On Being Good

I never realized how hard it is to be good. When I was younger it seemed so simple, I would actually get angry at characters in books who weren’t good enough. Somehow as time went on, it became clear just how hard it is to live your life and be virtuous, kind, and compassionate. It’s so very hard, but it shouldn’t be.

Also, I find the line between being truly kind and being taken for chump to be very thin and that makes me sad. How does one be kind but still remain strong? How does one find joy in life?

I’ve been reading a lot of stuff on Leonard Cohen lately, there something about him that makes me happy. He seems like the kind of person who is kind, yet strong. A guy who is perfect in his imperfectness and a person who truly communes with life. I like that and wish I can aspire to that kind of life.

One of my favorite scenes from one of my favorite children's movies: Totoro. I used to show it to the kids I babysat and they loved it.


I found this photo a few weeks ago. I guess McDonalds did an ad campaign in Japan.

How To Talk To A Liberal In NYC

The article is pretty funny and dead on. I try to remain silent when I don't agree with people around me, especially about political topics, but because of my nature and need to show that I'm right, this rarely happens and I out myself as an evil conservative.

Living contentedly among liberals, then, requires a fair degree of finesse. My own little town, Hastings-on-Hudson, is in most ways as attractive as the name suggests, a leafy suburban enclave for the most part populated with kind-hearted and generous souls. But a word of warning: Don't get into politics. To say Hastings is liberal is like saying Saudi Arabia is Muslim. We are a more bucolic version of the Upper West Side -- the very area from which many of my neighbors decamped in settling here. Almost all of them vote Democratic for the same reason they watch their diet and floss their teeth -- it's what smart, responsible, healthy, forward-thinking people do.

This is to say that when at a neighborhood gathering, if one of these people suddenly learns that your views deviate from everyone else's on the war, affirmative action, big government, feminism, the reliability of the Times, (or hell, fill in the blank), his or her face will register stunned surprise and deep confusion. You can almost see the wheels turning within and hear the electronic drone: Does not compute. After all, in most ways, you seem reasonable; your knuckles don't drag the ground. Yet, the things coming out of your mouth sound so wrong -- almost conservative!
......
Indeed, if one keeps things polite in such situations, those on the other side are all but helpless, robbed of their chief weapon: Insults. For many liberals in these parts, dismissive contempt toward the other side is a reflex. So, for the enterprising conservative, pointing out, "that's not an argument, that's name-calling" is enough to stop them dead in their tracks. After lifetimes spent casually referring to those on the right as "haters" or "fascists," they are truly unaware there is anything wrong with it. While afterward they'll continue to believe you are a fascist, and say so behind your back, at least you'll have a momentary triumph.

via Hot Air Headlines

The White Room by Charles Simic

I find this poem to be almost perfect. It captures the mystery that is so hard to describe/explain about life. Or at least come close to it.

The White Room by Charles Simic

The obvious is difficult
To prove. Many prefer
The hidden. I did, too.
I listened to the trees.

They had a secret
Which they were about to
Make known to me--
And then didn't.

Summer came. Each tree
On my street had its own
Scheherazade. My nights
Were a part of their wild

Storytelling. We were
Entering dark houses,
Always more dark houses,
Hushed and abandoned.

There was someone with eyes closed
On the upper floors.
The fear of it, and the wonder,
Kept me sleepless.

The truth is bald and cold,
Said the woman
Who always wore white.
She didn't leave her room.

The sun pointed to one or two
Things that had survived
The long night intact.
The simplest things,

Difficult in their obviousness.
They made no noise.
It was the kind of day
People described as "perfect."

Gods disguising themselves
As black hairpins, a hand-mirror,
A comb with a tooth missing?
No! That wasn't it.

Just things as they are,
Unblinking, lying mute
In that bright light--
And the trees waiting for the night.

Michael Jackson Had A Sense Of Humor

I thought this photo was really funny (laughing with MJ, not at him). A tshirt with himself on it!
Photo is from TMZ.
hat tip: Peter

Summertime

Thursday felt like the first day of summer. The sunshine kissing my face as I drove home from work. It was lovely and deserves a special celebration with Summertime by the Sundays. I love the lead singers voice, it's so distinct and beautiful.

Meat Is Murder...Tasty, Tasty, Murder.

We are awesome!

From here, where it further explains that this was at some company where apparently a vegan “safe space” is required.

P.S. The left note says: "Vegan, vegetarian, or vegan-curious? Casual, nonjudgemetal support & opportunities to connect! Monthly meetups within the community." P*ssies.

Travel Itch

For some reason, I recently started to really want to go back to St. Petersburg, a desire I never had experienced since the last time I was there eight years ago. Something about white nights and walking along the Neva, makes me swoon. Don't get me wrong, I don't ever want to live there but I wouldn't mind visiting the Hermitage or walking in the Summer garden (which is actually going to be closed for FIVE years!).

IPhone Ad I want to see

Leonard Cohen (and I ) Want To Wish You Shabbat Shalom

or just a happy weekend. May you be with the ones you love and those who love you.

One of my favorites

MJ - "Dangerous"

I actually remember watching this performance. I was amazed how elaborate the performance. Michael Jackson was a true entertainer.

Madam Paulyn

Madam Paulyn, originally uploaded by P.S.Zollo.

I loved this photo. It shows some character....I love photos with stories.

White Men Are People Too

Arizona is looking to pass a bill that will eliminate "affirmative action" also known as hiring based on race and gender. Good riddance.

What. A. Joke.

This is the biggest problem I have with socializing healthcare, avg. middle class people will be the ones who are screwed over, rich people like Obama won't pay the consequences of their actions.

President Obama struggled to explain today whether his health care reform proposals would force normal Americans to make sacrifices that wealthier, more powerful people — like the president himself — wouldn’t face.

…Dr. Orrin Devinsky, a neurologist and researcher at the New York University Langone Medical Center, said that elites often propose health care solutions that limit options for the general public, secure in the knowledge that if they or their loves ones get sick they will be able to afford the best care available, even if it’s not provided by insurance.

