Adventures in My Mind
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Jan 30, 2004
Yahoo! News - Pittsburgh's renaissance in jeopardy
Now there's news that you love to see in the national media. It's been no secret around here that the clock has been ticking towards twelve for many years. It's also no secret that we've just heard the the 11th bell. The Murphy administration has been incompetent at best over the last 11 years. When every other government and business in this country were running surpluses, the city of Pittsburgh was running $37 million deficits. Now we must pay the piper for our folly.
The city pools are closed. The rec centers are closed. The senior centers are closed. Major retailers are leaving the city, despite corporate welfare from the city. Policeman are being laid off. And most recently, city council levied an increase in parking taxes that makes 50 cents of every dollar collected tax money. The highest of any city in the nation. Now there's something to be proud of.
I could really go on a screed about why this so, but I would be writing all day. Let's just suffice to say that the parochial nature of the citizenry and the hidebound democratic machine conspire to prevent any substantive change taking place. It's a pity. There is so much to offer in Western PA, but I fear it may dry up and blow away before anyone realizes what we've lost.
0 Comments | Link to this post posted by Teddy 9:54 AM
Jan 28, 2004
Oscar nominations came out yesterday with very few surprises. The highlights are 11 nominations for LOTR: Return of the King, the nomination of 13 year old Keisha Castle-Hughes for her stellar performance in Whale Rider, and Ken Watanabe's nomination for his superb performance in The Last Samurai. A movie that except for a few cool battle scenes and Watanabe's masterful performance is almost entirely forgettable, especially the blank-stared performance of Tom Cruise.
Watanabe is clearly continuing in the footsteps of many talented Japanese actors, only a few of whom ever became known her in the States. While much of his performance is clearly an homage to the legendary Toshiro Mifune, his screen presence utterly dominated every scene in which he appeared.
I have been a huge fan of Japanese cinema for over 25 years. As a kid, I couldn't get enough of the monster movies: Godzilla, Gamra, Rodan, Mothra, Ghidra, etc. I watched Monster Cinema on Saturday afternoons, and I stayed up late on Saturday nights to watch Chiller Theater. In college I rented every Japanese film I could get my hands on and took a couple of Japanese cinema courses.
Beyond the standards of monster and samurai movie, there is a rich tradition of high art in Japanese cinema. From the grandeur of the Western-styled Akira Kurasawa to the minimalist beauty of Yasujiro Ozo and the pioneering spirit ofKenji Mizoguchi Japanese cinema is often more lively and artistic than its American and European counterparts.
Its greatest glory is certainly the 1960s after the U.S. occupation ended, taking with it the tight controls placed on its motion picture content. Go to your local video store and check out the foreign films section or use the following links as a primer for your introduction into Japanese cinema.
Resources:
0 Comments | Link to this post posted by Teddy 9:19 AM
Jan 26, 2004
Five names to give your daughter if you want her to grow up to be a stripper:
- Heather
- Amber
- Traci (Note: only spelling with an "i" will cause her to enter adult entertainment, all other variations are safe)
- Mercedes
- Bobbi Boobies
0 Comments | Link to this post posted by Teddy 4:39 PM
Jan 25, 2004
Yahoo! News - Second Mars Rover Sends Pictures to Earth
Although the Spirit Rover is experiencing some troubles, NASA continues its success with landing spacecraft on the Martian surface.
The three large impressions in the photograph were left by the lander's airbags when it touched down 6,600 miles away from the Spirit Rover.
What's even cooler is that there are currently 5 spacecraft operating on or around Mars. There are two rovers and two satellites from NASA and one satellite from the European Space Agency. Who were unsuccessful in trying to land the Beagle II, a rover similar to Spirit and Opportunity.
0 Comments | Link to this post posted by Teddy 10:58 AM
Jan 21, 2004
The State of the Union was last night, and near as I can tell, everything is just fine.
Crippling deficits at the federal, state, and local levels are no longer a problem. Suicide bombers aren't killing innocents by the hundreds every week. The highest level of unemployment in 20 years is disappearing. Corporate malfeasance no longer threatens the capital markets. 48 million uninsureds have suddenly found affordable healthcare. And, of course, our exit strategy for Iraq couldn't be working better.
Exactly which of the rosy windows of the Whitehouse does W look out of every morning? I just don't get it. How can his administration be so out of touch with the reality of what is happening all across this country. Just because corporate profits are up doesn't mean that everything is A-OK. Corporate profits are up because 3 million people have lost their jobs and those jobs have not been filled (nor will they be any time soon), therefore fewer people are doing the same amout of work, making it cheaper for companies to do business. This gives them more money. Great if you're a shareholder or executive; really bad if you're one of those 3 million who've lost their jobs.
We live closer to a police state than at any time since the passage of the Alien and Sedition acts in 1798. The government is compiling list after list of innocents against the advent of them plotting against us. The FBI can enter homes, tap wire, subpeona records at will if they carry a note stating that your are a possible enemy of the state. We are all treated like criminals upon entering an airport, because the government lacks the imagination and where with all to proactively safeguard us. And yet, only 3% of airport luggage and cargo container entering our borders has been screened. I sure feel safe. Don't you?
W says the state of the union is "strong and confident." Bullshit. Corporate America and the Justice Department are strong and confident. The rest of us are kept guessing.
0 Comments | Link to this post posted by Teddy 1:34 PM
Jan 16, 2004
After searching for an easy to use comment system for AIMM, I have found HaloScan. So all of you dear readers should feel free to leave remarks or just say "Hello."
