The Democrats in the Senate are now looking at going it alone on passing a health care bill, through the budget reconciliation process, which cannot be filibustered, hence it requires only a majority of votes for passage. The reconciliation process is not a “minor revolution,” as Republicans used it to pass the Bush tax cuts.Continue reading “On Health Care Reform Strategies”
Category Archives: General
On Productivity and Preoccupation
Ever have a day where you’re completely unfocused, where your mind wanders, where your time management skills are all shot to heck, and where the clouds drifting past the office are infinitely more interesting than the work on you desk? Yeah, today was one of those days. Which is why it came as a completeContinue reading “On Productivity and Preoccupation”
On Watching Saturday Afternoon Baseball
I so love watching baseball on FOX and listening to Joe Buck and Tim McCarver. “Let me tell you one thing about Jack Fox,” says McCarver. “He can hit.” Well, no shit, Sherlock. And of course, they have to mention Steve Bartman.
On Turmoil in TrekLit
In light of editor Margaret Clark’s firing at Pocket Books earlier this week, my friend Jon Polk mused on the state of Star Trek literature today. Jon’s is a contrarian viewpoint, and, as one might assume from my recent participation in an round-table discussion about the new Star Trek film and its effects on Treklit,Continue reading “On Turmoil in TrekLit”
On a Spike in Website Traffic
After wondering why my website has seen a 250% (or more) increase in site traffic over the past week, I think I’ve found the answer. It’s Taptu, a new search engine tailored for the iPhone. Their bot, apparently, doesn’t behave like a bot. It acts like an iPhone, it serves a User-Agent string like anContinue reading “On a Spike in Website Traffic”
On Being Histamatic
I am histamatic. That’s my word-coinage for the day, defined as “I itch all freakin’ over.” Why is Allyn histamatic? I ate some mango in a fruit salad a few days ago. Mango contains trace quantities of urushiol, the active toxin in poison ivy that causes skin irritation. Cashews also contain trace amounts of urushiol.Continue reading “On Being Histamatic”
On Upcoming Arthurian Films
Bryan Singer is attached to Warners’ remake of Excalibur. Interestingly, Warren Ellis is working on an Arthurian treatment and script for Warners called “Excalibur.” Could these be the same projects? This post at Slashfilm suggests they are, with some interesting evidence that isn’t there on Ellis’ site anymore. Newsarama, however, says they’re not the same.Continue reading “On Upcoming Arthurian Films”
On People on the Train
Little known fact. In the neighborhood where I work, there’s a meth outpatient treatment facility. I usually see them in the mornings, as they congregate, in massive groups, at the light rail stop. Most mornings, there’s a couple on the train that I ride. They have interesting conversations. I pretend not to notice them. ThisContinue reading “On People on the Train”
On Obama and Progressives
Paul Krugman on Obama and the progressive backlash. I don’t disagree with it, because it tracks with my own thinking over the past eighteen months.
On Unnecessary Remakes
Dear Robert Zemekis, I have two words for you about this new movie of yours. Fuck you. Signed, A Beatles fan