Cotton Ham

Clean, cheap, water filtration for developing communities

2010-02-26T09:51:00.000-08:00

In the last two weeks I've been hearing a lot about several different versions of the same project - ceramic water filters. At the Abriendo Brecha VII Activist Scholar Conference at UT-Austin I saw a presentation by Oscar Muñoz, Deputy Director for the Center for Housing and Urban Development, Coloñias Program. The gist of the project is utilizing low-tech ceramic filters to provide potable water for those without access to it. Amazingly, this includes about 500,000 people in South Texas and untold millions across the globe. The way it works is, they mix fine grains of sawdust with clay, shape these cones to fit over a 5 gallon bucket and then fire the filters in a kiln. The heat burns up the sawdust leaving tiny pores for the water to seep through. Dipping the filters in collodial silver also improves the bacteria killing efficiency by another 2%.

Oscar said the cost floats depending on where you build the filters. In Texas it's about $25, but they also did a project in South America where it was much cheaper. He said their inspiration came from Potters for Peace who have a pretty good page on further details. A few days after this presentation I heard a piece on NPR about a similar program in Yemen. They mentioned a group Potters Without Borders doing very much the same thing as the A&M group.

One interesting side note to this is that local people are starting to learn the techniques and are making and selling these ceramic filters to their fellow townspeople. I haven't looked into the social entrepreneurship aspects of it but it would seem that a micro-loan would definitely fit into a more comprehensive program incorporating sustainability, clean water and economic success.

Hold the Spit?

2009-11-17T11:34:00.000-08:00

Ha! Looks like being a cop in Burnet County isn't all fun and games. Seems the fellow to the left had a grudge against the local sheriff and messed with his burger when he came in for a bite to eat. What's worse is that this dapper gent's co-workers have ratted him out, and the dude could spend up to 10 years in a federal prison for "harrasment of a public servant." Here's what one witness had to say, "He told me he had taken the buns and wiped himself with it," said Robles, who worked at a different restaurant. She said Perez then told her that he had put vegetables for the sandwich in his mouth before placing them on the hamburger and that he spit on the burger."

Greenhouse Gas improvement?

2009-11-03T21:13:00.000-08:00

According to this little "stat-shot" from The Economist, although global emissions of Carbon Dioxide (one of several GHGs, actually) has risen since 2007, "measured from 1990, the base year for Kytoto protocol targets, emissions fell by 4%." Russia, Germany and Britain are leading the decrease with Spain, Australia and Canada at the forefront. China is notably absent.

Rod Blagojevich is trapped inside his own brain

2009-09-29T01:42:00.000-07:00

Parts one through three of John Stewart interviewing the latest of the Illinois Inglorious Guvners... In all actuality, I bet that Fitzgerald and some of the Democratic machine probably doesn't want the entirety of these tapes to come out. By the time we get to part three, Blago is saying that Hillary "stepped out of" Obama's way in exchange for $10 million in fundraising to get her campaign debt retired and a position for her as Sec of State. Rod and Rezco were in the same circle too, I bet there's a ton of juicy politics in those tapes.

The Daily Show With Jon Stewart

Mon - Thurs 11p / 10c

Exclusive - Rod Blagojevich Extended Interview Pt. 1

www.thedailyshow.com

Daily Show
Full Episodes

Political Humor

Healthcare Protests

The Daily Show With Jon Stewart

Mon - Thurs 11p / 10c

Exclusive - Rod Blagojevich Extended Interview Pt. 2

www.thedailyshow.com

Daily Show
Full Episodes

Political Humor

Healthcare Protests

The Daily Show With Jon Stewart

Mon - Thurs 11p / 10c

Exclusive - Rod Blagojevich Extended Interview Pt. 3

www.thedailyshow.com

Daily Show
Full Episodes

Political Humor

Healthcare Protests

Uncle Trouble?

