October 17, 2012 · 10:15 am

A Collection of Drudge Report Panic Links the Morning After the Second Presidential Debate of 2012

Official Portrait of President Ronald Reagan

So, while liberals are holding impromptu binder parties all over the internet, conservatives are trying to frame the debate as a tie or a fix. Or, in the case of the deranged Dick Morris, a win for Romney. I like the “threats to assassinate Republicans on twitter” one. Because, what?
UPDATE: That link is from an Alex Jones website. Nice.
Anyway, here are the top headlines on the Drudgereport this morning at around 10 a.m. I feel like Drudge thinks that the Britishness of Andrew Sullivan’s enthusiasm is telling somehow.

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August 21, 2012 · 2:58 pm

The Terrifying Hilarity of the Congressional Committee on Science, Space and Technology

I’m feeling grateful for Congressman Todd Akin these days. For the first time ever, he’s let me, a straight-C high school biology student, feel smugly superior about my understanding of human anatomy. Secondly, he’s prompted me to learn something about the Republican membership of the

Congressional Committee on Science, Space and Technology, a committee Akin is a member of despite not understanding basic science.

Judging from the name, you’d hope that the committee would be a bunch of high minded folks who respect science, inquiry and whatnot. Sadly, it’s more of a dumping ground for dummies, meanies and crazies. Continue reading →

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July 23, 2012 · 9:24 am

A Quick Note to Wes Anderson, a Great Filmmaker with a Spotty Track Record and Potential to Make a Masterpiece

The Royal Tenenbaums (2001)

The Royal Tenenbaums (2001) (Photo credit: Bvu)

Hey Bro. I am fresh off Moonrise Kingdom and want to shoot a warning shot across your bow.

The film was a trifle but it had its moments. I am sure the cool kids in Brooklyn, Austin, L.A. and London loved it. But you are capable of making a much better movie and at this point in your career you really should have. Continue reading →

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June 26, 2012 · 9:36 am

The SHAME-ing of Malcolm Gladwell

Thank You for Smoking

Read this.

Then this. OK. Now we’re all up to speed. Great.

Yasha Levine did the right thing, in terms of tactics and truth-seeking. Gladwell was trying to prompt him into a Socratic interchange where Gladwell would make some brilliant counter-intuitive argument to exonerate himself. Levine was correct to not engage. Gladwell was fixated on one small piece of a large argument. Also, Gladwell would have an advantage by focusing on slippery abstractions. Levine responded with a list of hard-nosed, reportorial questions that Gladwell ignored.

Levine was right to dismiss this as “playing verbal footsie.” I’m fairly certain Gladwell was never going to talk openly about his cigarette company ties anyway, and the end result is that he looks like a patrician dickhead. But Levine could have argued with Gladwell about that article and won. What he did was better, but he could have won that argument.

Continue reading →

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June 21, 2012 · 9:12 am

The (Secretly Terrible) High School Graduation Party Playlist, Part 4

“When We Were Friends” Cee Lo

Admittedly, this is kind of a jam. But he drops the n-word at least 20 times, and if there’s even a single white person at your graduation party, things are going to get super uncomfortable super quick. And even if there’s a safe DJ version where they replace all those n bombs, “Forget You” style, everybody knows what he said in the original. 

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· 8:38 am

The (Secretly Terrible) High School Graduation Party Playlist, Part 3

Bruce Springsteen “Glory Days”

Despite the chiming major key chorus, this is not a “fun” song. This is a depressing song about shitty people whose dreams have passed them by. The lyrics are about people who peaked in high school, grew up and never got over it. The titular “Glory Days” are fleeting and have passed and are being remembered from a markedly inglorious present.

Anyway, the whole idea is toxic for kids setting sail from port high school. As I mentioned earlier, a spirit of optimism should rule the day and the summer. This is waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaay out of context, but Mad Men has a really good line that applies here: “Get out of here and move forward. This never happened. It will shock you how much it never happened.”

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June 19, 2012 · 11:23 pm

The (Secretly Terrible) High School Graduation Party Playlist, Part 2

Billy Joel “These Are the Times to Remember” 

Let’s leave aside for a second the obvious and unassailable fact that Billy Joel is 110 percent the worst of all time and try to judge this song as just a song.

Clearly, it’s terrible. The piano sounds like Yamaha digital keyboard presets and the melody sounds like a country song about patriotism written in the wake of Sept. 11. But beyond all of those clear, obvious truths, it’s a terrible song to play for a graduate for reasons even greater still.

The song’s lyrics are about the need to embrace experiences and memories before time wipes them out. That’s an OK sentiment for adults, but not for teenagers. When you’re graduating from high school, your first priority should be letting go. You are entering a whole different world and no time for love Dr. Jones. This is not a time to remember. It’s a time you someday won’t be able to help but remember. For now, it’s a time to focus on some other crap.

Also, Billy Joel sucks and you’re wrong if you disagree. Thanks!

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