Housekeeping for 2009

Hopefully, you've noticed that we changed our header. We've had George W. Bush at the top in one form or another since day one of this blog. He's loomed over this blog as he's loomed over the world (reigning down destruction and failure). But he'll be gone in 19 long days so it's time to say:

Good riddance to bad rubbish
We've also updated our blogroll. In addition to putting some blog links out to pasture under the heading "Retired Local Blogs" we've also added a few:

Local:

414 Grant Street
http://414grantstreet.blogspot.com/

CP's Slag Heap
http://www.pittsburghcitypaper.ws/gyrobase/Section?oid=oid%3A41056&category=oid%3A41825
(On the off chance you don't know; the "CP" is both for City Paper and Chris Potter.)

Gab Bonesso
http://gabbonesso.com/

The Bag of Health and Politics
http://thebagofhealthandpolitics.wordpress.com/
(Been meaning to add this for ages.)

The Blog of Burgher Jon
http://burgherjon.blogspot.com/


National:

Corrente
http://www.correntewire.com/
(I'm sure they'll keep tabs on Obama.)

Feministe
http://www.feministe.us/blog

Glenn Greenwald
http://www.salon.com/opinion/greenwald

James Wolcott
http://www.vanityfair.com/online/wolcott
(But only because I once served jury duty with his wife, Laura Jacobs, and we were sequestered. OK, I'm kidding about the "only" part.)

TalkLeft
http://www.talkleft.com/

NOTE: As always, additions to the blogroll are based on making my life easier in getting to what I want to read.

I'd like to also take this space to link to some recent funny local postings around the Burghosphere that you may have missed:

Lady Elaine's 12 Days of Pittsburgh Christmas at View From The Burghchair

Anthony's 2009 Predictions at Tunesmith & Anthony

Pretty much everything The Angry Drunk Bureaucrat has written for the last three days. (Mayor's Office Reopens After "Santa Incident", "Open Season" Declared on Feral Municipalities, New Years Resolutions, and Pittsburgh City Council Greenlights New "Webisodes")

And, maybe the best national blog post of the year:

The House That Jack Built
by Stirling Newberry at The Agonist
I'll close this post with M.I.A.'s Paper Planes video. Even though it came out in 2007, it pretty much sums up the McCain/Palin Campaign's underlying theme:

Fear "The Other" (Undercover Terrorist Immigrant)


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