I got a kick out of this article about Las Vegas being “the Broadway for comedians.” My husband and I went to Vegas last year and got to see some great comedy acts, including Lewis Black (who is mentioned in the article) and Bobby Slayton (who isn’t).
Interesting how it says that “most of the comedians keep their shows pretty clean.” Cleaner than the sidewalks, if you know what I mean (and, if you’ve been to Vegas, you’ll know what I’m talking about).
And you’ll notice it said “most”–because there is always the unmentionable Mr. Slayton.
I remember at one time, my husband had a poster of this character hanging near his workbench in the basement. So, when I saw this video (via Lee Goldberg’s blog), I immediately thought of him.
And have you heard that at least one major law firm is recruiting on Facebook now? Lawyers using social networks to hire associates . . . they must be having snowball fights in Hell.
And for a satirical take on law firm life, check out the Bitter Lawyer webisodes. (And find out why I don’t do that shit anymore.)
And last, but certainly not least, in what has to be a groundbreaking bit of precedent, Maryland’s highest court quotes a Seinfeld episode in a decision. Check out the footnote on p. 31.
Those appellate court judges are clearly “a very festive people.”
(My thanks to the ABA Journal for alerting me to most of these remarkable news items.)
An interesting look in the NY Times about how much is being made at the Democratic Convention of Hillary Clinton’s near-miss at the presidential nomination (as in, the first woman to almost get the presidential nomination–sort of a lame honor, if you think about it . . .), but so little has been said of Barack Obama’s being poised to be the first black presidential nominee.
It’s almost as if the Democrats are making as little of the matter as possible, the article notes. To wit: “The Democrats are doing everything they can to assure audiences that there is nothing all that new and unfamiliar about the Obama candidacy . . .” Perhaps the grand strategy for getting Obama elected is to never mention that he’s black–maybe no one will notice. (I’d say it’s too late for that, but these are political strategists we’re talking about and they live in a different world than you and I.)
Be sure and check out the truly awkward moment provided by Chris Matthews of MSNBC, tucked away at the end of the article. Comparing the Obamas to the Huxtables? Hello, Chris–when was the last time you watched TV? That show is so 80s, and it is so 20 years later. And . . . really, did it have to be the Huxtables? And all that stuff about not being on welfare or criminals or relying on affirmative action? What was that all about? Nice going, Matthews. Next time, take your shoes off . . . your foot will go down your throat much easier.
Exciting news–you can access information (which may or may not be completely correct) on Wikipedia through your iPhone now, through an application called Wikipanion.
What a thrill. I’m so worked up, I think I’ll go take a nap or something.
Russia says it will pull its troops from Georgia, according to the LA Times. Meanwhile, the NY Times says that Russia’s promising to leave Georgia, but taking steps that seem “intended to tighten its hold on the breakaway territory.”
Meanwhile, before the Russians moved in, Georgia came under cyberattack. The LA Times reports, “There was no clear proof of Russian military involvement (investigators have reportedly traced some of the data to Russian servers tied to organized-crime groups), so the perpetrators may have been nationalists. Still, the timing suggests that even if the responsible parties weren’t in uniform, they coordinated their moves with the Russian military.” If not, it’s sure a heck of a coincidence.
And the Arabs are calling Dubya a hypocrite for criticizing Russia’s actions. (Imagine that.) From the LA Times again, “Bush should be ‘too ashamed to speak about the occupation of any country, he is already occupying one,’ said Mohammed Sayed Said, editor in chief of the Egyptian independent daily Al Badeel. ‘U.S. forces have been in Iraq for five years and they still fight in an unacceptable manner that violates human rights conventions. Bush had better talk about his own occupation of Iraq.’ . . . It is also widely noted [in the Middle East] that Washington stood by uncritically during Israel’s military incursion into southern Lebanon in its 2006 war with Hezbollah.” Well, gee, I guess there are good invasions and bad ones, right?
And on a slightly whimsical (and completely unrelated) note, look out Starbucks–here comes Turkish coffee.
And speaking of food (I told you these things were loosely-connected), guess who once worked as a spy (or, should I say, agent?) along with a whole bunch of other people you’d never suspect, for the OSS (now known as the CIA)?
Whoa–looks like the U.S. may have sent a rather explosive message to Pakistan. At least, the U.S. is “suspected” of doing so. U.S. officials are busy saying, “Who us? Launch missiles? I never got that memo.”
Meanwhile, in Georgia (the one near Russia, not the one where Atlanta is), there’s sufferin’ aplenty as the Russians are coming. Georgia’s president claims U.S. aid has created a “turning point” in the conflict (notice my use of the term “conflict” as opposed to “war”–kind of a residual effect of living through the Viet Nam years). France, meanwhile, seemed ready to pull off a diplomatic coup by brokering a peace plan–which kinda fell through when Russian tanks advanced toward the strategically important city of Gori, in central Georgia. Bummer.
Oh, yeah, and apparently there’s some kind of sporting event going on in China. (The country that’s hosting these “goodwill” games also has the nasty habit of shooting at Tibetans (see CNN special on “Buddha’s Warriors”), but let’s not go there).
"Since we cannot know all that there is to be known about anything, we ought to know a little about everything."
~ Blaise Pascal
About Me
Debbi Mack practiced law for nine years before changing careers and following her lifetime dream of becoming a writer. She is a mystery author, as well as a freelance writer and researcher. You can learn more about Debbi at her Web site, http://www.debbimack.com .
Who’s on First?
August 27, 2008 · Leave a Comment
An interesting look in the NY Times about how much is being made at the Democratic Convention of Hillary Clinton’s near-miss at the presidential nomination (as in, the first woman to almost get the presidential nomination–sort of a lame honor, if you think about it . . .), but so little has been said of Barack Obama’s being poised to be the first black presidential nominee.
It’s almost as if the Democrats are making as little of the matter as possible, the article notes. To wit: “The Democrats are doing everything they can to assure audiences that there is nothing all that new and unfamiliar about the Obama candidacy . . .” Perhaps the grand strategy for getting Obama elected is to never mention that he’s black–maybe no one will notice. (I’d say it’s too late for that, but these are political strategists we’re talking about and they live in a different world than you and I.)
Be sure and check out the truly awkward moment provided by Chris Matthews of MSNBC, tucked away at the end of the article. Comparing the Obamas to the Huxtables? Hello, Chris–when was the last time you watched TV? That show is so 80s, and it is so 20 years later. And . . . really, did it have to be the Huxtables? And all that stuff about not being on welfare or criminals or relying on affirmative action? What was that all about? Nice going, Matthews. Next time, take your shoes off . . . your foot will go down your throat much easier.
Oh, and in case anyone forgot, Shirley Chisholm was the first black candidate (who also happened to be female) to run for President of the U.S. with a major party (the Democrats, of course). She didn’t get the nomination, but she was still the first to run with a big party backing her. She even got 151 first-ballot votes at the 1972 Democratic convention, according to this bio). Now, I think that’s a distinction.
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