New flava in ya ear!
Major Lazer feat. Mr. Lexx & Santigold.
Hold the Line.
Saturday, May 30, 2009
Back to Life, Back to Reality?
A Moment of Clarity starring Glenn Beck and the "COACH", Craig T. Nelson.
Oh Word?
"I'm just trying to be me, doing what I gotta do..."
Words. For Your Consideration...
"You know what, Adam Lambert? Just can it with the coy shit. Everyone knows the American Idol second-placer is a big ol' homo from Fruitington Corners, but in every goddamn interview the lurching behemoth always says things like "keep speculating..." And I wish he'd just man up and step out.
...Is it anyone's business? Of course it's not. But would it be nice, just for fucking once, for a clearly gay, currently popular (and that's fleeting, Mary. Don't think it isn't. You're gonna be whistling the national anthem at state fairs come this time next year) to step up to the plate and say "You know what? Forget my own career, I'm gay."
Friday, May 29, 2009
Thursday, May 28, 2009
Words.
For Your Consideration.
"Fundamentalists believe that marriage is between a man and a woman and for the purpose of creating a family. A gay couple is incapable of having their own children, they assert, so they do not qualify to be married. But what of heterosexual couples who marry with no intention of having children. Beyond any issues of infertility or illness, there are men and women who are married in the eyes of the state, enjoying all of the legal benefits, who have no intention of having children. They seek only companionship and all of the entitlements that come with marriage. Sex, joy, partnership, caring. All of that is theirs, even though they will never bear children and willfully so. If the state says they are free to do that, why aren't gay couples, as well."
THE HUFFINGTON POST: Why Childless Straight Couples Make the Case for Gay Marriage
"Fundamentalists believe that marriage is between a man and a woman and for the purpose of creating a family. A gay couple is incapable of having their own children, they assert, so they do not qualify to be married. But what of heterosexual couples who marry with no intention of having children. Beyond any issues of infertility or illness, there are men and women who are married in the eyes of the state, enjoying all of the legal benefits, who have no intention of having children. They seek only companionship and all of the entitlements that come with marriage. Sex, joy, partnership, caring. All of that is theirs, even though they will never bear children and willfully so. If the state says they are free to do that, why aren't gay couples, as well."
"Tha Block is Hot!"
New flava in ya ear!
DJ Webstar & Jim Jones feat. Juelz Santana.
Dancing On Me.
Jokes.
DJ Webstar & Jim Jones feat. Juelz Santana.
Dancing On Me.
Jokes.
Wednesday, May 27, 2009
Prop H8.
A Moment of Clarity.
Words.
"...if a majority of Californians voted to "carve out a narrow exception" to California's right to privacy and applied it only to Jews, would it be constitutionally acceptable? If Native Americans were accorded all the protections of the law by a ballot proposition, except the right to marry a non-Indian, would that be legal?
This is social and moral nonsense.
The court tried Tuesday to cover itself with a fig leaf of decency by allowing the 18,000 existing same-sex marriages to stand. It won't work. This is a logically and morally incoherent decision that simply will plunge the state into another round of bitterly divisive initiative politics, while adding fuel to the growing sense that all three branches of California's government have lost the ability to function in the public interest."
LOS ANGELES TIMES: California court's contradictory Prop. 8 decision
Words.
"...if a majority of Californians voted to "carve out a narrow exception" to California's right to privacy and applied it only to Jews, would it be constitutionally acceptable? If Native Americans were accorded all the protections of the law by a ballot proposition, except the right to marry a non-Indian, would that be legal?
This is social and moral nonsense.
The court tried Tuesday to cover itself with a fig leaf of decency by allowing the 18,000 existing same-sex marriages to stand. It won't work. This is a logically and morally incoherent decision that simply will plunge the state into another round of bitterly divisive initiative politics, while adding fuel to the growing sense that all three branches of California's government have lost the ability to function in the public interest."
Tuesday, May 26, 2009
Black & Gold.
"We've got the whole world in our hands?"
Words.
"California, it has long been claimed, is where the future happens first. But is that still true? If it is, God help America.
The recession has hit the Golden State hard. The housing bubble was bigger there than almost anywhere else, and the bust has been bigger too. California’s unemployment rate, at 11 percent, is the fifth-highest in the nation. And the state’s revenues have suffered accordingly.
What’s really alarming about California, however, is the political system’s inability to rise to the occasion.
Despite the economic slump, despite irresponsible policies that have doubled the state’s debt burden since Arnold Schwarzenegger became governor, California has immense human and financial resources. It should not be in fiscal crisis; it should not be on the verge of cutting essential public services and denying health coverage to almost a million children. But it is — and you have to wonder if California’s political paralysis foreshadows the future of the nation as a whole."
EARLIER:
Oh Word?
Words. For Your Consideration...
"American women are wealthier, healthier and better educated than they were 30 years ago. They’re more likely to work outside the home, and more likely to earn salaries comparable to men’s when they do. They can leave abusive marriages and sue sexist employers. They enjoy unprecedented control over their own fertility. On some fronts — graduation rates, life expectancy and even job security — men look increasingly like the second sex.
But all the achievements of the feminist era may have delivered women to greater unhappiness. In the 1960s, when Betty Friedan diagnosed her fellow wives and daughters as the victims of “the problem with no name,” American women reported themselves happier, on average, than did men. Today, that gender gap has reversed. Male happiness has inched up, and female happiness has dropped. In postfeminist America, men are happier than women.