2009-08-25T07:52:00.000-07:00

Apparently there's a new method for making meth that's causing an uptick in the drug's usage after years of declining numbers. The AP has a lengthy piece discussing the new "shake and bake" technique, which involves common drugstore substances being shaken up in a 2-liter, airtight bottle.

The best part of the piece, however, seems to be a warning from Marion County Sheriff Kevin Williams. "It simplified the process so much that everybody's making their own dope... It can be your next-door neighbor doing it. It can be one of your family members living downstairs in the basement."

For some reason it doesn't strike me as terribly odd that a relative living in your Alabama basement could be a meth head. Williams should have added that "it could be scary, scraggly guys living in beat up vans in the holler."

Memories of a Private Dick

2009-08-13T08:39:00.000-07:00

Dick Cheney is apparently writing his memoirs of the Bush administration, which is sure to be a fascinating read regardless of your political tilt. The Washington Post has a story about it today, and though they play up the "Frustrated with Bush" headline, what's interesting is that Cheney has long assailed insider accounts of administrations arguing, perhaps correctly, that it compromises the privacy and therefore honesty of closed door discussions. An interesting passage from today's piece,"Cheney himself has said, without explanation, that "the statute of limitations has expired" on many of his secrets. "When the president made decisions that I didn't agree with, I still supported him and didn't go out and undercut him," Cheney said, according to Stephen Hayes, his authorized biographer. "Now we're talking about after we've left office. I have strong feelings about what happened. . . . And I don't have any reason not to forthrightly express those views."

Louisiana 'Hizzy' of Representatives

2009-06-25T15:09:00.000-07:00

Hurricane Chris blows up the Louisiana Legislature! Apparently he was given the mic as part of an appreciation or resolution honoring him. Halle Berry!

Man-Power

2009-06-09T12:41:00.000-07:00

I'm assuming this contraption is a joke and not actually intended for consumption.

Changed Opinions?

2009-06-03T01:39:00.000-07:00

After watching the June 2nd Daily Show, I realized I had a growing disdain for how the feds were running things. Strangely, P.J. O'Rourke, whom I don't usually like, seemed like he had some good things to say. Am I just tired, or was this a particularly good episode?

You Know How I Know You're Gay?

2009-06-02T08:15:00.000-07:00

Apparently, Kim Jong Il is passing over his middle son's ascension to power because Kim thinks he's too lady-like. From the AP,
"Kim considers the middle son, Jong Chol, too effeminate for the job, according to his former sushi chef." Perhaps nobody has told Mr. Jong Il that he has a girl's name?

Tag Team Intellect

2009-05-24T23:11:00.000-07:00

Whilst in Denver enjoying cocktails on the roof of the MCA, I took notice of a flyer I tucked away for future reference. The museum, in a blend of wit and knowledge and seemingly born out of a Dave Eggers publication, hosts Mixed Taste: Tag Team Lectures on Unrelated Topics. The list looks great, so I guess it's no surprise these sell out. I'd be into "Stan Brakhage & Machine Guns," "The Human Genome & Leadbelly," and "Hot Sauce and Jewish Mysticism." Apparently two experts give half hour presentations on their topic and then collaborate on the Q&A. They aren't allowed to draw any parallels about the other topic during lecture - during the later half, apparently "anything can happen."

Denver Are You Ready?

2009-05-13T00:45:00.000-07:00

The beloved management of 303 Magazine is chipping me a few bucks toward a dirt cheap Southwest plane ticket, giving me a few assignments to keep busy in Denver for three days and letting me attend their bash at the MCA. My primary assignment in the next three days is to write about five "classic" Denver establishments. After a week of soliciting opinions from interns, perusing online forums and discussing things with my editor, we still hadn't arrived at establishment number five. Until now, that is. White Fence Farm, it is on! Aside from a Disneyland-like map of the place, they have live animals and live music.

Water you looking at?

