Thursday, April 28, 2005

Thomas Frank explains why the Democrats don't understand the culture backlash and why it cost them the 2004 election in this article from the New York Review of Books.

Wednesday, April 27, 2005

In this Newsweek column, Jonathan Alter explains why he thinks House Majority Leader Tom DeLay should stay in his post until the 2006 election:

"DeLay's views on muscling the judiciary and ending the separation of church and state (which he believes is a fiction) offend the Constitution. That makes it too important to leave to the media and the rest of the Washington scandal machine to remedy. This job belongs to the voters, who can hammer the Hammer by siding against his many acolytes in Congress. Let's make 2006 a referendum on the right wing. For that, DeLay must stay."

Tuesday, April 26, 2005

Edward Jay Epstein tells you "How To Finance a Hollywood Blockbuster" in this Slate article.


"As paradoxical and absurd as it sounds, it's cheaper for a Hollywood studio to make a big-budget action movie than to make a shoestring art film like Sideways. Consider Paramount's 2001 action flick Lara Croft: Tomb Raider. On paper, Tomb Raider's budget was $94 million. In fact, the entire movie cost Paramount less than $7 million."

Monday, April 25, 2005

Elizabeth Kolbert explains how global warming is changing the arctic in this New Yorker article.

Thursday, April 21, 2005

I've added Metafilter to the blog roll on the right side of Blogenheimer. Metafilter is a community weblog with many members since anyone can join and contribute a link or a comment. I almost always find something interesting there.

Wednesday, April 20, 2005

According to this Globe and Mail article, Bobby Clarke, a ferry operator from Northern Manitoba may have video taped bigfoot:

"What he captured, according to his sister, Sharness Henry, is the image of a massive creature that stands eight, nine, maybe 10 feet (three metres) tall, walking along the edge of the water through some bulrushes. Near the end of the video, the creature turns and appears to stare into the camera, but the details of its face are impossible to make out.

"He's really hairy," Ms. Henry said."

Tuesday, April 19, 2005

As part of its series of discussions about "the present and future of the Democratic Party" Salon interviews Brian Schweitzer, the Democratic Governor of Montana.

"The future is wearing a turquoise bolo tie wrapped around the open collar of a blue-and-white-striped button-down dress shirt. And if that doesn't sound quite right, then you haven't considered the mismatched gray suit coat or the blue jeans and boots down below. Meet Brian Schweitzer, the soil sciences major who grew up to be the governor of Montana -- and may be the next best hope of the Democratic Party."

Monday, April 18, 2005

Sasha Frere-Jones discusses the reunion of the band Slint in this New Yorker article.

Sunday, April 17, 2005

Web Zen presents 10 ways to kill time on the internet including games like Shootin' Starz and Notepad Invaders.

Thursday, April 14, 2005

In this New York Times article, Edmund Andrews explains the potential dangers of the alternative minimum tax:

"Baffling in its complexity and often bizarre in its impact, the alternative minimum tax is a giant undeclared tax increase that will ensnare tens of millions of moderate-income families in the next several years."

Wednesday, April 13, 2005

This Slate article explains how names become popular:

"Once a name catches on among high-income, highly educated parents, it starts working its way down the socioeconomic ladder. Amber, Heather, and Stephanie started out as high-end names. For every high-end baby given those names, however, another five lower-income girls received those names within 10 years."

Tuesday, April 12, 2005

In this New Yorker article James Surowiecki explains why the value of the dollar is falling and what it could mean for America's economy.

Monday, April 11, 2005

In this American Prospect article, Michael Tomasky wonders why no one in the mainstream media seems to have noticed that, according to the polls, George W. Bush is one of the least popular presidents in modern American history.

Thursday, April 07, 2005

Off the coast of Dubai, the Nakheel Corp is building a group of man-made islands called "The World", that will be shaped like the earth's continents.

"The World will consist of between 250 to 300 smaller private artificial islands divided into four categories - private homes, estate homes, dream resorts, and community islands. Each island will range from 250,000 to 900,000 square feet in size, with 50 to 100 metres of water between each island. The development is to cover an area of 9 kilometers in length and 6 kilometers in width, surrounded by an oval shaped breakwater. The only means of transportation between the islands will be by marine transport."

Wednesday, April 06, 2005

Google Maps can now find a satellite image of any address. Just click the Satellite link in the upper right hand corner.

Tuesday, April 05, 2005

According to this Business Week article, "In 1932, there were an estimated 150 pinball-machine makers worldwide. Today, Stern Pinball stands alone. Based in Melrose Park, Ill., about 10 miles west of Chicago, Stern has been the only game in town since its remaining competition folded in 1999, making Gary Stern -- its silver-haired, pinball-tie-wearing Willy Wonka of sorts -- the only person keeping this piece of Americana from extinction. "If we ever quit," he says, "that will be the end of pinball."

Monday, April 04, 2005

In this American Prospect article, Ohio University historian Kevin Mattson explains what liberals should learn from the tactics of conservatives during the 1960s:

"The right’s tactics weren’t loud or theatrical. Its activists operated under the radar to lay the groundwork. They worked almost entirely within the system, changing the Republican Party from moderate to conservative precinct by precinct. And their story challenges the left-wing narrative of idealism during the decade. That’s precisely why it should inform the way liberals think about the future. To win real power, liberals need to think about infrastructure, institutions, and ideas. And they’re not going to get these if they look to the late ’60s for inspiration."

Sunday, April 03, 2005

According to this Scientific American article, "Researchers are starting to pin down what déjà vu is and why it arises. But have you read this already? Maybe you just can't remember."