This is “The Paradox of Declining Female Happiness,” the subject of a provocative paper from the economists Betsey Stevenson and Justin Wolfers. The paper is fascinating not only because of what it shows, but because the authors deliberately avoid floating an easy explanation for their data."
As the World Turns...
Hot and Cold. Which do you prefer?
Words.
"Which reality do you inhabit, Obama World or Cheney World? If it's the latter, remember that storm clouds are always gathering. Don't forget your umbrella.
In Obama World, it's always morning. The sun is shining, the birds are chirping and the pollen count is low. In Cheney World, it's perpetual twilight. Somewhere in the distance, a lone wolf howls at the rising moon.
...In Cheney World, ideals are nice and all that, but might makes right. We do what we want. Because we can. You got a problem with that?
Obama World is an exciting place to live right now -- not perfect, to be sure, but full of energy and hope. If Dick Cheney wants to stay in his bunker, that's his business. Others might want to come up for some fresh air."
Monday, May 25, 2009
Ain't Misbehavin'.
A Moment of Clarity.
Words.
"There is a significant disconnect between what we say about supporting our troops and what we actually do. We seem to despise the weakness of the wounded soldier, especially when it is manifested by mental illness, social alienation or undefined degenerative diseases. Today's war heroes too often become tomorrow's poor, many living in rundown apartment complexes around military bases, where they can squeeze out discounts for their essential needs.
We buried Jim on Sept. 10, 2001, and barely had a chance to grieve when thoughts of our brother were blown from our minds. A new war was engaged, with an army of fresh names and faces. The familiar chant spilled out from the soul of a nation blind to its meaning: Support our troops. Now, as so many of our brave soldiers make their long journey home, the question remains: Can we give dignity in peace?"
LOS ANGELES TIMES: PTSD's toll on our soldiers
Words.
"There is a significant disconnect between what we say about supporting our troops and what we actually do. We seem to despise the weakness of the wounded soldier, especially when it is manifested by mental illness, social alienation or undefined degenerative diseases. Today's war heroes too often become tomorrow's poor, many living in rundown apartment complexes around military bases, where they can squeeze out discounts for their essential needs.
We buried Jim on Sept. 10, 2001, and barely had a chance to grieve when thoughts of our brother were blown from our minds. A new war was engaged, with an army of fresh names and faces. The familiar chant spilled out from the soul of a nation blind to its meaning: Support our troops. Now, as so many of our brave soldiers make their long journey home, the question remains: Can we give dignity in peace?"
Sunday, May 24, 2009
Friday, May 22, 2009
Much Ado About Nothing?
Tied to the Whipping Post?
Words.
For Your Consideration...
"I want the next Supreme Court justice to share my views on the Constitution. I don't care how she looks in a bathing suit, or halfway out of one. Miss California is a different story. Her qualifications, as a general rule, should be up to the people of California. Here in the state of Washington, we expect our beauty-contest winners to be able to split a log and appreciate good coffee. But Miss California's views on gay marriage have nothing to do with her qualifications for the job and shouldn't disqualify her for it.
This is really Liberalism 101, and it's amazing that so many liberals don't get it. Yes, yes, the Bill of Rights protects individuals against oppression by the government, not by other private individuals or organizations. But the values and logic behind our constitutional rights don't disappear when the oppressor is in the private sector. They may not have the force of law in that situation, but they ought to have the force of understanding and of habit. The logic behind freedom of speech is that "bad" speech does not need to be suppressed as long as "good" speech is free to counter it. Or at least that letting the good and bad do battle is more likely to allow the good speech to triumph than giving anyone the power to choose between them. Congratulations to Donald Trump for making the right decision in this case. But we can't count on every employer to be as sensitive and understanding as The Donald.
In Hollywood, especially, they ought to know better than to try to destroy the career of a professional beauty contestant because she spoke out -- ever so politely and tentatively, and only when asked -- against gay marriage. During the blacklist period, people's careers were destroyed because, as members of the Communist Party, they had admired Stalin's Soviet Union and wished -- or, occasionally, worked -- to see some of its finer features established here. Not every blacklist victim was communist, and even fewer had kept the faith, but we now recognize that even those who were believers had a right to their views. Maybe some people don't recognize this even today. But liberals ought to."
Thursday, May 21, 2009
Last Call.
Originally written (but never "published") on Thursday May 7th, 2009.
American Idol, man. It’s like a vortex. I’m not even following it religiously this year, and yet I am. Adam, Danny, Kris. America, this is your Top 3! Why do I know this? Oh wait, I know why. You see, American Idol is like that great old friend of yours you ain’t see in a while; you’ve had some good times, you love the kid, and you miss the kid, but circumstances keep you apart. In this instance, in this year, for me, it’s been a lack of bona-fide star power, that complete full package of charisma, presence, talent, and humility (whoa didn’t expect to see that one at the end, huh?) that comes naturally and just radiates through the screen, that has kept me away from the festivities. Yeah Adam can sing. Yeah America is always willing to give a John Mayer/Jack Johnson/Jason Mraz/Kris Allen a try. And a capable dude who often sounds like the second coming of the Soul Patrol? Oh hell yes! Except, Oh! Hell! No!