2009-04-17T19:17:00.001-07:00

Now that the EPA has finally sprung into gear acknowledging climate change as a looming threat, it's go-time on figuring out how exactly we're going to price these so-called "carbon trades." It's an interesting problem that some pretty excellent minds are tackling. Last Friday, I attended the Environmental Defense Fund's 9th (and final) State Water Conference where the final panel consisted of a lengthy discussion of the Water/Energy Nexus.

Apparently, it is cutting edge thinking to associate water usage with energy production and to measure the amount of energy it takes to pump, treat and manage water (and wastewater for that matter). Amy Hardberger, by far the most entertaining presenter of the day, walked the audience through the basics of energy and water's mutual dependence. It's a rare feat to get several dozen people alert and chuckling after 5 hours of previous presentations, but Amy was somehow able to do it. Her paper (written with several others) is available online and easily accessible reading. I'm currently putting an unprecedented level of effort into learning about resource management, but was grateful to have such handy schematics and simplistic explanations at my disposal.

To paraphrase the discussion, reductions in energy can result in reductions of water usage, because water is most often the agent used for dissipating waste heat generated by power plants. Similarly, water conservation can save on energy costs by reducing the amount of work needed to process and pump water. A more complicated problem resides in the valuation of these respective environmental effects, but at least we've got some talented, entertaining people working on it.

Wrath of Khan

2009-04-16T18:03:00.000-07:00

check out China Shop Magazine to see a story I did about the glorious rhythm and rock of King Khan and the Shrines.

Saaaa-wing, battabattabatta, saaaaa-wiiiing!

2009-04-14T17:52:00.000-07:00

With my future looking relatively busy, I had to opt out of fantasy baseball this year despite it being the best $20 I ever spent in 2008. In the midst of a hectic day I came across this little short about batting stances on ESPN and it really lifted the burdens of the moment and made me think back to my own young days imitating the Big Leaguers.

Jesus in time for Easter

2009-04-09T11:44:00.000-07:00

It looks like fundamentalist Christians are beginning to realize that legislating their particular blend of morality is a lost cause. Here's what Kathleen Parker has to say in a recent column: "For Christians such as [E.Ray] Moore — and others better known, such as columnist Cal Thomas, a former vice president for the Moral Majority — the heart of Christianity is in the home, not the halls of Congress or even the courts. And the route to a more-moral America is through good works — service, prayer and education — not political lobbying."

In Texas, where Christianity is famously our state's first religion the fallout from Dobson and others abdicating political power could have major ramifications for an already beleaguered Texas GOP, not to mention our Christian-courting Governor.

So It Glows: Nuclear Power in America (Pt. 1)

2009-04-01T20:58:00.000-07:00

It looks like the Obama administration is moving in the direction of an economic carbon policy for our fair country. Europe already has "cap and trade" in place, and it's been the recommended course of action from a number of intelligent minds and publications. The Economist eschews subsidies and regulations saying, "The alternative is to let markets to find the way forward, through a carbon-trading scheme or a carbon tax. At least in theory, the profit motive should help entrepreneurs figure out the cheapest ways of cutting emissions, and thus save us all money. Clearly, The Economist is keener on the latter strategy, as Mr Obama and the EU seem to be."

The WSJ recently ran an interview with J. Wayne Leonard, chairman and CEO of Entergy Corp., which the Journal says is "one of the largest U.S. energy companies and the No. 2 generator of nuclear power." Leonard poses an interesting example of an energy company CEO who is in favor of both cap-and-trade (with some caveats) and the politically unpopular carbon tax. . While both the publication and Leonard himself are straight forward with the benefits such a system may have for a company whose portfolio is primarily nuclear, I think the subject of nuclear merits some further digging.

Given the City of Austin's recent debate between solar and nuclear power, and the resultant approval of a 30 MW solar station rather than a 438 MW nuke plant investment, I figured my own experience, interests and sleuthing could provide some insight into the role that nuclear energy will play in our nation's future. It also provides me an opportunity to explore this question a bit further (plan on this being an installment piece). Consider this, Part One, a background on nuclear energy.

