Anarchy in the AM

COW XX -- 20 Years of Crusty Old Wave!

2011-10-03T02:47:00.001-07:00

WPRK threw a party and invited me ... and, by proxy, you ... to a celebration of 20 years since the first episode of what would become Chas’ Crusty Old Wave. I returned to Florida for the first time in nearly two years, and we did not one but two two-hour shows featuring the music we all love so much -- the red-headed stepkids of the 80s!

Today, three months after the event, we present the first of the two anniversary shows, hosted by Phantom Third Channel and myself. We get on terribly well and giggle like schoolgirls reading Tiger Beat magazine when we talk about music and bands and records and stuff, and this shows in our several extended conversation breaks -- but don't worry, there's lots of great music there, with an emphasis on Brian Eno, David Bowie and Elvis Costello. A lot of the tunes on this episode slot neatly into that all-too-brief era between the fall of UK punk and the rise of commercial "alternative" music. For a bit there, before MTV and in a few cases even before punk rock, there was a period where Weird Was Good. We touch on a lot of that with things like the Stiff Records single You'll Always Find Me in the Kitchen at Parties by Jona Lewie, or Bruce Woolley's original take on Video Killed the Radio Star, or Bow Wow Wow's call for sonic revolution, C30 C60 C90 Go!.

We also hit some songs that are sheer nostalgia for me personally, within and without the New Wave movement -- such as Love and Loneliness the most over-produced record in the world, and Monochrome Set's odd little B-I-D Spells Bid, one of the very few songs written by and about the lead singer of the band. There's also some Ultravox from both "eras" of the band, some bona-fide classics like Gary Numan's Me! I Disconnect From You and more. You can grab your copy from the website or directly from iTunes.

Enjoy.

COW your head -- the epic Episode #19 is complete!

2011-06-12T14:28:00.002-07:00

Like the relief felt at the completion of the end of the Lord of the Rings, I have managed to split a massive six-hour (well, five after editing) show into two parts, including artwork and for the most part very high audio quality into two great new episodes of Chas’ Crusty Old Wave (actually, its predecessor Chas n Gwen’s Pop Pajama Party), both parts of which you can now download directly from the website or via iTunes.

As was the case with Chas n Gwen’s Pop Pajama Party more so than the later solo show, we mix up the 80s songs with a healthy helping of music from the very early 90s, to great effect in my opinion. This far on, only the most dedicated collectors and historians of the New Wave era will remember specifically that bands like They Might Be Giants (for example) weren’t part of the original New Wave movement, but of the first wave of great stuff that came after it, so it all ends up a bit of a wash of nostalgia. Looking back, it’s kinda cool to see the obvious impact the punk aftermath had on artists that were actually paying attention -- before that awful grunge crap came around and ruined everything for a while.

I'd suggest -- if you think you can stand five hours of 80s, 90s and Chas with his multiple personalities -- downloading both parts of episode 19 and use them as a good workout tape or just for revelling in memories of your own misspent youth. There’s a heck of a lot of great stuff in there. Enjoy.

Fall Back, Spring COW

2011-05-02T00:37:00.001-07:00

With the flowers and warmer weather comes a great new episode of Chas' Crusty Old Wave (actually, its predecessor Chas n Gwen's Pop Pajama Party), part one of which you can now download directly from the website or via iTunes. Part two of this (originally) six-hour funfest will arrive next month, and we hope you will subscribe (it’s free) so that new somewhat-monthly-ish episodes are automatically delivered to your computer.

I’m very pleased in particular with the audio quality on this episode, given the age of the tapes -- there is still a hint of carrier-wave static and normal FM compression as always, but for the most part you won’t even notice it. Mainly because you’ll probably be dancing around your kitchen a lot -- this is some seriously great tunes.

On Torture, WikiLeaks and Our Lost Sanity

2010-12-07T03:44:00.002-08:00

Torture, WikiLeaks and our lost sanity is a remarkable essay that recently appeared in our local paper, and neatly sums up a lot of what I’ve been thinking about recent events. I don’t agree with every sentence of it, but I must bow to the logic of it and wonder whatever happened to rational leaders ... and the public that was supposed to hold them to account. When we express our contempt for politicians, aren’t they for the most part the easy targets hiding the real problem -- an apathetic public that whines a lot but doesn’t actually maintain their end of the “checks and balances” needed for government and society to function effectively?

A Parable

2010-11-26T01:57:00.000-08:00

The always entertaining Ruben Bolling strikes again

It's Fall, and the COWs are Turning

2010-11-02T14:03:00.001-07:00

The (ahem) October episode of Chas’ Crusty Old Wave is now available via the website or directly from iTunes. We’ve been very pleased with the attention the show has been getting lately, and we hope you will subscribe (it’s free) so that new more-or-less monthly episodes are automatically delivered to your computer.

I want to particularly highlight Liz Langley’s contribution to this (and other) episodes, her “Horror-Scopes” are always a comedic delight and this show features a specially-written one for the holidays that’s just plain hilarious.

Oh, and there’s also a crapload of great 80s tunes, a nice mix of stuff you’ll have heard before and maybe a few songs or artists you aren’t that familiar with. Please do check it out.

Yeah, Pretty Much This.

2010-10-10T01:51:00.000-07:00

MWA-HAHAHAHA!

2010-08-31T03:57:00.000-07:00

Light Summer Listening: The August Episode of COW

2010-08-29T16:13:00.000-07:00

Back on schedule, or at least my schedule ... the August episode of Chas’ Crusty Old Wave is now available via the website or directly from iTunes. We’ve been very pleased with the attention the show has been getting lately, and we hope you will subscribe (it’s free) so that new monthly episodes are automatically delivered to your computer.

Not many shows have the cahones to play The Fabulous Poodles in this day and age, no sir. Plus there’s a nice set of International (read: non-English) New Wave at the beginning, plus plenty of familiar favourites from bands like A Flock of Seagulls and Bananarama. Toss in a pair of Naked Weather Girls™ and now we’re cookin’ with gas.

But it’s not just great 80s music, you know -- there’s also some goofy government PSAs, a bit of Monty Python and some Barnes & Barnes, and a pro-life message from the Pork Institute as well. But yes, it’s mostly light, fun 80s music. Enjoy.

Moar Chartz Pls

2010-08-18T17:02:00.000-07:00

What I find most interesting about the chart below is not the obvious difference in the tax plans of the two US parties, but instead what's so similar: for well over 95% of the public, the real differences in the amount you’ll pay wouldn’t even amount to a week’s groceries.

That said, the Republican plan would clearly destroy the economy. It’s not enough to cut taxes for the super-rich by $6700? Let me repeat that: both plans cut taxes for the super-rich from the current amount they’re paying -- the lowest (in adjusted dollars) since 1966. All this talk about how we’re overtaxing the rich -- or, indeed, anyone at all -- is just blather.

Ruh-Roh ...

2010-08-17T16:50:00.001-07:00

Via: Credit Score

Summer COW At Last!

2010-08-01T14:12:00.001-07:00

So yeah, took a little bit of an unexpected break in June there -- sorry about that -- but the now-renamed “June/July” episode of Chas’ Crusty Old Wave is now available via the website or directly from iTunes. We’ve been very pleased with the attention the show has been getting lately, and we hope you will subscribe (it’s free) so that new monthly episodes are automatically delivered to your computer.

How long has it been since you last heard Duran Duran’s “A View to a Kill?” Or “Waterfront” from Simple Minds? Or, for that matter, Monty Python’s song “Sit On My Face” on a radio broadcast? We’ve got all that and much more, including a record-breaking three Naked Weather Girls in attendance, serious public service announcements gone hilariously wrong, and a few songs you’ve probably never heard before despite having living through the 80s and 90s. Not to mention our usual mix of popular and obscure gems from throughout the Alternative era.

Two and a half hours of good radio. Hard to find these days, so download it and enjoy.

Countries Where Gay Marriage is Legal

2010-07-17T19:09:00.004-07:00

Curiously, none of these countries have a) fallen into a black hole, b) been swallowed by Satan, c) are renowned for having lower morals than any other country or d) seem to have any problems or social ills related to letting gays marry. Hmm. Interesting.

EDIT: It's been brought to my attention that a few countries that allow “civil unions” (notably England) aren’t on the list. That’s because “civil unions” are a “separate but (sometimes not very) equal” solution and we all know how well those work out.

The mistake, in my opinion, was ever having a government-sanctioned “marriage” in the first place, as it was and is an example of government endorsement of religion.

So Funny and True It Makes Me Weep With Laughter

2010-07-02T15:57:00.001-07:00

(Click on the cartoon to see it full size)

Brilliant!

2010-07-01T14:59:00.000-07:00

I’ve long admired The Onion, but this week they may have permanently topped themselves with one of the more dead-on and biting articles I’ve seen in a long while ... just in time for the 4th of July!

Area Man Passionate Defender of What He Imagines Constitution to Be

A Sentient Obsessed With the Environment

2010-06-29T18:38:00.000-07:00

And thus presumed to be mentally unstable!

Game Over BP

2010-06-07T01:41:00.001-07:00

Drill Baby Drill

2010-06-04T03:51:00.000-07:00

IfItWasMyHome.com - Visualizing the BP Oil Disaster

Top FAIL

2010-05-29T16:23:00.000-07:00

If you were wondering why everything the oil industry has tried in the Gulf of Mexico has failed, there’s actually a simple reason: because none of these tricks have *ever* worked. Check out the archival footage of an eerily similar oil disaster in the Gulf from 30 years ago and prepare to be shocked:

Visit msnbc.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy

Rachel Maddow may be primarily a commentator, but that doesn’t mean she doesn’t do some serious journalism as well. This is a good example the rest of media didn’t touch, and given how many of the bigger names in the media were all around 30 years ago, you have to wonder why.

Reposted SQUEE

2010-05-21T15:31:00.001-07:00

(Yeah, I’m cross-posting from Crawling From the USA -- what of it?)

So here’s the show we went to see last night:

and it was good. And then we waited in the chill for an hour, and we got this:

Now, depending on who you are reading this, you may be saying “holy crap you met Eddie Izzard?!” or you may be saying “that's a lot of eye shadow for a dude,” but if you don’t know, Eddie Izzard is a comic genius and movie star and we were very very pleased to get a chance to see him live after many years of hero worship. When “Stripped” comes out on DVD, or if you get a chance to see it live, we highly recommend it as a rollicking, intelligent and hilarious tour of the history of the world. As told by an action transvestite. :)

Update: The local paper’s review of the show.

Kinda Sums It Up, Don't It?

2010-05-17T14:02:00.003-07:00

March Comes In Like a Lion, Goes Out Like a COW

2010-04-02T23:57:00.002-07:00

Before we get started, I have to get this out of the way: the March episode of my award-winnable podcast, Chas' Crusty Old Wave, was in fact available in March. As in “the 31st of March.”