Thinking like Simon and wanting some more, I took a shining to the 17 year old raven-haired rock and roll like stylings of the one they call Allison. Weaving in out of the show between my appointment television commercial breaks, I’d often tune in just in time to catch Allison light up the stage, and think to myself, “okay, somebody’s getting it right.” Despite my attention being focused elsewhere this season, I still kept tabs on Allison post show on blogs, websites, and in the papers. (And, okay, Adam. I mean, come on, how can’t you? It’s a little bit of “damn, wonder what’s he gonna tackle tonight?” and “damn, I wonder what he’s gonna DO tonight?” Get the difference?) And on air when I could, as was the case last night, when I caught Allison’s farewell package and performance during a Lakers vs. Rockets commercial break. Listen and look carefully. This, for me, is performing. This, for me, is emoting. This, for me, seemed so genuine. This, for me, seems ready for primetime. The walk into the crowd, the easy going mid-performance rapport with the judges, and just. Plain. Singing. She had me at hello. Hell, she had us all at hello. (One of my favorite parts of the performance had to be seeing Simon in the mid-darkness at the judge’s tables. His face and body language pretty much said “Okay Allison, I see you. You got it!”, and echoed the sentiments I am trying so hard to put forth here).
I held on to the end. I was entertained. I was moved.
And I couldn’t have asked for anything more.*
*Okay, WRONG! Allison staying on board would have been awesome. DAMN YOU AMERICAN IDOL!
American Idol, man. It’s like a vortex. I’m not even following it religiously this year, and yet I am. Adam, Danny, Kris. America, this is your Top 3! Why do I know this? Oh wait, I know why. You see, American Idol is like that great old friend of yours you ain’t see in a while; you’ve had some good times, you love the kid, and you miss the kid, but circumstances keep you apart. In this instance, in this year, for me, it’s been a lack of bona-fide star power, that complete full package of charisma, presence, talent, and humility (whoa didn’t expect to see that one at the end, huh?) that comes naturally and just radiates through the screen, that has kept me away from the festivities. Yeah Adam can sing. Yeah America is always willing to give a John Mayer/Jack Johnson/Jason Mraz/Kris Allen a try. And a capable dude who often sounds like the second coming of the Soul Patrol? Oh hell yes! Except, Oh! Hell! No!
Thinking like Simon and wanting some more, I took a shining to the 17 year old raven-haired rock and roll like stylings of the one they call Allison. Weaving in out of the show between my appointment television commercial breaks, I’d often tune in just in time to catch Allison light up the stage, and think to myself, “okay, somebody’s getting it right.” Despite my attention being focused elsewhere this season, I still kept tabs on Allison post show on blogs, websites, and in the papers. (And, okay, Adam. I mean, come on, how can’t you? It’s a little bit of “damn, wonder what’s he gonna tackle tonight?” and “damn, I wonder what he’s gonna DO tonight?” Get the difference?) And on air when I could, as was the case last night, when I caught Allison’s farewell package and performance during a Lakers vs. Rockets commercial break. Listen and look carefully. This, for me, is performing. This, for me, is emoting. This, for me, seemed so genuine. This, for me, seems ready for primetime. The walk into the crowd, the easy going mid-performance rapport with the judges, and just. Plain. Singing. She had me at hello. Hell, she had us all at hello. (One of my favorite parts of the performance had to be seeing Simon in the mid-darkness at the judge’s tables. His face and body language pretty much said “Okay Allison, I see you. You got it!”, and echoed the sentiments I am trying so hard to put forth here).
I held on to the end. I was entertained. I was moved.
And I couldn’t have asked for anything more.*
*Okay, WRONG! Allison staying on board would have been awesome. DAMN YOU AMERICAN IDOL!
The State.
A Moment of Clarity.
"I can't be your Superman!"
Words.
"Stop believing you can solve your problems by electing a superhero. The skills they bring to problem-solving are different.
For example, when Spider-Man catches someone robbing a bank, he knocks the guy through an armored car. Whereas President Obama writes them a check.
Here in California, we experimented with making an action hero our leader. He was going to build roads and schools, cut taxes and balance the budget. How? Simple. Because he was a hulking man-monster who could bend lampposts and have sex with a Kennedy and live.
Five years ago, Arnold Schwarzenegger was handsome, smiling Gov. Arnold.
Now, it's Arnold as the Terminator with half a face.
Is the fiscal crisis here in California Arnold's fault? Absolutely not. This is a man who came to America with nothing but a jar of protein powder and a nice pair of 36D-cup breasts and became the biggest star in Hollywood despite never learning to speak English.
It's not Arnold's fault that California has a worse credit rating than Louisiana, a state that's half underwater and half in the bag.
You see, our state is designed to be ungovernable because we govern by ballot initiative, and we only write two kinds of them: "Spend money on things I like" and "Don't raise my taxes." More money for teachers and firefighters? Check "yes"! High-speed rail? "Cooool!" Drug treatment for former child actors? "Sure, why not?" But don't even think of taxing me for any of it.
That's not an answer! Newt Gingrich had it right when he said, "People don't elect presidents who tell them to sacrifice. They elect presidents who solve problems for them so they don't have to sacrifice."
Right, like Obama should solve global warming by working a little harder in his secret White House lab and coming up with a car that runs on seawater and emits gold doubloons. Someone who magically gives you everything and asks nothing in return? Bernie Madoff tried that plan; it didn't work.
