May 2010 archive
May 13 2010
It’s Only Castles Burning
May 13 2010
On This Day in History: May 13
On this day in 1964, Stephen Colbert, American comedian and actor, was born in Washington,D.C., the youngest of 11 children. He was raised in Charleston, South Carolina on James Island until the death of his father and two brothers in a plane crash in 1974, when his mother moved the family to Charleston city proper. During high school he participated in plays and a Rolling Stones cover band.
After graduating from Northwestern University’s School of Communications, he was hired by “Second City” answering phones and selling souvenirs later performing with the touring company as an under study for Steve Carell. He has since written, created and performed a number of comedy shows from “Exit 57” to “Strangers with Candy” and even a gig on “Good Morning America”. He was hired in 1997 by the producer of “The Daily Show”.
His correspondent character, which he described as “a fool who has spent a lot of his life playing not the fool”, would eventually evolve into the parody “Stephen Colbert” character of the much acclaimed “The Colbert Report”. He carries off his parody character so well that many believe that it is really Colbert himself. His performance at the “White House Correspondents’ Association Dinner” in 2006, while not well received that night, became wildly popular on the internet and with the media.
Colbert has also acted in films and TV dramas (Law & Order: Criminal Intent)and provided the voice for animated characters (Phil, “Harvey Birdman, Attorney at Law”, “The Venture Bros.” and “The Simpsons”). His book, “I Am America (And So Can You!)”, was #1 on the NYT Best Seller. He was assistant team psychologist for the 2010 US Olympic Speed Skating team and was part of the NBC coverage.
Colbert is married to Evelyn McGee-Colbert, has three children, 2 boys and a girl, and lives in Montclair, New Jersey. He is a self proclaimed Democrat and stated in a speech at Kennedy School of Government at Harvard Institute of Politics, that “he has “no problems with Republicans, just Republican policies.”
Happy 46th Birthday, Stephen
May 13 2010
Muse in the Morning
May 13 2010
Who’s “We,” white man?
“We have an interest in reducing civilian casualties because I don’t want civilians killed. And we are going to do everything we can to prevent that.”
What about the civilians’ interest?
“We have an interest in reducing civilian casualties because I don’t want civilians killed. And we are going to do everything we can to prevent that.”
How about eliminating them altogether?
“We have an interest in reducing civilian casualties because I don’t want civilians killed. And we are going to do everything we can to prevent that.”
Who’s “We” white man?
“We have an interest in reducing civilian casualties because I don’t want civilians killed. And we are going to do everything we can to prevent that.”
Who’s ordering the killings?
“We have an interest in reducing civilian casualties because I don’t want civilians killed. And we are going to do everything we can to prevent that.”
Everything?
“We have an interest in reducing civilian casualties because I don’t want civilians killed. And we are going to do everything we can to prevent that.”
If it’s not killing civilians, what is “our interest?” It’s been more than nine years, and “I” think “we” deserve an answer.
May 13 2010
Piano Rolls
So I was looking at Debussy (which I swear I’ll get to, but it’s really complicated) and shopping for YouTubes when I ran across 2 Piano Rolls of his.
What’s a Piano Roll? Basically a Paper Tape to program your Player Piano which is one reason why aficionados like to call them ‘digital recordings’ (another would be a lame pun about fingers).
You see, your performer sits down at a Reproducing Piano, plays the piece, and punches holes in the tape. Then you take your master tape to a duplicator and sooner than you can say ‘Bob’s your Uncle’ you can be selling them to every bar, honky tonk, saloon, or whatever too cheap to hire a piano player, but willing to spend big bucks on a hunk of obsolete equipment (capitalism, gotta love it).
The beauty part is the sound reproduction.
Instead of a scratchy unrecognizable mess like we heard from Brahms on Saturday, you get an exact duplicate of the tempo, duration, and pitch (assuming your piano is tuned) of each note. It doesn’t do volume so well, or at least not in a standardized way.
Still it is a remarkable ‘voice of the pharohs’ device that has preseved the performances of such famous composers as Debussy (of course), but also Gershwin, Grieg, Joplin, Mahler, Prokofiev, Rachmaninoff, and Scriabin (well, that wiki lists, there are doubtless others).
Both pieces tonight are Debussy playing Debussy via Piano Roll. The one on the left is Arabesque #2 posted by jero13595. It has pretty pictures. The one on the right is very static visually, but you’ll instantly recognize it (and perhaps be reminded of another Piano Roll composer). The title is Golliwogg’s Cakewalk and it was posted by theoshow2.
May 13 2010
I’m doing a presentation on Omar Khadr, in Vancouver, BC, Canada
Hello Friends,
Just a word for those is the Pacific Northwest, especially Vancouver.