However, as the next day was April Fools, I didn’t want to say much about it lest I be accused of participating in that most insipid of holidays. Now, however, the coast is clear -- and I’m particularly keen on this particular episode, which is now available either via the website or directly from iTunes. We’ve been very pleased with the attention the show has been getting lately, and we hope you will subscribe (it’s free) so that new monthly episodes are automatically delivered to your iTunes.

If you’re willing to help spread the word about C-COW as we sometimes like to call it, this is a really good episode to initiate a newbie with: it’s got (IMHO) an excellent mix of well-loved and obscure New Wave, a smattering of punk and ska, some great comedy bits by Liz Langley, funny voices by moi, and even a Naked Weather Girl. Seriously, this is a lot of entertainment packed into its 2.5 hours. Chas Bob says “check it out.”

One Step at a Time, America ...

2010-03-24T13:36:00.001-07:00

One Last Look at the Olympics

2010-03-20T02:50:00.000-07:00

I’m frankly embarrassed that it took me this long to post (in this blog anyway) my latest stand-up set from Phillips Comedy Night (though I will soon be doing other gigs around town too!). It’s about the just-past Winter Olympics, and I’ve included almost the entire set this time (I usually boil it down to just one or two jokes because I may want to re-use the material).

Why? Well, I figure it will be four years (at least) before I get to re-use Olympic comedy bits, and by then you’ll all have forgotten these bon mots, so what the heck. It’s safe for work (and part of a complete breakfast). Enjoy.

PS. If you’d like, you can follow Phillips Comedy Night on the Facebook and the Twitter. If you’re in the Victoria area, it’s worthwhile to keep up with them, as the Victoria Event Centre does other comedy, improv and theatrical events as well.

A Picture and a Question

2010-03-13T09:07:00.000-08:00

First, the picture:

Now, the question:

Rush Limbaugh, whatever you may think of him politically, is:
a. Morbidly obese
b. Deaf
c. A drug addict (or if we want to be charitable, someone with a history of drug addiction)
d. Has heart trouble
e. Apparently has "Erectile Dysfunction" (caught smuggling Viagra some years back)

If he wasn’t rich, how difficult would it be for him to get insurance and medical treatment in the US?

Rachel Maddow + Graph = The SmackDown

2010-03-10T01:28:00.004-08:00

Solving the Healthcare Crisis Simply and Effectively

2010-02-28T08:39:00.000-08:00

JUST DO WHATEVER THE JAPANESE ARE DOING.

Surprise, Surprise

2010-02-22T14:46:00.000-08:00

Well whaddya know -- it turns out that the right-wingers were lying. Again.

This time, about the whole ACORN non-story. I know.

Shocking.

Eric Boehlert has the actual truth, and Digby follows up with more.

The right’s obsession with destroying what is, at best, a benign union of minority-community organizers is both fascinating and unsettling. I could certainly buy the notion that ACORN was over-funded and ineffectively-managed -- of course you could say the same thing about the Pentagon -- but the wild and ridiculous conspiracy theories that have swirled around them have become rather obvious racism over time. Their zeal is not to “clean up” ACORN (this option is never mentioned) but instead to stop it, to destroy it, to defund and dismantle it.

It’s really nothing short of a war on black community institutions, particularly any that are involved in voter registration (I guess trying the old “keep black people off the voter rolls through intimidation, deceptive ads and fraud” was making them look too Klan-like). Making sure blacks (who tend to vote Democratic) remain disenfranchised is what the modern GOP (once the party of Lincoln, some of us will sadly recall) is all about.

Every single one of their recent antics can be traced back to a racist root cause. Interesting.

Dante's Internet

2010-01-29T13:32:00.000-08:00

You can see this full size by clicking on it. Where do YOU fall on this chart? :)

The iPad - The “Goldilocks” Computer?

2010-01-27T19:27:00.002-08:00

At this writing I haven’t had a chance to view the video of the keynote yet, but I’ve heard the audio and read all the news sites and the many Mac forums I monitor.

The reaction, at least initially, reminds me a whole lot of what we got from this same community regarding the iPod at the time of its introduction. Which is to say “mixed opinion,” followed by historical revisionism as the mainstream decided (slowly) that it was actually a pretty awesome product.

As I listened and read, I too had a mixed opinion about this thing: I liked many of the ideas, but some things seemed to be missing, and I wasn’t sure that there was a place in my power-user’s life for one. I did think and do think that this new product passes the “Grandma” test in a whole new way and may well prove to be a big hit with normal people, book lovers and educators. It may even be revolutionary (starting with killing off the Kindle, the Nook and so on -- what staggeringly awkward and primitive failures of imagination those products look like now).

Then I thought about it some more. Second impression -- oh dear, I may just have to give Apple even more of my money.

As I’ve gotten busier, I have allowed all my magazine subs -- including some of the Mac mags I used to write for -- to disappear. I barely read magazines anymore, despite enjoying them. Ditto for newspapers. The iPad would make this much easier for me to do, particularly when I’m lounging in a coffeeshop/airport (or at home for that matter!). If I had spare cash, I'd be spending it on Starbucks stock (or any other chain that is also an AT&T wifi hotspot) -- I think business will be booming in a few months. Imagine being able to buy any magazine every published -- even back issues -- for a modest price and start reading them instantly. For me, at least, the doctor’s office will never be the same again.

If the AppleTV is the “den” Mac, and the MacBook/MBP is the “on the go” Mac, I think the iPad may be the “La-Z-Boy” Mac. I can certainly see myself enjoying it greatly in such a chair. :)

I’ve also been enjoying Classics on the iPhone, but have been very hesitant to get into eBooks properly. My wife has a Kindle, and it’s ... okay. The iPad, on the other hand, has real potential for eBooks (particularly that they are using the ePub format -- very smart), magazines, comic books (sorry, graphic novels), and even other written formats. Finally, I can invest some time and money into Canadian mags I’ve been wanting to check out!

So yes, I think this will inject new life into newspaper and magazine-type publications, and open the field to new voices (desperately needed, particularly on the political and investigative journalism fronts). That part, I think, I think will be revolutionary. Heck, its only been out a few hours and its already changed the eBook publishing industry, particularly when it comes to pricing.

A second example: I am typing this to you on an extended keypad attached to my BlackBook. Some years ago, I got tired of trying to keep a laptop and a desktop in sync, since I give a lot of public presentations. So I went all-laptop, and built myself a little base station here at home that the laptop plugs into. So now I carry a laptop with me on every airplane trip, carry the laptop on every presentation (and hope there’s working wifi where I’m going), carry the laptop on the ferry rides to Seattle or Vancouver. The iPhone has turned out to be quite good in a lot of these situations, allowing me on occasion to go without the laptop, but it’s never been sufficient for me to leave the laptop behind when I had any real work to do -- particularly since the main reason I travel is to do presentations, which like the lackadaisical schoolboy I used to be, often get, er, “revised” on the way to the gig.

The iPad + iWork changes that very significantly in several ways:

I can do "real work" on an iPad, whereas on an iPhone that’s all but impossible. Porting iWork over to the iPad was a stroke of serious genius.
The 3G option makes it possible for me to have internet almost anywhere, which will be a godsend to my presentations when wifi isn’t available. The minute I heard you could hook an iPad to a projector, I was almost totally sold. This is a game-changer for road warriors, educators, and maybe even students.
The greatly increased battery life means I can be away from my “base station” for a lot longer, but do almost everything I need to (including Back to My Mac if I need it). I don’t need to lug a “real computer” around with me at all anymore. My “real computer” can stay at the house, which means I can get a better/more powerful “real computer.”
9.7" screen = easier on my aging eyes. There, I said it.
Bigger than an iPhone, but still able to be used usefully in coach seating. Try that with a regular laptop. HAH!
As Steve said (and I fully concur) ... beats the crap out of a netbook for most things. Amen.
Assuming (hehheh) that Rogers (our Canadian primary 3G provider) goes along with some similar pricing for an unlimited data plan a la AT&T for the thing ... I think that will cause a revolution in its own right.

So, whereas yesterday I had been thinking about whether I wanted to finally upgrade to a 13" or 15" MBP, today I'm thinking my next computer(s) will be a 27" iMac at home (I have really been wanting one, but couldn't justify it because of my need to do presentations) and an iPad for the road. Much easier to sync, particularly for me as a MobileMe member. Much lighter. Does pretty much 100% of the things I would want to do on the road. I can have 3G when I need it, for a very reasonable price, and not pay for it when I don't need it. No contracts, no ongoing mandatory expense. Fantastic battery life. Beautiful LED backlit IPS screen. Large (albeit virtual) keyboard. All my favourite iPhone apps.

There are a few other things I could have wished for, and the first one that came to my mind was a mic. Turns out it has one, along with speakers (just wasn't mentioned in the keynote for some reason). This means I can use Skype. With Bluetooth, even. Sold!

I would have paid extra for a model with an iSight in it, and an iChat app. It would have been really nice if it had at least one in-built USB port instead of making us buy and use a little dongle, but OTOH now that functionality will (probably) be available to the iPhone/iPod Touch as well, which opens up all kinds of interesting possibilities.

So the thing's not perfect. But it’s highly, highly intriguing. I think I’ve found a place for it in my life, mostly near the couch.

Still, I have little doubt that third-parties will plug the little gaps in short order, and as Jonny Ive said “there’s no wrong way to hold it,” so using it “upside down” with a webcam attached to the dock port could be huge. My wife will never get me lost again -- I could have a GPS app on this thing!*

*It is, of course, always my wife’s fault if we get lost. ;)

Obviously this is just my life and YMMV, but I certainly predict this to be a big hit (though I suspect there will be a slow start till the accessories and apps are fully built up. That’s okay, though -- the iPod had a slow start too) and I do think it will change the world, at least a little. I think it will kill the Kindle/Nook/etc (which may have the unanticipated effect of further hurting libraries), and I think it will revitalise the magazine/graphic novel and newspaper publishing companies, take e-reading mainstream and continue to solidify Apple's grip on the media world, which has so far been pretty mutually beneficial (but I can see where some people would be concerned about that).

I think it will largely kill netbooks that aspire to be anything more than bargain-basement Microsoft Office machines. After today, they finally look like what they really are -- toys.

On the other hand, I think seniors and newbies and switchers -- and heck, most non-nerds -- would be very well-advised to give the iPad a test drive as soon as possible. I think this is exactly the right amount of computer for the average person, reformulated in a way that drops some of the barriers and makes learning it much easier. And it's a pretty fine supplement to a "real" computer even for geeks (at least, this geek).

Finally, I think the iPad will draw netbook owners who want something more, tablet owners (particularly artists) who want it done right, and adults who would have otherwise bought an iPod Touch (which is now pretty much a kid’s device). If Apple had offered a nice set of bluetooth headphones (and the aforementioned webcam) I think they would have made it just about perfect.

I'm sure I'll have more to say about this later, but those are my initial thoughts.

HAHAHA ... er, Yeah ...

2010-01-22T05:12:00.003-08:00

Heh

2010-01-20T03:09:00.002-08:00

see more Friends of Irony

Obama the Miracle Worker!