This is why our founders wanted a representative democracy, because they knew that if you give the average guy the chance, he'll vote for a fantasy world with no taxes and free beer..."
LOS ANGELES TIMES: Superheroes can't save California
"I can't be your Superman!"
Words.
"Stop believing you can solve your problems by electing a superhero. The skills they bring to problem-solving are different.
For example, when Spider-Man catches someone robbing a bank, he knocks the guy through an armored car. Whereas President Obama writes them a check.
Here in California, we experimented with making an action hero our leader. He was going to build roads and schools, cut taxes and balance the budget. How? Simple. Because he was a hulking man-monster who could bend lampposts and have sex with a Kennedy and live.
Five years ago, Arnold Schwarzenegger was handsome, smiling Gov. Arnold.
Now, it's Arnold as the Terminator with half a face.
Is the fiscal crisis here in California Arnold's fault? Absolutely not. This is a man who came to America with nothing but a jar of protein powder and a nice pair of 36D-cup breasts and became the biggest star in Hollywood despite never learning to speak English.
It's not Arnold's fault that California has a worse credit rating than Louisiana, a state that's half underwater and half in the bag.
You see, our state is designed to be ungovernable because we govern by ballot initiative, and we only write two kinds of them: "Spend money on things I like" and "Don't raise my taxes." More money for teachers and firefighters? Check "yes"! High-speed rail? "Cooool!" Drug treatment for former child actors? "Sure, why not?" But don't even think of taxing me for any of it.
That's not an answer! Newt Gingrich had it right when he said, "People don't elect presidents who tell them to sacrifice. They elect presidents who solve problems for them so they don't have to sacrifice."
Right, like Obama should solve global warming by working a little harder in his secret White House lab and coming up with a car that runs on seawater and emits gold doubloons. Someone who magically gives you everything and asks nothing in return? Bernie Madoff tried that plan; it didn't work.
This is why our founders wanted a representative democracy, because they knew that if you give the average guy the chance, he'll vote for a fantasy world with no taxes and free beer..."
Wednesday, May 20, 2009
Pause.
"Speaker Pelosi has damaged America's safety. She's made America less secure by sending a signal to the men and women defending our country that they can't count on their leaders to defend them. And every day they spend worrying about being politically persecuted is a day we are made more vulnerable to a nuclear attack on one of our cities, a biological attack on one of our subways, or a bomb going off in one of our malls."-Newt Gingrich
POLITICO: Gingrich: Pelosi makes US more vulnerable to nuke attack
The Strong Arm Steady Crew.
No, seriously.
Words.
"It's not yet clear how the one-armed-midget demographic is shaping up, but everybody else seems to be bailing on the GOP.
Begging the forgiveness of one-armed midgets, I'm merely quoting Republican National Committee Chairman Michael Steele. In a Washington Times interview shortly after being elected head of the GOP, Steele met Howard Dean's gays/guns/God challenge and raised him a jackpot of grief.
Steele was making the point that the GOP needed to "uptick our image with everyone, including one-armed midgets." That was February. This is now:
As state party chairmen gather this week in Maryland, a new Gallup analysis shows that since 2001, fewer people in all but one demographic (those who attend church weekly) have been identifying themselves as Republican.
People moving away from the GOP include those who attend church nearly weekly or monthly, Midwesterners, Southerners, married people, moderates, college graduates, and nongraduates.
The findings confirm growing disenchantment with a party that is viewed as belonging primarily to older white men, despite the GOP's having selected a hip-hop-friendly African American to lead it.
Whatever the thinking is, it isn't working..."
Love/Hate.
A crown fit for a King!
Words.
"In a little over 100 days, the Obama administration and the Democratic Congress have delivered a series of blows to the pride and morale of the Central Intelligence Agency.
It began with the release of the Justice Department memos -- a move opposed by CIA Director Leon Panetta along with four previous directors. Then, Attorney General Eric Holder Jr. did not rule out Justice Department cooperation with foreign lawsuits against American intelligence operatives. Then, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi accused the CIA of lying to her in 2002 about waterboarding, which she admitted learning about five months later anyway but did nothing to oppose because her real job was to "change the leadership in Congress and in the White House.
...And now Obama has described the post-Sept. 11 period as "a dark and painful chapter in our history." In fact, whatever your view of waterboarding, the response of intelligence professionals following Sept. 11 was impressive. Within days, the CIA had linked up with the Northern Alliance in Afghanistan and begun preparations to remove the Taliban. The counterterrorism center run of out CIA headquarters was the war on terror in the months after the attacks, making daily progress in capturing high-value targets. Now the president and his party have done much to tarnish those accomplishments. So much for the thanks of a grateful nation."
EARLIER:
Tuesday, May 19, 2009
Oh Word?
That's a good look?
Words.
"Forget about where you come down on "torture" or "enhanced interrogations." The simple fact is that, as a political matter, the drive for a "truth commission" -- never mind a war crimes tribunal -- is dead as long as Nancy Pelosi is the speaker of the House.
And while I oppose the sort of witch hunt Pelosi and her energumens clearly crave, this isn't necessarily good news.
