Blogumentary [chuck olsen]

INSIDE THE DEAN MACHINE

Join Dana Dunnan for an examination of the first great political phenomenon of the Internet age - the Howard Dean campaign. Dana is touring with his book, Burning at the Grassroots: Inside the Dean Machine. Mark your calendars! He'll be in the Twin Cities mid-September, with other dates scheduled in the Midwest and Northeast: Bookin' It for Barack Book Tour.

MIGUEL ON PLAIN LAYNE

Miguel, a documentary videographer and photographer in Portugal, sent me a DVD of his thoughts on Plain Layne and blogging in general. What bugs him most: who is the woman in the pictures? He absolves Odin Soli of any serious wrongdoing, but admits he'll be a little less trusting now. Here's a brief excerpt.

Miguel on Plain Layne [Quicktime, 11 MB]

WAR ON TERRORISM WINNABLE?

I promised myself I wouldn't post anymore about politics here for awhile. It's too time consuming and exhausting. In fact I'm headed for another hiatus. I need to keep working on Blogumentary and our secret lefty deathstar blog. But I thought I'd link to this article: Bush Cites Doubt America Can Win War on Terror:

"I don't think you can win it," Mr. Bush replied. "But I think you can create conditions so that those who use terror as a tool are less acceptable in parts of the world."

Now, you might think I'm posting this to say "A-HA! He's a flip-flopper! What about the zillion other times he's said we're gonna win the War on Terror!" True, but that's not why I posted it. Bush almost - not quite - let slip a lucid moment there. We need to be as smart as possible, make friends not enemies, and create conditions that make terrorism less likely without sacrificing our freedoms. But even if you put America in one huge condom - eww! - no condom is 100%. Kerry/Edwards naturally jumped on Bush's statement, saying "of course it's winnable!" And I'm sure Bush will retract like a whip-snap. But that's politics for ya.

Half-million protest Bush in NYC

Michael Moore for USA Today: The GOP doesn't reflect America

Garrison Keillor on the party of Lincoln: We’re Not in Lake Wobegon Anymore

Power Line at the RNC, suspicious of al-Jazeera

When nerds protest the RNC

Healing Iraq describes the messiness and chaos of Iraq's first democratic steps. I'm hoping for a long-distance interview with Zeyad, if he has access to a video camera or webcam.

August 31, 2004 at 02:18 AM in Current Affairs | Permalink | Comments (2) | TrackBack

WELCOME BACK REX

Fimoculous returns, with a fab new design. So much for my "spare time."

August 29, 2004 at 08:31 PM in Weblogs | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack

YOU LIKE PEANUT BUTTER?

Videoblogging is exploding, and I don't talk about it nearly enough here. Jay over at Momentshowing is leading the community media revolution. Now, before we start dreaming up some utopia of enlightened citizen media - this clip comes along to bring us all down to earth. And lower.

Some of my old vlogs have disappeared after various server migrations. I reuploaded a few here for old time's sake. Enjoy!

Day in the Life of Chuck [Quicktime, 6 MB]
Chuck's Acceptance Speech [Quicktime, 6.5 MB]
Chuck Rocks [Quicktime, 4 MB]
Relaxing Snail Odyssey [Quicktime, 5 MB]

August 27, 2004 at 07:24 PM in Funny Crap, Weblogs | Permalink | Comments (4) | TrackBack

FAREWELL DIABLO + JON

Another blog success story, and it couldn't go to a more deserving person. Diablo and her partner-in-crime Jon are shutting down the ranch. Snuck between taudry tales of sex-booth eccentrics and hard-luck strippers, Diablo's cuttingly hilarious take on pop culture kept us coming back for sloppy seconds. (Did I just write that?) May her flight to non-virtual writing go more smoothly than Carrie Bradshaw's stint at Vogue. As Meg Hourihan says: "Blogs get you everything."

August 27, 2004 at 01:34 PM in Local, Weblogs | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack

DRUNK BUSH FRIDAYS

Sure it's old news, but it's still funny!

August 27, 2004 at 01:41 AM in Funny Crap | Permalink | Comments (1) | TrackBack

POUR SOME SALT IN MY EYES

Boyband "Townsend" video covering Def Leppard's Pour Some Sugar On Me. Make sure you watch until the "remix/rapping" part.

August 27, 2004 at 01:31 AM in Dandy Foppery | Permalink | Comments (6) | TrackBack

THE FINAL WORD

The Vets' Case: A detailed analysis of the Swift Boat affair

August 26, 2004 at 08:37 PM in Current Affairs | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack

BUSH = MORE POVERTY, LESS HEALTH CARE

Poverty rises in United States. Oh that liberal U.S. Census Bureau! What do they know, with all their... their "facts" and "statistics." Well, here's what they know:

1.3 million Americans slid into poverty in 2003, a 4 percent rise to 35.9 million

Children and blacks hit hardest; one third of those in poverty are children

U.S. residents without health care coverage also rose by 1.4 million last year to 45 million, the highest level since 1999

Incomes essentially stagnant

Bush a "lying jerk and a failure" (Okay, they didn't say that, but it's obvious.)

See also: Bush's message on the economy takes beating
"President Bush’s election-year message that the economy is strong and 'getting stronger' is being shaken by a three-pronged assault of weak employment growth, higher oil prices and a slumping stock market."

August 26, 2004 at 02:45 PM in Current Affairs | Permalink | Comments (1) | TrackBack