2010-01-16T13:00:00.000-08:00

He (and Bill Clinton) have gotten George W. Bush -- finally -- to care about the plight of poor brown-skinned people.

It’s a Christmas New Year’s political fucking miracle.

2010: The Year We Make COW-ntact

2010-01-10T02:39:00.001-08:00

January’s episode of my new-to-you podcast, Chas' Crusty Old Wave, is now available either via the website or directly from iTunes. We’ve been very pleased with the attention the show has been getting lately, and we hope you will subscribe (it’s free) so that new monthly episodes are automatically delivered to your iTunes.

This particular episode features a short interview with Orlando band Potential Frenzy, part of an exceptionally good local-band scene Orlando was blessed with in the mid-90s. You really did need to go out three or four nights a week back then if you wanted to catch all the good stuff going on around town. Last I looked, there are still a fair few interesting combos doing the club circuit, so wherever you live, make a new year's resolution to check out and support local music!

Of course, the show also features plenty of the 80s-era crustiness you’ve come to expect, plus a few surprises -- including a very rarely-heard Monty Python bit!

Enjoy.

Style v Substance

2010-01-08T12:09:00.000-08:00

Nuff Said.

2010-01-04T15:39:00.003-08:00

Only Some People Will Get This ...

2009-12-24T14:23:00.001-08:00

... but they will find it funny.

Beckerhead

2009-12-23T05:53:00.000-08:00

Ruben Bolling hits another one out of the park ...

So True

2009-12-20T18:40:00.000-08:00

The Only Advantage of Getting Older ...

2009-12-06T21:58:00.000-08:00

... is that you have a higher chance of getting references like this:

You can see more of this sort of thing here.

Not Quite a Year Later ...

2009-11-26T03:27:00.003-08:00

So, how’s Obama doing after 10 months or so on the job?

In my opinion, he’s doing pretty damn good, frankly. Not magically solving problems as fast as I’d like, of course -- and not doing everything I would do exactly the way I’d do it if I were Dictator of Amerika -- but pretty good. I think people tend to forget that most of his job for at least the first two years (if not his entire first term) is/will be just turning the ship of state around. Things were very very very very very very very bad this time last year, and things still aren’t good, but an awful lot of the damage has at least been halted, and some has been reversed. The smaller the problem, the quicker it’s gotten some positive change in direction. The really big stuff (the wars, the economy/jobs and Guantanamo) are taking a long time to fix, but let’s face facts -- Obama got left with a lot of complicated shit to deal with, fixing that doesn’t happen overnight. You didn’t get whitening strips on a Thursday and had a model smile the following Monday, kapish?

The time to evaluate Obama as a president and take corrective action (if needed) is still three years away, IMHO. Americans tend to see Congressional mid-terms as a referendum on the presidential administration, which it can be sometimes, but really voters should not use it that way. It should be a referendum on Congress, which all too often gets a free pass on how poorly they generally do their jobs. It should specifically be a referendum on your congresspeople, but of course most of you out there can't even name your congresspeople, much less tell if they deserve to keep their jobs. That’s the real problem, you know.

If that ever changed, I think both the executive and specifically the legislative branch would do their jobs a lot better.

Anyway, considering that Obama (and all Democrats, for that matter) have a dedicated 20% of Americans actively working against them, another 20% that are just fearful of any sort of change without really thinking it through, and considering that Congress has been (particularly in the last decade or so) spectacularly bad at actually representing the mainstream will of their constituents, I’d have to say Obama has done as well as anyone could reasonably expect. Let me put it another way: if I were a Republican and had voted for John McCain, and he had done as well in getting his agenda done as Obama has, I’d be FLABBERGASTED. In fact, I'd be surprised he wasn't already dead of a stress-induced heart attack, and you know what that would mean ...

But oh noes! According to Gallup, the non-stop, multimedia, never-ending, shrill and fantasy-based barrage of race-based criticism (apart from the much lower degree of non-race-based, non-hysterical legitimate criticism) has had (gasp) some effect! Obama is losing support among whites (who as we all know still rule the entire universe and are thus the only people who matter)!

Wow, that sure looks bad! But wait -- what if we check out only Democrats?

Oh, I see -- the headlines are just (yet) another example of How to Lie With Statistics! So the meme that white people are abandoning Obama is actually false -- it’s just that the Republican party is now so 100% white-based and so composed of white-fear paranoid nutbags that once they get past their proud-of-America optimism and go back to watching Faux Noise again -- being constantly reminded that Obama hunts, kills and eats middle-aged white people for sport -- they turn against him and back into partisan douchebags! Oh, okay, got it!

Sure, Obama has lost some support among white Democrats too, but I’d wager good money most of those are from the south and west, strongholds of “conservative” Dems. And you’ll notice that when it comes to positive feelings about Obama, Gallup lumps all minorities together instead of breaking out “Blacks” the way they did “Whites.” Now you might argue that “Blacks” are naturally going to be supportive of Obama, but “Nonwhites” includes everything from Hispanics to Chinese. What’s their motivation to be supportive?

Say, anyone remember Gallup making a big deal out of the fact that President Bush enjoyed a whopping TWO percent approval rating among blacks? Anyone remember Gallup breaking out President Bush's approval rating by race groups? No?

You know why? Because they didn’t. Gosh, it sure is funny that they do it now, isn’t it? Somehow I think this poll says a lot more about Gallup (or perhaps more accurately, whomever paid Gallup to do this poll) than it does about Obama ...

Tech Fiction

2009-11-23T07:43:00.001-08:00

h/t to MacInquirer.

The Tao of the Dow

2009-11-21T21:36:00.001-08:00

(Tom the Dancing Bug is a marvellous comic and I recommend you check it out!)

COW, or TBMUH? Answers Below!

2009-11-17T05:55:00.001-08:00

By an odd quirk of fate, this month’s epsisode of Chas' Crusty Old Wave! is another ALL-NEW episode, born from my recent trip to Florida and an invitation to appear on one of their regular shows, The Bum Magnet’s UnHappy Hour, normally hosted by Miss Badkitty Herself but this one was co-hosted by myself and DJ Phantom Third Channel (the kids today, they use the aliases).

Between us we cooked up a nice mix of current “cool indie” college music and classic Crusty Old Wave stuff, the kind you expect from your humble narrator. It was a hell of a lot of fun.

You can of course also find our podcast directly through iTunes, and just this once I’ve also made an MP3 version for the two people on Earth who still don’t have iPods, poor souls.

So please enjoy: The Bum Magnet’s UnHappy Hour on WPRK!

Florida Trip, Day Three: 30-Oct-2009

2009-11-16T01:46:00.004-08:00

Okay, so having kicked off with a great date at WPRK, then failed in one of my primary objectives (getting our picture stash out of storage -- though I did get a wonderful haircut!) and succeeded in another (fun times with family), it was time to move on to the other reason I came down this particular weekend: a Doctor Who convention!

I’m a sucker for a great time at a nerd-fest, and I’ve been to Doctor Who conventions on two continents multiple times each. For the past 20 years, there have been primarily two DW cons in the US: some organisation putting one on in Chicago, usually over Thanksgiving weekend; and one in Los Angeles called Gallifrey One (oh, and an annual Who-themed cruise event, often tying in with one of these two conventions). Others are held throughout most of the English-speaking world, in England, Canada and Australia on a more-or-less annual basis, and there have been smaller, less exclusively Who-based events in other places in the past (Boston, Atlanta and even a few events I had a hand in waaaay back when in central and south Florida).

Suddenly, the show has started to catch on with mainstream TV SF watchers, and it (along with its spinoff Torchwood) have attracted a new generation of fans. San Diego’s ComicCon hosted some of the stars from both shows this past July, it was like seeing the Beatles hit America all over again. Consequently, a new event had been added to the North American fan’s list of Doctor Who cons: Hurricane Who, smack dab in Orlando over Halloween weekend. Couldn’t miss that, now could I? But wait, there’s more!

I set my alarm to rise early that morning (both to beat the leaf-blowers and because jet lag-slash-time shift was catching up to me) and my great pals Julia and Herby (the latter of whom had come in from San Diego for the occasion) picked me up to take me to Kissimmee, where the con was being held. I didn’t really need to be there until early afternoon for a panel I was going to be on, but I was happy to help the much-more-industrious Julia set up her information table for the Guardians of Gallifrey, a Who fan group I had been a charter member of 22 years earlier (!). It was great fun thumbing through the club’s yearbooks and seeing so much of my misspent youth captured on those pages.

Later in the day I moderated a panel for the convention that was well-attended and lively, with co-hosts Joey Reynolds and Bob Yazel providing counterpoints to the main theme, “A Classic Fan in the Brave New-Who World.” The audience were terrific, unafraid to weigh in and debate (in the usual good-natured manner) the “experts” and everyone in general had a good time.

I did also manage to attend some of the other actual con programs in addition to my usual routine of greeting old friends, checking out the dealer’s room and eating/drinking liberally. One featured two of Doctor Who’s writers, Simon Guerrier (on the left in this picture, who writes mainly for the Big Finish range of audio dramas) and Rob Shearman (on the right, who notably contributed one of the best stories of the 2005 revival, called simply “Dalek”). I believe I have most of it on videotape, but haven’t even bothered looking at the video stuff yet since returning. Eventually most of it will appear on either the Hurricane Who site or YouTube or both, I imagine ...

In any event, a program of writers interviewing each other is usually a lot funnier than you might think, with only a little useful information imparted and instead filled mostly with pub tales and various misadventures, only this time delivered by ostensibly sober participants.

Via Facebook and email and various electronic blather I had noted that my old pal Toby and his wife were in town (from Fort Collins, CO), but was surprised not to see them at the convention (as Toby is another Doctor Who fiend), but they had attended a warm-up event the night before the con started and decided to use the rest of the time visiting friends and, inevitably, theme parks. Luckily, some hasty organising by a fellow former classmate of ours named Lauren arranged to have Toby and Tracy, myself, and old friends Dave and Michelle all meet up at Valencia Community College (where many of us had met) to spring a surprise on our mutual former drama instructor, Julia Gagne, who was the director of a play (of course) performing that evening. Thanks to the kindness of strangers (so to speak) at the convention, I was able to find a convenient ride not only back in to town but all the way out to the east side where the campus was.

This had been my first time back at Valencia in many a year, though I had occasionally dropped by post-graduation, and I was pleased to see that basically nothing had changed. I skulked around the campus taking some photos of my favourite hangouts as the sun went down, met up with our party and surprised Ms. Gagne on cue. We were among the first group of students she had had as a “new” drama teacher at VCC some 24 years earlier, and amazingly she remembered us all (teachers are amazing like that). We enjoyed the show, called “Lucky Stiff,” sort of seeing our younger selves up there in the footlights. After the show we headed over to a nearby restaurant to continue our chatting, which went on for hours. I’d seen Toby just two years earlier on our trip to Canada, but Dave and I had not touched base in quite a while and Lauren I hadn’t seen except via Facebook since the great Paul Wegman had died in 2004. It was wonderful to catch up with them, reminisce about other classmates and friends and just generally catch up. None of us wanted it end, but eventually closing time forced our hand.

