swimming freestyle

'Going West'

A short film for the New Zealand Book Council.  Produced by Colenso BBDO and animated by Andersen M Studio.

We could use some more 'failures' like this

File this along with the previous post under "big things being done that we're not aware of".  During and following President Obama's trip to Asia a couple weeks ago, the American media painted it as a humiliating failure; lacking an agenda and full of missed opportunities.  Conservatives, with the willing assistance of Fox News, portrayed President Obama's respectful bow to Japan's Emperor Akihito as a metaphor for Obama's foreign policy; too full of deference and concession.  

Even the NY Times piled on:

Mr. Obama and (Chinese) President Hu Jintao presented their two days of talks as substantive, even though they did not appear to make much progress on issues like Iran, China’s currency or human rights. Robert Gibbs, the White House spokesman, took the unusual step of sending a statement to reporters — something he did not do for either stop in Japan or Singapore — saying the China trip went well.

James Fallows at The Atlantic has, for the last week or so, been writing that the American media (unlike the Asian media) has done a pretty crappy job at reporting on Obama's Asia trip.  Yesterday, Fallows noted some important developments that followed Obama's "failed" trip to Asia.

  -  China Joins U.S. in Pledge of Hard Targets on Emissions (Link)

  -  China's backing on Iran followed dire predictions (Link)

  -  Mainland may pull some missiles: Expert (Link)

  -  RMB rate fine-tuning is possible (Link)

It's hard to avoid thinking the American media is often more interested in reporting the narrative that Obama is too methodical, too nuanced, too ambivalent, too indecisive.  Perhaps that's easier than actually doing analysis and reporting the news.

Obama boots lobbyists off federal advisory panels

It's easy to complain about the pace and competency of the Obama Administrations efforts to implement "change", but this was a nice Thanksgiving gift from the White House.

Hundreds, if not thousands, of lobbyists are likely to be ejected from federal advisory panels as part of a little-noticed initiative by the Obama administration to curb K Street's influence in Washington, according to White House officials and lobbying experts.

The new policy -- issued with little fanfare this fall by the White House ethics counsel -- may turn out to be the most far-reaching lobbying rule change so far from President Obama, who also has sought to restrict the ability of lobbyists to get jobs in his administration and to negotiate over stimulus contracts.

Under the policy, which is being phased in over the coming months, none of the more than 13,000 lobbyists in Washington would be able to hold seats on the committees, which advise agencies on trade rules, troop levels, environmental regulations, consumer protections and thousands of other government policies

Not surprisingly, the lobbying community has opposed the initiative.  It's hard to imagine what value there is in having lobbyists that always have the same predictable viewpoints and objectives serving on advisory panels. 

It makes me wonder whether more of this kind of thing is going on unnoticed - a slow, methodical effort by the Obama Administration to change the workings of government to our benefit.

A Thanksgiving poem

My favorite.  Happy Thanksgiving to all.

Giving Thanks

For the hay and the corn and the wheat that is reaped,
For the labor well done, and the barns that are heaped,
For the sun and the dew and the sweet honeycomb,
For the rose and the song and the harvest brought home --
Thanksgiving! Thanksgiving!

For the trade and the skill and the wealth in our land,
For the cunning and strength of the workingman's hand,
For the good that our artists and poets have taught,
For the friendship that hope and affection have brought --
Thanksgiving! Thanksgiving!

For the homes that with purest affection are blest,
For the season of plenty and well-deserved rest,
For our country extending from sea unto sea;
The land that is known as the "Land of the Free" --
Thanksgiving! Thanksgiving!

Senor Lou Dobbs ha cojones grandes

Ever since Lou Dobbs left CNN, rumors have been swirling he's interested in pursuing a political career.  One might reasonably assume Dobbs, who regularly made false and incendiary statements about illegal immigrants from Mexico filling our jails, taking our jobs and even spreading leprosy, might have some difficulty attracting the very important Hispanic vote. 

Not a problem.  Time for the political equivalent of the u-turn.

