“LMFAO” Stands for Laughing My Fucking Arse Off

more about “Saturday Night Live – Update Thursday…“, posted with vodpod

As the great Homer Simpson once said, “It’s funny ’cause it’s true!”

Uhhhhhhhhhmmmm . . . WOW

Apparently people in Clinics aren’t “innocent Americans”.  She’s a Christian, we all know this, so the question has to be, What ever happened to the Christian tenants regarding forgiveness? What about “The meek will inherit the Earth”? I guess she skipped those days in Sunday School.

The sad thing is that this isn’t even the worst i’ve heard out of her.  It’s sickening, and beyond the pale, but really . . what about her isn’t?

For the record, this footage is all you need to know about Sarah Palin:

Separation of Church and State?  Anyone?  Anyone?  Bueller?

Pray for the unification of companies?  Does anyone else think that’s a little shady?  Whatever, that’s not nearly the worst of it.

Look, we’re all free to believe what we wish, and that’s a freedom that i support and enjoy.  I have no problem with her evangelicism as long as it doesn’t affect me. The Vice President of The United States thinking that we’re carrying out “A Task That Is From God” in Iraq?  That would affect me, and it’s disturbing in the extreme.

I’m pretty sure that the founding fathers (deeply Christian members of that group, such as the incomparable John Adams, included) would not be too happy about the next potential Vice President being someone who thinks that killing upwards of 1,000,000 Iraqi civilians in a war for oil and private defense/construction profits is God’s Plan.

[Yes, they did start a revolution that lead directly to over 100,000 deaths, but A) That was a conflict that had an (arguably) reasonable and virtuous purpose, and B) Those casualties were almost all soldiers.  Clearly there is no parallel between the American War for Independence and the current U.S. Invasion of Iraq.  To see one would be to warp history beyond recognition.]

Sarah Palin, the woman who John McCain chose out of all the people in the entire country to be his running mate and to succeed him if his health went sour, believes, as is evidenced in that Wasilla Assembly of God footage (taken THIS YEAR, by the way), that our invasion of Iraq, which, let me say it once more, has killed upwards of ONE MILLION CIVILIANS, is THE WILL OF GOD.

And that is all you need to know about her.

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*** None of the video footage posted here is ever edited, unless otherwise noted.  This is real and uncut, ladies and gentlemen. ***

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EDIT: My friend Janet linked a good commentary about this business from the Huffington Post’s Lauren Sandler in the comments section below. In case some of you didn’t see it, here is a second link. It’s very good (and short, in case length is an obstacle for you), and definitely worth the read. Thanks Janet!

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/lauren-sandler/in-the-last-days-of-the-e_b_137787.html

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Forgive the brief lapse on my promise to lay off the political posts (and also for the grammatical errors, some of which i’ve now fixed).  More music reviews should be up in the next couple of days.

- tony

New Music

I, like so many others, have been quite preoccupied with the election of late, and my posts have certainly reflected that.  It’s hard not to be focused on it, as this particular cycle is offering us such an exciting and historic candidate; and it is such a wonderful opportunity for America to throw off the shackles of divisiveness and fear-mongering and xenophobia and violence, in favor of a fresh image, one born of intellectualism and diplomacy, of progressive thought and honesty.  When i watched Barack Obama make his victory speech in Iowa after the caucus, i was touched.  That was in the first week of January.  When i saw him make his victory speech in South Carolina a few weeks later, i was more than touched, i was moved, and there have been many speeches since then.  His monumental address in Berlin gave me chills down my spine, and his acceptance speech at the Democratic National Convention is the most inspiring thing i’ve ever seen on television.  It was simply breathtaking, and i am not ashamed to admit that I wept freely that night as i watched it from my living room.

These moments are some of the very real and quite legitimate reasons why i have been so fired-up for the last 10 months.  I am a historian at heart, and we are in the midst of history.  And not the nasty Crusades-Spanish Inquisition-genocide of the Native Americans-Holocaust-Great Leap Forward kind of history, either.  Instead, Barack’s incredible rise to prominence and popularity through the power of his eloquence seems to hearken back to the histories of Pericles, Abraham Lincoln, John Adams, and John F. Kennedy.  What will be written about the events of the 4th (not to mention the next 8 years) is beyond our current knowledge, but at this moment, it is hard to feel anything but inspired and enveloped by the events surrounding the election, and i have succumbed as much as anyone.

