Monday, February 4, 2008

Recommended Reading

Earl Butz, the one-time Secretary of Agriculture, died recently at the age of 98. Timothy Noah recalls the one thing he was noted for: Having to resign after he was quoted telling a couple of racist jokes.

I don't think telling a couple of racist jokes means you're a racist but Mr. Butz's other, non-joking statements and actions sure made him look like one, and his response when his jokes elicited outrage sure made him look foolish. At the time of the brief controversy, I was contributing to an underground-style newspaper and I wrote a piece that said, in effect, "I don't think he should have had to resign over the jokes. I think he should have had to resign because people that foolish should not be in public office." Looking back, I still feel the same way.

• Posted at 10:17 PM · LINK

Things I Need To Remember (#3 in a series)

I don't like any English Muffins except the Thomas's brand.

• Posted at 6:57 PM · LINK

Correction

If you take the Amtrak train down to the Comic-Con International in San Diego, the nearest stop is the one on Kettner, not the one in Old Town. Basically, you want to go to the end of the line. So sorry.

• Posted at 5:36 PM · LINK

From the E-Mailbag...

Brian Carroll writes...

Just wanted to let you know that parking at San Diego isn't much of a problem anymore now that there's these huge lots behind the baseball stadium. They only charge like $5 or $6 a day. True, you have to move your car at night, but two years ago I stayed at the W Hotel and moved my car to a lot near there every night and ended up spending just $10 a day in all. Much cheaper than the $26 or more a day at some of the hotel lots.

Good to know. And I wanted to also mention that a number of people I know in L.A. have discovered the joy of approaching Comic-Con as a day trip by train. They catch the Pacific Surfliner down at Union Station or wherever, and it's about a 2.5 hour trip each way. You can get off at the Amtrak Station in Old Town, at the main station in San Diego, which is a brief walk or cab ride to the convention center. For real fun and a slight sense of danger, get one of those kids with the pedal cabs to drive you to and fro. Matter of fact, I've been thinking of seeing if the con will let me bring one in to chauffeur me around the exhibit hall.

• Posted at 3:12 PM · LINK

Conventional Wisdom

Wednesday morning at 9 AM Pacific Standard Time, many of my friends will being dialing and mousing like crazy as hotel reservations open up for this year's Comic-Con International, July 24-28. It's like a big, frustrating game of Musical Chairs since there will be a lot more people wanting rooms than there will be rooms. I hear that for a number of reasons — mainly more hotels opening up and the existing ones having fewer competing conventions — the situation will be much easier beginning in '09. That will be small comfort to those who will spend much of this Wednesday morn trying and failing to secure lodging for this year.

Do not write me and ask if I can help. I cannot help except to tell you that even after the initial ration of hotel rooms is gone, there will be more added. A year or two ago, I was given a long explanation of how the entire process works but there's no way I can replicate it here. Suffice it to say that just because they run out of rooms on Wednesday at 9:03 doesn't mean they won't have rooms available in a few weeks or a few months.

Also, the convention's hotel booking agency only has access to some percentage of the rooms at some hotels in San Diego. You may still be able to find something on your own, especially if you look some distance away from the Convention Center. Last year, a few friends of mine found shelter at a hotel about 10-15 minutes from all the action. Even taking a cab to and from the con each day, it was cheaper than what they would have had to pay to be nearby. Others have reported on successfully using the city's trolley service to commute from outlying motels, and a friend of mine likes to stay in San Clemente and use Amtrak to get to the convention each day. (Parking spaces at the convention are about as easy to find as copies of Groo that Sergio hasn't autographed.)

Yes, I know the convention is "too big," whatever that means. It's probably one of those valid complaints that there's no point in making because it's not going to get any smaller and, as a chum of mine points out, if they made it any smaller, they'd probably eliminate the parts of it that we love. For good or ill, the convention is the size it is and with that comes the problems of lodging and parking and crowds. Take solace in the fact that membership is now limited — in fact, it will sell out well before the convention dates — so the beast can grow no larger. If you accept its size instead of fighting it and moaning and wishing we were back to 3000 attendees at the old El Cortez, you can have a very good time down there. I certainly do.

Then again, I already have my hotel room.

• Posted at 9:57 AM · LINK

Recommended Reading/Buying

Fred Kaplan, who is my favorite columnist when it comes to writing about American foreign affairs (Iraq, especially) has a new book out, which the Amazon people have yet to deliver to my doorstep. However, Slate has posted two excerpts here and here, which make me eager to read Daydream Believers, which is subtitled "How a Few Grand Ideas Wrecked American Power." If you read them and decide you want a copy of the entire book, click here to order one.

• Posted at 9:27 AM · LINK

Go Read It!

Mad Magazine uses Pulitzer Prize winning political cartoonists to teach George W. Bush about Global Warming. Take a look.

• Posted at 1:50 AM · LINK

Today's Video Link

The other day, we linked to the opening and closing of a forgotten (but funny) TV show called The Good Guys. Here's a look at the middle of what I think was the first episode...as excerpted for a CBS network promo...

• Posted at 12:15 AM · LINK