Motel Americana
Continuing on the theme of American Roadside Photography, which I've discussed in an earlier post (here, scroll down to July 29), I recently came across this website, MotelAmericana.com. These folks have published a book, but are very generous on their website with stories, history, postcards and photographs. There is a very nice section on California, home to Futurballa. Scroll down on the New Mexico page to see my favorite, the Blue Swallow Motel.
Mahalo
Good wine is a good familiar creature if it be well used.
William Shakespeare
Othello, II. iii.
Sunday, August 31, 2003
Blog Showcase Reaches Exciting Conclusion
As earlier noted Futurballa is participating in the Blog Showcase over at Truth Laid Bear, so feel "free" to link to my Kid's Stuff family blog piece. My links to my the other worthy blogs in the contest has dropped to the archives so here they are one more time.
From The Truth Laid Bear's New Webblog Showcase:
Snooze Button Dreams
Snooze Button Dreams: Kids Trade Bad Habits Like Pokemon Cards
Musing from Redsox Nation
Musings From Red Sox Nation (RSN): The Secret To Their Success
Stone
Stone: Bouwerie.com
As earlier noted Futurballa is participating in the Blog Showcase over at Truth Laid Bear, so feel "free" to link to my Kid's Stuff family blog piece. My links to my the other worthy blogs in the contest has dropped to the archives so here they are one more time.
From The Truth Laid Bear's New Webblog Showcase:
Snooze Button Dreams
Snooze Button Dreams: Kids Trade Bad Habits Like Pokemon Cards
Musing from Redsox Nation
Musings From Red Sox Nation (RSN): The Secret To Their Success
Stone
Stone: Bouwerie.com
Friday, August 29, 2003
Moebius
The always great Tom Tomorrow has one of the best and most creative and downright ingenious"This Modern World" cartoons over at Salon. Don't miss it.
The always great Tom Tomorrow has one of the best and most creative and downright ingenious"This Modern World" cartoons over at Salon. Don't miss it.
Bonus Blog
Go see American Splendor!
Before I tell you why, please allow a slight digression. Occasionally days are just fun and you want to share them, so I will bore you with a few details.
I just decided to take today off and begin the long weekend early. Mrs. Futurballa had to work, so I thought it was a good idea to go up the hill to spend some time with my Niece and her baby. I was telling her about the TV production of Neil Gaimon's Neverwhere which will be coming out on DVD soon. I am a big fan of Neil's novels, with a special soft spot for American Gods, but have never read his graphic novel, Sandman. She offered to lend me her omnibus editions of the first 28 or so comics, so I loaded up the trunk with those and a few other treats from her book collection.
Having opened the gates of comic book discussions, we packed up the child and drove down to Santa Cruz to visit her favorite comic book store, properly staffed by the requisite Comic Book Guy. We both purchased Alan Moore's League of Extraordinary Gentlemen, being general Alan Moore fans.
After lunch we went to Logo's, a classic and excellent used bookstore that I've been visiting since the early '80s, where I picked up an ancient copy of Minor White's Zone System Handbook. Minor White will be a subject of another posting in the Photographic series, but suffice it for today to say that this book was a find.
Anyways, I seem to be rambling about my day, which may not be of much interest to any one in particular, but it was a really nice day. Enjoying being with a beloved family member that I don't see often enough, playing with her little boy who just started to walk which seemed to make his world a lot bigger, wandering around Santa Cruz, buying a rare book, and going comic shopping.
When I got back to San Jose it was early enough to catch a movie. I'd been wanting to see American Splendor for a while and thought it would be a fine idea to continue that comic book theme. I read a lot of R. Crumb undergrounds as a teenager and as a college student, but had not read too many American Splendors. I'd seen Harvey Pekar once or twice on Letterman, but not really thought much about it, but based on being a Crumb fan and the great reviews I had wanted to catch this movie.
I am glad I did. It is funny, inventive, well acted and directed, but most of all it was moving. We are used to our literature and our entertainment to have story arcs where the protaganist changes and grows through their experience. We are taught that people are redeemed or punished or changed profoundly. But this is a story about real people who aren't particularly nice or attractive or for that matter clean. Harvey Pekar doesn't change. He survives, he finds some kind of peace with his life, but he doesn't change. He doesn't become more likeable, or attractive, or wiser, or cleaner. What happens is we change. We see him as a person that could be us or could be the neighbor we rarely talk to, and realize that this is a person who wants what we want, simply not to be alone.
This movie moved me not in a Ole Yeller, My Dog Skip, Spielberg kind of way, but in a "God I'm glad I'm not alone in this world way". Perhaps that is what divides art from entertainment. When I look at a great painting or photograph, read a perfect poem or novel, or see a truly great movie, I am changed.
To read more about American Splendor click here for the Salon review.
Mahalo
Go see American Splendor!
Before I tell you why, please allow a slight digression. Occasionally days are just fun and you want to share them, so I will bore you with a few details.
