October 2008
September 2008
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“In 1933, Franklin Roosevelt inherited an economic crisis. He understood that his first job was to restore confidence, to give people a sense that somebody was in charge, that something was going to be done.
This generation of political leaders is confronting a similar situation, and, so far, they have failed utterly and catastrophically to project any sense of authority, to give the world any reason to believe that this country is being governed.
…
The American century was created by American leadership, which is scarcer than credit just about now.” —David Brooks - NYT
This generation of political leaders is confronting a similar situation, and, so far, they have failed utterly and catastrophically to project any sense of authority, to give the world any reason to believe that this country is being governed.
…
The American century was created by American leadership, which is scarcer than credit just about now.” —David Brooks - NYT
“An RIAA notice arrived in triplicate, via email, registered mail, and FedEx overnight (with print and CD versions). They demanded that I take down six specific muxtapes they felt were infringing, so I did. Around the same time I got a call from the VP of anti-piracy at one of the majors. After I picked up the phone his first words were, “Justin, I just have one question for you: where do I send the summons and complaint?”
—Muxtape Forced To Realign
“As George Orwell points out in “Politics and the English Language,” one need not take on the responsibility of thinking when composing sentences:
You can shirk it by simply throwing your mind open and letting the ready-made phrases come crowding in. They will construct your sentences for you — even think your thoughts for you, to a certain extent — and at need they will perform the important service of partially concealing your meaning even from yourself. It is at this point that the special connexion between politics and the debasement of language becomes clear.” —Orange Crate Art: Couric and Palin and Orwell
You can shirk it by simply throwing your mind open and letting the ready-made phrases come crowding in. They will construct your sentences for you — even think your thoughts for you, to a certain extent — and at need they will perform the important service of partially concealing your meaning even from yourself. It is at this point that the special connexion between politics and the debasement of language becomes clear.” —Orange Crate Art: Couric and Palin and Orwell
“The show would instead be about untethered capitalism run amok, about how power and money actually route themselves in a postmodern American city, and, ultimately, about why we as an urban people are no longer able to solve our problems or heal our wounds. Early in the conception of the drama, Ed Burns and I—as well as the late Bob Colesberry, a consummate filmmaker who served as the directorial producer and created the visual template for The Wire—conceived of a show that would, with each season, slice off another piece of the American city, so that by the end of the run, a simulated Baltimore would stand in for urban America, and the fundamental problems of urbanity would be fully addressed.”
—(via City of Sound) The Believer - Interview with David Simon of “The Wire”
I state explicitly in my 20-word profile on Twitter that I don't want invites from anyone I don't know. Here are the fucking idiots representing companies that ping me anyway.
Thanks to each and every one of you for doing your part to pollute an ecosystem based on genuine communication between friends. It’s like walking up to two people chatting on the street, and asking: “hey, wouldn’t you like to learn more about Allstate insurance?”
It’s not a harmless request. It’s pollution, it’s stupid, and if someone paid you to spam twitter, they should stop paying you. Forever.
List from Sept 28 08:
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AllstateGarage
BusinessSite
K&G Crafts
“The Great Schlep aims to have Jewish grandchildren visit their grandparents in Florida, educate them about Obama, and therefore swing the crucial Florida vote in his favor.”
—The Great Schlep
