Gandalf....Yeah!!!!

First shot of Ian McKellan as Gandalf on the set of The Hobbit

An Exercise In Distraction

I heard Ed Schulz devoting a considerable portion of his show yesterday to the nontroversy over the rapper Common's appearance at a White House poetry reading. All I could think while listening to the show was, "Why are you spending any time on this Ed?" FOX wants nothing more than to get people to stop talking about the good things Obama is doing (like killing Osama). Why give them an assist?

"There’s no satisfying them. Nothing he can do will ever make them see anything other than a black guy dirtying up their White House. So be it. Eventually evolution works this mess out." -- Oliver Willis

Cool Stuff

When I first saw this video I thought it was one of those pulled focus deals where they make real images look like toys. Then I watched further and realized it really was a toy airport. Amazing stuff.

The Snake Bites Hardest Just Before It Dies

I try to keep that in mind when discussing racism. The idea that electing a black man to the Presidency would somehow usher in a new era of racial harmony was a naive proposition at best. Is it really that surprising that people in a position of privilege would just shrug their shoulders and say, "Ok" when they perceive that they are losing that position?

But I am not discouraged by the inevitable backlash, because I take to heart the title of this post. The ferocity of the backlash is just another sign that it is the last strike of a dying point of view.

Racism (or, in its more general form, xenophobia) is part of the human condition and will never be completely eliminated. But it does get better. It has gotten better. It will get better.

This I believe more firmly now than ever.

(This post inspired by this.)