Archive: Misc.
Lampooning the Ex-Prez
Joel Achenbach takes aim at mild-mannered Jimmy Carter, offering a litany of Carter's Renaissance man pasttimes and capping it with the zinger that, "...That sound in your basement: It's Jimmy Carter fixing your plumbing!" Funny stuff, as usual. So with Achenbach's nearly flawless writing, does that mean we get to start making fun of him, too? Jes' kidding, Joel. Anyway, his readers pile on. "Unfortunately, Carter was as much of an obsessive multi-tasker when he was in office as he is now," writes RD Padouk. "He would launch so many dizzyingly complex initiatives that he was unable to effectively implement any of them. After four years of this, the country became so confused and disoriented that they ended up electing Reagan."...
By Lindsay Howerton | February 27, 2006; 02:45 PM ET | Comments (1)
The Year Ahead
Optimism? Pessimism? What are readers expecting 2006 to bring? washingtonpost.com Forum Intern Eve Chen sought opinions on the year ahead in our Question of the Week. Readers' thoughts represent quite a range of views. GAT2005 says that the Democrats will make news for continuing to be a disorganized, uninspired lot who suffer a, "...lack of vision.." and create an, "...alienating impact" due to "Far-Left Extremists." If it weren't for the almost total lack of interest in the Alito hearings right now, I might believe Gat was on to something. Let's see what the other prognosticators have to say....
By Lindsay Howerton | January 13, 2006; 01:47 PM ET | Email a Comment
Back to the Grind
Post writer and blogger Joel Achenbach advises us that its finally time to get back to work after a long year-end holiday. I guess he hasn't heard of epiphany and the Twelve Days of Christmas. By my count, we can slack off till Friday. I think the readers might be on my side. LP writes, "I would be back to work after my two weeks vacation, but have contracted just about the worst stomach bug imaginable and the only place safe for me to hang around right now is cyberspace. Work will have to wait. But welcome back anyway, boss...." Those pre and post vacation bugs are so poorly timed...cough cough, wink wink. Disparaging the work celebrations take, Reader prefers pointless holidays, like New Year's Day. "...There's a lot of work involved in creating that Christmas experience. But New Year's Day is great, no obligations...This year was extra good because...
By Lindsay Howerton | January 3, 2006; 01:35 PM ET | Comments (27)
Top News Stories of 2005
What the media establishment says are the top stories of 2005, and what the man on the street says, are not always the same thing. I asked washingtonpost.com readers to post their take on the key stories and issues, and the responses have been rolling in. "Internationally, the quickest story to come to mind is the quagmire in Iraq, and the realization by American politicians that the fickle public is now tired of this adventure. Something that should not have been started to begin with is now a liability, meaning the country has to find a way to get out," says troutcor, adding this prediction: "But the biggest ongoing story is the global shift of power from the United States to China." Seankirk333 points to a convergence of damaging stories for the Bush administration, arguing that, "...whatever the justifications, these issues amount collectively to the creation of an infrastructure of...
By Lindsay Howerton | December 29, 2005; 01:25 PM ET | Comments (2)
Thanks All Around
Readers are expressing thanks across the site, for everything from the simple pleasures of life, to the dynamics of the political world. NotSuzanne29 is thankful for the potential of things: "I like term-limits for the office of prez." Budpratt, too, is forward-looking: "I am thankful that the neo-con blitzkrieg is grinding to a halt... recent elections show that the juggernaut is running out of gas. That it looks like we may soon have candidates whose first language isn't Bush-Speak (B.S.") Well, don't count your turkeys, I mean chickens, before they're hatched there, Budpratt. And hello, Kendydemocrt who writes that he is thankful for, "...the 1st Amendment that allows us to read and listen to a wide variety of opinions and to express our own... and of course the ignore option on this forum."...
By Lindsay Howerton | November 23, 2005; 12:36 PM ET | Email a Comment
What Does It All Mean?
A frustrated Joel Achenbach sought to cajole his readers into responding to another of his deep thoughts, this time on whether human beings are special in the grand spectrum of the mighty, mighty cosmos. Fittingly, they took the bait. BC let loose an unabashed musing. "As we Observe the Cosmos at the Deep Field level, it looks more or less the same in every direction, doesn't it? One could make a case for us to be at the center of the Universe, based on that piece of evidence...the human race may in fact be ants on a stick in the Ocean of Night, but each of us ants Observes ourselves to be the centers of the Multiverses. Consciousness: a spark of divinity and an evil curse." Ommmmmmmmmmm.........
By Lindsay Howerton | September 9, 2005; 05:00 AM ET | Comments (10)
Reader E-Mail
This thought from Raymond, which arrived by email, on how we could house those displaced by Katrina: "With over 140 thousand American troops in Iraq and with hundreds of military bases currently closed, and more that are closing, surely there is room on these bases for all of these unfortunate people," Raymond writes. "The rent is already paid by guess who? It would make it so much easier to keep track of them and their needs"...
By Lindsay Howerton | September 6, 2005; 04:36 PM ET | Comments (14)
What Else is Happening?
The forums are still hopping with Katrina comments and gas price gripes, but I thought I'd take a gander around the rest of the place to see what else is on readers' minds. Most subjects are pretty slow, but Iraq discussions remain very active and over 400 responses have been registered in Politics Talk (not for the faint of heart,) on President Bush's poll numbers. I figured that was worth at least a little attention. Here's what readers are saying. Samsuitt is not happy. "After doing little to prepare for the aftermath of Katrina (just like his non-planning for Iraq,) and despite at least 3 days knowing the approaching storm would probably be devastating, he waited 3 MORE days before returning to D.C. to 'take command' of disaster efforts. Why the delay even AFTER the storm hit? Well, one day was more vacation time. The second day he flew to...
By Lindsay Howerton | September 6, 2005; 03:20 PM ET | Comments (8)
Rebuild or Relocate?
Comments continue to come in on the Katrina and its aftermath, many touched off by a a moving essay on the Big Easy, some discussing whether it makes sense to rebuild New Orleans. "I question the whole idea of rebuilding both in New Orleans and on the Miss. Gulf Coast. The area is very susceptible to hurricanes," writes Truthdr. "The availability of Federal Flood insurance encourages more and more development on the coast which means that the country subsidizes the whole process. In light of sea level rising is it smart to continue building so heavily along the coast?"...
By Lindsay Howerton | September 1, 2005; 07:06 PM ET | Comments (16)
About 'Your Post'
Journalists are responsible for much of what we publish on washingtonpost.com, but readers are talking back with comments, e-mail, questions and user reviews. "Your Post" will pull in the best reader contributions from across the site, highlight conversations we think are worth your attention and prompt you, we hope, to join in where you have something to add. Please e-mail me if you have questions about the blog. After more than five years of moderating washingtonpost.com's Reader Forums, I'm used to listening....
By Lindsay Howerton | August 31, 2005; 05:13 AM ET | Comments (24)
Hurricane Katrina
The flood waters are rising in New Orleans and Mississippi and tempers are rising on the forum over how the disaster is being handled. "This story is not going to go away, because New Orleans water is not going to drain away and it will take the 'Mother of all Pumps' to remove this water," says LL314 . "How will 1,000,000 souls return to their homes? They won't for a long time. Hope their credit cards hold out at the motels." MysharonaB writes that all who can must share in the rescue and rebuilding. "Who's going to help? WE are. The people who have more than the residents who lost their homes. The people who run the emergency shelters. The people who have even an extra $5 to send to the Red Cross. I get so sick of people griping about what the President is going to do while they...
By Lindsay Howerton | August 30, 2005; 08:30 PM ET | Comments (75)
