He makes me want to Ralph

Losers

Princess Sparkle Pony’s Photo Blog has some suggestions for additional Florida Confederate Heritage license plates after a Florida legislator introduced the idea.

Here’s his, but go see the others.

You’d think the bastards would want to play down the fact that in that particular rebellion THEY LOST.

Link via Crooks and Liars.

How Do We Defeat Tim Russert?

“Judging by their silly questions tonight, Russert and Williams obviously know nothing about health care policy, Iraq, Islamic terrorism, economics, global trade or any other subject that requires more than five minutes study to come up with some gotcha question or a stupid Jack Bauer fantasy. It’s embarrassing.”

digby, as always, right on. She’s reacting to the Clinton-Obama debate tonight in Cleveland. She has more. Go read it.

Josh Marshall called it “Russert’s run of shame.”

America’s 50 Greenest Cities

Popular Science rates cities for environmental quality.

We used raw data from the U.S. Census Bureau and the National Geographic Society’s Green Guide, which collected survey data and government statistics for American cities of over 100,000 people in more than 30 categories, including air quality, electricity use and transportation habits.

Albuquerque is 16th. Portland, Oregon, is number one.

Link via Coyote Gulch.

Worst line of the day, so far

“Oil Hits a High; Some See $4 Gas by Spring”

— Headline, New York Times

Obama: First Female President?

Writing for Newsweek, Martin Linsky thinks Obama shows feminine traits.

But he is pushing against conventional—and political party nominating convention—wisdom in five important ways, with approaches that are usually thought of as qualities and values that women bring to organizational life: a commitment to inclusiveness in problem solving, deep optimism, modesty about knowing all the answers, the courage to deliver uncomfortable news, not taking on all the work alone, and a willingness to air dirty linen.
. . .

Clinton’s campaign, on the other hand, is centered on the idea that she is the experienced realist. She understands the rules in this man’s game of politics and governing, knows how to play by them and win, and can take the heat that inevitably comes with entering the fray.

More stereotypes?

Amy’s Circus

There’s a nice little review of Amy Winehouse by Sashe Frere-Jones in this week’s New Yorker.

“Winehouse’s music is reassuring to those old enough to remember the original and novel to those too young to know.”

Worth a click if only for the pic.

Update: Frere-Jones mentions in the article that Winehouse’s band, the Dap-Kings, also backs Sharon Jones. Go to iTunes and listen to a little of Ms. Jones. A great album for $5.99. She sings “This Land Is Your Land” like she means it.

Hey Jude

February 26th

Today is the birthday

… of Antoine “Fats” Domino. The Rock and Roll Hall of Famer is 80.

They call him the Fat Man. With his easy-rolling boogie-woogie piano and smooth rhythm & blues vocals, Antoine “Fats” Domino put a New Orleans-style spin on what came to be known as rock and roll. A pianist, singer, and songwriter who was born in the Crescent City in 1928, Domino sold more records (65 million) than any Fifties-era rocker except Elvis Presley. Between 1950 and 1963, he cracked the pop Top Forty thirty-seven times and the R&B singles chart fifty-nine times. Domino’s biggest songs are as winning as his broad smile. They include “Ain’t That a Shame,” “Blueberry Hill,” “I’m Walkin’,” “Blue Monday” and “Walking to New Orleans.”

Rock and Roll Hall of Fame

… of columnist Robert Novak. He’s 77 and ought to be shuffling off to Florida with David Broder.

… of Mitch Ryder. He’s 63. No report on the ages of the Detroit Wheels.

… of Michael Bolton. The singer is 55. The computer programmer’s age in Office Space isn’t known.

Johnny Cash was born on this date in 1932.