The first nuclear power plant was constructed in Obninsk, Russia in 1954 . By splitting atoms in a controlled environment, scientists are able to trap the heat generated by the atomic decay and use it for giant steam boilers. The steam then powers electrical turbines generating electricity. If you need slightly more details, a friendly Canadian will tell you about it below.

Since then, a 435 nuke plants have sprung up around the globe. In that time, several bits of conventional wisdom have seeped into the American popular and media consciousness. These would be: a) Americans are fearful and/or wary of nuclear power, despite the French loving it, b) nuclear power generates clean energy, c) it is cheaper than solar and wind power.

YANKS v. FROGS
As it turns out, the French supply 76% of their power through nuclear plants. America gets a measly 20%. Yet, despite the grumbling of cultural conservatives who tend to malign the environmentalists as 'fraidy cats who stymie America's construction of nuke plants, (see 5th comment down) the USA actually has more nuclear power plants and generates more nuclear power than anyone in the world. And, going back to that Frontline piece I linked to above, the French in fact use American technology for their own plants, courtesy of Westinghouse. France has 59 nuclear power plants generating 63,260 MW while the US has 104 plants cranking out more than 100,000MW, more than 27% of the world’s nuclear energy, far beyond #2 France.

So why is it then, that Americans (and especially the left-leaning, presumably French appreciating environmentalists) are characterized as reluctant to embrace nukes? My research points to three main reasons: Hollywood, the timing of nuclear accidents, and the real problem of waste disposal. The later could also include concentration of nuclear energy, as opposed to simply the effects of a single plant. I'm also inclined to look into the financing and capital costs of nuclear plants. Scalability issues and financing were cited as one of the reasons Austin didn't spring for nuclear power recently. It's also one of the reasons no nuclear plants have come online since 1996, and no new orders since 1973.

Freakanomics authors Stephen J. Dubner and Steven D. Levitt wrote an insightful piece about the media aspect of nuclear power. The China Syndrome opened on March 16, 1979. With the no-nukes protest movement in full swing, the movie was attacked by the nuclear industry as an irresponsible act of leftist fear-mongering. Twelve days later, an accident occurred at the Three Mile Island nuclear plant in south-central Pennsylvania. Befitting the critically acclaimed thinkers, they string this analysis out to a showdown between risk and uncertainty. How do people weigh risk versus uncertainty? Consider a famous experiment that illustrates what is known as the Ellsberg Paradox. There are two urns. The first urn, you are told, contains 50 red balls and 50 black balls. The second one also contains 100 red and black balls, but the number of each color is unknown. If your task is to pick a red ball out of either urn, which urn do you choose? Most people pick the first urn, which suggests that they prefer a measurable risk to an immeasurable uncertainty. (This condition is known to economists as ambiguity aversion.) Could it be that nuclear energy, risks and all, is now seen as preferable to the uncertainties of global warming?"

Of course, the other accident was Chernobyl. According to National Geographic “The fallout, 400 times more radioactivity than was released at Hiroshima, drove a third of a million people from their homes and triggered an epidemic of thyroid cancer in children. Over the years, the economic losses—health and cleanup costs, compensation, lost productivity—have mounted into the hundreds of billions of dollars. As evidence of government bungling and secrecy emerged in its wake, Chernobyl (or Chornobyl, as it is now known in independent Ukraine) even sped the breakup of the Soviet Union.” Pretty powerful stuff.

I’m not exactly inclined to extrapolate an entire history of the Cold War and America’s defeat of Japan, but having conducted an extensive literary critique of John Hersey’s Hiroshima and watched plenty of 1980s propaganda I do know that the heroic power of atomic energy (wielded destructively) was exalted after V-J day, complete with re-enactments in California stadiums.

