va dare's Grab-Bag of Today's Best Reads / Videos:
From the upcoming NYTimes Sunday Book Review, Forever Weird, a review written by Joe Klein of GONZO: The Life of Hunter S. Thompson, by Jann S. Wenner and Corey Seymour:
On July 2, 1974, I started work as deputy Washington bureau chief for Rolling Stone magazine. My unlikely boss was Richard Goodwin, the former Kennedy speechwriter, who invited me to join him in temporary residence at Ethel Kennedy’s home in McLean, Va. (the owner was in Hyannis for the summer). On July 3, Hunter Thompson joined us. Much of what ensued that holiday weekend is lost in the mists of history and a fog of controlled substances. There were extensive conversations about the viability of renting a truck, filling it with rats and dumping them on the White House lawn. There was also an effort to remove all the Andy Williams songs from the Kennedy jukebox and replace them with Otis Redding. But mostly I remember having a marathon conversation with Hunter about books and writers, settling finally on Joseph Conrad’s exhortation in "Lord Jim": "In the destructive element immerse!"
This was, no surprise, one of Hunter’s favorite lines, and it led him into an astonishingly candid assessment of his own career, which was then at its peak. He had published his two brilliant "Fear and Loathing" books, and he was worried about what came next. He didn’t want to become a dull parody of himself but feared he lacked the gumption to jump the gravy train. I asked if he’d ever thought about stowing the psychedelic pyrotechnics — his "gonzo" journalism — and sitting down and writing a serious, straight-ahead novel. Well, of course he had. But, he said, "Without that," and he glanced over at the satchel in which he carried his array of vegetation and chemicals, "I’d have the brain of a second-rate accountant."
An academic pioneer in 'entertainment technologies' gives his last lecture. Must see video!
A Professor’s Farewell Sparks a Media Frenzy
In September Randy Pausch, a computer science professor at Carnegie Mellon University, gave his last lecture, telling the audience that he would soon die of pancreatic cancer. But those may not be his last public words after all. After delivering the talk, Dr. Pausch had planned to enjoy his last days with his family. Instead, Wall Street Journal reporter Jeff Zaslow wrote a column about the unusual lecture, which he described as a "riveting and rollicking journey through the lessons" of Dr. Pausch’s life, and the professor became a media sensation.
Dr. Pausch had spoken of his belief that people ultimately will impress you if you wait long enough and his view that kids should be allowed to draw on their bedroom walls. A video of the talk quickly spread over the Internet: the lecture was translated into German, even Mandarin. Dr. Pausch was asked to appear on "Oprah" and "Good Morning America." ... Apparently publishers are convinced the public wants to hear more. Today, the New York Post reports that in a frenzy for rights to a book based on Dr. Pausch’s lecture, co-authored by Mr. Zaslow, bidding has reached nearly $7 million. The proposed book reportedly will tell the stories behind the wisdom Dr. Pausch dispensed that day.
To understand the fuss over one professor’s final lecture, ...[i]f you have time, watch Dr. Pausch’s inspiring hour-long lecture in its entirety. You can download the video or find a full transcript on his homepage.
From the magical keyboard (and warped mind) of Mark Morford: Bush Death Watch: Countdown! (The Goddess only created one in THAT mold!):
Subtitle: "It's official: Less than one year until history slaps Dubya to the curb. Can you feel the tingle?"
It is now less than one calendar year until the next presidential election. It is less than one year until the country finally takes a deep breath and flexes its atrophied muscles and opens its bloody, Cheney-punched mouth and lets it be known to the world, to the universe, to its own numb and dejected soul just exactly how unwell it has felt, how much pain has raked its heart, lo, these past seven (eight, by then) years, by ushering in an entirely new political era, as we all exhale a massive sigh of long overdue relief that — praise Jesus, Allah, Buddha and the devil all at once — the long national nightmare of George W. Bush is finally over. It is now safe to imagine. It is now becoming increasingly easy to actually dare to think that, in less than one year's time, Dubya will begin packing his bags, jamming into his Spongebob duffel his map of the world coloring book, English-to-English translation dictionaries, mangled pocket edition of the U.S. Constitution, Bibleman action figure set and a "Mission Accomplished!" sweatshirt, and heading off to face his destiny as one of the bleakest, most morally repellent chapters in all of American history.