Pelosi is blocking the road to ritual human sacrifice because there's ample evidence that she was complicit in what she righteously condemns as torture. Principled opponents of the CIA's program insist that what Pelosi knew and when she knew it is irrelevant to the substantive issues at stake.
And they are absolutely right..."
"QUESTION!"
The Breaks.
Words.
"It certainly looks like another example of crying wolf. Three weeks ago the World Health Organization declared a health emergency, warning countries to "prepare for a pandemic," and said the only question was the extent of worldwide damage. Senior officials prophesied that millions could be infected by the disease. But as of last week, the WHO had confirmed only 4,800 cases of swine flu, with 61 fatalities. Obviously, these low numbers are a pleasant surprise, yet one has to wonder: What did we get wrong?..."
Sunday, May 17, 2009
Quarantined.
Souled out(!!!).
Words.
"..."We are going to be in a period of decreased risk tolerance," he said. "We'll overreact. We'll end up contracting more than we need to."
To estimate how long that will take, Lo switched metaphors -- to the five stages of grief theorized by psychiatrist Elisabeth Kübler-Ross. "Financial loss can be as traumatic as terminal illness," he said. "We're somewhere between stages three and four, between bargaining and depression -- emotional depression, not financial depression. We're not going to recover until we get to acceptance. We have to accept the fundamental reality that we can't live in a leveraged state. I think we have another six to nine months before we see a genuine recovery."
That may sound a little New Age-y compared with the supply-and-demand stuff you learned in college. But Lo is only one member of a growing caucus of respected behavioral economists who argue that psychology's impact on the economy isn't a blip, it's a real factor that can help inflate a financial bubble -- and, after the bubble bursts, delay a recovery.
Most behavioral economists don't rely on dopamine, but the underlying point is the same. Humans control the economy, and humans aren't purely rational beings. They have emotions, mood swings and hormones, and those non-rational factors affect their economic decisions, from splurging on lattes to reducing interest rates at the Federal Reserve.
During the real estate boom, consumer spending was boosted by the "wealth effect." Homeowners thought they had money to burn because their houses had risen sharply in value. Now that phenomenon has turned upside down like a bad mortgage. Instead of a wealth effect, we're embracing a "new frugality." Both rich and poor say they are cutting back. Spending at luxury stores has plunged; spending at Wal-Mart is up. If we were hoping for a recovery led by consumption, that's going to take a while.
The good news is that Americans, stung by the results of their profligacy, are saving again. Last year, the national savings rate -- the percentage of income that Americans didn't spend -- dropped below zero; as a nation, we were borrowing money to buy stuff. This year, for three months in a row, the savings rate has edged up above 4%, and economists expect baby boomers -- anxious about their depleted retirement accounts -- to push it over 6%.
More saving is good for the economy in the long run because it means more capital to invest in growing businesses. But the way people invest is likely to change too, and for the same reason spending habits have changed: Once burned, twice shy."
"Talk and talk and talk and talk."
For Your Consideration...
[ED'S NOTE: The talk on Religion begins at the two minute, fifteen second mark]
Words.
"What atheists don't seem to realize is that even for believers, faith is never easy in this world of injustice, pain and delusion. Even for believers, God exists just beyond the scrim of the senses. So, atheists, how about losing the tired sarcasm and boring self-pity and engaging believers seriously?"
LOS ANGELES TIMES: Atheists: No God, no reason, just whining
[ED'S NOTE: The talk on Religion begins at the two minute, fifteen second mark]
Words.
"What atheists don't seem to realize is that even for believers, faith is never easy in this world of injustice, pain and delusion. Even for believers, God exists just beyond the scrim of the senses. So, atheists, how about losing the tired sarcasm and boring self-pity and engaging believers seriously?"
Saturday, May 16, 2009
Friday, May 15, 2009
Each One, Teach One.
A Moment of Clarity.
Words.
"For decades, the divide between the White House and the impoverished black and immigrant neighborhoods in the nation’s capital has often seemed insurmountable. But in recent months, Michelle Obama has become something of a human bridge between the two worlds.
Mrs. Obama, the first lady, has repeatedly traveled to Anacostia and other neighborhoods rarely visited by the power elite here in an effort to reach out to young people who are struggling to succeed.
She has offered advice to Tiara Chance, the daughter of a part-time cleaning lady, who has long believed that college is solely for the well to do; to Ashleigh Cannon, who lives in a group home and longs for the rhythms of stable family life; and to Akrem Muzemil, an Ethiopian immigrant who has struggled to learn English and to close his ears to the seductive call of street gangs hunting for recruits.
To the students she counsels, Mrs. Obama’s gilded life in the White House is almost unimaginable. But in their stories, friends and relatives say, the first lady hears the echoes of her own struggles as a working-class girl on the South Side of Chicago.
...Mrs. Obama, the first African-American first lady, is also among the first to emerge from the urban working class, historians say. Her parents never attended college and rented an apartment when she was growing up. At Princeton, she wrote in her senior thesis, she sometimes felt “like a visitor on campus, as if I don’t really belong.”
Mrs. Obama feels so strongly about dispelling such doubts among young people that she came close to tears last month as she addressed a girls’ school in London. Aides said she saw something of herself in the faces of the immigrant girls in the audience.
“She wants to help those who were like she was,” said Craig Robinson, her brother. “She is focused on telling them they can make it.”