Devinsky asked the president pointedly if he would be willing to promise that he wouldn’t seek such extraordinary help for his wife or daughters if they became sick and the public plan he’s proposing limited the tests or treatment they can get.

The president refused to make such a pledge, though he allowed that if “it’s my family member, if it’s my wife, if it’s my children, if it’s my grandmother I always want them to get the very best care.”

From Obama's infomercial last night. Didn't see it the blatant commercial for the special event made me want to gag, didn't want to ruin the carpet more.

video of the exchange here
If it's not good enough for the Obama family, it shouldn't be good enough for anyone else in America.

Her Haircut Is On The Train To Ugly Town

I'm being petty, but this is funny.

Guilt of the Second Child

My mother once confessed to me that while being pregnant with me and subsequently on her way to hospital to give birth to me, she had an overwhelming sense of guilt for leaving my older sister without her and bringing me into the world. It was a recollection she recently told me and I found it curious. Like, "Come on mom! I'm like the most awesome thing, how could you feel guilt about bringing me into the world?!" (She later explained that when she finally did give birth to me the guilty feeling ebbed away.)

Turns out my mother isn't the only to experience these conflicting feelings. I first saw it talked about on an episode of Momversation (yes, I read mommy blogs...I also read wedding blogs...please don't judge, I'm girl, this is what I do. Also, I have a strange fascination with parenting, which deserves its own post) and then Dooce goes and has her second child and writes a really beautiful post about it. I delinked her during the 2008 election because I couldn't take the self-rightous b.s. but she is wonderful writer - funny and warm, so I found myself checking her site more and more. You can also tell how much she works on her website, the woman is obviously a powerhouse.

Saturday night I sat on Leta's bed with Marlo in my lap while Leta spun imaginary tales of princesses in various corners of her room. It had been raining all day, and the giant, west-facing window in her room resembled an abstract painting, a mottled palette of raindrops and setting sun. And I guess it's the hormones, the RAGING, TERRORIZING HORMONES, or maybe it's the sleeplessness, but I started bawling uncontrollably. I felt so guilty, like I had betrayed my first born by bringing someone else into our lives. Here I was forcing Leta into one of the most painful transitions of her life, and even though I knew I was being completely irrational, I just wanted to clutch her to my chest and apologize.

The whole post is touching tribute to her first born.

Weirdest Thing I'm Going to See All Day

Leonard Cohen guest starring on Miami Vice. I love the man, but Miami Vice? Really?


ps. on my tumblr, besides music I'm posting lots of artsy stuff: photos of L. Cohen, art work I love, quotes I like, and poems I enjoy. There's no politics or very personal stuff about me on there.

Weeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee!

Ponyo, new film from Hayao Miyazaki. Can't wait. I still haven't seen Up, which is my other must-see-movie-in-theater-this-summer.

The Key To Life Actually

"The key to French waiters: If you're nice to them, they treat you like shit. Treat them like shit, they love you." - Kate from French Kiss

A friend of mine resolved to be bitch but extremely polite. I kind think she has the right idea.

"Poke" by Frightened Rabbit

I adore this song.

Should look through some old photos I adored you in every one of those.
If someone took a picture of us now they'd need to be told that we had ever clung and tied a navy knot with arms at night
I'd say she was his sister but she doesn't have his nose.

(I've started a tumblr blog, mostly for my music needs.)

Minor Pet Peeve

I hate the peace sign. I think it's vulgar and screams condescendence and ignorance. When I was a little girl I thought I was so profound for advocating peace and proclaiming that war is not the answer. Having grown up a bit and realized that the world is not full of people with the best intentions, but with the best intentions for themselves. I realize how naive these people are, who drive around with the chicken foot on their bumpers.

Do they really think everyone else is pro-war? Because I want peace too! Yet, I understand that not everyone/everything is going to turn out/be like Britain vs. Ghandi's India doesn't mean I don't want peace as well. Would I like for war to be forever eradicated? Of course! Am I naive enough to think that this will ever happen as long as human beings roam the earth? No.

So enough with silly sign, everyone wants peace just some of us know that there are things worth fighting for (and actually peace is one of them).

Images From Tim Burton's Alice In Woderland

I love Helena Bonham Carter as The Red Queen:

Anne Hathaway as White Queen:

Johnny Depp as Mad Hatter:


I can't wait to see it.

My friend Alisa, throws a Lewis Carroll birthday party each year. It's really fantastic and we read (all together) one chapter of Alice in Wonderland. I love this tradition so much. It's full of magic that I don't experience often enough.

via

Stupid Stuff That's Irritating Me But Isn't Really Worth Mentioning

* My laptop is not working, for some reason it fails to connect to the wireless internet.
* Peter left and I don't like being in 2 separate cities.
* The weather is miserable and makes me want hide out under the covers with the internet, but
that's a FAIL plan.
* I feel like I can't help anyone, especially myself.
* People seriously forget logic and rules of the road when it's wet and raining. It doesn't help to drive faster in the rain, idiots.
* My car broke down again.
* I still haven't done laundry that has been overdue for 2 weeks.
* I feel pathetic for complaining about stuff like this when people are dying for their freedom.

I am kind of happy Perezhilton got sissy punched, someone needed to do that to him a long time ago.

Yes, I am petty.

Horrible Fashion Trends

So I kind hate a lot of the clothes out there. But this trend of having triangles hang on the side of each hip is only flattering if your an androgynous stick figure of a model. Most women I know have hips and do not need extra material making them wider than they already are. I know, you were holding your breath to know my position on the latest trends. You're welcome.

via Frangry

Red Balloon

Turns out there is a French movie called Le Ballon Rouge (The Red Balloon) - I have a thing for red balloons (since my childhood). This video is a combination of the footage from that movie and a song "Two Weeks" by Grizzly Bear which is really great.



