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Something else needs to be addressed here. The silliness of some, especially pundits, about the latest "attack on America" is just foolish.
The new Absolut ad, which shows a majority of the American southwest as a Spanish/Mexican colony:
Funny, right? Well I guess not. Everyone's favorite pain in the ass border security and illegal immigration alarmist Lou Dobbs had a field day on this one on his show tonight. Fun as usual, but he missed the joke. Not only that, he missed the salient point. The map isn't even right:
The folks at Absolut got a little too zealous in their returning of America to Spain/Mexico. They forgot about that little thing called the Louisiana Purchase. The cartophile in me is quite bothered by this slip-up. Close, but no cigar, sorry guys. Besides, people need to learn how to take a joke, I thought this shit was hilarious. Oh well, maybe next time a clever ad campaign won't cause America to pitch a collective fit. Ugh.
P.S.- It's more fun to say Lou Dobbs the way Bob Dole says his name in the third person. Try it, I defy you not to laugh. You know how, all one word in monotone. LouDobbs!
So I know I told you guys that I was off the soapbox for the night, but I just remembered a great Letterman joke I was shown earlier this evening:
Are you familiar with the Hillary Clinton 3 a.m. phone call commercial that she has been running during her campaign? The idea is if the phone rings at 3 a.m., who “would you want to be president? She has another one. The phone rings at 3 a.m., Hillary picks up the phone and says, “Stop bothering me, President Obama.”
HA! Rock On!
I've been trying not to get overtly political in this forum, but as anyone who knows me will tell you, this Democratic Primary has become my favorite topic of conversation. I've made reference before in this blog to my support of Barack Obama (whose name I'm sure spell checks everywhere absolutely LOVE), and recently my partner at work, BG, got me a pimp Obama poster that can be seen here. The story that goes along with the picture is pretty interesting too, for what it's worth. Gar Joseph, columnist for the Philly Daily News suggests that Obama is relying on a "cult of personality," calling him "Orwellian" and cites a Time magazine article calling the campaign an exercise in "mass messianism."
I understand that it has been an awful long time since a candidate has moved people the way Obama does, but I am exceedingly confused why so many seem so eager to attempt to strike him down. Personally I believe he has run an outstanding campaign, and weathered many storms that should have crushed his effort. I mean, I can see the similarities of his poster with lots of Soviet propaganda, just Google it if you’re interested, but don’t be silly about it. Give him credit where it is due. Since his DNC speech in 2004 (Part 1, Part 2, Text Here), his rise has been meteoric, but deserved. He wouldn’t still be in the race, much less in the lead, if he wasn’t.
If you want to look at the reality of the situation, you just have to look at the tv spots being used by both campaigns. The one (that I’ve seen) Clinton ad running in PA is her now famous 3 am spot, where she tries to scare voters, in the amazing American political tradition. Of the two Obama ads I’ve seen, my clear favorite is quite simple, straightforward and honest. He stands in front of the camera at a steel mill, dressed in a leather jacket, nice pants and an open collared shirt, explaining to voters how he got started in politics and how he plans to help blue-collar workers in Pennsylvania. Awesome, non-threatening, and relatable. It also explains one of the main reasons I like him so much. Not only do I find his politics appealing, but he’s treating the electorate with dignity and respect, rather than scare tactics and newspeak (HA! Another Orwell reference!). I appreciate how he treats us as a people, and I can’t wait to see how this all shakes out. And remember, all of you out there, please vote, for whomever, whenever you can. It’s the foundation of our democracy, and it’s so much more important to vote, rather then who you vote for.
Ok, off the soapbox for now.
You all should know that I just drank a $50 bottle of water (yes you read that right, water) all in one sitting. I feel horrible... not because I drank $50 water (unpaid for in case you were worried), but because a liter of water really fills a guy up.
Just fyi.
“what develops tastes, is it merely exposure or a value system that is developed through some Oedipal experience or is there something deeper there... was I always meant to grow up adoring Brahms Symphony no. 4 in F movement 3?”- Great question Handy… you make me think…
My brain says exposure, because, for me, it’s clearly not an environment thing. If it was, I would suppose that means I should love Matchbox 20 and Sugar Ray, right? I mean, white kid who grew up in the suburbs in the 90s, it wouldn’t be my fault. That’s not how it seems to have worked out though, as my tastes more lay in the realm of classic rock. I would like to tell you that it was as simple as putting the needle down on Zeppelin IV and hearing Plant wail, “Hey, hey, mama, said the way you move…” and the rest is history. I don’t think it was as simple as that, though an 11 year old with a copy of Zeppelin IV and a working turntable can be a dangerous thing.
I think more a likely source for my taste was the never ending litany of long car trips in my youth. From Houston, Texas to Philadelphia, Pennsylvania with my Dad when I was 5, numerous trips from Pennsylvania and Connecticut to Massachusetts for holidays… more time in a car then I care to remember. The news is not all bad of course, I got to spend hours, literally days of my life, with some of my best friends: Hendrix, Clapton, CSNY, the Beatles, the Eagles, the Rolling Stones, Jackson Browne, the Kinks, Simon & Garfunkel, the Moody Blues, the Who, I mean the list goes on and on and on… They were (and still are) the soundtrack to my family and, ergo, became part of it. Yes, Zep started it, but it was so much more than that… The permanence of this music draws me almost as much as the sound itself. I could never bring myself to listen to pop or hip-hop because it’s just so damn disposable (though Jay-Z has grown on me recently). I can’t bring myself to really want to be a part of something so ephemeral, it's probably the history scholar in me, who knows?. Perhaps that’s not fair, there’s talent everywhere of course, but it’s not all for me I guess.
I don’t know if that really answers the question, and maybe my tastes are more narrow, and my thinking more pedestrian, but it is what it is… Hope I could further your dialogue.
So I actually got to sit outside today and smoke a cigar for the first time since the early fall, which was great... I also was unable to watch any baseball this afternoon. Why, you might ask? Well the mlb schedule makers in all their shrewd business savvy decided that the second day of the season would be a bad time for afternoon games. Awesome, no?
Anyhow... An interesting opportunity has been afforded to me. I may be able to work for a Philly law firm helping immigrants apply for permanent resident status, and make $40k a year to start, plus overtime. Sounds awesome, right? Except of course that my masters in history will basically be for nothing. I mean, I'd not like to make a career out of this type of job, but it would pay the bills, especially since I will have loans to pay back and a wedding to finance. I'm thinking of it as more of a place-holder kind of job; something to pay the bills till I find a more permanent job in history... Please, if you have an opinion, let me know what you think...
To somewhat complete my previous post, and to appease those of you with voyeuristic tendencies (ahem, Handy, ahem), C and I got engaged at a Valley Forge National Historic Park at sunset on Thursday March 13th, near the Muhlenberg Brigade Encampment site. It was great, there were deer and foxes and it was wonderful. C and I then went out to a lovely dinner, where she proceeded to sully her new possession with globs of rib sauce. Happy everyone?
