Saturday, November 21, 2009

Are Twilight and Harry Potter the Cause of Bad Writing and the Butchering of the English Language?

My favorite blog that deals with the world of science fiction and fantasy literature (and one of my favorite blogs overall), The World in a Satin Bag, has an interesting, albeit slightly misguided IMHO, post entitled The End of Good Writing: The Damage of Twilight, Harry Potter, and Their Friends.

From the post –
There has been a resurgence of crap in the last few years. I don't mean published crap, but crap in relation to writing in general. And I'm blaming Twilight, Harry Potter, and every other significant, top-selling literary franchise currently flooding the shelves. As the co-owner of an online writing workshop for young writers, I have seen first hand what the surge of sales and admiration of these books has done. The quality of written English, in general, has drastically de-evolved. That's not to say that there aren't good writers, just that the profusion of online writing forums (of all stripes) and the injection of relatively sub par storytelling into the mainstream landscape has created a new environment indubitably friendly to the prospect of universal value. It's a nice thought, but a faulty one.

It is faulty because there is no such thing as universal value that actually places real value on something. The only universal value in writing is the one given to anyone who tries, but that ends, for anyone with the heart to tell someone about reality, where accomplishing the task turns into trying to do something more. The conditions have, I think, been set for this sort of presumed universal value, and for the infusion of poor knockoffs, poor storytelling (plotting, etc.), and other problematic relationships to the very idea of writing.

[...]

Where am I going with this? All of these problems have been rising dramatically in the last year, due almost entirely to the influx of popular titles into the public of would-be writers. More and more wannabe writers (young and old) are flooding my forum with the expectation that they will be the next Meyer or Rowling, but then they disappear moments later when they realize that a) you can't be on a writing site and not conform to standard written English; and b) sometimes when you suck, you actually suck. A lot of them come in expecting to write in a way that not even an elementary school teacher would accept (not in fiction, but in communicating with others), and then are shocked to find that a site for writers might actually have standards. These folks want to be the next Meyer, and they'll do everything they can to be it short of actually working on their craft; to tell them that they have a lot of work to do is to tell them that they will fail, always (some of them undoubtedly will, even if they try to work on their craft). But, they don't disappear forever; they go to other places where they are not subject to such rules, where they can put out incomprehensible drivel and receive glowing comments instead of anything resembling a critique (there is, after all, absolutely nothing helpful about such things as "OMGZ dis r awzum!!!1!").

And this worries me because it feels like the end of good writing. I get the impression that standards are being relaxed, not in publishing, but in the wider web, and the way the community functions is to provide places for people to get false hope, to dream of things that aren't possible, and to continue to fulfill their fantasies without a dose of reality. Not everyone is cut out to be a writer, of any kind. Some people simply are better suited to other duties, but everyone can try. But the most basic thing we all need as potential writers is a modest ability to use the language we intend to write in and a healthy dose of the reality we all live in. We can't pretend to be writers and conform to a non-standard method of communication that involves complete disregard for even the most basic of English rules--capitalizing letters is not that difficult.

Even worse is the fact that I don't know how to to figure in the influence of popular titles like Twilight or Harry Potter. There is a correlation, but what kind? How do they mix? And do we just let this flooding of sub par occur? Do we address it? How? Is it bad or good? A logical consequence?
S.M.D. lists off a series of specific problems in the post that include text-speak, disregard for Standard English, incoherence, and flagrant disregard of reality. While I agree that these are all HUGE problems, I think that laying the blame on the feet of Twilight and Harry Potter is wrong. There are many, many other factors that have helped in the degradation of the English language and it is impossible for the blame to rest completely on two book series and those that have tried to ride on the coattails of their success.

Below is the comment that I left on the post. It’s pretty long but I thought it was worth reprinting here. Also I would encourage everyone who has a soft sport for the fantasy and sci-fi genres to check out The World in a Satin Bag blog.

While I 100% agree that the written form of our language is being butchered on a daily basis, I think that trying to lay the blame on series like Twilight and Harry Potter is a stretch (if not flat out inaccurate). Are those series to blame for would-be writers writing stories that are complete rip-offs? Absolutely but that is another matter entirely.

