front range

Make Science! Make Science!

(apologies to Glen Hansard)

I've mentioned CERN here before. This month's (March) issue of National Geographic has a fantastic article on the Large Hadron Collider (LHC) they are building on the Swiss/French border, & their search for the Higgs Boson (ie. the God Particle). the piece is fascinating, but it was a couple of paragraphs towards the end that really caught my eye:

"When the LHC starts smashing particles, Europe will suddenly become the dominant location for particle physics, and the United States will find itself struggling to figure out how to stay relevant. Perhaps that's a petty concern given the magnitude of what the LHC might turn up, but it's something people talk about. Since the Manhattan Project there's been a general notion that the U.S. dominates the world of physics. Until now, the energy frontier has been at Fermilab, home of the Tevatron. That collider has found some important particles, but it might not have quite enough juice to nail the Higgs.

Some U.S. money has gone into the LHC, which will cost billions of dollars: five, maybe ten—the exact number is elusive (the science will be precise, but the accounting apparently follows the Uncertainty Principle). But most of the engineering is being done by European firms. Jürgen Schukraft, who supervises an LHC experiment named ALICE (which will re-create conditions the same as those just after the big bang), said, "The brain drain that used to go from Europe to the States definitely has reversed." "

that last sentence is what really jumped off the page.
this may not be news to anyone who has been paying attention to what the policies of BushCo. have done to the U.S. scientific community over the past 7 plus years, but it should be alarming none-the-less. fingers crossed that when the next (Democratic) President comes into office these policies will change. in the meantime what can we do?
Well, the U. S. still lags far behind in science education internationally.
We can start by strongly urging our children to put down the Wii & Guitar Hero, put down the Triple Whopper w/Cheese Combo, get up off the couch & pick up a microscope &/or telescope. attack the problem of flabby bodies & flabby brains head on & Make Science!

humpday interlude

Massive Attack w/Liz Fraser - Teardrop

a view from the road

foothills near Boulder

Rachel Maddow ROCKS!

if you've ever seen her on MSNBC, then you know what I'm saying. Rachel Maddow is the best political analyst on cable. she was on Countdown last night talking w/Keith about the current wingnut kurfluffle over Obama's patriotism. (I know, I know...) she smacks it down like only she can.

(C&L has the video)

comedian or idiot...

...you be the judge. (psst, I'm going w/the latter)
Mark Halperin is considered a "serious political analyst" in some circles.
he's published a 16 point list of things McCain can do to beat Obama.
C&L has a great analysis of the list here. it's a hoot.

favorite passages

from A Wild Sheep Chase
by Haruki Murakami

"A month had passed since I agreed to the divorce and she moved out. A non-month. Unfocused and unfelt, a lukewarm protoplasm of a month.
Nothing changed from day to day, not one thing. I woke up at seven, made toast and coffee, headed out to work, ate dinner out, had one or two drinks, went home, read in bed for an hour, turned off the lights, and slept. Saturdays and Sundays, instead of work, I was out killing time from morning on, making the rounds of movie theaters. Then I had dinner and a couple of drinks, read, went to sleep alone. So it went: I passed through the month the way people X out days on a calendar, one after the one."

Glen & Marketa's Oscars performance

I'm not a big fan of awards shows, to say the least, & didn't catch the Oscars last night. I have been a big fan of the Frames & Glen Hansard for years. Once is a great little film & the music is amazing. so, I was thrilled to see that Glen & Marketa won for best song. here's a clip of the performance if you missed it. it's pretty great.

UPDATE: (new)video is back up.

sad desperation

Clinton's pathetic attempt at humor. mocking Obama, his supporters, & progressives in general. real class act.

that's Mister Sullivan to you.

Saturday Night Special

Múm - Green Grass Of Tunnel

Howard Dean on McCain

(via FDL)

Q: So there is big news about John McCain -- the story that is in the New York Times, raising questions about his relationship with a lobbyist. This is a story the McCain people are saying is unfair and untrue. What do you think?

Dean: I have no idea whether the affair story is true or not, and I don't care. What I do care about is John McCain -- and this has been well-documented -- is talking all the time about being a reformer and a maverick, and in fact, he has taken thousands of dollars from corporations, ridden on their corporate jets, and then turned around and tried to do favors for them and get projects approved. He has tons of lobbyists on his staff. This is a guy who is very close to the lobbyist community, a guy who has been documented again and again by taking contributions and then doing favors for it. This is not a guy who is a reformer. This is a guy who has been in Washington for 25 years and wants to give us four more years of the same, and I don't think we need that.

