Name that post!

life is getting kinda hectic. i haven't had a chance to get on my internet soapbox about this whole MNF terrell owens thing:

ABC apologizes for steamy MNF intro
ABC apologizes for risque scene on Monday Night Football
'Desperate' segment backfires for ABC
Controversy surrounding Owens' MNF promo touches deep social issues

maybe i'll get a chance this weekend. starting to get into a finals aka full-time-study-mode. one change you might note is i'm going to start naming my blog posts. its getting a little hard to read otherwise. i'll explore the possibility of going back and retroactively naming older posts. that's it for now.

in the scary post Enlightenment new "moral" world we live in comes this news: TV stations cancel 'Saving Private Ryan'

apparently the networks are so scared of potential FCC fines, americans can't even see an excellent oscar winning movie on veteran's day.

Cole [ an ABC spokesperson] cited recent FCC actions and last week's re-election of President Bush as reasons for replacing Saving Private Ryan on Thursday with a music program and the TV movie Return to Mayberry.

"We're just coming off an election where moral issues were cited as a reason by people voting one way or another and, in my opinion, the commissioners are fearful of the new Congress," Cole said.

lest anyone think ABC is being irrationally cautious. when NBC aired an unedited version of the holocaust film, Schindler's List in 1997 republicans in congress denounced the film's nudity, violence, and profanity. read the full story here.

Rep. Tom Coburn (R-Okla.) urged public outrage to stop the networks "from polluting the minds of our children." [Coburn stated] NBC's airing took network television "to an all-time low, with full-frontal nudity, violence and profanity being shown in our homes." Coburn said Sunday's broadcast "only encourages the airing of more sex and violence. "I cringe when I realize that there were children all across this nation watching this program. They were exposed to the violence of multiple gunshot head wounds, vile language, full frontal nudity and irresponsible sexual activity."

and if that doesn't depress you enough, in this past election the good people of oklahoma saw fit to elect mr. coburn as their new senator. be very afraid. . .

two more online must reads. the first from the onion, btw those good folks and jon stewart i really don't need to read too much else.

i was reading this on the el on the way into school this a.m. an older lady looked over my shoulder saw the headline, laughed and nodded her head. its funny, sad, apropos and worth reading. the article titled: "Nation's Poor Win Election for Nation's Rich"

some highlights: "The Republican party�the party of industrial mega-capitalists, corporate financiers, power brokers, and the moneyed elite�would like to thank the undereducated rural poor, the struggling blue-collar workers in Middle America, and the God-fearing underpriviledged minorities who voted George W. Bush back into office," Karl Rove, senior advisor to Bush, told reporters at a press conference Monday. "You have selflessly sacrificed your well-being and voted against your own economic interest. For this, we humbly thank you." Added Rove: "You have acted beyond the call of duty�or, for that matter, good sense."

next thing to click on is this great article from the new yorker. i may just have to breakdown and subscribe, i've been reading so many seymour hersh and other good stuff of theirs for free online over the last two years, i'm starting to feel guilty about not kicking in some cash.

anyway this article by Malcolm Gladwell is called "High Prices" and its an excellent illuminating piece on the high cost of health care in this country, specfically drug costs. read it!

apologies for the hiatus. my friend just got married this weekend, my anniversary was yesterday, and i have to register for spring classes on friday. whew! not finished yet, got an out-of-town guest coming in tomrrow and its off to wisconsin this weekend for abby's baby shower.

we're entering in that time of year that's just a whirlwind of holiday events, finals, travel, etc. etc. a more detailed update will follow hopefully on friday when i'll have a chance to catch my breath.
for now just an update from the last post; my dad has recommended to me another great article about the election from gary wills:

The Day the Enlightenment Went Out (may need NY Times pword)
The Day the Enlightenment Went Out (no pword required)

it is not without a small degree of pride i note that mr. wills is an adjunct professor of history at my alama mater, northwestern. go cats!

links to two good columns from the nytimes:
Two Nations Under God
The Red Zone

well the election is over. let's show our president what he's won -- iraq, a deficit, social security in the red, baby boomers retiring. did i mention north korea and iran will have more nuclear weapons in the next four years? mr. president rots of ruck to you and the gop in congress. remember the only thing worse than not getting what you want -- is getting what you want.

the uk's daily mirror pretty much sums up my feelings. who are these people that voted for bush you ask? here's a good breakdown @ cnn. now i know there are calls for reconciliation and unity blah, blah. i repeat the promise i made four years ago, "i promise to treat george bush with the same respect and diginity republicans showed bill clinton." you can bet that i'll keep that promise. cheers.

ah, halloween. getting dressed up and acting silly for a few hours. sarah and i went as characters from one of our favorite tv shows, alias. we went to party in the south loop my buddy from john marshall was hosting and then to a bar. good stuff, i even ran into some purdue fans and got to rub in the wildcats improbable victory.