December 4, 2011
"In a clear reversal of previous election cycles, a Bloomberg poll last month indicated that 71 percent of Iowa Republicans polled viewed fiscal concerns as the predominant issue. Iowa is there for Romney to win. The same poll showed Herman Cain with 20 percent support, Ron Paul with 19 percent, Romney with 18 percent and Newt Gingrich with 17 percent. (In recent weeks, Gingrich has risen, following Perry’s and Cain’s reigns as candidate of the moment.) The statistical dead heat reveals that this time around, the social conservatives who tend to predominate at the Iowa caucuses — and who view Romney with deep distrust — have yet to coalesce around a particular favorite, as they did with the former Arkansas governor and Baptist preacher Mike Huckabee in 2008. Back then, Huckabee benefited from an unexpectedly high turnout, taking 34 percent of the vote to Romney’s 25 percent."

— Taken from a New York Times article on Mitt Romney…Look, I’m not going to vote for Ron Paul, but to piggyback on the point that Jon Stewart has made time and time again, why can he get no love from the media?

3:22pm  |   URL: http://tmblr.co/Z7FnjxCpeJPy
June 8, 2011
This is insane. Sometimes governments drive me up the wall.

This just makes me so mad. I don’t even care if it’s illegal, wrong, or dangerous. I just don’t want him to have to tear down his house.

8:30am  |   URL: http://tmblr.co/Z7Fnjx5unONl
June 8, 2011
[Flash 9 is required to listen to audio.]

treekisser:

Tonight it’s my absolute privilege to introduce you to Casey Hurt, an artist I’ve been privileged to meet on a few occasions through my friendship with the epic Brian Buckley Band.  This song, “Come To Me” is a recent obsession (recent being the past 24 hours), but his newest album, “Mended Souls” has been on repeat in our home for the past couple months.  As you’ll see, this song is pretty mellow (though incredible)- but check out “I Don’t Need That,” “Babylon,” (featuring 6Brooks) & “When We Touch” to not only see his range but also to gain some insight into what’s been playing inside my head as I walk down the beach lately.

I promise his voice will grab hold of your heart in this song.  If it doesn’t, well, you might want to see someone about that.

8:29am  |   URL: http://tmblr.co/Z7Fnjx5unGww
(Notes: 16)
  
May 27, 2011
"

It has always had special meaning for me because I read it when I was young – 18 or so. It resonated with my fantasies about Manhattan, the Upper East Side and New York City in general.

It was such a relief from the other books I was reading at the time, which all had a quality of homework to them. Reading The Catcher in the Rye was pure pleasure. The burden of entertainment is on the author. Salinger fulfils that obligation from the first sentence on.

Reading and pleasure didn’t go together for me when I was younger. Reading was something you did for school, out of obligation. It was something you did if you wanted to take out a certain kind of woman. It wasn’t something I did for fun. But The Catcher in the Rye was different. It was amusing, it was in my vernacular, and the atmosphere held great emotional resonance for me.

"

— Woody Allen on J.D. Salinger (via mollylambert)

3:17pm  |   URL: http://tmblr.co/Z7Fnjx5WDsCZ
(Notes: 47)
  
April 27, 2011
Deschooling Society

Loved it. I want the society that he describes, but not everybody does.

10:47am  |   URL: http://tmblr.co/Z7Fnjx4fKNDP
April 27, 2011
Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance

I finished it last night after Tom unknowingly recommended it to me through the wonder of Tumblr.

It is a magnificent book that drew me into new light. My ego, compromised distaste for the system, and overestimation of rationality were all exposed.

10:46am  |   URL: http://tmblr.co/Z7Fnjx4fKGrW
April 24, 2011
"I can’t blame Kitty Casini,” said Mary. “I know how cats are. It isn’t her fault. But—Oh, Tom! I’m going to have trouble inviting her again. I’m just not going to like her for a while no matter how much I want to."

—

I love good quotes and this is a great one from Cannery Row by John Steinbeck. It reminded me a little too much of my wife.

I really enjoyed this book and read it quickly. And I think I resolved my issue with the library. I always preferred purchasing books because I forget whether I’ve read a book or not unless I still have it on the shelf. However, if I just read basically everything that an author has written that problem is solved.

Have you read that book, &#)()@, by Steinbeck?

Yes.

Problem solved.

10:17am  |   URL: http://tmblr.co/Z7Fnjx4a3onL
April 22, 2011
mollylambert: “Whiteness and class privilege not only expect to be able to oppress people at will, they seem to expect the marginalized to embrace this exploitation as natural. Meritocracy is dangled before us to suggest that if we all had the same work ethic as Paltrow, we too could be living in luxury, but in truth no matter how hard we work, because the system is designed specifically to oppress certain bodies and uplift others, there will always be an underclass, one largely made up of People Of Color. No matter how deluded Paltrow continues to be, those of us who live in the real world see the nonsense of her protestations from a mile away.”

mollylambert:

“Whiteness and class privilege not only expect to be able to oppress people at will, they seem to expect the marginalized to embrace this exploitation as natural. Meritocracy is dangled before us to suggest that if we all had the same work ethic as Paltrow, we too could be living in luxury, but in truth no matter how hard we work, because the system is designed specifically to oppress certain bodies and uplift others, there will always be an underclass, one largely made up of People Of Color. No matter how deluded Paltrow continues to be, those of us who live in the real world see the nonsense of her protestations from a mile away.”

8:12am  |   URL: http://tmblr.co/Z7Fnjx4WJjp8
(Notes: 131)
  
April 20, 2011
"No,” he said. “I will fight this thing. I will win over it. We will have our chance.” His fist pounded the sleeping mat. “No one shall take our good fortune from us,” he said. His eyes softened then and he raised a gentle hand to Juana’s shoulder. “Believe me,” he said. “I am a man.” And his face grew crafty."

— The Pearl, by John Steinbeck, tells the story of a poor family that discovers great wealth and opportunity, only to be destroyed (and remade) by what it brings. It is a short but very emotional read; at times I became so infuriated that I threw the book down and had to do something else. Injustice, tragedy and evil burst from the pages. Without knowing the consequences, the family commits to a course in life, and pursues it until they have lost everything. It was a very appropriate time for me to read this book.

9:45am  |   URL: http://tmblr.co/Z7Fnjx4SuEFp
April 4, 2011
"Reading is an admirable thing to do no matter how you do it. I remain in love with the tactile pleasures of physical books. I’ve read in a Kindle, and on my iPad, but it’s a little like walking on a treadmill: You keep up the pace but don’t seem to be getting anywhere."

—

Roger Ebert

Answer Man - 3 28 2011

2:37pm  |   URL: http://tmblr.co/Z7Fnjx439WPQ
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