As you may have heard, there was a big electrical outage today in Los Angeles. Apparently, Michael Brown's new job is working for the Department of Water and Power. My area was only out for a while but my Internet connection was out most of the afternoon. When it came on, I had about thirty […]
I wasn't going to link to any more articles about what went wrong with the emergency efforts in New Orleans and thereabouts. But this piece in The Wall Street Journal seems like a pretty good record of what happened with regard to the levees breaking down and news of this being spread. Once again, the […]
Andrew Ferguson offers an interesting view of how the conservative movement has evolved in this country. This is from the Weekly Standard, which claims to be the foremost voice of conservatism. While your browser is pointed to the right, you might like to also read an article on that site by Larry Miller. It's about…well, […]
I have written a number of posts here about government incompetence relating to Hurricane Katrina. In fairness, I should acknowledge the one department that seems to have performed with uncanny precision. That is the National Weather Service. We joke a lot about bad weather forecasts and about how if the guy on the TV says […]
One of Washington's long-time lobbyists says that Hurricane Katrina has prompted him to rethink what he does for a living. Go read. […]
There are a lot of interesting articles out there about Hurricane Katrina and the response to it. None but the most partisan seem to suggest that any party with any responsibility was blameless. Some come down to the technicalities of arguing things like how culpable Governor Kathleen Blanco was because she told the Feds, "I […]
About ten minutes after America learned of the 9/11 attacks four years ago, people started saying, "Nothing will ever be the same again." I think a lot of us are amazed how little some things have changed. If there was one sure bet back then, it was that this country would spend whatever it took […]
Dwayne Hickman, who played Dobie Gillis, remembers Bob Denver, who played Maynard. […]
Every so often, I like to direct your attention to the stunning output of a company called Electric Tiki Designs, which issues superb little figures of classic characters. I have them all over my house as I'm impressed with the workmanship and care that goes into their design and manufacture. They're soon to come out […]
Here's a nice little piece by Meghan Daum remembering Bob Denver or, more specifically, Maynard G. Krebs. One quibble: Gilligan's Island was on for three seasons, not four. [Los Angeles Times, means you gotta register.] […]
I'm hearing/reading two phrases over and over in the coverage of the Katrina aftermath — "This is no time to play the Blame Game" and "Mistakes were made." Generally, the latter is a variation on the former, with the speaker admitting the undeniable and sticking to the passive voice until he or she can figure […]
My friend Mike was in this commercial. See if you can spot him. […]
The New York Times has a nice article about the late Nudie Cohn. Isn't that a great name? Nudie Cohn. And no, he was not a guy who made Jewish porn films. Nudie was a flamboyant designer who customized cars and wardrobes, and he was one of the great "media celebrities" in Los Angeles in […]
One of the folks behind the ifilm website wrote me a nice message a week or so ago and my e-mail program seems to have swallowed it. If you were the person in question, could you please resend it? I promise to be more careful with it this time. To the rest of you who […]
This just in… Federal Emergency Management Agency Director Michael Brown is being removed from his role managing Hurricane Katrina relief efforts, The Associated Press has learned. Like we said yesterday here: If anyone at FEMA or the Department of Homeland Security is sacked or even faulted, it will only be because they've reached some new, […]