I just decided to take today off and begin the long weekend early. Mrs. Futurballa had to work, so I thought it was a good idea to go up the hill to spend some time with my Niece and her baby. I was telling her about the TV production of Neil Gaimon's Neverwhere which will be coming out on DVD soon. I am a big fan of Neil's novels, with a special soft spot for American Gods, but have never read his graphic novel, Sandman. She offered to lend me her omnibus editions of the first 28 or so comics, so I loaded up the trunk with those and a few other treats from her book collection.
Having opened the gates of comic book discussions, we packed up the child and drove down to Santa Cruz to visit her favorite comic book store, properly staffed by the requisite Comic Book Guy. We both purchased Alan Moore's League of Extraordinary Gentlemen, being general Alan Moore fans.
After lunch we went to Logo's, a classic and excellent used bookstore that I've been visiting since the early '80s, where I picked up an ancient copy of Minor White's Zone System Handbook. Minor White will be a subject of another posting in the Photographic series, but suffice it for today to say that this book was a find.
Anyways, I seem to be rambling about my day, which may not be of much interest to any one in particular, but it was a really nice day. Enjoying being with a beloved family member that I don't see often enough, playing with her little boy who just started to walk which seemed to make his world a lot bigger, wandering around Santa Cruz, buying a rare book, and going comic shopping.
When I got back to San Jose it was early enough to catch a movie. I'd been wanting to see American Splendor for a while and thought it would be a fine idea to continue that comic book theme. I read a lot of R. Crumb undergrounds as a teenager and as a college student, but had not read too many American Splendors. I'd seen Harvey Pekar once or twice on Letterman, but not really thought much about it, but based on being a Crumb fan and the great reviews I had wanted to catch this movie.
I am glad I did. It is funny, inventive, well acted and directed, but most of all it was moving. We are used to our literature and our entertainment to have story arcs where the protaganist changes and grows through their experience. We are taught that people are redeemed or punished or changed profoundly. But this is a story about real people who aren't particularly nice or attractive or for that matter clean. Harvey Pekar doesn't change. He survives, he finds some kind of peace with his life, but he doesn't change. He doesn't become more likeable, or attractive, or wiser, or cleaner. What happens is we change. We see him as a person that could be us or could be the neighbor we rarely talk to, and realize that this is a person who wants what we want, simply not to be alone.
This movie moved me not in a Ole Yeller, My Dog Skip, Spielberg kind of way, but in a "God I'm glad I'm not alone in this world way". Perhaps that is what divides art from entertainment. When I look at a great painting or photograph, read a perfect poem or novel, or see a truly great movie, I am changed.
To read more about American Splendor click here for the Salon review.
Mahalo
Freaky Friday
Futurballa is away from his office today, so here is the weekly Friday around the web segment and a couple of fun links to share and them I'm off to the mountains of Santa Cruz.
Jack Shafer at Slate has some excerpts from an ever growing list, and what is becoming a pretty non-exclusive club, if you ask me. All of the people Bill O'Reilly has told to Shut Up! Read the whole thing here.
"Hey, shut up! You had your 35 minutes! Shut up!"
The inimitable Paul Krugman takes on the costs of War at the NYT.
Big Al Franken, bane of O'Reilly and Fox, gets more publicity over at the Washington Post. Some fun stuff. Cliquez ici.
Don't miss Joe Conason writing for The Nation on The Compassion Gap.
For a great collection of MP3s showing us what happens when TV stars insist on singing and other oddities, check out the multimedia area at April Winchell's Blog. Yes, she has Shatner's Lucy in the Sky and Nimoy doing Both Sides Now. And remember the Gilligan's Island version of Stairway to Heaven?
And this fine fellow has transcribed all of the Monty Python scripts for us. Go crazy. Romani Ite Domum!
Mahalo
Futurballa is away from his office today, so here is the weekly Friday around the web segment and a couple of fun links to share and them I'm off to the mountains of Santa Cruz.
Jack Shafer at Slate has some excerpts from an ever growing list, and what is becoming a pretty non-exclusive club, if you ask me. All of the people Bill O'Reilly has told to Shut Up! Read the whole thing here.
"Hey, shut up! You had your 35 minutes! Shut up!"
The inimitable Paul Krugman takes on the costs of War at the NYT.
Big Al Franken, bane of O'Reilly and Fox, gets more publicity over at the Washington Post. Some fun stuff. Cliquez ici.
Don't miss Joe Conason writing for The Nation on The Compassion Gap.
For a great collection of MP3s showing us what happens when TV stars insist on singing and other oddities, check out the multimedia area at April Winchell's Blog. Yes, she has Shatner's Lucy in the Sky and Nimoy doing Both Sides Now. And remember the Gilligan's Island version of Stairway to Heaven?
And this fine fellow has transcribed all of the Monty Python scripts for us. Go crazy. Romani Ite Domum!
