Robert Reich - Reason

Robert Reich is my all time favorite Secretary of Labor. Alright, I'll admit it, he's the only Secretary of Labor I can name, but I still love this guy. Not love in a stalker kind of way, but love in the respect and admire sense of the word. He is an unashamed liberal, he served under Clinton, and he has an amazing ability to explain U.S. politics in a way that can be understood by most people. In spite of all of the bashing that went on during Clinton's presidency and all the rage being vented against anyone who dares utter the L word these days, he still inspires hope that one day some measure of balance will be restored in the American political system.

As a vocational rehabilitation counselor and a person with a disability, his tenure as Secretary of Labor has had a positive impact on my job, my life and on the lives of the disabled consumers I work with. He implemented the Family and Medical Leave Act of 1993, which allows workers to keep their jobs, if they or a family member are in need of extended medical treatment/care, and they are unable to work for up to 12 weeks. This type of humane public service is in direct contrast to what is happening under Bush's administration (or, as I think of it, his evil reign of terror). Don't get me started on his Social Security "reform" (a.k.a. his Social Security scam), which seems to be the main focus of his second term.

If he was running, I would vote for Robert Reich for president in a New York second, but since that doesn't seem to be on his horizon, I will have to buy his new book, Reason: Why Liberals Will Win the Battle for America. I guess I need to buy his other books too (too many books, too little time to read). Wikipedia has some interesting bio information on him, if you want to know more.

Giddings, Texas

On my way home from Austin, I encountered a train that sat, stalled on the track that crossed my path. I decided to take advantage of the opportunity to slow down and take some photographs of Giddings, Texas on a gorgeous, cloudy Sunday afternoon. What usually goes through my mind as I pass through Giddings is that it is a notorious speed trap, but this trip was a little more relaxed.

Cotton Clouds by Finijo

A few years back, I noticed the roadside gorilla at R & C Monuments owned by Trisha Mutschink (what a great name). Usually I buzz through as quickly as I can without getting a ticket, so I never noticed the rest of the offerings at this emporium of outdoor kitsch.

Giddings Gorilla by Finijo

R & C Monuments sits in front of Cabbage Patch Cottage, and amongst the cement Texas stepping stones, the colorful lawn menagerie and sheet metal Texana, can be found angelic statuary and heart-shaped headstones for your loved one's gravesite. I doubt you can find such an ecclectic mix of merchandise anywhere else.

Cabbage Patch Cottage by Finijo

Not one trip through Giddings has allowed me to pass through a green light at the City Meat Market. This section of the town is so Main St., USA.

City Meat Market by Finijo

This dilapidated metal building is a mystery to me. I can only guess that something was once processed there, but there are no marking on the building and no sign marks the lot on which it stands.

Dilapidation by Finijo

The second of two abandoned, hangar-esque buildings in Giddings, Texas.

Dilapidation II by Finijo

Heading to Austin for TSID

TSID

I'm off to Austin for the TSID Conference. I love Austin and I hope to see some old friends while I'm there. I'm also looking forward to the time away from the office and the opportunity to network. I'll be back in Houston Sunday afternoon.

25th Brit Awards

I watched the 25th Annual Brit Awards tonight on BBC America. Unfortunately, I tuned in a little late and missed Scissor Sisters' opening act. This was the first time I've seen this awards show, and I was surprised by the sponsorship of individual awards by phone carriers and of the show itself by Master Card. It was really odd to me. I thought that the Brits managed to commercialize an awards show to a greater degree than we have in the U.S., which would be one helluva feat. It seems like an idea that would have caught on in a big way in America, given our rampant capitalism. I was a little relieved (and maybe a bit disappointed) to find that the awards show turns all profits over to a trust for a music school. This is from the Brit Awards website:

The British Recording Industry Trust was established in 1989 and is entirely funded by the music industry. Its mission is to give young people a chance to express their musical creativity regardless of race, class, sex or ability. This includes the BRIT School in Croydon - the only non-fee paying Performing Arts School in the UK. Since its inception, over £8.8 million has been donated by the BRIT Trust to various charities. Every single penny of profit from the BRIT Awards goes to the BRIT Trust. To date over £5.5 million has been raised by the BRIT Awards alone.

As for the show, it went pretty much like any American awards show. The same acts were nominated again, and again. In this case Keane, Franz Ferdinand, and Scissor Sisters seemed to be up for every award given. The novelty for me was that I hadn't heard of many of the nominees, but the little blips of music video that accompanied the nominations made me want to hear more of several of the bands. I especially liked Muse, The Streets, Snow Patrol, McFly, and Kasabian.

