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The Public Blogging of Pomosexuality, Homotextuality, Homophobiaphilia, and Drear Theory (aka Career Theory) [aka Gay4Pay]. We also read the Corner and OpJournal so the right buttock will be punished as well.
All comments subject to publication. Or dismissal. Or Both.
A three year old copy of a US Air in flight magazine revealed to me the existence of this book. I am gladdened by it, that is to say by the scene it documents, the human spirit that animates it. I am saddened that Amazon says it is currently not available, though I am certain the subject matter outlives the book. Give me individuals, then small groups, then meager audiences. Most of the vital stuff happens in them, among them, or in front of them.
Which is pretty much me saying how great we all are here.
Federal officials should consider reopening public access to about three dozen Web sites withdrawn from the Internet after the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks, a government-financed study says, because the sites pose little or no risk to homeland security.
Which is passably interesting, but the really fascinating part is further down. As always:
"It's a good time to take a closer look at the choices that they made at the time," says John Baker, principle author of the study, which was funded by the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency, the government's intelligence mapping agency.
Ah yes, the NGIA. They throw THE best Christmas parties. Everyone gets drunk and then it's time to dance the Foggy Bottom.
Their bureaucratic rivals at the National Chronospatial-Intelligence Agency have been spitting map-stickpins since the Geospatial glory boys got their names in the paper. The joke over at the NCIA is that the only geospace the NGIA surveys with any urgency or accuracy is that bounded by the north, south, east and west edges of the front page of the Washington Post.
Of course, the NGIA isn't above eyes-only, intra-office jibes itself. An email featuring the NCIA logo skillfully manipulated to read The National Chronospatial-Sillybitch Agency, recently made the rounds.
Man "Unqualified" to Sort Out Own Life Says Others Must "Understand" His life Is Theirs Or Their Lives Are His Or Something
David Brooks has a "long conversation" with Columbine killer Dylan Klebolds' parents and this column is all we get from it? The Times loves to transcribe and print all manner of newsworthy exchanges, so why do we only get the Klebolds filtered through Brooks? If there is a reason tell us the reason, if there isn't, give Brooks the day off and just print their conversation.
My favorite parts of David Brooks:
They are a well-educated, reflective, highly intelligent couple (Dylan was named after Dylan Thomas).
Case closed, the door just got slammed shut, on both ends. Kind of curving deco doors, those parentheses are. Or are they space-age retro modern?
Their lives are now pinioned to this bottomless question: Who is responsible?
I guess that's not a mixed metaphor, just a bad one.
They feel certain of one thing. "Dylan did not do this because of the way he was raised," Susan said. "He did it in contradiction to the way he was raised."
So he wasn't indoctrinated in the techniques of high school mass murder? He was actually inculcated with self-defense strategies in the face of high school lunchroom slaughter?
"I'm a quantitative person," said Tom, a former geophysicist. "We're not qualified to sort this out." They long for some authoritative study that will provide an answer. "People need to understand," Tom said, "this could have happened to them."
(See post headline.)
My instinct is that Dylan Klebold was a self-initiating moral agent who made his choices and should be condemned for them. Neither his school nor his parents determined his behavior. Now his parents have been left with the terrible consequences. I'd say they are facing them bravely and honorably.
Cool when opinionista animal instinct kicks in. Like when a cougar senses a self-initiating moral agent is lost in the woods nearby and lunchtime is approaching.
I must remember what a cheap date David Brooks is. Call him up, invite him over. He is guaranteed to put out.
There is an interesting contradiction in the Klebolds' statements to Brooks in yesterday's NYT's and in their lawyers version of events as related in another story today.
The parents (as channeled through Brooks):
When they first heard about the shootings, it did not occur to them that Dylan could be to blame. When informed, Susan said, "we ran for our lives."
Their lawyer:
The Klebolds' attorney, Gary Lozow, told The Denver Post the Klebolds had no plans to grant any other interviews.
In a story for Sunday's editions of The Post, Lozow related the first moments after the Klebolds learned of the shooting.
They had heard the gunmen may have been part of the Trench Coat Mafia, a loose group of students, including their son, who said athletes at Columbine bullied them.
"When early word came that the Trench Coat Mafia may be involved in the shooting, Tom ran downstairs to look for Dylan's trench coat, which he couldn't find," Lozow said.
"He was afraid Dylan might be involved. So he called me and offered to go to the school in hopes of negotiating with Dylan. It wasn't accepted."
Turner Classic Movies and Fox Movie Channel are presenting two views of teenage girlhood as I write this. On TCM Sandra Dee is Gidget, while on Fox Millie Perkins is Anne Frank. Both movies are from 1959.
According to online bios, Sandra was 15 or 17 (we'll split the dif and call her 16) when she was chasing Moondoggie. Millie was 20 or so playing 13, when she was hiding out.
Gidget is being presented in letterbox. Anne has been re-formatted for your TV screen.
TCM is sticking with the varieties of girlhood theme and will be showing The Bad Seed right after Gidget. Patty McCormack is 11 playing 8 in that highly enjoyable flick.
Two curious facts from a cursory Patty McCormack bio:
...[she] briefly starred in her own series "Peck's Bad Girl" (1959). She also sang with rock bands.
