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Sunday, Nov 8, 2009
neptuneflame
Published Letters: 67 Editor's Choice: 5
Though I refuse on principle to listen to "Jack," because the whole idea of computer-controlled media scares me, the thing that really gets me about Jack is the "We're Jack" part. And the billboards in my city that say "Jack FM: Playing What We Want." This is a computer program, right? So, when I read "Playing what we want," I'm thinking, 'What? Is this computer program sentient?' And, if so, how can it "want"? If it has musical preferences, what other preferences does it have? Isn't that scary? I feel so much closer to August 29, 1997....
"Beiug a maid of honor at a wedding does not mean that you officially endorse the marriage."
Actually, depending on the church the friend is getting married in, it can. I got married in the Episcopal church, and the idea behind being a maid of honor/best man, being a "witness," was that you were officially endorsing the wedding. I do not know if that is the case for other religions.
I think Cary's advice is spot-on in this case.
I hope that intro copy was meant ironically. EVERYONE thinks things are "so much worse" now than when they were in school. Of course if you look at math alone, the US is going to lag behind other countries. This is because the US is one of the few countries that believes in wholistic, liberal education that puts equal stock in the sciences and humanities. We educate the individual, not the next number pusher. And the juxtaposition of the foreign students and the American students answering the president question was a perfect exercise in propaganda. I could go ask 100 people any question I want right now and just clip together the five dumbest answers to prove a point. What's the point of the continual "bad schools" message? Well, for starters it's predominantly directed a public schools to scare parents into sending their kids to private schools or to support voucher programs, et al. I don't know what Oprah is getting out of sending this message. Since you can't access test results from private schools (if the kids take them anyway) you have know what of knowing whether they are better off than the public ones. They do succeed at segregation based on wealth and race, though.
Love your idea Christy... if only I had the power.
Except for the details about parents, the fact that the LW actually has a job, and his/her age (5 years older than me), this letter could have been written by me. But I've done the therapy thing and don't really know if it "works." I just don't trust doctors, I guess. Especially when they interrupt you to prescribe medication like the brand names on their calendars and pens.
Found this article this morning via digg.com: http://www.cnn.com/US/9607/30/clinton.terrorism/
It's explosive!
As a fellow 25-year-old and information addict, I can totally relate to this letter! Great advice, Cary! My husband was clapping as I read it out loud. One thing I might mention, and will probably get flamed on here for bringing up, is that I have ADD, which I think contributes to my information-neediness, love of distraction, multi-tasking life. That might be something LW might want to look into!
Aww, poor Neanderthals! More slander against them! I thought one reason they died out was because they wouldn't go to war!
All I've got to say (aided by a couple of glasses of white wine) is that last Thursday I was more negative than Sartre at a Red Sox game (pre-2004) about the whole process. I begged my progressive family to turn the damn tv off so I wouldn't have to hear it. I was questioning whether 2008 would be the first year since I was able that I wouldn't vote. Then, Obama won, against all expectations. I didn't care at first. I was barely listening when he took the stage to deliver his "victory" speech. But sentence by sentence, I perked up. By the end of the speech, I was at full attention. Obama had won me over like guitar players woo college freshmen. I was hooked. I haven't heard such an affirming message of hope since I've been paying attention to politics (I worked as an underage Clinton aide in '96). I got excited. If Hillary would have inspired me, this might be a different letter. But, it was Obama. I want to see him through all the way to January 20, 2009... the day we all wake up from this nightmare and, bleary-eyed, stumble towards reformation.
It's hard to find a genuine "creative class" in a big city. One must either work more than they create, have a trust fund set up that allows one to avoid work, or be lucky enough to actually make decent money off of his/her creation. I would live in San Francisco in a heartbeat if I could afford it. But I know my limitations, and in Nashville I can teach high school and afford to write for hours after school and on weekends. And I still have enough money to actually enjoy all the things that some of my big city friends can't afford, like going to art museums, live concerts, bars with friends, etc. There's also easy access to nature here. The vibrant music and arts community is populated with down-to-earth, dedicated people who also know that the allure of New York City more often than not leads to long hours at a boring job, followed by a second part-time job, and still no money left over to enjoy the city.
Be Your Own Pet are not from Kentucky, they're from Nashville, TN (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Be_your_own_pet). Music City? That's hardly a hometown "off the radar".
I redact my earlier statement.
Much of the initial coverage about Fort Hood turned out to be wrong. Is there anything wrong with that?
The accountability imposed by another country for the CIA's kidnapping and torture reveals much about our own.
Fox News' morning show plays to type, talking about whether Muslims in the Army should face "special debriefings"
The survivor and author is upset about comparisons some on the right are making to genocide
Once seen as a lunatic fringe, reactionary anti-women groups are courting respectability
Salon headlines in your mailbox
