Some of the news that is fit to print

Where has he been?

Yes, I haven't posted in a long time -- not since January. It has been a busy few months -- our wedding and a promotion to be editor in chief of my magazine. You can read my work blog, and I'll try to be a better poster.

Les Dames Gourmand

Yes, I've added a new category -- wedding -- because DMV and my wedding is taking up a whole lot of our lives these days. More on the actual event later, but...

Next weekend, our Gourmet group is taking us out for a shower. The Gourmets are a group of 10 couples who get together several times a year and we cook. Actually, the way it works is the host, well... hosts and cooks the main meal. The hosts also assign the other parts of the meal to the various couples. We have had some great food... and these people have become some of our very best friends. In fact, we all traveled to Ireland together in November for one of the couple's wedding. Super fab!

So the Gourmets are having a shower for us next weekend. It is a very unusual experience for me because I really don't have a clue about what is going on. They have planned the entire thing and we're really just going along. Of course, it is people that I trust implicitly, but still... I'm enough of a control freak that it makes for a very strange feeling.

So Saturday, it was just another typical Saturday in the CJD-DMV household. DMV and I return from the gym to our somewhat panicked house cleaner, Elsa, who said that 'some man in a uniform came to the door.' We're puzzled because, of course, we rarely have stripper in the morning! And not while Elsa is there!

Moments later, knocking at our door is a H-O-T guy -- only made hotter by the formal Naval uniform -- is there to deliver some kind of parchment. We open it... but it is all in French. So we go over to our only connection with European intelligentsia, our neighbors, the Turners, to translate... who did perfectly.

Touché, Dames Gourmand! Touché!

Another dumb DC radio move

One of the most popular radio stations here in DC is WTOP. It is the all news station, which is perhaps most famous for 'weather and traffic together on the 8s' -- meaning they do weather and traffic every 10 minutes. That is a big deal for DC jammed roads and often crappy weather.

WTOP has done very well in recent years to where it is now Washington's most listened to radio station. Not bad.

Well, today, the brain trust at Bonneville International Corp., WTOP's parent company, made the big announcement that they are moving WTOP from the frequency where it has lived since 1946 and thrived in recent years -- 1500 AM -- so they can create something called "Washington Post radio." Then they are moving their popular although un-listenable classical radio station, WGMS, to replace Z-104, which was a modern rock radio station. The moves are so confusing, they actually post a chart so you can keep track of it all!

All of this to make way for Washington Post radio?

Here is their release:

Washington Post Radio to Debut in Late March

Washington, DC -- The Washington Post said on Wednesday that it will develop programming content for a new radio station that will begin broadcasting in the DC region in late March. The newspaper said that it will work with station owner Bonneville International to develop programming for Washington Post Radio, which will broadcast on 107.7 FM and 1500 AM. The new station will occupy the location on the radio dial currently used by 24-hour news station WTOP, which will move to 103.5 FM. "This is a wonderful opportunity for The Washington Post to encourage the radio audience to read more of the newspaper," said Boisfeuillet Jones Jr., the paper's publisher. The new station will draw on content from The Washington Post and feature the paper's editors, reporters and columnists. The station will also broadcast news and commentary from journalists and others outside The Post.

My questions:
1. Why move a radio station which has been remarkably successful -- so successful that it has become a staple of Washington life?
2. Why move your shockingly popular classical music station? (Shocking because WGMS is unlistenable!)
3. If you are creating a new radio station, why not put that on the new frequency? Why shift the stuff that is successful where it is for something that may or may not be successful?
4. Why do I listen to anything but my XM Radio?

And they should listen to me. Remember last year when I crabbed last year when local public radio station WETA decided to dump its daytime classical music for all-news format? Well, guess what? WETA is finding out that the news format isn't working out all that well.

These kinds of things piss people off! You may decide that you have to do it, but you better have a damn good reason... and you should tell people your reason! Don't do this:

"These changes will help us meet the growing needs of the Washington community for news, sports, information, music and emergency services," said Bruce Reese, president and CEO of Bonneville.

Survey says -- BZZZZ! If this was true, they would have just moved WTOP's FM frequency from 107.7, where most people can't hear it anyway, to 103.5. (And yes, classical music fans, if you do listen to WGMS, the first question is why? But now it will be even more difficult to hear that station... although they are promising upgrades.) Moving the FM frequencies might make sense because WTOP is likely to get more listeners then WGMS. If you wanted to make these moves, I would have announced the WGMS-WTOP FM switch today and the upcoming WP radio deal, and then later, after people are comfortable listening to WTOP on the FM dial, later announce the WTOP AM switch.

So maybe I'll follow you over to the new frequency, maybe I won't. We'll just have to see.

Happy New Year!