The biggest cause to the current deterioration of the English language in written form is the internet and text messages. About ten years ago I worked in the technical support department at AOL. While at work, we spent a pretty good amount of time in various chat rooms. It was then that I first started to see chat-lingo (a.k.a. lol, roflmao, brb, etc.) and since then things have only gotten worse. Now I’m not completely against chat-lingo, heck I use it when it is appropriate, but I know that there is a time and a place for that and for using proper English. Fast-forward to 2009. I work for another company (still in a call center doing tech support…sadly) that uses chat rooms as a major tool for communication. It is in those chat rooms that I see our language raped on a daily basis. Not only do people not know how to spell (something that I admittedly have problems with) but they are unable to use proper capitalization or punctuation to save their lives. Granted the point of the chat rooms is as a quick communication tool to get questions answered in order to help customers, so I don’t begrudge all of the shortcuts used (I use quite a few myself) but there are times that I literally have to ask someone what he/she just said because what was typed was completely incomprehensible.

I mention all of this because I know that MANY of the people guilty of these crimes against the written language have never read Twilight or Harry Potter, let alone any book. For the most part these are people who are obsessed with other things (like sports, cars, and some even computers). So based on my experiences, the works of Meyer and Rowling have little to nothing to do with the abuse of written English.

On the matter of regurgitated plots, etc., I had a writing teacher once that said not to worry about it. He said that even if you were borrowing heavily from another source, your own point of view, personality, and experiences would make your story unique (or at least not exactly like what has influenced you). One thing to understand though, he was not at all a “literary” professor. He was a guy who had been a cop and now writes action/adventure novels and teaches on the side. He brought to the classes his experience in the publishing world and dismissed a lot of the snobbery of the “literary” world. He tried to focus on the skills that would actually help students get published. I thoroughly enjoyed the classes and learned a lot.

I have to admit that in my own writing, I have drawn heavily from the things that I enjoy reading and watching. Because of that I know that my vampire manuscript (which you can read the first four chapters of here) has a Buffy the Vampire Slayer feel to it and that the epic fantasy that I’ve been working on has a Shannara with Jedi feel to it. Is this a bad thing? I don’t think so, as long as I write a story that is well thought out, put together, and executed, then who cares if it has similarities to other works of fiction. Heck, most, if not all, hero tales share the same set of characteristics. So does that mean that Harry Potter is a rip-off of Superman, Heracles, or Jesus just because their stories share many of the same plot elements and characteristics? No. These elements are part of our collective subconscious and find their way into our myths, folktales, scriptures, and literature. (Note – If you can’t already tell, I’m a big fan of the work of Joseph Campbell.)

More than anything else though, the Twilight and Harry Potter series have gotten kids into reading and that is a great thing. I spend a lot of time at our local library and there are always kids there checking out and reading books. My kids have read more in their eight and nine years respectfully than I did in my first 25 years. When I was young we didn’t have things like Harry Potter or Twilight to draw us into the glories of reading. We had cartoons, TV shows, and movies and books just never seemed to rank in comparison. One thing that I thoroughly regret is the fact that it wasn’t until I was in my mid-20s when I started to read for fun. Since then I nearly always have at least one book going and my performance in school had greatly increased (not that I am any closer to a BA but that is anther matter). I love to read and make sure that my kids see me reading and encourage them to read as well (also the schools are doing a MUCH better job in the reading department than mine did when I was young). This is why I think for all of the bad, imitations that they are bound to spawn, series like Twilight and Harry Potter are great things and do far more good than harm.

Currently Listening

Today we’re doing some (of the hundreds if not thousands) of the songs that I want to hear played when 105.3 The Spy returns to the air.