Mahalo
Thursday, August 28, 2003
Flash from my misspent past
Back in the 80s I was hitting the clubs and doing the party scene in LA with my good chum Ian. At the time he was dating a girl who we had gone to college with us. She was busy forming a girl band, because if the GoGos could do it...
They had their day in the sun, and we trooped along to clubs lugging instruments and amps while acting strangely during their performances. My friend decided he didn't want to be a groupy and moved on to a successful life working in his chosen field and later having two great kids. The band had a few hits and, as far as I knew, faded into whatever place 2 or 3 hit wonders fade into. The girlfriend had a solo album, married a movie director and got to sing at the Oscars.
Well to my surprise, I heard a plug on KFOG for a local appearance by the Bangles. After I recovered from the shock, I took a look on Google and found out they have a website and an album and bios that have birthdays, but lack birth years, and tastefully airbrushed publicity shots, and best of all an interview with Susanna Hoffs and Rodney Bingenheimer (who was an LA celebrity for no particular reason besides being and LA celbrity).
Their tour diary seems to indicate that, unsurprisingly, they have been touring Japan. Wonder if they cover Sex Farm?
Long time gone, but Futurballa wishes them the best of luck with their tour and album.
Mahalo
Back in the 80s I was hitting the clubs and doing the party scene in LA with my good chum Ian. At the time he was dating a girl who we had gone to college with us. She was busy forming a girl band, because if the GoGos could do it...
They had their day in the sun, and we trooped along to clubs lugging instruments and amps while acting strangely during their performances. My friend decided he didn't want to be a groupy and moved on to a successful life working in his chosen field and later having two great kids. The band had a few hits and, as far as I knew, faded into whatever place 2 or 3 hit wonders fade into. The girlfriend had a solo album, married a movie director and got to sing at the Oscars.
Well to my surprise, I heard a plug on KFOG for a local appearance by the Bangles. After I recovered from the shock, I took a look on Google and found out they have a website and an album and bios that have birthdays, but lack birth years, and tastefully airbrushed publicity shots, and best of all an interview with Susanna Hoffs and Rodney Bingenheimer (who was an LA celebrity for no particular reason besides being and LA celbrity).
Their tour diary seems to indicate that, unsurprisingly, they have been touring Japan. Wonder if they cover Sex Farm?
Long time gone, but Futurballa wishes them the best of luck with their tour and album.
Mahalo
Thank you, Photoshop
Brian's Culture Blog had already linked to this, but I thought it was worth passing on. This fellow, Greg, has done a very creative portfolio using rollovers to show before and afters of his retouching work. Pretty amazing stuff and worth a visit. Click here.
Just pick a thumbnail and then roll over the larger image to see what it looked like before some extensive use of Photoshop tools and filters. In some cases Greg is good enough to give a short synopsis of his techniques.
Brian's Culture Blog had already linked to this, but I thought it was worth passing on. This fellow, Greg, has done a very creative portfolio using rollovers to show before and afters of his retouching work. Pretty amazing stuff and worth a visit. Click here.
Just pick a thumbnail and then roll over the larger image to see what it looked like before some extensive use of Photoshop tools and filters. In some cases Greg is good enough to give a short synopsis of his techniques.
Misspoken
Is it okay for news media to ignore verbal gaffes?
Yesterday, as reported in the Chron, Arnold S. called into the Sean Hannity show and ran through a list of his positions. Some blogs have reported and I tuned in to hear for myself that while talking about Gay Marriage, Arnold said, "I think gay marriage should be between a man and a woman" (italics are mine). Now this is an obvious slip of the tounge, and in the age of George W. Bush, it must be tough for the media to have to edit for grammar as well as content when the president talks off the cuff. However, as Bob Somersby has pointed out on The Daily Howler, Al Gore did not get the same help from the press.
The James Lee Witt case is an excellent example that Bob has discussed recently. Gore had visited, I think the number was 17, disaster sites in the company of Mr. Witt, and he had visited this one Texas site with an assistant to Mr. Witt. But when he said he visited that one site with Witt he was branded a liar. I have no plan to take on the Howler's territory here, since Bob does such a good job of it, but I read the wire story on Salon, the Chron article sited above, and heard the story in the news update on my morning station, KFOG, and not one of them mentioned the verbal slip. All of these outlets would be termed part of the so called liberal media, and all of them turned their respective and metaphorical heads aside.
Honestly, when it is an obvious slip of the tounge, I don't have a major problem with this, but I do think the playing field has not been level in this area, and there have been times when GWB speaks that his dislocution could show that he does not have a grasp of the facts (or for that matter reality) and should be reported as said and not edited for what a news outlet thinks he meant. Should the people know if their leaders can not be relied on to speak coherently and intelligently in an impromptu situation?
Just asking.
Is it okay for news media to ignore verbal gaffes?
