This is it, folks. This is the bottom line for the Republican party:
The Case for Jon Huntsman - Mickey Edwards - National - The Atlantic: "For the sake of the country, the focus in the Republican contest must begin to shift from who would be the best cheerleader for a particular ideological mindset to who would be the best president -- not the best president of the tea party or the Ripon Society or any other subset of the Republican electorate, but of all 300 million Americans of different backgrounds, different concerns, different interests, and different preferences."
'via Blog this'
The article goes on to clarify that he may not bring the far-right to its feet in adulation and excitement, but the GOP needs to remember that more than just the conservative base will be voting next November. Besides perhaps Ron Paul, Huntsman is the only candidate that can bring in that delicate mix of moderates, independents, and disaffected Democrats to gain enough votes to unseat their hated Obama.
You don't defeat a sitting President by being his polar opposite. You defeat a sitting President by stealing his base right out from under him.
Friday, September 9, 2011
Tuesday, August 16, 2011
Probably Over-thinking It: I'm Afraid You'll Need a Working Knowledge of All the Toy Story Movies to Keep Up With Us On This One
What's with Woody?
We know a couple of things about the toys in Toy Story as a rule. First, there is nothing a toy loves more than its child. For its entire existence, a toy will want nothing more than to be played with and to make a child happy.
This is illustrated in a few ways: Obviously first and foremost is Woody's ceaseless devotion to making Andy happy, throughout the series. The years of neglect he has suffered by the beginning of TS3 haven't dimmed his outlook or his energy, and he has kept the rest of the toybox excited about the possibility of that ever elusive play time as well.
Jessie the Cowgirl and Lotso Lovin' Bear illustrate this rule as well, in their own ways. Jessie is clearly traumatized from having been given away by Emily in TS2 (sometime in the 70s or late 80s judging by the decor in her flashback), which has clearly given her significant abandonment and trust issues. Lotso, after being replaced by Daisy's parents, became bitter and power-mad after he found out he was no longer going to spend his days being loved and cared for; he focused all his energy on making sure other toys wouldn't fall for the lie of kids loving them forever. The fact that he had to scheme so thoroughly to achieve this goal shows just how deep a toy's devotion to its child goes. Therefore, the rule is proved: A toy wants nothing more than to make its owner happy and to be played with.
The second rule that we have is a little harder to prove, but I'm no less confident of its veracity: A toy's memories begin before they are opened.
Think of Buzz Lightyear. Not only do we know that he is a 'new toy' in TS1, we know for sure that Andy is his original owner; there would have been no play time or make-believe sessions (such as those that informed Mr. Prickly Pants' behavior in TS3) to have made him think he was a Space Ranger. That belief was given to him at the factory, and it is part of his programming. He knows who he is, has memories of the Academy, and can quote chapter and verse of Star Command Galactic Code.
Also from TS2, we see more and more evidence that toys are only 'awoken' when their packaging is bothered. 'Buzz Lightyear: With New Utility Belt!' was silently staring ahead until Classic Buzz broke into the packaging to steal the belt. Towards the end of the movie, Buzz accidentally causes an Emperor Zurg figure's box to fall from a tall pile of toys, where it is smashed by an automatic door. Awoken, he rises to seek his vengeance.
(An aside: It seems toys from the Lightyear universe are missing the component that lets them realize they are toys. They seem to awake believing the stories from the side of the box. Fascinating.)
If you're with me so far on the Laws of Toys (Toys Love Their Children Unconditionally, Toys Are Awoken When Their Packaging is Disturbed) then I invite you to revisit the original question with me:
What's with Woody?
If ever a toy has demonstrated his devotion to his child, it is Woody with Andy. He is obsessed with Andy; he puts his and the other toy's lives on the line regularly for a little play time and attention. No matter how much abuse or neglect they are subjected to, he is always eager for more because that's his role in life.
And that devotion was put to the test when, in TS2, we saw him tempted to join his long-lost toy family in a Japanese toy museum. Jessie, Bulls-Eye, and Stinky Pete fight for nearly the entire movie to convince Woody to join them. After all, they say, the museum isn't interested in a partial collection of the Woody's Roundup Gang. Separate, they are nothing; it's Woody's presence that makes them worthy of display.