1. “Rock & Roll” by The Velvet Underground (from Loaded)
2. “Public Image” by Public Image Limited (from Public Image)
3. “She’s My Ex” by ALL (from Allroy’s Revenge)
4. “The Only One I Know” by The Charlatans UK (from Some Friendly)
5. “Unity” by Operation Ivy (from Energy)
6. “Where Are They Now” by Cock Sparrer (from Shock Troops / Runnin’ Riot in ’84)
7. “City Lights” by The GC5 (from Kisses from Hanoi / Horseshoes & Handgrenades)
8. “Kill By Kill” by The Staggers (from One Heartbeat Away from Hell)
9. “Everything Looks Beautiful on Video” by The Epoxies (from Stop the Future)
10. “Now We Can See” by The Thermals (from Now We Can See)

Friday, November 20, 2009

Top 10 Mainstream Alternative Rock Bands

In the 1990's the underground music scene was thrust into the mainstream making the term "alternative" the catch phrase of the decade. While for the most part I prefer bands that fly under the radar, there are some bands that have attained mainstream success that I truly enjoy and will always stop and listen to on the radio.

Now just for sake of clarification, when I say "mainstream" I'm referring to bands that have had multiple hits on multiple releases. Bands that have momentarily flown into the radar for one song or album but then dip back into the underbelly of the music industry have been excluded from this list (those bands would be one hit wonders, like Counting Crows, or cult heroes, like The Mighty Mighty Bosstones, Dinosaur Jr., and The Cure). Also I have not included R.E.M. or U2 because they are in my top 5 bands and because they are two of the biggest bands of the past 30 years.

For the videos, I have picked songs by the bands that I really like, which may or may not get any actual radio air play. I’ve tried to use the actual videos whenever possible, but in a few cases the embedding feature is disabled on the official videos.


10. The Smashing Pumpkins
I have to admit that I only really like their first two records.




9. Nine Incha Nails
Kind of like with the Smashing Pumpkins, I only really like NIN's first album.




8. Live
I might be a stretch to call Live "mainstream" by my aforementioned standards, but oh well.




7. Nirvana




6. Weezer




5. Gin Blossoms




4. Pearl Jam




3. The Goo Goo Dolls




2. Foo Fighters




1. Green Day


Video of the Day: Homemade

"Believe in Something" by Youth Brigade


I hadn't heard this song in years until tonight and I had to go and find the lyrics, which I decided were too good not to share.

I went out walking just had to think
all day spent talking really need a drink
we have the luxury of fighting in our seats
a price for any justice the whole notion stinks

What the hell are we doing with our lives
screaming for freedom
while fighting with all sides

Say there's a reason justify the lies
but I think we're empty inside
I know a girl a girl so smart
she can talk endlessly of why we're so apart
I know a boy a boy so tough
stand up to anything but he'll never say enough

What the hell are we doing with our lives
screaming for freedom
while fighting with all sides
say there's a reason justify the lies
but I think we're empty inside...

I believe in you believe in me believe in god, country and the family
believe in greed the corporate state
believe that power and money means strength
believe in love and the birds and the bees
believe in peace honour and harmony
believe that we should live and let live
it's up to you just believe in something.

I want to think you believe in you
I believe in me will it set you free
someone's always telling you what to believe in
and I don't think you should have to fear pay any money or sacrifice years
to find some peace of mind to find a way to believe in something

Video of the Day II

"Simple Song" by Avail

The Spy RETURNS!!!!!

OklahomaRock.com is reporting that 105.3 FM The Spy will be returning to OKC airwaves next week!!! I couldn’t be more stoked!

Big thanks also to The Lost Ogle for the find.

Video of the Day

"Never Said" by Liz Phair

Video of the Day: Live

"No Division" by Hot Water Music

Who Pays the Most in Taxes?

According to this report, in at least 10 states it’s the poor.

Money Quote –
The tax code is unfair and it's the poor and the middle class who are getting the raw end of the deal.

Those are some of the conclusions of a new study released by the Institute on Taxation and Economic Policy, a nonpartisan research group. The report found that after itemized deductions, the richest 1 percent of Americans pay taxes at an average rate of 5.2 percent of their income. Middle-class residents, on average, pay taxes at a rate of 9.4 percent, and the poorest 20 percent pay at a rate of 10.9 percent.

"In effect, what we have is an upside-down system in which the more you earn, the less you pay in taxes," said Matthew Gardner, executive director of ITEP and the principal author of the study. "I don't think anyone would intentionally set out to design a tax code that way."