As I returned home to Altamonte, I reflected on the full day and wide range of great pals I had reconnected with since my return to the area. I joke and complain and generally kick Florida (the state) and Orlando (the town) around a fair bit in this blog and elsewhere, but one thing you’ll never hear me denigrate is the quality of the people I knew there. They were -- and are -- the best.

Florida Trip, Day Two: 29-Oct-2009

2009-11-15T16:18:00.002-08:00

When last we’d left your humble Narrator, I was telling you that after an incredibly long day of travel and various activities (including melting) in the distinctly un-autumnal heat of central Florida, I’d finally gotten to bed and gone right to sleep, which was much-needed at that point.

At precisely 8:45am, I was stirred by a sound familiar to any Floridian, but to which I had grown completely unaccustomed: leaf blowers. Right outside our window. At first I thought a jet plane was crashing somewhere near us, but no, it was leaf blowers. After muttering the requisite number of curses under my breath (since it would do me no good to say them out loud, the leaf blower people wear heavy earphones and are oblivious to your complaints), I rustled up some breakfast, checked the net and started to plan my day. The first order of business was the main reason I had come down here: checking the storage unit for our cache of photographs. We need proof that Heather and I have been together all along the course of our 13 years, and didn’t just get married for the free gifts and then go our separate ways. Immigration is definitely getting tougher!

Cindy-Mom happened to come back early from her errands and offered me a lift to the storage unit. She was quite surprised when I told her that I would easily still be there when she passed back by in a couple of hours time; our storage unit is not just a personal repository of our lives and material possessions, but also a standing tribute to my skills as a junk-packer: we have a 10'x10' space and very few inches of that are unoccupied, from front to back, floor to roof.

On the one hand, I had generally (when packing this up the first time) tried to put items I figured would be the first to be needed up front where I could get to them; on the other hand, those things that were not planned to be up front where buried deep in the back, meaning the only way to get to them was to unpack most of the front to provide space to reach further back.

Sadly, the photos and some other items I was interested in getting fell into the latter category, and after an hour or so in the not-hot-but-not-cool work environment of our “climate controlled” unit (never confuse “climate-controlled” for “air-conditioned”!), I was too tired to dig any further. I had found some items, mostly old family photos (we’re talking from my mother and fathers’ collections) a few audio CDs we missed having and some other recordings (more Crusty Old Wave shows, for example), so it wasn’t a total loss, but I’d failed my main mission. I’d found exactly one unposed, post-wedding photo from the 90s I could use.

Of course, anytime you start digging through stuff you haven’t looked at in years, you come across tonnes of things that spark memories or otherwise surprise and delight you, and there was no shortage of that stuff on hand; but what I really needed was a lithe nine-year-old who could climb back into the crawlspaces I’d created and dig through the stuff I couldn’t get to to find the mystical treasure of The Box Marked Photos.

By now it is early afternoon, and I have other pressing items to attend to. My friend Pat has a Mac store located nearby, but I was already rather hot from my labours another half-mile or so walk in the 90+ heat wasn’t in the cards. Amazingly, just as I’m thinking this, Cindy-Mom calls and lets me know she’s in the area. We meet up with the paltry treasures I’d collected and head over to Pat’s shop so I can visit with him and get my hair cut (another pal happened to work in the hairdressers next door!). Cindy had a friend nearby she wanted to visit with as well, and so the afternoon passed quickly as we respectively caught up with old buddies.

After these visits, we had just enough time to get back to the house (where I showered and changed clothes again) before our scheduled rendezvous with my sister and her partner for dinner at Mimi’s Cafe in Altamonte. We’ve always enjoyed the ambiance and food at Mimi’s even if the theme (which is ostensibly based on New Orleans’ jazz culture) was a little strained. One glance at the menu reminded me of another “forgotten” Florida factor: cheap food! Where we live in Victoria food is generally expensive because much of it is locally grown and fresh. Bargains on food are really hard to come by, but that’s definitely not the case in Orlando. Mimi’s was offering a special three-course menu offer for $13 (not including drink) total, rendering the coupons Cindy-Mom had come up with superfluous. This wasn’t crap food, either -- it was all really good stuff, prepared with the alleged presence of fall in mind! :)

After a lively and delicious meal with Mel and Carlette, we were reluctant to part ways but knew we’d be seeing each other again soon -- my brother Micah and his wife were driving down from middle Georgia to join us later that weekend. Cindy and Melanie get along very well, bringing our two families closer together, which pleases me no end. I regret not having had time to drop in on our other local relations, the Kauffmans, but I know Heather would want to be there for that, so it’s on our “next time” list.

We returned home, but it was still early in the evening and my friend Liz Langley had plans for me ... evil, silly plans. She came to get me and we caught up as we drove back to her place for the evening’s video session. She and her pal Doug had an inspired idea to do their own take on the Vagina Monologues -- only this time it was various people dressed in a vagina costume from Fairvilla quoting a few lines from their favourite movie. There’s not much more to say about that than that, and you can view the results here.

I got back to the house after midnight, and after the experience of the morning I knew I had to get to bed early tonight or be a wreck tomorrow, so after some chilling on the net and another videochat with the wife, I headed for bed and another big day tomorrow.

Next time: a Hurricane hits Orlando! (but not the sort you’re thinking of)

Florida Trip, Day One: 28-Oct-2009

2009-11-15T16:17:00.001-08:00

So I’ve spent a few days trying to figure out how best to write about my recent Florida trip, which was a huge mass of wildly divergent experiences, and I think the best way is to simply break it down by day.

The trip started, for me, Tuesday evening (Oct. 27th) by boarding the Victoria Clipper, always the best part of these cross-continental trips. The Clipper is like a luxury ferry that zips along at 30 knots/hour directly from the Inner Harbour (practically our doorstep) to Pier 69 in downtown Seattle. The journey takes three hours, and at night there’s not much to see (and the nights are starting earlier and earlier now), but it's pleasant, comfortable and basically everything air travel isn’t anymore. You can read my rant about air travel here.

I arrived in Seattle about 9pm and decided to take public transport to the airport. This meant climbing up three very steep blocks, but after the ride it was good exercise. The bus arrived and took me to “the Tunnel,” aka a transportation hub under one of downtown’s major malls now called the Westlake Station. Here you find a combination of busses and electric light rail, and think to yourself “now this is what I call a real city!”

At some point in the future, I should be able to grab a light rail train all the way to the airport this way, but that final link is not yet complete, so instead you ride the rail to Tukwila station (cost: $2.50 including the first bus) and then take a free “shuttle” bus to the actual airport. Easy and cheap (particularly compared to taxi!).

So I got to the airport well before my midnight “red eye” flight, and took the opportunity to survey Seattle’s airport. Overall, I rank it very highly: lots of tasteful public art, clusters of restaurants that provide variety at various budget levels, and plenty of internet stations (though sadly no free wifi). I enjoyed a light dinner, found my gate, plugged in my various electronics to charge and waited patiently.

About four hours later I found myself in Dallas, where regrettably my arrangements called for a three-hour layover. Nothing to do but survey the airport, and again I was reasonably impressed, not least because of the dramatic change of “tone and style” between the Pacific Northwest and Texas. Not that there’s anything wrong with that, just ... different.

DFW (as it's known) is actually built with a major interstate highway passing right through it, leading to a rather clever “triple-8” design that requires a “people mover” train to get anywhere. They also stack their restaurants (I kid you not! See pic!) and generally make good use of their space. No free wifi (again), but not a bad airport at all. You could do worse (and I did -- we’ll get to that later).

So now it's 7:30am local time, and time to board the flight to Orlando. Amazingly, even this crack-o-dawn flight is quite full, making the second time I will have to sit almost motionless for hours on end. At least the flight arrived quite a bit early.

We got into Orlando and found the airport there in rather a shocking state of disrepair (I found out later they are remodelling all the terminals by literally ripping out the walls and shops and essentially starting over). Rather than have someone meet me at the airport at noon on a workday, I was travelling light enough to just take the #41 bus which goes up Semoran Boulevard (slowly) all the way to my preferred safe haven in Altamonte Springs, the Hampton Inn (run by my good pal Tristan). Heather and I have stayed at many Hampton Inns over the years (seriously, we could write a book!), but this one is by far the most personable and service-oriented, going well beyond what most HIs offer. Hamptons are not the fanciest or most luxurious of the Hilton family of hotels, but this one is definitely one of the most friendly and guest-centred you will ever encounter. End of plug. :)

I used the Hampton as a way-station to relax and take care of some business until I could meet up with my mother-in-law. The #41 Lynx had given me a chance to survey the popular commercial strip of Semoran, and I could see once again that the economic recession had really taken a toll on central Florida: lots and lots of vacant buildings, incomplete construction or changes of business to a distinctly lower-rent makeup, combined with the absolutely insane heat (90+ degrees F / 33+ degrees C) in late October!) was hard to take at first, though once you get into the Winter Park area things start to look the same. Still, even in the “richer” parts of town, closures and unoccupied buildings (sometimes whole strip malls) were a common sight.

After checking in with Tristan, I headed over to the local AT&T store (to get a new US cell phone number for my iPhone) and then to Jason’s Deli where I had a baked potato the size of my brains (no, I’m not kidding). This involved walking a total of a half-mile each way(see map). I will never know what in heaven’s name I was thinking. I do this sort of thing all the time in Victoria, but I’d totally forgotten that survival in Florida depends heavily of getting from one freezing-cold air-conditioned spot to the next with as little contact with the outdoors as possible, and I was completely un-acclimated to the heat and humidity after two years away. I’m sure I must have looked to the AT&T staff like a crazy disheveled homeless person -- did I mention I was wearing an all-black outfit featuring a long sleeve t-shirt? I’m lucky I’m not dead.

In time, Cindy-Mom came along and took me back to Rubin HQ in time for me to change clothes, shower and get ready for that night’s event, a live appearance on WPRK-FM (Rollins College), my home station where I did a show called “Chas’ Crusty Old Wave” for most of the 1990s (now available as a podcast, as regular readers know). I’d been back to the station a few times before, most recently on my April trip, but this time I’d be co-hosting with a fellow called Phantom Third Channel, an online pal I’d not met in person before.

As it turned out, we hit it off like a house afire, and had very compatible musical tastes. Between us I think we produced a very entertaining combination of old-New Wave, new-College Rock and enjoyable conversation about the way things change and yet stay the same. I will post the show shortly as a downloadable (or streaming) AAC and MP3 on my Crusty Old Wave website you can either stream or keep for future listening (or you can subscribe via iTunes).

After a wonderful couple of hours, it was time to head home, and once again my time away from Florida led to me to make two egregious mistakes. First, I expected that now that night had fully settled in, that the temperature would drop down to bearable levels. WRONG.

