So in case you weren't at home to watch the White House Correspondents Dinner last night, or, like me, you don't have TV, here are the videos from C-SPAN, including the "House of Cards" spoof everyone is talking about.
While not the best ever, this dinner, like (almost) all of them, was hilarious. Perhaps my favorite thing about the broadcast was not even the jokes themselves, but the fact that C-SPAN actually included the Nerd Prom hashtag (#nerdprom) on their graphics. Its' nice to know in this age of technologically-induced informality and potentially-false perception of familiarity that cable's national government access channel is reaching out to all of us young civics nerds. All twelve of us.
The "House of Cards" bit:
President Obama:
Conan O'Brien:
Monday, April 29, 2013
Springtime fun
Well, it really can't be all work and no play, though there are some that would consider a full day of intense yard work, well, work. Still, it's hard to look at the results of this and feel that this was not at least some fun.
Of course, even if it is all work, there is the well-earned barbeque afterwards. Yes, that is a chicken walking by. At this point, she's just thankful to not be her cousin.
And how to you make a barbeque wicked New England? Add in some maple!
Of course, even if it is all work, there is the well-earned barbeque afterwards. Yes, that is a chicken walking by. At this point, she's just thankful to not be her cousin.
And how to you make a barbeque wicked New England? Add in some maple!
Thursday, April 25, 2013
Video: Colbert on the debunking of austerity
I can only do so much Colbert Report. Honestly, I think the show really is a hit-or-miss, where the comedy in a given episode is either insightful and incisive, or incredibly blunt, and therefore tiresome. This, however, is not just a great comedy clip; it's great news.
The Harvard "study" used to back austerity plans the world over has been debunked - and by a University of Massachusetts at Amherst (UMass) economics grad student. This is awesome on so many levels. Take a look:
The Harvard "study" used to back austerity plans the world over has been debunked - and by a University of Massachusetts at Amherst (UMass) economics grad student. This is awesome on so many levels. Take a look:
Wednesday, April 24, 2013
Elitism in America
From the time we take our first U.S. History or American Civics courses (if they even still teach those) we are instilled with the idea that America is an inherently classless society. We learn that American culture, spawned from a violent rupture with the past and cultivated in the soils of a new continent, is simply too informal and modern in its nature to possess any entrenched class distinctions. We learn this as though it is a given, something which cannot and need not be analyzed, and which is an inherently positive characteristic upon which so many of this country's successes have been built.
In our daily lives, however, there is still very much a struggle against elitism. It is ubiquitous, and is indeed inherent to our present-day culture. This fact has been brought to the forefront in recent years after very decisive election outcomes, however it is not that new. Whether it a younger sibling ranting about the excesses of the "rich kids" at school, or a grandparent scornfully rejecting a product because they don't buy "nuthin' fancy", the tension is ever-present under the surface. It is quite clear that the rupture with the past alluded to above may have not been as decisive as many would believe.
This points to one silent, underlying fact which American people of all backgrounds take for granted: that there is and always been elitism in one form or another. True, hereditary nobility has been abolished, we do not have feudal lords reigning over entire counties or states, but then again, none of these antiquated signs of largess are even necessary prerequisites for elitism in the modern era. The Industrial Revolution and its legacy have long since transferred the bulk of society's wealth out of real estate and into personal property.
None of this is news, nor is it truly insightful to note any of it. What is important to note, however, is how elitism in America is cleaved in two, with one form admired and revered, with the other scorned and hated. This is what is truly interesting.
Elitism in the form of measurable wealth is adored and aspired to in America in a way which is perhaps unique on Earth. When some one here makes a name for his or herself by way of conspicuous consumption, a lavish lifestyle, and often the outsourcing of work to an impoverished country, their business isn't nationalized. Protests are not held outside of their mansions. Hell! At this point, few people find it even politically feasible to have such individuals (who are very few in number) pay their fair share in income tax! No, instead we give them a TV show and a photo op with the President of the United States. Now that degree of deference, reverence, and admiration is truly unique. Even in other developed, mixed-market economies, the view of the rich is a much more critical and skeptical one.
It is astounding that so many Americans see the abuses and excesses not as crimes out of which the super-rich buy themselves, but merely as earned privileges which they themselves would exercise should they ever attain the same level of wealth. Many of us whose families have been in the United States for at least three generations are the very descendants of the impoverished, malnourished workers who wasted their lives away under the Rockefellers and the Carnegies. Yet too many of us dream not of profiting from our own work and genius, but of becoming the next mogul.