Still, it’s a tiring subject, isn’t it.  Tiring to write about, tiring to read about, tiring to converse about, tiring to think about.  Of course, that it is taxing should not be used as a pass to be intellectually lazy and to avoid the subject altogether.  Every one of us who is eligible to vote has a real responsibility to research and consider, to debate and to decide, and, ultimately, to vote, on (or before) the 4th.  However, it is tiring, and as I’ve already voted (absentee for the win), i’m now trying desperately to forget about it entirely until that fateful day a week and a half from now.  I have done my research, and fulfilled my responsibility, and now it’s time for me to pop my head out of the my hole and take a look around at what else is going on.

In my case, that means taking a look (and a listen) at new music.  As it says on my “About” page, i’m obsessed with all things musical, and i feel like these last couple of months i’ve been somewhat stuck in neutral on that front, which is a discomforting feeling.  Sure, there were the 3 Dave Matthews Band shows at The Greek in September (which were mindblowingly glorious), and there have been a smattering of other notable musical experiences as well (a few decent jams on the guitar, the DJ Z-Trip mix that i posted about earlier, the Me First and The Gimme Gimmes show i saw back in August), but really, i haven’t been “feeling it” all that much in recent days, and i think that it’s largely due to my focus on the deadly-serious nature of the election.  Well, as i’m now vowing to take a respite from all that for a few days, i thought this might be a good opportunity to discuss some of the new albums that i’ve been able to sneak-in in between the political rants and hoopla.  After all, music is, literally, the most important aspect of my universe, and this page really ought to start showing that to be the case.

So, without further ado, i give you my take on two new(ish) releases.  There are more to come (may this be the beginning of a long series of music-related posts here, as i certainly have a lot to say on the topic).  Enjoy.

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JENNY LEWIS – ACID TONGUE

Ok, so the first thing i need to state here, upfront and with full-disclosure, is that i am an enormous and unabashed Jenny Lewis fan.  Rilo Kiley, the band that Lewis has made a name for herself with, may well be my favorite band of the decade (or damn close to it), and that’s even after taking into consideration their less-than-fantastic 2007 release, Under The Blacklight, which did not set my soul afire.  That is just how incredibly good their other work has been.  The Execution of All Things (2002) is a damn-near perfect record, as is her solo debut Rabbit Fur Coat (2006), with Takeoffs and Landings (2001) and More Adventurous (2004) not too far behind.  And when i say “perfect”, i mean exactly that.  So keep in mind that this is not an unbiased review.  Music, like all art, is a subjective beast, and to try to tame it objectively is entirely futile.  Trust me, i’ve tried.

So, as a fanboy, the release of this record was a matter of much anticipation on my part.  I waited and waited, ticking off the days and weeks with growing impatience, and finally, on my birthday of all days, it was released (incidentally, the last time my birthday fell on a Tuesday, which is the typical day that new albums are released in the U.S., was 2003, and no less a record than Dave Matthews’ solo debut Some Devil, a fantastic piece of music, was released . . but i digress).  I had already heard a few of the tracks from Acid Tongue before the release, so i didn’t come into the first listening blindly.  NPR records and shares an impressive number of sets every year from the 9:30 club in Washington D.C. on their All Songs Considered program, and a few of the tracks from this record can be heard in their infancy on just such a recording (made in 2006 on the Rabbit Fur Coat tour).  Check it out here.  The whole show can be freely and legally downloaded by clicking on the link on the bottom of the left sidebar panel that says “Download Jenny Lewis”.  It’s a fantastic show, and will soon become a prized gem in your music collection.  Guaranteed.  It pays to keep up with NPR.  Those guys are almost as awesome as their TV corollary, PBS.

Anyways, i’d heard a few tracks already, so between the NPR show and the tracks that Jenny upped on her Myspace page, i knew roughly what to expect, and those expectations were sky high.  So, how did the actual record match up?  Well, to be brief about it, pretty damn well.

It’s a varied record, and it doesn’t seem to have much flow or cohesion (case in point, the first two tracks are both repetitive B-Sides that somehow found their way into those all-important first two slots instead of being mid-album transitions or being cut altogether).  So, in that way, it’s not as good as Rabbit Fur Coat.  But, honestly, even as someone whose expectations for this LP would have been nearly impossible to live up to, i’m quite happy with it as a whole.  It’s a very good record.  After the first two clunkers (“Black Sand”, and “Pretty Bird”), the listener is treated to an impressive run of startlingly touching and impassioned tunes delivered in Jenny’s trademark breezy L.A. style.

