Gender: Male
Status: Single
Age: 30
Sign: Aries
City: San Antonio
State: Texas
Country: US
Signup Date:
10/20/03
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October 12, 2008 - Sunday
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Why This Depression Won’t Be Great (But Maybe Worse)
Current mood:  worried
Category: News and Politics
Unfortunately, our country is long overdue for another economic depression.
Whether or not we're actually entering a major one right now is too soon to judge; however, according to a recent CNN poll, 60% of Americans believe we're teetering towards that direction [the poll defined "depression" as 25% unemployment, massive bank failures, high homeless rates, and families not being to feed their children]. That's pretty scary when 6 in 10 people surveyed have such a negative outlook about the future.
When I say "long overdue," I mean about every 60 or so years, like clockwork, our economy quickly and suddenly slouches into an extreme downward-facing dog position and lags behind in that position for awhile. We're all familiar with the "Great" one which affected our grandparents, but that was just one in a long list of others. Before that time, the "Long Depression" stretched from 1873-1896. This same trend also occurred in 1819 and lasted six years. In fact, I would even argue that the depression of 1819 was an extension of one which shook Europe starting in 1810 then spread across the world to places like Mexico, Australia, and New Zealand [Our post-1812 War productivity shielded us at first because Europe needed our agriculture since the Napoleonic Wars devastated most of the farmland on the Continent, but the economy still wasn't strong enough to totally avoid the overall effects].
Some economic historians even credit the depression of the 1780s for helping craft the Constitution. The Founding Fathers convened a special convention in 1786 to discuss fixing the economic problems which plagued the new nation in the early years after winning independence, but -- due to restrictions placed on the government's power under the Articles of Confederation -- the delegation instead recommended holding another conference to forge a new system to replace the original one that would make some issues, like interstate trade, easier. So, they dissolved the confederacy and formed the federal system we currently use today.
So, you may ask, why are we at the threshold of a depression now, and not a decade ago in the 1990s? I'd wager that, among other reasons, we only managed to escape one back then because of the internet bubble's wake throughout the market and the effects of that emergent technology provided a brief cushion which prevented a strong recession from becoming a full-blown depression.
I really hope these economists and morning media experts who keep using this D-word so freely are incorrect. If they are right, then (for better or worse) this will become the defining moment of our generation. Luckily, us Gen X'ers have never been called to great sacrifice like our grandparents in the 1930s. Perhaps we wouldn't bear the stigma of slackerdom if life hadn't been so easy for us. But our successors, Gen Y, which many people criticize for being selfish, overly materialistic, and feeling entitled. How will we handle the rationing of basic goods like gasoline, bread, milk, and meat, in order to prevent inflation from skyrocketing even higher? The optimist in me hopes we will rise to the occasion and unify as well as the "Greatest Generation" did, but the realist in me fears the worst.
A lot of these experts keep connecting current circumstances to the Great Depression. I actually don't know if I can agree with them 100% on that. I think our socio-economic conditions mirror earlier depressions more so than the events of 1920s, in particular the one that started in 1873 as banks in Europe granted mortgages to unqualified borrowers who defaulted, long-time established bank went bankrupt, no credit was left to extend to businesses, cheaply made American goods flooded the European market which couldn't compete (cf. China exporting cheap goods across the world), a technology bubble bursting (the railroad industry), and the downfall of smaller or private firms thanks to vertical integration by larger companies. To me, our present situation resembles the same script, but with a different cast (with China or India assuming the role the US previously played, and America the earlier position of Europe).
But what can anyone really do to stop or prevent our economy from progressing (or retrogressing, however you want to look at it) into a bona-fide depression? In the meantime we can all only wish that if we're at the crossroads now, our next President, whoever he may be, will surround himself with the most knowledgeable staff on the subject, and won't give into to reactionary policy which would work against a swift recovery.
8:37 AM
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3 Comments - 2 Kudos
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Post-Modern Augury
Current mood:  curious
Category: Religion and Philosophy
A 5th-Century BCE Etruscan tomb mural depicting an augur at work
Whenever a society undergoes very uncertain or stressful times which cause sudden unpredictablity, people try to find answers outside the relm of logic and away from the physical/scientific world by consulting various extra-sensory systems of divinition.
