A couple of days ago, I made a video that features a song by Simon and Garfunkel. As a preteen, I loved their music. I used to lie on the carpeted floor of my family room--next to one of the stereo speakers--and listen attentively. As the turntable spun--releasing its wonderful melodies and harmonies, I fell into a trance. Holding the LP jacket, I would follow along, singing the words to the songs on"Bridge Over Troubled Water."
Simon and Garfunkel songs are musically and lyrically brilliant. They were the original Morrissey and Marr songwriting duo. But alas, egos and differences of opinion and temperament, led to both these duos parting ways.
Simon and Garfunkel have reunited for a few concerts since their breakup in the early seventies. Who could forget that magical reunion in Central Park on September 19th, 1981. THESE were the songs that saved my life. "The Boxer" remains my favorite to this day.
So anyway, while searching for pictures and information for my video, I stumbled across some interesting facts about S & G. First, Paul Simon is only 5' 1". Now that is short--especially for a man. Second, I learned that Art Garfunkel graduated from Columbia with a B.A. in art history. And... he went on to get his M.A. in mathematics. Also, Art is an avid reader and has documented all of the books he's read since 1968, on his website. Check it out.
Art Garfunkel was always my favorite of the two. That voice of his could warm the coldest of hearts. Simon came off as a bit of an ass--trying to hog the spotlight. An example of this is when he hijacked the song "Bridge Over Troubled Water" at the Central Park concert. He ruined half the song with his pitiful impromptu--I'll show you who's boss, Art--rendition. Ah well. Can't hate him. Without him, there would be no Simon and Garfunkel.
Here is a great video of the duo in Central Park... Or, at least the beginning is great. See Simon's ambush...
Yesterday I wrote about wanting to read Primo Levi's book, Survival in Auschwitz. I wasn't sure if I should buy it now in paper form or wait another month and buy the ebook for the Kindle I will be purchasing.
The third option was lost to me--until a lightbulb went off and I remembered the thing called a library. Yes, we have one here in Flagstaff. Fortunately for me, the book was available. I now have my window into Primo's world. I can't wait to open it.
Hey, what's up? Jehne Golightly here. I have an important bit of wisdom to share: Two hundred books are not easy to transport. Can you imagine what it would be like to lug them around on a vacation or how it would be to pack them up on the fly--in the event of a fire or a cohabitating relationship gone sour--mandating a quick exit?
Here, I will help you out...
This is what 200 books look like...
Those are really my books... even the Bill O'Reilly ones.
Looks like a major inconvenience, doesn't it? So while I don't think I will ever stop buying paper books, I have decided to embrace the digital world of e-books. That is why I am saving for a Kindle. It isn't cheap at $359.00. And that cost doesn't include any books, magazines, or journals. But...
Look at this beautiful instrument of technology. It is sleek, light, and can hold 200+ books at a time.
Not my hand.
At the moment, I am trying very hard to resist the temptation of buying paper books. I have been wanting to read Primo Levi's book, Survival in Auschwitz. I can buy it now--paper version, or wait until I get my Kindle and get it in digital form. It's weird, but for some reason I think Levi's book deserves to be read the old fashioned way. It is one of those emotionally taxing kind of books that demands intimacy from the reader. Somehow the Kindle, with its white, plastic case, would not allow for this bonding between the reader and the author. Decisions. Decisions.
I have an absolutely brilliant idea; and I'd like to share it with all of you. As most of you know, Canada has refused to stop the annual seal cull. Despite protests by PeTA, Morrissey, and most Canadians, it continues. Wikipedia: Seal Hunting But I have a plan that may save the day--or the seals. And it is important to put it into action as soon as possible. The next cull is only ten months away.
Here is what we have to do. It is going to be a grassroots effort. Anyone can help the cause but it will be up to the Canadians to do most of the legwork. Actually, it will be up to the Muslim Canadians. We need them now more than ever. Since many sacrifices have been made for them, I think it is time for them to give a little back to their country.
Muslims find many things to be offensive because of their religious beliefs. They have had great success in the legal system by getting laws passed in their favor or by having certain offensive things banned. Canada has accommodated them nicely when they complained about speech, cartoons, ham sandwiches served in public schools etc. Canadians don't want to offend anyone--least of all those who are religious.
So, all we/they need to do is file a formal complaint with the Human Rights Commission. The complaint is that they, as Muslims, find it highly offensive to kill seals for food--it is forbidden under Muslim dietary laws--sort of like pig. And, killing seals for fur or any other reason is absolutely unacceptable. If they can convince the Commission that any harm to baby seals is regarded, in Islam, to be way more offensive than cartoons of Allah and Mohammad, ham sandwiches in public schools, and coed Phys-Ed, the seal cull will be outlawed--clearly, without a doubt,ruled to be a human rights violation.
