Here's my first shot at Plinky. Seems "cute" at the moment. We'll see...
Some of the best jazz funk. Keep you awake, but won't inspire you to speed.
2009-01-23
2009-01-02
Krugman on Bush's party of Whiners
An amazing Op-Ed from Krugman.
Forty years ago the G.O.P. decided, in effect, to make itself the party of racial backlash. And everything that has happened in recent years, from the choice of Mr. Bush as the party’s champion, to the Bush administration’s pervasive incompetence, to the party’s shrinking base, is a consequence of that decision.Wow. Krugman's point on the way race played in here is fascinating, too.
If the Bush administration became a byword for policy bungles, for government by the unqualified, well, it was just following the advice of leading conservative think tanks: after the 2000 election the Heritage Foundation specifically urged the new team to “make appointments based on loyalty first and expertise second.”
Contempt for expertise, in turn, rested on contempt for government in general. “Government is not the solution to our problem,” declared Ronald Reagan. “Government is the problem.” So why worry about governing well?
You win Southerners with race by playing the small government card.
If you keep your money, you keep your money.
You give your money to government, it will be handed to "those people".
His conclusion:
Will the Republicans eventually stage a comeback? Yes, of course. But barring some huge missteps by Mr. Obama, that will not happen until they stop whining and look at what really went wrong. And when they do, they will discover that they need to get in touch with the real “real America,” a country that is more diverse, more tolerant, and more demanding of effective government than is dreamt of in their political philosophy.Well said.
2008-12-31
Poetry: Protocol for waking your neighbor on an airplane
I got into writing poetry for a while last year after visiting the Seattle Poetry Slam with a friend.
I've been back and forth about sharing any of it broadly...but tonight I'm in the mood.
This is one of the first poems I wrote. The dedication is the same as it was when I wrote it: to my sweet Midwestern mother, who loves to get and give hugs.
Protocol for waking your neighbor on an airplane
I was asleep
Thirty-thousand feet above somewhere between Missoula and Billings Montana
Seat-back and tray table in the fully unlocked and un-upright position
Then it happened
Poke
Poke poke
Poke poke poke
I stirred violently
A man's round face and a blank stare greeted me from seat 'B'
I then became aware of the half-standing, anxious women in seat 'A'
I collected my music player
And lifted my tray table
And turned my legs to let her pass
And then a question formed in my head
For the round-faced, blank-staring man to my left
What were you thinking?
Was the violent poking of my shoulder an impulsive reaction
or did you have to think about it for a while?
Did you consider poking my leg? Or my ribs?
Help me understand
You're from the west coast, aren't you?
Now I say this with affection
But it's annoyed affection
You see, while I live on the west coast
I am not from the west coast
I am from the Midwest
Home of cows and pigs
Corn and soy beans
The sea of mostly red states
Stretching from Pittsburgh to Denver
Mock us for Nascar
And our backwards politics
And our Wal-Mart formal wear
But on the rare occasion we fly
We know how to wake up a stranger
We are not afraid to place our full palm on a stranger's shoulder
And shake and speak warmly, but firmly
"Sir? Excuse me. This lady has to go."
In coffee shops, grocery stores, and the narrow aisles at Nordstrom's
We will speak to you
And touch you
When we need to get by
And we will expect you to do the same
And when you don't
When you do your nervous
Maybe-if-I-just-sneak-sideways-with-my-arms-held-close-they-won't-notice-me dance
We will look at you weird
And wonder what is wrong with you
And we will tell ourselves "probably from the Seattle"
You see, in the Midwest
There's lots of space
Our roads are wide
And our yards are big
And our drive ways are long
So there's lots of room
For our Ford F-150s
And our Chevy Tahoes
And our above-ground pools
We will claim to enjoy our isolation
But our winters are cold, and lonely, and dark
When going to get milk involves scraping the windshield
For ten minutes
In twenty below wind-chill
And driving twenty miles
Sitting on frigid vinyl
And walking a football field from the parking lot to the front entrance
We will likely hug the first warm body we see
It's self-preservation
We know you city folk think you're packed-in tight
But don't you understand?
It's an illusion
We are all stuck here
On this little rock
Circling a little star
On a little arm
Of a little galaxy
Floating in a void that is cold, and lonely, and dark
So please
Get over your passive-aggressive politeness
And your personal space
We were meant to talk to each other
To touch each other
Live for the random bumps with random strangers along life's random path
Because, in the end
That's all life is
And please
If you like what I write or what I say
Don't give me a nod
Give me a hug
Because I like hugs
And all too soon we will have to pull on hats
And zip up jackets
And venture out
Into a night that is cold, and lonely, and dark
Copyright (c) 2007 Kevin Moore
Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 3.0
I've been back and forth about sharing any of it broadly...but tonight I'm in the mood.
This is one of the first poems I wrote. The dedication is the same as it was when I wrote it: to my sweet Midwestern mother, who loves to get and give hugs.
Protocol for waking your neighbor on an airplane
I was asleep
Thirty-thousand feet above somewhere between Missoula and Billings Montana
Seat-back and tray table in the fully unlocked and un-upright position
Then it happened
Poke
Poke poke
Poke poke poke
I stirred violently
A man's round face and a blank stare greeted me from seat 'B'
I then became aware of the half-standing, anxious women in seat 'A'
I collected my music player
And lifted my tray table
And turned my legs to let her pass
And then a question formed in my head
For the round-faced, blank-staring man to my left
What were you thinking?