(full interview at National Journal)

science debate

there's been very little discussion of science in any of the debates so far. some brief mentions of technology, maybe, but that's it.
here's a quick vid snippet from John Holdren, (Chair, American Association for the Advancement of Science; President and Director, Woods Hole Research Center)spelling out why the presidential candidates should be talking about science. (h/t intersection)

sciencedebate 2008

the real straight talk express

the real story behind the recent McCain scandal isn't about lurid, sexual indiscretions.
(that's just what the MSM always latches onto)the real story is about Mr. StraightTalk's long running coziness to Washington lobbyists, that stretches back for decades. in fact his closest advisers are all lobbyists.
it's a long sordid story, huffpo does a great job of running down the details.
crooks & liars also has some tidbits.so does thinkprogress.
(& many others, far too many to mention)

except for Glenn, who has a great post today. as per usual.

a view from the road

somewhere east of Erie

straight talk indeed...

...seems John McCain has gotten awfully cozy w/a certain lobbyist.
Keith is breaking this NYT story on Countdown as we speak.

"Early in Senator John McCain’s first run for the White House eight years ago, waves of anxiety swept through his small circle of advisers.

A female lobbyist had been turning up with him at fund-raisers, in his offices and aboard a client’s corporate jet. Convinced the relationship had become romantic, some of his top advisers intervened to protect the candidate from himself — instructing staff members to block the woman’s access, privately warning her away and repeatedly confronting him, several people involved in the campaign said on the condition of anonymity.

When news organizations reported that Mr. McCain had written letters to government regulators on behalf of the lobbyist’s clients, the former campaign associates said, some aides feared for a time that attention would fall on her involvement."

this is an interesting turn of events. let's see how Mr. Straight Talk spins this one. buckle up & stay tuned.

huffpo has more here & here.

humpty interlude

Talking Heads - This Must Be the Place (Naïve Melody)

10 in a row!

Obama took Wisconsin & Hawaii last night.
that's 10 in a row now.

if Hillary loses TX & OH, & still does not
pull out of the race, we will see that she
is only in this for herself. the Clinton Machine
hates to lose. their true colors will show brightly if they
continue to take this all the way to the convention.

what a mess that will be.

Squirrel Hill Tunnel, PA

Top Gear

this is just one example of why Top Gear is such a great show.
if you've never seen it, then you really should. it's one of the most entertaining shows around. even for non-gearheads. (like me) but, you better hurry, it's about to get ruined by an American version.

Top Gear BBC America site
Top Gear USA via the Guardian

beef recall

I know we've all heard &/or read about the 143 million pounds of beef recalled recently. 143 million pounds!? even though that number seems staggering, I can't say that I'm too surprised. I know far too much about the beef industry in this country, & am far too aware of how BushCo. has stripped any kind of oversight from most American industries. it's nearly impossible to count all the industrial accidents that have occurred over the course of this administrations tenure.

anyway, dday over at hullabaloo has a great post up today. it basically tells of the lack of oversight & the lack of resources needed for such oversight due to cutbacks, not to mention obfuscation, made by the Bush administration. it's well worth a read.

the coveted Mozzer endorsement

don't know how I missed this one.
looks like the race is all sewn up now.

more Clintonian hypocrisy

here is just the latest example of how the Clinton camp plays ball.
over the past few months, after they realized that Hillary was not the 'anointed one', they've really pulled out all the stops, reading directly
from the GOP play book. the very same one that they have long railed against in public. they have used every dirty trick learned from the 'vast right wing conspiracy' machine of yore to attack Obama. their behavior is disgraceful.
I was always a fan of the Clintons before, through thick & thin. I have to say that through this primary campaign, I've come to despise them.
(oh yeah, the author at TPM is no relation)

more tidbits from kos.

we're all still here...

...contrary to the Preznit's assurances that if the Protect America Act
(nice name) was not renewed on Friday, we would not be.
Mike McConnell, the director of national intelligence, slipped up on NPR
& in a moment of unintentional honesty said what so many have known already:

"However, that's not the real issue. The issue is liability protection for the private sector."

as is always the case with BushCo.

blur, or too much NyQuill

Saturday Night Special

Stereolab - Ping Pong


taken from their 1994 album Mars Audiac Quintet, this is quite possibly the only pop song to lay out in detail "one of the central tenets of Marxian economic analysis: prosperity leads to recession, and recessions are usually ended by the increased government spending that comes with a declared or undeclared war, which buoys the entire economy, starting the cycle all over again."
sounds about right, unfortunately.

found online art

there's nothing I love more than leapfrogging around the web on a chilly Saturday morning in February. I discovered this gorgeously designed bit of poster art this morning. the simple colors & circles are so reminiscent of Eva Hesse. plus it's for a show by some of my fave music makers.

