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Pailin Flailin'
[Dear readers,My wife Anja and I got in a big car accident this weekend and I broke my collarbone (the only major injury to come out of an accident in which had a blow-out and flew off the highway, then rolled a couple of times – we were very lucky.), so...Dan Reeder spelunks in the male psyche
I was exposed to Dan Reeder, a California blues/singer-songwriter type, through the Showtime show Weeds, which used his "Work Song" in a Season 1 episode. The song consists entirely of Reeder, harmonizing with himself, singing "I got all the fucking...eMpTV city, dude
We live in a world in which young women compete, on television, to be Paris Hilton's best friend. I watched five minutes. A young woman sat in a hot tub with Paris. In voiceover, the contestant's voice: "I really want her to know that I'm not here to...Hard Times and Crafty Peeps
Hello Dear Readers,Just wanted to drop you a line. I'm not around so much these next weeks. I'm in Albany with my mom, who's getting ready to leave this world. If you know her from my writing, you know that we have an etremely close, intense, mostly...YES WE DID
Hey, gang,I'm finally recovering from election night celebration and am ready to start celebrating some more. Please add a comment or something celebratory about this "historic" election. Add a link!I wish that more positive words were being used than...On the fence on offensiveness
Lately I’ve been thinking about what’s offensive to whom and why. Not only is offensiveness subjective, but I’ve found that it’s often in great flux – that is, what people find objectionable depends on the situation (a la ethics) and can...Nader Voters? / End of Our Own Evil Empire? / The Bradley Effect? – and much, much more!
There is one constituency that I don’t know how to reach: people like my old, dear friend Brooklyn Mike, who’s been posting here lately, who would never vote for McCain but just can’t support a bankrupt system by voting for a Democrat either. Without...Sheila Barbara Strongin Berger, 12/1/35-12/9/08, R.I.P.
Mom and grand-dog Bo in summer, circa 2002, on the front stoop of our house, 471 State Street, Albany, NY. One brief note, strictly as a bereaved son. Sheila Berger understood me, my aesthetic, my hopes as a writer, an artist, a person -what I could be and make and do...Warm Fuzzies
This photo just makes my day. If I believed in God I’d say she blessed America. As Anja put it, "And she came in the front door." Amen to that.*** The other day an older man from our neighborhood (a new neighborhood, kind of – we moved just...I am going to turn on some good music and choose to be happy
In the past week I've received several variations on this email, below, from "Kathlneen Galloway," "Ernest Graham," "Manuel Tipton," "Kermit Veles," and "Perry Sandoval." Above and below the text you are about to...Barney Frank Mans Up Against Bill O'Reilly
What’s interesting/invigorating to me about this clip is differences in what I expected to be radical differences in perception of it. I (and a vast majority of others I’ve found when googling) see Barney Frank more than holding his own, taking Bill O to...Sexism a-okay so long as it's even steven
Yes, yes, I know, it's just a commercial, but this kind of ad is a special pet peeve of mine; the message that it's okay to have gender stereotypes so long as they're for men and women equally always just bugs me. (It occurs to me that you never see the...Strength and my discontent of it / Jon Stewart rips Huckabee splendidly on gay marriage / George Zimmer + Sheila Berger
Strength is LameMale friends and family, men whom I think of as enlightened, liberated, what have you, with the best of intentions, have told me, through my mom’s dying, and now, after, again and again,to “be strong.” (Not all men have told me this,...just plain dirty
Whoa, Nellie.pre-debate hypothetical
You’re 50 years old, white, male, Italian-Irish Catholic. Your dad was a union man, a Kennedy Dem. He became a contractor in the 70s, went bankrupt in the 80s, which he blamed on “affirmative friggin action,” and died poor, bitter He blamed your bad...Yesterday was my mom's memorial, in Albany. It was the first time since she'ddied (the first time in years and years for some) that I've seen many of her friends. They aremostly women, mostly ardent feminists, many lesbians. The memorial itself was...
Lighter Notes: Arby's New BonerBurger Deluxe / Barack-ter J is in the (White) house!
What happens in Arby’s Ad-team Meetings should maybe stay in Arby’s ad-team meetings?This is really disturbing, and hard to figure what went on around the table over in Creative.Makes meimagine I’ll be ordering penis at the Arby’s counter (and...Amazon Censors, Gets Slammed / THERE IS ONLY ONE TRUE AND ORIGINAL DOG NAMED BO DAMMIT
Amazon seem to have dug itself a hole by ostensibly removing "adult" material from its sales rankings, but actually removing lots of gay and other lit while leaving items such as a Playboy centerfold book untouched. An Amazon spokesperson has attributed the...BOO!
It’s just a flub, a slip, anyone could do it, but it’s scary, and SOLID GOLD:Bobama, part II
Re my previous post, several people have not only asked me if I'm going to send a copy of Bo's Arts to 1800 Pennsylvania Ave., but have been shocked when I've said, no, I hadn't planned to. that I'd thought of it but it just feels kind of silly. I...Thanks Readers!
