Archive for October, 2008
« Older Entries | Newer Entries »It’s The Stupid Economy
[ Comments Off ]Posted on October 23, 2008 by admin in Editorial & Opinion
Thursday, October 23rd, 2008…stupid
I always feel a little ignorant went it comes to finance and the economy. That is, until I sit with a typical group of Americans and listen to them talk about either. If you feel a little less than enlightened on the big picture yourself, Good Magazine has a simple chart (which cops the Bill Clinton campaign slogan from the ’92 election) to fill you in on some of the basics. If you’re putting the pieces together intelligently (the corporate media has no reason to want to help you with this), it would be hard to believe that things will get much better before they get a lot worse. But don’t worry. This whole capitalism thing is probably a dying paradigm. We’re probably ready for a smart economy. We just need to rework that pesky social contract a bit. I think there are reasons you don’t here the words “Economics” and “Ethical” in the same sentence very often these days.
Claim It Hasn’t Crossed Your Mind
[ Comments Off ]Posted on October 23, 2008 by admin in Politics
Thursday, October 23rd, 2008Anyone care to name names?
Would you kill the president
of the U.S. for this woman? |
I mean, in relation to a more recent president. The consistently witty Cracked.com has an hilarious piece called The 6 Most Utterly Insane Attempts to Kill a US President. Raising again the eternal question: why is it that they only seem to get the good guys? Which of course reminds me of when it first looked like Barack Obama had a chance as the Democratic candidate. I remember clearly the excitement of thinking “Wow. This is the country I remember growing up in. One that might actually think about electing a black president, or a candidate that offered hope instead of fear.” I also remember the thought that immediately followed, which was “Oh crap, get some security on the dude. They’re gonna try to kill him!” Well, if you believe what you read on sites with names like satansrapture.com (why are these sites always ALL IN CAPS?), Obama will, according to the Bible Codes, eventually be assassinated. This idea has been kicked around so much that back in March of this year there was even a rather sprawling exhibit at the Naomi Gates Gallery called The Assassination of Barack Obama, which, while implying the obvious, justified itself by claiming to explore the concept of character assassination as well. Let’s hope this bizarre part of the national psyche doesn’t express itself again; there are much better candidates. For getting shot, I mean.
Let Me Give You A Pisa Maya Mind
[ Comments Off ]Posted on October 22, 2008 by admin in Editorial & Opinion
Wednesday, October 22nd, 2008A Two-for-one Pisa Special
At the age of 10 or 11, I was reading things that a kid that age really shouldn’t be reading, like Alan Watts
Morning Time Waster
[ Comments Off ]Posted on October 21, 2008 by admin in Editorial & Opinion
Tuesday, October 21st, 2008The dot at left will be your enemy this morning, convincing you that you can be faster, better than you are. Give up. You’re getting older, and your reaction time isn’t what it used to be. I hate that something so simple made me waste 5 or 10 minutes of my life, but for the [...]
The dot at left will be your enemy this morning, convincing you that you can be faster, better than you are. Give up. You’re getting older, and your reaction time isn’t what it used to be. I hate that something so simple made me waste 5 or 10 minutes of my life, but for the record, I got a .203 average the first time, and only did worse as I kept trying. I defy anyone who drinks less than 2 pots of coffee a day to beat me.
Dweezil Zappa’s Tour de Frank
[ 1 Comment ]Posted on October 20, 2008 by admin in Music
Monday, October 20th, 2008No poodles were harmed in the course of the performance
If you were to grow up with the name Dweezil, and had a brother named Ahmet Emuukha Rodan, and sisters named Moon Unit and Diva Thin Muffin Pigeen, most would find it perfectly acceptable if you turned out to be a serial killer or just plain maladjusted. Frankly (heh, I slipped in a Frank) I don’t know how well adjusted Dweezil Zappa is, but he is certainly one of the most remarkable guitarists and bandleaders I’ve had the pleasure of seeing in concert. Thanks to a client/friend of mine (Paul Hickman; check out the cool art he does with his son here) I got to see Zappa Plays Zappa tonight. If you’re able to catch one of their remaining shows, be prepared for a rather relentless presentation of classic Zappa, immaculately performed. Actually it was a bit too relentless for me; at two hours they were still playing with no signs of fatigue, and the show apparently clocks in at around 2:45. That didn’t seem to bother the true Zappa devotees a bit, however. If you’re more of a fan, their non-stop Tour de Frank will probably be a joyous experience.