start watching it now and still enjoy it, I'm not sure that's possible. apulrangnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1811422.post-27882949930003365902009-01-08T21:10:00.002-05:002009-01-08T21:12:42.590-05:002008 In Review - Part IVIn all the excitement of New Year's Eve, I forgot to post this, the final installment. Actually, the only excitement was the Sci Fi Channel's "Twilight Zone" marathon, but that's not a bad way to spend the end of the year.Fourth quarter '08 "Cheers & Jeers", by "Bill in Portland Maine". Here's one from the end of December:"CHEERS to the new kid on the frozen tundra. The apulrangnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1811422.post-50153101949266117092009-01-04T20:04:00.007-05:002009-01-04T20:56:58.838-05:00Cinematic License, Taken Too Far!I've just started watching the recent movie version of "The Lion The Witch And The Wardrobe" on TV. The rest of the film might turn out to be great, but I must say, I've never before been pissed off by a movie after only 5 minutes.The book starts out with:"Once there were four children whose names were Peter, Susan, Edmund and Lucy. This story is about something apulrangnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1811422.post-68556202435014976992009-01-02T21:28:00.002-05:002009-01-02T21:32:12.775-05:00New Year - Old ProblemHappy New Year. It seems it greets us with a very old, very frustrating and sad problem ... Israel and the Palestinians. This is pretty close to what I think about the situation. However, having a logically and ethically coherent take on the problem is only briefly satisfying, because the problem persists. What's frustrating is that the problem is fairly easy to understand, apulrangnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1811422.post-31898895574946270662008-12-30T18:41:00.000-05:002008-12-30T18:42:03.196-05:002008 In Review - Part IIIThird quarter '08 "Cheers & Jeers", by "Bill in Portland Maine". Here's one from August:"JEERS to weekend concern trolls. It was inevitable, I suppose. On This Week, Stepford pundit Cokie Roberts criticized Barack Obama for taking a few days off in his home state of Hawaii---where he was born, went to high school, and where his grandmother still lives---because it mightapulrangnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1811422.post-39257542642568605602008-12-29T20:31:00.002-05:002008-12-29T20:34:39.147-05:00FiveThirtyEightI just thought I'd mention that FiveThirtyEight.com arguably the best election website during this past cycle, is still running and supplying interesting information. During the election year, I checked the site on average three or four times a day. Now I check two or three times a week, tops. But it's still worth looking at.apulrangnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1811422.post-64507678081295181772008-12-29T18:07:00.002-05:002008-12-30T18:43:15.867-05:002008 In Review - Part IISecond quarter '08 "Cheers & Jeers", by "Bill in Portland Maine". Here's one from June:"CHEERS to nothing at all. Leave it to them foreigner car companies to lead the way on clean emissions. Japan's Honda is delivering a couple hundred brand new hydrogen cars that handle like a dream, have plenty 'o giddyup, and emit nothing more than water vapor. Not to be outdone, apulrangnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1811422.post-81578713340737851672008-12-28T17:45:00.001-05:002008-12-28T17:45:27.853-05:00 Clever, or in poor taste?I'm glad the Canadiens won, but I think the headline is in at least questionable taste. Statistics indicate that there are far fewer tragic news events involving AK-47s in Canada than in about anywhere else on Earth, particularly the United States. Still, most of the time when "AK" and "mow down" appear in the same headline, something truly horrible has happened. On the apulrangnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1811422.post-85884837776625652242008-12-26T20:51:00.003-05:002008-12-26T20:55:17.579-05:002008 In Review - Part IDailyKos.com's "Bill in Portland Maine" has the first of four "Cheers & Jeers" posts recapping this extraordinary year.apulrangnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1811422.post-6847591520738639502008-12-23T21:18:00.002-05:002008-12-23T21:23:46.346-05:00A Geek Rock Christmas!I was listening to Fresh Air this evening, and was pleased to hear Weezer performing a solid version of "O Holy Night", from their new Christmas EP, Christmas with Weezer. I've just downloaded all the songs, and they're pretty good. "O Holy Night" is great, in fact, and that's my favorite Christmas song by a mile.apulrangnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1811422.post-1264034033579687762008-12-23T21:08:00.002-05:002008-12-23T21:10:55.032-05:00Christmas EveTomorrow is Christmas Eve. Whatever Christmasy things I end up doing later and on Christmas Day itself, I can't think of anything I'd rather do starting at 9:00 AM tomorrow than have a long, leisurely breakfast while watching my favorite Bond film, "Thunderball".apulrangnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1811422.post-77362308349533028222008-12-21T21:49:00.004-05:002008-12-26T20:57:31.358-05:00"... and the bells were ringing out for Christmas Day"It's been an eventful several weeks for me, so it's only yesterday that it really started to feel like Christmas is near. Maybe it was the difficulty finding a parking place anywhere in Plattsburgh and the snow underfoot that reminded me. Now it's Sunday evening it's been snowing hard all day, and I'm actually pretty much in the Christmas moodapulrangnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1811422.post-39060501590217111972008-12-20T21:50:00.002-05:002008-12-20T22:15:24.557-05:00SighOkay, here's my take Saturday