Good bye 2005 and welcome 2006!
It is going to be a busy year for us -- we have our wedding in February and I turn the big 4-ohhhhh in August. (Yes, but I don't look a day over 39, right?) So we're going to have a lot going on.

I'm generally not a big fan of New Year's Eve festivities. The date is a tad bit arbitrary and it always seems like an occasion for people who don't normally party to turn it on overdrive. (Other holidays in that category include St. Patrick's Day and Halloween... and the drinking holiday ranks seem to be increasing.)

No, we weren't in Vegas for New Year's Eve. I just thought the photo was fun... We got to spend the evening with some of our favorite people, BH and his wife, MJ. We went to 1789, one of our favorite restaurants in DC and where we happen to know the chef, Ris Lacost. It was Ris's last night at 1789 after a decade at the restaurant, which is a Washington intuition. She is taking some time off, and then she is going to start up her own place somewhere in DC. She isn't sure where or when yet, but we hope many tastings are in our future.

So it was a great way to bring in the new year! Happy 2006!

Poor Dick

So everybody is reporting that Dick Clark is ready to be back at his perch for New Year's Eve this year after suffering a stroke last December, but they have put out this publicity photo and... um, he doesn't look good! I don't know who is pushing whom, but... we'll all turn it on to see what he looks like, right? Or if he is even on live TV. Maybe he'll just be on the recorded parts.

And as I'm searching, I find out that the photo is fixed!

Dick Clark and ABC are claiming that it is the 34th consecutive year of the celebration on ABC -- I'm not exactly sure how they can say that given that he wasn't there last year, but whatever. This year, they are starting the show at 10p and it goes until 2:05a. Three hours?

Why do people hate cops?

ding So we were traveling around yesterday in our taxi cab role. We were at Keswick Hall for a few days working out wedding plans and we had to deliver my mother to Shepherdstown, WV., where my step-father was with his mother. So we're driving along I-81 -- Berkeley County, WV, specifically -- and there are two trucks driving side-by-side, both driving below the 70 mph speed limit and blocking traffic. So I flashed my lights. Suddenly, a cop turns on his lights behind me. I think, 'Great! They are going to get these trucks to move so people can move.' But he pulls me over.

He asks me if there was a problem with my lights. I answer, "No," of course.

He takes forever, of course, and eventually writes me up for 'following to closely' and 'deffective equipment.' (Yes, that is how he spelled it.)

DMV, of course, wants to blow up at him. We don't, needless to say.

If it had been speeding, I wouldn't have been thrilled, of course, but there are so many cases where I don't get caught... but this is just some small town sheriff deputy who gets to show the DC gay boys who is boss.

I have to say that I have not always had such a negative image of cops because, when it comes down to it, they are much like journalists -- these are people who often choose their profession because they want to help people and they are trying to get to the facts. Unfortunately, in all too many instances, they have too much power that allows the person's personal faults and biases to influence their judgment -- and they often take matters into their own hands. (Last night, I couldn't help but think about the fantastic movie, Crash.)

So I hope he makes his monthly quota... and meanwhile, I get to trek to god forsaken Berkeley, WV to fight this thing. Great!

Happy, er... well, happy everything

Happy Christmas... or whatever you may be celebrating!

Movie review: Brokeback Mountain

We went to see the much discussed Brokeback Mountain last night – the movie that has been billed as a ‘gay cowboy movies,’ and that is mostly because we have to categorize everything. The movie is stunning. Truly stunning. That being said, it is also horribly sad – a tragedy, really.

That being said, I’ll give my grade up front so if you don’t want to know anything more about the movie… As if it was some big secret, I give it a strong A, and yet I recommend this movie with some trepidation because it is just so sad. I even called my sister, who has had a tough month, and recommended that she not see it. So yes, it is phenomenal, but just be prepared.

I was not. I went into the movie knowing little about it – I knew it was based on a 1997 short story that was published in The New Yorker by Annie Proulx (whose name I can just never pronounce. Is it Pro-lix or Pru? She actually answers that question on her Web site, for those curious… Go to the FAQ. ) My boss actually had given me the complete New Yorkers for Christmas and I looked up the original, but I had not had a chance to read it yet.

I also knew that the movie was directed by Ang Lee, who directed Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon, of course. My first experience with Lee, however, was with one of his early movies, 1993’s The Wedding Banquet. That subtitled movie is about a gay couple, one of whom looks to satisfy his nagging parents by marrying a friend, but it gets out of hand when the parents arrive and begin to take over the wedding plans. I have not seen it in years, but the movie is a CJD-fav.

Lee has such a delicate touch. His movies are always just so graceful. And Brokeback Mountain is no exception. From the scenery to the characters, the movie is just delightful.

