Bextravagant

Summer TV Season

2011-07-07T17:55:00.006-07:00

Summer is really starting to be the best season for TV. So many shows, so little time: True Blood, Weeds, Breaking Bad, Big Brother, Project Runway, and Curb Your Enthusiasm are all back for a new season.

Thank god I have a TiVo.

Easy Credit --> Hard Choices

2011-06-26T16:28:00.004-07:00

I came across this article today, written by a guy who paid off $10,000 worth of credit card debt in one year.

It reminded me of my own credit card ordeal, in which I racked up tens of thousands of dollars in credits cards in the early 2000s, and when they all maxed out I moved back in with my parents for a year, lived rent-free, and put all of my salary toward the debt. By the end of the year I was nearly all paid off and within 18 months from the date I first started paying them off I was completely debt-free.

As difficult as it might have been to move back in with my parents at age 31, the opportunity to get rid of the debt was life-changing. Once it was all paid off, I felt this huge sense of relief. I knew I could never put myself in that spot again. I still use credit cards, but now I either pay them off every month or develop a plan for paying off large purchases within a short amount of time.

I was in the middle of my year spent getting out of debt when a friend recommended I watch Maxed Out. It's a few years old and somewhat dated (Eliot Spitzer was still the Attorney General of New York, and the economy had not yet completely tanked but was beginning to unravel), but it is worth checking out:

Let's start with Franky

2011-06-24T21:11:00.004-07:00

We'll see if I can re-vamp this ole bloggy blog. I'll start with a pic of the Little Bubba.

Here's another picture - an unskilled attempt at basic digital photo editing:

I love Dave

2010-09-25T10:16:00.003-07:00

As the Joaquin Phoenix cluster-f**k comes to an end, the actor (whose hoax was some indictment of the media, celebrity and "consumers") appeared on Dave Letterman to explain.

Definitely watch this through to the end, when Dave gets in the last dig!

In case you haven't seen his appearance on Late Night in "character," you can watch the train wreck here.

The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo

2010-08-22T15:26:00.003-07:00

I was definitely late to the party, but a few weeks ago I finished reading The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo and really liked it. It started a little slow (it starts off with a long chapter of exposition) but then really gets going to the point where you don't want to put the book down.

Big thanks to S-Q for the suggestion!

By chance I was able to see the Swedish film adaptation of the book, and I thought it was really well-done. They had to depart from the book in certain ways but I think how they altered the story made sense. Here's a trailer:

I'm about to start the second book in the trilogy, and look forward to seeing the film adaptation of it.

But what I'm reallllly excited about is that David Fincher is directing an "American" adaptation of the novels starring Daniel Craig. With the exception of Christopher Nolan, I don't know of a better choice to make a series of films based on these dark, noirish books. Sadly Fincher's first film of the series won't release until 2011, but I'm sure it will be worth the wait!

Mmmm... Mexican food

2010-08-22T14:53:00.006-07:00

I'm not sure if it's because of my impending move to the East Coast, but lately I've been partaking in as much Mexican food as possible. I love Mexican food; it is the ultimate comfort food - the spices, the warmth, and the tequila or Mexican beer to go with it... even in hot weather it is so delicious.

Last night I had the most amazing meal at La Super Rica Taqueria in Santa Barbara. The building looks almost like a shack with a covered patio in the back, so you might dismiss the place if you didn't know better.

La Super Rica only serves tacos and tamales, and both are amazing. The tortillas for the tacos are made on site and are grilled right before they are served. There are about 20 different types of tacos, and you can order lots of different kinds (each small plate comes with two corn tortillas and enough meat, cheese, or veggie goodness to fill each tortilla).

The first taco we tried was a sauteed mushroom taco - which probably sounds weird but if you like sauteed mushrooms you would die for this taco. The mushrooms were sauteed in butter and cream (so you know, totally healthy), and it was probably the most delicious thing I've tasted in years.

We also tried a chorizo and queso taco. The chorizo was cut into bite-size pieces and grilled, then served with cheese over it (which melted from the heat of the chorizo). This was served in a bowl so that you could scoop up the buttery sauce the chorizo and cheese were sitting in... I don't know what was in that sauce, but it had to be butter, and some of the oil/juices from the chorizo, and some of the cheese. It was soooo yummy.

We arrived right at the dinner rush and during our time there (about 2 hours) there was a constant line out the door as people waited to order and enjoy the food. It was such a great experience and I'm so glad I had the chance to check it out!

Rent it or see it?

2010-08-05T17:59:00.006-07:00

I've fallen out of the habit of going to the movies for everything I want to see, and only make time for films that I've been dying to see or that must be seen on a big screen (such as Inception or Casablanca).

Other films I'm interested in I put in my Netflix queue, which I now realize may take me several years to get through. At least it's cheaper (in theory) and it's a way for me to keep a list of the films (and TV shows) I'm interested in checking out at some point.

I have been strangely drawn to two new comedies lately, though. I have to admit, I'm a sucker for mass marketing when the ads involve Will Farrell. Maybe these aren't as good as they seem, so they'll go on my queue but I could probably be coaxed into the theater to see at least one of them...

So bad it's good

2010-08-04T19:03:00.005-07:00

OK, confession time. I've totally become a fan of some really trashy TV.

I thought I would share some of my favorite shows with you hoping you give them a try and get corrupted along with me. Here goes!

First up: Hitting Rock Bottom During Bar Exam Studying with You're Cut Off

This show was an hour-long train wreck that made you want to puke most of the time. Take a gaggle of spoiled rich bitches, cut them off from their benefactors (who are either their parents or spouses), make them live and work together in a tract home in the San Fernando Valley, and let the chips fall where they may. Most of the show involved bad hair extensions, tiaras, and bitching about housework.

On one episode they were forced to go camping and I have to admit, I would not have acted any better than any of those girls. I'm sure I would have handled it pretty much the same - bitch about the experience nonstop, get drunk, pass out, and leave the next morning.

Bonus: One "character" on the show posts YouTube videos responding to the episodes after they aired. Here's a classic example:

All the episodes are available here.

Next Up: The old brilliant bad-for-you standby, Big Brother!!

When my parents told me several years ago that they watched this show I completely judged them, rolled my eyes, and concluded that by watching this trash, they were contributing to the downfall of our society.

Then, after spending a summer at my parents' house during season 7, the infamous "Big Brother All-Stars" season, I completely, totally, fell head over heels in love with the awfulness that is this show.

Go ahead and judge me, I will defend my love for this show until the end of time, even considering the fact that it is on THREE TIMES EACH WEEK and I TiVo the mother-effer.

You know what draws me in? I'm fascinated by how the stupidest people ever assembled can actually be so conniving. The drama is excellent and they end up surprising me with their strategery each season. I should note that I only watch the broadcast episodes; I do not subscribe the the 24/7 internet video feed..... yet.

And then: Keeping it a little Klassier with Top Chef and Project Runway!

Are these shows considered trashy? They are truly the high-end of the reality show crapfest, right?!

Top Chef is in D.C. this year and despite the corny tie-ins to the city (e.g., a "Cold War" challenge requiring chef-testants to create a winning cold dish), I love this show. Chefs are drinkers, full of drama, and full of passion, and they love food. These are people you (for the most part) would want to hang out with!

The huge downside is not knowing what the eff their dishes taste like, but in some cases that's OK. I'm not exactly curious about eating duck balls.

Project Runway is surely the flamingly glamourous drag queen of reality TV, no? Love, love, love it. I've always said, we could all use a Tim Gunn in our lives.

Is there any need to justify my love of this show? Absolutely not. If you haven't seen it, please climb out from under your rock and check it out immediately. It's brilliant.