Yesterday, as reported in the Chron, Arnold S. called into the Sean Hannity show and ran through a list of his positions. Some blogs have reported and I tuned in to hear for myself that while talking about Gay Marriage, Arnold said, "I think gay marriage should be between a man and a woman" (italics are mine). Now this is an obvious slip of the tounge, and in the age of George W. Bush, it must be tough for the media to have to edit for grammar as well as content when the president talks off the cuff. However, as Bob Somersby has pointed out on The Daily Howler, Al Gore did not get the same help from the press.
The James Lee Witt case is an excellent example that Bob has discussed recently. Gore had visited, I think the number was 17, disaster sites in the company of Mr. Witt, and he had visited this one Texas site with an assistant to Mr. Witt. But when he said he visited that one site with Witt he was branded a liar. I have no plan to take on the Howler's territory here, since Bob does such a good job of it, but I read the wire story on Salon, the Chron article sited above, and heard the story in the news update on my morning station, KFOG, and not one of them mentioned the verbal slip. All of these outlets would be termed part of the so called liberal media, and all of them turned their respective and metaphorical heads aside.
Honestly, when it is an obvious slip of the tounge, I don't have a major problem with this, but I do think the playing field has not been level in this area, and there have been times when GWB speaks that his dislocution could show that he does not have a grasp of the facts (or for that matter reality) and should be reported as said and not edited for what a news outlet thinks he meant. Should the people know if their leaders can not be relied on to speak coherently and intelligently in an impromptu situation?
Just asking.
Wednesday, August 27, 2003
Wholly Without Merit
A couple of must reads at Salon this morning.
An excellent and entertaining interview with Al Franken. No excerpts because it is totally worth reading the whole thing.
Robert Scheer makes my point.
"Even if one accepts the false assumption of the recall -- that California's governor, reelected by a clear majority less than a year ago, is suddenly unfit to govern -- then the logical and fair alternative is to replace him with the lieutenant governor, who was selected by the voters for just that purpose."
Via Joe Conason's Journal is this link to Fox's new logo (at least as proposed by Mr. Conason, scroll down towards the bottom).
The NYT reports that the Alabama 10 Commandments monument was removed this morning, ending(?) several weeks of legal wrangling. As a person of the Hebrew persuasion, and being of the people that came up with the big 10 in the first place, hasn't anyone thought of the irony of this monument gaining so much significance to its supporters and the text of the second commandment.
Don't have much to do during the month of December?
And finally, we expect that our favorite Fool will be returning from a well deserved romp with Mrs. Fool today. Be sure to check him out.
Mahalo
A couple of must reads at Salon this morning.
An excellent and entertaining interview with Al Franken. No excerpts because it is totally worth reading the whole thing.
Robert Scheer makes my point.
"Even if one accepts the false assumption of the recall -- that California's governor, reelected by a clear majority less than a year ago, is suddenly unfit to govern -- then the logical and fair alternative is to replace him with the lieutenant governor, who was selected by the voters for just that purpose."
Via Joe Conason's Journal is this link to Fox's new logo (at least as proposed by Mr. Conason, scroll down towards the bottom).
The NYT reports that the Alabama 10 Commandments monument was removed this morning, ending(?) several weeks of legal wrangling. As a person of the Hebrew persuasion, and being of the people that came up with the big 10 in the first place, hasn't anyone thought of the irony of this monument gaining so much significance to its supporters and the text of the second commandment.
Don't have much to do during the month of December?
And finally, we expect that our favorite Fool will be returning from a well deserved romp with Mrs. Fool today. Be sure to check him out.
Mahalo
Minor League
Futurballa, along with Mrs. Futurballa in tow, went to see a minor league baseball game last night. This was exactly the second minor league game I've been to in my life. Growing up on The Dodgers in the Sixties, The A's in the Seventies after moving north, and The Giants, I'd never be caught dead at a minor league game, but I have to admit it is a hell of a lot of fun.
We went to see the San Jose Giants who are an A level farm team for The San Francisco Giants, and part of the California League. Fresno is SF's triple A team, so when you hear the Giants called up some kid for his shot in the majors it is from Fresno, but occasionally a big name player will spend some time working his way back from the DL in San Jose. A few years ago Marvin Bernard and Russ Ortiz have played on the San Jose team.
Other than seeing some mediocre baseball enthusiastically played the true pleasure of minor league is the family atmosphere. The park is small without a bad seat. The first seven rows are box seats and go for 9 bucks. The rest of the seats are general admission and cost $7. Those prices are if you didn't bother to grab a discount coupon at the supermarket. They have Hebrew National hotdogs for $3 and $4 beer, as opposed to the $8 beers at Pacbell. There are no gourmet sausages or garlic fries, which are one of the great olifactory pleasures of going to Pacbell, but there is a BBQ area with ribs and chicken for sale right off the grill. You can actually afford to take the whole family to a game and that is exactly what you see, kids, lots of kids and dads and moms, and high school kids on dates. It is very middle America, here in Silicon Valley.
