Elayne Riggs' Journal (for Leah)

Sunday, January 20, 2008

Blogaround for Laura

Because it's her birthday! Happy birthday, Laura!!

• Mike Netzer makes me blush. I don't think I've ever done anything particularly heroic in my life. And as far as I know I don't have a secret identity. From what I can tell, I'm about the same in person as I am online.

• Now it can be told! Here's some information on Robin's next project, courtesy of the penciller, our friend Jamal Igle. Unfortunately, as Jamal notes, Robin is "the only person not listed in the solicit" from DC. Was it something I said?

• You know, when the "Gates" public art thing came out I rather adamantly pooh-pooh'ed it, but apparently it brought in a lot of tourist money and did no lasting harm to anyone or anything, so I'll grudgingly admit maybe I was wrong (although I still like the parodies). Well, via BoingBoing, a Danish artist now plans another massive art project for NYC this summer, featuring four giant waterfalls. And I gotta say, I'm kinda looking forward to this one, particularly if it's true that "The scaffolding will have a floating barrier at the bottom to stop small boats going underneath and a 'shark cage' under the water to stop fish being sucked into the pumps that will take the water to the top" and "The pumps will be powered by renewable energy sources and the falls will be lit only by low-level lighting at night."

• I was even more ambivalent about watching Jon Stewart and Steven Colbert return without the WGA strike being settled than they were about returning. I'm watching when I feel like it, but half-heartedly at best. Ted Rall and Matt Bors decided to do 'toons about the situation.

• Via the Rude Pundit, the Onion fantasizes about what Jimmy Carter probably wishes he could say were he not so humble and diplomatic. Avedon reminds those who don't remember history (or didn't live through that time) why Carter was such a good president and Reagan such an awful one. As the Heretik adds, "No past is more glorious than an imagined past." Speaking of our actual past, earlier this week when Senator Clinton made those remarks about MLK and LBJ, I couldn't help but wonder what Johnson White House employee Bill Moyers would have to say about it; if you're curious as well, here's his video response. And speaking of MLK and videos and the 2008 campaign, C-Span purports to have video of Obama's MLK speech today at the Ebenezer Baptist Church but, as usual with C-SPAN, it's not working. Best tune into the Obama campaign website tomorrow for the full video; the written version can be found there now.

• On the frontiers of science: via Maru, some really cool footage of underwater life; and Sean at Cosmic Variance talks about Alan Alda's visit to the USC engineering school to teach them, via improv exercises, how they can present their ideas more passionately.

• Two ideas just chock-full of passion -- Hilzoy on blogging and community, and Melissa on why self-defense classes are not enough. What They Said.

• Look Laura, it's The Pirates!! Thanks Lance, I'm going to have to look for these books now.

Lastly, RIP Suzanne Pleshette. You made my TV watching time very pleasant indeed.

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