Night Live's "Weekend Update" skit making fun of New York Gov. David Patterson. First of all, Fred Armisen's Patterson is a lot better than his Obama. At the start of his skit, he nailed the unique Paterson mannerisms ... the look and feel of a reasonably well oriented blind man. But then they did the SNL thing and played the joke far longer than it was worth, apulrangnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1811422.post-16656287198485370152008-12-19T20:58:00.001-05:002008-12-19T20:58:47.435-05:00Christmas MoviesThese are my favorites. All three of them in some way wrap awkward truths in pretty packages, yet the truths reveal themselves with every viewing:It's A Wonderful Life. Today's New York Times article says it all; it's actually a pretty damned hard, disappointing life. But, there's still friendship, family, loyalty and love.The Ref. Families contain lots, and lots of anger and apulrangnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1811422.post-38478799744662973512008-12-19T19:22:00.003-05:002008-12-19T19:44:23.898-05:00Music PiracyI am under-informed about the issue of "piracy" in music. While people have argued with real passion on both sides, my general view has been that people who produce a product they intend to sell for money should be paid by people who use their product. I'm aware that this view is just what the music industry, and perhaps musicians too, want me to have. I am also aware that there's apulrangnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1811422.post-67886412514140369572008-12-17T21:20:00.001-05:002008-12-17T21:22:03.768-05:00E-mailI have a new E-mail Address.apulrangnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1811422.post-61533241157702543182008-12-14T18:52:00.000-05:002008-12-14T18:53:26.521-05:00It's a car ... it's a wheelchairKyle and A.J. of "Atypical View" discuss the differences, in design and cost, between a small car and a big wheelchair:Atypical View - "My Wheelchair is a Concept Car"apulrangnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1811422.post-17887390107449998092008-12-07T20:41:00.003-05:002008-12-07T20:50:08.010-05:00Music for a Sunday EveningI was just thinking about the singer Sinead O'Connor, and I realized that her first album ... and in my opinion her best ... "The Lion and the Cobra" came out over twenty years ago. Watching this clip from her 1989 Grammy Awards performance reminds me, too, of what a fresh, bracing new artist she was for a short time, until her public stances and media sensationalism apulrangnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1811422.post-11732320262143865092008-12-07T17:21:00.002-05:002008-12-07T17:22:40.146-05:00MovedView Larger MapI have moved. I am now living in an apartment in the former Our Lady of Victory Academy in Plattsburgh, which has just been converted into really nice apartments. I'll post some pictures soon. OLVA today is only Pre-K through 8. It used to be K through 12, included a secretarial school, and had both day and boarding students.My e-mail address will change at some point before apulrangnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1811422.post-40579349991722607562008-11-30T20:21:00.002-05:002008-11-30T20:22:54.466-05:00Face LiftThe Montreal Gazette has finally redesigned its web site. It looks like a newspaper now. I like it.apulrangnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1811422.post-21139046183247407012008-11-22T20:11:00.002-05:002008-11-22T20:14:52.147-05:00It's okay to be funnyI like this:It's funny, but they're all playing it more or less straight, giving the question some real consideration. I'm certainly no expert, but I think the advice the barbershop patrons gave Jimmy Kimmel was pretty sound, too.apulrangnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1811422.post-84247522364845291462008-11-20T20:34:00.002-05:002008-11-20T20:37:29.500-05:00"By the whiskers of Kurvi Tasch!"According to Yglesias, I may have shaved my mustache too soon. A Gold Star for anyone who can identify the comic book reference in this post's title.apulrangnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1811422.post-48214578914333131692008-11-19T19:44:00.002-05:002008-11-20T22:03:59.527-05:00TransitionI just read this brief take on how the new administration is shaping up. It sounds encouraging. I hope it's true.apulrangnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1811422.post-18981612008782469722008-11-18T21:23:00.000-05:002008-11-18T21:24:23.833-05:00New TrekVia Matthew Yglesias, you can now view 2 trailers for the upcoming new "Star Trek" movie. Yglesias is usually pretty bright, so I won't scoff too much about his objection to the young Kirk's car having a speedometer that reads miles per hour, when obviously the character we see is enjoying a restored antique in his era, complete with old-style 20th-century instrumentation. The geek apulrangnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1811422.post-18171681363003269822008-11-17T19:50:00.002-05:002008-11-17T19:52:50.021-05:00???With the election over and the Inauguration weeks away, I don't know what to blog about. Suggestions?apulrangnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1811422.post-89954325348528476832008-11-07T17:35:00.001-05:002008-11-07T17:38:53.218-05:00CelebrationsA Plattsburgh friend and fellow Democrat sent me a link this video of SUNY Plattsburgh students celebrating the election of Barack Obama Tuesday night.apulrangnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1811422.post-26639978662396258242008-11-05T21:44:00.002-05:002008-11-05T21:45:37.911-05:00HistoryAlso, I'm proud to say that the traditionally Republican northernmost counties of New York State all voted for Barack Obama.Yes We Did!apulrangnoreply@blogger.com0