It was great to see Siouxsie Sioux present one of three awards won by Scissor Sisters. If she wasn't tanked, then she was channeling Elizabeth Taylor. The highlight for me was the finale when Bob Geldof was awarded the Outstanding Contribution to Music award and then went on to sing I Don't Like Mondays and Rat Trap while backed by full orchestra. I Don't Like Mondays still moves me. I think it’s more timely today than it was in the 80’s, when school shootings were a new phenomenon.

I enjoyed the show, and the weird emcee, Chris Evans. He presents like a British Greg Proops, which is strange, but fun. The show was different from and the same as we're used to here, but it is nice to know that after all the superficial ego stroking, the event serves a higher purpose.

Milt Gabler

While at work today I heard Billy Crystal on NPR talking about an album he is releasing of music his uncle Milt Gabler produced. The story was even more interesting because I never heard of Milt Gabler before, and I was unaware of his contribution to music history. The album cover says, Billy Crystal Presents: From "Strange Fruit" to "Rock Around The Clock" The Milt Gabler Story. Milt Gabler was the owner of the Commodore Music Shop in NYC, became the Vice President of Decca Records in the 1950's and 1960's, and was admitted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2005. He led a fascinating life that allowed him to produce some of the most influential musicians and singers in America.

I was surprised to find that Billie Holiday originally recorded Strange Fruit in 1939. I was familiar with the Nina Simone version and assumed that she was the source for the song. The lyrics are so disturbing, it seemed to me that they could not have been written or recorded before the 1960's, because the civil rights movement would have been a necessary precursor to airplay of such a potentially inflammatory song. Strange Fruit is revolutionary because it paints a vividly violent picture of the long-standing practice of lynching in the American South.

Southern trees bear strange fruit,
Blood on the leaves and blood at the root,
Black bodies swinging in the southern breeze,
Strange fruit hanging from the poplar trees.

Pastoral scene of the gallant south,
Of the bulging eyes and the twisted mouth,
Scent of magnolias, sweet and fresh,
Then the sudden smell of burning flesh.

Here is fruit for the crows to pluck,
For the rain to gather, for the wind to suck,
For the sun to rot, for the trees to drop,
Here is a strange and bitter crop

I've heard most of the 26 songs on the album before and some of my favorites are: Rum and Coca Cola, Choo Choo Ch’ Boogie, and Dream a Little Dream of Me. The only song I don’t particularly care for is Rock around the Clock, but this album is definitely on my list of music to own.

Track Listing: 1. Eddie Condon and his Windy City Seven Love Is Just Around the Corner 2. The Kansas City Six Them There Eyes 3. Billie Holiday Strange Fruit 4. Billie Holiday Fine and Mellow 5. Wild Bill Davison and his Commodores That’s a Plenty 6. Lionel Hampton and his Orchestra Flying Home 7. Dick Haymes and the Song Spinners You’ll Never Know 8. Billie Holiday Lover Man Oh, Where Can You Be? 9. The Andrews Sisters Rum and Coca-Cola 10. Bing Crosby and the Jesters MacNamara’s Band 11. Louis Jordan and his Tympany Five Choo Choo Ch’ Boogie 12. Ella Fitzgerald Oh, Lady, Be Good! 13 Ella Fitzgerald How High the Moon 14. Louis Jordan Blueberry Hill 15. The Weavers Goodnight Irene 16. Louis Armstrong and Ella Fitzgerald Dream a Little Dream of Me 17. Peggy Lee Lover 18. The Mills Brothers Glow-Worm 19. Pearl Bailey It Takes Two to Tango 20. Kitty Kallen Little Things Mean a Lot 21. The Four Aces Three Coins in the Fountain 22. Bill Haley and his Comets (We’re Gonna) Rock Around the Clock 23. Sammy Davis Jr Hey There 24. Roberta Sherwood You’re Nobody ’Til Somebody Loves You 25. Wayne Newton Danke Schöen 26. Nat "King" Cole L-O-V-E

Connor Goes To Camp Olympia

Connor Goes To Camp

I can't believe he's off to Camp Olympia today for the 5^th grade camping trip! The last time we sent him to camp, he was 5 years old and he was really excited about going, but he returned vowing to never go to camp again. He went to Camp Pine Tree and the first night there, he became ill and threw up. He didn't just throw up; he vomited an ungodly amount of first night mess hall dinner from the top bunk into the bottom bunk, where he awakened his bunk mate Jersey Bill (so dubbed because of his thick accent), by puking into his bed and into both his and Jersey Bill's suitcases. He also filled a good portion of his own bed. The volume of vomit was staggering.