Big thanks to those who voted for MAID in the Valley Advocate Poll. I was very surprised to see the blog come in third as, because of my lack of frequency in recent months, I didn’t think it worthy and so didn’t campaign at all. For those of you who may...Barkley's back, back again!
For better and maybe worse, as the NBA Playoffs are upon us, Charles Barkley's career and reputation seem to be fully rehabilitated (after his drunk driving [and rumored solicitaiton too] arrest early this year). He's been back on TNT for some time now, and...Pandering for Gold at WHMP and Air America
This has bugged me for a while, but just lately it’s reached a head and now I’m all riled up, dammit! It started a while backw hen first I heard Air America hosts shamelessly shilling for a gold broker, all of them (Rachel Maddow, Thom Hartmann, Stephanie...I believe the term the kids use is “sick”
"Sick" as in "insane," "insane" as in awesome!THE PRESIDENT IS AN ATHEIST!!!
Because I just know, that's how. Because I can see into his soul and that his Christianity is pragmatic at best. Because I've read his book and his "finding" a church was a bout finding an organization through which he could get things done, plain...Post about a comment on my last post (a meta-post!) / Barak being Funny
Seeing as I don't think too many people go back and re-read posts here (and they don't simply fall below the current post as on most blogs) I'd like to repost a comment in responst to my last post in which I, somewhat humorously/hyperbolically, posited my...Oprah gives hack more free press / WHMP Gold Show slime redux
James Frey is continuing to reap the rewards of being spoken of by Oprah – now she's apologizing for the well-earned bashing she gave him on her show a couple years back. I was kinda obsessed with him and his duplicity for a while. Well, I've only been...O.K. This Is The Pops
just because it's hump day and we all need a little sumpin to get us over the hump:An Actual Masculinity Post (or %$#* Chevy, I'm turning Japanese if I buy a truck)
I think this commercial pretty much speaks for itself (although here's another blogger & his readers' takes that are pretty interesting). I guess the only part of it that has the slightest hint of nuance is the difference between misogynist and...John Rawls & me on the tyranny of the masses re the cali prop 8 decision
It's not every day I get to quote a moral/political philosopher I know more than the tiniest bit about. But when the cali court's reaffirmation of prop. 8 came down today, I was reminded of something my philosophy prof dad taught me based on the work of Rawls...On a ligher note: Check out PARTY CAT!!!
I hope the author/artist will forgive me for posting this tiny version of one of his or her awesome strips. To actually be able to read the wicked funny words, check out nedroid.com to party and find out!If you haven't checked out doubleX or read Moe Tkacic . . .
. . . I just stumbled across this piece, "Why I Didn't Report My Date Rape," this morning, by Moe Tkacik, whom I'd never read before. Without taking sides, and to be as bland as I possibly can in the name of just gettting this out there fast,...David Carradine's Kwai Chang Caine as formative, and wicked cool
As best as I can figure, I was 8-11 or so when I became obsessed with Kwai Chang Caine, hero of the TV show "Kung Fu." (Hawkeye Pierce and Bugs Bunny also made that list, fyi.). He met so many of my requirements for a hero: he was sensitive, moral,...a blog about nothing
I'm sitting in the airport, which is eerily empty, waiting to board a flight to Newark. When I get there, I've got a four hour layover (anyone wanna come hang out?), then off to Daytona Beach, of all places, where I and hundreds of high school teachers, grad...a pleasant surprise
RIP MJ, Farrah
(the post is mostly about Michael, the poster's all about Farrah.) mamasaymamasamamakoosah. (if you don't know, you better ask somebody) The happiest, luckiest man in America on Thursday evening? Mark Sanford of course. His bumbling, rambling, crazytalking...Billy Mays is not my Mother (and neither is Pina Bausch)
Sarah Gibbons over at Cherchez La Femme posted about the death of choreographer Pina Bausch this week. Sarah also mentioned Ed McMahon, Michael, Farrah, as well, but left out Billy Mays, Gale Storm, and, well, if you're into this kind of thing, the list goes on...something really neato, if you're into poker
On and off, I play poker online. Three weeks ago, while playing, I was looking up the players I was sitting with on the ole webbarooni (not worth going into, but there are ways to research your opponents as you play them) and saw that one of them, Amir Lehavot...Tiger, Barack, and now Phil Ivey: Icons for a new America
More on poker, and race. First off, Amir, from my previous post, finished well into the money in the Main Event of the World Series of Poker, coming in 226th out of 6,494 for $32,963. Not bad for a week's work.In the past few years, the Main Event of the WSOP has...Ishmael Reed: not a big fan of H. L. Gates
Okay, so this is over the top, to be sure, but, ignorant of much beyond H. L. Gates' name and face and maybe a sound bite (byte?) here or there with Charlie Rose, and having not followed the arrest story very closely, I did me some late night googling, just to...Serendipity Happens, for Boobies! / check out Turners this Saturday!