Once the Reds got the H-Bomb, and a full global armegaddeon was suddenly the psychological white noise of two generations, Americans were primed for the Ukranian meltdown. Without having gone back to review news footage of the event, I’m going to make a leap and say that the devastating power of the nuclear weapon’s grasp on the American subconscious essentially was depicted as an own-goal with the Russians disaster. It could simultaneously depict both the power of nuclear energy (read: weapons) and the folly of our enemy, the hated Commie Bastards. I just imagine the effect on the collective unconscious as being similar to a younger brother stealing your Porsche and running it into a pole.

Next up… waste. I’ll look into the relative cleanliness of nukes, costs and drawbacks. Mostly I want to find out if the economic impact (derived from political conditions or environmental ones)of waste is factored into the price per Megawatt. I’m going to save the funding and economics for part three I think.

Fool's Day

2009-04-01T15:06:00.001-07:00

You've got to love the dry humor of the Beeb. Check out this April Fool's segment about Switzerland's bumper spaghetti harvest, shot in 1957.

What the gently caress are you talking about?

2009-03-28T21:48:00.000-07:00

Flipping through the ol' internets and looking at the Vince Offer shots I noticed a curious phenomenon. Apparently, because internet forums restrict coarse language (fuck, amongst many other words) the users at the website somethingawful.com have begun inserting "gently caress" where the f-bomb would go. Fan-gently caressing-tastic.

Techn-opolypse, courtesy Barry Goldwater

2009-03-15T22:11:00.000-07:00

Now that the Republican Party has apparently declared intellectual jihad on such bastions of knowledge as academia, the news, and scientists I've been rooting through some old thinkers of the conservative movement to see if there once existed some good ideas. I came across these videos of old campaign commercials on the internet archive, and was extremely impressed by Barry Goldwater's mix of homespun imagery, an almost literary conceptualization of Evil, and the verbosity of his own language. The second video takes you through some of the boilerplate talk show points about "big government," but then Goldwater adds a much colder element: that large government is eroding our very identities as individuals. His descriptions of government touch on physical aspects of everyday life creating a poem of a weakening substance. The tag line further promotes the viewer to absorb the subtle implications of Goldwaters message, "in your heart... you know he's right." Here's the downloadable file.

Also, Barry G. looks a little bit like Bevis, no?

J-E-LL-O

2009-03-05T01:21:00.000-08:00

This story makes me want to kill Bill Cosby just so his ghost can look down from heaven and smile.

Apparently, those wacky scientists at the South Pole have been getting into some Jello wrestling. Every dyed in the wool nerd I know is a pretty strange person who often didn't get a lot of ass. It looks like all that changes in the South Pole. Binge drinking (and murder), 16,000 condoms and 5 months of darkness!

The Red Menace

2009-03-02T07:31:00.000-08:00

Doing some daily reading, I enjoyed this piece in the NY Times about the rhetoric of socialism from the conservative camp. I found it interesting because a) I'm taking my first Econ class right now and b) I got into a heated email exchange with my uncle late in the campaign because he was insistent on calling Obama a socialist/communist without actually knowing the differentiation between those terms.

I suppose if an attack line works, use it. But still, it's a bit like the old days of playing Tekken against some kid who just uses the same combo move the entire match.

Aside from, as the article points out, the different shades of San Fran, Swedish and Venezuelan socialism, my Economics text keeps reminding me that we actually live in a state of Welfare Capitalism, where the government regulates and manages whole aspects of the economy. As the GOP casts about for a new leader, they may want to look at a famous pseudo-socialist of their own: The trust busting, environment preserving, Cuba invading TR!

UPDATE: Apparently, some in Fort Worth think a "Marxist Revolution" is being conducted in the White House! You know when Ron Paul's kid shows up at a rally you've got a message that's sticking.

What This Country Needs is an Awesome Depression

2009-02-25T14:04:00.000-08:00

Running in the March issue of 303 Magazine

I think the time is ripe for an Even Greater Depression. It seems like every week economic data bear even worse news. Three years ago if you heard, “credit crunch” odds are it was a candy bar or exercise. Now, it provokes a looming sense of uncertain dread everyone has thus far only associated with terrorists.