According to Gardner's findings, the 10 states where "regressive" taxation most significantly tilts in favor of the rich are Washington, Florida, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Illinois, Arizona, Nevada, Pennsylvania and Alabama.
Our tax code is just far too cumbersome and convoluted, has way too many loopholes, and desperately needs to be reformed.

Boston’s Fox Affiliate Tackles Straight Edge

My Fox Boston put together a segment on straight edge music that was actually pretty good.

Money Quote –
If you walked into a club and heard the music, you might turn right around. But you’d let one of these kids babysit your children and you’d probably be psyched if your daughter brought one home.
When the segment discussed the local connection with straight edge, they completely overlooked some of the bands that helped forge the philosophy (for lack of a better term) back in the 1980s that were from Boston – SSD and DYS. To me that’s kind of like doing a piece on straight edge without mentioning Minor Threat…oh wait, they did that too.

All criticism aside, the piece wasn’t bad at all, even if it was way too short and lacking in detail (but sadly that is the kind of reporting that we have come to expect from the media nowadays).

Thanks to PunkNews.org for the find.

Ben Weasel on the KSM Trial

Ben Weasel takes on the Khalid Sheikh Mohammed trial in the post Obama on KSM as a Criminal Defendant.

Money Quote –
The President apparently believes that objections to criminal trials for terrorists can be chalked up to simple bloodlust; he evidently either doesn't realize or can't believe that there are serious, legitimate concerns about the intelligence and security implications of this decision.
Apparently there was a time that Mr. Weasel did quite a bit of posts on politics on his blog, but he stopped because of complaints from fans. That’s a shame because this is a fairly thoughtful and non-typical post. I’d like to see more of them.

Currently Listening

We’re doing more stuff from the 90s today.

1. “Happiness” by Hagfish (from Rocks Your Lame Ass)
2. “When It Began” by The Replacements (from All Shook Down)
3. “Candy” by Iggy Pop & Kate Pierson (from Brick by Brick)
4. “Sad Tomorrow” by The Muffs (from Blonder and Blonder)
5. “Misconstrued” by Wakeland (from To See the Sun)
6. “Build Me Up Buttercup” by The Goops (from Mallrats)
7. “The World Has Turned and Left Me Here” by Weezer (from Weezer)
8. “Driveway to Driveway” by Superchunk (from Foolish)
9. “Intact” by Ned’s Atomic Dustbin (from Are You Normal?)
10. “Too Fast for Love” by The Donnas (from Get Skintight)

Wednesday, November 18, 2009

PiL Tour Brought to You by Country Life Butter

PunkNews.org is reporting that John Lydon’s (a.k.a. Johnny Rotten) band Public Image Limited upcoming tour will be funded by commercials from Country Life Butter.

In an interview the former Sex Pistols lead singer stated –
Why are they questioning me? What manual am I supposed to adopt? I'm promoting a British product which I'm very proud of. Anything I can do to help British industry is fine by me and in return you've got PiL. The money I got from that advert is the advance on the PiL tour. We live on a lucky end of a shoestring here until the first gig money comes in.
First of all, Lydon is an arrogant, arrogant, arrogant man who seems to think that everything in the world of punk rock revolves around him. He has made an entire career out of an image of tearing down the system, so it is not at all surprising that people see a story like this and immediately think hypocrite.

Second, I don’t blame him at all for working with the butter company. I’m sure that to take PiL back out on the road would cost a lot of money up front and striking a deal with an advertiser (especially with a company that he seems to respect) is a much better idea than getting a loan.

TPM Asks the Question…

Why was the Stimulus Bill called the 'stimulus bill' and not a 'jobs bill'?

I think the better question would be: Why was the Stimulus Bill called the ‘stimulus bill’ and not the ‘jobs created in places that don’t actually exist bill’?

Currently Listening

We’re doing another edition of my version of the 90’s at Noon today.