Think it could work?
P.S.-Eat your heart out PeTA. Human rights trumps animal rights. Yes, yes, I know what you are thinking. Do Muslims have the right to force the majority to cater to the sensibilities of a religious minority? No they don't. But that is not the point. Sometimes the end does justify the shitty means. And I think this is a good example of where this would be so. Surely we can ignore logic and pander to ridiculous fundamentalists--just this one time--for the seals. Let's be hypocritical and inconsistent for the little pups. Oooo, but would this precedent be the push that would set us off down the slippery slope? Probably. Yes. But those seals are so darn cute.
drowning, mind-rattling, in a giant tidal wave of bookmarks
I am drowning--suffocating under a tidal wave of bookmarks. The weight--the pressure--is killing me. OK--not killing--but definitely causing stress to my mind and bod.
There is at least one hundred pesky links-to-visit-in-the-future saved on my PC. I don't even want to think about the ones saved off-site in my del.icio.us account. I don't really like that site. Del.icio.us--what a misnomer. It should be called des.truc.tive. It is a trap--a website designed to pull you in and never let you go. And this is without even considering its social feature. Social... what site doesn't now bill itself as a social, meet friends, make contacts, and get laid--all in one cyber space place?! And how many do you belong to? I have accounts with MySpace, Digg, Virb, COLOURlovers, YouTube, flickr... and several others. And I am sure there are many more with my name on them. Oh gosh, I almost forgot about the forums--the music, movie, and politically-themed discussion communities that offer a free membership to anyone interested in offering an opinion.
I had a Facebook page but it was hacked into a few months back. I even had a great password--strong, according to the password, e-meter reader. This e-meter is probably manufactured by the same company that makes the E-Meters for Scientology cult recruiters--collectors of secrets to be used for future blackmailing--if needed--which they always do because everyone will try to leave this cult at some point in their future--at a moment(s) of clarity--even if few and far between. See what all this book marking is doing to my cognitive abilities? Run-on sentences--oh the shame--the tragedy--the melodrama--to say the least!
Am I making any sense? Or, as Mike Teevee would say, "Am I coming in clear?"
Even if not, I am glad I unloaded that problem. I feel much better. Now if I could just unload some of these bookmarks. Did somebody say delete button?
Two years ago, Bill Gates announced his plan to leave Microsoft as a full-time employee and turn his attention instead to the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, the largest philanthropic organization in the world.
The years since haven't been Microsoft's best: Its Vista operating system bombed, and online, the software company lost further ground to Google, a failure culminating in its now-best-forgotten effort to purchase Yahoo.
Gates' reputation, though, has only improved. Today is Gates' last day at Microsoft; he will continue to serve as the company's chairman (and will remain its largest shareholder), but he's said he'll spend 80 percent of his time at the foundation.
Once the most despised fellow in business, in the last decade, Gates' philanthropic work has cemented his standing as ... there's no casual way to say this, he's the leading statesman of our times.
The transformation has been so complete it seems difficult, anymore, to reconcile the old Bill and the new. Though you sometimes see flashes of the combative businessman -- Gates told Tom Brokaw the other day that he doesn't use an iPod because "the Zune is a better way to carry your music around" -- these moments seem contrived for comic effect. Caring about which music player wins the market is laughably frivolous beside Gates' grand ambitions of eradicating the planet of infectious diseases and the ravages of poverty.
Bill Gates has pulled off one of the greatest hacks in technology and business history, by turning Microsoft's success into a force for social responsibility. Imagine imposing a tax on every corporation in the developed world, collecting $100 per white-collar worker per year, and then directing one third of the proceeds to curing AIDS and malaria. That, effectively, is what Bill Gates has done.
Dash also points out the neat symmetry to Gates' career. In 1980, Mary Maxwell Gates, Bill's mother, got to know John Opel, the chairman of IBM, through their work at the United Way Foundation.
At the time, IBM was preparing to release the first PC, and it needed an operating system. Opel chose tiny Microsoft as its OS vendor partly on the strength of his connection to the Gates family -- a decision, Dash writes, "that ended up being the greatest turning point in the history of the biggest software company that's ever been created."
Philanthropy played a key part in Gates' early success at Microsoft. And in a hundred years, philanthropy may be all anyone remembers him.