Happy Birthday to Alisa, who also likes red balloons and happy weekend to all.

Do, Rei, Me

It's not as good as the Hammer Time stunt, but it still made me smile. Might be the sleep deprivation or maybe my secret love for synchronized dancing of large groups. As a kid I imagined my life to be sort of like a musical, you know breaking into song and dance in highly emotional situations. I guess some people are making that a reality.

Another B.S. Article About Rich People From NYT

On people planning more "scaled back" seeming weddings, that actually cost the same as the lavish caviar/lobster tail, under the huge chandelier weddings.

Indeed, some Angelenos are taking the homespun ethos a step further, holding their wedding festivities in their own homes, or renting someone else’s.

But authenticity, it seems, comes at a price.

While it stands to reason that a backyard supper or a catered affair at home might be cheaper than a hotel soiree, for many it actually costs just as much or more. Casual food is not necessarily a bargain, as restaurant diners from coast to coast can attest....
The difference, it turns out, is mainly appearance, as newlyweds (and their parents) are wary of flaunting their fortunes. “No one wants to be vulgar,” said Susan Holland, a party planner who has arranged weddings in Los Angeles. “No one wants the perception of abundance. A lot of people, their friends don’t have what they used to and they don’t want it thrown in their faces.”

The whole article made me cringe.

Some Of My Coworkers Can Use Reading This Law

Seriously, I caught the guy I work clipping his toe nails. I was fully disgusted.

via Drudge

Another Thought

Sometimes life does not give me the kind of certainty that I want and require. At times all it keeps dishing out is uncertainty.

Song of the Day

Not So Random Thought

Old people should not drive.

Brits Have" Burkha Rage"

Yet Burkha Rage has become our personal shorthand for someone taking the mickey out of our country and its tolerant ways.

Despite a growing acceptance that multi-culturalism has been deeply damaging to race relations, there are still almost weekly opportunities for a fit of Burkha Rage.

Seems that even the "enlightened and tolerant" Brits are reaching a breaking point with all the sensitivity they must exhibit to immigrants in there mists. Common sense has left a lot of people it seems but it might be returning!

"I do not think it means what you think it means."

There are many bones to pick with what Matt Yglesias wrote (ironically I think) that "Ahmadinejad has a pretty sweet hipster style." Yglesias points to the stylings of Ahmadinejad's interview, "And I was in a bar where the TV was showing his interview with Anderson Cooper (it's DC, these things happen) and while there was no sound, he certainly looked witty and charming." Look say whatever you want about Ahmadinejad, but hipsters are not "witty or charming". In fact they are the opposite: annoying and alienating. I feel like it's Inigo Montoya award time. Alas, I do not have the proper authority to do bestow it.

via Insty

Yogurt Time

Even though I try to live like it's beer and pie all the time. I'm still having a stupid yogurt as we speak. Yuck.

Life, Death, and Food

One of the biggest regrets my mother has was that she didn't feed my father the food he loved as he was dying from lung cancer. All the fried food that he loved, the old staples of my mother's kitchen were replaced with anti-oxident rich food that often tasted what I imagine bland rubber to taste like.
Reading the NYT article, "A Time in a Life for Pie and Beer" reminded me of my mother's slow acceptance of what she should have done with my father's care, but because of hope and last resorts, didn't allow herself. When someone you love is dying it is so hard to acknowledge that they will cease to exist. You push and push the huge rock up the hill, but eventually it will roll right over you.
Feeding my father "healthy" food made my mother, somehow believe, that it would slow his illness. Since my father's death my mother has also buried her mother and father - her attitude about care completely changed - I remember when my grandfather lay dying in the hospital my mother's main concern was to make him comfortable and although she tried to make my grandmother's meals more "healthy" urging her not to eat sugar (she was slightly diabetic) she did so quietly (my grandmother died suddenly, unlike my father or grandfather).
In retrospect it was funny when I was going through chemo to cure a very curable cancer, my mother lavished all kinds of bad food on me, because I craved it. Mashed potatoes and (bloody)steak were the staples in my mother's kosher home. Although she made drink the yukiest juice every morning (raw beet, 2 apples, carrots, and celery) - she never reprimanded me about or denied me food, letting me have the little pleasure I could.
Having been around terminally ill people and having come to the conclusion that it is better to have quality over quantity I was really struck by the closing of the article:

My father last sat for a family dinner two nights before he died. I’d been the only one in the kitchen, but it was as if two daughters had been cooking. One of us still believed she could rescue her father; she had fixed pork tenderloin in a no-salt marinade and a salad with oven-roasted tomatoes. The other daughter acknowledged something her father had come to understand years earlier. She’d put together a pudding that held nothing back. It had cream, five eggs, sugar and a transgressive dose of salt.

Hospice literature suggests that the dying often lose interest in food. My father did. He looked, mystified, at all I’d set out. “Now, who is going to eat this?” he marveled, and while everyone else ate, he and I just held hands.

Then, at the sound of a beer being opened, a mischievous light entered his face. “Hey,” he said. “I’ll have some of that!”

My sister caught my eye. We shrugged. There is a love that concerns itself with the tides inside the body, with organs and arteries (and the fact that alcohol and sublingual morphine don’t exactly mix). There at the table, I finally understood. We were past this kind of love.

It's hard to let go and accept the ultimate outcome - death, but when you do, so many priorities fall into place, it's the acceptance that is the hardest part. There's no trying, there's just being. And to be honest, I try to live, but often fail as though it's always time for beer and pie.

Carter Senile Fool

According to former President Carter, Hamas should be taken off the terrorist list. Also he thought it would be swell some unicorns at the local zoo. The nicest thing I can say about Carter is that he is probably senile anti-Semite.

Carter, a chief defender of the U.S.-designated terror group, said Tuesday he will meet with officials in the Obama administration in two days to discuss his latest trip to the Middle East.

