ABC reporter Asa Eslocker was arrested today for taking pictures on a public sidewalk. One of the officers said to him, “you’re lucky I didn’t knock the fuck out of you.” I hope every one of the police buffoons involved is fired. See the video, then contact the Denver PD and tell them what you think.
Every American should sit through (and actually digest) this interview in its entirety [Part 1] | [Part 2]. Whether you watch or listen, please take the time to do so with open ears and an open mind. It is probably the most powerful and sobering assessment of the American condition I have heard in years.
Bacevich’s 2007 op ed in the Washington Post provides some sad but interesting background. His new book is here.
I really want to push for everyone to feel that the Obama candidacy might be their best choice - Democrats, Republicans and independents - and that everyone should evaluate him regardless of their affiliation. But it needs to be said that none have been betrayed by their “leaders” the way Republicans have. Their party was hijacked by a few dozen neoconservative criminals, and our global reputation and economy are in tatters as a result. The Republican party under Bush abandoned its ideals, and many Republicans are finding considerably more they like about Obama than they do about McCain.
I know more than a few smart Republicans - young and old school - who are supporting Obama. But many of them don’t talk about it, or, if they do, not very loudly. I hope that over the next couple of months they’ll speak a bit more loudly, because this is a candidacy that everyone should seriously consider.
Growing up, there was a book that first got me excited about computers. I’d never really forgotten it, but over the years it had faded deep into memory. And fond memories they were - the book was whimsical, full of strange artwork and far-out metaphors. It really helped me - a middle-school kid in the middle of nowhere trying desperately to think big - to see outside my small world and into a universe of infinite technological possibility. I was probably 12 or 13, just starting to tinker with TRS-80s and early Apples and really having my mind opened up by these strange little boxes.
A few months ago - for some reason - that book popped back into my mind. Who was that guy? What was that book? And off I went to figure it out.
I’ve often whined in these pages about various modalities I enjoy online and, also, my frustrations with some of them. A couple of years ago, right after the great big anorexia brouhaha of 2006, I remarked that folks seemed to be starving for conversation, and online tools hadn’t matured to the point where it could happen very well.
What I really love about blogging - other than getting my opinion out there and pissing people off - is curating. I love finding cool, random things that inspire or touch me in some way and sharing them with all of you. My hope is that you see, read, or feel things you would not have otherwise.
Bowman and his colleague Rod Lamborn offer us a short film, Meridian, that I hope you’ll enjoy as much as I did. The photography is brilliant, the music (by Tycho) is perfect, and they manage - without a word - to capture the ineffable Magic Of It All.
During the recent earthquake here in Los Angeles, I found myself mildly spooked. Not because of the quake itself, nono - after all, I had, since I moved to LA, wished for exactly this kind of quake. “I want a quake,” I told friends, “just strong enough for me to experience one [I'd never felt one before], but mild enough so no one gets hurt.” The quake of a couple of weeks ago was exactly what I’d ordered.
Check out these photo essays. I really want to do some of this kind of photography but have not pushed myself to do the necessary exploring. So, for now, I’ll live vicariously through photographers like Shaun. [h/t Sarah]