And they pack the evening full of the kind of entertainment that I'd be embarrassed to participate in anywhere else, but find myself enthusiastically cheering at the Municipal Stadium. The national anthem is sung by someone from the Chamber of Commerce. God Bless America is performed by a soloist from a local church choir. Everyone stands and takes of their hat. Nobody flubs the lyrics to Take Me Out to the Ballgame. There are silly games between each inning with cheesy prices for the contestants. A night at a local hotel, 10 lottery tickets, a dinner out. And on top of that there are giveaways for the whole crowd. A coupon for a free burger from Wendy's if any Giant hits a double in the 7th. A pizza if any Giant hits for the cycle.
All in all, a lot of fun had by all without mortgaging the house, or selling the first born for decent seats. Just remember next time to get one of those vinyl cushions, those benches are hard.
Futurballa, along with Mrs. Futurballa in tow, went to see a minor league baseball game last night. This was exactly the second minor league game I've been to in my life. Growing up on The Dodgers in the Sixties, The A's in the Seventies after moving north, and The Giants, I'd never be caught dead at a minor league game, but I have to admit it is a hell of a lot of fun.
We went to see the San Jose Giants who are an A level farm team for The San Francisco Giants, and part of the California League. Fresno is SF's triple A team, so when you hear the Giants called up some kid for his shot in the majors it is from Fresno, but occasionally a big name player will spend some time working his way back from the DL in San Jose. A few years ago Marvin Bernard and Russ Ortiz have played on the San Jose team.
Other than seeing some mediocre baseball enthusiastically played the true pleasure of minor league is the family atmosphere. The park is small without a bad seat. The first seven rows are box seats and go for 9 bucks. The rest of the seats are general admission and cost $7. Those prices are if you didn't bother to grab a discount coupon at the supermarket. They have Hebrew National hotdogs for $3 and $4 beer, as opposed to the $8 beers at Pacbell. There are no gourmet sausages or garlic fries, which are one of the great olifactory pleasures of going to Pacbell, but there is a BBQ area with ribs and chicken for sale right off the grill. You can actually afford to take the whole family to a game and that is exactly what you see, kids, lots of kids and dads and moms, and high school kids on dates. It is very middle America, here in Silicon Valley.
And they pack the evening full of the kind of entertainment that I'd be embarrassed to participate in anywhere else, but find myself enthusiastically cheering at the Municipal Stadium. The national anthem is sung by someone from the Chamber of Commerce. God Bless America is performed by a soloist from a local church choir. Everyone stands and takes of their hat. Nobody flubs the lyrics to Take Me Out to the Ballgame. There are silly games between each inning with cheesy prices for the contestants. A night at a local hotel, 10 lottery tickets, a dinner out. And on top of that there are giveaways for the whole crowd. A coupon for a free burger from Wendy's if any Giant hits a double in the 7th. A pizza if any Giant hits for the cycle.
All in all, a lot of fun had by all without mortgaging the house, or selling the first born for decent seats. Just remember next time to get one of those vinyl cushions, those benches are hard.
Tuesday, August 26, 2003
Why is it wrong to have a backup plan?
Last night while surfing news stations as this media junky is apt to do, I heard Alan Colmes, the "liberal" half of Hannity and Colmes, arguing the point with Ann Lewis that it was not pure for the California Democrats to both oppose the recall and to support Cruz Bustamante as a backup candidate. I've heard others make this point, but usually from the right, so I was surprised to hear Colmes go down this road, but I guess, as Dylan once said in his born again phase, "you gotta serve somebody", but I don't think he meant Fox News.
Maybe Futurballa is too much of a pragmatist to see the contradiction here. I don't see the problem with taking the stance that A) Davis has the fight of his life coming up and his chances of winning are 50/50 at best. B) This recall was heavily funded by Republicans who failed to take any major office in California in the last election and see this as the only way to rest the Governor's mansion from the Democrats. C) In a normal situation if Davis could not continue to serve out his term, Bustamante would be the legal and natural successor. Taking A+B+C, why should the Democrats roll over for the right wing and hand them the Governorship when a proper succussor is standing in the wings. It would be nice if the law said that when a Governor is recalled it is the same result as if he died, resigned or was impeached, but the recall law is an anomaly.
One thing though where I agree with some of Cruz's critics, get a new name for your website. This is just too unwieldy...
www.noonrecallyesonbustamante.com
Last night while surfing news stations as this media junky is apt to do, I heard Alan Colmes, the "liberal" half of Hannity and Colmes, arguing the point with Ann Lewis that it was not pure for the California Democrats to both oppose the recall and to support Cruz Bustamante as a backup candidate. I've heard others make this point, but usually from the right, so I was surprised to hear Colmes go down this road, but I guess, as Dylan once said in his born again phase, "you gotta serve somebody", but I don't think he meant Fox News.