Meanwhile, two Palestinian sources told FOX News that the group had discovered two roadside bombs planted near a crossing between Israel and Gaza on a path Carter's convoy took to meet with the group's leaders.

Carter was granted special waivers by the U.S. Secret Service allowing him to enter Gaza. Employees of the U.S. executive branch are not allowed into the strip since a roadside bomb killed three U.S. security personnel in 2003.

Bolton Sets the Record On Iran

John Bolton reminding that the Iranian election is much more complex than good guys vs. bad guys. However, I don think it's a step in the right direction, Iranians are sick of their government, they need outside support help topple the Islamic Revoulution.

The media’s endlessly incorrect narrative about struggles between “moderates” and “hard-liners” within the Islamic Revolution of 1979 will doubtless continue, because abandoning it now would be admitting the intellectual poverty of three decades of Western reporting. It would have been easier if outsiders had from the outset understood the debate between the regime’s moderates and hard-liners this way: Hard-liners like Ahmadinejad want to continue Iran’s nuclear weapons and ballistic missile programs and boast about “wiping Israel off the map.” By contrast, the moderates want to continue Iran’s nuclear and ballistic missile programs but remain silent, thus more effectively deluding many willing Westerners.

Make no mistake, as the post-election demonstrations have demonstrated, there is enormous opposition to Iran’s existing government structure, and indeed to the entire Islamic Revolution of 1979. Young people (those under 30 constitute approximately 70 percent of the total population) are unhappy and know they could have a different life if freed from harsh clerical rule. Economic grievances are massive, after 30 years of theologians mismanaging the economy. And ethnic discontent (only about 50 percent of the population is Persian) is widespread.

But giving effect to this discontent was never in the cards in the June 12 election, which was intended to bolster the Islamic Revolution, not to undercut it. Outsiders, including Obama, conflated the seething national discontent with the sham election process and simply misunderstood what was actually happening. Such dramatic misperception of political reality inside Iran, does not, needless to say, bode well for overall U.S. policy toward Iran’s nuclear and terrorist threats.

Hair Update

The short hair is starting to enter that awkward phase - where I don't want to cut it but the head is starting to resemble a poof ball.

FYI

(Because I Haven't Been A Total Perv For A While.) Girls check out other girls' boobs. We can't help it, it just happens. Inspired by this quote.

Mysteries

People just look better thinner. I don't really understand why, but they do. I mean I know people who are thin and then they get thinner and I really do think they look better, and they weren't even fat to begin with.

Except older people, I think there was some study that said you look a little younger when you are heavier at a later time in your life.

Protest the Violence Against Iranians

"We are totally Shocked and Numb. Our Friends are getting killed by Ahmadinejad's militia. This is not just an Iranian Issue anymore; it is a Human Right issue. Everybody in Greater Boston Area, let’s gather together to condemn this violence and to support Iranian people. This is also in support of Iranian protest tomorrow in Tehran and other cities of Iran.

Protest the Iranian government's failure to recognize Mir Hossein Moussavi as the true winner of the Iranian Elections. They say that Mahmoud Ahmadinejad won by a 2:1 margin, nearly impossible given the support Moussavi has amongst the Iranian people. They claim that Moussavi even lost in his hometown. These elections have been rigged.

Please come to show your support for the citizens of Iran, who have risked their lives to protest the election. Wear green, bring signs, get ready to protest the disenfranchisement of Iranians!

Spread the Word Please and Invite your friends, families and everyone…

Date: Tuesday, June 16, 2009
Time: 5:00pm - 8:00pm
Location: In Front of Boston City Hall
One City Hall Square
Boston, MA

On Advertising

I hate the stupid Drinkability ads by Bud Light, way to lower standards for everyone guys. I thought all beer should be, oh I don't know, drinkable!?! However here's my interpretation of the thought process that went into designing this ad campaign:

Moron 1: Our product tastes like piss. I know! Lets make a marketing campaign about how people can drink this piss tasting drink!

Moron 2: So we are selling the point that it's a beer one can drink! Brilliant.

Moron 1: Yeah, it's so stupid, people will be forced to talk about it. Maybe buy Bud Light for ironic value, like hipsters buy PBR - bring it to parties and scream "Drinkability!". Or some random blogger will find it good fodder for her blog to bitch about how stupid one must be to buy into the idea of "Drinkability" so stupid that it's brilliant because the stupidity stays with you and you're forced to remember the ad and write about on your blog.

Speaking of PBR, this is hilarious. via Crosblog

Cheers!

Twitter of the Day

Iranian dissidents want to know why Obama's on the sidelines: http://tr.im/oyEj Well, put yourself in his shoes: What's in it for HIM? - JTlol

I love when Rachel Lucas blogs about politics.

Iran Election Round Up

Iran: A Nation of Bloggers - highlights the difference between the people of Iran and the government. (Really well done except the begining where they compare Bush and the Pope to Castro and Ahmadinejad.)

IRAN: A Nation Of Bloggers from ayrakus on Vimeo.

Twitter has rescheduled their maintenance to accommodate the events in Iran.

12 Students killed in Iran, the aftermath at Tehran University of the savagery and destruction.


Obama's not so "clear" message of support. The Iranian people need to hear we are standing with them.



Obama is not giving the Iranians the credit that they are smart enough to know when the anti-American propaganda is being shoved down their throats, they are protesting because the know better Mr. President.
Also I still don't get this "tough diplomacy" and "diplomacy with no illusions" what is backing this "tough dialogue" - more talk. Also this statement upset me:
"I am troubled by the situation in Iran, and it would be wrong to remain silent." It's so self serving, like look at me I'm DOING THE RIGHT THING, at least that's how it strikes me.

I miss Bush in times like these.

Drooling

Over photos of European libraries. So gorgeous.




via the tons of fwd my mother sends me!

No Sunglasses Needed

So for about a week and half there hasn't more than a sliver of sunshine. Today is another rainy day. Which leads me to conclude that rain is only good for one thing only, taking naps in your car - best thing ever.