1. “Move Any Mountain” by The Shamen (from En-Tact)
2. “Head On” by Pixies (from Trompe Le Monde)
3. “Dot” by ALL (from Percolater)
4. “Sexual Healing” by Soul Asylum (from No Alternative)
5. “Believe What You’re Saying” by Sugar (from File Under Easy Listening)
6. “Honey White” by Morphine (from Yes)
7. “Radio Ragga” by Down By Law (from All Scratched Up)
8. “Rollercoaster” by The Amazing Royal Crowns (from The Amazing Royal Crowns)
9. “Ask” by Avail (from Over the James)
10. “4, 1, 4, 1…Done” by 7 Seconds (from Good To Go)

Tuesday, November 17, 2009

The 90’s at Noon

About the only thing that I listen to on a somewhat regular basis on our local, formerly “alternative” (now standard KATT rip-off) rock station is the 90’s at Noon. It’s the only time that they play, fairly consistently, good music. Maybe I enjoy the show because of nostalgia, but whatever the case, it is the only thing worth spit on that radio station.

The good things about the show is that they play songs by bands like The Mighty Mighty Bosstones, Belly, L7, and other 90’s alternative classics. They even play “Waiting Room” by Fugazi. The first time I heard the song on the Buzz I was in complete shock. Wow, I thought, they are actually playing a great song that was never a big hit. Then I thought, wait a second…this song was released in 1988. You see “waiting Room” was originally released on Fugazi’s self-titled debut EP in 1988 (on 7 inch and cassette). The CD that it appears on, 13 Songs which is a collection of those first two EP’s, was released in 1990. The station is essentially trying to be cool and kiss up to the more underground types that don’t listen very often (like me). While I’m happy that they play this song, it’s also frustrating that it is the only Fugazi song that they play. What about something that was actually released in the 90’s like “Merchandise” from Repeater (released in 1990) or “Bed for the Scraping” from Red Medicine (released in 1995)? But then again getting them to play anything by Weezer that’s not off of the Blue Album is like pulling teeth, so why should I expect them to play anything else by Fugazi.

If I had my druthers, the station would abandon its delusions of KATT grandeur and become an actually good, alternative music station. Sure it wouldn’t make as much money as playing sports talk or syndicated Spanish stations, but it would make money and there is an audience for a station that would play that kind of music. In other words, drop the Metallica and Disturbed crap and embrace the music that you play on the 90’s at Noon and run with that (and newer stuff of that caliber/variety). Do that and you will win my loyalty.

Currently Listening

Today we’re doing songs that I would play if I was in charge of the 90’s at Noon on 94.7 The Buzz.

1. “Two Worlds Collide” by Inspiral Carpets (from Revenge of the Goldfish)
2. “Everyday Sunshine” by Fishbone (from The Reality of My Surroundings)
3. “Stuart and the Ave.” by Green Day (from Insomniac)
4. “Hyper Enough” by Superchunk (from Here’s Where the Strings Come In)
5. “El Scorcho” by Weezer (from Pinkerton)
6. “Mandy” by Me First & the Gimme Gimmes (from Have a Ball)
7. “Awful” by Hole (from Celebrity Skin)
8. “Going Strong” by Dropkick Murphys (from The Gang’s All Here)
9. “That’s a Promise” by The Tight Bros. From Way Back When (from Runnin’ Thru My Bones)
10. “Kid Candy” by Seaweed (from Four)

Monday, November 16, 2009

Science Fiction vs. the Literary World

SFFMedia has a great post by John Howell called Why science fiction authors just can’t win. The post deals with the seemingly never-ending battle for science fiction and fantasy authors to get respect from the literary world.

Money Quote –
On her website, science fiction and fantasy author Ursula Le Guin, responding to Robert Weil’s quote in the New York Times, beautifully sums up the science fiction/literary dilemma:

“It is shocking to find that an editor at the publishing house that had the wits to publish J.G. Ballard (as well as the Norton Book of Science Fiction) can be so ignorant of what Ballard wrote, or so uninformed about the nature and history of the science-fiction genre, or so unaware of the nature of literature since the 1980s, that he believes — now, in 2009! — that to say a writer wrote science fiction is to malign or degrade his work."

