Should just post this...

I wrote this months ago and never posted it...I guess I will post it now, kinda like a b-side demo of a band...


There is a meme going around the blogosphere where different people are posting the books that have most inspired them, so I thought I would bring it here. I know we've had similar things like this before (in the what, however man years we've all been posting), but I guess it's worth having again. What I'm really thinking is: What are the books (or any writing) that has made you the person you are today. So, obviously, I don't mean to make a list of just Melville, Dostoevsky, Joyce, and so on. This isn't the canon--just your own! Equally, if that's a magazine or newspaper or something--that's fair game!

My list:

The Bible: Yes, It's obvious, but it has to be here. If any of you were to have a conversation with one of my relatives, within like five minutes, the Bible would be brought up as a serious topic of discussion. But, besides that, I do think there are some beautiful passages in the Bible...The creation story, the sermon on the mount, the book of Job, The Song of Songs, The Gospel of John, ect. And, of course, despite its common misuse, I do believe in the central tenets and that many of the crazy things described did happen.

The Hardy Boys Mysteries: There are like 200 or something of these books, so I lump them together. I should note--I can't remember actually finishing any these books. But, among my friends in the 3rd and 4th grade, these books were the in thing. We used to check them from the library, and only the cool kids read the Hardy Boys. I used to check them out and pretend to read them. I suppose the Hardy Boys were one of my first realization of oppressive social hierarchies among other people.

The Way Things Ought To Be by Rush Limbaugh: I borrowed this from my Grandpa when I was like 12, which would have been 1995. It was my first true foray into political ideology. This isn't even a good book (It's not even truly written by Rush), but it holds a special place in my heart.

The Great Gatsby by F. S. Fitzgerald: I read this in 11th grade English. I missed a lot of the important references, but even at the time I knew it was special. This book gets a lot of hype, but it's truly one of the best works of American literature.

The Lord of The Rings: Just truly an amazing work. Enough said. Probably one of the first times I really sat down and truly explored a book.

National Review Magazine: The only non-book. I first found National Review right before the '04 presidential election--when the BBS was in a frenzy. National Review introduced me to a whole new world of writing and thinking. I still subscribe and religiously read the magazine.

George Orwell- Essays: One of the best fiction writers of the 20th century, was arguably the best essayist. Orwell writes with passion, and the people he profiles jump from the page.

Brideshead Revisited by Evelyn Waugh: I read this in the fall of 06, right after I had become a Catholic.

Awesomeness

Broken Bells- The Ghost Inside...

Palin 2010

On my twitter, Marc Ambinder has retweeted a story from Tim Lee, of theAmerican Thinker blog, about Sarah Palin's chances of running for President in 2012. It's assumed by most people that she intends on running, given her enormous popularity and financial situation. Lee believes that Palin is in a better position now, in 2010, than Obama was in 2006.

Lee compares Obama and Palin by looking at their momentum, base consitituancies, internet organziation, and political brand. The biggest flaw in Lee's analysis comes in the brand section:

Should she challenge Obama in 2012, Palin, who has run a state and a small business, will have to answer similar doubts about her leadership abilities. Team Obama and its allies will consistently call her a "quitter" or a "half-term governor," and Palin, like Obama in '08, can quell these doubts by hiring the right people and running a seamless organization devoid of turmoil and drama. How she manages Palin, Inc. will determine whether voters will trust her to lead the country.

When Obama was mulling a presidential run in 2006, his chief advisor David Axelrod, as reported by Dan Balz and Haynes Johnson, told him that "history is replete with potential candidates for the presidency who waited too long rather than examples of people who ran too soon. ... You will never be hotter than you are right now."

History is indeed unkind to those who hesitate, but how often does history have a repeat performance? My instincts tell me that Palin would be at a disadvantage for running another transformative campaign because Obama stole her thunder. It's widely assumed that the only reason McCain snatched Palin up from obscurity was to compete with Obama. This tactic worked for about two weeks, until the infamous Katie Couric interview and whole Tina Fay Saturday Night Live skits.

Americans just had a transformative presidency and we've seen that Obama was mainly the product of a well oiled marketing machine. Is a Palin wave going to come from the so called "silent majority"? Obama's main selling point was that he transcended the politics of the silent majority vs. liberal establishment. He was the post-partisan riding up to rescue us from Bushian trench warfare of the past eight years.

Equally, I'm less convenced that any amount of marketing is going to resolve the fact that Palin quit after her first term as Governor. Either way you slice it, Palin comes off looking like a loser.

While there is no denying that Lee is correct that Palin's best opportunity may be 2012; I fear that giving Obama a chance to run against Palin would be the equivalent of Reagan vs. Mondale--we all know how that turned out. As far as 2010 goes, I'm with Ross Douthat, bullish on Indiana's Mitch Daniels

Hitchens Interview

Gosh, I wish I had a subscription to Hugh Hewitt's website. Hewitt interviewed journalist Christopher Hitchens on his memoir "Hitch-22". I purchased the book in early June and obsorbed it. It was engrossing and entertaining. I love Hitchens and despreatly with that I could meet him.

Anyway, here is the interview.

Hitchens was recently diagnosed with cancer of the esophagus, which is father also passed away from.

My first ever published piece of writing

This is nothing to write home about--oh wait--I did...Nevermind, well, anyway, this is not exactly the best or most interesting story. But, in Janurary, I attended the New England Newspaper and Press Association conference at the Boston Park Plaza hotel. It was definatly a learning experience! I had never been a reporter before, nor had I been trained properly in even what to do. They just gave me an assignment and sent me on my way.

Thankfully, after a rewrite, my story ended up working fairly well.

So, here it is

Lemon Jelly - His Majesty King Raam

Too add to my other post...

I should have read Reihan Salam before I posted about the election. His take on the election is pretty much mine (except his is well written and much more insightful).

Read!