“The Next Messiah” is a wonderfully idiosyncratic eight and a half minute romp that, like the best of Jenny’s songs, doesn’t have to mean a damn thing if it doesn’t want to (not that i’m saying that it’s meaningless, not at all, but rather that the music is good enough to carry it past such trivial constraints as lyrical depth).  The title track is perhaps the best song on the whole album, and, frankly, i’ve had it stuck in my head for about 3 weeks now.  Where that would normally annoy the shit out of me, in this case it’s been a pleasure.  That song KILLS.  “See Fernando”, “Godspeed”, “Trying My Best to Love You” . . all instant-classic Jenny Lewis.  Elvis Costello guests on another beauty, “Carpetbaggers”, and “Jack Killed Mom” is almost as good as it was on that NPR show that i linked earlier (which is actually a complement, if you can believe it).  Never before has matricide sounded like so much fun.

So, yeah.  This is a pretty great collection that Miss. Lewis has given us.  It’s not as incredible as Rabbit Fur Coat, or The Execution of All Things, but hey, what is?  You can’t make a perfect record every time out.  No one does.  Not The Beatles.  Not Zeppelin.  Not Dylan.  Not Petty.  Not Paul SImon.  It doesn’t happen.  But what we get here, while not perfect, is still full of wonderfully crafted, memorable tunes.  Songs that i will be singing for the rest of my life. It’s not every day, or week, or month that i get to hear an album like that, and i’ll be on the edge of my metaphorical seat waiting the next installment of the Jenny Lewis catalog, just as excited as i was for this one.

["Acid Tongue" on Conan earlier this month]

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LISA HANNIGAN – SEA SEW

Those of you who listen to or are familiar with Irish singer/songwriter Damien Rice (that should be every single one of you, such is the sheer and undeniable awesomeness of his two albums O (2002), and 9 (2006)) will recognize Lisa.  She sang backup on those two outstanding records, even taking a few lead bits in the latter, and in that capacity she absolutely shined.  When Damien suddenly announced last year that they would no longer be working together (the rumor being that they had a romantic relationship, the termination of which was the cause of their professional split), it may have signaled the end of his relevance, THAT is how good they were together, and how important i believe she is to his sound.  I hope i am wrong about Damien, as i love his music, but only time will tell.  Too, when that sad announcement was made public, there was no doubt at all that this, Lisa’s first solo work, would be coming sooner or later.

Yet there was no publicity.  Zero.  Not even in this, the internet age, where publicity is easier to drum up than a lynch mob in 19th Century Alabama, was there even a hint that this would be coming now.  Sure, there was probably a bit of buzz in Ireland, where she and Damien hail from.  But not here, not even to someone who was listening.  This is why i didn’t find out that this album even existed until today.  Feverishly, i ran around (figuratively) trying to get my hands on it, thrilled that this woman who i admire so has already put together a whole record full of originals, and pissed at myself that the release had slipped under my radar (apparently it was released in Ireland five weeks ago).  Well my search was successful, and, nervously, i plugged in my headphones and pushed Play.

It turns out I had no reason to be nervous.  Even though this is her first solo effort, not one song on it betrays that fact.  I haven’t had nearly the time to digest it that i have had for Acid Tongue, thus this will be a much less detailed review, but don’t mistake a lack of specificity for flippancy.

This is one of those records that starts off mellow, but in a satisfactory way.  Damien’s songs are often mellow, and so i expected the same from her, and that’s what we’re greeted by, but it’s only the beginning of a wondrous progression.  At first it’s, “Oh, this is nice.  A little vanilla, but nice,” and the next thing you know you’re bobbing your head and completely caught-up in tune after tune after tune.

You can hear the Joni Mitchell in her melodies and mildly-funky rhythms, but this stuff is a lot more palatable than Joni’s (for the record, i think Joni Mitchell is amazing, but “easily consumed” is not as fitting an adjective for her music as are “eclectic” and “complex”).  Also, you can definitely hear Damien’s influence in there, yet the differences are substantial.  I’ll tell you this much, Damien Rice sure as hell never wrote a song as upbeat and poppy as “I Don’t Know”, and while i might normally use “poppy” as a negative, here it holds none of that connotation.

The arrangements are exceptional on nearly every track, as is the backing instrumentation.  The horns are perfect, and track by track, it really keeps you guessing.  I don’t know who produced it or helped with the arrangements, but it’s a very mature record, and i have absolutely nothing negative to say about it.  Here i am, a notorious nitpicker (even of the things i love); i’ve listened to this album through four times now, and i simply can’t bring myself to be negative about it.  It’s a thoroughly pleasant and well-crafted piece of work, especially for a debut.

She has a naturally whispery singing style, which might have worked against her in any kind of solo effort, but not here.  On this she manages to be soft and strong at the same time.  The dynamic shifts are impressive and well-placed, possibly a lesson learned from her former partner.  “Teeth” sounds like something he might have written, and yet it manages to be clearly HER song.