She continued by homing in on the hypocrisy of the literary world’s view:

“To define science fiction as a purely commercial category of fiction, inherently trashy, having nothing to do with literature, is a tall order. It involves both denying that any work of science fiction can have literary merit, and maintaining that any book of literary merit that uses the tropes of science fiction (such as Brave New World, or 1984, or A Handmaid’s Tale, or most of the works of J.G. Ballard) is not science fiction. This definition-by-negation leads to remarkable mental gymnastics. For instance, one must insist that certain works of dubious literary merit that use familiar science-fictional devices such as alternate history, or well-worn science-fiction plots such as Men-Crossing-the-Continent-After-the Holocaust, and are in every way definable as science fiction, are not science fiction — because their authors are known to be literary authors, and literary authors are incapable by definition of committing science fiction.”

Is He (or She) Crazy?

Liz Cheney apparently dropped her dad’s name into the hat as a possible 2012 GOP presidential candidate.

Is the woman crazy or just being facetious because there is no way in Hades that Dick Cheney could ever win? In fact, one of the few things that scares me more than what is being done in DC right now, is what would be done in DC in a Dick Cheney White House.

Why Can’t Some Articles Be Longer?

Do you ever read a story in the paper (or online) and just wish that they had taken more time to flesh it out? That is exactly what I thought after reading this piece.

Sunday, November 15, 2009

ALL Doing Short East Coast Tour

PunkNews.org is reporting that my favorite band ALL will be doing a short tour of the east coast with Scott Reynolds on vocals. As much as I would love to see one of these gigs, apparently they are only doing material that they had performed when Scott was originally in the band. To me this is a shame because 1) I would love to hear Scott’s take on some of Chad Price’s songs, and 2) they really seem to be on the verge of becoming a nostalgia act. The band hasn’t released any new material in years (the last ALL record came out in 2000 and the last Descendents record in 2004) and they are going around playing shows that sound like shows that they would have played in 1992. I can’t speak for any other fans, but I am dying for some new material. I have been trying to find unreleased songs, b-sides, and compilation tracks that I don’t have jus so I can hear something different from this band. I know that they still have great music in them; I just wish that they would get into the studio, record it, and release it.

Ben Weasel Leaves Yet Another Record Label

PunkNews.org is reporting that Ben Weasel has parted ways with Asian Man Records (a great label IMHO), meaning that all of the Screeching Weasel, Riverdales, and Ben Weasel solo albums will be reprinted again. I’m not sure what the deal is but this seems to be a pattern with Mr. Weasel.

The Consequences of a Bad Decision

Earlier this year (probably around spring time or so), part of the fence in out back yard went down after a storm. This was part of the fence that had been repaired the previous fall (this will come into play in a moment). Our neighbors that share that fence have a fairly large (but extremely sweet) dog and contacted me about getting the fence replaced. They had gotten another part of their fence replaced with a super-nice, steel pole fence and wanted to do the same with this part. They called out a guy and the estimate came out to a bit over $1,300. I about choked. Our neighbor was like “that’s not bad, that’s only about $700 each.” I looked at him and said “I don’t make $700 a paycheck.” I told him flat out that we couldn’t afford it and would need to find another solution. He came back to me later and asked if we could afford giving him $100 a month. I told him that I would have to talk it over with my wife. We talked it over and it was decided that we would go along with the $100 a month thing (this was before they started cutting hours at work and before I signed my kinds up for tae kwon do).

Well, needless to say we haven’t paid him anything. We have planned on paying him off once we get our tax return (among many other things) but until then we don’t have the cash to spare (hell at the moment we don’t have enough money for gas and food for this week).

Then on Friday as we pulled into the driveway coming back from school our neighbor and his mom (yes he lives with his mom) were in their driveway. Unfortunately our garage door opener hasn’t worked in months, so we had to get out and walk to the front door. We waved while walking and then he bellowed “I’ve been very patient about my money.” I stopped and told him that once I had some money that I would pay him (hopefully sooner than tax time because I’m going to get some money from a settlement from my previous employer). He glared and we went into the house.