The art of discerning the will of god(s) is a practice as old as humanity itself. And humans have used just about every imaginable tool or methodology in order to contact the supernatural world. Every culture has devoted hundreds of innovative ways -- and everything under the sun from dust (abacomancy), to frogs (betraquomancy), to eggs (oomancy), to weights (zygomancy) -- to rationalize the unexplainable. Don't ask me how one can study the future by looking at the cracks on a turtle shell after it's heated in a fire (plastromancy), but there're people who not only specialize in this custom, but others who actually believe they can apply the knowledge gained from this technique to improving their personal lives.
Due to our cultural relativism, we accept some disciplines more readily than others. The traditions listed above seem strange to us, but to those who adhere to them, our -omancies -- like studying animal entrails (hepatomancy) -- would be just as equally bizarre. We inherited the ones we follow directly from the Romans, who in turn borrowed from earlier Etruscan, Egyptian, or Greco-Babylonian models, and some of these conventions continue back 6,000 years or more.
The most common system which most cultures share is astromancy. Although astrological symbolism and meaning varies from culture to culture (like the Western style familar to us vs. the Chinese, or the Vedic form of India), the fundamental belief remains the same: we can learn something we don't know about lives on earth by looking up at the heavens.
And if you think that only our ancient ancestors or uneducated New Age freaks sought the advice of those trained in such supersitious matters, think again. Nancy Reagan got criticized in the 1980s (mainly by the religious right of her own party) for employing an astrologer to help plan her and President Reagan's schedules. And, of course, the housewife-turned-seeress Jeane Dixon met with FDR while he supervised WWII strategies, and she also allegedly foresaw Ghandi and JFK's assassinations. Assuming she was correct, these were only a few she got right. Dozens more were flat-out wrong, like WWIII begining in 1958, and a few have yet to occur -- like the upcoming assassination of Pope Benedict or his immediate successor by terrorists [which lots of other sources for the last 800 years have also been predicting will happen to him, too].
But even more recently in September 2001, Americans scrutinized the writings of the Mediaeval French soothsayer Nostradamus to decipher why or how we could have so easily ignored the obvious "Bin-Laden-Determined-to-Attack" warning signs. The solution is simple: it must have been preordained or predestined because how else could anyone catch the most powerful nation on earth by surprise? And although at least 2 of his 1,000 quatrains might uncannily refer to 9/11 (cf. I:24 & VI:97), in those first few days afterwards, instead the internet buzzed with hoaxes attributed to Nossy (http://www.snopes.com/rumors/nostradamus.asp). Basically, people wanted to believe the false prophecies because they wanted to see a grander or larger purpose as to why something so bad happened here. This seems to be a major theme in prophecy. People only want help when times are tough, when times are good, they care less if they are making a good decision or not (and quite often, it's the effects of decisions made in good times which cause the bad results later).
But ultimately, the major problem with relying on these unscientific sources stems from how their writings are either too vague and can be applied to several situations, or they're too specific to be disproven, and their entire significance rests open to multiple interpretations.
Thus, it shouldn't really shock you too badly that as we have moved into the Computer Age, we have upgraded and modernized our means of divination. For example, some people have taken the informal Roman practice of choosing a page at random in a book then reading a random line on that page to help solve a problem (stichomancy), by now using their mp3 music playlist (ipodomancy) or haphazard internet pages/lines (googlemancy). The broader term for 21st-century style guesswork is technomancy.
And in times of major crisis, like last week on Wall Street and the important election in a few weeks, some people are already utilizing these newer modes to deconstruct current events.
The most popular present-day formula is called "Time Wave Zero." Again, just like with googlemancy, it updates a 4,000 year old Chinese divination system called I Ching ('Book of Changes') with a contemporary twist thanks to computers. Its creator Terrence McKenna, a psycadelic-using ethnobotanist and philosopher, adapted numerical patterns from the I Ching and established a computer-simulated linear mathmatic timeline which he believes represents a history of the universe. His timeline happens to end on the exact date with the Mayan calendar system, on December 21, 2012 at 11:11 GMT (05:11 CST). The late prolific writer claims that significant dips in the timeline protend dramatic changes in human history -- like the fall of the Roman empire, the outbreak of WWI, the Great Depression, etc.