Alright, i think i’ve made my recommendation clear.  Get it.  It may be a sonofabitch to find, as it’s only been released in Ireland to date, but it’s worth the search.  And hey, if you can’t find it, leave me a message.  I may be able to help you out.

Now away with you all!  I’m going to go put it on again

[A performance of "Teeth" from December, 2006]

An Absolute Must-Listen

On September 12, 2004, i was lucky enough to attend the massive Dave Matthews Band concert held at the Polo Fields in San Francisco’s Golden Gate Park, along with over 70,000 other people.  That was a glorious day, and an unbelievable concert, but this post isn’t about the Dave Matthews Band (a shocker, i know).  This post is about an impressive piece of art that has recently been created by the person who opened that show: DJ Z-Trip.

On that day, i couldn’t have cared less about DJ Z-Trip.  I thought then, as i think now, that he was a poor choice to open that show, and he was no-doubt less-than thrilled by the lukewarm reaction that he received from the crowd that day.  It was an odd fit, and i did my absolute best to completely ignore his set (which seemed to drag on to no end).  In fact, i’d almost forgotten his name entirely . . until a few days ago.

A few days ago i read an article (i don’t remember where, exactly . . Pitchfork maybe) that was discussing musical news as it relates to the election, and they dropped a link and mention to Trip’s website, saying that he’d created an “Obama Mix” and was giving it away for free.

Well, being both a supporter of Senator Obama, and a lover of free music, i was intrigued.  “DJ Z-Trip?” i said to myself.  “Isn’t that the guy who bored the crap out of me before that DMB show?  Huh.  Interesting.  I wonder what that’s all about?” i mumbled to noone in particular.

Clicked the link.  Chuckled at the graphics on the front page.  Saved said graphics to my desktop, as they amused me.  Downloaded the mix.  Proceeded to listen.

“An hour?!  Who’s he kidding?  I’m not going to listen to an hour of some fucking DJ,” I groused.  “Ah well, no harm in checking it out anyways.”

It doesn’t take the director of CERN to figure out where i’m going with this.  Clearly i liked what i heard, or else i wouldn’t be writing about it, now would I.  In fact, it would be a gross understatement to say that i “liked” what i heard.  I fucking LOVED it.  I ADORED it.  I was impressed by it on every level.  It is, dare i say, perfect.  I would marry it and have sweet little digital babies with it if i could.  It is, as the title implies, an absolute must listen.

Here’s the site:

http://www.djztrip.com/obama/

GO.  DOWNLOAD.  LISTEN.  YOU WILL NOT REGRET IT.  GO.  NOW.  IT’S FREE.  YOU HAVE NO EXCUSE NOT TO.  DO IT.  GROOVE.

I have spoken.

‘Nuff Said

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20081011/ap_on_el_pr/mccain_angry_crowds

^ Click on that link.  Read the article.  Read it again, if necessary.

While you’re at it, here’s CNN’s take:

http://www.cnn.com/2008/POLITICS/10/10/mccain.crowd/index.html?eref=rss_topstories

Are those people that you want to stand beside?  Are those people that are clearheaded, or intelligent, or well-informed?  Are those people that have even the slightest grip on reality?

For once, i’m not talking about the candidates.  The candidates are, by this point, well defined, and relatively transparent.  But look at what those “adults” in Lakeville, Minnesota are saying.  Those rabid conservatives.  Those maniacs.  Those voters.  Play that scenario out in your head, as if you were there, or better yet, go back to that CNN article and check out the attached video clips.  Does this scene not incense you?  Does it not embarrass you, as an American, as a citizen of The Planet Earth, as a citizen of the 21st Century?

Don’t think for a second that those kinds of outbursts are unique to Lakeville.  Not by a long-shot.  This has become run of the mill at those rallies, at least the ones that have been televised (or reported on nationally).  This is no different in content from the Republican National Convention, nor does it differ from the reaction at nearly every one of the McCain rallies since then.  The only remarkable change, the only reason why this made the news at all, is that McCain actually offered a short protest to the crowd’s viciousness.  For which he was BOOED.  Apparently he has a conscience after all, albeit not much of one.  Who knew?

“Traitor”?  “Arab” (clearly meant as an insult of the most vile variety . . apparently racism is alive and well in certain segments of the population)?  “Off with his head”?  Where is this coming from?  Is it not a direct reflection of the hate and fear mongering that the McCain-Palin campaign has been spewing at every opportunity over the last month?  With Sarah “Golly Gee Shuck Darn” Palin telling America that Barack Obama associates with terrorists, should we even be expecting better of those poor, misguided, uneducated, scared-shitless, saps that show up at their rallies?