White-collar men, blue-collar men, and the in-betweens
It's hot and bright. And I hate it! I adore the nighttime. Mostly this is so because I prefer cool weather and dim lighting. Everything feels and looks better when the sun has gone away. If you want your house to appear tidy, keep the lighting low. Whenever it is too bright inside, I am dreadfully reminded that I am not the best housekeeper. Every pesky spot, speck, and smudge shows--or rather screams: "You suck! Who taught you to keep house? Isn't that your job?" And then the guilt--the shame--sets in. Yes, isn't that my job?! And so…
Today--being one of those bright and hot afternoons--I happened to notice that the fireplace was full of ashes. Yes, it is June. But here in Flagstaff we still get snow in April and even May--occasionally. So it's not like I've been neglectful for ages--just a month or so. But wait! Is cleaning the fireplace even my job? Isn't it gross and really dirty work--a man's job, perhaps?
Still contemplating, I put on latex gloves, nestled the trashcan up to the ledge of the fireplace, and began to remove the ashes. I decide that it is definitely a man's job… my husband should be doing this. Then I start thinking... Gee, Alan sure is NOT a do-it-for-yourself, fix-it kind of guy. His hands are cleaner and softer than mine.
Then I got to thinking about my stepfather, who is also NOT a fixer-upper. When something needs done, he pays someone else to do it. He pays do-it-for-yourself & do-it-for-others kinds of guys. He is a white-collar man all the way--defined mostly by his ability to pay others to do his dirty work for him. Of course, by this logic, I suppose a mob boss is white-collar as well. Sorry--I couldn't resist.
But my husband can't afford to pay blue-collar guys to do his dirty work. He isn't that well off. Most men aren't. And most men also don't want to do that dirty work. And some may have escaped being told that it is their job. And, maybe they have never been shown how to do these kinds of tasks--by a male role model, of course. I call these kinds of guys the in-betweens. They're not quite white-collar--but aspire to be so. And they are not quite blue-collar--an identity that they try hard NOT to embrace--even if this is all happening in their subconsciousnesses.
So what is an in-between to do? He has three choices: 1) Neglect doing the man's work and learn to love the grime. 2) Perform these dirty tasks but tell all--including himself--that he has a maid who does them. 3) Have his wife clean out the fireplace and do all the other man jobs that need to be done around the house.
My husband has clearly chosen the last option. Hehe.
Well, time to take that bag of ashes down to the trash dumpster.
Ciao.
P.S.—I should add that my husband works his ass off--at a desk--forty hours a week. He is no sloth--just a white-collar guy in training.
Very cool! searchme is "...an engine that displays results not in the usual text-list format (that's so Google), but as a slick image gallery of actual Web pages you can flip through and filter by topic."
Be careful though, this site is addictive!
I plugged in my name: Jehne. This is the result. Fourth page, baby! Awesome!
If these folks were not Homo sapiens, what on Earth would they be?
John McCain .................................. Clydesdale horse (Built to last, sturdy--except for that temper of his.)
Barack Obama ............................... Gazelle (Lean, swift, ancestors from Africa. *Edit: We all have ancestors from Africa as this is the continent where the oldest human scull has been found.)
Hillary Clinton .................................. Beaver (It's a compliment--this animal is smart, industrious, and skillful.)
Bill O'Reilly....................................... Shark (Awesome predator, survivor, takes no prisoners.)
Wow, I think this is the longest I have gone without writing a blog entry. I have been preoccupied finding and viewing interesting documentaries online. It all started--like it always does--with an innocent click of a link. I think it was a link posted on The Machinist's blog. Anywho, there was a link to 66 Stage Documentaries. And that is how it all began.
First I watched The Bridge. Living under a rock as I do, I had no idea what the film was about. I highly recommend this very well made, insightful account of a subculture whose members are linked by their relationships with Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco, CA. This documentary will enrich you. If you like PostSecret you will want to see The Bridge.
On a lighter note, yet still very insightful, is the documentary Prostitution Behind the Veil. This film takes us inside the lives of two women living in poverty in modern day Iran. With few opportunities to find legitimate employment, they survive by selling their bodies on the streets of Tehran. Since 9/11 we have been bombarded with negative images of Muslims--mostly of them being depicted as fundamentalist terrorists. This documentary shows a different side of Islam. We see two women as victims struggling to cope in a repressive theocracy that regards them as third class citizens. Both are courageous, strong, and have great senses of humor.
Next, I watched World's Tallest Hotel. This documentary takes us behind the scenes of the construction of the world's tallest hotel located in Dubai. This is very interesting and educational.