Imagine life two years ago – the weather was always sunny, everyone busied themselves with self-indulgent internet posts and it seemed like every zip code had its own glamour and lifestyle magazine. My friend actually thought he could sell homemade t-shirts that proclaimed “Fuck War” for $45 a pop. He used to give sushi to homeless guys too, and is now unemployed.

An Awesome Depression would put the Great Depression to shame. It would be more severe, yes, but also more full of character-building struggle and their attendant anecdotes. A Depression with less comfort than any other Depression would teach everyone thriftiness and resourcefulness. Suddenly disposable anything seems pretty silly. Why throw away what you can reuse and recycle? Why not wash out that plastic container for lunchmeat and store other food in it? What about changing your old bottles into decorative candle-holders or cups for that homemade beer you’ve begun brewing.

We’ll have all kinds of stories like my 5th grade teacher Mrs. Wilson used to tell us. She made dresses out of shoes and ate the leftovers for dinner. She saved everything and could fix anything and could have survived the apocalypse had it occurred in 1952.

In an Awesome Depression people will be more careful with how they spend their entertainment dollars. Luxury boxes always have been dumb, but when unemployment starts bumping into double digits it’s going to take more than glass to protect the champagne swilling, over-paid douches who somehow created a caste system of their own for sports.

After years of bling and brand names being forced down everyone’s throats it’s nice to know that advertising is on the run for a change. And imagine how much better at math our children are going to be when they all stop getting allowances because pennies are more valuable than wishes again.

An Awesome Depression would toughen everybody up. Why do you think we’re having trouble fighting the Taliban? They sleep in snow and live in caves! They herd goats on mountains and build houses out of mud and rocks. Meanwhile, our kids are raised on video games and central heating and air. Wimps!

People are going to have to learn real jobs and no longer pass themselves off as insufferable “producers” or “graphic designers” when everyone knows that their parents are merely supporting them. And what in the fuck are rappers going to rap about if no one can afford to “make it rain”? Although, it will be fun to see hobos resurface– even though they will probably have to invent new, even poorer ways to get wasted.

An Awesome Depression is going to knock the wind out of pretentious hipster fashion and emphasize well-made, long-lasting clothes (and cars for that matter). Our children are going to look back at 10 years of Club Rap and SUVs and think we were retarded. Then they’ll be glad that we learned how to snare squirrels using twine and our own ingenuity in order to survive the Food Scarcity Crisis of 2011.

Satellite Cloud

2009-02-12T15:32:00.000-08:00

I found this cool shot of what earth may look like what with all the satellites in low-orbit.

Terry Gilliam's Bastard Techno-freakout spawn

2008-08-06T10:14:00.000-07:00

The Gaslamp Killer posted this strange mishmash of animation and music on his site. Nothing else, can't even get to the YouTube...

Scandal Through the Years

2008-07-28T14:04:00.001-07:00

As everyone bemoans the loss of civility in politics, it would do good to remember some great lines from the bad old days. "One Adams partisan described [Jackson] as a 'gambler, a cock fighter, a slave trader', which would have been fine - accurate, even - had the writer not continued with, 'and the husband of a really fat wife'. A Kentucky paper called Jackson's wife a 'dirty, black wench!'. Additionally, one widely distributed handbill claimed that Jackson's mother was a prostitute."