To dress it up as a science, proponents named this idea "novelty theory." And just like any other theory, it is filled with a bunch of technical mumbo-jumbo that on people who subscribe to the theory easily understand. And like other divinations, it is those who study this method who must instruct us in what it means. So, Time Wave Zero becomes the perfect blend blurring the lines between ancient esotericism and modern science.
And that's why the internet is current abuzz again with this theory because October to November 2008 is the last major point on the timeline where we begin the steepest drop before 2012.
Although I find it very intriguing, I don't know if I can swallow this entire theory. For one, it rests on the premise that something major will occur on Dec 21, 2012. And this is where all the nutcases begin spouting their wacky ideas that the world will end, an asteroid will hit us, aliens will land and either enslave or enlighten us, an earthquake will destroy most people (according to the Mayan prophecy), the earth will shift its axis or poles, etc.
People have literally concocted hundreds of outlandish outcomes; but in all probability 11:12 GMT on 12/21/12 will be just as normal as 11:10 (at least, i'm crossing my fingers), much the same way 00:00 GMT 1/1/2001 didn't cause an abrupt end to our civilisation either.
Perhaps, more importantly, humans are willing to believe such far-fetched ideas as Y2K and 2012 because it derives from our primative fear of the unknown and the fact we have given so much of our personal power over to technology, and since we no longer control many aspects of our personal lives, it's hard for us to trust these machines. Afterall, most 2012 scenerios share the element that no matter what may happen that December, those who survive will be left without any technology and we'll return to a "caveman" like existence.
I guess my whole point here is I find it curious how Timewave overlaps with many crucial times in human history, but there are dips in the graph which to me don't correlate to important days. My horoscope in the newspaper might be extremely precise every once in awhile, but what about the 365 other days when its so general and makes no specific sense. For example, it's obvious the dip starting Oct 7, 2008, pertained to the stock market; but other dips, like 4/1996, require deeper stretch of the imagination, like saying bombings by Isreal on Lebanon around the time of the tipe influenced later Al-Queda operations. Yes, that could be true, but it's not as easy to instantly connect the dots that on this date a life-altering event happened which effected the lives of the entire world (like other drops in the time line).
The"Web Bot Project" demonstrates another example of technomancy. Basically some programers and Wall Street prospectors got together to try to craft software which they could use to make better predictions for the stock market. They wanted to send out "spiders" to collect massive amounts of information they could use to make better-informed decision on how to trade. These bots search the www for keywords, much like when you use google to look up info, then they took a snapshot of a small bit of information surrounding that word, then create a summery or recommendation for the future based off their findings. It's a little more complicated than simply staring into a crystal ball. (For more info, visit: http://urbansurvival.com/simplebots.htm)
According to the back story, these designers began to notice an emerging pattern in the information. They felt it begin to foretell future events. They cite that it alluded to 9/11, but the wording was vague (just like with other divinations), saying an attack would occur "on a financial center within 60-90 days" from then (July 2001).
It has also indictated not too long ago that the specific date Oct 7, 2008, would have a more important consequence than 9/11. it said 10/7 would be 11 times worse than 9/11, and the emotional effects of it would last for 4 months (unlike the 10 days intensity factor it presaged for 9/11). The precursor to this "turning point" would start in September and last thru Feb. This prediction began to circle around the internet weeks ago in anticipation to see what would happen on that date.
Those who believe the Web Bot Project were not surprised when the market crashed. And they believe the rest of the events will come to pass, too: consumer society will collapse in November, and a major earthquake will rock the West Coast/Vancouver area on Dec. 12 of this year. That diaster will cause many people to lose even more faith in the government emergancy systems because it will fail them in their time of need. It also reports that this winter will be so bad in the Northeast, and due to rising fuel costs or fuel shortages [or both], schools will have to close for the storms but reopen in order to provide shelter for folks from the cold.
It doesn't surprise me that a divinition system created to gage financial trends would also tend to think of the future event it envision sin terms of the cause/effect on money. I don't know if I necessarily agree with Web Bot, but I find it strange to say the least that something major hit on Oct 7th just as predicted over a year ago.
Wheither or not Web Bot and Timewave are perfect means of learning our future, they both illustrate just how when humans feel times are desperate, they look to whatever source they can in order to find hope or relief that bleak times will eventually improve and life continue and thrive. I certainly pray that Web Bot is wrong about the rest of the events it has detailed for 2008, but I guess we'll just have to wait until 2009 to find out.