Does that remind anyone else of Salem, Mass right around 300 years ago?  The Spanish Inquisition ring any bells?  Berlin circa 1938?  Alright, enough rhetorical questions.  You get the point.

If you stand shoulder-to-shoulder with those people, you have forfeited your claim to sanity in favor of senility.

Yes, i’m serious.  No, i am not overreacting.  No, i am not joking.  No, i am not using hyperbole.

You don’t have to vote for Barack.  You SHOULD.  But you don’t have to.  Vote for Ron Paul.  He’s a good man; honest, and intelligent, and passionate about fixing our country.  Vote Green.  They’re compassionate, and empathetic, and progressive, and they care deeply about our future and the future of our planet.  Vote Socialist.  No matter who you are they care about you, just as they care about your neighbor, and your neighbor’s neighbor, and his children, and grandchildren, and great-grandchildren.  They have all of our best interests at heart.  Vote for your dog, or your cat, or Bruce Wayne, where it says “Write In”.  Stay in bed and forgo your vote.  Vote your conscience.

But whatever you do, don’t support THAT.  The anger, the irrationality, the slander, the unbridled xenophobia, the thirst for blood; these should stun you; repulse you.  The complete disregard for compassion, or truth, or critical reasoning, or progressive thought; you should be horrified, for it is undoubtedly horrific.  These people are what holds us back as a country.  These people are what stokes and fosters hate and intolerance.  By voting with them, you are condoning their cause.

‘Nuff said.

A Clarion Call From An Idealist

It’s no measure of health to be well adjusted to a profoundly sick society”

-Jiddu Krisnamurti-

So, like a few million other curious internet goers, i watched a documentary last year called Zeitgeist, which was (and still is) shown for free online.  It focused on the hoax and effect of modern religion, the shady nature of the Federal Reserve system, and the attacks of September 11, 2001 (and the subsequent, so-called, War on Terror).  It was homemade.  It was urgent.  It was non-conformist.  It was, at times, a little cheesy, or overreaching.  It was quite pointed.  It was, needless to say, controversial.

However, although it was (indisputably) all of those things, i found it to be also somewhat powerful.  I did not find myself agreeing with every line or segment, yet i was quite moved by the sincerity and the underlying plausibilities that were evident in nearly every take that it had to offer.  Furthermore, i was impressed that, for a self-produced and clearly low-budget project, it garnered so much attention.  It was a remarkable product of The Internet Era; its reach vast, immediate, and relatively substantial.

When i heard yesterday that there was a sequel, i was instantly interested (and that, in itself, is an indication of the impression that the first film had made on me).  This sequel, entitled Zeitgeist: Addendum, has been, i believe, prompted by the current global financial crisis that is rooted in the failed economy of the United States, although it does seem as if parts of it were probably already in the works before said crisis.  This one focuses on the role of modern monetary systems in the structure and goings-on of the world in the last 50 years, how that will continue to affect and dictate the future of humanity, and what we might do about it all.  Once again, it has a distinct urgency, and once again, it is bound to be controversial (although probably not quite as much so as the original, as this one does not address the touchy topic of Sept 11, and thus will remain off the radar of many people who would otherwise find it offensive or “dangerous”).

In any case, I would like you all to consider watching it.  It’s pretty extraordinary.  As with the first one, i do not agree with every line.  There are a few things that are oversimplified or based on debatable assumptions, and a few other bits that some would certainly call “naive”, but none the less, I found it to be inspirational, thought provoking, and progressive.  Too, it (at its finest moments) synthesized a great number of my personal and deeply-held theories, philosophies, and musings, into a relatively cohesive call for action.  I have long railed in my heart (and with my breath when the opportunity presented itself) against the absurdities that form the rules and structure of the modern world.  I am a Taoist, a Pacifist, an idealist, a Socialist, a philosopher, and a humanitarian, and, as such, this film spoke to me on enough levels and with enough intelligence and clarity that i have no choice but to acknowledge it, appreciate its point of view, and recommend it here.

Ever since i was a little boy, i have marveled time and again that the world we live in today, a world with the technology, and the resources, and the available knowledge-base to step free of the shackles of our ugly collective past (and present), should still let people starve, and should still live largely according to myth, legend, and superstition, and should still spend so much time, and money, and blood, on war and military.  Nationalism and dogmatic religion are plagues that choke our highest hopes for the brilliant progress that man has been at the threshold of for decades, and yet those two paradigms seem to be as strong as ever in the world.  These realities have always bothered me, and threatened to quash my optimism.  Here is a filmmaker who has been troubled by those same thoughts, and then has gone so far as to propose a few elementary causes and solutions to this perpetual SNAFU.  I think we all have a few hours to hear what he has to say.