Following that light viewing, I returned to watching another darker-themed documentary Off the Chain. This film takes us inside the violent and grisly world of dog fighting in rural America. It is graphic but worth viewing.
Then I watched Manufacturing Consent and The Corporation. Both are very biased, anti-capitalist films. Neither is particularly insightful or entertaining unless you are into conspiracy theories and/or far left, socialist ideology.
Last, I watched Harlan County, USA. This is not available online and must be rented, purchased, or downloaded from a P2P site. This film takes us inside the lives of Appalachian coal miners and their wives during a strike in Harlan County, Kentucky in 1973. If you ever want to feel fortunate with the life you live and the things you have, this film stands as a stark contrast to the affluence that most of us are familiar with. It is humbling, to say the least. A bonus is getting to see the hideous fashions of the early seventies--even those items sported by the wealthy.
Right now I am on a quest to locate Arguing the World. It is the story of four prominent, Jewish, NY intellectuals beginning with their journey as college students at City College during the Great Depression, through the Cold War, right on up to the present time. It looks like NetFlix has it for rent online. I'll probably go that route.
Have you seen any great documentaries that you would like to recommend?
Update: I signed up for NetFlix yesterday and was able to see Arguing the World. The black and white picture stills from the 20's, 30's, and 40's are amazing. This film is really informative. If you have any interests in politics, history, sociology, intellectualism, New York, or Judaism then you will be certain to enjoy this documentary. Last night, Alan brought home the companion book from the University. I am looking forward to learning more about this subject matter.
Right now, I am about to watch Ralph Nader: An Unreasonable Man. Sounds harsh. So I will probably love it.
We all know the Obama-Wright connection. And we all know the Obama-Oprah connection. But most of us aren't aware of this threesome: Obama-Wright-Oprah. Heck, let's just call them the Chicago Cubs. Because you see, the three of them symbolize important positions in a baseball game and they all reside in Chicago. So, I think the analogy works.
Chicago resident, Jeremiah Wright, is the left fielder. Waaaaay left! He gets his power from external forces. If he fails, it is not his fault—blame the rich, white man. Or better still, blame the rich, white Jew-man! Wright has what social psychologists call an external locus of control.
The question I have for him is, "Do you then also give the white Jews credit for your successes? How about that Porsche you drive? Or that nice mansion in that gated community? Not too shabby eh?!"
Then we have Oprah Winfrey—also a Chicago resident and one-time member of the Wright cult—I mean congregation. If Wright can be found in left field, then Oprah belongs in the outfield. Waaaaay out! New Age—out! Unlike Wright, who blames others for his problems, Oprah has come to believe that she alone is responsible for her triumphs—she has the right thoughts (no, not Wright thoughts, hehe). She has what is called an internal locus of control. Remember when she endorsed that silly book "The Secret?" Basically, The Secret is that Oprah is rich and powerful because she believes she can.
Last, we have Barack Obama who tells us we can as well. But does he have the right thoughts or the Wright thoughts? Hehe. When he says, "Yes, we can!" what thoughts does he want us to have? Do we believe in ourselves—to an unhealthy, irrational extreme—like Oprah? Or do we live with anger and resentment—always looking for external causes to our problems—like Wright?
Or is there a middle ground? A center field perhaps?
Honestly, I believe that Obama would make a great center fielder. I think this is where his strength lies—no, not those kind of lies. I don't think he thinks like Wright or Oprah—who both lie at opposite ends of the field.
Obama, in my humble opinion, is a rational-thinking, generous, intelligent man. I like him. However, I do think he has very poor judgment when it comes to picking his team players.
Baseball is a game. Politics is a game. Life is a game. If you are going to be successful, everyone on your team has to be strong. I think Obama needs to kick his fellow Cubs Wright and Oprah to the curb. It's time for this rookie to show us what he's made of without those two liabilities as teammates. Let's get some new Cubs. But hurry—the season is about to start! And that New York Met, Clinton, is prepared and determined to win the next World Series. Her team looks strong.
And it is important to put it into action as soon as possible. The next cull is only ten months away.
This e-meter is probably manufactured by the same company that makes the E-Meters for Scientology cult recruiters--collectors of secrets to be used for future blackmailing--if needed--which they always do because everyone will try to leave this cult at some point in their future--at a moment(s) of clarity--even if few and far between. See what all this book marking is doing to my cognitive abilities? Run-on sentences--oh the shame--the tragedy--the melodrama--to say the least! 
Or, as Mike Teevee would say, "Am I coming in clear?" 
