Ferraro Quits: Old Man River Keeps Rolling

March 12, 2008 By Elizabeth Scalia

Geraldine Ferraro, having suggested publicly not once, but twice, over the course of 20 years and two African-American presidential bids, that (essentially) the black man can only ascend to the presidency through affirmative action or white guilt, is stepping down from her position in the Clinton campaign’s finance committee: Ferraro said she is stepping down so, “I can speak for myself and you can continue to speak for yourself about what is at stake in this campaign.” Okay. Possibly she... Read more

Mamet got out just in time!

March 12, 2008 By Elizabeth Scalia

I posted below about David Mamet un-declaring himself a “brain dead liberal”. Then Larwyn sent this to me, and I realized, Mamet got out just in time. Rachel Lucas is putting up her dukes: “I wish those little punkassed children would come picket my local recruiting station.” Read more

David Mamet, "Classical Liberal." – UPDATED

March 12, 2008 By Elizabeth Scalia

David Mamet, in a very well-done piece in the Village Voice declares himself “no longer a ‘brain-dead liberal'” and he sounds like he is a free man, and he sounds relieved, too. Do I speak as a member of the “privileged class”? If you will—but classes in the United States are mobile, not static, which is the Marxist view. That is: Immigrants came and continue to come here penniless and can (and do) become rich; the nerd makes a trillion... Read more

Sinatra: Songbook Master

March 12, 2008 By Elizabeth Scalia

The American Songbook of the first half of the 20th century was one brilliant three minute, 32-bar gem after another, and Here’s that Rainy Day is the most gut-wrenching and melodic torch song to come out of that era. Here is Frank Sinatra showing his art. A flawed genius, he manages to sing this with his typically perfect enunciation and respect for the lyrics, but with a delicacy of tone and an especially poignant vulnerability. A tough guy ripping his... Read more

Buster riffs on Bebop

March 11, 2008 By Elizabeth Scalia

My son Buster is away at school and he only rarely opens up emails from home because he knows if I have anything important to say (!) I’d call. So, I am not surprised that he only just got around to noting that I’d sent him a link to this post featuring scenes from “Battle of Fallen Angels,” the last episode of Cowboy Bebop, set to Johnny Cash singing “God’s Gonna Cut You Down.” God’s Gonna Cut You Down After... Read more

Pews, Press, Prostitutes…whatever

March 11, 2008 By Elizabeth Scalia

The two big stories of the last 48 hours have been the Spitzer fiasco and the “new sins from the Vatican” nonsense. Priests and Prostitutes? No, mostly prostitutes and the press. Yesterday I got an email from a reader which read in part: Has liberal cretinism permeated their minds? I mean, at a time when Christianity is under attack from Islam and secularism, is this a way to unify Christians and save Western Civilization? Am I nuts; aren’t all the... Read more

Cats, Nerd Humor & Food Court Musical

March 11, 2008 By Elizabeth Scalia

So I haz insomnia. No, it’s not because of the delicious monk coffee; I am out of that and anxiously awaiting my next shipment. And I only had one cup of Dunkin Donuts brew while I was out. I just couldn’t sleep! Spent all night crocheting, flipping channels and looking at cat pictures with captions. Thankfully, my thoughtful sons provide me with clever nerd humor which keeps me very amused. Here we see devotees of the Nintendo game “Paperboy” doing... Read more

Are alt energies harmful? UPDATED

March 11, 2008 By Elizabeth Scalia

:::UPDATE – Please read this excellent piece by Vaclev Klaus (President Czech Republic) on the very real dangers to freedom that accompany environmental alarmism. What I see in Europe, the US and other countries is a powerful combination of irresponsibility and wishful thinking together with the strong belief in the possibility of changing the economic nature of things through a radical political project. The man knows whereof he writes. No one is listening. That’s how we tumble headlong into a... Read more

A Better Baked Oatmeal

March 10, 2008 By Elizabeth Scalia

I shared this baked oatmeal recipe with y’all a while ago, but someone recently sent me a slightly different recipe from the foodie site Cast Sugar, and I like it even better – less sugar, less fat and no baking powder! Ingredients: 2 1/4 c. quick cooking oats (or 2 3/4 c. old-fashioned oats) 2/3 c. firmly packed brown sugar 3/4 c. raisins or other dried fruit (I used dried goji berries) 1/2 c. chopped walnuts 1 tsp. cinnamon 1/2... Read more

Spitzer: Everything I always thought he'd be – UPDATED

March 10, 2008 By Elizabeth Scalia

Never liked him. Always thought he looked like a punk, talked like a punk, acted like a punk – I wrote that a loooong time ago. So, now it seems Governor Eliot Spitzer, (D-NY) is in hot water due to what Flip is already calling Shtupergate (better than Putz-gate, I think), a scandal about a prostitution ring. Imagine that. Will he resign? A Democrat Governor resigning and it’s “only about sex?” He’ll fight on, I predict; if he does not,... Read more