And yet...this is all news to Woody. Not just the fact that he was part of a play set, but the fact that he was valuable at all. After all, he was being played with by Andy; Big Al treated him like a priceless artifact. Andy ripped his arm off while playing with him; Big Al spent absurd amounts of money for a late night house call from a creepy toy-repair specialist to sew it back on.
Wouldn't Andy's mom have wanted her son to treat such a valuable toy with care? Maybe keep it boxed up to sell as part of a college fund? Of course not. She simply wasn't aware of his value. As she says to Al when he tries to buy Woody from her in TS2, 'It's an old family toy.' Meaning he wasn't new, in box, when Andy received him.
And that's the bombshell: Andy is not Woody's original owner. Either he was handed down from an older relative, or he was purchased secondhand and given to Andy.
From here there are two logical conclusions we can draw. Either Woody's past was so dark, so terrible that he has stricken his previous owner from his memory and has devoted himself wholly to Andy's happiness as thanks for saving him; or Woody is simply not as loyal as he appears.
Neither answer makes for a particularly wholesome kids movie. Both lead to different, darker stories than those marketed to us. Critics have always said that Pixar seemed willing to go in darker and darker directions with their movies...perhaps Toy Story 4 will answer these uncomfortable questions.
***This message has been brought to you by the thirtieth viewing of Toy Story 2 within a month's time.
We know a couple of things about the toys in Toy Story as a rule. First, there is nothing a toy loves more than its child. For its entire existence, a toy will want nothing more than to be played with and to make a child happy.
This is illustrated in a few ways: Obviously first and foremost is Woody's ceaseless devotion to making Andy happy, throughout the series. The years of neglect he has suffered by the beginning of TS3 haven't dimmed his outlook or his energy, and he has kept the rest of the toybox excited about the possibility of that ever elusive play time as well.
Jessie the Cowgirl and Lotso Lovin' Bear illustrate this rule as well, in their own ways. Jessie is clearly traumatized from having been given away by Emily in TS2 (sometime in the 70s or late 80s judging by the decor in her flashback), which has clearly given her significant abandonment and trust issues. Lotso, after being replaced by Daisy's parents, became bitter and power-mad after he found out he was no longer going to spend his days being loved and cared for; he focused all his energy on making sure other toys wouldn't fall for the lie of kids loving them forever. The fact that he had to scheme so thoroughly to achieve this goal shows just how deep a toy's devotion to its child goes. Therefore, the rule is proved: A toy wants nothing more than to make its owner happy and to be played with.
The second rule that we have is a little harder to prove, but I'm no less confident of its veracity: A toy's memories begin before they are opened.
Think of Buzz Lightyear. Not only do we know that he is a 'new toy' in TS1, we know for sure that Andy is his original owner; there would have been no play time or make-believe sessions (such as those that informed Mr. Prickly Pants' behavior in TS3) to have made him think he was a Space Ranger. That belief was given to him at the factory, and it is part of his programming. He knows who he is, has memories of the Academy, and can quote chapter and verse of Star Command Galactic Code.
Also from TS2, we see more and more evidence that toys are only 'awoken' when their packaging is bothered. 'Buzz Lightyear: With New Utility Belt!' was silently staring ahead until Classic Buzz broke into the packaging to steal the belt. Towards the end of the movie, Buzz accidentally causes an Emperor Zurg figure's box to fall from a tall pile of toys, where it is smashed by an automatic door. Awoken, he rises to seek his vengeance.
(An aside: It seems toys from the Lightyear universe are missing the component that lets them realize they are toys. They seem to awake believing the stories from the side of the box. Fascinating.)
If you're with me so far on the Laws of Toys (Toys Love Their Children Unconditionally, Toys Are Awoken When Their Packaging is Disturbed) then I invite you to revisit the original question with me:
What's with Woody?
If ever a toy has demonstrated his devotion to his child, it is Woody with Andy. He is obsessed with Andy; he puts his and the other toy's lives on the line regularly for a little play time and attention. No matter how much abuse or neglect they are subjected to, he is always eager for more because that's his role in life.
And that devotion was put to the test when, in TS2, we saw him tempted to join his long-lost toy family in a Japanese toy museum. Jessie, Bulls-Eye, and Stinky Pete fight for nearly the entire movie to convince Woody to join them. After all, they say, the museum isn't interested in a partial collection of the Woody's Roundup Gang. Separate, they are nothing; it's Woody's presence that makes them worthy of display.
