Hey --
Another Sunday and we're finished sooner than ever but not soon enough, or as soon as planned at least.
Whatta we got?
Our spotlights inclue:
Music Spotlight: Kat on Cat Power's The Greatest
Encuesta: 72 por ciento de soldados estadounidenses en Irak quieren retirarse en un ano
Humor Spotlight: Wally's Bully Boy Press
Update Spotlight: America's Funniest Videos? Not that American
Music Spotlight: Kat on Nina Simone
C.I. on Tuesday's NSA hearing
Blog Spotlight: Mike on those who profit from the war
Blog Spotlight: Rebecca on the administration's marketing
Blog Spotlight: Betinna lunches with The Times
Blog Spotlight: Cedric goes to the movies
Kitchen Spotlight: Pasta Timbale
We thank everyone for letting us repost. We also thank Dallas for hunting down links each and every week. C.I. pointed out that Dallas wasn't thanked recently in a note. That was our oversight and we apologize for it.
New content?
"Editorial: Bully Boy plays his only card" -- and what card would that be? (We think you know.)
"TV Review: American Dad giving the nation and fatherhood a bad name" Ava and C.I., as always, wrote the TV review themselves. We think it's got humor and insight and, hopefully, won't require two updates. (We'll get to that.)
"Bully Boy and the "I" nations (no, not Iraq)" India and Iran. Are you paying attention?
"Quick Bully Boy thought for Sunday" we wanted to work a news item in. We were at a loss, and the hour was late, when someone (we think Mike) suggested we do it as a brief item. We did that. Hopefully, it will get more attention that way.
"The envelope please ... And the Punk Ass Award goes to ..." as a certain someone gets praised for every bowel movement these days, we thought it was time to offer the contrarian voice we're so proud of.
"Confirmed: America's Funniest Videos disguises foreign videos to its audience" the updates. C.I. and Ava did one at The Common Ills mid-week and we were going to repost that (and did) but then they had confirmation (via a forwarded e-mail from ABC) that the official line from the network was that America's Funniest Videos weren't necessarily . . . American.
"Bully Boy and the nukes" is our attempt to continue getting the word out on Laura Flanders' radio show. We hope you'll listen. (Medea Benjamin and Walter Mosley are among the guests on Sunday's show.)
"Thoughts on Air America" was a reader request. We're not pleased with it to be honest. You've got a cold traveling through three of us, a nasty one, C.I. pressed for time and a general "finish it!" attitude. We actually researched this one prior to Saturday (speaking with someone at AAR, asking for Common Ills community members to share their stories via the gina & krista round-robin). On another weekend, we think this feature would be quite a bit more. On this weekend, we just wanted to finish it and get into bed. (Especially those suffering from colds.) So, in the words of the one and only Kat, it is what it is.
Everything (new) but the TV commentaries were written by the following:
The Third Estate Sunday Review's Dona, Jess, Ty, Ava and Jim;
Rebecca of Sex and Politics and Screeds and Attitude;
Betty of Thomas Friedman Is a Great Man;
C.I. of The Common Ills and The Third Estate Sunday Review;
Kat of Kat's Korner (of The Common Ills);
Cedric of Cedric's Big Mix;
Mike of Mikey Likes It!;
Elaine of Like Maria Said Paz;
and Wally of The Daily Jot.
Hopefully, you found something to enjoy in this edition, something to make you laugh, think or get motivated.
-- Jim, Dona, Jess, Ty, Ava and C.I.
P.S. Micah just e-mailed and asked if we could highlight a WBAI program today (and on two other days as well, time is eastern standard):
6:30-7:00 pm: Equal Time for Freethought
March 5th, 12th and 19th, The Trials of Democracy: American Nationalism, Religion, and Foreign Policy - Anatol Lieven, "America Right or Wrong: An Anatomy of American Nationalism"; Pervez Hoodbhoy; & Stephen Bronner, "Blood in the Sand: Imperial Fantasies, Right-Wing Ambitions, and the Erosion of American Democracy."
What is the relationship between nationalism and religion in the US? How do Americans see the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, and why?
How does nationalism and religion in America influence US Foreign Policy? And what is the relationship between Islamic Fundamentalism, and US Foreign Policy? As Iraq slips into civil war, bin Laden continues to record threats of terror against America, and the misguided brouhaha in the western press over the Muslim reaction to Danish cartoons unfavorably depicting Islam, add to the tensions of the modern world, these kinds of questions are more important than ever.
Anatol Lieven, originally from the UK, offers a European take on American nationalism while Stephen Bronner offers an American-born outlook, and Pervez Hoodbhoy offers a Pakistani (Muslim world) outlook.
So tune in, pay it forward, and question everything with Equal Time for Freethought on Sunday's at 6:30pm on WBAI - 99.5FM or at www.wbai.org.
The Trials of Democracy: American Nationalism, Religion, and Foreign Policy will air on March 5th, 12th and 19th.