Monday Miscellany
Ah, that explains all the Judy Garland CD advertisements I've been seeing: "Facebook might be inadvertently outing its gay users to advertisers, according to a new study." Problem is, the very next sentence says that the "targeted advertising is being sent to users' accounts if they have described themselves as gay or straight." I don't understand. If you've identified yourself as gay on Facebook, aren't you already outed? Or is "outed" more of a state of mind, rather than a fact? And as long as we're on the topic, if gay is biological, aren't you outed every time you go out in public and act like yourself? It's all puzzling, but then again, so is that whacky gay world. * * * * * * * Five well-known Hollywood Democrats -- David Geffen, Bob Iger, Peter Chernin, Haim Saban, and Ari Emanuel -- are hosting a November 4th fundraiser for Rahm Emanuel in his bid to become Chicago's next mayor. They're also planning a movie about him: Rahm: Sadistic Shower Mate to Chicago Mayor. * * * * * * * Speaking of the entertainment industry's politics, the left-leaning New Republic has some fairly harsh things to say about Bob Geldof, Bono, and Live Aid. Excerpt:
Neither Geldof nor Bono has ever been willing to accept that, however wellintended, the premise of Live Aid was flawed from the start. Amid criticism of the ways in which the monies from Live Aid were being used by international relief agencies to fund programs connected with resettlement, Geldof told The Irish Times that “the organizations that are participating in the resettlement effort should not be criticized”¦. In my opinion, we've got to give aid without worrying about population transfers.” The way in which both men have capitalized on their new status as global consciences to rescue their pop music careers has been grotesque, but their sincerity is beyond doubt.
This picture of Biden reminded me of a statement I heard on a podcast this weekend. The commentator said the economy would probably be doing better if Biden were president because he's a happier person. Okay. We're not happy enough because of Obama's personality. The Federal Reserve Rape of the middle class is just a small thing. * * * * * * * I'm not sure I can ever read Peggy Noonan again without remembering her paean to Obama right before the 2008 election ("my beautiful election" . . . choke back the vomit), but she makes some good points in this op-ed: "The tea party did something the Republican establishment was incapable of doing: It got the party out from under George W. Bush. The tea party rejected his administration's spending, overreach and immigration proposals, among other items, and has become only too willing to say so."