I also stumbled across a site for Stateless Design Collective. fantastic poster art, some of the best I've ever seen. a virtual feast for the eyes.

snow & tracks

the mind reels

I was glued to the tv on returning home last night, watching the coverage of the events from my alma mater. I haven't been back to the NIU campus in at least 18 years, but it's amazing the flood of vivid memories that came back just from seeing a few glimpses of the campus broadcast on the news. In my years there, back in the '80s, I couldn't have imagined such a thing happening. maybe those were more innocent times, more likely just my own innocence in those times. what really angers me is that these events continue to occur, with more frequency, & still our elected officials do nothing to strengthen our gun laws. they cluck about the tragedy, & send their prayers out to victims & families, as we all do, but they are in a position to make the necessary changes to prevent future incidents & yet they do nothing.
that's where tragedy lies, also.

Keith's Special Comment on FISA

"President Bush Is A Liar And A Fascist"
more brilliance from Mr. Olbermann.
he really pulls out all the stops tonight.
a must see, if you haven't already.

Pelosi's response

here is video of Nancy Pelosi's response to what went on earlier
in the House today.
this is how adults in government act & respond. the petulant children in the GOP that stomped out today should pay close heed.


“This is beyond arrogance. This is hubris taken to the ultimate degree."
well said, Mdme. Speaker.
(more video over at the Gavel)

GOP crybabies

unbelievable...
Republicans in the House today took their ball & went home in a huff.
these shameless GOPers in Congress are ridiculous.
watch the video over at thinkprogress, & see for yourself.
TPM has more, too.

the Republicans also disrupted a memorial service
for Rep. Tom Lantos today. real classy.
huffpo has more on that here.

Valentine interlude

My Bloody Valentine - Soon
My Bloody Valentine - To Here Knows When


embrace your sweety AND your inner shoegazer.

compare & contrast

last night's victory speeches:




extra points for anyone who makes it through McCain's snoozefest.
oops...too late... zzzzzz

We're #6? We're #6?

imagine my chagrin this morning, waking up, bleary eyed, to the news that Chicago was named by Forbes magazine as the #6 most miserable city in America. whaa?? it took a moment for my frozen, pre-coffee addled brain to get itself wrapped around that concept. according to them, & I quote:

"Residents of the country's third-largest metro face long commutes (31 minutes on average) and high violent crime rates (619 crimes per 100,000 residents). Another chief complaint: the bitter-cold winters. And as for misery, nothing tops being a Cubs fan. The team has not won a World Series since 1908, the longest winless streak in baseball."

now, I've lived in Chicago for 21 years. sure, right about now (mid-February) I'm praying for spring. but, hey...it's not -40/wind chill like up in Minneapolis. sure,
I've heard more than my share of gunshots in the 'hood over the years. (okay, so last summer I was rudley awakened at 3 a.m. to a couple dozen Chicago cops stomping through my back garden searching for weapons used in a shooting a block over.) & the snark about the Cubs!? come on, real original. like we've never heard that one before. (not being a sports fan has it's benefits. I'm impervious to such snarkiness)

so, all in all...I'm the furthest thing from 'miserable', pretty darn happy in fact.
in fact, this article has gotten my blood boiling to the point where I'm feeling rather toasty on this cold winters morn. thanks Forbes...oh, yeah & by the way...go suck it, CHUMPS!

Obama Sweeps! again

Barack wins big in VA, MD, DC

Hillary Clinton not only loses these 3, but loses her campaign manager, too.
(oh, & she found time to claim that FNC is not biased. huh??)

other political news: FISA got beat down in the senate. many Dems sided w/telecomm immunity. go figure?

a view from the road

this was the view out my windshield this afternoon, somewhere along I-94 heading east through Michigan. the picture doesn't due justice to just how low the visibility was.
what's not in view either, are my white knuckles on the steering wheel. a person gets religion real quick in these sort of situations. that, plus a longing for the distant, coming spring.

FISA fight today

well, today is another battle in the ongoing FISA war.
C&L has some video of Chris Dodd from last night.
he quotes the incomparable Glenn Greenwald, which
is nice.