...“There were kids around my neighborhood who would say, ‘Ooo, you talk like a white girl,’ ” Mrs. Obama said. “I heard that growing up my whole life. I was like, ‘I don’t even know what that means.’ But you know what? I’m still getting my A’s.”
The students welcome her with astonishment."
THE NEW YORK TIMES: To Inspire Young People, First Lady Shares Working-Class Background
Words.
"For decades, the divide between the White House and the impoverished black and immigrant neighborhoods in the nation’s capital has often seemed insurmountable. But in recent months, Michelle Obama has become something of a human bridge between the two worlds.
Mrs. Obama, the first lady, has repeatedly traveled to Anacostia and other neighborhoods rarely visited by the power elite here in an effort to reach out to young people who are struggling to succeed.
She has offered advice to Tiara Chance, the daughter of a part-time cleaning lady, who has long believed that college is solely for the well to do; to Ashleigh Cannon, who lives in a group home and longs for the rhythms of stable family life; and to Akrem Muzemil, an Ethiopian immigrant who has struggled to learn English and to close his ears to the seductive call of street gangs hunting for recruits.
To the students she counsels, Mrs. Obama’s gilded life in the White House is almost unimaginable. But in their stories, friends and relatives say, the first lady hears the echoes of her own struggles as a working-class girl on the South Side of Chicago.
...Mrs. Obama, the first African-American first lady, is also among the first to emerge from the urban working class, historians say. Her parents never attended college and rented an apartment when she was growing up. At Princeton, she wrote in her senior thesis, she sometimes felt “like a visitor on campus, as if I don’t really belong.”
Mrs. Obama feels so strongly about dispelling such doubts among young people that she came close to tears last month as she addressed a girls’ school in London. Aides said she saw something of herself in the faces of the immigrant girls in the audience.
“She wants to help those who were like she was,” said Craig Robinson, her brother. “She is focused on telling them they can make it.”
...“There were kids around my neighborhood who would say, ‘Ooo, you talk like a white girl,’ ” Mrs. Obama said. “I heard that growing up my whole life. I was like, ‘I don’t even know what that means.’ But you know what? I’m still getting my A’s.”
The students welcome her with astonishment."
Changes.
A Moment of Clarity.
Words.
"The noisy right-wing brat pack, including Rush and his dittoheads, has been complaining since Newt was a pup about how Congress never gets anything done. It's a corrupt institution, frozen in time by invulnerable incumbency, full of members too busy serving lobbyists and filling out expense reports to attend to the people's business. Now, Congress is ready to get things done with a vengeance.
The president and his party in Congress face the terrifying prospect of being able to fulfill their campaign promises. They will have no excuse if there is no health-care reform or energy reform, or if there are and they are disasters.
The biggest shock, though, will probably be to the voters. For years they have called for "change," generally unspecified, while enjoying the status quo more than they cared to admit. (They want health-care reform provided that they can keep their own doctor. They want congressional term limits, but they like their own member enough to reelect him again and again.) They have demanded alchemy from their representatives -- expand our benefits and cut our taxes and balance the budget while you're at it -- and then staged hissy fits when the politicians didn't produce.
Now, when the voters demand change, they may well get it. We'll see how they like it."
The Green Initiative.
The cool.
Words.
"YOU MAY RECALL President Obama urging Congress to pass the stimulus bill immediately because the economy so desperately needed money. The massive recovery bill was passed, and, recently, a few "green shoots" have been popping up -- indicating that, perhaps, the worst may be over. Is it a result of the stimulus? Tough to say, but, given the amount of money that has actually gone out the door, probably not.
Government agencies have thus far spent $29 billion of the $787 billion stimulus package, and less than that has gone out in tax cuts. What has been spent has mostly gone to Medicaid and unemployment insurance -- real "shovel-ready" programs in that they are already in place. It is true that just knowing that money has been authorized ($88 billion so far) can allow projects to get started and jobs to be created. Nonetheless, of the $20 billion approved for spending so far for the Education Department, for instance, 97.2 percent remains unspent. Of the $10 billion approved for the Transportation Department, a full 99.7 percent is still left to be spent.
The challenge of getting government money out the door fast is one reason that some economists challenge the value of Keynesian stimulus policies. By the time checks are being written, they argue, an economic recovery is often underway. The result can be an inflationary waste of money."
Thursday, May 14, 2009
"WHAT YOU SAY?"
"[NOT TO ME!] SHE AIN'T NO DIVA!"
Words.
"[Dick] Cheney has replaced Sarah Palin as Rogue Diva. Just as Jeb Bush and other Republicans are trying to get kinder and gentler, Cheney has popped out of his dungeon, scary organ music blaring, to carry on his nasty campaign of fear and loathing.
The man who never talked is now the man who won’t shut up. The man who wouldn’t list his office in the federal jobs directory, who had the vice president’s residence blocked on Google Earth, who went to the Supreme Court to keep from revealing which energy executives helped him write the nation’s energy policy, is now endlessly yelping about how President Obama is holding back documents that should be made public.
Cheney, who had five deferments himself to get out of going to Vietnam, would rather follow a blowhard entertainer who has had three divorces and a drug problem (who also avoided Vietnam) than a four-star general who spent his life serving his country."
6 O'Clock Blues
"Hot fun in the Summertime?"
Words.