Maybe Futurballa is too much of a pragmatist to see the contradiction here. I don't see the problem with taking the stance that A) Davis has the fight of his life coming up and his chances of winning are 50/50 at best. B) This recall was heavily funded by Republicans who failed to take any major office in California in the last election and see this as the only way to rest the Governor's mansion from the Democrats. C) In a normal situation if Davis could not continue to serve out his term, Bustamante would be the legal and natural successor. Taking A+B+C, why should the Democrats roll over for the right wing and hand them the Governorship when a proper succussor is standing in the wings. It would be nice if the law said that when a Governor is recalled it is the same result as if he died, resigned or was impeached, but the recall law is an anomaly.
One thing though where I agree with some of Cruz's critics, get a new name for your website. This is just too unwieldy...
www.noonrecallyesonbustamante.com
Poor, Poor, Pitiful Me
Keeping up our Warren Zevon watch, there is an exellent review of The Wind over at Salon this morning.
Shannon Zimmerman sums up here review saying The Wind is "...heartbreakingly good, in fact, ranking right up there with Zevon's endlessly amazing early work. Thanks mainly to its rough-hewn production, the album echoes his self-titled 1976 disc in particular. "Warren Zevon's" most famous tune, "Poor, Poor Pitiful Me," was a minor hit for Linda Ronstadt back in 1977. But the album's best number was "Hasten Down the Wind," a pretty but ultimately bitter ballad about the mercurial ways of love relationships.
With this "Wind," Zevon resolves that crisis, bringing his illustrious career full-circle by embracing -- or at least coming to grips with -- the ephemeral nature of the ties that bind. He's still singing about death, of course, about the way things sadly and inevitably end. This time, though, there's gentleness in Zevon's voice, acceptance without resignation and, at the same time, a genuine lust for life.
"The Wind," in other words, is funny, sad, smart and touching -- a graceful goodbye from one of rock's sharpest wits."
Read the whole thing here.
Keeping up our Warren Zevon watch, there is an exellent review of The Wind over at Salon this morning.
Shannon Zimmerman sums up here review saying The Wind is "...heartbreakingly good, in fact, ranking right up there with Zevon's endlessly amazing early work. Thanks mainly to its rough-hewn production, the album echoes his self-titled 1976 disc in particular. "Warren Zevon's" most famous tune, "Poor, Poor Pitiful Me," was a minor hit for Linda Ronstadt back in 1977. But the album's best number was "Hasten Down the Wind," a pretty but ultimately bitter ballad about the mercurial ways of love relationships.
With this "Wind," Zevon resolves that crisis, bringing his illustrious career full-circle by embracing -- or at least coming to grips with -- the ephemeral nature of the ties that bind. He's still singing about death, of course, about the way things sadly and inevitably end. This time, though, there's gentleness in Zevon's voice, acceptance without resignation and, at the same time, a genuine lust for life.
"The Wind," in other words, is funny, sad, smart and touching -- a graceful goodbye from one of rock's sharpest wits."
Read the whole thing here.
Monday, August 25, 2003
Really, really really the last posting on this story
Well probably not.
Fox has dropped their lawsuit against Al Franken with all of the grace and aplomb to which we have become accustomed from Fox, Bill O'Reilly, their spokespeople and their attorneys.
"It's time to return Al Franken to the obscurity that he's normally accustomed to," Fox News spokeswoman Irena Steffen said.
The wire story can be read here.
Well probably not.
Fox has dropped their lawsuit against Al Franken with all of the grace and aplomb to which we have become accustomed from Fox, Bill O'Reilly, their spokespeople and their attorneys.
"It's time to return Al Franken to the obscurity that he's normally accustomed to," Fox News spokeswoman Irena Steffen said.
The wire story can be read here.
Excitable Boy
A couple of notes on Zevon's new record, The Wind. Here is Joel Selvin's review from the SF Chronicle. Suffice to say, he likes it. He describes it as "...that great album everybody knew was in him since his 1978 splash, "Excitable Boy."
And if that's not enough, read Anthony DeCurtis' piece from the NYT. DeCurtis concludes thusly, ""The Wind" would stand honorably beside his best work even if he were not dying when he made it."
Read the whole thing here.
A couple of notes on Zevon's new record, The Wind. Here is Joel Selvin's review from the SF Chronicle. Suffice to say, he likes it. He describes it as "...that great album everybody knew was in him since his 1978 splash, "Excitable Boy."
And if that's not enough, read Anthony DeCurtis' piece from the NYT. DeCurtis concludes thusly, ""The Wind" would stand honorably beside his best work even if he were not dying when he made it."
Read the whole thing here.
Oh the Books I Read
Mickey Kaus this morning (here is a link to Slate, but as other's often note, Kaus is a permalink free zone) seems to argue both sides of the issue this morning. I know he can be a bit of a contrarian, but he is beginning to apply his contrarian habits to himself. He begins by arguing that the LAT poll showing Bustamante with a large lead over Arnold is not what it appears because if you add up the Republicans they beat Bustamante, but then argues that this is good news for Bustamante because there are a lot of Dems that can still come home. Kaus then goes on to find other reasons why the poll is a bad representation of the current situation, which I presume would be bad news for Bustamante again. My head is spinning.
