Archive for February, 2012
|Is The Occupy Movement Dead?
[ Comments Off ]Posted on February 26, 2012 by admin in Lifestyle & Culture
Sunday, February 26th, 2012Not likely. But it probably needs to get itself off the ropes. And though it’s no longer in tents, it might still get intense. Remember: it’s the banks, stupid.
Perhaps the only thing more tedious than a roomful of liberal intellectuals endlessly debating the world’s problems is a roomful of moderate Republicans, Tea Partiers, Libertarians, socialists, anarchists AND liberal intellectuals doing the same thing. And if you attend an Occupy-related meeting or assembly anywhere across the country, there’s a good chance that you will run into this phenomena. It’s equally likely that you will encounter a similar mix of people having a surprisingly productive and efficient meeting, using methods that will seem strange to most people. And no, I’m not talking about twinkle fingers; as one of the folks involved in some re-organization of Occupy Ann Arbor, I attend a lot of meetings and events, and haven’t seen many twinkle fingers since December. No, I’m talking about consensual decision making that may borrow both from the most ancient of methods – like the Greek Forum – to cutting edge ideas like Open Space, which also is used by organizations that range from AT&T and Rockport to Israeli/Palestinian peace organizers.
What I DO still see a lot of though is opinionating. And personal irresponsibility. And confusion. Last fall a former Ann Arborite – writing for the National Review – said that “an Occupy Ann Arbor is like a special ballet company, set aside for thin people.” Nothing could really be farther from the truth; this town is so conservative that the real problem has been getting enough people present to actually occupy anything in a noticeable fashion. And when they do get together in any notable numbers – amongst the self-identified Occupy groups in the area, there is a strange mix of factionalism and solidarity – there will often be a strange result. They will suddenly realize once again that they agree on a bunch of things, but then get mired in debate about what to do and how to do it. This perplexed me for months, and then I finally came to understand a few things. Read the rest of this entry »
Valentine’s Day 2012 – It’s Not The End of the World
[ Comments Off ]Posted on February 13, 2012 by admin in Holidays
Monday, February 13th, 2012But it COULD be the end of a relationship. If you play your cards right. Ten easy ways to help get rid of that special unwanted someone in your life.
Charmageddon |
Are you trapped in a dismal relationship, dreading Valentine’s Day even more than usual this year? Well put your mind at ease, because this is your time. Why? In case you forgot, we’re all going to die in some kind of end-of-the world scenario this year, like maybe Chicken Shawarmageddon. What better time to end a relationship than The End of Days? We’ve served up plenty of strange Valentine’s Day gift ideas before, like Last Minute Valentine Gifts For Romance Impaired Misogynists, and Valentine’s Day Gift Ideas To Win Back Your Ex-Girlfriend. But this year, why worry about your existing ex, when you can make a new one? And if you want to make sure someone gets out of your life forever, what better day than Valentine’s Day? There’s no need to boil someone’s bunny, like in Fatal Attraction, or put a horse head on their bed, as in the famous kiss-off in The Godfather. Besides, in some cultures, the latter was historically considered an expression of love. No, giving someone the pink slip on Valentine’s Day will leave no doubt in their mind about whether it’s just a passing quarrel, and can be accomplished with simple and inexpensive gifts that say it all. So if you’re simply looking to dump someone, or, worse yet, if you’ve settled for an awkward half-baked solution that has left you in a position where the three words you dread hearing most as you make passionate love with the person that truly sets your heart on fire are “Honey, I’m home”, maybe it’s time to make a change. We’re here to help with the perfect gifts to break someone’s heart, instead of melting it. Read the rest of this entry »
The Swede Smell of Success – Rebecca & Fiona’s “I Love You Man”
[ Comments Off ]Posted on February 4, 2012 by admin in Music
Saturday, February 4th, 2012Whenever I want to dance alone in my apartment, I drive my music snob friends away with some awesome Europop like Rebecca & Fiona
I occasionally find myself a sudden musical outcast amongst my friends. A lot of music lovers I know are frankly arrogant snobs, or so niche-obsessed as to be musically misanthropic, so when I go on a bender with something like Robyn, Die Antwoord, or Lady Sovereign, they just avoid me for a few days, or ask me how my Rebecca Black fan club is doing. Or walk around with their fingers in their ears saying “la la la la” thinking I’ll shut it off or something. Well, it looks like I’ll have some time to myself for a day or two as I keep Rebecca & Fiona on regular rotation. I first heard of them because of this fan video (also below) which is kind of an editing gem on its own. I then went down the YouTube Rabbit Hole for a while, and realized I had to have more, so I picked up I Love You, Man, their latest release. If you liked the Europoppier bands on Pitchfork’s 2007 best of list, and if you like the girly, talk-singy vocal stylings of Norway’s Ephemera, Rebecca & Fiona may find a place on your list. Their slightly derivative sound is part of their appeal to me; it’s sort of like a weird amalgam of 80′s girl bands like Bananarama, the aforementioned more recent Europop, and some particularly smooth looped and ducking-tweaked dance music. Which all makes sense; the Swedish duo found fame mostly via a Swedish reality TV show which followed them as they pursued their budding music/DJ career as hardworking teens. Keep your eyes on these two, they’ve been winning international mixing contests as DJ’s, and getting lots of remix attention as artists themselves. Read the rest of this entry »