Morcheeba

2010-08-02T17:13:00.002-07:00

Morcheeba is a band that I really like but I rarely listen to... which is OK because I feel like I get to rediscover them each time I hear them.

They were on Morning Becomes Eclectic today, and performed a song that I think is one of their best:

Speaking of re-discovering something good, I watched Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels today - I haven't seen it in years! Such a good one.

Random samplings and musings

2010-07-31T15:04:00.004-07:00

Inception was brilliant. I had to see it twice this week.

If you have not seen the film, you might want to skip the rest of this paragraph. If you have seen it, and realized the Edith Piaf connection, click here and read the article/watch the video. Hans Zimmer scored the film and he is amazing.

I'm trying to unravel the bar exam-related webs that have formed in my brain; sleep is helping, as are movies and books, too. I've been reading The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo and I am liking it! I think I'm the last person on the planet to have read it, but that's OK.

I've also been enjoying some yummy food and drinks:

Sam's Cafe is "southwestern" food, meaning that it combines mexican, southern, and even some native american flavors into the menu. I had the most amazing blackened shrimp quesadilla - it had goat cheese (c'mon), red bell peppers and roasted corn. Heaven on a plate. The margaritas are awesome too!

I recently went to Grimaldi's Pizzeria in Scottsdale to celebrate a friend's birthday. The pizza was good, don't get me wrong, but the stories of how the owner ships water from NY to specially make the pizza did not convince me. This pizza is labeled as "NY Pizza" but it isn't; it's California-style pizza with a thin crust. True NY pizza is really street food and you can't get feta cheese and kalamata olives on it, OK?

It was tasty, but not as good as Pizzaiolo in Oakland or Dove Vivi in Portland.

Went to the old [healthy] standby, Pita Jungle with a friend today. Yummy hummus and our waiter was either from the UK or Australia. I'm leaning toward the latter but the crowd made it hard to hear him.

Tonight I'm going to Cyclo with some friends tonight. This is my second try with Vietnamese food. My first attempt was at a place in Berkeley and while I can't remember the name, I remember it being very bland. I think Cyclo is supposed to be tasty. Looking forward to it!

Next Saturday I'm heading to Rokerij with with a big group of friends to celebrate the end of school, *passing* the bar exam, and moving out of AZ. Should be tasty - it looks like it is American with some southwestern/Mexican flavors infused there and about. Yummmmmm.

I've been discovering and re-discovering music recently. "Audience" by Cold War Kids is worth checking out (even if it did come out 8 months ago). And I just realized I owned "Sweet Disposition" by The Temper Trap - I had no idea.

Lastly, Cat Power and Nick Drake have really helped me the last couple of months.

Weeds Season 6 Trailer

2010-07-20T12:01:00.002-07:00

If you haven't seen season 5 of Weeds (the most recent season on DVD) then to avoid spoilers you shouldn't watch the trailer below.

Weeds is ridiculous and absurd, and the matriarch of the family is one of the most effed-up characters on television. Nevertheless, this show is an amazing train wreck and season 5 was like crack cocaine. It looks like season 6 will be just the same:

PS: I love Andy!!

The Ultimate "B Movie"

2010-07-11T20:59:00.004-07:00

Every five years it seems there is someone commemorating Jaws, which hit theaters in 1975. It factors into my life in a weird way - my mom went into labor after seeing it at the drive-in with my dad!

Here's a trailer for a new documentary about the making of the film:

MTV's 120 Minutes

2010-07-09T14:12:00.003-07:00

Why did MTV stop playing music videos? Was it the internet? Whatever the reason, it's sad that the station I knew as MTV during my pre-teen and teen years is lost to history.

Especially sad was the loss of 120 Minutes, two hours of "alternative" music that normally wasn't played during waking hours.

Well guess what? I was browsing the interwebs today and found The 120 Minutes Archive - every show online and available for viewing!

Truly amazing stuff here. Enjoy.

Rubicon

2010-06-22T17:02:00.002-07:00

AMC has a new sci-fi/thriller show called Rubicon. They aired the pilot recently (which you can view here) and it is intriguing.

It is definitely spawned from the X-Files but unlike Fringe (which is also an X-Files spawn) it is slower-paced and more subtle.

Here's a trailer:

Inception

2010-06-22T16:56:00.002-07:00

I'm very excited about this movie.

Movie, foodie, drinkie

2010-06-20T17:42:00.003-07:00

I had really low expectations for this based on the trailer but I have to say, I laughed my ass off. There were several moments when I thought, "wow, they are going there? Really?" Yeah. Russell Brand is hysterical and kind of hot.

GET HIM TO THE GREEK: Movie Trailer - Watch more top selected videos about: Get_Him_to_the_Greek, Jonah_Hill, Russell_Brand, Nicholas_Stoller, Sean_Combs, DeRay_Davis, Rose_Byrne, Elisabeth_Moss, Colm_Meaney

Last night I went to Carlsbad Tavern with a couple of friends and although the food was tasty and the two pomegranate margaritas I downed were yummy, I thought it was overpriced for what it was. Nevertheless, a place I'd return to for happy hour, fo sho.

Blog Re-vamp

2010-06-18T16:28:00.003-07:00

I'm mixing it up a little on this ole bloggy-blog.

I had spent considerable space here discussing law school and some of the good and bad experiences that came along with it, and I've decided to cleanse the blog of all of that and focus instead on life outside the school/work setting.

I want to find more time for fun with friends and family, so I hope to have more stories about that and less (or nothing) about the trials and tribulations of school, work, or bar studying! Life is too short and we spend too much time at work to write about it on our free time, no?

I hope to start things off sometime this weekend with a post about dinner & drinks with friends at Carlsbad Tavern in Scottsdale. Yum!

Iron Man 2 Trailer

2009-12-19T14:02:00.000-07:00

Eddie Izzard has printer problems

2009-12-12T15:25:00.001-07:00

24: Day 8

2009-12-10T11:30:00.002-07:00

Katee Sackhoff is joining the cast --- as Chloe's boss!!

Watch all the way to the end

2009-11-15T20:43:00.000-07:00

Brills.

The Daily Show With Jon Stewart

Mon - Thurs 11p / 10c

Sean Hannity Apologizes to Jon

www.thedailyshow.com

Daily Show
Full Episodes

Political Humor

Health Care Crisis

New Almovodar Film!!

2009-11-15T13:09:00.003-07:00

Broken Embraces opens in LA on 12/11/09 (in time for my visit to CA for the holidays)! Can't wait!

I have a lot of work to do...

2009-10-31T18:42:00.002-07:00

...which of course means, cat video time!! I'm afraid to say it, but my cat is almost as bad as this one:

Just when I thought Ryan Gosling couldn't be hotter...

2009-10-26T22:50:00.001-07:00

DEAD MAN'S BONES - "NAME IN STONE" from biz3 publicity on Vimeo.

Mad Men is disappointing...

2009-10-25T12:32:00.005-07:00

SPOILERS BELOW

The first two seasons of Mad Men were great; mysteries, inappropriate comments, drinking like fish throughout the workday - fabulous.

But now, as we near the end of the 3rd season, it's unclear what the point is anymore. We get it: suburban life is stifling and the Mad Men early-60s society is on the brink of dramatic change (possibly?). Don Draper is a mean, womanizing bastard who occasionally cuts someone down in a funny way. He's hot; we get it.

I was excited by Betty's discovery last week, only for it to go nowhere. There's the hope she'll confront Don, or at least have another tryst in the bathroom of some NYC bar again, but so what?

The episodes this season have been meandering and incomplete, and it seems like the writers/directors/producers are self-consciously trying to create a meditative or contemplative atmosphere in the show that simply falls flat.