I was notified of his illness, not by the camp counselors the night he binge puked his guts out, but by Jersey Bill, who met me in the parking lot when I came to pick Connor up five days after Con's voluminous regurgitation. Jersey Bill was still fuming when he strode up to me and said, "Are you here for Connor?" I was thinking, "Wow, Con must be one popular kid if this kid knows him by name and wants to meet me." I replied beaming with pride, "Yes, I am here for Connor." My bubble burst when JB sourly (and with an unbelievably thick Yankee accent replied), "He threw up all over my bed and my suitcase the first night." He spoke with such vehemence that I was certain that he was hoping that Connor would be severely punished for his egregious breech of camp etiquette. I asked Jersey Bill what happened and if Connor was all right. He replied, “Yeah, he’s fine, he just ate some bad sausage.”

I found Connor at the pool and asked him to climb on out and come to the cabin with me to pack up his stuff. Jersey Bill followed us to the cabin, so he could personally point out all of the places that Connor puked. I didn’t really need JB to figure it out because after five days, the evidence was still present. The camp counselors apparently were not paid enough to clean up the mess. Connor’s and Jersey’s suitcases were still covered in vomit, as was Con’s bed (he folded his sheet over it and slept at the other end). Bill was smarter and he pulled the sheets completely off his bed and slept on the plastic covered mattress.

After we cleaned off the suitcase and packed all of his disgusting belongs in his disgusting bag, we headed home. For the hour and a half we drove home he told me how awful his stay at Camp Pine Tree was and how he would NEVER go to camp again. He told me how he hated the cabin, the counselors, the kids, and the food (especially the sausage). I asked him if there was anything he liked about camp and he told me emphatically, “NO!!” I’m guessing that the only kid there who had a worse time than Connor - was Jersey Bill.

Bad friend, but hoping to be better...

Melancholy In Blue by Alfred Laird

My friend who is losing her mind left a message for me last week, and I have not been able to make myself call her back. I don't even know what I would say to her if I called her. It has been so long since she has been the person who I became friends with, that it feels in a way like she died. The last time I went to visit her, she was trying so hard to be normal, but it was like talking around the elephant in the middle of the room. She said things very carefully, trying not to let me see the cracks in the facade, but you couldn't miss them. She isn't rational and the experience was so stressful. It seemed like she wasn't behind her own eyes. I know I should call, and I know I probably will call, but right now I can't face it.

Obsolescence

Obsolescence by Finijo
The pointlessness of an awning over and a ramp, leading to what used to be a door, struck me as being a little sad and a little ridiculous.

Rodger Dodger, Smoke Signals, The Day After Tomorrow

Roger Dodger starring Campbell Scott as a jaded copy writer, who was just jilted by his boss and lover, Isabella Rossellini. Jessie Eisenberg plays his naive nephew who comes to New York to visit his uncle and learn about women. The title of the movie is a reference to the nickname given to Campbell Scott's character because of his ability to talk his way out of any situation. Roger Dodger is a dark look at one man's views of women, sex, and relationships. I was fascinated by the character study, but didn't really enjoy this film.

Smoke Signalstells the tale of two buddies who grew up on an Indian reservation and their adventures when they leave the reservation. I really liked this film. The script is smart and funny and the two actors who play the leads (Adam Beach and Evan Adams) are great. Smoke Signals is a good story well told.

The Day After Tomorrow depicts what happens after global warming causes an ice age in New York City. Unfortunately, the Netflix DVD didn't work properly, so we didn't get to see it. I think this the second time this has happened since we started Netflix in January, so I guess considering the process, that isn't too bad. It's happened with a DVD from Blockbuster before, too.

Mitch Hedberg

Mitch Hedberg

Recently there have been some high profile deaths in the news. The one that has hit the hardest for me doesn't involve a religious figure or euthanasia. It doesn't seem to be more than a blip on the radar in the news of the day, but Mitch Hedberg, a really talented comedian died a few days ago.