...
What's more, the glorious collapse of the evangelical Christian right marches on apace, as Pat Robertson, now a dejected, lonely widower after the death of secret boy-toy husband Jerry Falwell, has officially endorsed pro-choice, pro-gay, thrice-married, massively unbalanced moral pit bull Rudy Giuliani for president, which is a bit like a militant vegan endorsing Hot Dog on a Stick for the title of Lord of the Food Court. Desperate times indeed.
But wait, it gets better. While it's easy to focus on Shrub and Cheney and to gleefully, achingly imagine their dreary march out of office on that happy day, it is also vital and heartwarming to note that this time next year will also mark the demise of an entire army of toxic leaders, federal department heads, gay-bashing appointees and misogynist directors of every stripe and scandal and spittle, a simply huge array of right-wing Bushies who are still entrenched in all manner of powerful federal bureaus and organizations and policy-making bodies.
Morford points specifically to "Kevin Martin, the lackey who oversees the FCC, to noxious Idahoan and rabid anti-environmentalist Dick Kempthorne of the Department of the Interior, to anti-choice Republican Mormon knucklehead charity scammer and Department of Health and Human Services overseer Mike Leavitt" but reserves an especially delicious rant on potential nominee "Dr. David W. Hager, the rabid evangelical Christian gynecologist (I know, so wrong) who currently advises the FDA on women's health issues and who was largely responsible for delaying the approval of Plan B, opposed RU-486, is in fact against all contraception, stem-cell research, premarital sex, and (quite naturally) women's choice, and whose own ex-wife claims he anally raped her, over and over again, in her sleep."
Intelligent women nationwide still shudder that this man is allowed anywhere near a living vagina, much less permitted to touch and probe and offer advice. But there is one noteworthy aspect to Hager; he is the perfect incarnation of the Christian right's view of women as subordinate, lesser-intelligent sluts who cannot control their own bodies and therefore need men, God, and the government to do it for them. Hager is a deep shame to the male gender, and his return to the private practice of ruining the sex lives of unfortunate women in Kentucky cannot come soon enough.
And I thought his column from earlier in the week was really, really outstanding as well (Outrage fatigue? Get over it Are you sick of being sick? Suffering way too much Bush-induced nausea? Well, tough.) If you don't already subscribe to MM's twice-a-week columns, why not?
I {heart} Mark Morford... guess that's obvious, heh?
ON TO TOP COMMENTS
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From kath25:
From kuulray's diary Writing for the hinterlands; it's not like writing for Daily Kos, dopper0189 manages to use several of the diarist's verboten words, and Major Danby follows up in pun-tacular fashion.
third Party please relates a lovely story about the soldier she sends packages to in Iraq in Ninepatch's latest installment of her Troop Care Package Campaign.
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From mem of somerville:
This comment is only for connoisseurs of the "edscan" diary series. The specific item is here, from TruthOfAngels: Nurse, but it is part of the overall cogent analysis of the edscan repertoire begun by bubbanomics here (A hint: look at the previous tags of the edscan diaries, and even the previous versions of those tags, for a complete understanding of the essence of the edscan)
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From sardonyx:
When citizen53 asks what happened to the League of Women Voters, who used to present the Presidential debates, Gooserock has the unfortunate answer...especially with the final sentence.
Cassiodorus writes on promoting uniformity in teacherken's diary What was wrong with the debate education question.
leveymg notes the safest place for a criminal is the White House in lukery's diary Sibel Edmonds Case: New (and old) revelations of spying at the FBI.
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From MBNYC:
Okay, this one by tazz, Hey LordMike, is a keeper. Pure gold.
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From cronesense:
FuddGate offers up a blistering rant in New Deal democrat's excellent
diary, Gas over $3 = Wile E. Coyote moment..
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From pfiore8:
Floja Roja's picture is worth a thousand comments in Spathiphyllum's first ever dKos diary.
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A few picks of my own:
DBurn opines I am am starting to think about that... in occam hatchet's diary Flatland and starts an interesting thread (including a good first reply from occam hatchet).
teacherken explains why I post with far too many typos. I hope to meet him on one of his sim;ly (sic) crazy days.
