This makes me sad:

"The Arctic sea ice melt is a disaster for the polar bears," according to Kassie Siegel, staff attorney for the Center for Biological Diversity. "They are dependent on the Arctic sea ice for all of their essential behaviors, and as the ice melts and global warming transforms the Arctic, polar bears are starving, drowning, even resorting to cannibalism because they don't have access to their usual food sources."

But they're a healthy, not-endangered species, right Sarah?

We Had Absolutely No Idea

I'm actually surprised he came out, not because I didn't believe he was gay, but because he was so adamant about not talking about it. I can't wait to hear what Kathy Griffin has to say.

But you know what? I'm not going to make anymore cracks about it because good for him. Congratulations on finally being able to be open about who you are and for having a loving family, however nontraditional it may be. And that baby is damn cute. I just hope he doesn't get Daddy's hair.

[People]

I Said Not to Get Too Excited

Phillies lost last night 3-2 against the Braves. The Mets pulled out a win against the Cubs. Somehow, it doesn't seem like all of Philadelphia is freaking out (yet). We still have a lot of winning to do unless the Mets do some losing in order to make it to our second NL East title in a row (a first since '80-'81). And lord knows we can't leave it up to other teams to do it for us.

[Slate]

Economix

NYT has a new blog called Economix, whose goal is "to make economics accessible and useful to people who otherwise find it frightening, confusing and/or useless." Sounds good to me.

Today they write an explanatory post on what are other potential options for this bailout. What is in between doing nothing and the $700 billion Paulson plan?

Playing Palin

Oh this is just too funny. The NY Daily News unleashed a fake Sarah Palin to the streets of New York (you know, since the real Sarah Palin won't talk to anyone), just to see what would happen. Watch the video to see.



The best part, I think, are the Secret Service guys (or "Special Service," if you're that one lady). Nice inconspicuous Versace sunglasses and Madonna headsets.

CNN has also joined "the tank"

The McCain campaign set up this whole "See? Sarah Palin has met with foreign leaders!" photo-op, where Palin will continue her foreign policy education (I guess she must have missed some of those classes in the 4 colleges she attended...). Except really, that's all the McCain camp was allowing--a photo-op, as they refused entrance to print journalists. Only photographers and one TV crew were allowed to witness the meetings, because, as you know the American people need to learn to behave and and be respectful, even though they are not giving us the respect of allowing us to ask her questions until after she is elected. I guess if she can't talk to Oprah until then, she can't talk to anyone.

Anyway, so then CNN finally does what all of the media has wanted to do for 4 weeks now. They gave the McCain camp the broadcast-news middle finger and said, forget it, we're leaving. Now the McCain camp has little if any coverage of Palin and her new friends.

Aw, boo fucking hoo.

Update: Ah. So the McCain camp gave in a little and wound up letting ONE reporter in. Let Wonkette tell you about it.

The Magic Number is 4

It's definitely feeling like this time last year, as the Phillies continue to play their best and the Mets continue to collapse, now when it's most important. The difference this year is that the Phillies have held the NL East for most of the season and it's been theirs to lose; the Mets just seem to be blowing the chance they had to take over in the last couple of weeks. I don't want to get cocky because it's the Phillies we're talking about here and there are always chances to blow it. But the Phillies won against the Braves at home last night, 6-2. The Mets blew it against the Cubs. J.A. Happ pitched a great game for the Phillies and, whaddya know, but hunka-chunka Pat "The Bat" Burrell sealed the lead for the Phillies in the 8th with a 3-run homer. Now are 2.5 games ahead of the Mets. We also only have to win 4 more games, assuming the Mets win every game from here on out, to win the NL East. If the Mets lose the next two and we win the next two, it's already over. Please, guys, let me be optimistic and not think I'm jinxing you by being excited.

Bob Herbert: "Time is indeed short, but alternative voices desperately need to be heard because the people who have been running the economy for so long — who have ruined it — cannot be expected to make things right again in 48 or 96 hours."