Was the violent poking of my shoulder an impulsive reaction
or did you have to think about it for a while?
Did you consider poking my leg? Or my ribs?
Help me understand
You're from the west coast, aren't you?
Now I say this with affection
But it's annoyed affection
You see, while I live on the west coast
I am not from the west coast
I am from the Midwest
Home of cows and pigs
Corn and soy beans
The sea of mostly red states
Stretching from Pittsburgh to Denver
Mock us for Nascar
And our backwards politics
And our Wal-Mart formal wear
But on the rare occasion we fly
We know how to wake up a stranger
We are not afraid to place our full palm on a stranger's shoulder
And shake and speak warmly, but firmly
"Sir? Excuse me. This lady has to go."
In coffee shops, grocery stores, and the narrow aisles at Nordstrom's
We will speak to you
And touch you
When we need to get by
And we will expect you to do the same
And when you don't
When you do your nervous
Maybe-if-I-just-sneak-sideways-with-my-arms-held-close-they-won't-notice-me dance
We will look at you weird
And wonder what is wrong with you
And we will tell ourselves "probably from the Seattle"
You see, in the Midwest
There's lots of space
Our roads are wide
And our yards are big
And our drive ways are long
So there's lots of room
For our Ford F-150s
And our Chevy Tahoes
And our above-ground pools
We will claim to enjoy our isolation
But our winters are cold, and lonely, and dark
When going to get milk involves scraping the windshield
For ten minutes
In twenty below wind-chill
And driving twenty miles
Sitting on frigid vinyl
And walking a football field from the parking lot to the front entrance
We will likely hug the first warm body we see
It's self-preservation
We know you city folk think you're packed-in tight
But don't you understand?
It's an illusion
We are all stuck here
On this little rock
Circling a little star
On a little arm
Of a little galaxy
Floating in a void that is cold, and lonely, and dark
So please
Get over your passive-aggressive politeness
And your personal space
We were meant to talk to each other
To touch each other
Live for the random bumps with random strangers along life's random path
Because, in the end
That's all life is
And please
If you like what I write or what I say
Don't give me a nod
Give me a hug
Because I like hugs
And all too soon we will have to pull on hats
And zip up jackets
And venture out
Into a night that is cold, and lonely, and dark
Copyright (c) 2007 Kevin Moore
Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 3.0
2008-12-27
A real way to fight political corruption and manipulaiton
I've blogged about Lessig's push to change congress before.
In a new video, Professor Lessig makes the case even more concisely and convincingly.
If we want an effective government, representatives must worry more about being our allies and worry less raising campaign money.
If we want a small government, we must eliminate incentives for our representatives to increase government power to benefit special interests.
.
If you haven't jumped on board at change-congress.org, get to it!
In a new video, Professor Lessig makes the case even more concisely and convincingly.
If we want an effective government, representatives must worry more about being our allies and worry less raising campaign money.
If we want a small government, we must eliminate incentives for our representatives to increase government power to benefit special interests.
.
If you haven't jumped on board at change-congress.org, get to it!
2008-11-11
Elon Musk: Traits of a successful entrepreneur
Elon Musk is a rock star. PayPal, Tesla Motors, rockets and solar power.
How does he do it?
Watch this video. If you like, skip to 5:50.
Critical thought:
Risk:
How does he do it?
Watch this video. If you like, skip to 5:50.
Critical thought:
People do not think critically enough. They assume too many things to be true without sufficient basis in that belief...Analyze things from first principals.Way to promote rational thought.
Risk:
People tend to overweigh risk on a personal level...Let's say you're young and you're coming out of college or high school...what do you risk?...What are you afraid of? People should be less risk averse when there's not much at risk.Brilliant.
2008-11-05
A great day to live in Washinton
Aside from President Elect Obama, we have:
- Re-elected Chris Gregoire
- Passed Prop 1. I love trains.
- Buried Tim Eyman's latest steaming pile--985.
- Become the second state in the Union to allow death with dignity. See my previous post on this.
NY Times: Friedman on Obama
From the article:
But there also may have been something of a “Buffett effect” that countered the supposed “Bradley effect” — white voters telling pollsters they’d vote for Obama but then voting for the white guy. The Buffett effect was just the opposite. It was white conservatives telling the guys in the men’s grill at the country club that they were voting for John McCain, but then quietly going into the booth and voting for Obama, even though they knew it would mean higher taxes.
Why? Some did it because they sensed how inspired and hopeful their kids were about an Obama presidency, and they not only didn’t want to dash those hopes, they secretly wanted to share them. Others intuitively embraced Warren Buffett’s view that if you are rich and successful today, it is first and foremost because you were lucky enough to be born in America at this time — and never forget that. So, we need to get back to fixing our country — we need a president who can unify us for nation-building at home.
2008-10-27
Sarah Palin's War on Science
One of my favorite free thinkers, Chris Hitchens, goes after Mooselini and her party's stance on science.
From the article:
Via Digg.
From the article:
This is what the Republican Party has done to us this year: It has placed within reach of the Oval Office a woman who is a religious fanatic and a proud, boastful ignoramus. Those who despise science and learning are not anti-elitist. They are morally and intellectually slothful people who are secretly envious of the educated and the cultured. And those who prate of spiritual warfare and demons are not just "people of faith" but theocratic bullies. On Nov. 4, anyone who cares for the Constitution has a clear duty to repudiate this wickedness and stupidity.Preach it, brother.
Via Digg.
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