Archive for 2008
« Older Entries | Newer Entries »Grace Jones Pulls Back Up To Your Bumper
[ 2 Comments ]Posted on December 11, 2008 by admin in Music
Thursday, December 11th, 2008I knew It All Along…Grace Jones Is Made Of Chocolate
 Grace Jones Gets Her Head Examined |
When Grace Jones first broke onto the scene over twenty years ago, my genderblending friends and I welcomed her to the club, but always thought of her more as a Jean Paul Goude media creation and personality than a true talent. Well, after 19 years of silence, she’s back to prove us wrong. Her new CD Hurricane
Merry Fistmas And Other Odd Holiday Traditions
[ 1 Comment ]Posted on December 10, 2008 by admin in Holidays
Wednesday, December 10th, 2008“Leave the gifts, just bring the crisco” as the song says.
With Christmas just a couple of weeks away, it’s time to really get in the spirit with some time-honored musical traditions like Fist Me This Christmas (featured left), a lovely carol by the Wet Spots (you may know them from their hit Do You Take It ). If squeezing helpless babies to get just the right pitch for your recording is more up your alley, check out the Jingle Babies CD
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I’m A Recovering Hope Addict
[ Comments Off ]Posted on December 10, 2008 by admin in Politics
Wednesday, December 10th, 2008Anybody Know Where I Can Score Some Change?
My Obama buzz is wearing off. Even though I was pacing myself, I got just a little too high on the idea of change he promised. So far, I’m feeling a little bit like I voted for a Clinton. As this November 14 CBSNews.com piece points out, 37 of 41 staff or transition team members have close ties to the Clinton administration. You’d expect a certain amount of this — it would only be logical to have some seasoned White House staff on board — but it appears I’m not alone in my concerns. I have to admit I’m not stunned by Obama’s weekly chats either. One would think his team would be more aware that he’s not campaigning any more, and can stop using the more moronic sound bites like “Wall Street vs. Main Street”. On the other hand, I’m excited that he seems genuinely focused on re-building both America’s infrastructure and its image abroad. I’d like to be more upbeat on this topic, but I’m really tired of saying to myself “at least this is better than [insert morally bankrupt politician name]“. He campaigned heavily on the theme of real change, and that’s exactly why I voted for him. Anybody else feeling the jones?
Hey, Check Me Out
[ 2 Comments ]Posted on December 9, 2008 by admin in Lifestyle & Culture
Tuesday, December 9th, 2008Oral tradition? We got your oral tradition.
Next time you go to the library, you may be able to check out something a little more interesting than the latest best-seller. I’m working on a non-profit concept based on cultural sharing and community action, so I was heartened to learn that in the U.K. a concept called Living Library has been enjoying some success. Curious about another culture? Don’t feel like reading a bunch of books to get a feel for it? Why not let someone come and tell you about it in person? Much cooler than renting a person or buying someone, the idea was first explored in Denmark in 2000 by the group Stop Volden (Stop the Violence). Most hatred has its basis in fear and ignorance, which often dissolves when people just meet and talk. My favorite personal experience with this was years ago when I introduced a homophobic redneck friend to a gay friend . As soon as the redneck friend realized the gay guy wasn’t going to spontaneously kiss him and grab his ass, he stopped feeling the nead to beat him up and they actually became drinking buddies. Living Library is working on pilot programs in the U.S.; maybe the concept will catch on. Along the same lines, people are even building mini-economies using the concept of community currency. Pretty cool. More on this topic soon, I think I’m late for my Socialists Anonymous meeting!
It’s Like Throwing A Stick For A Puppy
[ 2 Comments ]Posted on December 8, 2008 by admin in Editorial & Opinion
Monday, December 8th, 2008Except you don’t have to clean up any poo.
I take a perverse pleasure in introducing people to things that they enjoy, but that I have no interest in taking part in. This manifests in a few ways; I like throwing parties, I’ve introduced a few people who became happy couples (and speaking of not taking part, two of them have been gay couples!), and I like turning people on to easy-to-learn but addictive computer games (video games otherwise don’t interest me much). I consider this last pursuit particularly gratifying if I know I make the person late for work on Monday morning. This can be a risky pastime. At least three people aren’t speaking me because they became addicted to Stack the Cats, for instance. And in cases like the amazingly simple but disturbingly intriguing Spin The Black Circle, I run the danger of becoming addicted myself. Which was also true of the game Auditorium, which adds an extra level of aggravation by not having any hard rules and allowing multiple solutions to the same problem.