"...According to the League of California Cities, L.A. would be forced to loan the state $67.7 million. The county would be particularly hard hit, giving up as much as $250 million. The overall impact on local government -- and your neighborhood -- is estimated at just over $2 billion.
Taking 8% of the property taxes now used to fund local governments would force deep cuts in the services and programs delivered by your city and county. Worse, a property tax shift fixes nothing. The state is obligated to repay the local governments -- with interest -- in three years. That just kicks the state's deficit down the road. This might make cynical sense for termed-out legislators and Schwarzenegger. But the state will have dug itself a deeper hole from which it's less likely to recover..."
Wednesday, May 13, 2009
Higher Learning.
A Moment of Clarity.
| The Daily Show With Jon Stewart | M - Th 11p / 10c | |||
| Arizona State Snubs Obama | ||||
| ||||
Jokes.
Too much?
Words. For Your Consideration...
"Washington buzz lately has become a buzz saw.
In the days since the correspondents' dinner, reaction to Barack Obama's reaction to Wanda Sykes's one-liners has resembled a confederacy of scolds. What dreary, sensitive wretches we've become.
Do I think Sykes was a monument to hilarity? No, but she was funny much of the time. Do I think her now-infamous Rush Limbaugh jokes were over the top? Yeah. That's a comedian for you. Do I think her performance -- and Obama's apparent amusement -- marks the decline of civilization? This is hardly a new development.
I do think we take ourselves far too seriously -- and literally.
...Lost in the frenzy is the more important matter of our thin-skinned intolerance and our reflexive lurch to take offense. We might remind ourselves that it's always the fanatics who can't take a joke."
Tuesday, May 12, 2009
ONE MORE TIME!
Visit msnbc.com for Breaking News, World News, and News about the Economy
EARLIER:
Through the Looking Glass.
A simpler time. -Sigh- "I want to go to there!"
Words.
""What the Hell's Going On?" It's a simple yet completely fair question given all that's happened over the last nine years. But still, there is almost no unified consensus to this question in the U.S. Try asking friends and family. Feel free to present it as a party game.
They'll probably respond with something like, "What's going on with what? Heidi and Spencer? American Idol? LeBron?" This will take you to phase two of the question "With the whole country." At this point answers like "Everyone's corrupt" or "Stupid republicans" or "Damn liberals" will kick in.
..."They're all a bunch of crooks" is another common answer. And it's just as powerless as the "things go in cycles" response. It usually leads to not voting and not looking for reliable sources of information and news because after all, "they're all a bunch of crooks." How come when we are robbed by an actual bunch of crooks at gun point we don't say, "What are you gonna do? They'll all a bunch of crooks." No, we call the police and demand swift action, and then we call A and E and shoot a true crime show.
This excuse is also music to the ears of the ineffective and privileged, who by all rights should have a mob outside their house or at least be hissed at every time they go out to dinner. (By the way, what happened to hissing? I haven't seen it since the end of Dangerous Liaisons. It works, and people like Dick Cheney, Donald Rumsfeld and John Yoo should get a wave of it every time they enter a restaurant. That's borderline civic duty type of stuff.)
As tricky as it seems, the answer to "What's going on?" is, I would argue, actually pretty simple. And here it is:..."
"GUESS WHO, GUESS WHO, GUESS WHO, GUESS WHO, GUESS WHO'S BACK!"
| The Daily Show With Jon Stewart | M - Th 11p / 10c | |||
| Excuse Me Your Dick Is Out | ||||
| ||||
Words.
"Can't we send Dick Cheney back to Wyoming? Shouldn't we chip in and buy him a home where the buffalo roam and there's always room for one more crazy old coot down at the general store?
For the final act of his too-long public career, Cheney seems to have decided to become an Old Faithful of self-serving nonsense. His latest in a series of eruptions came Sunday on "Face the Nation," when he continued to press his revisionist case for torture -- and, for good measure, counseled his beloved Republican Party to marginalize itself even further from public opinion and common sense.
"It's good to go back on the show," Cheney told host Bob Schieffer at the beginning of the interview. "It's nice to know that you're still loved and are invited out in public sometimes."
I don't know about the love, but I do know why Cheney gets asked to appear on talk shows so regularly. Unrestrained by protocol or objective reality, he's pretty much guaranteed to say outrageous things. He requires no prompting or coaxing. As far as he's concerned, issues have just one side -- his -- and anyone who disagrees must secretly wish to deliver our nation to al-Qaeda."
Credit Crunch.
| The Colbert Report | Mon - Thurs 11:30pm / 10:30c | |||
| Credit Check | ||||
| ||||
Monday, May 11, 2009
Can't Stop, Won't Stop?
"This is our Country!"
Words.
"Can a television show with a shrinking audience actually increase its revenue?
In the case of “American Idol,” the answer is yes, and the manner that the show’s creators are going about it could change the way that producers and broadcast networks think about the longevity of reality television programs.
Despite losing viewers in each of the last three years, “American Idol,” still the top-rated series on television, is generating ever-growing profits for its creators and, it appears, for Fox Broadcasting through brand extensions, marketing arrangements and licensing fees.
...Advertising revenue, which primarily benefits Fox Broadcasting, has grown in each of the last three years, according to TNS Media Intelligence, to $903 million last year. That is nearly double the level of three years earlier. Those figures do not include Fox’s ancillary sponsorship deals and other income, like royalties it receives from the sale of music performances by “Idol” contestants.
