Don’t Expect Woke Hollywood to Come Roaring Back
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Is Trump’s nonstop assault on media and culture over?
2 hours ago
Troy Davis was killed tonight
http://multimedia.savannahnow.com/media/pdfs/DavisRuling082410.pdf
I mourn the death of anyone, and the monstrous taxpayer expense that the death penalty incurs. More later.
I mourn the death of anyone, and the monstrous taxpayer expense that the death penalty incurs. More later.
I Love the Sing Off
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| This week's winning group (Hon Mention: |
- Happy group number
- Songs (with long intro sequences...the one eh)
- Informed commentary with musical terminology I don't always know ("rubbing seconds")
- Quick elimination as decided by smart judges I rarely disagree with.
Birthday Graditude
It is a gift to have had freedom in my life.
I am working at a job I chose, after attending a college I chose, after growing up in a house my parents chose in a town that they chose.
Such a gift, and one that's denied to so many. If you're likewise so lucky, take a moment to remember those that aren't. Thousands of innocent civilians lose their lives every day to hunger, to preventable disease.
You aren't one of them, simply because you have the ability to access this blog.
Isn't that remarkable?
I am working at a job I chose, after attending a college I chose, after growing up in a house my parents chose in a town that they chose.
Such a gift, and one that's denied to so many. If you're likewise so lucky, take a moment to remember those that aren't. Thousands of innocent civilians lose their lives every day to hunger, to preventable disease.
You aren't one of them, simply because you have the ability to access this blog.
Isn't that remarkable?
Dear Michelle Bachmann
When you jump on Obama for "going back to the 1967 borders," you jump on Netanyahu, who agrees to the same thing. This is the dumbest criticism, I swear...
Interesting distinctions on foreign policy, HPV, and the mandate though. Much more in substance than between Obama and Clinton.
Interesting distinctions on foreign policy, HPV, and the mandate though. Much more in substance than between Obama and Clinton.
In Which I Actually Enjoy A Reality Show
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| Screencap from So You Think You Can Dance |
I'm not much for most competition/reality shows - I can name a of the American Idol finalists from the groundbreaking early seasons, but The Daily Show has always been my first love when it comes to TV.
However, a few weeks ago, I found myself watching Dancing With the Stars, with a great set of performers and reasonably entertaining judges, One of them, Melanie Moore, is from Atlanta (Lassiter High), and we almost certainly have mutual friends. Something about her (besides the breath-taking backless dress that was my first impression) has a dominating quality on camera - the eye is drawn to her, even though her partner is also amazing.
The reason, I think, is a cacophony of little things that are barely noticeable individually, but add up. One example is in this screencap, at this point in the performance. Notice her finger - it points for about half a second, but in the context of the piece, it adds something to her dance. Moore does this in every move that she makes, and while we can't always identify why we like her, or what she's doing, the end result is success.
The same is true, I think, of any field of professional success. For the end-user, the audience, the client, the aspects of one's job that lead to true success aren't always noticeable - we don't see performers practice, or the years of training that go into a single performance. We can't identify the little pointed finger on the first go-around. But in time, these things reveal themselves, and so Melanie Moore is unsurprisingly a finalist in Season 8 of the show.
The problem is that we also see a wide variety of a person that don't contribute to their success - their off-camera demeanor, their charisma, and more, which also inform us. Thus, those people who are practicing the fundamentals can be outstripped by people who present a better "whole picture" it's very easy to forgive someone a few errors if you like them. To be able to do both - all of the little invisible things that "matter" and the various other Carnegie traits, is what leads to the truest success. I know which set I need to work most on.
2 Months
Two months ago, I graduated from Williams. One month ago, I started at my job in Wisconsin.
Whoa.
I have car payments now, and rent. Health insurance premiums are deducted from my paycheck, and if I want to eat something at home, it has to be something that I personally selected from the store. If something that I own breaks, I have to fix it. None of these are really landmark issues or problems, but en masse, they take up time and energy: only in having them do I understand how much I enjoyed in going without, whether at home in GA where my parents never charged rent, or in my house at college where we bought many groceries collectively, and shared food copiously.
The struggle that I realize is that I've now been bumped out of those environments of extreme tolerance and free-expressionism. If I want to try to clone StoryTime at Epic, I'll have to do it by myself. If I want to volunteer, I'll have to call up a non-profit and sign up. I am no longer part of a population that groups are trying to access, with rare exceptions like the Red Cross folks that took two units of red cells from me today.