“To millions of fans, Johnny Cash is “the Man in Black,” a country music legend who sings in an authoritative baritone about the travails of working men and the downtrodden in this country. Lesser known is the fact that Johnny Cash was present at the birth of rock and roll by virtue of being one of the earliest signees to Sam Phillips’ Sun Records back in 1955. Cash was part of an elite club of rock and roll pioneers at Sun that included Elvis Presley, Carl Perkins and Jerry Lee Lewis. The four were collectively referred to as “the Million Dollar Quartet” after an impromptu gathering and jam session at the Sun recording studio on December 4, 1956. What Cash and his group, the Tennessee Two, brought to the “Sun Sound” was a spartan mix of guitar, standup bass and vocals that served as an early example of rockabilly. Cash recorded a string of rockabilly hits for Sun that included “Cry, Cry, Cry,” “Folsom Prison Blues” and “I Walk the Line.” The latter was first of more than a dozen Number One country hits for Cash and also marked his first appearance on the national pop singles charts.

Straddling the country, folk and rockabilly idioms, Johnny Cash has crafted more than 400 plainspoken story-songs that describe and address the lives of coal miners, sharecroppers, Native Americans, prisoners, cowboys, renegades and family men.

Rock and Roll Hall of Fame

Jackie Gleason was born in Brooklyn on this date in 1916. One of the greats of early TV, known primarily now for his portrayal of bus driver Ralph Kramden in the Honeymooners. He was in a number of films and received an Academy Award nomination for best supporting actor in The Hustler. Gleason also won a Tony Award. “And away we go” was one of Gleason’s stock lines. It is also the inscription at his grave site.

Grover Cleveland Alexander was born on this date in 1887.

Suffering from epilepsy, haunted by his experiences in combat during World War I and shadowed by the dark side of alcoholism, Grover Cleveland Alexander was able to win 373 games during a 20-year major league career, the third highest total in major league history. He led the league in ERA on four occasions, wins in six different seasons, complete games six times and shutouts during seven campaigns. Alexander also won 30 or more games three consecutive seasons.

National Baseball Hall of Fame

Alexander was portrayed by Ronald Reagan in the 1952 film “The Winning Team.”

John Harvey Kellogg was born on this date in 1852.

When he became a physician Dr. Kellogg determined to devote himself to the problems of health, and after taking over the sanitarium he put into effect his own ideas. Soon he had developed the sanitarium to an unprecedented degree, and he launched the business of manufacturing health foods. He gained recognition as the originator of health foods and coffee and tea substitutes, ideas which led to the establishment of huge cereal companies besides his own, in which his brother, W. K. Kellogg, produced the cornflakes he invented. His name became a household word. (The New York Times)

There might have been something to it. Kellogg lived to 91.

Betty Hutton, who died last year, would have been 87 today. She was Annie Oakley in the eponymous 1950 film, and the trapeze artist who saves the circus in The Greatest Show on Earth.

Best line of last night

“Nader is going to be 74 next week. In fact, the good news, if Ralph gets sick, his younger brother, Raúl Nader, will then take over.”

— Jay Leno

Best line of the day, so far

“It is important for me as well as Sen. Clinton to communicate to our staffs as well that … we’re both trying out for quarterback, but we’re on the same team.”

— Senator Barack Obama

Box Office Ebbs and Flows

This is kind of cool — a graphic representation of The Ebb and Flow of Movies: Box Office Receipts 1986 - 2007.

How about ‘Respect the voters’ or ‘Honesty’?

This is all over the blogs this morning — it’s Mark Halperin at Time and his 15-point plan for how McCain can beat Obama.

Things like:

4. Encourage interest groups, bloggers, and right-leaning media to explore Obama’s past.

5. Make an issue of Obama’s acknowledged drug use.

6. Allow some supporters to risk being accused of using the race card when criticizing Obama.

7. Exploit Michelle Obama’s mistakes and address her controversial remarks with unrestricted censure.

8. Play dirty without alienating his party.

Stereotype?

Kottke has some issues with the Tilda Swinton character in Michael Clayton: “She was the only prominent woman character in the movie and was the only character who was insecure, emotional, and tentative. None of the other main characters appeared unsure of themselves for even an instant, not even the crazy guy.”

He has more.

Best line of the day, so far

And then the Bagger learned, from the eagle-eared kids at Defamer, that Mr. Rudin “closed his Best Picture acceptance speech with a special mention to ‘my partner, John Barlow. Without you, honey, this is just hardware.’”