At this point I was furious. I was mad for multiple reasons. First I was mad at myself for making a deal that I knew that I would have massive problems honoring. Second I was mad that I was pressured into the decision by a neighbor who has no idea how hard things are for us financially and who looked down on me when I told him how little I make (you should have seen the look on his face when I told him that I don’t make $700). Third I was mad that I got yelled at in my own front yard. I HATE confrontations, they make my heart race and my brain freeze up and for days afterwards I replay the situation in my mind. I don’t blame the guy for wanting his money, but it angers me to no end that he pestered me into making a bad decision. Don’t get me wrong here, the only one to blame for this is me. I said I’d do something and I haven’t so I get to live with the consequences of that decision. But the situation surrounding the decision sucked.

Never again will I go into something like this with a neighbor. I have absolutely learned my lesson. The next time someone wants to do an upgrade to the fence that we can’t afford I’m going to tell them that if they want to do that they can, but we can’t help.

Thinking About Going with Paperless Billing?

Think again.

Personally, if I don’t get a bill in the mail, I don’t know that it is due. I can’t function with e-billing. But I do recycle ALL of my bills (after they have been shredded).

Thanks to Scott at One Hundred to One for the find.

The TV Family That I Most Identify With

This one.

In fact if I ever need to explain my marriage, I simply asked “Do you remember David and Darlene? Yeah that’s us.”

Currently Listening

Today we’re doing songs by Green Day.

1. “Going to Pasalaqua” (from 1,039/Smoothed Out Slappy Hours)
2. “The Judges Daughter” (from 1,039/Smoothed Out Slappy Hours)
3. “Last of the American Girls” (from 21st Century Breakdown)
4. “See the Light” (from 21st Century Breakdown)
5. “Jesus of Suburbia: Jesus of Suburbia/City of the Damned/I Don’t Care” (from American Idiot)
6. “St. Jimmy” (from American Idiot)
7. “Stuck with Me” (from Insomniac)
8. “Stuart and the Ave.” (from Insomniac)
9. “J.A.R. (Jason Andrew Revla)” (from International Superhits!)
10. “Poprocks & Coke” (from International Superhits!)
11. “2,000 Light Years Away” (from Kerplunk)
12. “Christy Road” (from Kerplunk)
13. “80” (from Kerplunk)
14. “Nice Guys Finish Last” (from Nimrod)
15. “All the Time” (from Nimrod)
16. “Sick of Me” (from Shenanigans)
17. “Don’t Wanna Fall in Love” (from Shenanigans)
18. “Warning” (from Warning)
19. “Minority” (from Warning)
20. “She” (from Dookie)

Saturday, November 14, 2009

My Thoughts on Laura Ingraham

I listen to a lot of talk radio in the car. Much of the time it irritates me but sometimes it has me screaming at my radio. One host that seems to rile my furies more than some of the others is Laura Ingraham.

The other day she was “interviewing” someone from Salon.com and she was just as rude and condescending to this guy that it was unbelievable. She continuously talked over the name, threw insults, and in general just wouldn’t listen. At one point when he was trying to make a point and she was talking over him she had her producers put him on hold and he hung up. This just added fuel to her fire. It was listening to this expression of horrible behavior that I realized why I can’t stand this woman so much. She reminds me of your typical a-hole customer. She is rude and couldn’t care less about the feelings of others. And based on the way that I get treated by customers on a daily basis, I’m not surprised that she is as popular as she is.

Controversy on the Street

This week Sesame Street turned 40 and there was controversy abound in the celebration of its anniversary. On Thursday Talk of the Nation tackled the subject of the show’s long history of Sesame Street.

One morning this week, Laura Ingraham went on a tirade about the Pox News skit stating that it was the show’s way of attacking Fox News on behest of the White House. Unfortunately for Ingraham, that skit was produced over two years ago while the White House was controlled by Republicans. This was a classic example of why I don’t like her (more on that later).

The thing with Sesame Street is that it does connect with children and teaches extremely valuable lessons. People who think this show is subversive or promoting some liberal agenda, IMHO, just don’t get it. They don’t understand the show, what it means, or what it teaches and that is a sad, sad, shame.

Video of the Day

"Stuck with Me" by Green Day