The show gets a lot of accolades, but in the third season it is truly about nothing. Aside from the fabulous Joan, who cares about these people? They are all awful. They've completely ruined the Peggy story-arch by having her screw Ducky... that was so pathetic.

I'm hoping for a comeback, but expecting to be disappointed over the next month!

Radical lawyer, William Kunstler

2009-10-24T19:20:00.003-07:00

There are many people I find inspiring, and William Kunstler is one of them. He was a controversial lawyer who represented a wide-range of clients, including the American Indian Movement and John Gotti.

His daughters produced a documentary about his life as a lawyer and a father. Here's the trailer:

River Phoenix at 16

2009-10-24T17:58:00.001-07:00

RIP... what a cutie. I used to swoon for him!

Good Hair

2009-10-19T08:29:00.004-07:00

Saw this recently.... so good, very funny, lots of interesting ideas/layers/commentary:

10/13

2009-10-13T14:15:00.001-07:00

Happy Birthday Chris Carter!

Found this on the interscapes... the sound is sometimes off from the video but it's still funny:

Sustainability

2009-10-13T00:16:00.001-07:00

"...someday people like me will end up in jail."

Movies

2009-10-11T18:40:00.002-07:00

After nearly a six month hiatus, I went to the movies today and saw Capitalism: A Love Story, Michael Moore's latest opus about the corruption that led to the economic meltdown.

He is pretty masterful at tugging at your heart strings, and even though I knew was being manipulated emotionally I was glad I went along for the ride. Seeing this movie now couldn't have been timelier - it helps me stay in touch with the reasons I decided to be a lawyer, and the kind of person I want to be when I begin practicing...

On a lighter note, there were some great trailers before the film! I'm excited for both of these:

Ewan and Clooney together!

Alec Baldwin, Meryl Streep, Steve Martin, John Krasinksi!!

Be wary of white men who co-opt Native traditions

2009-10-11T12:06:00.004-07:00

Not all who co-opt traditions, culture, and spirituality are necessarily bad.

Michael Meade is someone I really admire, and I am no New Ager. Meade is a poet and storyteller who weaves together the philosophical and spiritual teachings of many different cultures across the world to help find perspective and meaning in life when (at least in America) it seems that traditions, reflection, perspective, meaning, and purpose are not valued things.

Anyway, my point is, there is a lot to learn from other cultures and perspectives, but it should be done in a respectful manner. There should never be a tragedy like what happened this weekend in Sedona.

This weekend, James Arthur Ray hosted a "Spiritual Warrior" retreat in Sedona. Ray is a motivational speaker affiliated with The Secret (which I think is worth checking out). He has been blessed by Oprah and charges a shit-ton of cash to see him espouse his wisdom and insight. The retreat in Sedona was sold at $9,665.00 per person.

Part of the retreat featured a "sweat lodge purification ceremony." As far as I can tell, the ceremony was not done in conformity with Native traditions, placing participants at great risk. They crammed about 64 people inside a make-shift, tent-like structure that was only about 400 square feet, had them remain in the small space and the heat for several hours.

Two people died and another 19 needed to be treated for burns and other ailments. Here is a news report regarding the incident:

One news report pointed out the problems with the "ceremony":

The ritual in sweat lodges is helpful in restoring balance and changing people's attitudes and self-image, said Joseph Bruchac, author of "The Native American Sweat Lodge: History and Legends."

People have died in sweat lodges in the past. They were either sick tribal elders who voluntarily stayed until they died or people who were in poor health.

"The sweat lodge needs to be respected," Bruchac said. "When you imitate someone's tradition, and you don't know what you are doing, there's a danger of doing something very wrong."

A local resident was interviewed for the same report:

Sedona is an international mecca for New Age beliefs and purportedly the site of numerous "vortexes," or natural energy confluences thought to enhance spirituality and well-being.

Some questioned why there were so many people in the sweat lodge at once.

Jennifer Gentry, a sales associate at Sedona Crystal Vortex in uptown Sedona, said that she has been in several sweat-lodge ceremonies and that they typically are events for four to five people, maybe as many as 10, but never something she has done with strangers.

"In my opinion, it's a sacred ceremony," she said. "You shouldn't sell it, and you shouldn't have that many people in it."

James Arthur Ray has left Arizona and is refusing to discuss the incident with investigators.

He's sending dispatches from his Twitter account, saying he's been in constant prayer and meditation for the lives that have been lost. I guess this is guru speak for "I'm maintaining constant contact with my lawyer."

President's Speech at the Human Rights Campaign dinner

2009-10-11T12:03:00.001-07:00

Wowsa!

Hope this makes up for my absence...

2009-10-02T17:29:00.003-07:00

So many clips from TDS are worth sharing but this one was the best from last week:

The Daily Show With Jon Stewart

Mon - Thurs 11p / 10c

Democratic Super Majority

www.thedailyshow.com

Daily Show
Full Episodes

Political Humor

Ron Paul Interview

I thought this series of ads was cool. I saw one for the first time this week. There are different versions... here's one:

And, an extended preview for the documentary on the National Parks by Ken Burns. One of my dream jobs would be to practice natural resources law focusing on the protection of our National Parks!

Megan Fox needs to go back to obscurity

2009-09-13T09:48:00.007-07:00

This is highly amusing...

Lucky you if you don't know about Megan Fox and Michael Bay. The former is famous for her roles in the heavy-hitting dramas, Transformers and Transformers 2. The latter is the director of such masterpieces.

Well, it turns out that the two of them have had a falling out, and it may or may not be because they screwed. We'll probably never know for sure.

The proverbial shit hit the fan when Fox upped the ante and called Michael Bay "Hitler." At that point, even crew members had to intervene and post a scathing letter on Michael Bay's website.

Some excerpts from the letter (read the whole sordid thing here):

Yes, Megan has great eyes, a tight stomach we spray with glycerin, and an awful silly Marilyn Monroe tattoo plastered on her arm that we cover up to keep the moms happy.

Michael found this shy, inexperienced girl, plucked her out of total obscurity thus giving her the biggest shot of any young actresses' life. He told everyone around to just trust him on his choice. He granted her the starring role in Transformers, a franchise that forever changed her life; she became one of the most googled and oogled women on earth. She was famous! She was the next Angelina Jolie, hooray! Wait a minute, two of us worked with Angelina – second thought – she's no Angelina. You see, Angelia is a professional.

We know this quite intimately because we've had the tedious experience of working with the dumb-as-a-rock Megan Fox on both Transformers movies.

*****

When facing the press, Megan is the queen of talking trailer trash and posing like a porn star. And yes we've had the unbearable time of watching her try to act on set, and yes, it's very cringe-able. So maybe, being a porn star in the future might be a good career option. But make-up beware, she has a paragraph tattooed to her backside (probably due her rotten childhood) easily another 45 minutes in the chair!

*****

She compared working with Michael, to "working with Hitler". We actually don't think she knows who Hitler is by the way. But we wondered how she doesn't realize what a disgusting, fully uneducated comment this was?

*****

On our first day in Egypt, the Egyptian government wouldn't let us shoot because of a permit problem as the actors got ready in make up at the Four Seasons Hotel. Michael tried to make the best of it; he wanted to take the cast and crew on a private tour of the famous Giza pyramids. God hold us witness, Megan said, "I can't believe Michael is fucking forcing us to go to the fucking pyramids!" I guess this is the "Hitler guy" she is referring to.

So this is the Megan Fox you don't get to see. Maybe she will learn, but we figure if she can sling insults, then she can take them too. Megan really is a thankless, classless, graceless, and shall we say unfriendly bitch.

Scary

2009-09-09T19:35:00.002-07:00

You think corporations have too much influence over politics?