And yet...this is all news to Woody. Not just the fact that he was part of a play set, but the fact that he was valuable at all. After all, he was being played with by Andy; Big Al treated him like a priceless artifact. Andy ripped his arm off while playing with him; Big Al spent absurd amounts of money for a late night house call from a creepy toy-repair specialist to sew it back on.
Wouldn't Andy's mom have wanted her son to treat such a valuable toy with care? Maybe keep it boxed up to sell as part of a college fund? Of course not. She simply wasn't aware of his value. As she says to Al when he tries to buy Woody from her in TS2, 'It's an old family toy.' Meaning he wasn't new, in box, when Andy received him.
And that's the bombshell: Andy is not Woody's original owner. Either he was handed down from an older relative, or he was purchased secondhand and given to Andy.
From here there are two logical conclusions we can draw. Either Woody's past was so dark, so terrible that he has stricken his previous owner from his memory and has devoted himself wholly to Andy's happiness as thanks for saving him; or Woody is simply not as loyal as he appears.
Neither answer makes for a particularly wholesome kids movie. Both lead to different, darker stories than those marketed to us. Critics have always said that Pixar seemed willing to go in darker and darker directions with their movies...perhaps Toy Story 4 will answer these uncomfortable questions.
***This message has been brought to you by the thirtieth viewing of Toy Story 2 within a month's time.
Tuesday, June 14, 2011
Oliver Sings the Classics
Oliver falls asleep to us singing him songs. There are a few classics like 'Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star,' and 'Row, Row, Row Your Boat,' but for the most part he prefers it when we make up songs right out of thin air. I'm guessing he just wants us to keep up our improv skills.
What will happen is, we will be halfway through a standard song, and he will spike up in bed, open his eyes, and say something like:
'Baby song!'
'Read a book song!'
'Fast slide song!'
'Mommy song!'
And our current favorite, based on a shockingly impacting episode of the Mickey Mouse Clubhouse, 'Minnie bouncy ball throw it on the moon song!'
Most of these songs are exactly what you would expect them to be. We assign a random, shifting melody to a stream-of-consciousness set of lyrics. 'Oh, we read a book and it was great! Oliver liked it a lot but then we had to go to bed, and maybe we can read it later when we wake up,' etc, etc, ad infinitum.
There are maybe two or three songs that have consistent lyrics. The 'Nana Papa Song' is set to 'If You're Happy and You Know It,' and is about how they're the best because they love their crazy Oliver.
Or there's the Mommy song. Also referred to as the Daddy song, or the Baby song, it is set to the tune of 'Frere Jacques,' and goes like this:
"I love Mommy / I love Daddy / Spyro too / Spyro too / And my baby brother / And my baby brother / Yes I do / Yes I do"
Pretty basic stuff, but nothing memorable. Right?
Right?
Then last night while we were winding down for the night, Oliver busts forth with this little gem for his little brother:
Rock. And. Roll.
What will happen is, we will be halfway through a standard song, and he will spike up in bed, open his eyes, and say something like:
'Baby song!'
'Read a book song!'
'Fast slide song!'
'Mommy song!'
And our current favorite, based on a shockingly impacting episode of the Mickey Mouse Clubhouse, 'Minnie bouncy ball throw it on the moon song!'
Most of these songs are exactly what you would expect them to be. We assign a random, shifting melody to a stream-of-consciousness set of lyrics. 'Oh, we read a book and it was great! Oliver liked it a lot but then we had to go to bed, and maybe we can read it later when we wake up,' etc, etc, ad infinitum.
There are maybe two or three songs that have consistent lyrics. The 'Nana Papa Song' is set to 'If You're Happy and You Know It,' and is about how they're the best because they love their crazy Oliver.
Or there's the Mommy song. Also referred to as the Daddy song, or the Baby song, it is set to the tune of 'Frere Jacques,' and goes like this:
"I love Mommy / I love Daddy / Spyro too / Spyro too / And my baby brother / And my baby brother / Yes I do / Yes I do"
Pretty basic stuff, but nothing memorable. Right?
Right?
Then last night while we were winding down for the night, Oliver busts forth with this little gem for his little brother:
Rock. And. Roll.
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