Second, I assumed that because busses ran down Fairbanks and up Semoran during the day, that this would continue on until at least midnight. Again, hopelessly naive. After waiting a while for the Fairbanks bus that never came, I headed over to another iconic Winter Park landmark, the Pink Art Deco 7-11. Amazingly, the man behind the counter there instantly recognised me despite having been away from Orlando for years and away from Rollins for over a decade. I must have spent a lot more post-show time in that 7-11 than I remembered!

So, I’m melting like the Wicked Witch of the West outside the 7-11 where it’s 88 degrees (31C) when I get a call from Cindy-Mom, who offers to rescue me! YAY! She comes down and takes me back home, where after a quick video-call to the wife (praise be to wifi and iChat!), I finally hit a bed, 30 hours after beginning my trip. Slept like a log until ...

Oh, but wait: that needs to go in tomorrow’s tale. Stay tuned!

My Latest Florida Trip, Part One:The “Cranky Old Man” Rant

2009-11-03T13:57:00.004-08:00

For a variety of reasons, I recently headed back down to Florida for a few days of work and recreation; a confluence of opportunities that came together pretty nicely (for the most part) to create a truly remarkable long weekend. I sometimes worry, as I glide towards middle age, that someday soon I won’t have any new “adventures” and will instead always be looking back on my youth; I needn’t have worried about that, at least not just yet. I had an outstanding time.

Having said that, I think I’ll start by complaining in a Rex Murphy-esque manner about the quality of air travel in the United States these days: it sucks! I took two different airlines on this trip (American and Continental, for the record) and both have, in addition to making the actual journey as unpleasant and uncomfortable as possible, decided to add a surcharge for the luxury of actually having any luggage to take with you. I’ll be the first to admit that I take advantage of the cheaper airfares available in the US: it costs less for me to fly from Seattle, even counting in the cost of the ferry from Victoria both ways, than it does for me to fly directly from Victoria (hah!) or Vancouver to virtually anywhere.

That said, the little surcharges and nonsense extras that airlines hide behind the base price of the supposedly “cheap” airfare really grate with me. The surcharge for your first checked bag, for example, is ridiculous. Overweight charges have been around forever, and rightly so; we don’t want Princess Vespa and her caravan of eight hope chests full of hairdryers to throw the weight ratios off without some cost. But when I checked my one and only (small) bag in at the counter, rather than being thanked or rewarded for not trying to haul a weeks’ worth of clothes in a carry-on, I was punished with a $20 surcharge and the indignity of having this one bag labelled “excess baggage!” Heaven forbid I should have had two checked bags (something that in decades past would have been quite the norm), that would have added fully 20% more to the cost of my entire airfare!

Of course this means that most people now try to cram everything they need to go on vacation into the two allowed carry-ons, which strikes me as more dangerous than storing luggage in, you know, the part of the aircraft reserved and designed for the weight of luggage. If you’re the sort who travels light, you might get away with this (presuming you don’t ever buy anything on your travels that you’d like to carry back home!), but these days even non-nerds are bringing extra gear like laptops and iPods/iPhones, water bottles and portable DVD players, not to mention all the crap that kids and babies normally require. Even with airfares at historic lows relative to inflation, the surcharges and loss of services over the years means you’re not getting the bargain you think you are -- and in both real and intangible ways, you’re actually paying a lot more.

I look at pictures of people flying “aeroplanes” back in the old days (or think of my own memories of flying from the late 60s to about the mid-80s) and am astonished at what we’ve lost in exchange for (what ends up being no more than) a few bucks. Start with legroom and hiproom in the seating; add in things like included meals and snacks; in-flight entertainment that was more than just endless ads for other entertainments; and of course the incredible hassle of just getting to (and through) the airport makes the overall experience very expensive in a variety of less-obvious ways, from the lost work time you need to check in hours ahead of your flight to the rip-off pricing of things like internet access and food. Oh, and do you remember back when you could actually meet your loved ones at the gate? Ah, memories ...

On top of all this, we now support an incredibly large yet ineffective “Homeland Security” bureaucracy that to my knowledge has not foiled any attempted hijackings or terror plots but which has thrown away many landfills’ worth of perfectly good and safe liquids, plastic bottles and penknives, not to mention added considerable delay and discomfort to the travelling experience. The folks who scream about how Obama is “nationalizing industries” should ask themselves why the airlines themselves aren’t paying for and managing this risk, since it is in their interest more than anyone else’s and they would probably do a hugely more efficient job of it anyway.

Of course, I get to go through this (in effect) twice, having to pass through the security check of Customs between the US and Canada as well as the usual TSA business coming to and returning from my destination. Talk about layers of government inefficiency! I have to say that the process of dealing with Customs in both countries is infinitely less degrading and more “human-oriented” than anything the TSA has come up with. The maze that Homeland Security have set up in front of the often looks to me like one of those dog-show obstacle courses, or an incredibly lame state fair. We actually had a video on board the plane coming back (that was really one long ad for a show called “Wipeout”) that put people through various cartoonish stunts and barriers in an attempt to get them to fall into the mud and otherwise humiliate themselves -- the ghost of Douglas Adams and I had a good hollow laugh about the painful irony these duly-processed tourists who were watching the video were completely missing.

Another area that needs vast improvement is the airports themselves, which vary wildly in terms of how nice they are but seem as though they were designed by slaughterhouse builders who dream of designing apartment blocs. Some, like Dallas, are so nice as to be almost museum-like; others, like Orlando and Houston, are barely functional at the moment due to renovations, but all of them have one thing in common: absolutely no concept of how to move people around, which again seems odd in a building complex that exists only to do exactly that.

Every part of them, from the concourses to the shops, seem to have been designed without considering that you are of course going to be dragging lots of heavy luggage with you. I walked for what amounted to miles to find carts (which of course you are charged for) to take the load of my bags off my shoulders, only to find that I had to risk leaving them unattended (usually only briefly, but still) in order to use the washroom, check out a restaurant or lounge, inquire at check-in counters or peruse magazines. All airports rely heavily on your being willing and able to walk quite long distances while loaded down with bags and/or children, even though most now provide people-movers between terminals and short patches of “moving sidewalks” to give the illusion that they’re helping you get where you’re going. Why they don’t just have a permanent uninterrupted strip you can hop on and off of is beyond me.

On this most recent trip, I give Dallas and Seattle high marks for at least trying to consolidate shops in sensible ways, inviting in plenty of public art and for effective use of signage to help one find ones gate or where the shops of interest or internet points are located. Houston’s new “George Bush Intercontinental Airport” (ironic on so many levels, the mind reels ...) was one of the more bizarre places I’ve ever found myself, with signage that was missing gate #’s, no map or directory of where you were anywhere at all, no guide to the shops or terminals, an actual Fox News Channel souvenir shop (empty every time I walked by, which was often), bookstores that emphasized right-wing paranoia and “Post-Rapture” apocalypse epics (is this really the sort of reading you want while on a plane?), no big-name fast-food places (this is considered by me to be a good thing, but sometimes a family need quick cheap eats and doesn’t feel like experimenting), and finally -- I kid you not -- a mini-altar to George (HW) Bush, a frankly hilarious life-sized statue (see pic) situated in the middle of a mini-rotunda with placards of his family and accomplishments. The statue required two armed guards to keep away people who clearly wished to use it as a public restroom (including your humble narrator).

Speaking of Bush, in an age where the establishment seeks to control public behaviour at every opportunity, there is no bigger and more effective pacifier for weary travellers than free wifi, but so far only Orlando International Airport seems to have figured this out (Houston says they’ll be getting it “soon,” as though this technology hasn’t existed for the better part of two decades). Orlando’s airport is in a frankly shocking state of disrepair as I write this (they are apparently remodelling all the terminals by first tearing them apart), but I barely noticed thanks to free wifi. I’m not going to go so far as to say free internet should be mandatory, but if airport management companies are interested in helping offset the incredible hassle of modern air travel and give their customers a strongly favourable impression of their facility and civic image, free wifi will go a long way towards restoring the damage done and keeping delayed passengers docile.

And if you think free wifi at the airport is a good idea, having it on the freakin’ plane would be an even better one. I don’t actually mind those airlines that charge a modest fee for on-board internet; I’m still waiting to fly one that offers it at all, which is fairly ridiculous in the year 2009. I have to wonder, however, if airlines wouldn’t do very well for themselves by offering “free” internet while raising the actual fare up a notch or two rather than the present nickel-and-dime-you-to-death approach for every little thing.

Lastly, I have to mention the absolutely insane configuration of seats in modern aircraft, a problem that has been with us for a while now (thanks, Reagan!). Not only are Americans getting bigger (though the “chunky” have always been among us, even back when stewardesses were flying Playboy bunnies), they are also getting taller. Even worse, I fall into both categories! Yet airline seats are in fact getting now to the point where a normal-weight man who happens to be tall will find themselves in a vice-like grip in which they must remain essentially motionless for most of the several hours they will be on board, a torture Torquemada himself would have wept with joy to see, and women of normal motherly hippage (or men who, heaven forbid, have perfectly normal middle-aged “spread”) will struggle (particularly given the number of things we carry in our pockets these days) to find into the 17-inch wide seats with their inflexible metal-and-plastic armrests. I watched a lot of men who are far more manly-sized than I am struggle and contort themselves quite ridiculously to stuff themselves into seats designed to transport Kate Moss on a hunger strike.

For years, those guilty of being overweight could get around this by trying to book exit rows or use luck to find seats that had unoccupied units next to them, allowing a little “elbow room,” not just for excess weight but to allow movement or natural poses of relaxation. On today’s overbooked planes, this is an utter impossibility requiring passengers to constrain movement so severely as to have an actual life-threatening medical condition (blood clots in legs, or Deep Vein Thrombosis) become commonplace in frequent air travellers. Still think that “cheap” ticket is so cheap when you have to take an eight-week yoga class to learn how to “lotus” your way into your middle seat?

Sadly, I fear it’s going to take a concerted passenger revolution -- or perhaps the death of modern airlines as we know them entirely -- for reform to come to air travel, and dignity and human accommodation to return to the air travel process. I have recently heard verified stories of pilots getting their salaries cut 90% over the last two decades, and planes being flown to South America to have cheap non-union mechanics fix them to lower standards than would be required in the US. When I compare the fun and relaxing enjoyment of our seven-week drive across the states two years ago to the ignominy and inefficiency of our current air travel system, the time and money savings seem quite inconsequential compared to the good memories, amazing sights and wonderful times we had back then. Like food you order in restaurants that doesn’t match the picture in the menu, air travel just no longer lives up to its billing.

So next time, I will learn this lesson and do my research: go beyond just price, and find out which airlines offer the most comfortable seats; don’t charge people for extra for having normal amounts of luggage; offer free or inexpensive on-board wifi (and check which airports have free wifi); which airlines do the least “overbooking” (or offer the best perks when they do overbook you); which offer easy, affordable first-class upgrades, and generally which airlines actually treat customers like normal human beings. Because I’ve had it with being a sardine.