Well wait until the U.S. Supreme Court reverses its position on laws restricting the ability of corporations to donate freely to political campaigns and even campaign directly on the behalf of political campaigns.

Your next president, brought to you by ExxonMobil or The Carlyle Group. Gee, I wonder what party/kind of politician they'd support?

Circa 1994

2009-09-05T20:32:00.003-07:00

Thanks to Digg for putting this on my radar today.

Speaking of movies...

2009-09-01T21:08:00.000-07:00

The trailer for "The Lovely Bones" (directed by Peter Jackson) is out. Enjoy.

Love this snarky shit

2009-09-01T20:24:00.003-07:00

I've been watching "At the Movies" since I was a kid, and I'm not exaggerating. From it's days as Siskel and Ebert, to Ebert and Roeper (after Siskel died), to Roeper with different guest critics after Ebert became too ill. The show was great and I looked forward to it each week.

I can't tell you how PISSED I was when ABC decided to tart up the show by revamping it into utter nonsense.

Well, ABC has heeded the call of lots of angry fans and shit-canned the two imbeciles. Two awesome and totally-worth-watching critics A.O. Scott of the NYT and Michael Phillips of the Chicago Tribune will now host the show. The first episode of the new and improved "At the Movies" will air on 9/5/09.... Yay!

Capitalism: A Love Story

2009-08-22T02:49:00.004-07:00

When capitalism is stronger than democracy, what happens to society?

RIP John Hughes

2009-08-06T22:10:00.002-07:00

WTF is going on with people dropping like flies?!

In loving memory:

2009 Medal of Freedom Recipients

2009-08-04T08:12:00.003-07:00

The full list (and biographies) are here. Some of the recipients:

Stephen Hawking
Sen. Edward Kennedy
Joseph Medicine Crow
Harvey Milk
Sandra Day O'Connor
Sydney Poitier
Mary Robinson
Desmond Tutu
Muhammad Yunus

Another reason to hate Congress

2009-08-01T11:04:00.006-07:00

I don't follow much of the Health Care Reform debacle, mostly because it is difficult to get past propaganda on either side of the issue to actually understand it.

What I do understand is that Obama has given Congress a directive to pass legislation that conforms to certain parameters he's established (what all of them are, I have no idea). Then these parameters are put through the Congressional Clusterfuck Generator to produce legislation that appears to address these parameters, but actually offers a windfall to those companies/industries that were supposed to be "reformed."

Take, for example, the pharmaceutical industry. In this article by the Wall Street Journal (always on the front lines ready to criticize the Democrats), the authors point out how no real "change" is likely to be forthcoming for some of Obama's parameters (namely, cheaper drugs available to Americans). In fact, what's being proposed is the following:

--- No cheaper drugs from Canada
--- No power for the government to negotiate Medicare drug prices
--- Name-brand drugs get 12 years on the market before generics are sold

From the article:

"This is the best year the drug industry has had in decades," said Nancy LeaMond of AARP, the seniors' lobby, which is seeking greater price-cutting on drugs.

***

If Mr. Obama retreats on some drug-industry issues, it might help him land a much bigger prize: a broad health-care bill. "The motivation for the White House and Finance Committee is to take PhRMA and its money out of any possible opposition, and that's really what's driving these agreements, along with the desire to get financing for the bill," said John Rother, another AARP lobbyist, referring to the Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America. "Think about who has money enough to cause a problem."

UPDATE: The Associated Press is trying to cut through the bullshit, which helps.

Awesome, awesome, awesome

2009-07-20T14:59:00.001-07:00

A/C is back up and running!

2009-07-20T14:57:00.001-07:00

Glorious!

Let me put it this way

2009-07-20T14:34:00.003-07:00

You don't want your A/C to stop working in the middle of July in Arizona. I'm working at home in the midst of it, because no A/C in July with a locked up pet = emergency here. It's been out for about 8 hours now; hopefully fixed soon. They are working on it.

It's 107 outside and Franky is chilling in the bathtub waiting for the heat to subside (poor babes).

One of the Beasties has cancer

2009-07-20T11:08:00.001-07:00

... but the prognosis is good:

Michael & Michael Have Issues

2009-07-19T11:02:00.002-07:00

A new Comedy Central show featuring Michael Ian Black and Michael Showalter. They are both from The State (if y'all remember that show?). Here's a clip:

Michael & Michael Have Issues

Premieres Wed, July 15, 10:30pm / 9:30c

Fighting for the Intern

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Random, I know

2009-07-18T23:39:00.000-07:00

But this movie is so good. I need to see it again.

Alice in Wonderland

2009-07-17T19:54:00.006-07:00

More great pics here.

Mid-Century Campaign Promoting Oakland

2009-07-16T20:22:00.002-07:00

Brought to you by the fine folks at Oaklandish.

Strange times

2009-07-08T23:00:00.003-07:00

I just came across the news that the woman who inspired the famous Rosie the Riveter ad passed away on June 28.

It's very strange how many people are dying, no? On the flipside I know of a LOT of people who are having babies... so many in fact, that I daydream about getting knocked up. Love that biological clock!

"No You Girls"

2009-07-01T22:08:00.001-07:00

New(ish) Franz Ferdinand song that I love.

Peets - the new Starbucks? Please say no.

2009-07-01T20:49:00.004-07:00

I'm on the Peet's email list because (1) I'm a freak and (2) I'm always wondering when I might place an order to have shipped to me.

Today I got an email about a new product line: bottled teas they are selling in select stores:

I know things can't stay the same forever, and they probably shouldn't, but I remember when I worked there forever ago (1996-1997) the menu was still in Italian and we never used fake flavoring. It was all natch to the point that we had to hand-mix chocolate syrup (from ground cocoa powder) that was barely sweet at all. It was important never to serve super-sweet drinks.

People were ridiculous and pretentious about the coffee and the tea, but in my opinion they totally deserved to be. I'm still a loyal Peet's fan... just worried my precious Peet's may go the way of the bottled frappuccino.

Like MST3K - but with song!

2009-06-29T23:01:00.001-07:00

Please, sweet baby Jesus, stop the freak show

2009-06-27T21:09:00.003-07:00

Anyone else disturbed at this "outpouring of love" over Michael Jackson? He didn't have a face and he was a child molester. I say good riddance.

The insanity is reaching heights no one thought possible (note the guy in drag(?) playing the damsel in distress):

At least the fact that nearly every goddamn TV station is parsing every single aspect of his life 24 hours per day gives me a reason to keep the TV turned off. Mother Eff.

"Change"? "Hope"?

2009-06-27T17:16:00.002-07:00

Indefinite detention goes against our fundamental American beliefs. It is shameful that we are continuing to do this even if the threat from these detainees is real.

Our founding fathers supported freedom and liberty - enshrining those values in our Bill of Rights - despite the risk involved in giving people "too much" freedom. As a country I thought we abandoned the Bush era perspective where national security trumped civil liberties?

I'm sure there will be more court battles and Supreme Court decisions, most certainly placing limitations on Obama. Time will tell.

True Blood Season 2!

2009-06-14T18:49:00.001-07:00

I get to watch the premiere tonight at a friend's house. Yippeeee!

True Blood

2009-06-04T20:49:00.002-07:00

Delicious. I love this show already.

One of the characters said "you're dumber than a box of hair!" - They had to hear that one from Suzie!!

Happy June!

2009-06-01T19:30:00.003-07:00

Summer is here (it's 100+ degrees daily now) and it's looking to be a good one.

I finished all five seasons of The Wire and plan to go back and re-watch them again. If you haven't seen The Wire, check out this video with the show's creator, David Simon. They show some clips from the show but nothing too revealing plot-wise.