I'm sure you've all heard that Simon dropped out over the weekend. My question is who got to him? Could that be Karl Rove's bootprint that I discern on Simon's posterior?
Wired.com this morning has this interview with my favorite (post)cyberpunk author, Neal Stephenson, whose new book, Quicksilver, will be out soon. Quicksilver is the first of 3 books in Stephenson's Baroque Cylcle, in which he introduces the ancestors of his Cryptonomicon characters to Isaac Newton, among others.
And speaking of books, I had my fun doubled this weekend when a package showed up containing both Al Franken's Lies and the Lying Liars Who Tell Them: A Fair and Balanced Look at the Right, and Tom Tomorrow's Great Big Book of Tomorrow. Oh joy.
Mickey Kaus this morning (here is a link to Slate, but as other's often note, Kaus is a permalink free zone) seems to argue both sides of the issue this morning. I know he can be a bit of a contrarian, but he is beginning to apply his contrarian habits to himself. He begins by arguing that the LAT poll showing Bustamante with a large lead over Arnold is not what it appears because if you add up the Republicans they beat Bustamante, but then argues that this is good news for Bustamante because there are a lot of Dems that can still come home. Kaus then goes on to find other reasons why the poll is a bad representation of the current situation, which I presume would be bad news for Bustamante again. My head is spinning.
I'm sure you've all heard that Simon dropped out over the weekend. My question is who got to him? Could that be Karl Rove's bootprint that I discern on Simon's posterior?
Wired.com this morning has this interview with my favorite (post)cyberpunk author, Neal Stephenson, whose new book, Quicksilver, will be out soon. Quicksilver is the first of 3 books in Stephenson's Baroque Cylcle, in which he introduces the ancestors of his Cryptonomicon characters to Isaac Newton, among others.
And speaking of books, I had my fun doubled this weekend when a package showed up containing both Al Franken's Lies and the Lying Liars Who Tell Them: A Fair and Balanced Look at the Right, and Tom Tomorrow's Great Big Book of Tomorrow. Oh joy.
Saturday, August 23, 2003
Bobby Bonds
Just a quick posting to say that Futurballa sends our best wishes and condolences to the Bonds family on the passing of Bobby Bonds.
Mahalo
Just a quick posting to say that Futurballa sends our best wishes and condolences to the Bonds family on the passing of Bobby Bonds.
Mahalo
Friday, August 22, 2003
Couldn't have happened to a nicer news network!
Just ran into this via Atrios and had to share it. Seems some liberal judge has found that...
Fox's claim was "wholly without merit, both factually and legally."
As they say...
Nice way to round out Fair and Balanced Week
Just ran into this via Atrios and had to share it. Seems some liberal judge has found that...
Fox's claim was "wholly without merit, both factually and legally."
As they say...
Nice way to round out Fair and Balanced Week
Friday Roundup
Couple of good pieces over at Slate this morning.
Dahlia Lithwick, who I as a layman find to be gifted with the ability to explain complex legal issues and especially the workings of the Supreme Court in terms that the rest of us can understand, has an excellent piece on the Alabama 10 Commandments story and the issue of separation of church and state. This graf sums up Futurballa's feelings on the subject.
...we live in a zero-sum constitutional world. In order to be "neutral" toward all religions, including atheism, the courts have had to erect equal barriers to all. In order to privilege no religion (or even non-religion) the courts have elected to privilege none. This includes the vague "Judeo-Christian" theism that most Americans would probably like to see more of in the public square.
Read the rest here.
Tim Noah has this piece on whether the Republicans subvert democracy more than Democrats. Final score...
The chair therefore rules Republicans more or less guilty as charged of conducting "an ongoing national effort to steal elections Republicans cannot win."
At the NYT Krugman takes on Ahnold.
Via Buzzflash we find this story from Philly.com which informs us "Tucker Carlson is no match for Janeane Garofalo". We suspected as much.
Over at the Smoking Gun we get to see Al Franken's apology to John Ashcroft for making some "imprudent satire" on Harvard letterhead. Futurballa is of the opinion that Al really has the right to the Fair and Balanced title. When did you last see O'Reilly apologize for anything.
Mahalo
Couple of good pieces over at Slate this morning.
Dahlia Lithwick, who I as a layman find to be gifted with the ability to explain complex legal issues and especially the workings of the Supreme Court in terms that the rest of us can understand, has an excellent piece on the Alabama 10 Commandments story and the issue of separation of church and state. This graf sums up Futurballa's feelings on the subject.
...we live in a zero-sum constitutional world. In order to be "neutral" toward all religions, including atheism, the courts have had to erect equal barriers to all. In order to privilege no religion (or even non-religion) the courts have elected to privilege none. This includes the vague "Judeo-Christian" theism that most Americans would probably like to see more of in the public square.
Read the rest here.
Tim Noah has this piece on whether the Republicans subvert democracy more than Democrats. Final score...