TPM will have all day coverage, too.

a little teaser

his brother's keeper

Ari Emanuel, brother of Rahm Emanuel, has a must read post up over at huffpo.
he does a great job of laying out why the superdelegates must not be allowed to choose the Democratic nominee.
here's a little taste:

"The superdelegates, my brother included, have not been elected by anybody to name the nominee. They've either been appointed by the Party or, as in my brother's case, have automatically inherited the role simply because they are elected officials... they were created by the Party machine decades ago for the express purpose of giving Party insiders the ability to thwart the popular will."

"We should be as opposed to superdelegates changing the course of an election as we were to the Supreme Court appointing George W. Bush president."
go take a look.

79 Short Essays on Design

Don't let the title fool you. This book could just as easily be called 'Seventy-nine Short Essays on Life'. Michael Bierut is a designer & co-founder of the blog Design Observer, where the majority of these essays were culled. Like that blog, this book touches on just as many non-design aspects of life, as it does design. That is until the reader realizes how much design we actually do come into contact with on a daily basis. Even the book itself is a study in good design, with each chapter being set in a different & very specific typeface. The lead essay, 'Warning: May Contain Non-Design Content' sets you up for what is in store. The following seventy-eight wonderfully written & engaging pieces cover such a dizzying array of topics (simply peruse the table of contents on the cover to wet your appetite), that you might just forget you are reading a book on design. That would be a shame, though.

I am not amused

meh...and your story has grown tiresome.

the mornin' after the night before

Steve Earle and Emmylou Harris - Goodbye

Obama Sweeps!

Barack Obama won huge in LA, WA, NE primaries tonight! that's a total of 19 states out of 29 so far. there are still some big states left,especially TX, but this is BIG. although, the decision could all come down to the super delegates, which would be a drag. That would mean the choice would be made by politically connected fat cats. I find that prospect really depressing.
still, this win is promising.

UPDATE: Barack is giving a speech atm & is ripping Bush & Cheney a new one. lol. love when that happens.

UPDATE II: Barack takes Maine on Sunday, so the weekend is a clean sweep.

Saturday Night Special (2-fer)

Miles Davis & John Coltrane- So What (circa 1958)


John Coltrane - Naima (circa 1965)

CDC blocked Great Lakes report

(h/t thinkprogress)

this is very alarming for those of us who live in any of the Great Lakes regions. according to the Center for Public Integrity, the CDC has, in their words,
'blocked the publication of an exhaustive federal study of environmental hazards in the eight Great Lakes states, reportedly because it contains such potentially “alarming information” as evidence of elevated infant mortality and cancer rates.'

'The Center for Public Integrity has obtained the study, which warns that more than nine million people who live in the more than two dozen “areas of concern”—including such major metropolitan areas as Chicago, Cleveland, Detroit, and Milwaukee—may face elevated health risks from being exposed to dioxin, PCBs, pesticides, lead, mercury, or six other hazardous pollutants.'

this should not surprise anyone, given BushCo.'s penchant for suppressing scientific research that doesn't fit into their world view.

you can read more, including the actual report at the Center for Public Integrity website. (I strongly suggest you do)

think progressive

there's a really great post over at thinkprogress from guest blogger John Halpin,
Senior Fellow at the Center for American Progress. (as they put it, 'focusing on the foundations of progressive thought, communications, and public opinion analysis')

here's a little taste:

"Progressivism and liberalism, in particular, are built on distinct but complementary histories and ideas. Rather than trying to eliminate one tradition or another, or combine them into one label, it makes more sense philosophically and strategically to build on the positive aspects of each tradition and fight about other things we disagree on."

it's kind of a long post, but well worth the read. pop on over & take a gander.

they also have some great ads from AmericanProgress.org posted up here

what a tool

Romney dropped out of the race today. I wouldn't normally comment on this except that this guy is so sanctimonious, it's hard to ignore. here's part of what he had to say:

"If I fight on in my campaign, all the way to the convention, I would forestall the launch of a national campaign and make it more likely that Senator Clinton or Obama would win. And in this time of war, I simply cannot let my campaign, be a part of aiding a surrender to terror,"

yeah, it had nothing to do with having your ass handed to you & spending over $40 million of your kids inheritance in the process. it's all for the good of the country & fighting the evil doers.
things are going to get even uglier within the GOP camp. I can't wait. it's so fun to watch them tear each other apart over there.