Since finishing The Wire, I started reading the Harry Potter series (2 down, 5 to go) and watching True Blood - which I already love. Wowsa, vampires are HOT. I can almost tolerate the Southern accents because this show is already so good (I've only seen 2 episodes).

Today is the first installment of the David Lynch Interview Project, an online video series with new episodes released every three days for a year.

Last but not least, I'm going to start writing about places to chow in Phoenix (since I can't talk about my job, other than saying that I love it, which I do). Such post forthcoming!

Some more light reading

2009-05-25T16:08:00.003-07:00

... regarding the torture debate: here is an essay written by a former military interrogator who worked at Guantanamo. He offers some strong counter-arguments to Cheney's support of torture.
A snippet:

... the former vice president never mentioned the Senate testimony of Ali Soufan, the FBI interrogator who successfully interrogated Abu Zubaydah and learned the identity of Jose Padilla, the dirty bomber, and the fact that Khalid Sheikh Mohammad (KSM) was the mastermind behind 9/11. We'll never know what more we could have discovered from Abu Zubaydah had not CIA contractors taken over the interrogations and used waterboarding and other harsh techniques. Also, glaringly absent from the former vice president's speech was any mention of the fact that the former administration never brought Osama bin Laden to justice and that our best chance to locate him would have been through KSM or Abu Zubaydah had they not been waterboarded.

This American Life

2009-05-16T12:27:00.003-07:00

You already know how great this show is, but in case you've missed either of these programs I highly suggest downloading the podcasts:

"Bad Bank" (#375 from 3/1/09): Where the economic crisis is explained in layman's terms. One very poignant moment came when Columbia business school professor David Beim stated the following:

What is happening to us is something that goes way beyond toxic assets in banks. It's something that has little to do with the mechanics of mortgage securitization, or ethics on Wall Street, or anything else. It says the problem is us. The problem is not the banks, greedy though they may be, overpaid though they may be. The problem is us. We have over-borrowed, we have been living very high on the hog. Our standard of living has risen dramatically in the last 25 years and we have been borrowing much of the money to make that prosperity happen.

"Scenes from a Recession" (#377 from 3/29/09): Where they focus on odd stories stemming from the recession, including how condo owners are banding together despite the problems caused by vacancies in their building (like feral cats, sinking foundations and leaking roofs) and how the FDIC takes over a bank.

I was able to catch up on all of these during my road trip from AZ to CA. Listening to a bunch of them at the same time can be overwhelming, but they are so well done that they often build on themes raised in other programs creating a multi-layered reflection on current events.

David Lynch's Interview Project

2009-05-16T12:16:00.003-07:00

You may have heard about DL's latest opus, Interview Project. The project feels like one part Studs Terkel, one part Richard Avedon.

Beginning June 1st, and continuing every few days for a few months, you can watch each 3-5 minute interview of the 121-part series at the project's website. One installment is located here (I had trouble embedding it or else I would have posted it directly). Enjoy!

Say what you will, the man is inspiring

2009-05-14T09:53:00.003-07:00

You know, President Obama is not perfect and I didn't expect him to be. He's got a job no one in their right mind would want. He seems to be carrying forward a lot of Bush-like policies. Time can only tell how things progress in our country.

Nevertheless, he is an amazing speaker. He is masterful in his ability to turn a faux-controversy into a call to action. Enjoy.

Part One:

Part Two:

Part Three:

For Mark

2009-05-11T11:33:00.000-07:00

Hysterical!

2009-05-10T20:23:00.003-07:00

He's giving Jon Stewart a run for his money!

"Capitalism appears to be an engine for inequality"

2009-05-06T12:44:00.006-07:00

I heard an interesting interview with Joshua Cooper Ramo on the Diane Rehm Show (link to real player audio at the site).

Ramo is the author of The Age of the Unthinkable: Why the New World Disorder Constantly Surprises Us and What We can Do About It (video essay about the book and first chapter posted).

Also, here is a video of his appearance on the Charlie Rose show. It should be noted that Ramo is employed by Kissinger Associates - yes, that Henry Kissinger. So, take that for what you will.

I agree we are in a state of change (and not just the Obama/campaign rhetoric). Our leaders need to emerge from the era when their political and intellectual capacities formed (mid-20th century) and either re-think everything or step aside to allow for new leadership. Our global society is moving so fast and if we don't do anything to help anticipate changes we continue to lose opportunities to improve the lives of people around the globe, enforce the rule of law, and protect the environment.

I think we are in a time that could go in one of two ways: a second Age of Enlightenment or a second Dark Ages. To avoid the latter, we must get back in touch with the principles that underlie who we are as a democracy/civilized nation and what we can do to influence countries around the world to follow our lead.

If we forget what freedom, liberty, and equality should mean in our own society we are powerless to stop violations here and beyond. I, for one, don't want to see America turn into a cesspit and we have to do what we can to stop other countries from devolving into one (through influence or otherwise).

For example, why in 2009 is there a huge market in selling women and children into sexual slavery? This is one example, and there are many. But I think we are in a time where we could restore whatever has been lost from humanity that created these problems. But it requires real leadership - not people controlled by corporate interests and held captive by capitalism.

If that's socialist, so be it. I don't care about the labels; those are for talking heads who hate America.

New Francis Ford Coppola film!

2009-05-05T19:32:00.002-07:00

In case you're in da club and have to get those dudes off your jock

2009-05-02T11:02:00.005-07:00

Fake engagement rings from Mstaken.com! Hilarious...

Of course, you could go the cheaper route and do what a law school friend does: just tell guys you have genital herpes. Enjoy:

A new Supreme Court justice in our future...

2009-05-01T10:45:00.004-07:00

You've probably heard that Justice Souter is stepping down, apparently because he's sick of D.C. and wants to retire.

Souter is one of the so-called "liberal" justices, appointed by Bush I. He has been on the liberal side of most decisions... Whoever replaces Souter will hopefully be equally liberal (or, at least not a religious ideologue) so that we can hope for a re-aligning of the Supreme Court once Scalia and Thomas step down (which may never happen; I could see them staying until they die on the bench).

There's a lot of buzz surrounding Sonia Sotomayor as a potential nominee. I don't know much about her but all I can say is that I do hope we see a female person of color appointed.

Some may gristle at this idea, because it suggests that the person would "only" be selected because they are a woman. Turns out, you can be *both* qualified and a woman! What a revelation!

I got to meet Justice Sandra Day O'Connor recently and part of our conversation was about her nomination to the Supreme Court. At the time, Reagan (the beloved icon of the GOP) was insistent that if he were able to nominate someone to the Court, he would nominate a woman. Her name was on the shortlist of candidates and when she was offered the job, it was her HUSBAND who convinced her to take it. He gave up his successful law practice in Arizona to support her move to the Court.

Her appointment opened up countless possibilities for women in the legal profession. There is still a lot of work that needs to be done, but her appointment signaled a sea change in the perception of women lawyers and the respect they were afforded by their male counterparts.

Today most of the students in law school are women. When Justice O'Connor graduated at the TOP of her class at Stanford law school, not one firm would hire her. The only job she could find was as a paralegal sharing an office with a legal secretary. To this she said, "I was happy I had that job - I would have taken any job I could find!"

Our Supreme Court - and it's "ours," not Justice Scalia's, should reflect the diversity in society. In 2009, we should not continue to let old white men dictate their political agenda to us.

The more we can see women and people of color achieve positions at the highest level in our society the more we can hope that tolerance and progressive idealism will filter down to the masses.

Remember "The State"?

