Category: Current Affairs

Enron guilty. ‘Akeelah’ rocks. The New Yorker plans its digital facelift. Another look at the indies v. chains bookstore debate and I celebrate an anniversary.

The Pulitzer Prizes were announced today. I know exactly none of these people.

According to this news story, President Bush’s approval ratings are the lowest of his presidency, just 37% with nearly 70% of thise polled saying the country is on the wrong track. I’ll be mentioning this to Baratunde, whom is here in Austin and I had dinner with last night. He’s probably over the moon.

San Francisco is one of the cities invited to submit a proposal to host the 2008 Republican National Convention.

Please duck. I just saw a flying pig (via SFist).

The New York Times reports this morning that the Democrats are not taking advantage of dents in the Republican armor, much the way the GOP did in 1994. Why doesn’t this surprise me? Why do I have to belong to the party with all the right values and not a lick of an idea on how to win elections?

Sheesh.

Did you hear that Mr. Vargas (Ridgemont High’s spacy science teacher) died? Sad.

Actor Michael Vale who turned the phrase, “Time to make the donuts” into part of our shared lexicon as the sheepish baker of many commercials, has died. He was 83.

Governor Schwarzenegger has decided not grant Stanley “Tookie” Williams clemency which means Williams will die by lethal injection tomorrow night.

I have no idea whether Mr. Williams is guilty or innocent. But I don’t believe in the death penalty because A) it doesn’t work and B) I think society should be more civil than its criminals. And revenge, no matter how justified it seems, is no way to run a democracy.

Help us all.

UPDATE: San Francisco Chronicle coverage of the execution which happened at 12:01 this morning. It’s pretty clear where they stand. I did learn though that there is a pro-death penalty advocacy group, The Criminal Justice Legal Foundation, which calls itself “the only public interest organization in America working full time to assure that our courts respect the rights of crime victims and law-abiding society,” in addition to groups like The National Coalition to Abolish the Death Penalty.

Salon reports that CBGBs has reached an agreement with their landlord and will stay open until October of next year. Their rent will go up to market rate and they must move by next fall. Owner Hilly Kristal is already looking for another location in lower Manhattan.

Seems fair to me.

So all four of the Governer’s ballot measures have failed.

Boo Yah!