(there's more over at huffpo, if you can stomach it)

clockworks tweety

hump day interlude

Radiohead - Weird Fishes/Arpeggi

( 5.5 minutes of bliss )

Obama's Super speech

"We are the ones we've been waiting for."
pretty darn inspirational. once again, this is what our leaders should sound like.

a little perspective

we could all use a little perspective now & again. especially on those days when we get so caught up in our own little corner of the rat race. it happens to the best of us. a good start is a quick trip over to hubblesite. nothing will shock you out of your myopia like a little jaunt through their gallery. go on, give it a whirl.

(oh yeah, the image on the left is of the Stellar Spire in the Eagle Nebula. like you didn't already know that, smartypants)

only in Chicago...

(more from the Chicago Tribune)

Election officials probe use of 'magic' invisible ink pens in 49th Ward

"Apparently, said city election board spokesman James Allen, the poll workers told incredulous voters—including one spouse of an election judge—that the stylus used for touch-screen voting was actually an inkless pen to fill out paper ballots."

that's the Chicago way

(via the Chicago Tribune)

"An election judge was charged with battery Tuesday morning after punching another judge at a 42nd Ward West Loop polling place, according to Chicago police.

The female judges, whose party affiliations were not immediately known, were quarreling over "procedures" when one punched the other in the face,"

let's be careful out there, people.

deconstructing delegates

last night on Countdown, Keith Olbermann consulted David Shuster to try to explain how exactly these primaries today work. delegates, bonus delegates & super delegates were
covered. Shuster does an excellent job, but my head is still spinning from trying to sort it all out. you may have better luck.
go here & click on the 'deconstructing delegates' video.

good luck.

super duper scorecards

here's a bunch of links to help keep track of all of today's action.
it's going to be a long, crazy trip.

CNN Election Center...(lots of bells & whistles...& fun)

TPM...(fewer bells, more fun)

FDL...(live blogging)

kos....(of course will be on top of the action as well)

crooks&liars...(all night coverage)

have fun. I'm off to my local.

PPPP

that's the Polling Place Photo Project.
a pretty cool idea & it's nation wide.
join the fun.

more info here.

(h/t designobserver)

surprise, surprise

hmmm...it seems that Condi sucks at her job.
sheesh, who woulda' thunk it?
oh yeah...just about EVERYONE I know!

helvetica

It’s as ubiquitous as air, & nearly as invisible. The most maligned of all typefaces, once considered the most modern, is on the rise again. At first blush one would think there is no way that this documentary by Gary Hustwit could be anything more than an exercise in extreme boredom. That’s where you would be completely wrong. The film is a design geeks dream, filled with insight & history of not only the Helvetica typeface, but also distant & recent graphic design history. The film includes a roster of design stars, including Matthew Carter, Rick Poyner, Neville Brody, David Carson & Michael Beirut, to just name a few. All give amazing anecdotal evidence to their particular insights into design & their relationship to Helvetica. In the past a film like this would have been relegated to the dust heap of graphic design classes & seminars, however, with the advent of the PC in the 90s, the everyman in society has become more & more familiar with fonts. With the proliferation of social networking sites & blogs, the ability for everyone to become the graphic designer of their own worlds has revolutionized our society in ways unimaginable a few decades ago. Don’t let the title of this film fool you. This is a fascinating look at our modern society as much as a history & dissection of this ubiquitous typeface, & a particularly enjoyable way for any avowed design geek to spend an afternoon, or two. Netflix this film today. you won’t be sorry.


(btw, this post was not written in Helvetica)

Dem shift

CNN.com is reporting that Barack Obama is gaining on Hillary's ever shrinking national lead. this is going to be a tight race going into Super Duper Tuesday. Also, for all you folks here in Illinois, here's a handy online tool to help find your local polling place, if you need it. (courtesy the man himself)

diagonals

Saturday Night Special

Echo & The Bunnymen - The Cutter

(a great song & the only performance w/images sufficiently icy enough to cap off the week that I've had)

FISA in 30 seconds

Sen. Russ Feingold tells it straight.



(h/t C&L)

further evidence that indie is dead

jeebus crisp...if this doesn't put the final nail in the coffin of indie rock, then I don't know what does.

SNOWDAY!!

MoveOn endorses Obama

"Dear MoveOn member,

With hundreds of thousands of ballots cast across the country, for the first time in MoveOn's history, we've voted together to endorse a presidential candidate in the primary. That candidate is Barack Obama.

Something big is clearly happening. A few weeks ago, MoveOn members we surveyed were split. But with John Edwards bowing out, progressives are coming together. Obama won over 70% of the vote yesterday, and he's moving up in polls nationwide."

more here.