2009-04-27T23:27:00.002-07:00

Another day, another cat video

2009-04-25T10:10:00.000-07:00

Antelope Canyon, Arizona

2009-04-21T10:58:00.004-07:00

I haven't done much exploring of Arizona since moving here in August 2007 (oh law school). I have managed to go to Sedona and Flagstaff - even managed to visit a federal prison in Pioneer recently!

But one of these days I need to trek northwest through the state to the Utah border to visit Antelope Canyon on the Navajo Reservation.

There is a collection of breathtaking photos from the canyon here one of which is this one (hard to pick a favorite):

Photo by Luca Galuzzi

Pearl

2009-04-17T22:59:00.003-07:00

I'm sure you've seen this... oldies but goodies:

The Landlord from Will Ferrell

Good Cop, Baby Cop from Will Ferrell

Susan Boyle

2009-04-17T22:36:00.004-07:00

I don't watch American Idol or its related shows, but I couldn't help but catch the buzz around Susan Boyle. She is astonishingly good. Her performance is here (is the American version so mean to contestants?), but also check out her rendition of "Cry Me a River":

Are you listening, California?

2009-04-09T14:24:00.003-07:00

At some point this year, the California Supreme Court will issue its decision in the case challenging the constitutionality of Proposition 8. Reporters who attended the oral arguments walked away with the impression that the marriages that occurred prior to the passage of Prop. 8 would not be invalidated but that going forward, the Prop 8 will stand.

They based this on the nature of the questions asked during oral argument, which is not the best way to predict what the court will do. Often both sides get a great deal of tough questions even from justices they expect will eventually vote in their favor. For an example (if you really want to geek out) listen to the oral argument in Boumediene v. Bush here; Ginsburg, one of the "liberals" on the court, asks a lot of difficult questions to the attorney representing the Guantanamo detainee who was challenging his detention.

If the California Supreme Court invalidates the marriages that occurred between the time the same court said that the then-current state constitution permitted same-sex marriage and the passage of Prop 8, the court would lose all credibility. They simply can't do it. Prop 8 was not the law during that time, the state constitution was.

The question then becomes whether they can uphold a law that, on its face, discriminates against gays by preventing them from enjoying the fundamental right of marriage. The opponents of gay marriage talk about "protecting the institution of marriage." Aside from not explaining how a gay marriage threatens their straight marriage, the opponents must also identify what the compelling state interest is in discriminating against gays (the legal standard under the Constitution is that some discrimination in our society can be OK, but only if the government entity provides some compelling interest for doing it).

The recent Iowa Supreme Court decision identifies, in the best way I've seen yet, how the state has NO interest in preventing gays from marrying, nevermind a compelling interest for doing so. I highly recommend the read, which you can find here (PDF).

This was recently followed by the Vermont Legislature(!) passing a law allowing gay marriage. These are not the "liberal activist godless heathen" judges - but elected officials saying "no more." Thank god for Vermont!!

I'm not sure how these decisions will affect the California decision, but I'm sure there is a lot of re-writing and debating going on in those justices' chambers - hopefully resulting in the law being overturned.

The federal Constitution, and the equal protection doctrine under the 14th Amendment, cannot be trumped by any state, even when the "will of the people" is to discriminate. This is why our democracy is not simply majority rule; it's meant to protect the rights of the minority against the tyranny of the majority.

PS: My theory about these young people who support Prop 8 or similar measures is that they are male, mormon, and bought into the doctrine that prevents them from having sex outside of marriage. Some of them are in their mid-20s and not married, and let me tell you, they are hanging on by a thread.

They have had the "sacredness" of marriage shoved down their throats and have had to live against their biological impulses to believe how "special" and "sacred" marriage is so that they don't violate church rules and engage in extramarital sex.

To them, I'm sure that if gay people ("sinners" in their mind) can marry it starts to challenge the whole idea of how "sacred" marriage is, and pretty soon they have a lot more questions about a belief system that has mandated they behave in a certain way - a way that in my opinion is foolish and antiquated. Once you start to ask questions and show that there are other ways of thinking about marriage, and that it can be equally as valued and cherished without the religious rules governing it, then it can open a can of worms - nothing some of these tightly-wound folks could ever begin to do.

The two Michaels take on Billy Bob

2009-04-09T14:11:00.002-07:00

In case you haven't heard about or seen the interview where Billy Bob acts like a dick, you can find it here.

In case you have heard about the snafu but don't want to watch it (I'm there with you), please enjoy the following spoof:

"It's supposed to taste like a sh*t taco"

2009-04-08T09:27:00.001-07:00

The Daily Show With Jon Stewart

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Me Likey Sprint Ad

2009-04-07T00:12:00.005-07:00

Quantum of Solace

2009-03-29T17:09:00.002-07:00

I'm not a huge fan of Bond films, but I'm totally in love with Daniel Craig and thought that Quantum of Solace was awesome. If you like the Bourne films, you'll like this one (now on DVD):

Ghost Twitterers

2009-03-27T09:09:00.004-07:00

Sadly that Christopher Walken Twitter page is written by a poser.

There's also a market in "ghost twittering" for celebrities. Lame!

"... that homophobe Antonin Scalia"

2009-03-24T07:12:00.003-07:00

Rep. Barney Frank made this statement in a recent interview about gay marriage. I'm sure he's coming under fire for saying this, but when you read Scalia's U.S. Supreme Court opinions regarding gay rights the vitriol Scalia spews is tangible - so one has to wonder if he is indeed homophobic.

For example, from Lawrence v. Texas (a favorite argument by opponents to gay rights/marriage is this "slippery slope" argument - e.g., if you allow gay marriage that means you have to allow people to marry relatives, numerous wives and/or the family dog):

Countless judicial decisions and legislative enactments have relied on the ancient proposition that a governing majority's belief that certain sexual behavior is “immoral and unacceptable” constitutes a rational basis for regulation.

He then reiterates - twice! - the "slippery slope" argument:

State laws against bigamy, same-sex marriage, adult incest, prostitution, masturbation, adultery, fornication, bestiality, and obscenity are likewise sustainable only in light of Bowers' validation of laws based on moral choices. Every single one of these laws is called into question by today's decision.

***

The Texas statute undeniably seeks to further the belief of its citizens that certain forms of sexual behavior are “immoral and unacceptable,” Bowers, supra, - the same interest furthered by criminal laws against fornication, bigamy, adultery, adult incest, bestiality, and obscenity. Bowers held that this was a legitimate state interest.

By the way: state laws against masturbation, adultery, fornication?? Where are these states? I think he's bullshitting. These used to be criminalized but every state I know of (save Utah) must have gotten these laws off the books.

Apparently, money does grow on trees

2009-03-23T22:18:00.003-07:00

I came home tonight and there was a letter stuck to my front door from my landlord... my lease is about to expire and they are telling me that if I renew, I have two options:

I can avoid paying next month's rent, or

My rent will reduce by $100/month.

Now, my base rent before taxes and fees is $684/month. This means that I can pocket the $684 now or save about $1200 over the course of the next year.

I'm going with the latter. Holla!

I twatted

2009-03-22T21:59:00.003-07:00

I stole that from Stephen Colbert...

I recently returned to Twitter after first hearing about it two years ago and not understanding what the hell it was.

It seems the site is blowing up now, and even people like Christopher Walken are in on the game.

Are any of you Twatting? Twexting? Twitting? I get the feeling it's like Facebook if FB only had status updates.

You can "follow" tweets without being "friends" on the service. For instance, I just got a tweet from Rob Corddry (a quick search of his previous updates reveals this gem: "My two year old calls glue "gool". What a fucking ASShole!").

Does this mean you have no control who follows you and who might be reading your messages?