The Academy later updated its post, saying that the words had suddenly appeared. Good move, AMPAS. Once somebody has thanked the love of their life in front of tens of millions, the fact that all kinds of people love all kinds of people is pretty much out of the bag.

Carpetbagger

Enchanted, I’m sure

According to a report in the Santa Fe New Mexican, four Oscar-nominated movies were filmed in New Mexico, including the best picture, No Country for Old Men. The others were 3:10 to Yuma, In the Valley of Elah and Transformers.

Did you notice by the way that 98-year-old Robert Boyle won an honorary Oscar and was escorted to the podium by two beautiful movie stars. Who says this is no country for old men?

Oh, and by the way my readers at The Albuquerque Journal, now that you’re the only newspaper in town, how about convincing your bosses to do something. Why can’t the Journal web site be as pretty as The New Mexican’s?

Diebold Accidentally Leaks Results of 2008 Election Early

The embedded video wasn’t working, so just follow the link to The Onion.

Tina Fey on Weekend Update

Grand Teton National Park (Wyoming)

… was so designated on this date in 1929.

Located in northwestern Wyoming, Grand Teton National Park protects spectacular mountain scenery and a diverse collection of wildlife. The central feature of the park — the Teton Range — is a 40-mile-long mountain front rising from the valley floor some 6,000 feet. The towering Tetons were formed from earthquakes that occurred over the past 13 million years along a fault line. The jagged range includes its signature peak — Grand Teton, 13,770 feet (4,198 m) — and at least twelve pinnacles over 12,000 feet (3,658 m). Seven morainal lakes adorn the base of the range, and more than 100 alpine lakes dot the backcountry.

Elk, moose, mule deer, bison and pronghorn, are commonly found in the park. Black bears roam the forests and canyons, while grizzlies range throughout more remote portions of the park. More than 300 species of birds can be observed, including bald eagles, peregrine falcons and trumpeter swans.

Grand Teton National Park

Lafayette National Park (Maine)

… was designated on this date in 1919. It became Acadia National Park in 1929.

Located on the rugged coast of Maine, Acadia National Park encompasses over 47,000 acres of granite-domed mountains, woodlands, lakes and ponds, and ocean shoreline. Such diverse habitats create striking scenery and make the park a haven for wildlife and plants.

Entwined with the natural diversity of Acadia is the story of people. Evidence suggests native people first lived here at least 5,000 years ago. Subsequent centuries brought explorers from far lands, settlers of European descent, and, arising directly from the beauty of the landscape, tourism and preservation.

Attracted by the paintings and written works of the “rusticators,” artists who portrayed the beauty of Mount Desert Island in their works, the affluent of the turn of the century flocked to the area. Though they came in search of social and recreational activities, these early conservationists had much to do with preserving the landscape we know today. George B. Dorr, the park’s first superintendent, came from this social strata. He devoted 43 years of his life, energy, and family fortune to preserving the Acadia landscape. Thanks to the foresight of Dorr and others like him, Acadia became the first national park established east of the Mississippi.

Acadia National Park

Grand Canyon National Park (Arizona)

… was so designated on this date in 1919.

The Grand Canyon is more than a great chasm carved over millennia through the rocks of the Colorado Plateau. It is more than an awe-inspiring view. It is more than a pleasuring ground for those who explore the roads, hike the trails, or float the currents of the turbulent Colorado River.

This canyon is a gift that transcends what we experience. Its beauty and size humble us. Its timelessness provokes a comparison to our short existence. In its vast spaces we may find solace from our hectic lives. The Grand Canyon we visit today is a gift from past generations.

Grand Canyon National Park

Mount McKinley National Park (Alaska)

… now Denali National Park & Preserve, was established on this date in 1917.

It’s more than a mountain. Denali National Park & Preserve features North America’s highest mountain, 20,320-foot tall Mount McKinley. The Alaska Range also includes countless other spectacular mountains and many large glaciers. Denali’s more than 6 million acres also encompass a complete sub-arctic eco-system with large mammals such as grizzly bears, wolves, Dall sheep, and moose.