Marilyn and I started watching him a few years ago and his odd, quirky delivery was so different from other comics, that he had us rolling. Delivering his material with his head down, long hair covering his face, he was so offbeat and strange that it didn't even seem like he rehearsed. Every few months we'd see his name on the marquee at the Laff Stop on West Gray, but we never managed to catch him live. Then a couple of years ago we noticed his strange delivery had given way to almost incoherent mumbling, and the glossy hair was looking unkempt and dull. We talked about how sad it was that he had become out of it and unfunny, because he had been so wonderfully different. We were really pleased to catch him on TV a few months ago, because it seemed like the old spark was back and he had us laughing like crazy. That makes it all the sadder that on March 30th, at age 37, he died in a hotel room in New Jersey. I am having formatting problems, so here is his site: www.mitchhedberg.net

The Art of Barrie

Studio Map
I went searching for some new art work to blog about or to use when I blog, and I found The Art of Barrie. This is a studio site for an artist who has a unique challenge for people who happen across his site. I like his art work and the site is truly unique. I thought about how to explain the site, then thought it better to let the artist explain it himself:

Welcome to Barrie's Studio. This is one of many studios in a community of artists associated with a wonderful non profit organization called ART on the NET dedicated to the promotion of art on the world wide web. My studio is has many theme galleries which are represented by the pictures on the left. Access to the lobby is obtained by pressing the oversized bell next to the door. Previews of my art can be seen in this window by selecting the pictures on the left. In the lobby you can take a random tour by requesting the map or just follow the signs. There are three levels to the studio. The studio level generally covers recent subjects. The roots of my art is located in the archives level of the studio which will require some tenacity to gain enty. The final level is the Vaults which contain an outline of a frightening true story that is at the roots of my art. The experience related in this story made me truly appreciate the importance of expression.

The last two sentences in his introduction to the site give the feel of some ominous secret in his past. I've been back and forth through the site and the key to the Myst-like puzzle eludes me, so far. I am pretty sure there is an anagram involved, but that's as far as I've gotten with it. If you are able to figure it out the puzzle, let me know because my curiosity is piqued by the dark promise of an answer to this artful mystery. What a cool idea.

Ian Wrisley's Voice of Reason

On Tuesday, March 29, 2005 during my drive home from work, I was listening to All Things Considered on NPR. I heard the most novel argument in favor of keeping the Ten Commandments off of government property, and I was surprised to find that the opinion being shared was that of Ian Wrisley, an Evangelical minister from Crested Butte, Colorado. It was surprising to me that in spite of his being an Evangelical minister, his opinion was expressed so clearly and logically that I got it. I usually have a hard time listening to people who are religious (or who claim to be religious), because more often than not their preaching seems to me to be very judgemental and hypocritical. I wanted to put the transcipt of his piece in my blog, but NPR only posted the sound byte of Ian Wrisley speaking his piece, so I transcribed it myself. One of the reasons I love NPR is that they consistently deliver surprising content, because their stories are interesting and they aren't afraid to tell stories from alternative perspectives.

My best attempt at transcribing Ian Wrisley's thought provoking editorial:

Dorothy Sayers called it a great mistake to present Christianity as something charming and popular. Maybe that’s my problem with this whole Ten Commandments controversy. People who want the Commandments on government property are forced to argue the commandments belong there precisely because they are not religious. They talk about the Commandments as a cultural, legal, and historical document. This line of thinking might keep God in the Pledge of Allegiance, but only as an impotent artifact of history, not the Lord of history. It’s a hollow victory.

When a government adopts religious symbolism it ought to scare the bejeezus out of religious people. Why? Because governments can’t be trusted with metaphysics, that’s why. When I was in 8^th grade, our principal said the Lord’s Prayer over the loudspeaker everyday. In his mouth it was just another means to control unruly adolescents. Communion with God lost out. When governments co-opt religious symbols, they aren’t giving legitimacy to religion, they’re using religion to prop up their own legitimacy. What’s most confusing to me is that the people clamoring for religious symbols on government property are my fellow Evangelicals.

It was after all a group of Baptists who needed Thomas Jefferson’s reassurance that the government would keep out of religion. His response to them gives us that great phrase, “A wall of separation between Church and State.” The Baptists (and the rest of us) were protected from the encroaching hand of government. 200 years later, Evangelicals are asking the government to encroach.

Blasphemy is a word we Evangelicals don’t use much anymore. It means to make secular that which is sacred. Posting the Ten Commandments on government property is a case study in blasphemy. As a Christian, I find The Commandments too sacred to be possessed by any government. If anything, the faithful belong to The Commandments, but that’s another conversation.