Tuesday, January 06, 2004

Mars Linus and I have been talking about space a lot lately.  We've been learning the planets and so forth, talking about orbits, talking about where people have and have not been.  Space is a hard enough concept to grasp as an adult, much less as a child. And so, I have been telling him about the Mars Rover that landed this week.  Now that the pictures are starting to come back, it's exciting to talk about all of this with him as it's happening.  Who knows where our knowledge of the universe will reach during our lifetimes, as long as we keep the British away from Mission Control? I asked Linus if maybe he wanted to be an astronaut when he got older.  He looked at me like I was crazy and said "No!"  When pressed for an explanation, all he would say was "I don't do that."  How about something else?  A fireman?  "No."  Doctor?  "No."  Trade Specialist?  (Blank stare.) 3:53:50 PM    Say what?[]

Adopt A Reporter Check out this piece, from Jay Rosen's media criticism site.  (I found the link on Eric Alterman's Altercation site.) It's pretty compelling stuff.  More or less, Rosen draws a comparison between Bill James' ideas about the insular baseball establishment and the way politics is covered by the media today.  Again, it's a very good read.  But there is a wonderful idea at the bottom of the story, which is to "adopt" a political reporter.  In other words, pick someone who is writing about the campaign, and track every story they write.  Look for the way they use various labels for unnamed sources to insert their own ideas and biases into stories.  Look at the way they present developments as news that really aren't news at all.  One method Rosen highlights is the tried-and-true Horse Race theme that is so prevalent during the primaries, but there is also discussion of the sports and military themes that we all know so well. David Brooks isn't really a reporter, but I feel like I'm covering his columns every day they come out, so maybe I'll adopt him.  3:30:30 PM    Say what?[]

The Neoconservative Smear If you read much about politics, you've probably heard a lot of references to neoconservatives; in practice, this typically refers to people like Richard Perle, Elliot Abrams, Paul Wolfowitz, and a few other high-placed people in DC.  David Brooks' article in the NYT today tries to make the case that all this hoopla over the neocons controlling Bush policy in the White House is just false.  It's not a very compelling article, in my mind, but that's par for how I read most of Brooks' work. There is also a rhetorical device at play, where Brooks says that criticism of neoconservatives is really the same as anti-Semitism.  Talking Points Memo addresses this in the usual thoughtful manner today.  And, it ties in particularly well to the essay I linked to yesterday from Paul Graham, in terms of how assigning a label to something (anti-Semitism, in this case) is designed to stifle any real discussion of the issue at hand.  Calling criticism of the neocons (or even any analysis of the role they might play in decision-making) "anti-Semitic", is an attempt to stifle any discussion of the role they might play.  Do they play a role?  I'm not sure how they couldn't given their influential positions within the government, like, you know, Deputy Secretary of Defense.  Are they typically pro-Israel?  Yes, very much so.  Seems like that's fair game for discussion to me, especially when our policies toward Israel are frequently cited by Arab leaders as a cause of severe friction with Arab countries.  10:49:48 AM    Say what?[]

Lake Show The Lakers are in town tonight to play the Timberwolves.  Karl Malone's not playing, which is a pretty rare thing, and I'm not sure how much time Shaq is going to get either.  None of that matters, though, as the real story is how Kobe will be treated by the fans.  I guess his receptions have been pretty cold around the league, and why not?  I will boo him heartily tonight, with every touch he gets.  I would have done a lot of that regardless of what happened or didn't happen in Vail this summer: I just don't care for Kobe Bryant.  Beyond that, it's a big game for the Wolves, who have been playing well but need a signature win at home against a Laker team not at full strength.  Not that they deserve any sympathy; any team with Gary Payton and Kobe Bryant is a dangerous one, indeed. Marbury In other NBA news, Stephon Marbury has been traded again.  A lot of people are saying that his star has faded (including me), in part because he has been dealt four times now in his young career.  I'm not sure that's entirely fair.  The first trade was on draft day, and obviously had nothing to do with anything Marbury did as much as other factors beyond his control.  The Wolves surely wouldn't have dealt Marbury (at least not at that time) had he not forced the issue. So, really, he's got two trades on his resume.  Lots of guys get dealt twice.  Hell, Sam Cassell's been dealt about a half-dozen times.  Being traded, in and of itself, isn't always a sign that a player can't get along with other players.  The bigger issue for Marbury is that he hasn't been a winner.  There was talent in Jersey, but they were never a very good team while Marbury was there, and so he was moved to Phoenix for Jason Kidd.  Both Phoenix and Jersey improved after that deal, and Phoenix was in the playoffs just last season.  I'm not convinced Marbury can play well with just any other star player; he dominates the ball at times, and he's not exactly someone who fosters cooperation with his penchant for calling out other players.  One of the players he has famously called out is Keith Van Horn, his former teammate on the Nets, and now current teammate on the Knicks after the trade. I'm hoping Marbury gets it together.  He's still only 26, if you can believe that.  He can be so dynamic, so much fun to watch. But can he grow up?  And can he win?  I have my doubts. 10:33:59 AM    Say what?[]

Cast Away I watched Cast Away with Tom Hanks last night.  I hadn't seen it before, but I like Tom Hanks and I didn't have anything else going on, so what the hell?  Plus, I just sat down at the part where his plane goes down, so I figured I'd see the best parts of the movie.  Now, had I known ABC was going to air a roughly 1 to 1 ratio of movie time to commercial time... It's not a bad movie, but I'm biased.  For some reason, I have always had a strange affinity for the "stuck on a desserted island" narrative.  For example, Gilligan's Island was always a favorite TV show when I was a kid.  I read Robinson Crusoe with rapt attention.  When Jane and I were in Puerto Rico, the resort we stayed at had their own little island, and when we were on it, it was just so damn cool.  A part of me kept looking around, wondering how I would survive if I were the only person there.  The answer, of course, is that I wouldn't.  There are precious few stories of people who have survived long-term dessertion.  First of all, it's rare to be stranded on a desserted island in the first place.  Second, most castaways don't have the good fortune of landing somewhere that has food and a bunch of FedEx packages and Johnnie-on-the-Jobs washing up on shore to use as tools. Still, you have to think that over the course of the ages, hundreds of people have found themselves in such a place: stranded in a would-be paradise, having to fend for themselves, and trying to figure out how to get off the rock.  What a strange way to go. For the record, if I were Tom Hanks in that movie, I wouldn't have destroyed that volleyball.  Sure, I might paint a face on it and befriend it, but getting a ball to play with would be about the best gift I could hope to receive in such a situation.  But that reminds me of the Far Side cartoon, where the guy is stranded on an island, has fashioned a basketball hoop to play with, and then his only ball goes flat.  Also for the record, I would have ended up a LOT more insane after four years than Tom Hanks did.  Instead of having one volleyball friend, I would have invented a whole neighborhood of coconut families.  I would have fashioned a wife out of palm fronds.  The ice skates would have been my children.  No way would I be with it enough to build a raft.  For better or worse, that island would be my home forever. 10:23:23 AM    Say what?[]

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