Brokeback Mountain is that rare thing, a big Hollywood weeper with a beautiful ache at its center. It's a modern-age Western that turns into a quietly revolutionary love story.
-- Entertainment Weekly

The movie is about Ennis del Mar (remarkably played by Health Ledger) and Jack Twist (also very well played by Jake Gugenhaller), two ranch hands who come together when they are working as sheephearers on summer on a range on Brokeback Mountain. The two begin to share more that summer and eventually share their tent. That leads to a much deeper relationship.

Both men go on to marry and have kids – that’s what cowboys are supposed to do. Yet the two repeatedly come into each others lives – they eventually have regular “fishing trips.” Let’s just say that fish have never been safer. And during this period of the movie, it feels somewhat like the Alan Alda movie, "Same Time Next Year" but in some parallel universe.

The story is truly one of love – these men are passionate about each other. One of my faviroite scenes is on their first reunion, Jack is coming to visit Ennis and Ennis sitts at the window waiting in anticipation.

The tragedy is this love does not conquer all. There are severe consequences for this relationship – lost jobs, bad marriages, affairs, divorces, extreme loneliness and almost poverty… and more. In the end,

As the movie goes on, Ennis, penniless and alone, becomes a shard of a man, nurturing a lost dream.

Again, from the EW review:

Brokeback Mountain has a luscious doomed tenor that, at times, makes it feel like Edith Wharton with Stetsons. It's far from being a message movie, yet if you tear up in the magnificent final scene, with its haunting slow waltz of comfort and regret, it's worth noting what, exactly, you're reacting to: a love that has been made to knuckle under to society's design. In an age when the fight over gay marriage still rages, Brokeback Mountain, the tale of two men who are scarcely even allowed to imagine being together, asks, through the very purity with which it touches us: When it comes to love, what sort of world do we really want?

The movie is well worth the time. Andenjoy!

YEAH! I don't have to see King Kong

So our good friends, MB and CA, went to see King Kong last night. Given my previous reservations about it, I was interested to hear what they had to say. And despite the critical acclaim, I'm going to pass, thank you very much.

Here is MB's always entertaining take:

I'm sorry to tell you, but I thought it was absolutely terrible. CA fell asleep for the first hour. Save your money, or go an hour after the movie starts...

I didn't think it was possible for one's butt to fall asleep, but mine did. It was 3 freakin hours! And it wasn't Lord-of-the-Rings 3 hours, it was Ishtar 3 hours.

And CA, who was looking forward to the action, was not thrilled:

I had trouble keeping my eyes open for the first part. I had to wait well over an hour for the first dinosaur to get killed.

So I'm going to pass... and see Brokeback Mountain instead.

So I'm not alone on this King Kong thing...

I mentioned this weekend that I wasn't all that thrilled about the big King Kong movie -- well, according to the LAT this morning.

Hollywood has been betting for months that when "King Kong" hit theaters, the action epic would help reverse a nearly yearlong slide in movie admissions. Well, the rampaging 50-foot-tall ape finally has arrived, but like so many other recent movies, "King Kong" is not yet attracting stampedes of moviegoers.

Although writer-director Peter Jackson's remake of the 1933 classic did sell an estimated $50.1 million in tickets in its debut weekend, the film's opening receipts stood well below industry projections. Rival studios and show business prognosticators had said (and even hoped) that Universal Pictures' "King Kong" might gross as much as $100 million in its first five days of release.

But since the three-hour-plus movie started showing early Wednesday morning, its total domestic sales were $66.2 million -- almost exactly the take that "The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe" generated the previous weekend, in two fewer days.

The unexpectedly sluggish opening for "King Kong" adds to growing fears that U.S. audiences might be forsaking the multiplex: For the first time in more than 40 years, Hollywood by year's end will have recorded declining attendance for three consecutive years.

HP in Imax

So Harry on Imax is really excellent. I'm still a bit disappointed by the movie, but I still contend that it is the best of the Harry Potter movies. They just shortened some parts that I probably would not have shortened, but I can understand that you have to make cuts somewhere.

One of the weakest part of this movie is Dumbledore. In the past two movies, Dumbledore is played by Michael Gambon, and I don't know whether it is the actor of the director, it is just totally wrong. There are two perfect examples. The first is after Harry comes out of the pensive where he was exploring Dumbledor's memories. In his conversation with Harry, he seems perplexed and confused. In the books, he was perplexed, but he never let that interfer with his leadership or strength. The other scene is near the end in Harry's dorm room where he is talking about what happened with Lord Voldomort. Again, he seems surprised and perplexed.

In the books, Dumbledore is a majestic character and leader. In the movies, he is wishy-washy. Richard Harris played Dumbledore in the first two movies and did a great job. Gambon, however, just doesn't make it work, and it is too bad because he is such an important character... and I think Ian McKellen would have been a much better choice.

An aside: Here is an amazing tidbit from the WP on the HP Imax movie.

