Looks like CBS used a DMCA notice to make YouTube pull a (ridiculous, but this is beside the point) McCain ad that used some footage of CBS news personality Katie Couric.
Dangerous stuff, people.
Month: September 2008 Page 7 of 11
Don’t forget about tomorrow’s road closings – they’re even shutting down 395 for a couple of hours. The Arlington/Pentagon/Crystal City area will be particularly difficult to navigate, even on a bike.
Some covers are transformative in what they take away from the original, rather than in what they add to it. Take Nik Kershaw‘s Wouldn’t It Be Good (go on, hit play. You know it):
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fIBzbdo2LjU[/youtube]
And then strip it down to its bare essence, as Soulwax did:
Brilliant, no?
Add Andrew Sullivan to the ranks of those who finally get it. Better now than after the election, I suppose. It still amazes me how strongly so many observers (of all political persuasions) hold onto the lie that John McCain is in any way a decent man. It was a plausible argument eight years ago. But now? Impossible.
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j50ZssEojtM[/youtube]
The ballot counting for yesterday’s DC primaries has turned out to be, in the words of the CityPaper’s CityDesk – a total clusterfuck. Go there for details. I just can’t deal with the sort of mindset it takes to screw up such a simple thing, right now.
Yes, he’s coming back for next year. Despite lots of evidence to the contrary, I don’t feel like I’ve really got much to say about it. He’s an amazing athlete who has my respect. I also think he’s a doper and a liar. Go on and square those, if you can. He says that this return is (in part) about pushing the cancer research mission of the Lance Armstrong Foundation. Well, if that’s what’s it’s really about, good for him and all of us. If not, well . . .
Anyway, all that said, there’s no doubt that he’ll bring public attention back to cycling. Nike wouldn’t make this video about anyone else:
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HjcZNR6MiRE[/youtube]
But that wheel, in the last seconds of the video? I hope it catches him, this time.
Congress, apparently because it has nothing better to do, is preparing to shove the preferences of its pro-gun Members down DC’s throat:
The legislation has four main goals. It would repeal the D.C. ban on semiautomatic pistols and rifles; eliminate the city’s gun-registration requirements; allow District residents to purchase guns in Virginia and Maryland; and abolish the regulation that guns kept at home be unloaded and either disassembled or fitted with trigger locks.
Opponents of the legislation said it could have even more far-reaching effects because of what they termed its vague provisions
“You could drive a truck through this language,” said Peter Nickles, acting D.C. attorney general. He noted that the bill would bar the D.C. government from passing any laws that would “unduly burden” residents wanting to have or use firearms as long as they met federal requirements.
But wait, don’t the Democrats control Congress now? Well, let’s not let some silly little principle like self determination get in the way of your election year antics:
[The] legislation is likely to prevail in the House, according to congressional sources and supporters and opponents of the bill. It has won the backing of 48 Democrats, many facing reelection in strongly pro-gun areas, and is expected to pick up broad support among Republicans.
Right. Great job, Nancy.  Useless ()*@#@#%#$ Democrats.
And so would I. Read.
My first draft of this turned into a paen to This American Life. But we’ll just have to save that for another time. Instead, I’m just going to recommend that you listen to this episode.  It was something that I thought I should post about the day it was aired, and has since been recommended by readers at either end of the traditional political spectrum (thank you Tyler and Sasha).  What’s so special about it? Well it:
lays out how the finance guys and the people facing foreclosure are connected by a chain of middlemen, and that together, they all brought about the current housing and credit crisis.
And it does it in a very personal way – a few minutes talking with each person in the chain, from borrower to the final Wall Street guy that sells the resulting securities to global moneymen. If you’ve ever found yourself glazing over when you hear news stories about Fannie Mae, subprime loans, Countrywide Finance, etc., you owe it to yourself to spend 50 minutes on this radio show.  You can stream it for free from the linked site, but I highly recommend setting This American Life up as a regular (free) podcast subscription via iTunes.
Special request: if you actually end up listening to it, would you mind posting back here with a couple of lines on what you thought about it? Even if it’s “Eh, just couldn’t hold my interest”, I’m quite interested in what you think about it.