Scott Douglas’ Terse Bloviation

Archive for the 'Others' Category

“Sure. Umm.”

That’s the beginning of almost every answer I give in this lengthy podcast with Jay Johnson. Some of the answers improve after that. Meanwhile, my voice deteriorates noticeably over the hour; that’s about as much talking as I usually do in a day.

With that promo, how can you not be tempted to listen?

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Phil Wharton Article Up

Read about running’s shaman.

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Annual Site Maintenance Accomplished

I added links to a bunch of podcasts and a few articles. Who knows why?

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Special Ed

My profile of Ed Whitlock is now posted. It was an honor and pleasure to spend a few days with Ed and attempt to capture some of what makes him special.

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Poll: 100% of Me Thinks Political Polls Are Nonsense

A recent CNN poll reports that a majority of Americans think that money from the federal stimulus package has been wasted. Because, you know, everyone has a firm grasp of how the money was allocated and how it’s been spent. Just once it would be swell if pollsters asked follow-up questions like, “You’ve replied that the money is being wasted. Can you list three programs receiving this money and detail the ways in which the money has been wasted?”

Twenty-five years ago Neil Postman wrote this about the Iranian hostage crisis in Amusing Ourselves to Death:

Nonetheless, everyone had an opinion about this event, for in America everyone is entitled to an opinion, and it is certainly useful to have a few when a pollster shows up. But these are opinions of a quite different order from eighteenth- or nineteenth-century opinions. It is probably more accurate to call them emotions rather than opinions, which would account for the fact that they change from week to week, as the pollsters tell us.

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Maine Winter Ameliorators

Stacey and good friends across the street and around the corner.

Ibex clothing.

A huge stash of tisane mixes from Homegrown Herb & Tea.

The new stove in the living room.

Friends to run with.


Enjoyable
new music acquisitions, and occasional dips into old favorites.

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David Brooks Gross Oversimplification Watch #9

From 7/17/09 column:

If you visit a four-year college, you can predict what sort of student you are going to bump into. If you visit a community college, you have no idea.

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David Brooks Gross Oversimplification Watch #8

From 6/16/09 column:

Because you have a lofty perspective on things, you know there are basically two ways to fix this mess. There is the liberal way, in which the government takes over the health care system and decides who gets what. And then there is the conservative way, in which cost-conscious consumers make choices in the context of a competitive marketplace.

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David Brooks Gross Oversimplification Watch #7

From column of 6/5/09:

That means they contain both sides of The Great Tension. In Chicago, there is a tension between the lakefront and the neighborhoods inland. The lakefront tends to be idealistic, earnest and liberal. The neighborhoods are clever, cautious and Machiavellian. In all great endeavors, the Obama administration weaves together both of these tendencies.

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You Definitely Heard it Here First

Look out world! The demo process for the next great band, Reistershell, has begun.

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