Postscript: I wrote the first draft of the above rant on a boat (the final leg of my journey, the Clipper from Seattle to Victoria). Why? Because on a boat, you can sit in train-style seats that are comfortable and roomy, you have a table right in front of you that you can work on, and you can open up the laptop without cutting off all circulation to your thighs. The three-hour voyage just sailed by, so to speak.

NSFW But Funny

2009-10-31T11:41:00.002-07:00

So I am in Orlando this week for a variety of reasons -- meeting with family, recovering a few artifacts from our storage to take back to Canada, and meeting up with old friends -- and this has resulted in several adventures already. For example, it's not every day that I get asked to appear in a video with a vagina costume on my head. Yes, you can read that again if you want.

The resulting video is now online, so you can enjoy my “Vagina Monologue,” and I suppose it should go without saying that although it's not really naughty, you should probably consider it mildly "not safe for work" aka NSFW. You can find it at @LizLangley 's blog: http://ow.ly/xRUT

Trick or COW?

2009-10-27T08:56:00.001-07:00

October's episode of my award-eligible podcast, Chas' Crusty Old Wave, is now available either via the website or directly from iTunes. This marks almost exactly two years since the first podcast version of the show, and it's an opportunity to thank iTunes for their participation.

This particular episode is a very old one, the oldest we've put up so far, from September 1991. Back then the show was a mix of 80s music along with contemporary college/indie hits, which as it turns out wasn't a bad idea, since the early 90s was a pretty good time for college music. It's also the longest episode we've ever posted -- three and half hours (edited down from the original four hours).

Enjoy.

Windows 7: This Time Its Personal

2009-10-24T21:29:00.002-07:00

This is How It Actually All Works

2009-10-14T16:07:00.001-07:00

How to Get Out of Attending a Windows 7 Launch Party

2009-10-11T16:39:00.003-07:00

If you haven’t yet experienced the most bone-chilling, jaw-dropping, blood-curdlingly scariest thing on the interwebs since Rick Rolling this Halloween, allow me to show you a genuine (I’m serious, it’s for real) Microsoft video on hosting your own Windows 7 Launch Party (please enjoy all six minutes and 15 seconds of this horror):

Okay, so now naturally you’re not even remotely interested in hosting one of these, even if you do score a free copy of Win 7 Ultimate (not that you can’t do that without hosting a party if you catch my drift and I’m sure you do). But what if some loser invites you to a Windows 7 Launch Party? You’ll need a set of sure-fire excuses to avoid becoming an outsider to even your outsider friends. Luckily, a fellow who goes by the handle “markceltic” on EhMac.ca has provided us all with a list:

I’ve got to work the drive-thru that night.
I’d love to come, but I heard there is going to be Windows there.
Feeling too antisocial to come to a computer party.
My ISP’s relay forgot to pay their modem line's phone bill, evite got delayed.
Found out Windows 7 not available on 5.25" floppy.
I’ll be over as soon as I shut down my laptop. XP still has 72 updates to go.
I was going to come to your party, but then I got high. I still have XP and I know why, yeah yeah, because I got high, because I got high, because I got high.
Didn’t realize you needed to own a computer to use Windows 7.
I was going to come to your launch party, but then a girl called.
Thunderbird on Ubuntu sent your evite into the spam folder because it said, “windows 7 party.”
Bing gave me the wrong directions.
MS-BOB not compatible with Windows 7. Not interested.
Needs more than 640k ram, which is more than I was told I would ever need.

And my favourite excuse:

Sorry, my guild has a raid.

The Man From A.C.O.R.N.

2009-10-06T13:54:00.002-07:00

Your Generation Don't Mean a Thing to Me

2009-10-04T15:59:00.001-07:00

First, to see what set me off in the first place, you have to read this complete load of windbag excrement about "whether Douglas Adams is still RELEVANT" from an otherwise great newspaper, the Guardian:

http://www.guardian.co.uk/books/2009/oct/03/hitchhikers-guide-galaxy-douglas-adams

That there is pretty much everything that's wrong with book criticism right there in one handy (albeit fanwanky) article.

Seriously, this "Jenny Turner" person may have been the author of some of the worst poetry in the universe that DNA was desperately trying to warn us about, based on the flatulent nonsense she's written here.

If you've ever been curious to see what a midlife crisis looks like when a woman has one, here it is. A long-winded (and hopelessly padded) overview of the book, along with a wildly unimaginative attempt to tie it to an England that never was in an effort to "date" it, then finally after 3,000 words we get to the heart of the crisis: "OMFG I love this book/radio play/TV series and I'll just **die** if my six-year-old child doesn't love it like I do!"

If I had been her editor, this article would have been 25 words long: "Gosh I really love HHGTTG after all these years. I wonder if the next generation will treasure it like I do? Am I getting old??"

It will come as a shock to Ms. Turner, but Douglas Adams didn't write the book so that it could be filtered through your mirror of whether you are relevant anymore. Get over yourself, girlfriend.

For a lot of people who came of age/awareness in the 80s, HHGTTG is their Lord of the Rings, an epic work that its audience believes only yields its deeper revelations and meanings to the elite intelligensia, YET somehow became a huge and ongoing mainstream hit.

Every generation seems to latch on to a work of literature (usually a series of books) that it uses to identify itself, a collective bid for immortality beyond its own time. For 60s college-age youth, it was LOTR, a fantastical voyage of the beauty of peace and the upheaval of war that became a metaphor of the turbulent times they were living in.

In the 80s, HHGTTG became the hallmark of the Cynical Generation, dancing to the decay of the empire and laughing at our own absurdity on the way to nuclear annihilation.

Then, somehow, we avoided our certain doom (long enough for another generation, anyway) and the new breed have latched on to Harry Potter as a reflection of the crazy world of "magical thinking" where "truthiness" rules the day and just saying bullshit makes it so (see "Bush Administration").

But OH NOES! The kids of today care more about those fucking "New Moon" pieces of shit than they do about our Sharkespeare, Douglas Adams!! Gandalf and Ford Prefect are giving way to sparkly vampires!! We don't approve or understand, and our egos and sense of self-importance are under attack! Send in the WAAAHmbulance, we got casualties!!

Guess what folks, WE'RE GETTING OLD AND THE NEW KIDS DON'T CARE. It's happened before. It'll happen again. HHGTTG's importance will fade and be replaced with a new Deepest Most Meaningful Book Evah that speaks to the times they are growing up in. Best you can hope for is that they have some appreciation for what's gone before them -- if you're lucky, and/or if Peter Jackson makes an awesome trilogy out of it.

Otherwise, its out with the old and in with the new and ever was that way and thank heavens for it. Our 50's/60s era parents didn't "get" Monty Python and HHGTTG, and we don't "get" white kids becoming "wiggas." That's what happens: we go from making history to being history. I know we don't want to think that we're past tense now, but get over it: it's happened. We all moved up a checkbox or two away from the "target" demographic. HHGTTG is just a funny book or a not-that-funny movie now. You'll never get your kids to really understand what was so magical about the Beatles, or scary about the Daleks, or revolutionary about New Wave. Ya had to be there.

I say this from a position of authority. I had a radio show in the 90s that was recycling the non-hits of the 80s I felt didn't get enough airplay, and now I've recycled that into a podcast! On the surface I look like the spokesmodel for our generation's plaintive cry "Don't You Forget About Me" -- but I don't live in the past, I just pay my respects to its corpse. There's plenty of new stuff to love, new adventures to have and new memories to make. When you stop doing that, you lock yourself into an era and then watch helplessly as it (and you) fade into obscurity.

It's still possible to be cool, or do cool stuff at any age, and in fact when you're "out of fashion" as those of us who hit our 20s in the 80s are, it's kind of liberating not to be out front anymore. Defining an era is hard work, and just like the 60s before us, we did some great stuff and lotsa deeply embarrassing stuff. We're now free to do any kind of other stuff, to appreciate more what's come before us and maybe even some of the things that are yet to come. We 80s kids can take pride in being "present at the creation" of all the great things that came out of our era -- the internet and the digital music revolution and cell phones and punk -- all things the kids of today just accept as granted and move on from (or build on from) there. Our layer of the topsoil is done, and is starting to move lower in the strata, above the pulped copies of "Jonathan Livingston Seagull" and all those disco records, but below the candybar cellphones and the boy bands and Myspace.

Today's kids need their own "firsts" and their own frontiers/barriers/fashions to explore/break/regret. They shouldn't be looking at our past, they should be looking at their future. So, Ms. Jenny Turner, what I'm saying here is that it just doesn't matter whether your kid likes HHGTTG. If your self-worth depends on making your children appreciate the same things you treasured, that's you having failed to develop your own personality. Sure, we're all moulded somewhat by the world we grew up in, but trying to trap your children there is denying them their own future. You're fast becoming what we used to call a fuddy-duddy. An old maid. A wet blanket. Buzz Killington.

The good news is that you were smart enough back then to pick out the really good stuff from the 80s (like HHGTTG) and make it a part of your child's early world. You can't stuff an appreciation of it all into him, but you shouldn't worry: it's a part of his mindset whether he likes it or not. The environment you created for your child will resonate over and over again as he goes through his own life, and it will rear its head throughout, usually at the oddest times. He'll hear something or see something and think to himself, "my mom used to love that" or "oh yeah, she was there back then" or (hopefully) "wow, things were really different back in those days." Best you can hope for is that he becomes a rebel fashion designer who boldly leads the charge to bring back the skinny tie (again).

So quit spazzing that Douglas Adams might not be taught as one of the Great Masters of Literature by the time this brat gets to high school. Nobody will ever appreciate the hallmarks of our time like we do, and that's the way it should be. As Frankie says, "Relax."

Let's call them "Anti-American Americans"

2009-10-04T02:17:00.000-07:00

From “autoegocrat” on Daily Kos:
[Regarding the Right]: Here's what these people have rooted against so far:

Bill Clinton freeing American journalists from North Korea
Marines rescuing Americans from Somali pirates
Rescuing American automobile manufacturers
Health care for all Americans
An American city hosting the Olympics

Can we call them anti-American yet?

Putting Things Into Perspective

2009-09-30T18:08:00.000-07:00

(You’ll want to have a look at this larger, so just click on the graphic to get the full size.)

To be fair, the chart does not reflect the money recovered from the “financial crisis” so far, which has been substantial and will eventually wipe out a good portion (but not all of) the cost, making it (ultimately) a better deal than the S&L bailout, and a FAR better deal than the Iraq war.

You’ll notice also that it does not compare the cost of Bush’s unfunded “Part D” Medicare debacle against the cost of universal health care for Americans. That might surprise a lot of people, particularly some in Congress.

But it’s a thought-provoking start.

Click to Go Super-Size!

2009-09-24T07:05:00.002-07:00

The Fevered Dreams of Deathers

2009-09-20T03:02:00.002-07:00

Reuben Bolling gets some points off with me for not calling this “The Final COUNTDOWN” (which would be a great pop-culture heavy metal reference AND a sly wink to Keith Olbermann), but apart from that I think it’s perfect.

Front Lines of the Million Moron March

2009-09-16T03:51:00.000-07:00

No comment necessary:

East/West, Left/Wrong, Who Cares?