One challenge was the length of this Potter film, a copy of which in the Imax format weighs about 900 pounds. "The size of the film is enormous. Take our space films, 'To Fly' and the others -- they are the size of a coffee table. This is the size of a large, large conference table," Mensforth said.

Cool! Well worth seeing.

Movie updates… Harry Potter… Syriana… Pride and Prejudice

I know! I know! I haven’t been posting regularly. What can I say – work has been busy and life and all that stuff. DMV and I have very different ideas of what is a quiet time. We were talking to somebody and he said, ‘Yeah, it’s been a pretty quiet week.’ Um, what? Here was the past seven days:
* Last Saturday: ‘Casual make your own pizza night’ with our gourmet group.
* Last Sunday: We went to see Syriana --- OK, relatively quiet day.
* Monday: Work, of course, then to DMV’s CEO’s house for a blind wine tasting contest.
* Tuesday: Dinner with DMV’s (and my) friends.
* Wednesday: He has dinner; I have a quiet night.
* Thursday: My company holiday party at Tysons Corner mall and then shopping.
* Friday: Dinner at Citi Zen for our friend’s b’day.
* Saturday: ‘Christmas’ with DMV’s family

But tonight… we’re going to see Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire on the big Imax screen at the Smithsonian’s Air and Space Museum. Yes, I’ve seen Harry Potter already. But it’s Imax!

So yes, I have seen a bunch of movies over my ‘quiet’ period.

Can I just start by saying that yes, King Kong is out this weekend and I know everybody has their panties in a bunch about it, but I’m just not all that thrilled to see it. In fact, I’m not excited at all. I don’t really like three-hour-plus movies… and I’ve never been a real big fan of King Kong movies. As a animal freak, I always felt sorry for Kong. He’s living a happy life and has it all ripped away from him – to be kept in horrible conditions, I’m sure – so some money grubber can cash in. Kong gets angry about the situation and everybody ends up blaming him!? And, of course, Kong pays his life for it all. So, no, I’m not that excited about seeing it.

I was, however, very excited about seeing Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire. This is my favorite of the Harry Potter books by a long shot. There are two scenes in the book that are just wonderful: The opening, which is a strong, powerful image, and then the climatic scene near the end, which is absolutely riveting. So of course, I was thrilled at the prospect of seeing that magic brought to the big screen. In fact, I even reread the book in preparation for the movie.

That was my mistake! The book is big – it marked the first Potter book that also doubled as weight lifting. So there was inevitably going to be stuff that had to be cut or condensed and I was just too close to it. My mind’s eye also created such rich images, I should have expected that it would be difficult for the director to meet my expectations.

That being said, the movie is quite good and probably the best in the series so far… and that final scene is good, but it just wasn’t as powerful as I think it could have been. Unfortunately I’m at a loss to suggest exactly what that missing piece was, but it somehow just didn’t make me sit on the edge of my seat. It was exciting, but it wasn’t thrilling.

So… I’d give HP4 a B+ and strongly recommend that you not reread the book before going to the movie.

I’ll also report back on how it is on Imax.

Syriana

Last weekend we went to see Syriana. I hadn’t really heard much about this movie, so I went in with pretty much a clean slate. DMV wanted to see it – I’m not sure why. I’m guessing it was because of the positive reviews.

I knew it was a George Clooney movie, but I’m just not a huge Clooney fan. Other then that, I didn’t know what to expect.

I didn’t know that it was from writer/director Stephen Gaghan, who won the Academy Award for his screenplay of 'Traffic.'

'Syriana' is something of a political thriller. For its backdrop, the movie uses the global oil industry and its relationship to the United States, the Middle East, and the intelligence communities. And, as somebody who is fascinated by those subjects, I found this movie just riveting. That being said, there are a lot of characters in this movie – and if you saw Traffic, that will not surprise you. And it jumps around between Washington to the men working the oil fields in the Persian Gulf to the leaders of those countries to the leaders of oil companies. One of the big complaints I have heard is that people found that confusing and that they had a hard time putting all the pieces together – and I understand that complaint. It can be. I guess I didn’t focus on the details and instead just sat back and watched the interplay between these various slices of life.

The movie definitely has a political point to make – one that I happen to agree with, of course. (Clooney gave an interesting interview to The Advocate when Good Night and Good Luck came out where he talks about politics and the movies. It is an interesting read.) The movie does a good job of dramatizing how the U.S. addiction to oil actually drives so many important decisions that have led to the United States being so despised in that region. But this is no Michael Moore screed. It is an interesting story. Much the way Traffic looked at drug issues, this looks at the Middle East.

Even if you don’t agree with that point of view, the movie does an effective job making its case so I think it would be a healthy start for a rich discussion and debate. I give the movie kudos for that if nothing else.