There is, of course, another phenomenon other than the possession of material wealth which is deemed a form of elitism in the United States, and that is education. Education, in stark contrast, is not revered and aspired to in the United States as is the acquisition of material wealth. No, this is the despised and distrusted form of elitism. Professors who are the veritable experts in their field of research are disregarded as being out-of-touch elitists. Writers who take on the often unsavory task of holding up a mirror to society have their insights pushed to the side by those who would use that writer's very credentials to disqualify him or her. And scientists, the people responsible for your comfortable standard of living and lengthy life expectancy, are subjected to 15th century-style charges of blasphemy and heresy.
So while true elitism - the kind of elitism that can allow a person to buy himself or herself out of the very struggle and suffering inherent to the human experience - is aspired to and respected, the honest pursuit of bettering oneself through education is viewed as tricky and dishonest, something to be the subject of scorn.
Part of me would like to view this curious split as an accident of history or perhaps a cultural quirk, that perhaps an entire culture misdirects its distrust of one powerful group of individuals toward a less powerful yet still, relatively speaking, elitist group. I cannot, however, leave it at that.
It appears, rather, that the true elites - those who amass wealth and do so frequently without earning it - enjoy and profit from the misconception that the educated and critical are the ones to distrust and despise. I would even dare say that they perpetuate this misconception for their own personal gain. Why wouldn't they?! If taking all the resources without earning them is threatening to the people, then the people should be opposed to it. But the people must have knowledge and be capable of critical thinking in order to perceive that threat and react to it appropriately. So how can this reaction be stopped? Convince the people that knowledge and critical thought are the true threats, that the protection is in fact the danger and the danger the protection.
Of course, this cannot be the case every single time. To say that it were would be to claim that all social interactions are controlled and predetermined, which is of course absurd. What is far more likely is that the distrust of education - for whatever reason, whether because of its social implications, its tendencies toward complication and entropy - is a facet of an American culture which seeks at least a semblance of honesty and simplicity. What is just as likely is that this cultural facet is honed in on and taken advantage of for the purpose of pushing the proverbial needle in one direction by a group or groups in order to suit their own objectives.
The next few years will reveal to what extent American society will engage in uncomfortable discussions about wealth and class in order to move its policies back (yes, back!) to ones which favor the middle class and nation as a whole. I remain doubtful, however, about any significant progress being made until we look at the cultural underpinnings of our political views on wealth and class in America, which is to say, until we look at the way we look at this topic in our everyday lives.
In our daily lives, however, there is still very much a struggle against elitism. It is ubiquitous, and is indeed inherent to our present-day culture. This fact has been brought to the forefront in recent years after very decisive election outcomes, however it is not that new. Whether it a younger sibling ranting about the excesses of the "rich kids" at school, or a grandparent scornfully rejecting a product because they don't buy "nuthin' fancy", the tension is ever-present under the surface. It is quite clear that the rupture with the past alluded to above may have not been as decisive as many would believe.
This points to one silent, underlying fact which American people of all backgrounds take for granted: that there is and always been elitism in one form or another. True, hereditary nobility has been abolished, we do not have feudal lords reigning over entire counties or states, but then again, none of these antiquated signs of largess are even necessary prerequisites for elitism in the modern era. The Industrial Revolution and its legacy have long since transferred the bulk of society's wealth out of real estate and into personal property.
None of this is news, nor is it truly insightful to note any of it. What is important to note, however, is how elitism in America is cleaved in two, with one form admired and revered, with the other scorned and hated. This is what is truly interesting.
Elitism in the form of measurable wealth is adored and aspired to in America in a way which is perhaps unique on Earth. When some one here makes a name for his or herself by way of conspicuous consumption, a lavish lifestyle, and often the outsourcing of work to an impoverished country, their business isn't nationalized. Protests are not held outside of their mansions. Hell! At this point, few people find it even politically feasible to have such individuals (who are very few in number) pay their fair share in income tax! No, instead we give them a TV show and a photo op with the President of the United States. Now that degree of deference, reverence, and admiration is truly unique. Even in other developed, mixed-market economies, the view of the rich is a much more critical and skeptical one.
It is astounding that so many Americans see the abuses and excesses not as crimes out of which the super-rich buy themselves, but merely as earned privileges which they themselves would exercise should they ever attain the same level of wealth. Many of us whose families have been in the United States for at least three generations are the very descendants of the impoverished, malnourished workers who wasted their lives away under the Rockefellers and the Carnegies. Yet too many of us dream not of profiting from our own work and genius, but of becoming the next mogul.