2009-09-13T00:04:00.001-07:00

The Right to Be an Asshole

2009-09-12T02:23:00.002-07:00

I’m not 100% behind Thers’ defense of the Right to Be an Asshole, but he makes a generally persuasive case. I personally find the assault on reason waged by the right to be offensive, because I respect intelligence and, you know, facts ’n stuff. But I can still find people who disagree with my views -- or Obama’s -- with specific reasons, backed up with research or quotes or facts. And that’s great. I learn, maybe they learn, we can argue/debate the points with respect.

But this new, parallel attack on Obama for just being “uppity” has its roots not in good old-fashioned Opposition Party politics, but in plain-jane racism. I grew up in the deep south in the 60s and 70s, I know a Klansman even with his hood off -- and I’m horrified to see the “slave states” and their hate-based leaders rising to prominence on a wave of race-baiting and “white paranoia.”

As ugly as their behaviour is, its possibly more infuriating to me that they get the majority of attention/airtime/“serious” punditry despite the fact that poll and after poll after poll, over the course of the last three years at least, has shown pretty conclusively that these ignor-racists only make up roughly 20-25% of the population (which of course is alarmingly high, but pretty far from a majority). Over and over again, roughly 70-80% of America is basically progressive in nature, and about 20-25% are batshit nutty. You see the same split on healthcare as you do on whether Bigfoot exists.

The most recent example: Liberals enraged over Asshole Joe “Wrong Way” Wilson immediately set up a fund for his 2010 rival, a former-nobody named Rob Miller. Wilson’s supporters then set up their own fund. As of today, it looks like Miller has raised ~~$750,000~~ $850,000 or so, Wilson about $200,000 or so. See the pattern? If they only got 25% of the airtime, instead of 75%, I could probably cope with it and laugh it off as all intelligent people should.

But Thers sees Wilson’s actions as fundamentally American in nature, overlooking the fact that Wilson is a first-class hypocrite (he’s been on TRICARE or the Congressional health-care plans -- both government-run -- his entire adult life) and a member of a racist, insurrection-supporting hate group (the Sons of the Confederacy). I sorta see what Thers means -- you can always count on the American to be the one to swing from the chandelier, moon the Queen and generally break the rules of civilised society in the name of being a “rebel” -- so Thers isn’t bothered by the breach of protocol, but wants to see Wilson et al take the consequences of his actions:

Let's play Moron's Advocate. Hey, maybe you sincerely believe that a hypothetical clause in a hypothetical bill might hypothetically lead to what would even hypothetically be a functionally negligible amount of non-citizens getting healthcare on the public dime, as opposed to just dying on the public dime in the system that currently obtains. And maybe you sincerely believe this sort of paranoid race-baiting horseshit is worth not taking action to reform the worst healthcare system in the developed world. Fair enough!

So go ahead, golf clap for this Wilson fellow. He stood up for his embarrassing dickhead crazy asshole beliefs, and now is getting his Reward.

Sadly, that’s the part where America’s “rebel” act tends to fall down. We don’t tend to properly punish “bad boys” but rather reward them. Isn’t Rudy 9u11ani still allowed to show his face in public and pretend he’s a great man, despite the fact that he’s so vile his own children disown him? Isn’t Dick Cheney free to continue shooting his friends in the face, and his mouth off on my teevee? Isn’t David Vitter still in office (and presumably still in diapers)?

But Thers would rather than more politicians “get real” and be rude if necessary, and perhaps he’s right. I know I cringe when I hear false Republican “apologies” that amount to “I’m proud to be a douche, and will continue being a douche, but I’m real sorry if that bothers you, there I apologised now let’s drop it.” I don’t like that any more than I like William Jefferson’s indignity about having his office raided when he was clearly on the take, and all the BS that issued henceforth about his innocence. As Thers says:

There is nothing so deeply American as calling the President of the United States of America a liar.

Sometimes, indeed, the President of the United States tells lies. I believe history will support me on this. And when this happens, Americans should say "you're a liar, Mr. President," even if to do so is Shocking.

For instance, I honestly do not think anyone from the Bush administration should be able to speak in public without being pelted with garbage, because I quite sincerely believe that they all told lies that ended up killing lots of people. Because, you know, they did.

Truth is a higher value than civility.

Ah, but there’s the rub. It’s okay to call the President a liar if he actually is lying. Okay, I’ll buy that, but the problem in this case is that -- well, the President wasn’t lying, as Keith Olbermann masterfully pointed out on Thursday.

So his attack on False Civility has roots in truth, but that’s just because Thers has apparently never lived in a country where people genuinely believe in Civility and don’t have to force it, or pretend, or live a lie -- that’s actually how they are all the time.

Luckily, I do.*

*okay, maybe not at hockey games -- but the rest of the time ...

Tellin’ It Like It T-I-S!

2009-09-11T02:20:00.002-07:00

Nailed It!

2009-09-10T22:11:00.002-07:00

Jive-Ass Turkey Ain't Got No Brains, Anyhow.

2009-09-10T03:30:00.003-07:00

Sicktopia Needs Health Care

2009-09-08T21:14:00.002-07:00

The August -- Oh, Wait -- The End of Summer COW Now Available!

2009-09-07T23:58:00.001-07:00

The August episode of Crusty Old Wave is up and available from either COW Central or directly from iTunes (where you can subscribe for free if you haven't already, and thus get every new episode automatically!).

We’re celebrating the show’s 18th anniversary by replaying the show’s 18-month anniversary back in 1993. This one -- even more so than usual -- hit the "obscure" bin extra hard and pulled forth a bevy of beauties if I do say so myself. Some of these songs I haven’t heard since those days, and I could kick myself for that!

Of course we also thrown in a helping of well-known 80s songs, the occasional “new” (circa 1993) thing and one or two curveballs, along with nostalgia features like the concert calendars of the day as well as your government-issue Public Service Announcements. I wish the last 1/4 of the tape had better audio quality, but you know, when you’re listening to great New Wave music, it’s all good.

What's the Matter With Not-in-Kansas?

2009-09-05T18:02:00.000-07:00

Hat tip to “Tegan” at The Wonderful Blog of Oz for this, by way of the St. Louis Dispatch (who have not, apparently, put it online yet). Very well done, I think.

Daily Kos FTW

2009-09-01T15:29:00.001-07:00

This is a picture, repeat a picture, of a poll up today at Daily Kos. You can’t click on it here, you have to go to DK to do that. But I thought it was very funny and kind of sums up where we’re at - slash - reminds you that the rest of the world is still largely sane.

Read It and Weep

2009-08-29T06:12:00.002-07:00

So, Other Than Saying "No" a Lot and Losing Elections, What Have the Republicans Done Lately?

2009-08-28T05:15:00.000-07:00

A partial list of the accomplishments of Sen. Edward Kennedy:

The Mental Health Parity Act of 1996
State Children's Health Insurance Program (S-CHIP)
Edward M. Kennedy Serve America Act of 2009 (Americorps)
The Civil Rights Act of 1964
The Voting Rights Act of 1965
Family and Medical Leave Act of 1993
Fair Housing Act of 1968
Handicapped Children's Protection Act of 1986 (overturning a SCOTUS decision)
Ryan White Care Act of 1990 (AIDS care)
Americans with Disability Act of '90
Civil Rights Act of 1991
Minority Health & Health Disparities Research & Education Act of 2000
National & Community Service Trust Act of 1993 (Americorps)
Mammography Quality Standards Act of 1990
Military Child Care Act of 1989
The WARN Act of 1988 (60 days notice prior to plant closings)
Employment Opportunities for Disabled Americans Act of 1986
Anti-Apartheid Act of 1986 (vetoed by Reagan)
Job Training Partnership Act of 1980
Refugee Act of 1980
Civil Rights of Institutionalized Persons Act of 1980
Individuals with Disabilities in Education Act - 1975
Title IX of Education Amendments of '72 (bans sex discrimination by schools getting Fed $)
Establishment of Women, Infants & Childrens ("WIC") Nutrition Program at USDA
Low Income Heating Energy Assistance Act of 1970
Older American Community Service Employment Act of 1970
Occupational Safety & Health Administration Act of 1970
The Voting Rights Act amendments of 1970
The Bilingual Education Act of 1968
The Economic Opportunity Act of 1964 (War on Poverty: Head Start, Job Corps)

He had his faults, to be sure -- serious ones at various times -- but he raised his own family as well as those of his brothers, and I’ll put his record up against any modern Republican’s record. Let’s see who really did more for the common man ...

RIP Sen. Edward Kennedy

2009-08-27T08:38:00.001-07:00

Yes, Outrageous.

2009-08-26T04:59:00.000-07:00

Even if you do have a legitimate complaint about the particular bill before Congress (I do -- it’s too long and unnecessarily complicated), if the government is going to spend money, I’d much rather it be on things like healthcare reform and infrastructure support in the US than, say, pointless foreign wars (and associated aid) that have bought us nothing at all. I’m just sayin’.

US healthcare seen through the eyes of the British

2009-08-24T03:10:00.000-07:00

Here’s a good, eye-opening report on how dragging the NHS into the “debate” about healthcare may turn out to be the single dumbest thing the Republicans have done since dragging Canada into it. You’ll notice the fear-mongers don’t talk much about either country anymore, in the latter case because for many Americans it’s very close by, and thus easy to disprove. In the latter case, the deathers were hoping that England was far enough away that nobody would actually go and check on their claims re: the “horrors” of the British NHS (which really and truly is “socialised medicine” -- just like the VA!), but oopsie, guess what, England’s still not far enough away and disinclined to stand by and listen to the slander about it without reacting.

It’s a pity more dumb-as-dirt southerners and westerners won’t go see for themselves, but at least Britain’s standing up for itself.

Thought for Today

2009-08-17T21:58:00.000-07:00

Courtesy my old pal and former Orlando Weekly colleague Steve Schneider:

You can get within a hair’s breadth of this President while armed with an assault rifle, but you couldn’t be in the same neighborhood as the last one if you were carrying a placard.

Maybe we should change the order of the First and Second Amendments.

Rick Perlstein FTW

2009-08-17T00:55:00.000-07:00

In Rick Perlstein (who is not, as I have discovered, a pen name of Stephen Pearlstein, who wrote this great piece last week, even though they both work for the Washington Post)’s latest article, he looks back at what he calls “the tree of crazy” in the American character and how it’s being artificially enhanced by steroids (lobbyists) these days:

It used to be different. You never heard the late Walter Cronkite taking time on the evening news to "debunk" claims that a proposed mental health clinic in Alaska is actually a dumping ground for right-wing critics of the president's program, or giving the people who made those claims time to explain themselves on the air. The media didn't adjudicate the ever-present underbrush of American paranoia as a set of "conservative claims" to weigh, horse-race-style, against liberal claims. Back then, a more confident media unequivocally labeled the civic outrage represented by such discourse as "extremist" -- out of bounds.