CJD grade: A-

Finally, and briefly, Pride and Prejudice. It’s Jane Austin, so you know how it is going to end. Go and enjoy the romance.

CJD grade: B

My e-government quest

So I don't often talk about work here. My personal opinions are mine and -- I know people don't think that journalists can do this, but -- they stay with me and do not influence my work. Besides, my experience is that journalists don't play political favorites. They just love a good story. Anyway, that's a post for another time...

Certainlly one does notice things more when it hits close to home, so let me share a tale of what appears to be e-government gone wrong.

I live in northwest Washington, D.C. just off the Rock Creek Park. For those of you who may not know the area, Rock Creek Park is this wonderful area that runs from the Potomac River right near the Mall all the way out to the Maryland border. As you might imagine, the park is heavily used – the Rock Creek Parkway is heavily by drivers, but it is also a recreation area. It is part of one of my favorite bike loops.

So the WP this morning has a story, which they tease off the front page, about the new Rock Creek Park management plan. Given that I use the park – it is part of my daily commute – I was interested to find the plan.

I was hopeful that the WP would provide a link to the plan. BZZZ!
So I search Google, which provides me with the Park Service's Rock Creek Park page. I search on there for awhile -- management documents, maybe? Not that I could tell.

I eventually went to try Google’s Uncle Sam, keyed in "Rock Creek Park management plan," which took me to this site, which seems may be a step in the right direction, but when I click around, I can't really tell what is new, when things were posted... In addition, I'm not sure how somebody would actually find this site other than a Google search.

I clicked for awhile there until I grew frustrated and decided to try something else.
So I went to the Park Service’s main page, their press release page… on and on but all for naught.

So I called their press office. The person there didn’t know. She suggested that I use their search engine, which didn’t seem to come up with what I was looking for.
She gave the number of the superintendent of the park, who directed me to the director of plans, which whom I left a voice mail message.

How many real people actually go through this?

And can offer some notes when the Interior Department gets its e-gov grade on the management score card?

If anybody knows where I can find this document…

I am putting the spotlight on the Park Service -- well, I guess I am, but I don't mean to. I understand that this stuff is not always easy -- we don't always get it right! -- and I don't think the Park Service is alone.

Perhaps this just says something about people's expectations.

After much chasing and hunting, I got a certain degree of success... No, it wasn't easy... and it involved having to make several calls to the Park Service personnel that oversee Rock Creek Park... and the kind person had to walk me through the process, but I found it.

So do you want to walk through it, or should I just give it to you?
For those of you who read the end of the mystery first, you can find the Rock Creek Park improvement plan here.

Here are the steps I had to go through:
* Go to parkplanning.nps.gov
* Then look for Plans/Documents Open for Comment
* The third item down (as I'm posting this) is the Rock Creek Park plan.

I actually asked how Joe Citizen would ever be able to find that... and they acknowledged that it is kind of burried... and they promised that it was going to be moved to the Rock Creek Park page.

And it was eventually posted this information on the Rock Creek Park page under both “management docs” and the “news” link on the right side of the Web site -- although I did not find it under news, but it is difficult to find on the management document page because they are not really dates so it is difficult to tell what is the most recent item. Instead, I'd recommend just going to this site and selecting the Rock Creek plans.

So it is be up there, but it isn't really easy for Joe Citizen to find.

Again, I want to stress that I understand how difficult this is. It is difficult for us! Most people think you just post the link, but if it is much more complex… not the least of which is making it available in a place that people can find it. But posting information online should be one of the most natural ways of getting information out to the public -- lest we may part of most agency missions?

I would expect that in most government organizations, posting this kind of information is a add on duty – ‘other duties as assigned.’ Therefore it is decentralized, yet is centralized to ensure a common look and feel. And when things are posted, do they go at the decentralized sites, such as the individual parks, or a central Web page that lists all management changes?

It isn’t necessarily easy.

WSJ: Drowning polar bears!

This story in today's WSJ... which comes days after the United States essentially said F-YOU to the rest of the world in the global warming talks. How nice...

Drowning Polar Bears and Global Warming
In what may be the latest evidence of global warming, polar bears are drowning, The Wall Street Journal reports. Scientists for the first time have documented multiple deaths of polar bears off Alaska, where they likely drowned after swimming long distances in the ocean amid the melting of the Arctic ice shelf. In a quarter-century of aerial surveys of the Alaskan coastline before 2004, researchers from the U.S. Minerals Management Service said they typically spotted a lone polar bear swimming in the ocean far from ice about once every two years. But in September 2004, when the polar ice cap had retreated a record 160 miles north of the northern coast of Alaska, researchers counted 10 polar bears swimming as far as 60 miles offshore. The researchers returned to the vicinity a few days after a fierce storm and found dead bears floating in the water. While the government researchers won't speculate on why a climate change is taking place in the Arctic, environmentalists unconnected to the survey say U.S. policies emphasizing oil and gas development are exacerbating global warming, which is accelerating the melting of the ice.