In a little-noticed interview Friday, Mr. Dobbs told Spanish-language network Telemundo he now supports a plan to legalize millions of undocumented workers, a stance he long lambasted as an unfair "amnesty

"Whatever you have thought of me in the past, I can tell you right now that I am one of your greatest friends and I mean for us to work together," (Dobbs) said in a live interview with Telemundo's Maria Celeste. "I hope that will begin with Maria and me and Telemundo and other media organizations and others in this national debate that we should turn into a solution rather than a continuing debate and factional contest."  (Link)

It's the old "I hope the voters are stupid" trick.  Old as time.

Top ten jazz albums of the decade

The holiday season is full of treats.  One of them, for me, is the top ten lists that invariably show up this time of year covering movies, books and music.  And this year will be extra special, as it's not only an opportunity to highlight this past years finest, but to look back on the best of the past decade.

The Times just published what they think are the Top Ten Jazz albums of the "noughties":

10. Metamorphosen by Branford Marsalis

Is there a better small group doing the rounds today? Marsalis and his long-standing sidemen play a propulsive post-bop that veers between peppery attack and moments of yearning tenderness (pianist Joey Calderazzo is outstanding on The Blossoming of Parting). A band who just continue to get better.

9 Mythologies by Patricia Barber

This cool, cerebral Chicago pianist is little known in Britain but this is her masterpiece. Each songs represents a character from Ancient Greek folklore; it is, though no learned treatise just an extraordinary exploration of moods and textures, the jazz leavened by hip-hop, funk and even an otherworldly rap.

8. Out Louder by Medeski Scofield Martin and Wood

The funky three, joined once again by guitarist John Scofield, play their irresistible groove music. But there's variety this time too - the Beatles' Julia, Peter Tosh's Legalize It and a New Orleans work-out - as well as the jam-band funk beloved of stoners across America.

7. Live in Tokyo by Brad Mehldau

The ascendant star of American piano jazz sets out his broad musical vision on this solo set. As well as staples such as Cole Porter, George Gershwin and Thelonious Monk, he brings Nick Drake to jazz audiences and discovers the link between Beethoven and Radiohead on an extraordinary Paranoid Android.

6. My One and Only Thrill by Melody Gardot

The story of how she discovered her musical gift after a horrific car crash made great press copy but this second album revealed she had the songwriting skills to match her angelic voice. Gardot can sing pop and the blues but it's her way with a torch song that sets her apart.

5. The Joni Letters by Herbie Hancock

On this surprise Grammy success, the pianist took the songs of his old friend Joni Mitchell and, while keeping faithful to the spirit, found something new to say about them. Meditative, reflective, it helped to have Wayne Shorter, Tina Turner and Norah Jones on board.

4. A Night in Paris by Diana Krall

She showed on The Look of Love that she can play the sultry siren cossetted by strings, and on The Girl in the Other Room that she can do singer-songwriterly introspection. Here she simply reminds us she is a great vocalist and pianist who can swing like the clappers.

3. The Soul of Things by Tomasz Stanko

A Sixties pioneer makes his mark in the Noughties. The Polish trumpeter's ethereal explorations evoke the twilight mood of Miles Davis's Kind of Blue but the mix of deep blues, swing and flashes of fire is uniquely Stanko.

2. East/West Live by Bill Frisell

Sometimes simplicity carries the biggest clout. The guitarist explores his musical loves, from American folk to avant-garde experiment via Marvin Gaye and Bob Dylan, aided only by bass, drums and some nifty effects pedals. The second set is good, the first is stunning.

1. Live in Hamburg by EST

In a decade when Scandinavia staked a claim as the home of progressive jazz, no one had more success than this piano trio, melding Keith Jarrett-style lyricism with rock rhythms, electronic textures and a restless sense of adventure. The tragic death of Esbjorn Svensson halted their march to global success.

Here's a beautiful version of Thelonius Monk's "Round Midnight" from the Esbjorn Svensson Trio (EST)

Maybe Dana Perino doesn't remember 9/11

Bush White House Press Secretary, Dana Perino (who, by the way, was just appointed by Barack Obama to serve on the Broadcasting Board of Governors), was on Sean Hannity's show last night.  During her appearance, the tragedy at Fort Hood came up. 