Iran's Election

I don't really have much to say except that I'm amazed by how brave Iranians are being and really hope (although I doubt it) that the Obama administration or any other Western power helps with the Democratic process. I'm following IranRigged twitter feed for updates. I'm really hoping something good will come of it.

"We are going to stay in the streets and ask the mullahs to give fatwas that Ahmedinejad is not our president. We are going to ask the Leader, through the will of the people, to change his mind," said Mostafa Makhmalbaf, who is speaking to the foreign press on Mousavi's behalf from his home in Paris.

"I don't think we can do a total Revolution in Iran but we can make some change," he told ABC News, describing what would be an unprecedented reversal for the Islamic Republic.

Update: Sign the petition for Google Earth to update its images so the protest can followed. (It might help..who knows.)

Update 2: WH response:

That said, the primary concerns the White House has about Iran are not about free and fair elections. The concerns are: Iran's pursuit of nuclear weapons and its support for terrorism.

"We have to deal with the Iran that we have rather than the Iran that we wish we had," says the official.

Suddenly the Obama administration is about being a realist instead of "Hope!" & "Change!" Way to be a bold and different leader President Obama, glad you are not willing to help the oppressed and who want real democracy. Gag inducing really.

I Love British Rap

"Our House Is Dadless" by Kid British. It's funny and poignant at the same time.


Peter has introduced me to a few British rappers and I have to say I think they are funnier and more interesting than most American rappers out there. They are self-deprecating and tend to observe real life instead of bragging about how they are number one and how the many women they have slept with. I mean I still find say, Jay-Z to be an amazing rapper but he is more of a anomaly than the rule and he tends to constantly brag (which is his wont since he is great) but it's not something I necessarily want to listen to all the time. (I should note I know like zero about hip-hop.)
via Englishman in New York

*I have Bitish feva and the only way to cure is more British stuff!

A Legitimate Banksy Exhibition

Even though I'm not a huge fan of Banksy's political statements (the guy likes to pat himself on the back for "standing up" for freedom and other values the West has held as important for centuries), I do love (most) of his work. He has installed a whole show, under a whole lot of secrecy, in Bristol's City Museum and Art Gallery.
I love that he has kept his identity a secret, since that also lends to a bit of suspense in his art. It's like the White Stripes b.s. back story, is it a bit pretentious? Yes. Does made up stuff and secrets work well in the art world? Yes. So I actually congratulate him for keeping his anonymity thus far.

I would totally fly to England to visit this exhibition if I could. Video will suffice for now.

Hat tip: Peter

Netanyahu's Speech

DrewM over at ace's has an excellent post about the speech. He touches on the points I would, if I was a coherent writer. However what struck was the link he provides to the Washington Post story, if look at the slide show accompanying the article you will see this message, typical Israelis (Jews) could care less about the speech, religious Muslims are holding their breath listening to the speech to see what is their fate, and also Israelis hate Obama and think he is anti-Semite. Seriously. The photography is midblowingly biased. Pretty disgusting in fact, but that's not new.

I loved this part, Netanyahu dispelling Obama's explanation that because of the Holocaust Israel was established:

There are those who say that if the Holocaust had not occurred, the state of Israel would never have been established. But I say that if the state of Israel would have been established earlier, the Holocaust would not have occurred. This tragic history of powerlessness explains why the Jewish people need a sovereign power of self-defence.

Danny Devito: Method Actor

I'm a big fan of It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia, a show about four friends and their father owning the bar. It's sort of like Seinfeld, in the fact that every character is deplorable yet less Jewish, New York, and neurotic and more Irish, Philidelphia, and drunk. The clip above shows Devito, who plays the dad being drunk just like his character at 8 o'clock in the morning on the set of the show. The last few episodes of Season 3 have been so-so, less funny and more angry. I'm looking forward to season 4!

via

The Next Jackie-O ... or Not

I have largely ignoring all the slobbering the media has been doing about how gorgeous Michelle Obama is and what a huge fashion trend setter she is. I think she's a pretty enough lady, but something along the lines that I thought Laura Bush was a pretty enough lady too. If I am being brutally honest I think her rear end section is a tad too big. Plus I have this whole thing about dresses without sleeves, mainly I don't like them, and supposedly now it's the fashion de jeur to wear sleeveless dresses because of the First Lady. Except I don't know when it wasn't out of fashion since every time I go shopping for a dress it's hard to find one that has sleeves. Which brings me to this photo:

I don't know what Michelle was thinking here. She's emphasizing your widest area with different colored bows and ribbons. It looks like a 2nd grader design of a tank top..not something the First Lady chooses for herself. I think someone let their youngest daughter dress her that day or maybe Michelle is preggers and is skillfully hiding the fact by distracting with this fashion disaster. Eh, whatevs, all I know is that in terms of fashion inspiration I rather take ques from someone else.
Thanks to PN for the heads up.

Rambling on Unconnected Connection

With all the technology in the world to make us feel closer why is that so many times I feel so isolated? (For a second there I felt like a poor man's Carrie Bradshaw, ewww.) A while ago I was at a friends house who had no internet because she (and her roommate) didn't want it. I've never heard of such a thing. I mean the internet has made my life,(at times) worthwhile and here were two perfectly intelligent women choosing this for themselves. I liked their logic: basically they have found themselves using the internet aka facebook or e-mail whenever they got bored or lonely. It was a serious time filler and a way to suppress boredom.
Good points I thought, but nevertheless I liked using my internet for those things... just not all the time. But seriously looking at my internet use and well I do use it for that exact purpose, sure I learn a bunch and get some news and delicious recipe but honestly it's a way to make me feel more connected to others. And here comes the annoying word, balance, I've tried to make a balance of it - but so far to no avail, I like being glued to my computer, it's comfortable here. Okay, I really have no way of ending this blog post. I just been thinking of the fact that maybe I will be better off without the internet at home. I mean I'm reading three books right now and it's not becuase I'm super "smat" as some Bostonians would say, it's because I have lost the ability to concentrate on thing. I blame the internet.

