Walking away

Is it any wonder that people are walking away from their homes when they can't afford the payments, what with crooked CEOs and other white collar criminals behaving as bad examples? If the can ruin a company by making risky but legal gambles and still walk away with 10s of millions in a golden parachute, then why can't the average person?

http://mobile.nytimes.com/article?a=144609&f=21

Ordering bbq by the pound

A couple of the guys at work are going to India for a few weeks to work with our off-shore co-workers. They think they won't be able to get much meat while they're there, so they're ordering a huge amount of bbq for lunch today. For 6 people, they're ordering about 4 pounds of beef, 2 pounds of chicken, and a few sides. I hope they get their work done for the day before their lunch arrives, because they're not gonna get much done after.

The funniest part of this article is the correction at the end

Celebrating the Semicolon in a Most Unlikely Location

The Age of American Unreason

Today's Salon has a good review by Laura Miller about Susan Jacoby's book, The Age of American Unreason. The book has some flaws, according to Miller, one of which is that Jacoby doesn't seem to care about why people like unreasonable ways of thinking:

The missing factor in Jacoby's formula is just that: In addition to being capable of rationality, we also have to want to be rational.

and

It's hard to imagine what could be more central to Jacoby's subject than the motivations of those Americans who chose what she describes as "willed ignorance" over reason. Isn't it likely that the recent resurgence of that ignorance arises from similar needs and desires? If there were some other way to address those needs (or fears), perhaps fundamentalism would be less appealing, and perhaps reason could be made more so. However, that would require admitting that people who are capable of reason will nevertheless sometimes pick an irrational course of action or belief. Rational people do this all the time, of course -- even intellectuals. But rationality has its own ideology, and one of its tenets is the conviction that, if given a fair chance, reason must always carry the day.

This makes me think about Transcendentalism, which was a counterargument to the Age of Enlightenment. Wouldn't it be nice if today's counterargument to reason (I wish I could say "our contemporary age of reason" because we never had one) had the same substance, a more thoughtful contemplation of spirituality and nature through poetry? Or is that passé?

I know peer pressure has a lot to do with some people not wanting to act smart, which supposedly makes others feel inferior, but I also think that the way in which we're taught at school should take some of the blame for people not wanting to think. Rote learning is good for some things, but it really drains all the fun out of learning; which is, curiosity, discovery, and that little tingle and light bulb that turns on in your head when you "get it".

out-of-print music on MP3

Here's a blurb about a Wired article about Anthology Recordings ("the first all-digital reissues label") from one of my co-workers:

http://www.jasonwoodard.com/blog/2008/02/11/DigestingWiredFeb2008.aspx

Looks purty good!

Who runs the elections?

One of my friends lives in New Zealand and expressed frustration at the media's discrepancies in the delegate totals of each candidate. She included one of her Kiwi friends on the email and he asked, "Who runs the elections in the U.S.?" Quite frankly, I didn't know, so I did some research and here's what I replied:

Ok, so each state decides how its voting or caucus process works. Some vote for delegates, some vote for specific candidates, and some caucus for a candidate or remain uncommitted. Each political party decides how delegates are allocated. In addition to delegates, both parties have superdelegates - people who are selected in ways other than by the voters (Democrats have much more than Republicans).

Here's an ask Yahoo answer about it:
http://ask.yahoo.com/20040213.html

and

http://www.vote-smart.org/election_president_how_primary_works.php

Why there's a discrepancy with the delegate counts in the news:

"The delegate counts are not really 'counts.' They're really delegate estimates," the director of surveys for CBS News, Kathy Frankovic, said yesterday. She said a key reason for the largest discrepancies is the different standards news organizations have about when to add delegates to the total.

http://www.nysun.com/article/69893

"That's because you're a threat to them."

"I'm not a threat. I'm a promise."

Mocha latte and brownie for lunch...

...because I'm not allowed to drink at work.

The Chocolate Bar

Where am I?

I was in a meeting in one of the rooms overlooking the Hudson and Hoboken, as well as a huge Emporio Armani billboard. As I was looking at the billboard, I thought about the pervasive air of wealth and luxe in this area (for those who can and can't afford it but buy into it anyway) and for a second or two, I really felt like I was in a foreign city. It was almost like an hallucination. I've been feeling like I don't belong in central/northern Jersey or New York City anymore because I feel like people look down on you if you don't own the most up-to-the-minute fashion, drive an SUV, or dress up to go to the mall, but I didn't think I felt it that deeply.

Merry Belated Christmas

A site of Christmas photos and greeting cards found in yard sales, trash, etc.:

http://squareamerica.com/xm1.htm

I've only gone through the homemade photo cards so far - they alone are worth the visit.


Here's a site that lists more found photos:

http://www.other-peoples-pictures.com/resources.htm#

Bad train day

After getting settled onto a train on track 11, Kent and I hear this
announcement:

"Ladies and gentlemen, I've been asked to inform you that this is not the train you think it is. The train you want is on track 12. Please proceed to track 12."

I'd like to see him do the haka

Elton John Given Rare Maori Award

The marginalization of the largest group of Americans

TV's triumphant overclass

Television continues to grow positively filthy with the filthy rich. And where is the middle class? Demeaning itself for money on reality and game shows, of course

By Heather Havrilesky

So where is the middle class in this equation? In the old days, we'd find them on sitcoms, at the very least. Yet these days, even sitcom characters live sophisticated urban lives in roomy, tastefully furnished apartments or massive homes.

 

 

I'm not the only one feeling marginalized - that's good, I guess.

Creed!

http://blog.nbc.com/CreedThoughts/

Moviegoer's Bill of Rights

By Andrew O'Hehir in Salon.

 

Modern musicals

Do the singers in modern musicals really have to over-enunciate when they sing? I just heard a clip of a song in Hairspray and while the song was kinda catchy, the singer over-enunciated to the extent that I just didn't want to listen. That's sort of why I like Jersey Boys - they were pretty true to the original style of The Four Seasons' songs - they didn't "Broadway-ize" them. It was like I was at a Four Seasons show.

Enemy propoganda

I'm so sick of people who criticize anti-war speech because it fosters enemy propaganda. We're in a war - wouldn't the enemy produce propaganda anyway??? And who the hell cares if they do? It's propaganda ! The Republicans love to dismiss other, non-war related criticism of Republican plans or ideas by Democrats as mere propaganda ( http://www.politicalgateway.com/main/columns/read.html?col=74, http://politicalpartypoop.com/category/democrat-propaganda/), but when it comes to war, propaganda is dangerous. Fools.

Woman vs. wildlife

I'm working from home today and I set myself up in the dining room because it's right next to the bathroom and kitchen. Also, there's a nice sliding door that looks out onto the backyard with the roses and daisies.

Anyway, I was in the middle of updating a piece of online help when I hear this thud and scratching on the sliding door. I looked over and there's this groundhog peering into the house like a kid looking into a candy store. I hollered out in fright, thinking "rabies!" and waited for the thing to start foaming at the mouth.

He just stood on his haunches with his front paws on the glass - like he was shading his eyes from the light so he can see better into the house.

Then he went away and started eating one of the plants on the side of the patio.

I don't think I'm safe in my own backyard!

Welcome to the Summer of Paranoia '08

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20070712/ap_on_re_us/flight_diverted

Where's the Lucky Charms: Jacques Derrida???

Imagine the possibilities! You could spend all day discussing the signifiers of each marshmallow sign!

http://www.salon.com/comics/boll/2007/07/12/boll/