The chair therefore rules Republicans more or less guilty as charged of conducting "an ongoing national effort to steal elections Republicans cannot win."
At the NYT Krugman takes on Ahnold.
Via Buzzflash we find this story from Philly.com which informs us "Tucker Carlson is no match for Janeane Garofalo". We suspected as much.
Over at the Smoking Gun we get to see Al Franken's apology to John Ashcroft for making some "imprudent satire" on Harvard letterhead. Futurballa is of the opinion that Al really has the right to the Fair and Balanced title. When did you last see O'Reilly apologize for anything.
Mahalo
Bonds does it again
Futurballa is a Giants fan. A factoid that has up until now not found its way into the blog, but we take our baseball seriously. Keep your George Willesque musings about small town America and baseball's pastoral metaphor. This is a city kid who loves the joy of a beer and a hotdog, and the crack of the bat. Futurballa knows that baseball is a better game today because of the international influence on the game. As a kid I grew up on Sandy Koufax who was a hero to the all the kids in my neighborhood, and Jackie Robinson was the ultimate portrait in courage.
Which takes us to Barry Bonds. Some have argued that Barry may not be the greatest of all time, and greatest is a subjective title. But looking at the quality of pitching, that managers give him 4 fingers in unheard of situations, that he continues to set new records at 39 years of age and looks like he may have a few good years left, it is hard to imagine that the Bambino would be outhitting Barry given an even playing field.
The Giants are having a great year in spite of slumping badly on their last road trip, but back at Pacbell this week against the Braves, they are finding their rhythmn again, and with Barry back from spending time with his ailing father they are playing like a team that knows it can win against anyone. But even with that these have been close games, all 3 won with walkoff hits in the 9th or 10th. In game 2 of the series it was a walkoff RBI single by Alfonzo with men in scoring postion in the bottom of the ninth, but in games 1 and 3 it was a Barry Bonds homer that sent them back to the clubhouse in the bottom of the 10th. It's hard to think of any other player who could come up on such a consistent basis, and given even a marginal pitch, can turn it into a game winner.
Futurballa is a Giants fan. A factoid that has up until now not found its way into the blog, but we take our baseball seriously. Keep your George Willesque musings about small town America and baseball's pastoral metaphor. This is a city kid who loves the joy of a beer and a hotdog, and the crack of the bat. Futurballa knows that baseball is a better game today because of the international influence on the game. As a kid I grew up on Sandy Koufax who was a hero to the all the kids in my neighborhood, and Jackie Robinson was the ultimate portrait in courage.
Which takes us to Barry Bonds. Some have argued that Barry may not be the greatest of all time, and greatest is a subjective title. But looking at the quality of pitching, that managers give him 4 fingers in unheard of situations, that he continues to set new records at 39 years of age and looks like he may have a few good years left, it is hard to imagine that the Bambino would be outhitting Barry given an even playing field.
The Giants are having a great year in spite of slumping badly on their last road trip, but back at Pacbell this week against the Braves, they are finding their rhythmn again, and with Barry back from spending time with his ailing father they are playing like a team that knows it can win against anyone. But even with that these have been close games, all 3 won with walkoff hits in the 9th or 10th. In game 2 of the series it was a walkoff RBI single by Alfonzo with men in scoring postion in the bottom of the ninth, but in games 1 and 3 it was a Barry Bonds homer that sent them back to the clubhouse in the bottom of the 10th. It's hard to think of any other player who could come up on such a consistent basis, and given even a marginal pitch, can turn it into a game winner.
Thursday, August 21, 2003
Blog Showcase or Shameless Self Promotion
Futurballa is participating in the Blog Showcase over at Truth Laid Bear, so feel "free" to link to my Kid's Stuff family blog piece. And in the spirit of reciprocity and to follow the rules of the contest, here are some links to other noteworthy showcase participants.
From The Truth Laid Bear's New Webblog Showcase:
I've already mentioned Snooze Button Dreams, and he also has a very nice family blog style piece on bad habits.
Snooze Button Dreams: Kids Trade Bad Habits Like Pokemon Cards
Musing from Redsox Nation, simply because there should be more blogging about baseball. Musings From Red Sox Nation (RSN): The Secret To Their Success
And finally Stone for a very nice piece on New York life. Stone: Bouwerie.com
Futurballa is participating in the Blog Showcase over at Truth Laid Bear, so feel "free" to link to my Kid's Stuff family blog piece. And in the spirit of reciprocity and to follow the rules of the contest, here are some links to other noteworthy showcase participants.
From The Truth Laid Bear's New Webblog Showcase:
I've already mentioned Snooze Button Dreams, and he also has a very nice family blog style piece on bad habits.
Snooze Button Dreams: Kids Trade Bad Habits Like Pokemon Cards
Musing from Redsox Nation, simply because there should be more blogging about baseball. Musings From Red Sox Nation (RSN): The Secret To Their Success
And finally Stone for a very nice piece on New York life. Stone: Bouwerie.com
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)