The Big Sort of Problems

2008-07-14T17:35:00.000-07:00

Austin’s own Bill Bishop recently released “The Big Sort: Why the Clustering of Like-Minded America is Tearing us Apart,” which explores the polarizing of American politics through the movement of citizens through physical space. I haven’t read the book yet myself, though I did check out what The Economist and the Texas Observer had to say about it. I spent the majority of 2007 traveling around the country looking for a city that “shared my values,” and ended up moving away from Savannah, Georgia and settling in Austin.
The theory is, Americans are increasingly living in “landslide counties” that is, counties where a presidential candidate wins by more than 20% of the vote. This has been occurring with more frequency since the days of LBJ (where landslide counties accounted for 26.8%), to the point where, in the 2004 election 48.3% of the counties were such. Bishop breaks the counties down further, fusing the so-called “culture wars” with neighborhoods and media. The Economist cites a study which posits the danger of this separation: Diana Mutz of the University of Pennsylvania crunched survey data from 12 countries and found that Americans were the least likely of all to talk about politics with those who disagreed with them. Additionally, they cite some data which suggests such ideological segregation results in more extreme viewpoints and representatives.
The Observer brings some perspective to the polarizing concept – recollecting the 19th century smear tactics and the vitriol that passed as dialogue back then. I found this little gem on the internets, about the John Adams and Andrew Jackson campaign, “One Adams partisan described him as a 'gambler, a cock fighter, a slave trader', which would have been fine - accurate, even - had the writer not continued with, 'and the husband of a really fat wife'. A Kentucky paper called Jackson's wife a 'dirty, black wench!'. Additionally, one widely distributed handbill claimed that Jackson's mother was a prostitute.”
So whether or not politics has become more partisan is an iffy statement. The internet does allow for a more expeditious dissemination of rumors, lies and slander, and seeing one handbill is certainly not the equivalent to the media saturation of today. YouTube and constant cable news arguably don’t even require the minor hurdle of literacy to spread their message. But it seems to me, that the critical issue in the national dialogue is the lack of common media (more on this).
In Savannah, the Assistant City Manager XXX XXXX once told me he thought of the city as a house divided. I braced for an awkward talk about race relations – a lingering topic in the crime-ridden city – and instead got a mini-lecture about the values people held south of Derrene Avenue versus those who lived in the ‘old city’ closer to the river. South of Derrene, Savannah, one of the country’s most beautiful cities, begins to look like Anywhere, USA. The same big box stores, the same pre-fab homes, asphalt, no sidewalks and traffic that wipe away any distinction. Head north and you’ll find people on foot, frequenting more independent businesses and stopping to talk with each other more often. Of course, yards are smaller if they exist and crime is a bit worse. This exchange of values seems accurate enough – although economic indicators must also come into play.
The larger issue seems to be a splitting of media consumption, which uses the advantages of marketing demographics to isolate ever smaller and dedicated audiences. What matters to programs and websites is the time spent with their particular media, and increasingly emotional identification. Politicians have co-opted this idea from advertising, beginning with Ed Bernays. I heard a Wendy’s commercial today that advertised Lack of Snackitis – and said that the late afternoon slump so many radio-listening office workers experience is really due to a lack of Frosty’s in your diet. It suggested people would “frankly, be more fun” if they weren’t plagued by this Frosty-less affliction. That same identification between desired personality and consumption is pervasive in a brand and media saturated environment.
Much like the split in Savannah, where social walks are given up in exchange for safer neighborhoods and more yards – politicians (and their media advisors) have forced people to choose between the two party camps. You can portray yourself as a compassionate and erudite progressive, but be prepared to give up your masculinity or toughness as right-wingers accuse you of being a latte-sipping surrender monkey. Republicans may hoist the mantle of godliness but they’re going to have to assume the characterization of an insensitive racist when an anointed talking heads begins to prattle on about towel heads.
It’s not unthinkable that amongst the hundreds upon hundreds of media options which exist, increasing amounts will cultivate a mental space where other perspectives are not even acknowledged, much less heard. On The Media recently did pieces on both Ariana Huffington and Keith Olberman where they asked, “Are you simply the left’s Bill O’Reilly?” and further wondered what would happen to MSNBC’s ratings once Bush was gone. One may have asked the same to Rush Limbaugh once his nemesis Bill Clinton left office – yet somehow there remained plenty to rant about. The Limbaugh audience would vanish were he to begin moving away from blustery showmanship and toward thoughtful roundtable discussions of all views.
The most alarming aspect of this trend appears to be wholesale intolerance of particular institutions. I’ve heard dyed-in-the-wool Republicans disavow scientists, university professors and newsman. Yet, how are facts going to be established when those tasked with finding and explaining them are no longer part of the discussion? What’s more, when credentials and sources are abandoned due to the convenience of merely googling something then all facts become assumed falsehoods. This idea bears much more weight as the informational institutions undergo a their own Big Sort.