I've just installed the code so I won't recommend that you use it yet. But if everything goes well after a week or so, I'll give it a gold star.
0 Comments | Link to this post posted by Teddy 12:10 PM
Jan 15, 2004
Yahoo! News - Rover Spirit Rolls Onto Martian Surface
Nevermind the cheesy 3D, this is a stunning picture, at least for anyone but Dick Gephardt.
After W's announcement yesterday that there will be a renewed focus on space exploration with a plan for a 2015 moon landing and eventual manned flights to Mars, the Mizzou Congressman and ersatz presidential contender blasted Bush for his remarks. He lamented that we should be focusing on our current economic problems and not on the space program.
Having been unemployed for so long that I scarcely remember my last gig, I concur that some focus on our moribund economy is necessary, but who the hell said it's either one or the other? Why does focusing on the big things, the great things have to come second to other agendas, especially given that it is precisely the president's job to make such announcements -- and doubly so during troubled times.
Were I of the mind to vote for Gephardt for anything other than Dweeb, such remarks would have given that vote to practically anyone else other than the Rev. Al, and I don't mean Green.
Yes, this latest Mars mission is political capital for Bush. Yes, he is using it for early campaigning. Yes, he is also using it to shift attention from his miserable record on civil liberties. Yes, he is using it to ignore our ever-growing problems with his illegitimate war in Iraq. And yes, Congressman, he is looking at grandiose plans of space missions when over 3 million people have lost their jobs over the last 4 years. But all of these issues not withstanding, this is exactly what he should be doing.
A leader leads. That is what Bush tried to do yesterday, just as Kennedy promised a man on the moon by the end of the 60s when he was facing a recession and all-time high levels of tension with the Soviets. My only criticism was that they bungled the marketing opportunities.
They led with the story too soon. With the rover still on the lander, they should've sat on the announcement until the rover made it onto Martian soil. Had the rover failed to do so, the announcement would've been an utter failure. Another big promise and another big failure in an apparent long line of them. As it is, with this success, correspondents and pundits are still talking about the Challenger disaster.
Neither was there a big enough focus. It should've been a part of the State of the Union next week. That is where such promises should be made. Shame on the Whitehouse communications team for this double bungle. The announcement has already shifted out of current news cycles.
But all in all, score one for Bush (may you and your cronies be chased from the Whitehouse in '04) and naught for Dick Gephardt (may you someday get a real haircut).
0 Comments | Link to this post posted by Teddy 10:10 AM
Jan 12, 2004
Garbble, buzz, hum ... static.
Today's thought process. Please pardon the interruption.
0 Comments | Link to this post posted by Teddy 1:28 PM
Jan 8, 2004
Hello world!
Her name is Molly Katherine. She completes the Carroll Kids trilogy. Quite a beauty isn't she. It may sound strange, but she looks just like her brother and sister or at least just like their 19 week ultrasounds.
0 Comments | Link to this post posted by Teddy 4:09 PM
Jan 6, 2004
Wired News: Bush Grabs New Power for FBI
Under the new law judicial approval nor just cause is needed to obtain and peruse financial records.
0 Comments | Link to this post posted by Teddy 12:41 PM
Wired 12.01: Memo to the New Head of the MPAA:Congratulations on your new job - and on having the courage to take it. You arrive at a historic moment, with big shoes to fill and a tough challenge ahead. Jack Valenti's 37-year reign was a remarkable exercise in the use of political power to protect an industry. But it came at a cost. The film industry has treated as a threat any disruptive new technology that might change the way movies are distributed and consumed, lobbying vigorously for legal safeguards. Valenti did this all too well; the result of his skill on the Hill is an industry that instinctively hides behind the skirt of Washington and the courts.
All this needs to change. The implosion of the music industry is demonstrating the price of getting it wrong. Nobody wants that to happen to Hollywood, but there are troubling similarities - not least a history of ham-handed industry actions and executives in denial. You've still got a little time to figure this out, but a lot less than your advisers are telling you. Allow me to offer some independent advice.I'm not nearly as optimistic as Chris is. I think that Hollywood and the Music Industry are just the two heads of a lumbering, archaic beast that is incapable of seeing past the threat of a new business model that they can't begin to understand let alone adapt to.
0 Comments | Link to this post posted by Teddy 12:24 PM
Jan 2, 2004
So '04 is here at last. Happy New Year to all.
Last year, I asked you to stick around to this year and I'd let you know how I did on the following resolution:I want to do more, create more, love more, laugh more, give more. I want to BE more. More of a friend. More of a husband. More of father, a musician, a writer, an artist, a cook, a gardener, a handyman, a business ... a human being.So how did I do you wonder?
Well, there were some hits and there were some misses. Nothing more or less than expected, though. I feel that I have made some improvements in some very important areas, particularly as it relates to my family. I've taken some concrete steps in personal enrichment as well. My creative expression feels much more free and open now than a year ago.
The business improvement, however, was greatly hampered by our recessed ecconomy. It's been 10 months since I was last on someone's payroll and I'm not really any closer to changing that now than 10 months ago. A few good opportunities have come and gone with equal speed. Bad timing. Bad economy. Bad karma. Bad whatever! I'm still unemployed. Optimism is still high, though. With two kids and one on the way, it has to be.
There are some educational goals I hope to pursue this year that will greatly improve future conditions if not current ones.
As for everything else, it's still a work in progress. As it will always be.
And what do I resolve for this year? The same as last, really. More. More happiness. More gratitude. More humility. More strength. More health. More love.
I wish the same for you.
Happy New Year!
0 Comments | Link to this post posted by Teddy 9:30 AM
