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Women Turning U.S. Blue?

Newsweeks' Politics Blog is exploring the pivotal role that women played in this week's election—they wanted change, went to the polls and made it happen. Go, grrls.

What if Mississippi had a "Challenge Day"?

On today's episode of Oprah, 64 students at a high school were brought into the gym to discuss and confront issues that divide teenagers - issues which continue into adults. Class. Race. Ideals about beauty. The whole experience seemed to have a major impact on these kids. What if something similar was done in this state for all the citizens? That day would be challenging, but necessary.

Jesus, He Knows Me

This was recorded 15 years ago. Funny thing is it's still up to date; they wouldn't even have to make a new video.

A New Contract With America?

An interesting piece in Salon today takes on the idea of what "corruption" really meant to Americans as they went to the polls last night. Exit polls showed that corruption was the top issue—even bigger than the Iraq War. Something about that fact makes me very proud to be an American today. You can only lie to and cheat the American people for so long. Arrogance lost last night. From the Salon piece:

Mississippi in the Times

There's an article in yesterday's Times about an advertising campaign to show Mississippi as not last in everything. Though the quotes are kind of balanced, I still feel like it's making fun of Mississippi a bit too much, makes it seem like our only hope is advertising to make people like us. Any comments?

Clarion-Ledger Publisher Is History

In case you missed it in the rout of Republicans last night, The Clarion-Ledger announced that publisher John Newhouse is leaving the company (NOT country). That means we're looking at the fourth publisher in about 2.5 years over there. Newhouse led the charge to control the distribution of free publications in the metro, and was at the helm when the state attorney general started investigating the TDN distribution scheme.

Clarion-Ledger No Longer a ‘Newspaper'?

My, my. It seems that Gannett Co. is causing consternation in its news room and talk in the newspaper industry by its decisions to turn its newspapers into "information center" in order to "stay relevant" and seek out the "mojo" of the Internet and "ground-up" news sources. The Washington Post:

James Blunt, New Voice in Pop

Anyway, in case you're wondering if Blunt is a one-hit wonder, here's "High":

So you've probably heard "You're Beautiful," James Blunt's smash hit--a song that became so popular, so fast, that it has already inspired a clever (if slightly mean) Weird Al parody. There's no denying the vocal power of this guy, and the only strike against the song, for me, is the overall weirdness of the lyrics--which makes more sense if you hear it as a character study rather than a serious love song, a song that captures the way men think rather than the way men should think.

Almost the Beatles

The lineup for this version of "While My Guitar Gently Weeps":

Casey's NY Times Blog FREE

My blog for the New York Times is free this week if anyone wants to read it:

Back from Iraq

Last year, we were all on edge.

"I'm not making fruit salad!" my mother affirmed -- more than once -- as Christmas approached. She gleaned the fruit salad recipe from my dad's grandpa years ago. No one can quite figure out why, in a family of several dozen, he only gave the recipe to her. After two decades of moving that sweet homemade whipped cream, mandarin orange and other fruit concoction around my mouth, I could guess it well enough. But she is the only person who can make it just right.

Vanity Fair ‘NeoCulpa' Posted

The much bally-hooed Vanity Fair piece NeoCulpa is online. And, yup, it's just in time for the election.

Florida GOP Gov Candidate Ducks Bush

My, how things have changed. The political albatross that President Bush has become was yet more apparent today when a Republican candidate for governor ducked an appearance with the president today. This is particularly ironic in the state that put Bush in the White House in the first place.

Joint Editorial: Rummy Must Go

In what's being described as a rare joint editorial due to appear in print on Monday, the Army Times, Navy Times, Marine Corp Times and Air Force Times will call on President Bush to fire SecDef Donald Rumsfeld, regardless of the outcome of the election. (The Military Times publications are not government newspapers -- they are independent newspapers that are part of the Gannett publishing empire aimed at sales to U.S. servicemen and women. They also have some extraordinarily old-school websites. Yowza.)

Home

Flying from Seattle, Wa., to Chicago, I feel weightless for exactly two seconds.

Amidst so much movement, I think I should be finding more things to write about. The truth is, most of my life in the last month has been spent on planes. I am restless, tired of security checks and complimentary beverages. I am slowly learning how to make more of these propellings: bending my small fingers over thread to make bracelets, reading entire issues of Newsweek and Time (not just the articles that are interesting to me), writing just for me and reading so many books.

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