The tree of crazy is an ever-present aspect of America's flora. Only now, it's being watered by misguided he-said-she-said reporting and taking over the forest. Latest word is that the enlightened and mild provision in the draft legislation to help elderly people who want living wills -- the one hysterics turned into the "death panel" canard -- is losing favor, according to the Wall Street Journal, because of "complaints over the provision."

Good thing our leaders weren't so cowardly in 1964, or we would never have passed a civil rights bill -- because of complaints over the provisions in it that would enslave whites.

Read the whole thing.

Elementary, My Dear ... er, Watson

2009-08-13T04:40:00.000-07:00

The rumour (and that’s all it is at this point, we won’t know till the movie opens) that the new Sherlock Holmes film by Guy Ritchie will ... expand, shall we say ... on the homoerotic undertones in the odd relationship of Holmes and Watson has prompted my best galpal Liz Langley to pontificate on the whole “bromance” trend in her first article for a new website called Carnal Nation (as if you couldn’t guess by the name, the site could be a bit NSFW though the article itself is perfectly safe).

I encourage and entreat you to check out her work, and here’s a little taste to entice you:

The trendy pop term for this sort of thing is a “bromance,” an attachment between men that strong and emotional, but not sexual. Women call this “having friends.”

The whole article is here.

Not Exactly a Norman Rockwell Painting, Is It?

2009-08-11T04:09:00.002-07:00

On Race and Respect

2009-08-09T03:55:00.003-07:00

I'm a bit hesitant to post this, as the Henry Louis Gates thing has only just disappeared off the headlines (as it should), but the incident really got me to thinking again about race in America and how depressingly little progress we’ve made since the 70s, particularly of late when we appear to be slipping backwards (though I don’t think we actually are -- I think the racism that has been bubbling up for a while just broke the surface).

A good portion of my life was spent in the Deep South, and I’ve seen more than my fair share of real-live racial hatred in person, and even more “soft” racism. Perhaps that’s why, when the story first broke, I immediately saw it as a case of “arrested for being HWB” (Housed While Black). This is not to say that Officer Crowley is a racist pig, or an authoritarian asshole (and too many cops in the south fall into one or more of these categories), but that he was operating on some pretty deep-seated racial modes -- particularly regarding middle-class and wealthy minorities -- that every white authority figure who interacts with blacks deals with (consciously or subconsciously); you walk into a room, notice that there is a minority person there, and subtly change your behaviour. It’s a palpable difference from just walking into a room full of humans who happen to be various shades, and even if one considers themselves completely non-racist, it happens to those of us of a certain age and background.

Most of the time, officers like Crowley deal with minorities from a position of superiority. They may not mean to put themselves “above” these people, but it’s part of the job to deal with the poor and undereducated, some of whom are white but the majority aren’t. The “rules” change when dealing with a minority who’s social position is above yours, but you’re so used to it being the other way around that you forget this. When Gates became indignant and testy about the “extended” investigation, Crowley felt the need to show him “who’s boss.” It would be easy to call this racism, and it is motivated by that in part, but it’s actually more like class-ism.

All of this is not meant in any way to excuse Crowley. It’s to point out that white people (like myself) sometimes have great difficulty seeing life through “black” eyes, because our experience going through life is so very different, and we’re largely not even aware that it’s different. I’ve never been stopped while driving solely because I was black in a “white” neighbourhood, and I daresay most reading this haven’t either. Some would scoff at the very notion of it, but I’ve seen it first-hand. And many other examples in many other settings. It’s real.

Two recent essays posted by a friend on a different forum contain some real insight on both Henry Louis Gates’ life as a black man in white-dominated academia (where you really wouldn’t think it would matter!), and the more average black person’s experience in most corners of the US. This one, written by a former employer and friend of Gates’, makes no attempt to defend him, but instead provides some eye-opening background as to why Gates behaved as he did.

This one gets one of the key facts wrong (the woman who called the police in the first place did at no point identify Gates or his companion as black men, as the tape now shows, but this essay was written before that when media reports claimed otherwise), but definitely illustrates the “soft racism” of more progressive areas of the nation. Boston is a long way, physically and mentally, from the Deep South -- but class issues (and boundaries) do much the same job as race-hatred when it comes down to people’s lives.

Both essays point to something I had previously not considered: that Obama’s unusually strong reaction to the furoré was possibly reflective of such incidents of racism in his own life, not just a faux pas or a badly-handled defense of his friend. There’s little doubt that Obama has been exposed to racist behaviour, even growing up in Hawaii -- after all, he’s a half-breed, isn’t he? Worst of both worlds in the view of more than a few.

Heck, he’s being exposed to racist behaviour right now, courtesy the birthers/deathers/dumbers, who would never dream of subjecting a white president (even one who is actually less qualified to claim “natural-born American” status than Obama is!) to this blatant disrespect.

After reading these essays, you might gain some further insight into how well this whole “birthers/deathers/dumbers” thing is playing with Minority America, and how they view it not as a question of citizenship or even politically, but as just another instance of disrespect. But don’t take my word for it ...

The Stupid, IT BURNS!

2009-08-08T01:20:00.000-07:00

I’m resisting the impulse to reprint this entire Daily Kos item verbatim.

Using your (?) mentally handicapped child to lie to and frighten stupid people -- is it:

a) disgusting
b) a new low even for her
c) anti-patriotic
d) typical Republican smear tactics
e) sadly, all of the above

Republicans Got Nuttin' -- Except Lies, They've Got Plenty of Those

2009-08-07T13:32:00.000-07:00

Steven Pearlstein, not a particular fan of the various healthcare proposals floating around, nevertheless draws a good line in the sand between having concerns or legitimate opposition, and being a frothing, lying, deliberately propagandizing bunch of nutcases as the Republicans (and their lackeys) have chosen to do. Great reading.

ObamaWorld

2009-08-01T21:32:00.000-07:00

Definitely another strong entry from Tom The Dancing Bug:

One Last Tiny Comment on Sarah "the Unintentionally Funny" Palin:

2009-07-27T05:41:00.001-07:00

Go On! Try to Tell Me This Isn’t the Best Damn TV Around!

2009-07-27T05:18:00.000-07:00

It’s even just been awarded a second Guinness World Record, this time for “Most Successful Science Fiction Show of All Time.” Eat it, Trekkies!

Hmmm ...

2009-07-25T01:48:00.000-07:00

Get Your Fix ... of Princess SparklePony!

2009-07-21T20:59:00.002-07:00

I was going to repost the cute “cartoon” from the site, but am too lazy today, so instead I’ll just entreat you to enjoy “Knoxie & Trotski Perform Matt Yglesias for You.”

You’re welcome.

Nerd-gasm

2009-07-20T21:05:00.000-07:00

Those of you that know me know I’m a lifelong and devoted fan of the best sci-fi series in the world, Doctor Who. First introduced to it as a child, I rediscovered it thanks to a high-school pal in the mid-70s and have been hopelessly addicted ever since.

My enthusiasm started to wane a bit in late 90s when it became obvious the show wasn’t coming back, but of course then in 2005 it did, and I’ve been just as keen on the new version as the old, and reveling in the joy of introducing new fans to the show.

As proof of exactly how much of a devotee I am, I noticed (when asked) that there was no easy web reference for how long each of the 10 (so far) lead actors had been in the show, at least not in a way that was easily comparable. For example: Hartnell (the First Doctor) was there for three years, but so was Peter Davison (the Fifth Doctor), but the number of episodes/stories/screen time was hugely different (Doctor Who was on for nine months a year back in the 60s, versus three months or so nowadays).

So I sat down, did the math and here’s the result. If I post it in other more accessible spots I will update this entry with those URLs as well (hey man, it was a lot of work, I ought to spread this around!).

This burst of activity is a direct result of the hoopla concerning the next guy to take on the role, lean and lanky Matt Smith (who will debut next year) and the outgoing finale(s) of the current incarnation (who has proven wildly popular) played by David Tennant.

And just for a cherry-on-top piece de la resistance, Tom Baker (the fourth and possibly the best incarnation) has announced that after 28 years, he is going to return to the role in the form of a five-part audio story. As the fans say, *SQUEEEEE!*

A Perfect Example of How F'd Up American Politics Is

2009-07-13T10:35:00.000-07:00

Jeff Sessions, a “former” (wink wink nudge nudge) Klansman with possibly the world’s longest public record of being a racist scumbag, accuses Sonia Sotomayor of being “prejudiced.”

For Those Who Knew Me When I Was Young

2009-07-09T12:13:00.002-07:00

Come and Get Me, Crazy Lady

2009-07-06T06:37:00.000-07:00

You've gotta read this great article with even greater artwork.

Pity Poor Palin

2009-07-06T03:56:00.001-07:00

Apparently she didn't understand that governing = work.

How I Wish I Could Take Credit For This One

2009-07-04T02:31:00.002-07:00

An anonymous headline on reddit.com sums up the Palin debacle:

"For the first time, a Palin actually decides to pull out early."

Sarah Palin Resigns!

2009-07-03T14:32:00.002-07:00

We have some video coming in from Alaska:

A Part of American History

2009-06-28T07:14:00.001-07:00

you might have missed.

How Now, June COW?

2009-06-27T16:07:00.002-07:00

The June episode of Crusty Old Wave is up and available from either COW Central or directly from iTunes (where you can subscribe for free if you haven't already, and thus get every new episode automatically!).

We’re doing something a little different this summer ... sequential episodes! Normally we pick which show tape we’re going to edit/remaster/upload at random, but June’s is episode #73, July will be #74 and August will be #75 in honour of the show’s 18th anniversary (!!!).

Naturally this episode has the same bounty of great 80s music you’ve come to expect, but this one also has a special treat -- a complete Nick Danger adventure from The Firesign Theater! Let iPods everywhere rejoice!

Can America Take Any More “Family Values” Republicans??

2009-06-24T20:44:00.002-07:00

My reaction to the whole Gov. Mark Sanford story:

As others have pointed out, Sanford could have simply resigned last week and thus his family would not have been publicly humiliated in a circus of media questioning about his whereabouts.

Did he really think disappearing for a week wouldn’t attract attention and cause the whole thing to be found out? Did he really think his lying (another “family value” apparently) about hiking was going to wash??

At least one thing is clear: we can’t possibly let gays marry, that would destroy the sanctity of marriage ...

... as soon as people like Larry Craig, Mark Foley, David Vitter, John Ensign, Charlie “sham marriage” Crist, Jon & Kate and Mark Sanford are done destroying it, that is ...

Art School Bailout Confidential

2009-06-11T06:03:00.000-07:00

The May COW is was here!

2009-06-10T07:31:00.002-07:00

Just a note for non-Facebook fans ... the May episode of Chas’ Crusty Old Wave came out on June 2nd, and is available for free streaming or downloading from either the COW website or iTunes itself.

This is one of the later episodes and I think the variety of music on it is just great. Man I love that guy!

Microsoft and the Law of Unintended Consequences

2009-06-06T23:02:00.000-07:00

This one goes out to my brother-in-law.

Freakin' Awesome!

2009-06-02T17:53:00.002-07:00