There is, of course, another phenomenon other than the possession of material wealth which is deemed a form of elitism in the United States, and that is education. Education, in stark contrast, is not revered and aspired to in the United States as is the acquisition of material wealth. No, this is the despised and distrusted form of elitism. Professors who are the veritable experts in their field of research are disregarded as being out-of-touch elitists. Writers who take on the often unsavory task of holding up a mirror to society have their insights pushed to the side by those who would use that writer's very credentials to disqualify him or her. And scientists, the people responsible for your comfortable standard of living and lengthy life expectancy, are subjected to 15th century-style charges of blasphemy and heresy.
So while true elitism - the kind of elitism that can allow a person to buy himself or herself out of the very struggle and suffering inherent to the human experience - is aspired to and respected, the honest pursuit of bettering oneself through education is viewed as tricky and dishonest, something to be the subject of scorn.
Part of me would like to view this curious split as an accident of history or perhaps a cultural quirk, that perhaps an entire culture misdirects its distrust of one powerful group of individuals toward a less powerful yet still, relatively speaking, elitist group. I cannot, however, leave it at that.
It appears, rather, that the true elites - those who amass wealth and do so frequently without earning it - enjoy and profit from the misconception that the educated and critical are the ones to distrust and despise. I would even dare say that they perpetuate this misconception for their own personal gain. Why wouldn't they?! If taking all the resources without earning them is threatening to the people, then the people should be opposed to it. But the people must have knowledge and be capable of critical thinking in order to perceive that threat and react to it appropriately. So how can this reaction be stopped? Convince the people that knowledge and critical thought are the true threats, that the protection is in fact the danger and the danger the protection.
Of course, this cannot be the case every single time. To say that it were would be to claim that all social interactions are controlled and predetermined, which is of course absurd. What is far more likely is that the distrust of education - for whatever reason, whether because of its social implications, its tendencies toward complication and entropy - is a facet of an American culture which seeks at least a semblance of honesty and simplicity. What is just as likely is that this cultural facet is honed in on and taken advantage of for the purpose of pushing the proverbial needle in one direction by a group or groups in order to suit their own objectives.
The next few years will reveal to what extent American society will engage in uncomfortable discussions about wealth and class in order to move its policies back (yes, back!) to ones which favor the middle class and nation as a whole. I remain doubtful, however, about any significant progress being made until we look at the cultural underpinnings of our political views on wealth and class in America, which is to say, until we look at the way we look at this topic in our everyday lives.
There will be no rant on Boston
This post is more of a notice than anything else, and is something I feel obliged to write before adding anything else. What I want to tell the people who are gracious enough to read my material is this: there will be no rambling, verbose rant on last week's events in Boston.
Last week was incredibly stressful. I was lucky enough to be far away from danger, but I had family members who missed the violence at Copley by a matter of minutes. My fiancée and my some of my friends were also in Boston. Luckily, all of them were safe and my fiancée was able to get out of town before the lockdown on Friday.
Almost everyone with any sort of social media account, blog, or other means of opining online has posted something regarding the actual explosion at the finish line, the lockdown, the use of force, the treatment of the surviving suspect, Miranda warnings, or some other topic relating to this hellish week in Boston. I will not join them. For one, everything was a bit too close to home. For another, no one - and I mean no one - has any perspective yet on what has happened. The blood has only just been pressure washed off the sidewalks of Boylston St. and the prosecution of the bomber has not even yet begun. Only with the passage of time, the analysis of the crime scene, and the trial of the surviving suspect will we be able to decipher last week's events.
I will stop myself now before this ends up being the rant I decided not to write. I will close with one request though: please, do not create, incite, or contribute to any conspiracy theories at this time. To those who could not resist doing so while the drama was ongoing, consider taking a step back for a moment. This I ask not out of my own annoyance, but out of respect for those whose friends and family were not as lucky as my own last week.
Last week was incredibly stressful. I was lucky enough to be far away from danger, but I had family members who missed the violence at Copley by a matter of minutes. My fiancée and my some of my friends were also in Boston. Luckily, all of them were safe and my fiancée was able to get out of town before the lockdown on Friday.