Even though “American Idol’s” ratings have declined, Fox has put more hours of the show on the air and has been able to charge a higher rate as its ratings lead over other shows has grown.
The revenue and profits of 19 Entertainment have grown even more quickly, according to the financial statements of CKX. Its revenues from “American Idol” alone grew to $96 million last year from $67 million two years earlier, with gross profit margins expanding to 77 percent from 69 percent in that span.
Including revenue from “Idol” programming in other countries, from music sales related to all the “Idol” shows and from “So You Think You Can Dance,” also on Fox, 19 Entertainment produced revenue of $223 million last year, up from $151 million two years earlier.
...Even though the overall audience is declining, “American Idol” appears to be in little danger of losing its crown as the top-rated television series...Mr. Sillerman cited that jump as evidence that “American Idol” could run indefinitely.
“If you only had a 10-year-old, you would probably say the impact of ‘Sesame Street’ has diminished, because it’s not on in your house anymore,” Mr. Sillerman said. “But they’re making new 5-year-olds every year.”"
Saturday, May 09, 2009
Tropic Thunder.
New flava in ya ear!
Cam'ron Feat. Skitzo & Byrd Lady.
Cookies-N-Apple Juice
& Silky (No Homo).
Cam'ron Feat. Skitzo & Byrd Lady.
Cookies-N-Apple Juice
& Silky (No Homo).
Friday, May 08, 2009
MIXTAPE FRIDAYS!!!
Emotional Rescue. An EP.
1/She Loves Everybody/Chester French
2/El Manana/Gorillaz
3/Daniel/Bat for Lashes
4/Epiphany/Chrisette Michelle
5/Hysteric/Yeah Yeah Yeahs
6/I Don't Remember/Ciara
7/Where Do We Go From Here/Alicia Keys
8/All I Really Want/Rick Ross feat. The Dream
Each One, Teach One.
A Moment of Clarity.
Can't Stop. Won't Stop.
Words.
"...On the morning of the Town Hall appearance, Bristol also appeared on ABC and NBC, broadcasting maddeningly mixed messages about teen pregnancy prevention on the nation's most widely watched news shows. She seemed to emphasize the abstinence-only approach to pregnancy prevention on Good Morning America ("It's important for me to get involved just to advocate and promote abstinence and send my message out...abstinence is a hard choice but it's the safest choice and the best choice") only to appear on the Today Show minutes later to admit that abstinence can be unrealistic for some teens and they should use contraception ("If you're going to have sex I think you should have safe sex.")
I recognize I'm trained to listen for nuances in the sex ed debate. I'm also twice Bristol's age. And so it's easy for me to slip into the Simon Cowell role. No, she's not polished. Hers is a kind of witness-cross-examined-style speech -- short statements which leave you wondering what she isn't saying. I'm not even sure Bristol realizes that she's been contradicting herself.
So at first listen, her message sounds way off-key. On a second closer listen though, I started to hear something else. It sounded more like a new, albeit unrehearsed and out-of-the-studio, style. In truth, if her televised appearances this week are cobbled together, there is definitely a message worth listening to. Even comprehensive sex ed proponents should be fine with what she's actually saying. People who favor comprehensive sex ed have reflexively shunned her. She has seemed at times brainwashed by the group which still believes abstinence is the only direction a teenager needs to get. But in her roundabout way, Bristol is in fact voicing the core message of comprehensive sex ed which is: there's no better protection against pregnancy and disease than abstinence, teens should postpone becoming sexually active, but those that are having sex need to use to protection."
THE HUFFINGTON POST: Why We Need Bristol (and Levi)
EARLIER:
Baby Blues.
Can't Stop. Won't Stop.
Words.
"...On the morning of the Town Hall appearance, Bristol also appeared on ABC and NBC, broadcasting maddeningly mixed messages about teen pregnancy prevention on the nation's most widely watched news shows. She seemed to emphasize the abstinence-only approach to pregnancy prevention on Good Morning America ("It's important for me to get involved just to advocate and promote abstinence and send my message out...abstinence is a hard choice but it's the safest choice and the best choice") only to appear on the Today Show minutes later to admit that abstinence can be unrealistic for some teens and they should use contraception ("If you're going to have sex I think you should have safe sex.")
I recognize I'm trained to listen for nuances in the sex ed debate. I'm also twice Bristol's age. And so it's easy for me to slip into the Simon Cowell role. No, she's not polished. Hers is a kind of witness-cross-examined-style speech -- short statements which leave you wondering what she isn't saying. I'm not even sure Bristol realizes that she's been contradicting herself.
So at first listen, her message sounds way off-key. On a second closer listen though, I started to hear something else. It sounded more like a new, albeit unrehearsed and out-of-the-studio, style. In truth, if her televised appearances this week are cobbled together, there is definitely a message worth listening to. Even comprehensive sex ed proponents should be fine with what she's actually saying. People who favor comprehensive sex ed have reflexively shunned her. She has seemed at times brainwashed by the group which still believes abstinence is the only direction a teenager needs to get. But in her roundabout way, Bristol is in fact voicing the core message of comprehensive sex ed which is: there's no better protection against pregnancy and disease than abstinence, teens should postpone becoming sexually active, but those that are having sex need to use to protection."
EARLIER:
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)