[Slate]

The Shock Doctrine

I credit a certain professor I had as a sophomore in college, Susan Searls-Giroux, for opening my eyes to progressive ideas. In her class, we read a book that also contributed a lot to my current thinking: No Logo by Naomi Klein. Klein is an excellent writer; she's clear and concise, but very intelligent without seeming arrogant. I've always admired her.

Last year she published another book, The Shock Doctrine, about how certain groups of people, especially the Bush administration, have employed the strategy of turning a blind eye toward (or creating) disasters so that in the public's state of panic and fear, they can push through legislation and policy that profits them and their friends. It's a very interesting theory that is very depressing to think about (I'm not sure I can make myself believe that people could be that evil), but is worth a look into.

The other day, Klein was on Bill Maher's show with Andrew Sullivan and Will.i.am discussing her theory as it applies to the current financial crisis. It's worth a look:

Don't Buy Them Another Car

There is obviously a lot of debate going on right now about the proposed bailout package that President Bush has asked Congress to approve--and approve quickly. Is this enough money? Will it plug a hole in our economy's breaking dam? Will it help the average Joe or just Wall Street? Will this address the causes of the crisis in the first place?

Politico has a great new feature, called The Arena, in which experts offer their opinion and analysis in response to a certain question. Today's question is: What is the biggest flaw in the administration's bailout package? What is the remedy? If you have some time, it's worth a read of the slew of experts that weigh in. And if you don't have that much time, you can peruse the first few sentences of each contribution.

I'm still trying to read more, but I think the bailout package seems kind of like this kid I knew in high school. His parents were wealthy and were lenient in their discipline. This kid liked to drink and drive, he liked to go spinning donuts in muddy fields, and he liked to drive way too fast. Needless to say, this kid totaled several cars--and these were nice cars, like Land Rovers. But every time he would crash his car because of reckless behavior, his parents would give him a slap on the wrist and buy him a new car. Like another Land Rover. I think he went through three or four of them. Now, I understand that it's often an inconvenience for parents to have to drive their kid around when he's 17 years old and it can be easier just to buy another car and not listen to your kid whine. But the kid learned nothing except that his parents were suckers for bailing him out. And in a lot of ways, the Wall Street bailout is way worse (other than the fact that it's, you know, the entire US financial market) because it's not just our dumb government not being good parents and not punishing investment banks for their reckless behavior, it's we taxpayers who are going to pay for the new Land Rover. And, furthermore, with the inclusion of bad debts from foreign banks, it's like buying the kid a new car, and throwing one in for his dumb-ass friend, just because.

Look, I obviously realize the government needs to do something. But you can help alleviate the financial markets without totally screwing over future generations (like mine) and by including provisions that would deter investment banks and the like from engaging in the same risky behavior that got us in this mess in the first place.

I don't really feel like paying for some multi-billionaire's retirement package when years from now federal funds will be so depleted that I won't even get Social Security. Thanks, but no thanks.

A More Superficial Post About the Emmys

So I missed the red carpet last night, partially because the Eagles and Phillies were on until after 7 o'clock (yes, it was a veritable sports cluster at our house), and partially because I just forgot. But after glancing through photos on E! and NYT, it doesn't really matter if I watched the red carpet arrivals or not because, all-in-all, my thought was: Ladies, I am not impressed. Seriously, no one really struck me as being extraordinarily fabulous. Of course there are some I liked and there were definitley some I did not like at all (here's looking at you, Eva Longoria Parker). Here are my short lists for Best and Worst. (Look at E! and NYT for photos right now because I'm having trouble linking them).

Worst

Mary-Louise Parker. Yeah, that would be a nice dress if you were attending the Junior Prom at St. Bernadette's in Long Island. You have a great body, but this dress looks cheap.

Eva Longoria Parker. Another three-named-Parker, another fashion criminal. You don't even have to click on the picture to know how bad it was, because I can describe it to you in a few brief words: Short, bow, fringe, sparkle, bronzer, goth-eyes, DYI hair.

Heidi Klum. It's almost hard to say that Heidi looks bad because she never actually looks bad--she's Heidi Klum. But whoever told her to wear this dress and cape (with butterfly earrings to boot) should be auffed. Didn't you eliminate Stella a few weeks ago on PR for making a similar cape? Simple looks better on your, Heidi, stick with it.

