Hello, Fred.

I hate debates, whether between members of the same party or opposing parties. They are the biggest weaselfests ever. Candidates shamelessly outright evade questions, the moderators ask dumb questions to begin with, and no real information is gained beyond the usual talking points the candidates hammer over and over.

Basically when you watch a debate, it’s for the same reason you watch postgame sports interviews with players or coaches: You’re waiting for somebody to screw up so bad there’s no coming back.

Update: Biggest irritant from moderators: Why do they ask candidates what they think about this, that or the other about the other candidates? I realize these are called “debates,” but they’re not, not really–they’re not the candidates debating each other on policies, they’re just chances to be questioned about their own. Don’t ask them personally embarrassing questions about what they think of the other guys.

It’s just a house, and not even the house where he wrote, at that. Although this is just rude:

James Dean, director of Cranbrook Homes said he was not aware of the building’s history.

He said: “It’s going to be replaced with two superb contemporary houses. In the light of what you’ve just told me, perhaps one of them should be called Tolkien.”

According to the article, the house in question that will be demolished is where Tolkien and his wife moved after his retirement and lived until her death, whereupon he moved back to Oxford–about four years later. Let’s get a grip, people: This isn’t the Kilns, quirky and unusual home of C.S. Lewis. This is not Tolkien’s Headington house that W.H. Auden presumed to call “hideous.”

A few commenters in the linked article have it right: If it hasn’t been a “pilgrimage” site up till now, why should it be preserved in case anybody suddenly wants to make it so? There are only so many of his presumably rather ordinary houses I can look at when I finally travel to England.

WWTD? He was continuously angry at scenes of his personal history being pulled down and/or modernized, and personally I think he tended toward “overboard” in his preservationist tendencies. But in his preferences, he seemed largely interested in unique or old or natural scenes and buildings. I can’t imagine even he would think it worthwhile to fuss over the replacement of one modernish suburban house with two more modern others, other than a grumble at being too crowded, which is a separate issue. Let it go.

H/t TheOneRing.net.

Eah.

I’ll start the season, but I don’t know how long they’ll keep me with a list of majority hardly-knowns like that. Well, that’s overly harsh, since most of the stars from all seasons have been low to moderately famous. Basically, I’ll be in it to see how Jane Seymour, Jennie Garth, and Marie Osmond conduct themselves.

And it’ll be a fight to watch long enough for Truther backer and troop-smear financer Mark Cuban to go down in flames. (H/t: Ace.)

Snopes, stick to verifying or debunking facts. Your opinions are worthless.

If you want people to link to you, you should keep your links permanent.

I have a bunch more back posts to change because the links no longer work.

Grr.