That the other two can sit there and not bust up laughing at Perino's ridiculous assertion that no terrorist attacks occurred on George W. Bush's watch is mighty impressive.  I find that pinching myself really hard prevents me from breaking out into one of those nervous laughs when someone says something really stupid.  Sean Hannity and Stuart Varney must have been pinching themselves like crazy, huh?

A picture for the day

A Tibetan monk waited for the start of a religious debate with other monks at Jokhang Temple in Lhasa, Tibet, Tuesday. (Nir Elias/Reuters)

Matthew Dowd gives Sarah Palin some advice

Former Republican strategist, Matthew Dowd, offered Sarah Palin some tips towards winning support for at 2012 presidential bid in a Washington Post op-ed piece today.  Ready for this?

-- Quality over quantity. You don't need to "tweet" quite so much. You don't need to be at countless rallies and photo ops. Instead, seek out substantive platforms where you can relate to people in a thoughtful, measured way...

-- Hope and fear. To be elected president, a candidate has to understand voters' fears but appeal to their hopes. Ronald Reagan (and Bill Clinton) knew this very well....

-- Reagan is the past. While Reagan is a beloved president who did much for this country, folks want to look to the future and believe in a new brand of leader...

-- Use humor. In responding to controversy, bad press and negative occurrences in general, learn to let it slide off of you with a knowing smile. Maybe even use some self-deprecation...

-- Think accountability... Americans want presidents who accept blame when things go wrong. They are tired of their leaders and institutions not admitting mistakes, learning from errors and making improvements.

Really?  Not a whit about becoming knowledgeable on the issues or offering proactive solutions to problems?  I actually agree with Dowd on a couple of these, specifically about the Republicans needing to move beyond Reagan and his much needed call for some Palin accountability.  In all seriousness, I would offer her a couple more:

           -- As soon as possible, pick an issue and become an expert on it.  The issue should be one you can match up to a world view and set of principles. 

           --  Remember that it's about the long game.  Accept that most Americans now think you're a lightweight bag of wind.  Demanding that everyone take you seriously now only demonstrates you're delusional.

          --  Please try to remember you're not being judged by the number of words you say, but what you say.

          --  Try some honesty.  Want to debate the health care reform bill?  Fine - talk and write about how and why you feel the free market is a better way to approach reform.  Give some well thought out examples of how costs can be reduced.  Don't just parrot Glenn Beck and make up stupid shit like death panels.  You'll never get credibility doing dumb stuff like that.

Not that I think she would take any of that seriously.  Palin has demonstrated no willingness to work hard for anything, from her governorship to even "writing" a memoir. 

That a big time Republican strategist like Matthew Dowd thinks that with just a little tweaking Sarah Palin can be a presidential candidate says volumes about the vacuum in the GOP and the kind of faith Dowd has in the intelligence of American voters.

The 'perception of paralysis'

Yesterday in an opinion piece, the Washington Post's editorial editor, Fred Hiatt, wondered if the country's political processes have become stuck.  This whole health care debate has been particularly ugly.  Republicans have, in no uncertain terms, declared they're not going to vote for any Democratic health care bill.  They've used easily refuted lies and juvenile scare tactics to try to run the reform measure off the tracks.  Democrats, on the other hand, have been completely ham handed; unorganized and unable (or unwilling) to adequately defend and sell their reform measures.  Barack Obama was elected a year ago with a mandate to reform health care.  By the time the Democrats get done marshaling the reform it will be a miracle if a third of the country still supports it.

Hiatt's essay does a good job at summarizing the contributors to a paralysis:

Or maybe the country isn't all that divided -- most of us would welcome common-sense improvements in health-care delivery and insurance -- but the system feeds on and exacerbates our differences. The advent of the 60-vote rule in the Senate has magnified the already formidable checks and balances built into the Constitution, with the disproportionate blocking power it awards small and rural states. Cable television and the Internet have empowered those with the greatest intensity of feeling. The self-serving redistricting habits of the political elite, designed to protect incumbents, have left most legislators vulnerable only to primary challenges from the extremes of their respective parties.

But it's Hiatt's final point that's particularly important; that the perceived paralysis of the system makes it all the more important that a truly reforming health care reform bill pass through Congress and the U.S. assert to the world it's still capable of doing some heavy lifting.