It's my life, and this is the time to set habits and patterns that will shape my future. I know that a lot of what I do, especially when its not fun, is based on identity - that I, as a person with characteristic X, am obligated or required to do something, for fear of losing X. I derive that willpower from within, not based solely on the approval of others (though others influence my own self-image). This is all a bit rambly, and influenced by my blood-less mental state, but I suppose my overall point is this:
I am a long way from where I was two months ago, and I hope I don't stop changing and improving my conditions over the next two months.
Whoa.
I have car payments now, and rent. Health insurance premiums are deducted from my paycheck, and if I want to eat something at home, it has to be something that I personally selected from the store. If something that I own breaks, I have to fix it. None of these are really landmark issues or problems, but en masse, they take up time and energy: only in having them do I understand how much I enjoyed in going without, whether at home in GA where my parents never charged rent, or in my house at college where we bought many groceries collectively, and shared food copiously.
The struggle that I realize is that I've now been bumped out of those environments of extreme tolerance and free-expressionism. If I want to try to clone StoryTime at Epic, I'll have to do it by myself. If I want to volunteer, I'll have to call up a non-profit and sign up. I am no longer part of a population that groups are trying to access, with rare exceptions like the Red Cross folks that took two units of red cells from me today.
It's my life, and this is the time to set habits and patterns that will shape my future. I know that a lot of what I do, especially when its not fun, is based on identity - that I, as a person with characteristic X, am obligated or required to do something, for fear of losing X. I derive that willpower from within, not based solely on the approval of others (though others influence my own self-image). This is all a bit rambly, and influenced by my blood-less mental state, but I suppose my overall point is this:
I am a long way from where I was two months ago, and I hope I don't stop changing and improving my conditions over the next two months.
Debt Crisis
But he won't. Instead, he'll amend the bill with tax hikes (probably mostly symbolic) and send it back to the House, where Boehner is going to have to take his own poison pill by passing the bill with democratic support. The GOP will be depowered, Obama will get his way while staying out of the way, and then Democrats will own the debt problem and the resulting cuts, which Republicans won't be able to protest over because THEY weren't able to get their own act together.
But the long game matters more, and I don't have confidence in anything but this: the GOP is now composed of four interests: Neocons, Business leaders, Social Cons, and Libertarians, and things between them aren't going to get any prettier. Democrats have got to grow a spine and start behaving with some pragmatism.
Home News
Awwwww, thanks Williams (click link for multimedia):
Slack (who hails from Decatur, Ga.) played pieces by Talcott Banks, George Alfred Grant-Shaefer, George Harrison, Robert Wadsworth Lowry, Richard Rodgers, and Howard Shore, as well as some of his own original compositions. Students, staff, and faculty enjoyed the concert from picnic tables, dorms, and offices across campus.
During his years at Williams, Slack had served as a leading figure for the Guild of Carilloneurs, a campus organization that ensures the chapel’s bells are played three times a day and on relevant special occasions. Slack and the other ringers use the Thompson bells to play everything from “The Mountains” to the Harry Potter theme music.
While the Thompson Memorial Chapel tower is one of the most recognizable figures of the Williams campus landscape, its bells are undoubtedly a staple in its soundtrack. To see a section of Slack’s performance and an inside look at the chapel’s chimes, watch the video below. To learn more about Williams bells and their ringers, read this 2005 Alumni Review article.
In my own Google Reader:
http://josephshoer.com/blog - A Williams grad with great nerdy posts.
http://www.lettersofnote.com/ - awesome historic letters
http://thisisindexed.com/ - webcomic published each morning, 3 second of whimsical humor
http://ephdetour.com/ - Chris, JJ, and Tony baking across Amurika. Chris's writing is great.
http://xkcd.com/ - duh
http://www.boston.com/bigpicture/ and http://www.theatlantic.com/infocus/ -awesome news picture blogs (look at them, you'll understand)
http://www.salon.com/technology/ask_the_pilot/index.html - A pilot talks about the idiocy in his industry. Useful and entertaining.
http://www.ethanzuckerman.com/blog/ - Ethan is a Williams '93 with awesome big ideas.
http://www.lettersofnote.com/ - awesome historic letters
http://thisisindexed.com/ - webcomic published each morning, 3 second of whimsical humor
http://ephdetour.com/ - Chris, JJ, and Tony baking across Amurika. Chris's writing is great.
http://xkcd.com/ - duh
http://www.boston.com/bigpicture/ and http://www.theatlantic.com/infocus/ -awesome news picture blogs (look at them, you'll understand)
http://www.salon.com/technology/ask_the_pilot/index.html - A pilot talks about the idiocy in his industry. Useful and entertaining.
http://www.ethanzuckerman.com/blog/ - Ethan is a Williams '93 with awesome big ideas.
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