Blogging the Republican National Convention (RNC)

Unless you're a political blogger, blogging about the upcoming Republican National Convention seems sort of challenging.

I don't know if I have any plans to blog about it myself, but I have been peculating some ideas.

Here's some ideas for bloggers (political and unpolitical alike):

• If you were making a biopic, which RNC speaker has a life story that is most "film worthy"
• Weather with Hurricane Isaac is playing a role in itself. You could opine on how you think weather influences the conventions "story"
• One Liners: It seems like the rhetoric of these speeches often relies on powerful "one liners" pick a sentence that someone uses and talk about why it is powerful? Overstated? Meaningful? Meaningless?  Used out of context? etc.
• Look at what topics appear to be most discussed and relevant to the convention and ask "why" these are the topics discussed and whether that's relevant?

September 9, 2011

• 55 years since Elvis Presley appeared on the Ed Sullivan show for the first time (September 9, 1956)


• 20 years since Tajikistan gained independence from the Soviet Union (1991)


• Adam Sandler turns 45 (born 1966)


• Statehood day in California

August 4, 2011

• Barack Obama turns 50. Born August 4, 1961 in Honolulu, Hawaii.

August 2, 2011 - Debt Ceiling Blogging

• Thoughts on the signing of the Budget Control Act


• Does congresses debates help put real thought into a political problem with real solutions or is it just politics?


• What impact will this debate have on you?


• What impact will this debate have on how you vote?


• If you live outside of the United States how do you interpret this event?


• Thoughts on personal debt - what if people had a debt ceiling?

July 6, 2011

• George W. Bush, turns 65. Born July 6, 1946 in New Haven, Connecticut.

January 20, 2011

• Barack Obama assumed office 2 years ago (2009)

Compare & Contrast: Religion & Public Funds

Two stories I've heard recently both use some similar sounding arguments in some similar but inconsistent ways.

I think most people can sound off on one of these stories or the other, but I think a true blog-craftsman could weave these together in an interesting ways. Use the best logic you have in defending or critiquing one of these stories and use the same logic in the next, or explain why similar logic isn't needed.

Story #1: Nativity Scene at the Colorado State Capital Building and Protest Billboards
The organization Boulder Atheist will be placing Billboards up in the vicinity of the Colorado State Capital protesting the nativity scene that is included as part of the state's holiday display. The billboards will read: " "Stop government support of religion. Move this Denver nativity scene to a church." The state says it will not remove the nativity scene which has been part of it's display for 40 years. Read the story and watch the video here at 9new.com.

Story #2: Controversial Art of Jesus in Government Funded Art Gallery
The Smithsonian has removed a portrait from it's exhibit Hide/Seek featuring the art of homosexual artists portraits. The art removed is a video by David Wojnarowicz called A Fire In My Belly, which was removed after political pressure about government dollars funding art that depicted Jesus on a crucifix covered with ants. The NPR story can be found here.

Thanksgiving Coversation Starters

I'm sure there will be plenty of blog post about Thanksgiving memories or pictures of golden baked turkeys today.

But maybe more than blog topics you might even need some Thanksgiving conversation starters? Here's some ideas for blog post, or conversations.

• Family - Why our you and your siblings different. Here's some ideas from a unique news story from NPR this week: Siblings Share Genes, But Rarely Personalities.

• Sports - Some big college football rivalry games over the long weekend, including a struggling Texas vs a strong Texas A&M; Nebraska vs. Colorado (to Big 12 teams leaving the conference in opposite directions); Florida vs. Florida State; Mississippi vs. Mississippi State; Virginia vs. Virginia Tech; South Carlonia vs. Clemson; Oklahoma vs. Oklahoma State.

• Food - Discuss your favorite "trendy cook" and which cookbook you'd adopt as your kitchen bible (Ina Garten: The Barefoot Contessa, Rachel Ray: EVOO-loving Quick & Easy Chef, Ree Drummond: The Pioneer Woman, Bobby Flay: Mr. Throwdown, or someone else)

• Politics - South Korea/North Korea: Is it time to be agressive or is this the last thing that the world's economy and political stamina can handle?

• Movies & Comics - Want to discuss the new preview for Green Lantern but don't know where to start, the m0vie blog presents a nice 101 course in all things Green Lantern.

• Shopping/Trends - Black Friday seem different this year - maybe earlier, maybe more spread out, maybe a little extra 3 am-ish? LA Times has a good article on the subject: Black Friday becoming a week of discounts and extended hours

November 22, 2010

• Anniversary of the founding of Denver, Colorado (1858)


• 66 years ago the Humane Society was founded (1954)


• 47 years since the assassination of John F. Kennedy in Dallas, Texas (1963)


• 15 years ago Toy Story is released, and is the first feature length film using entirely computer generated imagery (1995)


• 5 years ago Angela Markel becomes the first female Chancellor of Germany


• Shawn Fanning, Napster developer turns 30 (1980)
  
• 30 years since the death of silver screen actress Mae West (1980), she was 87 at the time of her death.
  

November 17, 2010

• 10 Year Anniversary of the release of the movie How The Grinch Stole Christmas, the top grossing film of 2010 (US Gross $260,044,825) (2000)
  
• 210 Years since the United States Congress held it first session in Washington DC (1800)
  
• 40 years since Douglas Engelbart receives the patent for the first computer mouse (1970).
  
• 100 years since the first American airplane fatality. Pioneer pilot Ralph Johnstone dies in Denver, Colorado crash. (1910)

November 16, 2010

• 20 year anniversary of the film release of Home Alone. Home Alone was the top domestic grossing film of 1990 ($260,044,825) (1990)
• 20 years ago, Bill Clinton Visits Vietnam, becoming the First US President to visit Vietnam since the end of the Vietnam War (1990)
• International Day of Tolerance as declared by the United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization (UNESECO) in 1995.

November 15, 2010

• 65 years ago (1945) Venezuela joins the United Nations
  
• 20 years ago (1990) Racehorse Alydar dies
  
• The beginning of Winter Lent (or the Nativity Fast) for Eastern Orthodox which last 40 Days from November 15 until December 15
  
• Autobiography of Mark Twain, Vol. 1 released today (2010)
  

November 14, 2010

• 20 years ago, November 14 2010 a treaty confirmed Oder-Neisse Line as the border between Poland and Germany
  
• 40 years ago (1970) Southern Airways Flight 932 crashes near Huntington, West Virginia killing 75 people including members of the Marshall Univeresity football team.
  
• World Diabetes Day, November 14 (as introduced in 1991 by the International Diabetes Association). The Day was chosen because it is the birthdayday of Fredrick Banting (1922) who with Charles Best conceived the idea that led to insulin
  
• TLC premiers the 8 episode TV show Sarah Palin's Alaska tonight