So here i am, recommending it.  It’s free, so really, you have no excuse NOT to watch it.  Like i said, you’re not going to agree with every line, at times it may seem like propaganda to you (although i would argue that what it propagates are good causes), and some aspects may seem to be a bit of a stretch or a bit of an overstatement.  But that doesn’t mean that it has nothing to offer.  To the contrary, i think your patience will be rewarded with a largely insightful and hopeful experience.  I’ve included the original Zeitgeist movie as well.  They are in order on the screen, so even though this entry is regarding the sequel, you’ll find the original on top, and Addendum beneath it.

Think about what you’re being shown.  Do not be a passive watcher or listener, and yet, at the same time, allow your heart and mind to be open enough to at least accept the possibility of the filmmaker’s viewpoint.  I am convinced that, although his sources are admittedly limited and one-sided, they are also legitimate and thoughtful, and of all those adjectives, “legitimate” is the most relevant to whether this is worth your time or not.  There are many truths in the world; this you know.  Please consider what that means.

Pop some popcorn and enjoy your taste of the 21st century “underground”.  It’s not so exclusive anymore.

“My country is the world, and my religion is to do good.”

-Thomas Paine-

Zeitgeist

Zeitgeist: Addendum

[here is a link to their website: http://www.zeitgeistmovie.com/]

Nailed It!

more about “Saturday Night Live – VP Debate Open:…“, posted with vodpod

This is an absolutely brilliant parody.  Right.  On.  The Money.  I guess SNL still has a modicum of talent hidden away on its writing staff after all.  Who’d have thunk it?

One More Reason Why Everyone Should Pay Attention to Bill Moyers (As If You Really Needed One More Reason)

When i was a kid, journalist (and former LBJ Press Secretary) Bill Moyers released a hugely popular series of interviews with aging scholar Joseph Campbell centered on Campbell’s specialty: the meanings and cultural traditions of myth and how those meanings and traditions apply to the modern world.  I watched those specials for three reasons.  Firstly, because i was a nerd, and one of my nerdly obsessions, even as a wee lad, was ancient mythology.  Secondly, i watched those interviews because, as a nerd, i loved PBS and watched it regularly (Nova was like mother’s milk to me, and, come to think of it, it still is).  The third (and most important) reason why i watched those interviews was because a large part of Campbell’s discussion on the modern relevance of mythology involved using the original Star Wars trilogy as a prime example of the classic mythological archetypes still being ever present in the 20th century (I told you i was a nerd), and the fact is that i would’ve watched damn near anything that had to do with Star Wars.

I didn’t know who Bill Moyers was, nor did i care.  To my unfocused kiddy brain, he was just another old guy with glasses rambling on about godknowswhat while all i wanted to hear was Campbell talk about why Luke Skywalker and Obi Wan Kenobi were important figures in modern America.  Yet a foundation was being laid there without my knowing it; a foundation that would allow me, decades later, to be able to fully appreciate quality academic programming.  Now, at the age of 28, i am an unabashed fan and viewer of such criminally under-appreciated programs as The News Hour With Jim Lehrer, Charlie Rose, and, of course, Bill Moyers Journal.  Really, it should shock no one that all three of those shows are on PBS.

This is worth mentioning because out of my sizable circle of friends, all of whom are in their 20’s and many of whom are more well-educated (and flat-out more intelligent) than I, I am the only one who watches these kinds of shows with any real regularity.  There are one or two others in that group that may watch on occasion, and there are one or two that keep themselves properly informed about current affairs in other ways (Drudge, periodicals, BBC America, and whathaveyou), but i feel it’s safe to say that i’m the only one that would put a poster of Mr. Moyers on my wall if such a poster existed (i said on my wall, not over my bed, you dirty dirty sons of bitches).

That is not meant as a jab at my friends.  They are mostly a very bright lot; some of them are extremely well-read, some of them are very capable debaters and discussors of important whatnots, and I love them all.  My point is that there are a limited number of twenty-somethings who watch this kind of programming regularly and actually enjoy it, and i am a proud member of that minority.  I didn’t go to Harvard or Berkeley.  I do not hold a respectable job.   But jeebus be damned, i sure love me some enlightening and well-crafted journalism.