If anyone has any tips about how the Eff this Twitter business is supposed to work, or whether I should just stick to FB, I would be forever appreciative. xo

My favorite movie of all time: True Romance

2009-03-21T20:29:00.003-07:00

Fresh off completing yet another Facebook meme, I was reminded how True Romance is my absolute unequivocal favorite movie of all time. This is saying a lot, because it beats out some of my other faves like The Godfather (I & II), Apocalypse Now, Casablanca, Chinatown, Run Lola Run, The Big Lebowski, Good Will Hunting and Erin Brockovich.

Here's a trailer:

Pirkle Jones, 1914 - 2009

2009-03-21T10:56:00.003-07:00

Pirkle Jones was not as famous as Ansel Adams or Dorothea Lange, but he was just as good. From the San Francisco Chronicle:

Pirkle Jones, a San Francisco photographer whose wide-ranging work focused on everything from pastoral California landscapes to the Black Panthers, grape pickers and foggy cityscapes, died Sunday of heart failure in San Rafael. He was 95.

A genial and spirited man who taught for 28 years at the San Francisco Art Institute, Mr. Jones developed his mastery of black and white photography in the late 1940s, studying with Ansel Adams and Minor White at the California School of Fine Arts, which became the Art Institute. He was part of the modernist milieu that included Adams, White, Edward Weston and Dorothea Lange.

Here and here you can find more info and some of his photographs.

Teabag the White House

2009-03-18T21:51:00.002-07:00

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"Some Truths About Guantanamo Bay"

2009-03-18T20:08:00.005-07:00

I came across this essay written by Lawrence Wilkerson, former Chief of Staff for Colin Powell, about several elements of the GITMO situation that has been under-reported or altogether missed.

For instance, most detainees are not "terrorists" from which any usable/valuable information can be extracted. They certainly don't know how bounties were paid by the U.S. government to turn over "terrorists" and how children as young as 15 were sent there to be interrogated.

The process for classifying someone an enemy combatant (pdf) begins with soldiers on the ground, even though officially it was President Bush's assertion that such classification rested with him.

The military acted on the President's behalf, and as the Wilkerson essay details, the process of classification was shoddy at best as pressure was exerted from Rumsfeld down to produce results. Couple that with a problematic "legal proceeding" (which was established only after several court battles) giving detainees an "opportunity" to challenge their classification as "enemy combatants." These CSRTs have been denounced widely, even by military lawyers who were tasked with upholding the enemy combatant classifications.

There's a lot I can write about Obama and how I think he is more cautious than decisive on this issue, but that's for another blog post (forthcoming). Here are excerpts from the Wilkerson essay, but the whole thing is worth reading:

There are several dimensions to the debate over the U.S. prison facilities at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba that the media have largely missed and, thus, of which the American people are almost completely unaware. For that matter, few within the government who were not directly involved are aware either.

The first of these is the utter incompetence of the battlefield vetting in Afghanistan during the early stages of the U.S. operations there. Simply stated, no meaningful attempt at discrimination was made in-country by competent officials, civilian or military, as to who we were transporting to Cuba for detention and interrogation.

This was a factor of having too few troops in the combat zone, of the troops and civilians who were there having too few people trained and skilled in such vetting, and of the incredible pressure coming down from Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld and others to "just get the bastards to the interrogators".

It did not help that poor U.S. policies such as bounty-hunting, a weak understanding of cultural tendencies, and an utter disregard for the fundamentals of jurisprudence prevailed as well (no blame in the latter realm should accrue to combat soldiers as this it not their bailiwick anyway).

The second dimension that is largely unreported is that several in the U.S. leadership became aware of this lack of proper vetting very early on and, thus, of the reality that many of the detainees were innocent of any substantial wrongdoing, had little intelligence value, and should be immediately released.

But to have admitted this reality would have been a black mark on their leadership from virtually day one of the so-called Global War on Terror and these leaders already had black marks enough: the dead in a field in Pennsylvania, in the ashes of the Pentagon, and in the ruins of the World Trade Towers. They were not about to admit to their further errors at Guantanamo Bay. Better to claim that everyone there was a hardcore terrorist, was of enduring intelligence value, and would return to jihad if released. I am very sorry to say that I believe there were uniformed military who aided and abetted these falsehoods, even at the highest levels of our armed forces.

****

The fourth unknown is the ad hoc intelligence philosophy that was developed to justify keeping many of these people, called the mosaic philosophy. Simply stated, this philosophy held that it did not matter if a detainee were innocent. Indeed, because he lived in Afghanistan and was captured on or near the battle area, he must know something of importance (this general philosophy, in an even cruder form, prevailed in Iraq as well, helping to produce the nightmare at Abu Ghraib). All that was necessary was to extract everything possible from him and others like him, assemble it all in a computer program, and then look for cross-connections and serendipitous incidentals--in short, to have sufficient information about a village, a region, or a group of individuals, that dots could be connected and terrorists or their plots could be identified.

Thus, as many people as possible had to be kept in detention for as long as possible to allow this philosophy of intelligence gathering to work. The detainees' innocence was inconsequential. After all, they were ignorant peasants for the most part and mostly Muslim to boot.

Another unknown, a part of the fabric of the foregoing four, was the sheer incompetence involved in cataloging and maintaining the pertinent factors surrounding the detainees that might be relevant in any eventual legal proceedings, whether in an established court system or even in a kangaroo court that pretended to at least a few of the essentials, such as evidence.

Simply stated, even for those two dozen or so of the detainees who might well be hardcore terrorists, there was virtually no chain of custody, no disciplined handling of evidence, and no attention to the details that almost any court system would demand. Falling back on "sources and methods" and "intelligence secrets" became the Bush administration's modus operandi to camouflage this grievous failing.

But their ultimate cover was that the struggle in which they were involved was war and in war those detained could be kept for the duration. And this war, by their own pronouncements, had no end. For political purposes, they knew it certainly had no end within their allotted four to eight years. Moreover, its not having an end, properly exploited, would help ensure their eight rather than four years in office.

In addition, it has never come to my attention in any persuasive way--from classified information or otherwise--that any intelligence of significance was gained from any of the detainees at Guantanamo Bay other than from the handful of undisputed ring leaders and their companions, clearly no more than a dozen or two of the detainees, and even their alleged contribution of hard, actionable intelligence is intensely disputed in the relevant communities such as intelligence and law enforcement.

This is perhaps the most astounding truth of all, carefully masked by men such as Donald Rumsfeld and Richard Cheney in their loud rhetoric--continuing even now in the case of Cheney--about future attacks thwarted, resurgent terrorists, the indisputable need for torture and harsh interrogation and for secret prisons and places such as GITMO.

The future of newspapers is uncertain but surely grim

2009-03-14T09:52:00.004-07:00

Who reads the newspaper anymore? I don't know about you, but I surely don't.

The future for newspapers is bleak, but as this well-written comment states, "Society doesn’t need newspapers. What we need is journalism."

Problem is, journalism doesn't come for free and someone needs to pay for it. The closest to "free" it could be is government-subsidized, but all of us should be fearful of a state-sponsored press. The papers are too deferential to government as it is without the government paying for it outright.

None of the proposed models are working (from ad revenue to paid subscriptions) and people want free, up-to-date information via the Interwebs. Something's got to give, and as the comment points out, it's unclear what might happen:

Society doesn’t need newspapers. What we need is journalism. For a century, the imperatives to strengthen journalism and to strengthen newspapers have been so tightly wound as to be indistinguishable. That’s been a fine accident to have, but when that accident stops, as it is stopping before our eyes, we’re going to need lots of other ways to strengthen journalism instead.

When we shift our attention from ’save newspapers’ to ’save society’, the imperative changes from ‘preserve the current institutions’ to ‘do whatever works.’ And what works today isn’t the same as what used to work.

