I'd call him pretty major, considering that The General is on most top films of all time lists. Didn't see a title screen for Steamboat Bill or The Navigator either. Sheesh.

Maybe it should be every major movie ever made with sound.

yours in eternal cynicism,

Stephen

I would be sincerely surprised if the people who are at all inclined to give up their cars and begin biking to work aren't already bikers of some sort. In the rare case that they aren't, most likely they are at least somewhat fit already, as people who sit around watching TV, smoking cigarettes and eating pork rinds are pretty much going to be the last group to start biking to work.

If that premise is true, then the premise of that article is not. Adding some biking to an already active lifestyle isn't going to measureably increase lifespan.

Further, if you suppose that the argument is valid, and that any energy we save now will have to be repaid with longer lifespans, it buys us some time by pushing that energy and carbon useage a minimum of 20 - 30 years into the future (if say, a 45 year old starts biking to work now, even further into the future if that person is younger). Given the strong chance of significant movement towards a non-oil based economy over the next 20 - 30 years, I'd call that a good bet. I'll stop using energy derived from oil now, and use a bit more derived from solar and wind when I'm 75 and our entire economy is more efficient.

There are about a hundred and thirty two more semi trucks that can be driven through the holes in this argument, but we should also address the major problem that he overlooked in arguing against the use of bicycles. A significant increase in the use of bikes over cars means that people are going to be more active. Even if this doesn't mean a significant increase in lifespan (as I would argue) it does mean a significant increase in the amount of calories burned by the typical bicycle commuter in the course of the day, which will mean an increase in the amount of food needing to be eaten. If taken to its natural conclusion, where the entire world population bikes to work, obviously there would be massive food shortages. World hunger is already a big issue. If you bike to work, you're only going to make it worse.

Stephen.

No Clash? "London Calling" doesn't make the top 40? Granted, the Sex Pistols are there, but come on... I'd consider the Clash far more influential...

I found this hard to watch as well, but my take was different... I don't think he knew this was coming, and was genuinely embarrassed. While he did continue the interview, as best he could, he certainly didn't do it in character, asking hard (but ridiculous) questions, as he typically does with other "left wing" celebrities. I don't know how he treated Fonda in her other appearance, but it certainly looked to me like he was struggling, trying to find a way to keep to the show and character while trying not to enjoy a very sexy Fonda in his lap for what seemed like a really long time.

It would be interesting to know if he knew that was coming or not...

-s

I think it's funny that as much as I like your column (required reading, every day), this is the first time I've posted a comment. Congratulations on finding that bit of joy. I spent several months last year touring through Eastern Europe, and took great pains to post blogs and photos from every city... until I realized I was having more fun being with the people I was meeting and that time spent on my laptop was taking away from hanging out with them. The posts after that became very spare indeed. Computers are wonderful things, but it's important to know when to put them aside and have a beer.

Thanks for all the great writing, and enjoy your break!

Stephen

I love the fact that I can peek in there, read a quick paragraph about some band I've never heard of, and then listen to a song. It's just enough to keep me coming back every day. I hope you reconsider this move...

I was a premier member of Salon for the last 5 years or so, but when it came time to renew this year, I just couldn't bring myself to do it. The political reporting is as good as ever, but most everything else about the site has gone downhill the past year or so. I used to look at video dog regularly, now that it's dominated by talking rabbits and lamely drawn cartoons, I haven't bothered to look in several months. Camille Paglia is pretty much the definition of pretentious and useless blather. Several other columnists (Deborah Dickerson, I'm talking to you) seem more interested in making a name for themselves or trying to be controversial than actually doing interesting reporting or editorializing.

I'll keep looking at Salon on a daily basis, for the War Room, King Kaufman and Glen Greenwald if nothing else, but as a wide ranging site where I can read about a variety of culture, science, and politics, the elimination of Audiofile is just another nail in Salon's coffin. We'll see what the "beefed up" cultural coverage is, but I'm not holding my breath.

So that's what that "preview" button is for... Hmmmm.

Hopefully it's a compliment to you to say that if Salon.com hadn't told me that you were filling in during this time, I might not have actually noticed that anything was different. War Room over the last two weeks has been just as insightful, relevant, and infuriating (its not you, its them) as ever. Thanks for keeping the high standards!