Friday, March 20, 2009
Republicans and critical thinking
Perhaps someone could explain to me why republicans are so anti-intellectual. Is no one embarrassed that there are zero intellectual underpinings for their positions? I'm thinking now of their positions on some of Obama's judicial nominees. I realize it's red meat for their base, but their behavoir and statements are cringe inducing. They don't even seem to make a pretence of articulating their objections.
House Apporves Tax on AIG Bonuses
Far be it from me to defend the testosterone overloaded alleged fincancial genuises on Wall St, but a 90% tax on bonuses is ridiculous. This seems once again to demonstrate the exceedingly shallow and petty nature of the House.
Wednesday, March 18, 2009
China Stands Up to Big Business
It seems Coca Cola's attempt to buy a large Chinese beverage producer failed. The commerce ministry is quoted as saying China was worried that the merger would “set up some exclusive terms to restrict competition in the juice market.”
Unofficial reports have the government also saying, "But we're going to to go ahead with the whole authoritarian police state thing." He added, "Weren't the Olympics great?!"
Unofficial reports have the government also saying, "But we're going to to go ahead with the whole authoritarian police state thing." He added, "Weren't the Olympics great?!"
Monday, March 16, 2009
The Syrian Bride
My movie watching fell short of my hopes. Nothing unusual there. I remain, despite the beliefs of others, an optimist.
I did, tough, see The Syrian Bride. A wonderful movie that above all made me think that contrary to the lunatic fringe here in the States, Palestinians and Jews actually have to live together. And this involves both sides overlooking and accommodating themselves to the other. There's a fascinating ontological puzzle towards the end. In order for the bride-to-be in the Golan to marry a Syrian man, she must relinquish her Israeli passport (although I suppose it's not technically speaking a passport) and receive a Syrian passport. However, the Syrian border control officer will not accept the old passport, which had been stamped by his counterpart in Israel. Why? Obviously because the Golan is not part of Israel. It is part of Syria despite the de jure, from the the Israeli perspective, and de facto from the Syrian reality on the ground. Thus, an Israeli stamp implies the acceptance of what is but cannot be acknowledged. It must require considerable intellectual hurdles to continually view what might be, or once was, versus what is.
The movie also presented an engaging family drama involving multiple siblings and in-laws. It was quite affecting and indeed, brought tears to Joanna's eyes. Hardly a typical event for her when watching a movie.
And finally, the fabulous Hiam Abbass is, as always, beautiful and, well, fabulous.
I did, tough, see The Syrian Bride. A wonderful movie that above all made me think that contrary to the lunatic fringe here in the States, Palestinians and Jews actually have to live together. And this involves both sides overlooking and accommodating themselves to the other. There's a fascinating ontological puzzle towards the end. In order for the bride-to-be in the Golan to marry a Syrian man, she must relinquish her Israeli passport (although I suppose it's not technically speaking a passport) and receive a Syrian passport. However, the Syrian border control officer will not accept the old passport, which had been stamped by his counterpart in Israel. Why? Obviously because the Golan is not part of Israel. It is part of Syria despite the de jure, from the the Israeli perspective, and de facto from the Syrian reality on the ground. Thus, an Israeli stamp implies the acceptance of what is but cannot be acknowledged. It must require considerable intellectual hurdles to continually view what might be, or once was, versus what is.
The movie also presented an engaging family drama involving multiple siblings and in-laws. It was quite affecting and indeed, brought tears to Joanna's eyes. Hardly a typical event for her when watching a movie.
And finally, the fabulous Hiam Abbass is, as always, beautiful and, well, fabulous.
Saturday, March 14, 2009
Another Reduction
It seems the Post is eliminating their daily business section. I still struggle to put my finger on exactly why this worries me. I persist in believing (hoping?) there's demand for this information. The problem is, I can't figure out who is going to cover it. It seems to me, you do indeed, need a staff and institutional support to put out the long, expository stories that help us contextualize the current financial situation.
A related issue regarding the Post. The Washington Post Co. owns the paper, Newsweek, Slate and all its spin-offs, as well as TV and radio stations. Perhaps I don't understand the accounting behind these sorts of corporate entities. But with all these ventures, how can the Post be so desperate to cut entire sections from the paper?
A related issue regarding the Post. The Washington Post Co. owns the paper, Newsweek, Slate and all its spin-offs, as well as TV and radio stations. Perhaps I don't understand the accounting behind these sorts of corporate entities. But with all these ventures, how can the Post be so desperate to cut entire sections from the paper?
Friday, March 13, 2009
The End
I'm looking forward to wrapping up another grueling week. I'm looking forward to the weekend. Tomorrow we'll be at the zoo early. Sunday swimming. I have several movies to watch this weekend. Hopefully, I can get through two of them: Syrian Bride and My Sex Life. I also need to figure out a couple of good dinners. I've been so disappointed lately.
Hair
To continue today's theme of weighty issues, I'm off for a haircut. Still not sure what the plan is. I will confer with my stylist (haha) and decide.
Suits and Dry Cleaning
Oh the horror. I've been dry cleaning my suits way, way too much. This site (http://www.askmen.com/fashion/fashiontip_300/310b_fashion_advice.html) recommends once per season. My god, what have I been doing. Nevermind the money.
Blogs
Yes, I realize I'm coming a little late to the party, but I've been discovering the wonderful world of blogs. And thanks to Avi's direction, I can stay updated all the time. There are an amazing number of good food blogs out there. For awhile, I was only doing Bitten, which when you discover some of the other blogs out there, is pretty stodgy. It is The Times after all. Now, I have to sift through these and figure out what to make for dinner.
George Gently
This is my first blog post, so we'll see how this evolves. Undoubtedly, my legion of fans will be anxiously awaiting all my updates. So, what's up first...?
Something banal I suppose. Last night I watched the first episode of the BBC serious "George Gently." As long as this stuff is done well, I really can't get enough. Martin Shaw is top-notch. It's great to see a show set in a not often flimed part of England (actually filmed in and around Dublin according to IMDB). Unfortunately, there are only three episodes todate. Here's hoping more are in the works.
Something banal I suppose. Last night I watched the first episode of the BBC serious "George Gently." As long as this stuff is done well, I really can't get enough. Martin Shaw is top-notch. It's great to see a show set in a not often flimed part of England (actually filmed in and around Dublin according to IMDB). Unfortunately, there are only three episodes todate. Here's hoping more are in the works.
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