Not so electronic government

I guess you really do notice things more when it hits close to home, but let me share a tale of what appears to be e-government gone wrong.

I live in northwest Washington, D.C. just off the Rock Creek Park. For those of you who may not know the area, Rock Creek Park is this wonderful area that runs from the Potomac River right near the Mall all the way out to the Maryland border. As you might imagine, the park is heavily used – the Rock Creek Parkway is heavily by drivers, but it is also a recreation area. It is part of one of my favorite bike loops.

So the WP yesterday had a story, which they tease off the front page, about the new Rock Creek Park management plan. Given that I use the park – it is part of my daily commute – I was interested to find the plan.

I was hopeful that the WP would provide a link to the plan. BZZZ!
So I search Google, which provides me with the Park Service's Rock Creek Park page. I search on there for awhile -- management documents, maybe? Not that I could tell.

I eventually went to try Google’s Uncle Sam, keyed in "Rock Creek Park management plan," which took me to this site, which seems may be a step in the right direction, but when I click around, I can't really tell what is new, when things were posted... In addition, I'm not sure how somebody would actually find this site other than a Google search.

I clicked for awhile there until I grew frustrated and decided to try something else.
So I went to the Park Service’s main page, their press release page… on and on but all for naught.

So I called their press office. The person there didn’t know. She suggested that I use their search engine, which didn’t seem to come up with what I was looking for.
She gave the number of the superintendent of the park, who directed me to the director of plans, which whom I left a voice mail message.

How many real people actually go through this?

And can offer some notes when the Interior Department gets its e-gov grade on the management score card?

If anybody knows where I can find this document…

I am putting the spotlight on the Park Service -- well, I guess I am, but I don't mean to. I understand that this stuff is not always easy -- we don't always get it right! -- and I don't think the Park Service is alone.

Perhaps this just says something about people's expectations.

But my quest continues.

Dis-information

This from the WSJ's morning e-mail newsletter:

U.S. Military's Secret Input in Iraqi Media
As part of an information offensive in Iraq, the U.S. military is secretly paying Iraqi newspapers to publish stories written by American troops in an effort to burnish the image of the U.S. mission in Iraq, the Los Angeles Times reports. The articles, written by U.S. military "information operations" troops, are translated into Arabic and placed in Baghdad newspapers with the help of a defense contractor, according to U.S. military officials and documents obtained by the Times. The operation, designed to mask any connection with the U.S. military, is taking place even as U.S. officials are pledging to promote democratic principles, political transparency and freedom of speech in a country emerging from decades of dictatorship and corruption, the Times adds.

How in the world does this happen? We are trying to teach them to be a democracy where there is a free flow of ideas -- by paying to put people's words in their mouths?

OK -- I'm back!

Yes, I know it has been 100-years.
Here is my excuse -- work has been particularly busy... and I am doing the blog there... and I'm getting "married" (or whatever us type of folk do)... and I just plain run out of time!

But I have heard from both of my readers, so... I'm getting back to it.
Besides, I have to talk about the Harry Potter movie!

The Economist gets it right

The Economist magazine's cover, which hits the streets officially tomorrow, is on oil... and it gets it right. "The oiloholics"

And how tasty is this.

America and China, in their different ways, are drunk on oil consumption. The longer they put off taking the steps needed to curb their habit, the worse the headache will be. George Bush once learned that lesson about alcohol. It is time for him to wean America off oiloholism too.

The NYT today also had an interesting item about the Bush administration's new mileage regulations.

Market Place: Fuel Economy Plan Bypasses California to Help Out Detroit [NYT, 8.25.2005]

Most of the media is going on about gas prices, but it seems to me that the real story is about consumption.

Oil crisis redux

Just let me note that I'm an environment freak, so I was very interested to read the article in the NYT Magazine on Sunday about oil (linked below).

The Breaking Point [NYT Magazine, 8.28.2005]
The United States and China are counting on the Saudis to satisfy our growing thirst for oil. The Saudis say they can supply all our needs. Critics say that that is becoming impossible. They just might turn out to be right.

I have always found the U.S. arguments on oil to be specious. Americans seems to have a feeling that they deserve to be able to drive whatever kind of car they want whenever they want to. And I have been shocked that conservatives -- where oh where have the conservatives gone? -- have not been pushing this country to become energy independent. The best way to institute regime change in the Middle East is to stop buying their oil.