12:16 AM
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4 Comments - 2 Kudos
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October 6, 2008 - Monday
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The Simpson Luck
Current mood:  bored
Category: News and Politics
For those of y'all who don't have trisadekaphobia (irrational fear of the number 13), maybe this bizarre tale of karma will make you reconsider ...
Apparently, O.J. Simpson's latest court room saga was sponsored by this inauspicious numeral:
The armed robbery for which he was finally convicted occurred on Sept 13, 2007. The current trial lasted for 13 days. The jury deliberated for 13 hours. And it all just happened to fall exactly 13 years to the day of his imfamous double-murder aquittal.
And if that wasn't strange enough, as soon as the verdict was read aloud, all the lights in the court room suddenly shut off leaving everyone inside in the dark (the lights in the building were preset to turn off at 11pm every night).
Why is it that crazy unexplainable scenerios like these always seem to happen to people with the last name Simpson?
Back during the original trial in the 1990s, I don't know how many people would try to ask me humorously, "Are you O.J.'s cousin?" Yeah, that joke is cute only for the first 200 times a day you hear it.
But after seeing how his latest episode came to a surreal ending, I really think O.J. and I are cousins afterall somewhere down the line because we both seem to have a flair for finding ourselves in dramatic situations, and we both share a common (mis)fortune which my family refers to as "Simpson Luck."
If it wasn't for bad luck, Us Simpsons would have no luck at all!
My advice to you now, cousin O.J. -- don't drop the soap. Karma can be a bitch.
4:01 PM
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5 Comments - 4 Kudos
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September 28, 2008 - Sunday
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Reagan Was Wrong.
Current mood:  cynical
Category: News and Politics
This might anger all my neo-conservative readers, but the events of the last few days have just proven once and for all that Reaganomics doesn't work. Case closed. Now let's finally shift paradigms after 20+ years.
Trickle-down fails. But not only has it malfunctioned, it has brought our entire economic system to the brink of bankruptcy. And if you say that's not true, why are we about to spend over $700 BILLION dollars to fix something that isn't broken? That's exactly10 times the amount allocated to fund the war in Iraq this year.
Yeah, it all sounds good in theory: we reduce our government's power, cut taxes, deregulate the economy, and stop inflation -- then more people will have more money to re-invest into the economy however they choose to improve socio-economic conditions. But, just like with Communism, "Supply-Side Economics" only looks good on paper. This philosophy doesn't apply well to the real world. Why? Because (just like with Communism) it doesn't factor human greed into the equation.
This theory only operates successfully when large corporations or citizens continue to contribute revenue back into the system on their own free will. And when these companies horde their profits and don't use them to help the free market, it prevents new types of economic expansion which depend on new capital to stimulate growth.
Exxon posted its 2007 revenue at $116.64 Billion. The 4th-quarter alone profited the company by $11.68 Billion. But every new quarter, they keep recording higher profits while, at the same time, pumping out less petroleum overall for the public to consume. The current second-quarter revenue totals $138 Billion already (compare against $98B in the same period last year).
How much of that do they really redeposit into the system? So far, their tax bill tallies $10.5B. Last year, they paid a whopping sum of $30B. Exxon's overall profits were $40.61B for 2007. So they paid out in taxes about half of what they earned.
The Republicans respond to every problem with the answer "cut corporate taxes," just like Democrats try to solve everything by raising them. So let's say we slash Exxon's taxes and force them to return only 25% of their earnings to Uncle Sam. The outcome would be they only reap a much larger reward.
$30B is about 23 times the cash the banking industry requests us to pay for them misappropriating money. If we charged companies like Exxon less, how much more slack would the average American get stuck with paying to compensate for the difference?
Companies like Exxon don't apply all that profit back into the marketplace to improve the general standard of living, like Reagan's policy assures us will happen. Exxon shelled out $32 of the $40 Billion in profits to buyback stocks from investors. This re-investment in the company only ensures the largest shareholders will benefit even more next year since they now have less hands in the cookie jar grabbing for crumbs. Instead, they could have pourred that $32B into finding new alternative fuels, or better energy independence. Here highlights how companies, not just Exxon but all other major businesses, choose to benefit themselves in the short term rathar than benefiting their consumers in the long run, a problem which Reagan's cheif economic advisors ignored when pushing forward with their agenda. Just think if Exxon had earmarked $15 Billion to new research and development how many more jobs that could have created and the type of economic increases which would have resulted from such an investment.
