Michael Blowhard writes:

Dear Blowhards --

Nothing makes vivid the fact that life is unjust quite like coming down with the flu while on vacation. Feeling beaten-up by the fates, I'm going to let others do the heavy lifting for a day or two. It's linkathon time!

* Is there any harm in indulging in some occasional economic nationalism? John Konop and Maximos (in the comments on this Rod Dreher posting) both do rousing jobs with the theme.

* I, Squub's account of time spent in the voting booth on Tuesday rings all too many truth bells. Why should voting be such a dispiriting, even humiliating, chore?

* It's fun watching the true conservatives rake the Republicans over the coals, isn't it? Peter Brimelow contributes one of the best of the right-on-right post-election denunciations.

* Alicatte has some advice for French actresses hoping to age well.

* The American enterpreneurial imagination marches on. (Link thanks to Charlton Griffin.)

* All you really need to know about life on earth, from Fred Reed, and from the War Nerd.

* DVD-extras package of the week: Adrian Lyne's "Unfaithful" -- amoral, cold-blooded, sexy, psychologically acute, and now available for less than 10 bucks. It's a beautiful film, IMHO, with extras that are well worth exploring. Lyne's commentary track is frank and amusing; he's remarkably upfront when discussing what he hoped to get on film and whether he thinks he succeeded or not. In some included interviews, Diane Lane makes some rueful / earthy / perceptive remarks, and various film-team members laugh about what a bullying-but-rewarding butt-pain Lyne is to work for.

* Colleen has had the inspired idea of scanning old personal photos into the computer and posting them on her blog. One particular -- and not totally unexpected -- theme seems to be emerging ...

* Slow Food celebrates its sixth. Tim Worstall thinks the Slow Food movement must be made up of idiots.

And with that, I can feel the Nyquil starting to kick in.

Best and good night,

[sound of feverish, groggy head hitting Apple Wireless Keyboard]

Michael

I dunno about the Slow Food, but that Denise Hamilton IS an idiot.

She wants LA to go back at being desert town sans lawns? Why don't she move to New (or old) Mexico? And maybe learn a thing a two about manure before she starts "getting romantic" on dairy farms and cow cakes: gardeners never use cow manure for soil enrichment. It's useless and harmful. What she smells in the LA air is probably horse product.
And oh how I miss the divine aroma since I lost my beloved garden...

Why is that the most clueless arrogant ignorati are the most outspoken, be it in architecture criticism or gardening?

Posted by: Tat on November 11, 2006 8:58 AM

I don't know what has happened to Fred Reed. Until recently, I enjoyed his writing.

Bush Derangement Syndrome seems to have set in. He hasn't written anything funny or charming for quite a while. He went ballistic with the BDS a couple of weeks ago when he suggested that Bush would refuse to leave office in 2008.

I really liked his crochety old man routine. The BDS ranting are so dreary, predictable and boring. I refuse to even discuss politics in New York City, because I've heard that rant so often.

Fred's formative experience in life was the Vietnam war, and he seems determined to see every action of the U.S. within that prism.

The "armies are just organized gangs" trope is a beaten to death truism of 60s hippie-ism. The attack on masculinity of the 80s and 90s followed logically.

Fred used to be reliably quirky and grouchy. What in the hell is happening down there in Mexico to turn him into just another BDS afflicted ranter? Too much of that Padre Kino red?

Posted by: Shouting Thomas on November 11, 2006 8:58 AM

The War Nerd always makes for interesting if often-controversial reading, but not everyone is convinced that he really exists. He may be a pseudonym for one or more of the editors of the Exile, the online alternative publication in which the columns appear. The photo that appears on the columns is of some musician, taken off another web site.

Posted by: Peter on November 11, 2006 9:31 AM

Peter,

War Nerd=John Dolan

Posted by: phil on November 13, 2006 8:16 PM






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