From the American standpoint, one argument in favor of conservation and a switch to alternative fuels is that by limiting oil imports, the United States and its Western allies would reduce their dependence on a potentially unstable region. (In fact, in an effort to offset the risks of relying on the Saudis, America's top oil suppliers are Canada and Mexico.) In addition, sending less money to Saudi Arabia would mean less money in the hands of a regime that has spent the past few decades doling out huge amounts of its oil revenue to mosques, madrassas and other institutions that have fanned the fires of Islamic radicalism. The oil money has been dispensed not just by the Saudi royal family but by private individuals who benefited from the oil boom -- like Osama bin Laden, whose ample funds, probably eroded now, came from his father, a construction magnate. Without its oil windfall, Saudi Arabia would have had a hard time financing radical Islamists across the globe.

For the Saudis, the political ramifications of reduced demand for its oil would not be negligible. The royal family has amassed vast personal wealth from the country's oil revenues. If, suddenly, Saudis became aware that the royal family had also failed to protect the value of the country's treasured resource, the response could be severe. The mere admission that Saudi reserves are not as impressively inexhaustible as the royal family has claimed could lead to hard questions about why the country, and the world, had been misled. With the death earlier this month of the long-ailing King Fahd, the royal family is undergoing another period of scrutiny; the new king, Abdullah, is in his 80's, and the crown prince, his half-brother Sultan, is in his 70's, so the issue of generational change remains to be settled. As long as the country is swimming in petro-dollars -- even as it is paying off debt accrued during its lean years -- everyone is relatively happy, but that can change. One diplomat I spoke to recalled a comment from Sheik Ahmed Zaki Yamani, the larger-than-life Saudi oil minister during the 1970's: ''The Stone Age didn't end for lack of stone, and the oil age will end long before the world runs out of oil.''

The article notes that today, demand is catching up with the supply -- and that the end of the oil era does not necessarily mean that there is no more oil.

NYT columnist Thomas Friedman has chided the Bush administration for not using the political capital it gained as a result of the September 11, 2001, to launch a campaign to become energy sufficient. That would mean reducing imports, tapping home grown reserves, and reducing consumption. To be honest, if we had a plan to dramatically reduce consumption, I would not oppose dilling in Alaska, but without such acknowledgment that we are using more than we should, tapping those reserves is just wrong.

I am repeatedly shocked at the people who drive Hummers or huge SUVs professing to love America. But it seems to me that by living beyond our means actually show disdain for this country -- not only environmentally but also socially and and politically. Our gluttonous consumption of oil funds corrupt regimes, allowing them to continue in the Middle East and elsewhere around the world.

Furthermore, cheap oil has altered our perceptions of what is right or feasible. It has disseminated our downtown and cities and caused the horrible sprawl, which further destroys our environment. And it has prevented us from making even basic alternative plans. Here in the Washington region, there are numerous examples. Ty sons Corner, it is a picture of failed planning. Pedestrians take their lives into their own hands when then try to walk through the area. And the new Wilson Bridge will not have a way to walk or bike across the bridge.  And it is shocking to me that we cannot demand even modest increases in average care mileage requirements.

As you can tell, I would highly recommend the story.

Hello from London...

Hello... coming to you from London where we are traveling with The Family for the week. And it is DMV's first ever visit to this city, which is just shocking.

It has been a great trip so far, despite catching yet another cold on a trip. Argh! Much more when I return on Sunday including... how London is dealing post 7-7 and 7-22... a review of the stage version of Mary Poppins... and more...

Don/Mike's solo

It was pretty amazing radio. Don Geronimo -- or by his real name, Michael Source -- returned to the radio Monday for the first time since the death of his wife, Freda, on the road returning from their second home in Ocean City, Md.

Unlike typical Don & Mike shows, it was just Don -- actually he said it was Mike, going by his real name.

As the WP reports this morning, Geronimo was quite moving.

In a remarkable 75-minute monologue that was part love letter and part eulogy, Geronimo spoke movingly of the woman he married nearly 24 years ago and who became an unlikely star of his nationally syndicated "Don & Mike Show."

Listen to interesting radio...

I am a huge fan of radio. I just love the medium. And I listen to a lot of radio, as you know if you have read this site at all. A few weeks ago, I posted about the death of the wife Don Geronimo, one half of the Don & Mike radio show, which is a DC-radio institution and is syndicated around the country. Much like Howard Stern's wife -- now ex-wife -- Geronimo's wife Freda was a regular part of the show. In fact, she was an important part of the show.

Don and Mike have retooled their show following the Jackson Super Bowl FCC crack-down and it isn't quite as good as it was -- you always get the sense that Don and Mike are not putting on the show that they really want to do. It still is very good and very fun and is a CJD-fav.

Perhaps the best part of the show, much like Howard's show, is when they talk about their own stuff, whether it be their lives or their work or their vacations... or whatever. It may just be stick, but it works. It sounds real. And it makes them a part of your life -- the true power of radio.