In 2007, Exxon donated $220 Million worldwide to various charities. That's not even 2% of their entire revenue. They just now last month finally paid for the damages incurred during the Valdez disaster in 1989, and that was only after the Supreme Court reduced their penality from $2.8B to a paltry $507.5 Million. Even Sarah Palin denounced this verdict as inadequate. But I guess the approximate $200 Million in attorney fees was money well spent. Yes, they spent roughly the same amount delaying a settlement almost a complete decade as they spent last year in social contributions.
I think you get my point by now -- "Voodoo Economics" (as President George H.W. Bush called it in 1980) has hurt America because corporations don't want to give anything extra to help anyone but themselves. I just hope that it's not too late & we can salvage something to be a properous nation again.
8:03 AM
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4 Comments - 4 Kudos
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September 26, 2008 - Friday
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Screw U, WaMu (et al.)
Current mood:  relieved
Category: News and Politics
Dear Washington Mutual,
Our last three years together were really great. We had some good times along the way .. but for the last year and a half, we've both known this day was coming.
You should have realized it was over for me when I stopped giving it to you every other week. Yeah, I still directly deposited; but then I took it out as fast as I could because I couldn't trust to leave it in you for too long. I might have had trojan-tough protection for my millions of pennies, but i tried to think with my head and not with my FDIC.
Because of your greed and selfishness, you almost bankrupted the entire US & global monetary system. The stock market plunged each quarter when you reported under performance, so my 401(k) wants to thank you for postponing my retirement well into my 70s! If Chase hadn't come along to our rescue, the $700 billion you & your fellow banks are now begging the public to freely donate could have doubled or trippled overnight.
If I had even solicited $700 from you with no strings attached, would you have handed over just one dime to me? You'd never even reverse any $35 NSF fees when I didn't balance my budget correctly, but now that y'all are all in a crisis y'all created yourselves, you expect everyone in America to foot the bill.
By the way, the few times I ever asked to have you refund a $35 charge to my account, this was the exact same speech your class-A customer service recited to me: "Josh" in India always aggressively reiterated to me it was my own fault I mismanged my account, and there was nothing y'all could do because it wasn't your bank's error. He was right, but I figured it was worth asking for a hand out anyway. But now that the shoe is on the other foot, isn't it funny how fast you and your institutional friends change your collective tune? Only one term best describes such an initative -- corporate welfare.
So I look forward to my new relationship with JPMorgan-Chase-Manhatttan-WaMu-Whatever. Whoo hoo™ that! This whole fiasco will only help make the bigger banks more stronger and solid than they were as they buy out or assume your assets along with the assets of every other insitution who didn't have common sense enough to not give money to people who couldn't afford to pay it back. The whole reason I ever used you was because I liked how untraditional you were at banking: you had crazy ads, money machines inside so tellers didn't handle cash withdrawls, decent hours on the weekends, and my local branch treated me like I was their most important client. That's what kept me coming back all the time, even when "Josh" in India would piss me off.
But look at the bright side, at least now you'll get to avoid all the mess you created by lending money to people who couldn't maintain the mortages or loans you approved. It's not their fault they asked to have a better house or car and ending up bitting off more than they could chew -- but as one of the few savings and loans who survived the fall-out scandals and scrutiney of the 1980s (thanks to Sen John McCain and his Keating-5 friends), i would have expected more from you of all bank!
Yours truely,
JohnnyDiva
P.S. I faked it everytime I left you a good "customer satisifaction" survey.
Best WaMu Ad Ever!
8:21 PM
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89 Comments - 4 Kudos
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September 24, 2008 - Wednesday
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Quelle Surprise: Clay Aiken Is Gay!
Current mood:  surprised
Category: Movies, TV, Celebrities
First Lance Bass came out (which didn't shock anyone at all). Now it's time for Clay Aiken's debut. What next? I suppose you'll try to tell me Jodi Foster or Rosie O'Donald are lesbians. Wait ... bad examples. I suppose you'll try to tell me that Lindsey Lohan likes ladies, too?
