I'm the one that I want by Margaret Cho

The first 2/3 of this is pretty funny. She does a couple voices pretty well. Her mother's Korean accent seems spot on. And the generic dumb high school slacker voice is funny. She talks about how she's a fag hag. But that whoever a gay guy takes to the prom is instantly a fag hag also. I guess that's news to my date.

The second half is about some hardships after her brush with television fame. It's incredible how drugged out or drunk Margaret Cho had gone through life during that time. But this part is told with truthfulness, and I think the reader (or listener) could learn something from her experience. I.e. maybe it's wise to avoid that sort of downfall into drugs and alcohol. Anyway, it certainly seems the cause of a lot of unhappiness in her life.

Art Institute of Chicago

One of the best big metropolitan museums in the country especially for paintings. Maybe even better than the Met for paintings.

The Lives of Others (2006)

People I know seem to like this film. I liked it, but I was in a rush to see it, so I was watching at 2x speed using WinDVD. It's possible it didn't come across as well as it might have at that rate. I liked the idea that one's way of life might or might not be interesting -- or worth saving -- to an outsider. Here the East German secret police try to find dirt on an author because one of their leaders wants to have the author's girlfriend. It's good, but perhaps with the hype I heard, a bit of a letdown.

The Starfish and the Spider by Brafman and Beckstrom

The book talks interestingly about decentralized organizations and their strange power: they are the starfish. The Apache tribe was given as an example of dispersed independent groups which the Spanish found most difficult to fight. Interestingly one way the US found to control the Apache was to 'give' the groups cattle. They would then need to adopt some tops down leadership to divide up the cattle favorably, thereby turning somewhat into the starfish opposite, the spider. An interesting aside is that the depicted the promoters of starfish organizations, called catalysts, tend to be very unique individuals. One person was shown to be a cultivator of weak relationships. He met 'acquaintances' daily and wanted to help them by connecting them to others that he'd met.

Why Men Never Remember and Women Never Forget by Marianne Legato

The book is about sex differences in the brain. It reviews the basics which we all know about including the one in the title. I never really understood these differences outside the framework of stereotypes. The books shows there to be science behind those stereotypes. For example, women see networking and linkages as vital for survival: protection and social support. Men see relationships as not totally necessary and are willing to be just be independent and self-reliant. Women are better conversationalists and remember conversations with more detail than men. Men like for people talking to get to the point. Many women don't mind talking on and on about things and in significantly more detail.

Overall, an interesting book.

Take It Back by James Carville and Paul Belaga

This book is full of details of Republican strategy which succeeded in defeating Democrats in recent elections. And perhaps you wouldn't be surprised to hear that it is full of what I would call 'dirty tricks'. It describes the bullying of the media to prevent them from asking the oppositions or even neutral expert response to press releases. The concerted effort to paint Kerry as a waffler, even misquoting him to suit their aims. Carville and Belaga also describe lobbyists buying Presidential and Congressional attention -- influence peddling 101 including a discussion of Abramoff.

But their main focus is how to get the Democratic party back in winning shape. A lot of it seems needed. Many Democrats, myself included naively believed that Republicans would at least play fair. But now we know better, and the Republicans need to be countered with aggressive measures. Almost every attack needs to be answered. And the authors generally recommend focus on moderating stances on controversial topics -- basically moving to the middle.

Overall an enlightening view of the Republican (sorry) 'enemy' and how it has created a winning machine out of narrow focus on pleasing the base. And though written in 2006, it even mentions the recently highlighted fact that the southern white voter courted by the Republicans -- those who vote against their own economic interests -- are turned angry by the 'value' debate hot buttons purposefully pushed by the Republicans. These issues include abortion, homosexuality and most shamefully racism.