Craig and Tim

Here are two of my favorite TV people - Craig Ferguson and Tim Gunn. I love Tim's reaction to the mention of Kenley! Anyone who disses on Tim is bad in my book.

Fascinating Renewable Resources

This broadcast is from KWMU, the NPR station in St. Louis, MO. Don Marsh interviews scientists from the Donald Danforth Plant Science Center. Listen specifically for the section on extracting oil from algae. The Huffington Post also has a detailed article about algae as energy.

Suspension is for kids.

I'm going back in time a little to beat the dead horse that is John McCain's suspension on his Presidential campaign. Here is Craig Ferguson's take on the issue.



I think Craig is my third favorite late night talk show host, after Jon Stewart and Stephen Colbert. However, he is my new favorite network late night talking head. Plus, I love the Scottish accent.

Temper, Temper

Do you want the next President of the United States to be serious and thoughtful, or a mean-spirited hothead? I think we've already experienced eight years of one hothead, so I certainly don't want another four. Ambassador Richard Holbrooke discusses the temperament of the two Presidential candidates, based on the first debate, in this column on The Huffington Post (yes, it's another liberal rag).

Here come the Russians!

I love The Office.

I am a budget hero!

Are you a Budget Hero?

Obama makes the grade.

According to Mark Halperin, from Time Magazine, Obama scored higher on the debate than McCain.

Clinton on The Daily Show

I'm sorry that I'm late on posting these videos. I think this is a great interview and now I remember why I voted for Bill.

Sarah Silverman wants your grandparents...

...in Florida to vote for Barack Obama.

No show for McCain on Letterman last night

Illustrated Mad Men

I know you are sick of Mad Men by now, but you have to check out these illustrations by Dyna Moe.

Turn on the time machine...

...and go back five years to a young Stephen Colbert as a correspondent on The Daily Show. Colbert is the king of making outlandish speeches with a straight face.

Mad Men or Ladies

Here are the ladies of Mad Men, in their modern-day attire at the Emmys, courtesy of E! Online and Hulu.com.

Emmys

Congrats to a few of my favorite shows - The Colbert Report, The Daily Show, and Mad Men - on winning Emmys this evening.

For your viewing pleasure, here is Stephen's plea for an Emmy from last week.

Moral Psychology - Liberals and Conservatives

This is a lecture given by Jonathan Haidt, a psychologist, in February 2008 about how five moral values shape our political choices. The lecture was sponsored by TED, a non-profit organization bringing together intelligent minds from the fields of technology, entertainment, and design (hence, TED). To find out more about your moral compass, check out the morality quiz, a study by Haidt and University of Virginia grad student Jesse Graham.

Professor Obama

Check out this article about Barack Obama's former students at the University of Chicago's Law School.

The Colbert Report - Powerless

Dig Deeper

In order to combat the opposition, you need to know what they stand for. So, I checked out the McCain-Palin website and looked up their plan for health care. I found an average-length web page with a series of bullet points. The only additional link is to the McCain-Palin position on autism.

Moving over to Obama-Biden website, the health care web page also has bullet points, although in a smaller font. At the bottom of the page, you can download the full 15-page PDF of the Obama-Biden health care plan, as well as additional information on HIV/AIDS and cancer.

If you continue to compare both sites, the results will be the same. Even if you don't agree with Barack Obama and Joe Biden, at least you will know where they stand.

Please educate yourself on the issues before you vote on November 4.

More from Craig

"If you don't vote, you're a moron."

Here is Craig Ferguson's take on America's political process. Please note that Craig is a recently naturalized American citizen and understands that it's our duty to vote. As I noted on my Facebook page, this clip is long for our instant message society, but it's worth watching.

Obama Waffles

I'm so mad, I can't write about this issue. Check out the story at Christianity Today about a vendor at the Values Voter Summit selling Obama Waffle Mix.

Just to be clear, this is not about free speech or satire. It's racism.

The Page

If you've been keeping up with the blog, you'll know that I'm caught up in political coverage and that I try to read sources that represent both sides of the story. The best of these sources is The Page by Mark Halperin at Time Magazine. Mark is a regular contributor to the Charlie Rose Show on PBS and he is the former Chief Political Director at ABC News. There's been a big gaping hole at that news division since Halperin left. He doesn't have the ideal camera persona, like George Stephanopolous, but he has such a breadth of knowledge and detailed analysis, who cares about his charisma. This is definitely a case of substance over style.

The reason why I like The Page is that Halperin hits the highlights of the political news day without providing any commentary. He leaves it up to the reader to pick out the juicy tidbits.

Feasting on Waves

I love Alton Brown. I also love his job, traveling around the Caribbean, searching for all things local and delicious.

Watch his four-part series, Feasting on Waves on The Food Network, Sunday nights.

Bring Tina Fey back to SNL!

Fierceness all over the place

Christian Siriano debuted his Spring '09 collection at NY Fashion Week and I think it looks pretty damn good.

J Lo

Why am I writing a post about Jennifer Lopez? Well, there's a rumor that she is the final judge for this season's Project Runway. If the rumors are true, I think she will make a great judge. J Lo may not be able to create a decent pop album, but she surely knows what to wear and how to wear it. Check out this Elle cover shoot of J Lo wearing exquisite clothes by 9 designers.

A Toast to Tony

I'm a little behind in viewing "No Reservations", but Tony B. wraps up the end of the season in his latest blog post. He also gives a little preview of season 5 -- he's going back to Thailand! Woo-hoo! Please note that this is a rather sentimental blog, at least by Tony Bourdain standards. I guess you can't be snarky all of the time.

And, while you're on the Travel Channel site, check out the crew's blog for "No Reservations". There's a whole lot of snarkiness to go around.

Project Runway - Bryant Park

The lads at Project Rungay have published the Bryant Park collections of the last six designers. My money is on Leanne and I never thought she would win in the beginning.

The Voice of Adam (borrowed from pong's blog)

The Press

No, I'm not talking about the media. I want you to know about letterpresses. Visit my friends at Firecracker Press in St. Louis, or the fine folks at Smock Paper.

A little hope goes a long way.

Oh, the media

This story is one the reasons why I watch the PBS coverage of the election and the party conventions. The folks on the Newshour are objective and respectful. They always have both sides represented and there is no fawning over anyone. I also love the presidential historians.

SUPPORT YOUR LOCAL PBS STATION.

Bono Seeks Perfection

Damn. U2's new album release date has been pushed to 2009. More details here.

The last note tonight about Republicans

I never thought I would actually post a link on comments from a Republican, but Mike Murphy, a Republican political consultant, has some interesting reservations about Sarah Palin. He is also now infamously known for being a two-face. Yesterday, he made some unsupportive open-mic comments about Palin.

Clueless Republicans

Some people are so clueless that they don't realize that "uppity" in reference to African-Americans has an extremely negative connotation, going back to the days of slavery. Masters called disobedient slaves "uppity". The latest example of how some Republican politicians are out of touch with everyday people is illustrated by U.S. Representative from Georgia, Lynn Westmoreland.

How does earning a good education, using student loans and scholarships, make someone "uppity"? How does helping laid-off white workers as a community organizer make someone "uppity"? Isn't it the American dream to come from humble beginnings to national prominence?

Get a clue.

Here is a good take on elitism from George F. Will.

College Graduate

You have to give Sarah Palin points for not giving up on her education.

Stephen Colbert at the 2000 RNC

Flashback to the 2000 RNC and watch a younger Stephen Colbert and Jon Stewart.

What's in a Name?

I saw this gaffe on live TV and laughed so hard. Get the name right for your own candidate, not the one you probably wished was on the ticket, Minnesota Governor Tim Pawlenty.

The Two Faces of Fox News Pundits

I love it when Jon Stewart catches pundits and politicians (on either side) in hypocrisy.

UPDATE: As of September 8, this clip has been viewed on Comedy Central's site, 2,994,135 times. Wow!

Is Palin our Thatcher?

Some Brits seem to think that's the case, and I don't think it's a compliment. Check out Justin Webb's post. Even Palin's supports think the same, based on this site called Palin for VP, or from the Times of London.

Thoughts and Impressions of the RNC

I forced myself to watch the RNC coverage last night and as a result, my blood pressure was through the roof. The relentless attack on community organizers was disgusting. I don't think the Republicans realize that everyone who volunteers for the Obama campaign is considered an organizer in their own community. That is the very definition of a grassroots effort. So, way to go, McCain surrogates, you just alienated millions of voting Americans.

As a liberal, I was offended by the attacks made my Mitt Romney on all liberals. The attacks were so rampant, I started to feel like I was a bad and evil person. What the hell! So much for "reaching across the aisle", which according to Rudy Guiliani, Obama has never done. Well, it seems that the Republicans really don't want to work with the other side - just more alienation.

The Race Card

Check out an interesting take on the subject of race in both campaigns from Anna Quindlen.

Colbert Supports President Palin

A Woman's Worth at Work

To follow along with my previous post, please check out this article in the NY Times about a young woman's experience with the harsh realities of being a woman in the workplace.

Thanks to Julie M. for forwarding the link.