Happy New Year!

I feel longer, more frequent posts will be forthcoming this year. It is, afterall, one of my many New Year's resolutions (along with finally really using Rosetta Stone to get fluent enough in French to have a conversation in French with my friends in Paris - which connects to my resolution to be more in touch generally with friends and loved ones not in my immediate work orbit, finally learning to play a complete song - however simple - on my guitar instead of the three tentative chords I can barely muster now, exercising more, volunteering more of my time instead of just donating money and being better at handling the money I do make... these resolutions don't ever really seem to change from year to year). For today, though, the best I can do for a blogpost is this YouTube, a year in 40 seconds (via Elliot at FireDogLake):

Simply Marvelous

Not as angry with the Obama Administration right now. Still bitter about the ugliness of the naked pandering in the Rick Warren selection, sure, but this story about a quieter and far more morally commendable aspect of the inauguration is the kind of small-scale victory that I hope will only become more pervasive and commonplace as the idealism inspired by the ascent of Barack Hussein Obama takes hold of the national psyche (from NYTimes, via Mahablog):

ON Thursday, Dec. 11, Jim Donnelly got the call at his office on Jay Street in Dumbo for the biggest job he had ever had. Emmett Beliveau, the executive director of the Presidential Inaugural Committee, told him that Precise Continental, Mr. Donnelly’s 26-year-old printing company, had won the bid to produce one million gold-and-black engraved invitations for the inauguration of President-elect Barack Obama.

[...]

Precise Continental was selected over rival printers because it is a union company, it uses recycled paper and it is certified by the Forest Stewardship Council, which promotes responsible forest management.

[...]

“This is a real economy,” Mr. Donnelly said of the printing business. “This is not that bogus economy of Wall Street. This country used to manufacture things.”

Yo, Brooklyn, U.S.A.! BTW, Dumbo means Down Under Manhattan Bridge Overpass for those who don't live in New York.

Good, well-made, earth-friendly products, made by solid union labor, and made in America (howevermuch this particular part may be judged as "anti-" by people whose forefathers committed treason by seceding - natch). Despite a faltering economy, some of my union brothers and sisters are working this holiday season and that is a good thing.

Happy Christmahanakwanzika everybody.

I Thought Turkies Could Fly (UPDATED)

For my money, one of the single funniest moments in Tee-Vee history, and the funniest Thanksgiving-themed moment:


Happy Turkey Day!

UPDATE:
Except that Mrs. Joe has reminded me of the new contender for the funniest Turkey-Day clip: