I really hope this Gawker/Valleywag writer is misinformed. If not, it appears the Times may still be clueless about digital media.
Category: Uncategorized
Hot Air
Nora Ephron selects romantic comedies
“From a surprise Hitchcock flick to a classic Audrey Hepburn and Cary Grant pairing, the queen of romantic comedies picks her top eleven favorites for Valentine’s Day” – #10 on the list is Casablanca, playing this evening at the Bay Street Theatre in Sag Harbor.
We’ll be there.
The polling and politics of health insurance reform
Chart of the Day
Via Jeff Weintraub, why moving forward on health insurance reform looks like a political winner for the President.
And over at the New England Journal of Medicine, Brookings scholar Henry Aaron makes a compelling case for the reconciliation route. His conclusion:
Reformers’ best choice is to embrace the democratic process and attempt to persuade voters that the current legislation is in the national interest. They have 10 months to succeed before the midterm elections. If would-be reformers retreat in the face of current public opinion polls, they will be sent packing in November. Arguably, they will deserve to lose. If they stand up for their genuinely constructive legislation, they can prevail — and will deserve to win.
Gail Collins is the new Molly Ivins
For those of us still mourning the passing of America’s funniest political columnist, there is, most fortunately, Gail Collins. With these two back-to-back columns, The Biggest Losers and There’s
Always California, she takes another step toward the Twain-Lardner-Liebling-Ivins pantheon of American humorists.
The economics and politics of snow removal
Steve Pearlstein is one reason to keep reading the Washington Post. His Feb. 10 column – “Snow-blind: What Washington’s winter storm says about broken politics” – is superb.
There is no earthly reason why the Washington metro area cannot and should not be able to clean up after a snowstorm. The economic losses are huge and measurable. The investment required to fix the problem is manageable, but the political will to tax is nonexistent.
Abe’s 201st
To celebrate the sixteenth president’s 201st birthday, the Times featured a Lincoln crossword puzzle yesterday.
Easier than most Thursday puzzles, this one was unique in my 50-plus years with NYT crosswords. For the first time I can remember, I got every one of the themed clues (Abe, Gettysburg, Emancipation Proclamation, Republican, and the top left corner to bottom right corner diagonal – Abraham Lincoln) before getting any of the crossing words. That sure made the rest of it fall into place quickly.
Rex Parker provides the completed puzzle above and further insights on his site.
Brain Trust To Nowhere
Talking Points Memo: Meet the advisers behind the Palin road show.
And does anyone else remember when Bill Kristol’s principal claim to fame was being known as Dan Quayle’s brain. Kristol, by the way, does not show up in this story. But he will turn up again.
Freedom’s just another word for nothing left to lose.
Nate Silver of 538.com makes the succinct polling case for passing health care reform. (And thank you Kris Kristofferson [and Janis Joplin] for one of the great rock and roll lines of all time.)
Charlie Wilson – RIP
This 2007 Washington Post profile captures the spirit of the newly late Charlie Wilson far better than most of today’s obits of the retired Texas Congressman.
Bali Arts 