We don’t know who the Aldus Manutius of the current age is. It could be Craig Newmark, or Caterina Fake. It could be Martin Nisenholtz, or Emily Bell. It could be some 19 year old kid few of us have heard of, working on something we won’t recognize as vital until a decade hence. Any experiment, though, designed to provide new models for journalism is going to be an improvement over hiding from the real, especially in a year when, for many papers, the unthinkable future is already in the past.

Take over Wall Street from the thieves!

2009-03-13T10:59:00.004-07:00

Not sure if you've been following the Cramer vs. Stewart debacle this week, but it's fascinating...

For some background on how truly fucked we are, market-wise, I highly suggest delving into the credit default swap (video that explains it all)/phantom shares (audio) market manipulation that occurred without regulation or oversight for the last several years. We are now in a position where our economy is in tatters and all the money that was "lost" is now in the pockets of hedge funds that benefit from market meltdowns.

Throwing money down the toilet (aka, bailout funds) is not going to fix the problem. We need reform on a wide scale and, not knowing anything about how the market works, it seems like Wall Street should be shut down until there is some stabilization. We shut it down for a few days after 9/11 and somehow our economy didn't collapse.

Anyway, I wanted to post the unedited clips of Jim Cramer's appearance last night on the Daily Show in case you didn't see it. Jon plays clips from a video circulating the Internet where Cramer blatantly and shamelessly explains how you make money from manipulating the market. He describes how "it's easy" to drive the value of a stock down by making up lies about a company and then making sure the rumor makes its way to CNBC and other outlets to help drive down the value. This was illegal for most of the 20th century but was legalized again in 2000.

It's absolutely disgusting that these motherfuckers, who benefit from dropping stock values, have the ability to run companies into the ground and they do so without any guilt or remorse. Somehow it's "legal" even though it is immoral and unethical. See the video I posted earlier about how companies like Overstock and others fell victim to these greedy vultures.

Intro:

The Daily Show With Jon StewartM - Th 11p / 10c

Intro - Brawl Street: Get Ready to Buy Low! And Sell Die

Daily Show Full Episodes
Important Things w/ Demetri Martin

Political Humor
Jim Cramer

Part 1:

The Daily Show With Jon StewartM - Th 11p / 10c

Jim Cramer Unedited Interview Pt. 1

Daily Show Full Episodes
Important Things w/ Demetri Martin

Political Humor
Jim Cramer

Part 2:

The Daily Show With Jon StewartM - Th 11p / 10c

Jim Cramer Unedited Interview Pt. 2

Daily Show Full Episodes
Important Things w/ Demetri Martin

Political Humor
Jim Cramer

Part 3 - Must watch... Jon Stewart doesn't hold back... awesome:

The Daily Show With Jon StewartM - Th 11p / 10c

Jim Cramer Unedited Interview Pt. 3

Daily Show Full Episodes
Important Things w/ Demetri Martin

Political Humor
Jim Cramer

Ted, sweet Ted

2009-03-12T22:55:00.003-07:00

My friend and former co-worker Ted (not Teabagger Ted, but another Ted) is featured in an ad my former employer made... Hilarious:

Meet the Visual QuickStart Guide Bunny from Peachpit TV on Vimeo.

Hana Highway, Maui

2009-03-09T19:53:00.003-07:00

Little article about the Hana Highway, complete with more pics.

The article doesn't mention Mama's Fish House, though (watch your volume if you click on that link).

The little web radio station that might

2009-03-08T09:47:00.004-07:00

I recently read an article in a local mag about a new web radio station, Radio Phoenix.

They are only broadcasting online right now, but are seeking a license to broadcast on the airwaves. Here's a link to connecting to them online.

I've listened to them a bit and I like it - kind of like a poor man's KCRW but a little more leftist, so we'll see how it goes.

There is certainly nothing like this station on broadcast radio in Phoenix, so I hope they are successful!

Opposing the death penalty... for economic reasons

2009-03-07T10:50:00.002-07:00

Here is an interesting article about several states that are considering suspending or ending the death penalty (or advocate doing so) to help offset budget shortages. From the article:

After decades of moral arguments reaching biblical proportions, after long, twisted journeys to the nation's highest court and back, the death penalty may be abandoned by several states for a reason having nothing to do with right or wrong:

Money.

Turns out, it is cheaper to imprison killers for life than to execute them, according to a series of recent surveys. Tens of millions of dollars cheaper, politicians are learning, during a tumbling recession when nearly every state faces job cuts and massive deficits.

So an increasing number of them are considering abolishing capital punishment in favor of life imprisonment, not on principle but out of financial necessity.

"It's 10 times more expensive to kill them than to keep them alive," though most Americans believe the opposite, said Donald McCartin, a former California jurist known as "The Hanging Judge of Orange County" for sending nine men to death row.

Deep into retirement, he lost his faith in an eye for an eye and now speaks against it.

Jon Stewart on Letterman

2009-03-07T10:42:00.002-07:00

Part one:

Part two:

Bloomberg report on "phantom shares"

2009-03-07T09:50:00.002-07:00

"Why should a group of over-zealous short sellers - and, frankly, they are mostly hedge funds - why should they be allowed to destroy the American dream? It's a matter of fairness. I think what you hear among all of the critics is: let's just be fair, there's no need for this."

Public Enemies

2009-03-07T09:06:00.001-07:00

Johnny Depp as John Dillinger in a Michael Mann film.

Daily Show on the Economy

2009-03-05T19:25:00.001-07:00

Absolute genius. Thank god we have him.

The Daily Show With Jon StewartM - Th 11p / 10c

CNBC Gives Financial Advice

Daily Show Full Episodes
Important Things With Demetri Martin

Political Humor
Joke of the Day

The Daily Show With Jon StewartM - Th 11p / 10c

The Dow Knows All

Daily Show Full Episodes
Important Things With Demetri Martin

Political Humor
Joke of the Day

Movie to avoid: Nick and Norah's Infinite Playlist

2009-03-02T10:15:00.004-07:00

I watched this over the weekend and it sucked.

I'm not sure why it's gotten good reviews; it is a typical, clichéd high school boy-meets-girl story (and the stereotypical characters that follow: the popular bitchy girl; the drunken/whorish/party girl best friend (complete with casual jokes to her getting lost, while wasted, in NYC and potentially getting raped); the jerky ex-boyfriend/bully character, etc.).

All of these failed trappings are dressed up as a hip indie flick, complete with an Emo soundtrack and Michael Cera's pouty demeanor. We are supposed to believe that Michael Cera, always known for his portrayal of awkward, geeky guys, is now the biggest catch in Englewood, New Jersey?

Oh, and he's in a band with all gay guys and somehow we're supposed to relish the idea that it's a non-stereotypical portrait of gays. Really? Seems like a pretty typical treatment to me: their sexuality is discussed but never shown (i.e., no kissing or otherwise); they have insights into women's fashion that the female characters lack; and when one of them hits the jerky ex-boyfriend character, he crumbles into a pile of tears. Bitch, please.

Apparently, if you live within bridge and tunnel distance to NYC and you are in high school, it's completely normal to go out all night in NYC. No parents to set rules or boundaries... if you didn't know better, you'd think these kids were 25 and answered to no one. The only mention of a parent was when it was revealed that our heroine was the daughter of some music industry mogul, which enabled her to walk into any club in NYC without waiting and gave her full access to his recording studio at any hour of the night. Sure, I knew tons of girls just like this. In fact, this was my life in high school!

It was annoying, unfunny and a complete waste of time. I was so disappointed I had to post this...

"Everything is amazing... nobody is happy"

2009-02-27T21:01:00.002-07:00

Thanks to Ren for the tip!