I spent a long time in today's 'Mojo Friday' diary, always a good opportunity to question our collective sanity. Great diary today by the way - first diary at that - give Spathiphyllum a 'rec' if you missed it.
pioneer111 keeps posting it so I finally viewed it:: This is why the mice keep electing cats - a tribute of sorts by Keifer Sutherland to his grandfather.
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TOP MOJO courtesy of sardonyx - give him a round of applause, please!
Top Mojo excluding search-identifiable tip jars, first diary comments, Cheers and Jeers, and Mojo Friday:
1) It was a disgusting display- by speck tater — 138
2) now THAT by hekebolos — 128
3) If they are truly representative ... by Inky — 113
4) I'm as serious by david mizner — 109
5) What a fucking hypocrite he is. by Bob Johnson — 94
6) How on earth did you get... by Plutonium Page — 88
7) She is not whining about her candidate. by icebergslim — 85
8) That's her blanket prescription by bumblebums — 84
9) and that is what is so infuriating by MadAsHellMaddie — 81
10) Diamonds or pearls?! by Geenius at Wrok — 79
11) Hillary still has a plant problem. by Yoshimi — 74
12) And CNN has a plant problem. Maria Luisa, by dotster — 74
13) I know this is rare, cause you and I have sparred by TomP — 74
14) Can we all agree??? by Sanuk — 74
15) mudslinging by cardboardurinal — 72
16) great post by MikeyMike — 69
17) Y'know, shayera - by occams hatchet — 63
18) bust 'em for fraud. by G2geek — 63
19) Iowa seems to think that Obama won. by Yoshimi — 58
20) Page by bam bam — 57
21) Not just Carville... by Elise — 56
22) Yeah!!! The JK bumpersticker is STILL on by NYFM — 56
23) The problem is that Hillary has taken many by Do Tell — 55
24) Stupidest question ever asked in a debate by Dump Terry McAuliffe — 55
25) "Speech Cop" Steny by Dump Terry McAuliffe — 54
26) TomP, aren't you finding it a little interesting. by Morgan Sandlin — 53
27) what tonight was, For us anyway... by Christin — 53
28) Even Barbara Bush by DWG — 53
29) You Hillary supporters are all about the same... by Persiflage — 52
30) well, if this is the start of 8 years of Hillary by soros — 52
Top Mojo with No Exclusions:
1) Tips for Real Democrats by LV Pol Girl — 479
2) Tip jar by occams hatchet — 385
3) Tips? by Chaoslillith — 342
4) Tips are great... by Ilya Sheyman — 312
5) Way to go, Senator! by beachmom — 299
6) tips for vets, comments and demand better by testvet6778 — 223
7) tips for sweaty palms and nervous laughs by Great Lakes Gal — 190
8) Tipped and rec'd by MikeTheLiberal — 179
9) tip jar by kuulray — 157
10) one more time: by Turkana — 146
11) It was a disgusting display- by speck tater — 138
12) now THAT by hekebolos — 128
13) Friday Tip Jar. Wheeeee! by Bill in Portland Maine — 116
14) Tip Jar by Spathiphyllum — 115
15) If they are truly representative ... by Inky — 113
16) tip jar by lukery — 111
17) I'm as serious by david mizner — 109
18) What a fucking hypocrite he is. by Bob Johnson — 94
19) Tips or flames... by pfiore8 — 91
20) Tips fro actually answering real questions, not by TomP — 89
21) Its... by Mark H — 89
22) How on earth did you get... by Plutonium Page — 88
23) Tips for real change! by TomP — 88
24) She is not whining about her candidate. by icebergslim — 85
25) That's her blanket prescription by bumblebums — 84
26) and that is what is so infuriating by MadAsHellMaddie — 81
27) Yay! Been waiting for mofri! by pucklady — 81
28) It's Friday by wmtriallawyer — 81
29) hooray for Spathiphyllum by jlms qkw — 79
30) Diamonds or pearls?! by Geenius at Wrok — 79
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Always the mountains,
va dare
We have so many insightful and powerful diaries written here at Daily Kos. Our diaries inform, inflame, impassion, and even entertain. We Kossacks have strong voices and an even stronger will to be the change we wish to see in this country.