Yes, I posted this info in a bullentin early, but something this funny deserves a blog since it isn't really super newsworthy.
The biggest question people keep asking is, "Where did he get the kid from?" That, folks, is the miracle of modern science.
Notice, people aren't surprised about his sexuality, just that he somehow had the stork deliver him a real-life cabbage patch kid.
Gay guys have known Aiken orientation for awhile now. The Star -- one of America's most trustworthy news sources-- published suggestive photos and an alledged converstation Aiken had made with someone on Manhunt back in March 2006 while on tour in Boston.
C'mon. Why did Aiken use his real photos, and reveal his real idenity to a complete stranger he was chatting with? How many times have you tried to trick with a guy on Gay.com or Manhunt, only to have him send you a fake photo and use a fake name? And you don't learn any different until you invite him over late, late, late into the night after a long, Christian converstation, only to discover he looks NOTHING like in the photo! Then you refuse to answer the door, and make sure that every light in the house is completely off, so you don't make a sound as you stand still peeping out of the blinds until he finally walks away and leaves. I know I can't be the only one who's ever done this.
My point is ... Aiken should have just used a fake photo and name like everybody else, that way the guy had nothing concrete to sell to the tabloids (see photo above). He probably would have had an easier time hooking up, too. Afterall, he isn't the cutest idol loser. You can read that entire converstation at this gossip website: http://www.jossip.com/clay-aiken-caught-in-a-gay-web-of-scandal-20060302/.
Do you think if you ran across my secret screen name "SuperTopNSanAntonio4Now," and I sent you a photo of Clay Aiken that you would still chat with me? Quite frankly, I'm surprised the guy believed it was Aiken in the first place, and secondly that he continued the converstation after knowing it was Aiken. [P.S. Now that you know clandestine online screen names, please don't bombard me with hook-up requests. thanks.]
The article in today's People, a more mainstream publication, goes into more detail about his personal life which he has kept "secret" until now. It appears his partner is a 50-yr-old Broadway queen who preformed in "Spamalot" and they decided to sire a baby together. More power too her for dating someone twice her age, just like zee-greates-zinger-in-all-ov-zee-worl, Celine Dion.
Kudos, Clay, for coming out. And right in time for National Coming Out day next month.
8:56 PM
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89 Comments - 3 Kudos
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September 23, 2008 - Tuesday
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"Heroes" & Popular Culture
Current mood:  restless
Category: Movies, TV, Celebrities
All I've got to say is ... wow. It was worth the year-long wait! I won't spoil it for anyone who missed it, but the premier was ultra-intense.
At first, I worried that I'd lost any interest in the show altogether, thanks to my short attention span. Afterall -- due to the writers' strike of aught-seven -- the producers scrambled to finish a season which many critics disliked anyway. The problem came from trying to introduce too many sub-plots that were leading somewhere, but since filming stopped mid-way, it only overwellmed the audience. The struggle to suddenly conclude these multiple stories left the show a little empty. For example, what happened to Peter Petrelli's love interest who he abandoned in the alternative future to die of the Shanti virus? The producers just forgot all about these minor sidebars (but I'm sure they'll try to reckon them sometime this season).
"Heroes" owes a lot of its success to its ability to incorporate popular Victorian motifs into its storyline. For example, you have a host of minor significant characters, a protagonist Byronic hero (Peter Petrelli), and the antagonist antihero (Sylar). We love to hate Sylar as much as we fixate on Heathcliff or Miss Havisham. In fact, I blame some of the reason for the show's failure last year on the fact that the writers weakened or deminished Sylar's role in order to bolster supporting characters. Everyone secretly wants to see the epic show-down between Peter & Sylar which we foresee happening. And no matter how many villians the writers create this season (for the upcoming spinoff), we really want Sylar to be the worst of 'em all.
Dickens, Austen, and the others used another common feature in their novels: all characters somehow interconnects through strange circumstances or dramatic irony. Just like what occurs in every episode of "Heroes."
"Heroes" isn't unique in applying these traditional themes into the storyline. "Lost" and "Prison Break" also do the same thing. However, "Heroes" seems to be the most commercially successful. It has spawned comic books, auxiliar stories online, a wiki-database, and another possible upcoming serial (if it can revive the popularity it enjoyed pre-strike). It's only logical that the show would transition into a successful comic book franchise because, much like comic books, "Heroes" externalizes its emotions and actions, unlike its Victorian counterpart which internalizes through verbose language [much like my blogs].
