Allison pointed me to an alternate perspective on all the conflicts in the middle east ... one that actually comes from that region.
http://english.aljazeera.net/
She said it ruined her night to hear about all the things that go unreported in the US news. "What about the bias?" I asked. "It's more CBS than Fox News," she replied.
posted by geoff on 10/08/2004 01:05:28 AM
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http://www.salon.com/opinion/feature/2004/10/07/volunteer/index1.html
i need to read this again when I'm not so tired. It seems really good. A nice look at what is on the minds of American voters. I sure as hell don't know.
posted by geoff on 10/08/2004 01:00:34 AM
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"To Ride, Shoot Straight, and Speak the Truth--which is pretty stupid, but the idea of some timeless ideals or values of youth is a pretty nice one. If there's one constant about youth maybe it's that you'll be disappointed with the absurdity of the world but when you're old enough or experienced enough to realize that you aren't bound by this, you lack the enthusiasm to do anything about it.
this was the Ancient Law of Youth.
Old times are Past, Old days are done:
But the Law runs true, O Little Son !!!"
I wrote this in response to both conversations I had tonight with Cathy and this message board stuff:
I never had cable growing up, but last year my brother downloaded a bunch of episodes of Pete and Pete off the Internet and I thought it was totally amazing. Really creative and positive, I'm sure it helped a lot of kids have an adventurous outlook on life and feel a little better about having an unconventional sense of identity. It makes me sad though, because I don't see many things like this in the media anymore. Also, like a lot of things that I see in pop culture and I think are nice and make me happy that they exist, I also feel really sad about them. If these things can exist, and be pretty popular, and be viewed by millions of people, how can the world still be such a stupid, ugly place? I feel like I listen to right-wing talk radio or watch Fox news and part of me thinks that it's so unfortunate that this manipulative hateful media seems to be so effective. Still, part of me wants to hope that maybe positive media can move people to think in other ways too. Maybe the ability of any media to have much influence in the way the world works is pretty limited. I guess that I just wish that media like Pete and Pete that reflect ideas that are close to me and that I think are pretty good things fealt more like a celebration of the world and less like a respite from it. Things are pretty good for me, so maybe it's sad that these little pockets of idealized nostalgia still make me feel better.
I'm feeling like I want to talk to someone really bad. I want to be excited by conversation and the excitement of others. Ryan and I have been having the same old debates which is always challenging and interersting but leave me increasingly feeling that their persistance might be a sign of my weakness rather than my growth. I talked with Theo a little tonight about politics, future aspirations, and things that made him hopeful for a more reasonable world. It reminded me that I want to read Cradle to Cradle very badly. It was nice to talk to someone and to feel like the conversation was a new one. I'm glad that Theo moved to town.
posted by geoff on 10/07/2004 01:40:15 AM
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http://www.kuro5hin.org/story/2004/9/19/14161/1672
I don't know about its accuracy, but it's nice to hear someone thinking things out, drawing parallels with what they know ... Some of the response is interesting too. Much of it is pretty civil and insightful.
posted by geoff on 10/06/2004 04:47:38 PM
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Frame from New Paltz, NY played after the event at Boxcar and it was good. I feel like them and One Reason (especially back in the RJ days) are some of the few bands that can pull off the Hot Water Music influenced, emotive punk without being ridiculous. New Paltz seems like one of those random towns full of nice kids.
I don't do all that much around the house, but I think I do the things that no one else wants to do. I usually take out the trash. I cleaned the maggoty potatoes, and yesterday, I unclogged the toilet that was so nastily stopped up by the Germans, cleaned the urine splatter and pubic hairs off the toilet, and put on a new seat. Ryan and Theo with help from Bz and Stephen did the more Trading Spaces kind of things. It was real fun to look at Ryan and Theo feyly opening the back of the van and exclaiming "oooh, look what we found!" The back room floor is getting painted. There are some really rad new tables that look like the ones in the OSU art department computer labs (and they only cost $4) and new lighting. The front room got a new paint job. It's a crazy improvement.
Talk about the weather. The autumn is chilling faster than I can take. I can usually accept the inevitability of winter, but I've been enjoying the few forays into autumn that I've been having so much that this cold snap has made me feel a little weird. Riding home last night, I was just thinking that any feeling I have of frustration, of anger, or sadness - the things that could be freak-out material for a lot of people. I just find myself thinking, "you're being stupid," or "you could do that, but it's just because you want attention." It's eerie to realize that you're so conscious of things like emotions that seem like they should be entirely subconscious. I'm just left with a feeling of what's the point?
posted by geoff on 10/06/2004 01:34:31 PM
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This American Life is rad, Transom is rad, and Pop Vultures is well ... interesting. It would be if my brother Tim, or BZ had a radio show. Rambling and waxing quasi-philosophical about popular culture. I feel like if I were to meet the kids who produce and offer commentary on this show, I feel like they would either be my best friend or worst enemy. The analysis is pretty superficial, but it's well informed and will definitely bring the cuturally deprived up to speed.
Liz Phair... Yeah, total Chicago housewife.Word.
posted by geoff on 10/03/2004 01:41:55 PM
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