Irresponsible Journalism

Wow, take a bunch of drunk ignorant young kids and pass it off as journalism and as real Israeli/Jewish American opinion.
This is pathetic attempt at controversy. Don't get me wrong most of these aholes are deplorable. There is real criticism of Obama, but this is just someone taking advantages of drunks. I wish I could just dismiss and say, hey just ignore these idiots. But I can't, because whenever Jews say something racist and horrible like these people int he video did it spreads and all the Jews are condemned for the remarks of small but very dumb minority. Even 50 Cent seems to had to comment on this. (I wonder if he will link the other video, where Israeli University students actually have something worth hearing to say.)

Thanks to Samtron for both links.

Update: (from Jewlicious who of course covered this 4 days ago, the actual blog entry calls for a defense of Blumenthal (the guy responsible for the piece, several commenters explain the reason not to)
Defenders of a free press must rally around Blumenthal and Dana.”

No. No. No. Blumenthal is an outsider, but Dana lives in Israel, and I would expect more of him. Yet he has been anything but straightforward about this video. It is not about free press - this very misleading. video is intended to wrongly slander Israel and Israelis.

1. The video is titled “Feeling the Hate in Jerusalem.”
Most of the “interviewees” are not Israeli, despite Dana’s initial protestations to the contrary. Clearly, the intention is present the video as a portrayal of Jerusalem, which it is not. It was all filmed in a 2 block radius, that any Israeli knows is filled with mostly American teens on various programs visiting Israel.

2. I had a brief comment back-and-forth on Dana’s blog. After he did not like my comments rebutting the claim that those on the video were Israelis at all, dual citizens or otherwise (to which he responded, at first), he decided it was ok to simple delete all the comments. Not simply close them, as he claimed. He has posted a number of posts regarding this video, which received comments, and nearly all of these posts (the ones with comments) have somehow disappeared completely. This is not the practice of honest journalism, and supporters of a free press should be castigating Dana, not supporting the makers of this video.

3. Further, he has now changed his view. First it was that most of the “interviewees” were Israeli and representative of society (” They were two people in this video that did not have Israeli citizenship…I am sorry but it not a tiny part of society. It is shocking but it is not small.” - comment of his that was deleted but I still have in my email). At the same time he was obscuring the point (“reflective of a huge part of the American Jewish community.”) about a video that claims to be about Jerusalem. Now he says Doubtlessly anyone who has visited Jerusalem has encountered the droves of American Jewish kids that are sent to Israel to study,” in stark contrast to his initial stance.

Later on, Dana decided to go on the offensive, claiming I attacked him and spread lies (when I had said nothing about him that wasn’t to him, or on his blog), and started ascribing other past POVs to me, in order to claim I lied.

This is not about free press at all - the video itself has about as much “news value” as a Borat sketch. I did not, initially, ascribe any malice to the makers of the video, and thought they were acting in good faith (לדון כל אדם לכף זכות). However, the unwillingness to see one’s gross mistakes, along with the evasion and cover-ups seem to me like pretty clear evidence I was wrong, and that an attempt was made to simply baselessly slander Israel and Israelis. That is what is newsworthy here.

Mark Your Calendars!!!

Mad Men Season 3 premieres August 16. Very excited!

Quote of the Day

So THAT'S how Obama is going to eliminate the deficit. Folks, we all need to start gambling, drinking, smoking and driving a LOT more. It's for the kids, ya know. - todler

Commenting on federal authorities cracking down on Internet gambling accounts. I've mentioned before my irritation with the Republican party for having such a stupid platform point. But it is kind of ridiculous to tax all the things that people find enjoyable as a way to subsidize the insane spending.

Bashing Hipsters Is Fun

And easy. I always wondered about the keys.

Mixed Messages

alternate title: The Original Suicide Girl.
from here

Embarassing Music Memories

So the other day I had the itch to listen some Bryan Adams. I loved him when I was a kid and I was feeling somewhat nostalgic, I had to actually listen to "All for Love" (the song from the horrible Three Musketeers remake). Upon listening to it, I realized I might not have had the best taste in music as a kid. And yet....nostalgia is awesome. This led me to play my first American song - the eternal voice of Richard Marx, still conjures up images of an immigrant kid with her one cassette playing the song over and over in a hot apartment.
Since I can't embed "Right Here Waiting" - but do check it's so bad, it's good. I will embed my favorite Bryan Adams' song:


Man, I loved that song, played it over and over again. I mean the guy would die for you and lie for you and even walk the wire for you (wtf?), how romantic is that? I even had a crush of Bryan Adams as I recall. So anyone else with embarrassing (yet awesome) music memories?

Reporting From The Obama Health Care Party

As the discussion began, the meetings participants immediately began firing off questions about the details of the health care plan to Sandra and the other woman who was leading the event. For all of their enthusiasm these group leaders were completely incapable of describing the particulars of the Obama plan in any coherent way. What they did understand however was that Obama’s “public option”, the government run insurance program that Obama wants to create to compete with the private insurance companies, was the first step towards the entitlement that almost everyone in that room (based on the raising of hands at the beginning of the meeting) was really longing for. That being a European style “single payer” health care system. They also understood that part of their job as grassroots activist promoting the plan was to ensure people that the plan was not going to result in “single payer”. How Obamaesque.

Read the whole thing. Via Michelle Malkin's twitter.

Cheneyku

Haikus about Cheney. Seriously awesome.

My favorite:

I'm bald and morose
I don't look good in swim trunks
Eight years, no attacks

Also good:
Arterial plaque?
Don't make me smirk, it ain't $#!+
Arugula? Yuck!