Über Alles

2008-07-14T09:44:00.000-07:00

Doing some research into California's once-and-future (perhaps) Governor Jerry Brown, I stumbled across this fellow. In the photo on the top left, he resembles and angry Dennis Hopper.

What a Country!

2008-06-18T08:03:00.000-07:00

I'm doing some research on the Cold War, and today have been looking into one of its most celebrated figures - the lovable Yakov Smirnoff.

He calls Branson, Missouri home now, but after coming to America in 1977 he made a career out of lampooning those wacky Soviets.

He was on Miller Lite commercials...

And even turned his catch phrase, "What a Country!" into what can only be described as a more ethnically diverse, low-rent "Perfect Strangers."

Now, he has a theater named after him where he performs. What is that show like? From the website.
"There ought to be a caution sign as you enter the Yakov Smirnoff Theatre in Branson, Missouri. It should read “Warning! Hold on to your seat ‘cause this guy is about to blow you away with dynamite comedy!” This ‘guy’ of course is Branson’s Two-Time Comedian of the Year, Yakov Smirnoff, the famous Russian Comedian. He delivers explosive laughter in a show filled with brilliant special effects, dazzling dancing, heartfelt moments, and just plain fun. Yakov’s entire show is packed with comedic tall tales and witty perceptions, funny facts and huge laughs. "

Get Your Learn On

2008-06-09T10:03:00.000-07:00

RZA, aka Bobby Digital, (who plays Austin this week) has just launched a hip hop oriented chess site. Here, he plays the New York Times Chess editor and loses. Still, he presents an interesting notion in that chess can be used, "especially in an urban situation," he says, to get young cats to think that extra step. RZA compares it to rhyming an extra bar or pausing before snatching something out of a store. The NYTimes Chess Editor is clearly out of his element.

Whoops

2008-06-09T00:33:00.000-07:00

So, the Chronicle for Higher Education is surely one of Academia's most prestigious, ok, most well-known publications. So I must say I was a bit surprised to see that they had yet to correct a glaring typo in their digital archives. Just goes to show how far ol' Barack has come. Next up, Microsoft's spell check!

From the Balkans, With Love

2008-06-08T20:46:00.000-07:00

Ever since seeing the Ivan Milev Band open for Sharon Jones some months ago, I've become enamored with the klezmar music of Eastern Europe. After doing a bit of searching, I came across POZA's album, "Crazy Balkans."

I can't figure out how to upload songs or torrents on this, but as you may be able to tell by the photo, these are some Wild and Crazy Guys...

The Last Fucking Straw

2008-06-06T13:51:00.000-07:00

"So I was sitting in my cubicle today, and I realized, ever since I started working, every single day of my life has been worse than the day before it. So that means that every single day that you see me, that's on the worst day of my life."

You have to wait a bit for this to really get going, but it is amazing.

Don't Give Me No Lipp

2008-05-27T00:38:00.000-07:00

A review I wrote for Soundcheck Magazine about Eliot Lipp's new album, Outside.

Big Man Japan

2008-05-27T00:13:00.000-07:00

Comedy can have a tough time translating across cultures, but when the comedy is based upon the shared global heritage of Asian monster movies, you get this (courtesy of the beloved Alamo Drafthouse):

No Mayo

2008-05-26T23:38:00.000-07:00

The Times just ran this interesting glimpse into the life of 26-year old Reggie Love, Barack Obama's personal assistant. While the details are a bit gratuitous - it sounds like the writer is comparing notes on a crush sometimes - it does manage to humanize the political process a bit. Also, the piece makes a reference to I Heart Huckabees and Shania's dislike for mayo...