our first lady agrees with me on the virtues of bilingualism.
Archive for November, 2001
J&O update
Acquired over the weekend: these extra-handsome pics of Laura and Lillian’s youngest cousins, James and Oliver.
Sports
The Women’s Sports Foundation put up these handy reminders about helping girls with sports.
Indictment
For reasons no one needs to be reminded of, the Organization of American States prohibits forced disappearance, which it defines as “the act of depriving a person or persons of … their freedom, in whatever way, perpetrated by agents of the state … followed by an absence of information or a refusal to … give [...]
Rot
Sens. Graham and Shelby have decided to let the CIA take the wrist-slap for that missionary airplane their minions shot down in April. This being the Senate Intelligence Committee, it would be too much to expect them to actually tell the truth — that the whole drugs-and-spies concept is irredeemably corrupt and destructive and needs [...]
Cui bono
Much as it pains me to admit it, for a clear-headed take on international events these days you can usually count on the Trotskyists. My favorite leftist web site is carrying a piece on Afghanistan that lays out the cui bono question about as clearly as I’ve seen it done anywhere (relying heavily on Ahmed [...]
Durban
I don’t think I’ve said here how proud I am to know Linda Burnham, who gave this remarkable speech last month.
Peace page
The Children’s Music Network is building up a list of kids’ songs and books about peace on their new Peace Page. Laura and I were at the Network’s annual gathering last month up in Marin County. We went there to hear some new tunes (Laura really likes her freedom songs) and to see our friend, [...]
Brezhnev’s shooters
I’m as surprised as you are that we dragged our sorry selves out of bed at 1:30 a.m. Sunday to watch the Leonid meteor shower. It turned out to be worth the pain. It looked kind of like this, except the picture is a three-minute exposure. We really only saw about one shooting star every [...]
Recording artist
Here, as promised, is Laura’s first MP3 recording. She taped it the night of Nov. 14, to critical raves, and plans a whole bunch of follow-up releases.
Test
Reader Service Dept:If you have ever fallen asleep while reading a Potter tome, here is where the Guardian lets you know how much you’ve missed. I didn’t do so great, but I feel very well rested, thank you.
Mush III
Stephy Says: That tired old saw about “just get them reading,” to which you refer, my dear Ted, is no small thing. Reading is the cornerstone of all learning, and as such, of all revolution. Not to sound too much like my grandmotherly old self, here, but look: once they learn to read, they can [...]
Mush II
From Cathy:
J.K. Rowling may not be a literary giant, but like many children around the world, Elena is engaged in a way I hadn�t expected, and eagerly anticipates her nightly dose. So what if it�s �skim-milky?� I wasn�t expecting E.B. White, Milne or Lewis Carroll. Most readers aren�t primarily drawn to Rowling because they think [...]
Mush
I suppose to someone not as hopelessly geeky as me (or you, Stephy), the themes Rowling works in Harry Potter might seem fresh and intriguing. Now that I think about it, Ursula LeGuin’s Wizard of Earthsea stories, aimed at a similar audience, struck me that way 30 years ago, and you could shoot some of [...]
Central booking
Stephy was just explaining why she doesn’t mind having an ad at the top of her website, and I scrolled up to see if there was an ad there, because I had not noticed. There was, and it was an ad for this nifty all-around book site, which I wish I’d known about ages ago. [...]
Capt. Moonlight
Where has Charles Nevin been all these years while I’ve been reading Dave Barry? Apparently he also goes by Captain Moonlight. I guess it’s a British comedy thing. (Also check the Robert Fisk link at the bottom. Not much that’s new, if you’ve been following Fisk, but still good stiff stuff.)
Randomizer
If you’re tired of remembering web passwords, Robert Graham, the chief software guy at the company where I work, is your friend.
Over there
Lest anyone think the Brits are just lying down and taking this Tony Blair crap: Here is a letter from over there that gives a different impression. Passed along by Bob Wing of ColorLines magazine.
Caution
OK, this is some deeply funny and angry material. Warning: strong language. If you don’t care to have your eyebrows singed, don’t click here.