This one also amused me:
Remember, lefties
I'm not running for office
Your polls make me laugh

10 Coolest Places To Swim

I could make a whole vacation around these destinations. I've been only to one location on this list (the Dead Sea) and can attest to how cool it is. I'm really curious about the natural
"infinity pool" - The Devil’s Swimming Pool, swimming with the jelly fish also sounds intriguing. The whole list is fascinating and enticing.

P.S. One of the most beautiful experiences I have ever had has been swimming in an underground cave in Mexico, I would love to find that kind of peace, beauty, and mystery again.

Fashion Smashion

So I kind of have like zero fashion sense. I mean I know what looks good and what doesn't. And I'm defintely vain, I like looking in the mirror and sometimes I even like picking out my outfit. However, as far as the latest trends or being daring in the closet, well it's just not me. A while back shortly before I got diagnosed with lymphoma, I decided that collars were going to be my thing. I loved this dress for example:

It was simple, yet classic and with a collar.

Because of some my scarring I can't have my neck/collarbone area showing too much, at least not for a year - so that the scars will heal better. Thus my fashion sense before cancer has morphed into a real functional need to find clothes that cover me. I just found this site, shabby apple, and they make the kind of dresses I love, slightly old fashioned but inventive and fun - plus their whole philosophy is about the dress being a one stop outfit, without the need for cardigans or tank tops to cover your self up. I'm very shy about the way my arms look, so I tend to look for dresses with sleeves, simple right? Actually, not as simple as you think, because of this I went to my prom in a horrible light blue puff monstrosity, where was the awesome internet then? Also whenever I purchase dresses, I always need to make sure I have cardigan underneath, otherwise the girls get a little too much exposure. And I don't like to be the kind of girl who has to rely on her rack to get attention, although I've been known to flaunt it from time to time. Anyhoo, if you are girl and even the tinsiest bit into dresses I recommend their website and as soon as I lose two dress sizes (and I will) I will probably purchase a dress from them. (If you want to get 15% off enter the code: ShabbyApple15off via.)

GM Reinvention Spoof

Brilliant parody of GM's reinvention campaign. via Ken

I Want One Right Now

nataliedee.com

Priorities

Having dinner with your wife at a romantic French restaurant or commemorating D-Day officially with the French? Hard choice to make for our President it seems. I'm glad that when the shit hits the fan, Obama's marriage will still be strong. Remember when people on the left decried our tattered relationship with our allies like France? Doesn't seem to be much of a priority or big deal anymore.

(By the way, I couldn't find the original article where the French felt snubbed by the President, for not you know fulfilling his diplomatic duty and instead having a sightseeing trip. I did find the article I linked, which almost made gag a bit. I can't believe someone actually typed this with a straight face:

Media scrutiny of the family was intense. The French are confirmed fans of the Obamas, whose politics and elegant style conform to their ideal vision of the United States. The couple makes frequent appearances on the covers of French magazines. Michelle Obama, whose wardrobe choices are analyzed, gets an A-plus for sartorial glamor, natural poise and sheer intelligence.

Or this meaty quote, by the restaurant owner:
"I saw God before me," he said, "because I saw this smile that a million people have seen around the world. I saw her (Michelle) radiant. ... It's idiotic, but it's like that."
Yes sir, it is idiotic. Good grief.)

3 Years and 1 day Ago.....

Wishing my sister and brother-in-law lots of love, happiness, health, and successes!


Our family grew that year and it has grown more since! Mazel tov!

For Dawn

Free Donuts At Krispy Kreme. Sort of free donuts at Dunkin Donuts (one has to purchase medium or bigger coffee).

What is about weddings that makes people all creative and shit?

Seriously, some of the best cool stuff on the internet somehow involves a f. wedding - DIY projects, videos, and food! Anyway, I saw this wedding invitation video and thought it was fun. It also features a song by Vampire Weekend, which I recognized because Peter has played it for me, I like it and it fits the video so well.


via Neatorama

Question Of The Evening

Why is it when celebrities break up, it always mentions that the two are still "good friends" and "being mature about it" and if there are kids involved, "keeping them a priority." Sometimes I just wish the truth would come out - "we hate each other's guts, I have wasted x years of my life together, I hope you get herpes from the whore you cheated on me on!" That would be so much more refreshing.

Apples to Oranges

What Obama did, comparing the Holocaust to the treatment of palestinians by Israelis, is pretty disgusting. As Ace points out, he didn't need to go back sixty years to find Jews/Israelis suffering at the hands of palestenians (suicide bombings, rockets, and kidnappings come to mind). However, I have one question why are the palestinians treated differently than any other refugee out there? Over and over again? Why aren't people decrying the Jewish refugees of Muslim countries? Oh that's right because Israel took their brethren in. While the Arab world refused to.

Around the world, the Jewish people were persecuted for centuries, and anti-Semitism in Europe culminated in an unprecedented Holocaust. Tomorrow, I will visit Buchenwald, which was part of a network of camps where Jews were enslaved, tortured, shot and gassed to death by the Third Reich. Six million Jews were killed - more than the entire Jewish population of Israel today. Denying that fact is baseless, ignorant, and hateful. Threatening Israel with destruction - or repeating vile stereotypes about Jews - is deeply wrong, and only serves to evoke in the minds of Israelis this most painful of memories while preventing the peace that the people of this region deserve.

On the other hand, it is also undeniable that the Palestinian people - Muslims and Christians - have suffered in pursuit of a homeland. For more than sixty years they have endured the pain of dislocation. Many wait in refugee camps in the West Bank, Gaza, and neighboring lands for a life of peace and security that they have never been able to lead. They endure the daily humiliations - large and small - that come with occupation. So let there be no doubt: the situation for the Palestinian people is intolerable. America will not turn our backs on the legitimate Palestinian aspiration for dignity, opportunity, and a state of their own.

Obama really needs a history lesson.

More Eye Candy (and some advice for the ladies & men)

I really love how sexy yet laid back she looks in this one:

This one is also nice, but the dress looks a little weird on her figure. I "love" how her figure is thought of as revolutionary in Hollywood. I would kill to be that kind of "voluptuous."