I will be doing a presentation entitled:
“Omar Khadr, American Torture and Why You Should Care”
Friday, May 21st
7pm
St. Mark’s Anglican Church, Kitsilano
1805 Larch St.
Vancouver
(2nd and Larch)
$5
You are all invited and very welcome.
(Sorry to be so cryptic, but it’s easier to make details clear.)
Hugs,
Heather
May 13 2010
The Problem With Elena Kagan Is Your Belly Button. Om Nom Nom
(Written in response to meta at Daily Kos, and published here for your enjoyment ~ Cheers)
That’s right! Your belly button, whoever you are or think you may be
With all respect due to the many, many, many diarists who have already touched upon this subject, I felt the need to masturbate, and since my girlfriend is looking right at me (Sorry, Shiz), a meta diary is as close as I can get.
So here is what is wrong with Elena Kagan in a nutshell, your belly button.
More navel gazing below the fold.
May 13 2010
For Your Consderation: Seven Years and Counting
The Iraq War has been officially extended with the issue of this Notice to Congress (warning: pdf file):
I have sent the enclosed notice to the Federal Register for publication, continuing the national emergency with respect to the stabilization of Iraq. This notice states that the national emergency with respect to the stabilization of Iraq declared in Executive Order 13303 of May 22, 2003, as modified in scope and relied upon for additional steps taken in Executive Order 13315 of August 28, 2003, Executive Order 13350 of July 29, 2004, Executive Order 13364 of November 29, 2004, and Executive Order 13438 of July 17, 2007, is to continue in effect beyond May 22, 2010.
Obstacles to the orderly reconstruction of Iraq, the restoration and maintenance of peace and security in the country, and the development of political, administrative, and economic institutions in Iraq continue to pose an unusual and extraordinary threat to the national security and foreign policy of the United States. Accordingly, I have determined that it is necessary to continue the national emergency with respect to this threat and maintain in force the measures taken to deal with that national emergency.
h/t emptywheel @ FDL
May 13 2010
Banks gambling against you with your money.
The triple-thick milkshake of socialism.
What’s going on is really simple. We’re having a run on the Shadow Banking System and the only question is how intensely it will self-feed as its assets and liabilities are put back onto the balance sheet of the conventional banking system.
…bottom line, you had the Fed step up and provide its public good to the Shadow Banking System. You had the FDIC step up and do the same thing with its public good. And as Paul Volcker was noting this afternoon, you had the Treasury step up and provide a similar public good for the money market mutual funds, using the Foreign Exchange Stabilization Fund. It was a triple-thick milk shake of socialism. And it was good.
Glad you liked it. Now, please suck on this.
May 13 2010
Taking Care Of Old Mom Earth
The oddest thoughts.
If I lived in suburbia and my dog ran out and pooped on my neighbor’s lawn, my neighbor would be angry. My neighbor might tell me to clean it up. S/he’d be much angrier if I spilled a truck full of chemical fertilizer or garbage on the lawn, something that would be hard to clean up and looked and smelled bad.
I live in the country. I go for a walk in the fields with my dog. On my own land I come upon an enormous horse poop. Later, I see my neighbor and ask if she’s been riding on my land. I shake my head, no, at her. She says she’ll clean it up. I think, well, what if she had left instead a few leaking barrels of hazardous material or poison. What if she left behind baited leg traps so my dog and pets could be injured. I’d be much angrier.
May 13 2010
The Week in Editorial Cartoons – The Perfect Oil Clean Up Crew
Crossposted at Daily Kos
THE WEEK IN EDITORIAL CARTOONS
This weekly diary takes a look at the past week’s important news stories from the perspective of our leading editorial cartoonists (including a few foreign ones) with analysis and commentary added in by me.
When evaluating a cartoon, ask yourself these questions:
1. Does a cartoon add to my existing knowledge base and help crystallize my thinking about the issue depicted?
2. Does the cartoonist have any obvious biases that distort reality?
3. Is the cartoonist reflecting prevailing public opinion or trying to shape it?The answers will help determine the effectiveness of the cartoonist’s message.
:: ::
Clean Up Crew by Cam Cardow, Ottawa Citizen, Buy this cartoon
May 13 2010
Afternoon Edition
Afternoon Edition is an Open Thread
| From Yahoo News Top Stories |
1 BP banking on ‘top-hat’ to cap US oil leak
by Alex Ogle, AFP
51 mins ago
| VENICE, Louisiana (AFP) – BP battled Wednesday to cap a huge oil leak, lowering a box dubbed “a top-hat” into the Gulf of Mexico amid mounting US anger over a spill flowing unchecked for three weeks.
Frustrated by the lack of progress so far, President Barack Obama dispatched a top team to BP’s command center in Houston, Texas, to discuss how to stop the estimated 210,000 gallons of oil spewing into the sea daily from a sunken rig. Energy Secretary Steven Chu voiced some optimism as he emerged from the talks, as oil company executives were grilled for a second day by lawmakers in Washington. |