Almost everyone with any sort of social media account, blog, or other means of opining online has posted something regarding the actual explosion at the finish line, the lockdown, the use of force, the treatment of the surviving suspect, Miranda warnings, or some other topic relating to this hellish week in Boston. I will not join them. For one, everything was a bit too close to home. For another, no one - and I mean no one - has any perspective yet on what has happened. The blood has only just been pressure washed off the sidewalks of Boylston St. and the prosecution of the bomber has not even yet begun. Only with the passage of time, the analysis of the crime scene, and the trial of the surviving suspect will we be able to decipher last week's events.
I will stop myself now before this ends up being the rant I decided not to write. I will close with one request though: please, do not create, incite, or contribute to any conspiracy theories at this time. To those who could not resist doing so while the drama was ongoing, consider taking a step back for a moment. This I ask not out of my own annoyance, but out of respect for those whose friends and family were not as lucky as my own last week.
Wednesday, April 3, 2013
View from the office
It is pretty damn hard to get too stressed at work when this is the view from the path behind the office. When it is warmer - and a lot less windy - I would love to find a way to park an Adirondack chair right here and do my work against this backdrop.
Maybe if I fitted the armrests with a cupholder and swing-out desk...
Tuesday, April 2, 2013
Flashback
That was the last time this happened. In fact, back then the snow was even worse. It was April 1, I was in fifth grade, and my classmates and I all missed April Fool's Day at school because we woke up to so much snow, no one would have been able to have made it in that morning. Instead, we all drank hot chocolate and went sledding all day.
In fact, never mind. That was freaking awesome. Yay April snow!
Monday, April 1, 2013
Technical difficulties
Those of you who have wandered onto this state-of-the-art blog more than once may have noticed recently that the banner has been, well, downgraded. This was not by choice, and believe me, it will be returned to normal as soon as possible. The fact is, this downgrade is due to a technical error which has been beyond my control thus far.
A week or two ago, after neglecting this reputable source of rants and raves for a short time, a gentleman asked me to show him the page. When I attempted to load it, every graphic was missing and was replaced by an image resembling a stop sign of the European roadway persuasion. Needless to say, I was a bit peeved.
Now luckily, it was easy to replace the wallpaper. A clip of the same plaid, a few minutes on MS paint, and there it was, re-plastered in all its lumberjackian glory. The same could not be said for my banner, which was a custom made labor of love. What's more, the file needed to reinstate that illustrious graphic is stored in a computer 100 miles away - and I thought I had kept a copy on my laptop this whole time! Now the one presently featured is merely an impromptu quick-fix, the result of a prototype image contained on my laptop's hard drive, reworked and fudged to fit into the blog's otherwise vacant heading.
Sadly, resetting the appearance of this blog to its former glory is outside of my control for at least another week or two. In the meantime, thank you for bearing with me and settling for marginally adequate writing with entirely inadequate and obviously-zero-budget graphics.
If anyone out there has had this or a similar experience with blogger, please let me know. I'd love to know why this happened and if there is a quick fix. Really. The whole incident just seems rather rude considering the $0 and few hours per month I spend here.
A week or two ago, after neglecting this reputable source of rants and raves for a short time, a gentleman asked me to show him the page. When I attempted to load it, every graphic was missing and was replaced by an image resembling a stop sign of the European roadway persuasion. Needless to say, I was a bit peeved.
Now luckily, it was easy to replace the wallpaper. A clip of the same plaid, a few minutes on MS paint, and there it was, re-plastered in all its lumberjackian glory. The same could not be said for my banner, which was a custom made labor of love. What's more, the file needed to reinstate that illustrious graphic is stored in a computer 100 miles away - and I thought I had kept a copy on my laptop this whole time! Now the one presently featured is merely an impromptu quick-fix, the result of a prototype image contained on my laptop's hard drive, reworked and fudged to fit into the blog's otherwise vacant heading.
Sadly, resetting the appearance of this blog to its former glory is outside of my control for at least another week or two. In the meantime, thank you for bearing with me and settling for marginally adequate writing with entirely inadequate and obviously-zero-budget graphics.
If anyone out there has had this or a similar experience with blogger, please let me know. I'd love to know why this happened and if there is a quick fix. Really. The whole incident just seems rather rude considering the $0 and few hours per month I spend here.
A Geographically amusing photograph
This was not of own making - and it certainly was not intentional as far as I know. But am I the only one who sees that this superfluous piece of scratch paper bears a striking resemblance to the state of Utah?
Well, this was too great of a coincidence to not share it with the world. Have a great day everyone and enjoy the spring weather!
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