Triscribe

In NYC: The newsradio awakens me on a Saturday morning to say that it’s 3 degrees Farhenheit, with a windchill (or, as 1010 WINS news says, “Real Feel”) of minus 30 degrees (!!!). What the heck kind of winter is this? It has also been distressing reading in the newspaper about people in the city with apartment buildings with no heat or hot water – one building’s indoor temperature was 46 degrees. That is unquestionably inhumane, under these conditions.

Tonight is football or figure skating on tv. Take your pick (or poison). Not like the teams I like are on, so I’d go with figure skating myself. But, the weather here is perfect for those Green Bay folks – go Green Bay! (Brett Favre has been downright inspirational lately, even if he personally may not feel very inspired due to his dad’s passing away) (and, yeah, well, leave me alone about the Giants and Jets; my siblings and I have been snickering about Coughlin’s inaugural speech as the Giants’ new head coach – is it a requirement to be an amusing talking head to lead NY teams? At any rate, the real team to be moaning about in NY right now is the Knicks…)

Speaking of the Knicks, MSG folks have given broadcasting rights to NYC’s local Cantonese radio station (home games only). Interesting to hear a baseketball game in Cantonese. Yao Ming may or may not have been a big draw for MSG; seeing Jeff Van Gundy and Patrick Ewing on the Dallas side _with Yao Ming_ – now that was stunning. The Knicks falling down like that against them – even with the returning Brooklyn ex-high school star Stephon Marbury – well, one is going to have to run out of words about that.

A new episode of “Joan of Arcadia”!

Some people get way too personal with their blogs, according to “My So-Called Blog” in the NY Times Magazine this weekend. Teenagers blogging treat their blogs like diaries, airing out everything (their angst, their secret crushes, etc. – as if anyone cares? Or, maybe that’s the point – they get some “privacy”). So, they know their thoughts get out into the public, but still essentially believe that their thoughts are “private.” Is that appropriate? Are the 21st century’s teenagers assuming too much about their privacy when they blog, because they somehow can draw the line between the virtual world and the real world? Good for them, but is it good for the rest of us? I guess that’s the blog culture for you, but this is what makes me glad that Triscribe isn’t really like that.

Some people also take the candidates’ wardrobe way too seriously. Apparently, the media has been noticing that Wesley Clark has taken to wearing sweaters instead of his suits. Tonight, even the Lehrer Newshour commentators (Mark Shields and David Brooks) referred to Clark’s sweater as his “Mr. Rogers” look. Brooks’ take on it is that Clark’s going to get the “King Friday” endorsement. I’m, like, “huh?” I know it was PBS and all, but it was a bit much on the wit on Brooks’ part. Personally, I think Clark looked better in his suits, since he would look sharper and more presidential. Or, really, why don’t we just stick with looking at the candidates’ policies and positions rather than their clothes?

Plus, today’s NY Times also has this analysis that Clark is trying to portray himself in a “softer” way with his sweaters, to win over women voters. As a woman, I find that borderline offensive – are we women perceived as so lacking in thinking capability such that we need commercials to explain to us that the General supports women? Is it just because women are allegedly “put off by the military persona” – that arena dominated by men? (an aside: umm, well, you know, women serve(d) in Clark’s army; surely I’m not the only woman who knows that!).

Nonetheless, according the Times’ article, apparently the voters in New Hampshire need a commercial with an African-American female major (retired) who served under Clark to tell them that Clark supports women _and_ minorities – the double bind thing that particularly affects women of color: shameless pandering, I daresay! I’m not sure if the media (or the Clark/Democratic campaign) really thinks or portrays the public is that unsophisticated, or if the public really is that dim about Clark, women, and voting generally. However, maybe this should be an opportunity to educate the public that has a disconnection from what the military is: women and minorities are very much a part of today’s military – something that isn’t just a white male bastion – which Clark probably already knew. Food for thought, I guess.

Consumer Webwatch, the Internet arm of Consumers Union, spent $38,000 buying air, car and hotel reservations to see if choose your own price sites Priceline and Hotwire actually beat what can be found on regular travel sites. The answer is yes; in Priceline’s case 47% of the time. However, Orbitz placed a close second, and you didn’t have to fly blind. The only caveat is that the trained bettor knew what the going price of that reservation was going to be by looking it up in Sabre, the travel agents reservation network. Most people bet on Priceline without a clue of what would be the lowest price that would be accepted. You can read the report online.