On a related note, I think one of the things that Mad Men reminds us (or at least me) - is too look presentable wherever you go out in public. Amy Alkon aka Advice Goddess, who I love but for some reason forget to read, points out the need to dress well (I think it applies to men as well).

Too many American women complain to me that they can't get boyfriends, yet can't imagine that their running around in big ugly pants and big ugly shoes, with no attention to their hair or face would have anything to do with it. A more European approach that's mostly true (and partly in the service of selling beauty products): "There are no ugly women, only lazy ones." -- Helena Rubenstein.

On a side note, last week during the Torah studies two girls (getting ready for their Bat Mitzvah's) showed up in pajamas, they proceeded to ignore the rabbi the whole time - gossiping and laughing the whole time. What kind of parent lets their child out in pajamas especially if they are going to Synagogue? A little respect?

Law & Order of Love

For that special someone who loves Law & Order, which you know is like saying "a person that breathes." I have yet to find a person who hates that show. (More here.)

From Brandon Bird

My Two Favorite Things: Joe Biden & Ninjas

"I dont think there is a sadder story in America right now than the continued poor performance of ninjas" - Joe The Biden

via Treacher's Twitter
(Who himself had a brilliant "quote" this morning: "Olbermann kills soldiers? http://tr.im/niFT Of course not, unless you apply his own logic to him. He only kills ratings. http://tr.im/niG9"

It's More Fun

To play air drums than air guitar while driving in your car from the gym when it's evening and no one can see you.

Petitedov Would Punch Timmy

Zappos is known for their really great customer service. Part of my job is customer service, I don't know how they do it. But I guess allowing your employees to be themselves or something, really works:

You are now chatting with Jonathan
Jonathan: Hello Timmy. How can I help you?
Timmy: do you know how wide the G-Shock Atomic Solar - AWG101 SKU #7403774 is?
Timmy: i mean, how big a wrist it would fit?
Timmy: Timmy has a big fat wrist
Timmy: Timmy need watch grande
Jonathan: I’ll see what I can find out for Timmy.
Timmy: awesome. and can we please continue to talk about Timmy in the 3rd person? Timmy likes to boost Timmy’s ego by talking about Timmy that way
Jonathan: Jonathan would be happy to neglect the use of pronouns for the duration of this conversation.
Timmy: Jonathan and Timmy shall get along just fine
Jonathan: Will Timmy be able to measure Timmy’s wrist?
Timmy: Timmy’s wrist is big, but not Biggie-Smalls big. Timmy doesn’t have the required measurement instruments.
Timmy: Timmy is 6′4″ 220lbs if that helps Jonathan
Jonathan: Luckily, that is roughly the size of Jonathan’s brother, so that does help.
Jonathan: Jonathan thinks that this watch will work out well for Timmy. The watch’s circumference is 9 inches, so it will probably fit around Timmy’s wrist.

Just Because Girls Are Prettier To Look At

Hot:


Hotter:


Sometimes the derriere doesn't get its due. Gorgeous dress, gorgeous bum.Okay now I'm going stop being a pervy old man.

Update: Emilio De La Morena designed the dress. I liked his designs.

Song of the Day

Juicy - Notorious B.I.G.

I still don't know how to post musical files. :(

Account of the Tiananmen Square Photograph

As the tanks neared the Beijing Hotel, the lone young man walked toward the middle of the avenue waving his jacket and shopping bag to stop the tanks. I kept shooting in anticipation of what I felt was his certain doom. But to my amazement, the lead tank stopped, then tried to move around him. But the young man cut it off again. Finally, the PSB (Public Security Bureau) grabbed him and ran away with him. Stuart and I looked at each other somewhat in disbelief at what we had just seen and photographed.

I think his action captured peoples’ hearts everywhere, and when the moment came, his character defined the moment, rather than the moment defining him. He made the image. I was just one of the photographers. And I felt honored to be there.

- Charlie Cole

Three different accounts of taking the photo of the Man in the White shirt who stood up to the Chinese tanks. Very interesting and powerful accounts, especially conveying the tension of the situation on the ground.

via Kottke who excerpted the same quote, but I felt it was the best from the three as well.

Quote of the Day II

"People accepting or bragging of the cynicism of their ideas breaks my heart. As though the hatred of humanity were somehow grown-up and hip" - Penn Jillette

Quote of the Day

"One cannot think well, love well, sleep well, if one has not dined well. "
~ Virginia Woolf

FYI - I like Sushi and little hole in the wall Italian restaurants. Home meals by my boyfriend, my mother, sister, and PN are also accepted. Just saying.

via Foodimentary

10 Questions You Had But Were Too Lazy to Google

10 Common Phenomena Explained. Some stuff I know, still it's good to brush up on esoteric knowledge.

via Frangry

Bruno/Eminem Incident at the MTV Awards was Staged

Had to be.

via hot air

Literal Version of Total Eclipse of the Heart

This had me in stiches ninety percent of time. It's pure awesomness, especially the background guy.

via Rachel Lucas

Postsecret for all the bloggers out there...

Come to the Lighthouse International Film Festival

The Lighthouse Festival is organized by Charlie Prince, whom I met on several occasions and he has always blown me away with his vast knowledge of films and things that pertain to film. (Also the guy has a wicked sense of humor - basically his knowledge + humor = very fun person to be around!) So besides having an awesome website on all things film, he is also an entertainment attorney, and has organized what looks like a fantastic line up of films and panels.

The Lighthouse International Film Festival is taking place in Long Beach Island, NJ from June 4-7th. I am going to try to go this weekend, so if you are the Tri-State area I suggest buying a ticket to one of the many interesting films/panel discussions. Knowing that Charlie is involved in this effort assures me that the Festival will be worth the trip. Their website is pretty cute too, not too cute mind you, but just right go check it out!

via Karol at Alarming News who is helping promote this great event.