Getting back on point, when i was very young i watched those interviews, and then i watched them again, and again (lucky for me, VCRs had just become affordable enough for us to start recording our favorite shows and Charlie Brown Specials).  A few years later, i read Campbell’s most popular book, The Power of Myth, and it had an enormous influence on me in terms of my academic interests and direction (i ended up a history major and philosophy minor, after all, and even then i regret not taking more anthropology).  Still, even as a burgeoning thinker and ponderer, I didn’t care about Bill Moyers.  He was the just the guy who interviewed The Guy.  Who cared about journalists?  All i knew about journalism at that point was what i’d learned from watching Murphy Brown.

Flash forward another decade-plus, and now i find myself watching Bill Moyers Journal every single week, and if i miss it I make a point to watch the replays online.  There was no particular revelation in those intervening years that directly affected my interest in responsible media coverage.  Just a kid growing up to be a young(ish) man, that’s all.  I don’t remember the first time i watched an episode and was captivated, although i can certainly say that every episode i watch makes me feel like it’s the first time.  It’s always the same feeling.  In this ADD-riddled age of instant entertainment, where pleasure reading has nose dived, where newspapers are teetering on the precipice of antiquity, and where (astoundingly) even films and albums are too long for some people to absorb in one sitting, i find that i lose track of time entirely watching this man’s programming, and when the weekly show is wrapping up, i’m always hungry for more.  It’s not flashy.  It doesn’t yell at you.  The video clips don’t have cuts every 2 seconds.  It’s a dinosaur; a time capsule that refreshes itself on a weekly basis.  And every blessed week i am impressed and then impressed again with the clarity, research, humanity, and shining progressivism that comes through those segments, loud and clear to anyone that cares to watch.

Anyways, i don’t know exactly where i was going with this.  Only that i was inspired by this last week’s episode to try and convince however many people i can that this is a program worth watching.  If you can muster-up enough interest and excitement over pro sports to watch your favorite team every Sunday (Go Niners), then you owe it to yourself and to the people around you (your friends, your children, your better halves) to start watching this show with just as much interest.  I assure you will be rewarded handsomely with intelligent discussion and penetrating enlightenment, and you will come out the other side of each program a better, more motivated, and more well-informed human being.

Here is a link to the homepage of the show (where you can watch as much archived footage as you like), and a link to the PBS Youtube channel, followed by two segments from last week’s episode to give you an example of what to expect out of the show, and beneath them are a couple more segments from past shows (one from August and one an excerpt from last year’s incredible Moyers special report ‘Buying The War”, which i would highly recommend that you all watch in its entirety here: http://www.pbs.org/moyers/journal/btw/watch.html ) as well as a wonderful little clip of live video that should tell you all you need to know about the difference between a genuine journalist like Moyers and what passes for a human being over at Fixed News.  There is also an RSS/podcast feed available (found on the PBS homepage), if you’d prefer to keep up-to-date via that method (i find it quite useful, as it sits on the tippy top of my MyYahoo homepage).  This is what journalism is, folks.  This is what honesty is.  This is what “the news” has abandoned in its quest for ratings in this tabloid era of The 24 Hour News Cycle.  Enjoy.

http://www.pbs.org/moyers/journal/index-flash.html

http://www.youtube.com/user/PBS

more about “Bill Moyers Journal: Media Analysis“, posted with vodpod

Matt Damon is awesome

Here, here!!!  I know a lot of people rail against the idea that celebrities should voice their political opinions when and how they care to, but come on.  This is fantastic.

Bravo Matthew.  I agree wholeheartedly.  And it totally reminded me of this, from the late and mighty Bill Hicks:

A few numbers to think about, and a plea for Hope

(OK, i was going to transfer over all my previous blogs, but i realized that they’re a shade on the outdated side, so for now i’m just going to rock the most recent one instead.)

_______________________________________________________________________________________________

I feel strongly that we are currently living in a critical time; a time for serious thought, and a time for the consideration of some unpleasant matters.  Please know that although I did write this, and although you won’t find any proper citation in it, it is not a work of bullshit speculation (credit for the numbers and the specifics goes to such organizations and programs as The Iraq War Card at The Center for Public Integrity, The Washington Post, NBC news, and The Bill Moyers Journal, and credit for the editorializing goes to yours truly, a well-read and moderately well-educated thinker of thoughts and seeker of truth), and even though these are things that you may have heard before, I beg of you to open your heart, your soul, and your mind, and consider them at least once more.

Thank You.

Tony C. Asaro – Californian, and Citizen of the Planet Earth

———————————————————————————

The day that George W. Bush took office, the price of a dollar of gas was $1.47.  Now, 8 years later, it is over $4.00 (and quickly rising to $5).