About a year ago I had one of my idiot-genius punster moments. Punsters, you know what I’m talking about, when you come up with a bon mot that you think is genius but everyone looks at you like you’re an idiot. (That is until your pun becomes, say, a...Ukraine really DOES have talent!!!
I imagine that if I knew any Ukrainian culture/history that this (video, below) would be even more awesomer than it is. (Thanks Chris Connelly for posting this on Facebook. I could spend the rest of my life watching great stuff that people repost on Facebook, like...Again, I offer diversion
In a USA in which people are coming to town-hall meetings where our president is speaking strapped with automatics – would-be assassins or lynch mobs, you pick; at which these same people draw Hitler moustaches on the president's picture, scream that god...friday funnies once again
Hi guys,Ted Kennedy's dead, and maybe single payer is too, never mind justice itself, but at least people still decorate poodles fabulously.just got done watching the president indoctrinate the youth of america . . .
. . . to his communist socialist nazi kenyan-born BLACK agenda. Actually, all kidding aside, I was a little disappointed. Barack kind of turned off the charm for this one. Sounded a bit too much like a parent or a principal. Too bad, really. I want him to inspire the...fish and chip paper? (re serena and kanye)
I've been away but wanted to touch on a couple of week-old stories. First off, I both think Kanye West is (once again) a compete (if very talented) jackass and at the same time can't help feeling sorry for him, what with everyone booing him, his nearly teary...Daniel Nester is Wicked Inappropriate
While I despise the self-congratulatoriness of those who've left NY or SF or other Big Towns for this here Valley (and those who've never moved to cities in the first place) because everything and everyone is just so awesome here, I also am one of those...a word about d. sedaris / a tear-jerker video of a heroic dog-dog rescue
I went to see David Sedaris at the gorgeous old (and recently restored) Colonial Theater in Pittsfield. The last time I saw Sedaris read was about ten years ago, in Palo Alto. Back when we started this blog, I insisted on his being included in our "Mantheon"...Barack Winning the Nobel a good thing? / I AM here to make friends!
Of course, my immediate response was YAY! but Rush & Glenn Beck & co. are gonna have a field day with Barack's Nobel. More proof of Black-Power Commie Hitler selling us out overseas. That said, it's a great thing in and of itself and in that it will...more on the No-bama-bel
Below is Rachel Maddow's fine rundown of the whole hoo-ha. Unlike other mainstream-left discussions of the Nobel, seems less rationalization than explanation/exploration. Also, my old high school friend Kirk, who posts here sometime too, responded to my sharing of...45 is my new 45
(Hey so I'm posting this above what's below it, about ten hours later, as if this were an actual blog in which you could have multiple posts on a page, one on top of the other, the most recentest at the top) There was a part I was too lazy to re-post (see...(Facebook) Friends, How many of us have them?
Maybe not many of you are old enough or even if you are, are likely remember the above line from "Friends" by the once-popular, semi-talented rap act Whodini (their biggest hit besides, perhaps, "Hounted House of Rock," which is still revived this...The post in which I make lots of new friends! (or, Congrats, Yankees
. . . orI just can't bear to go into all the sicko anti-Muslim fearmongering going on on right-wing radio and tv yesterday and todayI've been having an interesting little Facebook conversation this week after reading one too many Yankee-bashing posts on Fbook...Mad Men, TV, and other Swine
Anja and I have been wracked-the-eff-up all weekend with a wretched wretched relapse of what must be that pig virus that everyone's talking about. But illness has one perk – TELEVISION (or, rather self-granted-permission to watch lots o' it). This...“Pray for Obama” / Palin's Peeps
At this point, I’m guessing most of you have heard about the “Pray for Obama” brouhaha. Even USA today has gone out on a limb to say it’s “not very nice.” Taking the disgusting “Biden ‘09” bumper sticker campaign...Louis C.K. loves his kids (Warning: this is DIRTY!)
Here's a video promo for a new show coming up by comic Louis C.K. If you're not comfortable with VERY ADULT, PORNOGRAPHIC language, don't watch this video, okay? Promise? Because you will be offended. Also, on a serious note, do you find this homophobic? I...In memoriam
Today is (or "would have been"?) my mother, Sheila Berger's birthday, the first since she died last December 9. The picture is of a crystal she always had in the living room. At one point each day, it would project little rainbows all over the room,...Woods, Lion Cheetah – but seriously folks
I’ve watched and read a plethora of sports (and non-sports) morons joyously take Tiger Woods to the proverbial woodshed this week for his “personal failings.” (A refreshing exception was this editorial) And sure, I’ve repeated the above joke...Guest poster Elizabeth Gardner on L'affair Tigre
Here’re some thoughts my friend and terrific writer & blogger & thinker Elizabeth Gardner had on Tiger et al: My grandmother, mother and oldest son, Luke, have all been Tiger-worshippers for a long time. Luke's first two-wheeler, with training...E-Edition
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