Geronimo has been off since his wife was killed in a car accident. Today -- this afternoon starting at 3p ET -- Don returns to talk about Frida in what will be pretty amazing radio. Here in DC, the show can be heard on WJFK-FM at 106.7 FM, but they also stream the show from the station's home page at http://wjfk.com. Geronimo is a pretty amazing radio guy and, if his radio personality is real at all, the only thing he loves more than his radio show is/was his wife. I think it will be amazing stuff.

Crash the wedding...

I haven't posted in awhile. Work has been amazingly busy. Good busy, but very busy. So there are a number of updates. First off, movies. Last weekend, we went to see The Wedding Crashers. In fact, we went to a movie on a Friday night... a Friday night after 10p. Generally, that is nothing short of shocking because by Friday nights, DMV and I are both just short of drewling on ourselves because we are so tired. But we have been very excited about seeing this movie largely because it is directed by the fiance of one of DMV's college friends. MW is amazing, and we have met the director, David Dobkin, several times. That includes visiting them on location in St. Michaels, Md. at the Inn at Perry Cabin, where the big wedding in the movie takes place. (Totally coincidentally, when we were there that weekend, we got to meet NBC White House reporter David Gregory, his wife and son.)

So we have been waiting for this movie to come out for more than a year. We made sure to see it opening night. The movie is not typically my type of movie, but the movie has received good buzz and good reviews. And the movie is wonderful fun. The story is about these two friends who crash weddings for the sake of scoring. And the first third of it is a succession of those scores. The second third is the pairs attempt to get into the Treasury Secretary's wedding. The final third is a bit of a love story.

The movie has some cliches, but it is very funny. Definitely worth seeing. Nice work David! We look forward to seeing more.

CJD grade: A-

The same weekend, we saw Mr. and Mrs. Smith, starring Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie. Both of them are hired assasins, but neither knows it. It is a tad bit unbelievable, but who cares about that. The worst part of the movie is the last third of it when the couple is now resisting getting captured by the people who have hired them. (And those are the kinds of streaches that the movie asks you to make repleatedly.) The movie is very average, but is made better because of the interplay between Pitt and Jolie. (No shock there!)

CJD grade: C+

Why am I a recovering Catholic?

Even beyond the fact that I am gay and the Pope ain't to fond of The Gay... there was this story:

Pope Criticizes Harry Potter [London Times, 7.13.2005]
Pope Benedict XVI has condemned the Harry Potter books as "subtle seductions," capable of corrupting young Christians, in two letters which have now been published online.

And apparently the Church isn't a big fan of the DaVinci Code either.

All of this, of course, comes after the church is reexaming its postion on evolution, of all things.

Somehow I'm become more and more anti-religion these days, and the amazing thing is that it isn't my fault!

Freda Wright-Sorce, RIP

Part of my afternoon routine is the Don & Mike radio show, heard in Washington, D.C. on WJFK-FM. Pre-FCC crackdown, the show was essentially a afternoon drive shock-jock show akin to the Howard Stern show. The team, which are now syndicated nationally from here in DC, have toned down their on-air humor, she show is still a lot of fun. And much like Stern's on-air relationship with his then wife, Don Geronimo regularly featured his wife on the program. The best parts of the show are Don & Mike talking about their lives -- personal or professional. That included his relationship with his wife.

Today, I was expecting Don and Mike to be back on the air after a two-week vacation. Instead, there is this news:

Freda Wright-Sorce, the wife of radio personality Don Geronimo and a frequent contributor to the popular nationally syndicated "Don and Mike" show, died in a traffic accident Sunday.

Wright-Sorce, 50, often called in to the comedy show on Washington radio station WJFK known for its outlandish humor and pranks, said Michael Hughes, the station's general manager.

State police said her vehicle was struck head-on Sunday afternoon by a vehicle that crossed the median on Route 90 in an attempt to avoid a pile-up. She died later Sunday at the University of Maryland Shock Trauma Center in Baltimore, hospital spokeswoman Cindy Rivers said.

      The pile-up temporarily closed westbound Route 90, state police said.

It is so strange when somebody dies that I don't know at all yet who I feel like I know. And you can just tell that Don (real name Michael Sorce) and Freda had a very special relationship and that they loved each other. Don had just bought Freda that car as a birthday present for her 50th birthday... something that she blogged about it on the Don & Mike Web site (but which may have been pulled down).

Godspeed, Freda... and Don.

Update: From the Don and Mike Web site... In lieu of flowers please make a donation in the name of Freda Wright-Sorce to the Worcester County Humane Society. It has a form you can use to make contributions... or here is the address:
Worcester Humane Society
P.O. Box 48
Berlin MD 21811

All cards and letters may be sent to
Sorce Family
10800 Main Street
Fairfax, VA 22030