Chevron earned $4.35 billion last quarter, a record profit for them, and an 18% increase over the profits they posted this same time last year.  Exxon earned a record $40.6 billion last year, and Shell a record $31 billion for that same period.

This is not an accident, nor is it the natural work of a fluctuating or self-correcting market, nor a result of any sinister scheme by OPEC.

The Iraq War is now ( dated to the first week of May, 2008 ) costing the taxpayers of America $435 million per day, which totals up to $3 billion per week, or $12 billion per month. All told, over $500 billion taxpayer dollars have been funneled into Iraq since the beginning of the invasion 5 years ago. Interest payments will, as it stands currently, add another $615 billion, and the price tag of repairing our depleted military is projected to add another $280 billion.

The reason for the state of the US economy is not a mystery.

The minimum wage, even after the increase that will soon take effect, is, in terms of purchasing power (ie. adjusted for inflation), roughly 65% of the minimum wage 40 years ago, and neither of the two biggest employers in the country, Walmart and McDonald’s, pay anything close to a living wage to the vast majority of their employees.

The gross disparity between the indebted and impoverished masses of America and the top 1% of the wealthy in America has now reached levels so critical, so institutionalized, that the only comparable periods in the history of global civilization that even come close to matching our current state are periods directly proceeding eras of widespread violence and social uprising.

Take note of that.  As Mark Twain once famously (and accurately) observed, “History may not repeat itself, but it does rhyme a lot.”

I know that some of those numbers are difficult to grasp, and that some of the concepts and interpretations involved in what i’m saying may seem to the most cynical part of you to be warped, skewed, one-sided, tired, outdated, oversimplified, or out of context, and I know that you would rather distract yourself with something else and wait for it all to “blow over” (I know I sure would), but I humbly request, as a fellow citizen and as an advocate of honesty, that you trust that what I am writing here has not been altered or tampered-with, that it is relevant, that it is critical, that it is something that you can affect via the power of your social and political voice, and that you think about these things for a second.  And then another second.  And then another.  And another.  Copy; Paste; Repeat ad nauseum.  Consider what this all means.  Please.

The tanked US economy, the new droves of homeless, jobless, and uninsured, the underfunded schools (and the resulting plummeting test scores of American children), the relatively poor life expectancy and infant mortality rates in America, the staggering accumulated private debt in America (by far the largest in the history of mankind) that drags us down and weighs so heavily on our spirits and our fading dreams, and, of course, the more-than 4,100 US military deaths in Iraq since the invasion, the more-than 30,300 injured among American troops sent to Iraq, and, the most important number in this whole diatribe, the 700,000-1.3 million deaths of Iraqi citizens over the last 5 years that are directly attributable to the actions of our elected officials (and to the greedy soulless bastards that those elected officials serve) . . these things, these terrors, these atrocities, these overwhelmingly-sad states that we find ourselves mired in, they are not mysterious, they are not “someone else’s problem”, they are not a part of the natural waxing and waning of the various facets of global society, economy, and community, and truly, they are not inevitable nor completely out of our hands.

The place we are living in today is not a place of enlightenment, or compassion, or intellectualism, or progressivism, and I think that we all know that it is not nearly the best we can do.  Not even close.  We can make this a better country, and a better world to live in, and we can begin to effect change together immediately if we so desire, and if we so believe.

That there are not any easy solutions does not mean that there are not any solutions.

We all have choices to make.  Take your time and think about what you can do directly about the degradation of compassion, the epidemic of disillusionment, the near-destruction of empathy, the currently unchallenged rule of the corrupt, the greedy, the power mongers, and the merchants of death, and the collapse of the American “civilization”.

You know what i’m ultimately talking about.  It’s obvious.  I don’t have to spell it out for you or conclude with an ill-advised, second-hand stump speech.  Soon enough, one of the choices that I spoke of a second ago will rear-up before us.  Make yours wisely, and please, look deep inside yourselves and allow the bits of hope, and optimism, and heart that remain in you to help you make that choice.  Remember, it’s not out of our hands.

Those of you who know me personally and know me to be largely an agnostic, may see this as an odd way for me to close out this plea, but if there’s one segment of that oft-overrated and outdated tome (which need not be named) that contains priceless wisdom of an absolutely indisputable nature, i think that this is it.  Oh that these words and all those like them could touch the heart of every man and woman, every day, until the end of it all:

“Blessed are the merciful,
for they shall obtain mercy . . .

Blessed are the peacemakers,
for they shall be called children of god.”

- June 2008