Honorable mention: Christina Applegate. I feel for you, girl, with the whole breast-cancer thing, but I'm going to have to disagree with E! and say that I do not like this look at all. Too much of everything all around.

Best

Marcia Cross. I love everything about this look. She just looks so...pretty. She's a little reminiscent of Carrie in the last episode of Sex and the City, in that beautiful tu-tu that is fairy-tale like, but still sophisticated enough to be worn by a grown-up. If Marcia had blonde hair, the color may have washed her out. But as we all know, Marcia is gorgeous ginger and just looks stunning.

Sandra Oh. Finally finally finally Sandra Oh looks good. And I always root for her because she has the personality to be a little daring with her red carpet looks, but she often goes a little too far towards Tilda Swinton on the scale. But this look is beautiful and I love the different textures of the top lace versuse the bottom lace.

Marishka Hargitay. Marishka always looks great because she has a healthy glow, she goes for simple dresses that just pop with color. She just always looks radiant, confident, and comfortable, and honestly, not many ladies can pull off yellow.

Honorable mention: Brooke Shields. I like it, but I don't love it. I think I would like it better if it weren't such an obnoxious color.

Commenting on Emmy Comments

The Emmy's were last night (huzzah!) and I love award shows. Too bad I was busy making ratatouille for some friends and missed both the red carpet and much of the show. And then once they left, I had had a few too many glasses of wine to stay awake to watch what remained of the ceremony. Not that I didn't love having Sunday dinner at my house.

Apparently, there was a bit of a moratorium on political comments, wherein presenters and winners were discouraged from making any political statements while at the microphone. That didn't stop several, however, from trying. Howie Mandel, Laura Linney, and Kirk Ellis made some jabs at the GOP. Ellis was even cut off abruptly, mid-sentence, with a commercial break. Way to be stewards of free speech, ABC!

Here's a great exchange between Stephen Colbert and Jon Stewart, that is more subtle, but no less biting.



Oh, Hollwood. Stop having opinions and just keep looking pretty.

Monday Sports Update

I am very pleased to announce that I went 3 for 3 this weekend in sports (I guess, really, 4 for 4 if you want to count both the Phillies wins). Here's a brief recap of the weekend.





Penn State started off Saturday afternoon right with a win over Temple, 45-3. This is not an extraordinary feat, as Temple should, in no way, still be in Division I. Living in VA and this not slated to be an exciting game, I could not watch the game in the comfort of my apartment. I checked the score in the first quarter and saw that we had not yet scored, with only 2 minutes to go. I texted my brother, a senior at PSU who was at the game, and asked why we hadn't yet scored. His response was: They are just trying to keep the fans here past halftime. Fair enough.

Also, although the Nittany Lions are now 4-0, we are not winning any points in the strength of schedule department. We have, however, moved up to #12 in the rankings, two spots ahead of Ohio State (suckahs). Congratulations are also in order for Joe Paterno, who, with this win on Saturday, has now become the winningest coach in college football history. Congrats, JoePa.

The Eagles game is one that I would have loved to be at Penn State for. The Birds beat the Steelers, 15-6 yesterday in a messy win, but a win nonetheless. When I was at PSU, many of the students were obviously from Pennslyvania and the demographics naturally split themselves between Philadelphia and Pittsburgh when it came to the NFL. My junior year was the last time we played the Steelers and we lost. It was a painfully embarrassing experience, if I recall.

The win yesterday does not come without consequence, however, as Brian Westbrook endured an ankle sprain and is scheduled for an MRI this morning. Donovan McNabb also winced with pain at an aggrevated shoulder injury. Please please please let the tests be negative. Philly can't deal with another injury-marred season. Neither can McNabb's career.


The Phillies won twice this weekend, beating the Marlins 3-2 on Saturday and 5-2 on Sunday. The Mets lost both of their games this weekend, not only putting the Phils back on top of the NL East, but with a little extra padding at 1.5 games. The Phils get the Braves again this week, but at Citizens Bank Park this time, and then finish the season with the Nationals. Only six more games to go!