Basically, "Heroes" is a post-modern comic book. It presents its storylines and plots in much the same manner, with quick paced scenes that bounce back and forth through time and space. The Comics Industry experienced its "Golden Age" during the height of the Great Depression in the late 1930s until the later 1940s after the war. Their popularity stemmed from people looking for a way to escape the economic and political uncertainity of the period. They found refuge from the real world in one of myth and fantansy.
Is it any wonder that today, since our society and culture parallel that of the late 1920s and early 1930s, that this medium now undergoes a resurgance in popularity? It's not just "Heroes," but look at how profitable Marvel has transitioned its well-liked and rathar obscure characters into movie powerhouse serials (X-men, Hulk, Dare Devil, soon-to-be Avengers). The Victorian model itself was a response to the Industrial Revolution marginalizing the lower/working classes while Britian fought long costly wars. Sound familiar?
Compare pop culture during years of stability, prosperity, and boom (like the late 1940s, 50s, or 90s) with that of the late 1920s and today. Back in the 1940s & 50s, the drama and comedy sought to imitate reality (or an idealized version of it, like "Leave It To Beaver," "Ozzie & Harriet"). These types of new serials direct us away from reality tv. We're tired of watching reality when we live it everyday. we don't want to be reminded of how bad things are not just for ourselves but other people, too. Therefore, the same factors which contributed to the rise of the Victorian and Comics Eras are also contributing to the re-popularity of televised serial fiction again.
10:09 AM
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89 Comments - 2 Kudos
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September 19, 2008 - Friday
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A Pity Party For Palin
Current mood:  bouncy
Category: News and Politics
I must give the Republican machine credit for the way they have manipulated the media into thinking that they mistreat Sarah Palin. If you examine their coverage of her since McCain nominated her, it's clear that, if anything, she has received much less scrutiny than the GOP had conditioned us to believe.
Palin has only given a few major interviews since the Repulican convention. This woman could be the next president, yet most Americans still know little to knowing substantial about her. She granted her first complete interview post-convention with Charles Gibson. During the interview, he asked her lots of minor personal questions, nothing outside of what Oprah or Ellen would ask on their television shows. However, when he requested her to interpret the Bush Doctrine, her answer made it clear that she (like most other American citizens) had no clue exactly what the Bush Doctrine details (if you haven't seen that segement yet, check it out here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kuPHhjRNjFA).
Gibson by no means is a hard-hitting reporter. If she couldn't hold her own with him, she has no chance against tough journalist like Barbara Walters or Christine Amanpour. As you can expect, since that interview, she has given no other major interviews with the mainstream media. The other day she sat with Hannity -- but as you might guess -- he didn't press her on any real controversial issues, and held fast to her talking points because we all know who the "fair and balanced" network favors this year.
Two main issues really highlight how the "elite media" (as Fox would call them) shows her a special, more privledged, treatment: her previous involvment with the Alaskan Independence Party (AIP) and her personal religious convictions. The major news outlets have lightly danced around these topics which are very important and should be directly addressed and throughly investigated before we cast ballots in less than two months.
Some overwellming proof connects her to the Alaska Independence Party which that state's third political party. Currently, it boasts 3% of that state's registered voters. When that party was founded by Joe Vogler in the 1970s, the original objective only sought to secede from the United States. Since Vogler's mysterious disappearence and death in 1993, it has grown quickly to become the only serious third party within our country. The AIP now attracts average Alaskans because it seriously embraces uniquely Alaskan problems and exploits them against national politics, like utilizing Alaska's natural resources to drill for oil in national parks, the Exxon Valdez disaster, etc.
Palin's husband was a card-carrying member of the AIP for many years. In fact, both of them attended that party's convention in 1994. This past spring she even presented a video message to them at their state convention praising how her administration was working closely with them to better Alaska (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F4iCDBIAde8). How can she run to be vice-preisdent of the same country that she didn't want her state to be a part of? Folks, only in America can that happen!
Can you imagine the reaction by the same "elite media" if Michelle Obama had been a member of some radical African-American group in college? Or, say, that her parents were once members of the Black Panther Party? It would have made news and the republicans would have used it in every commercial between now and November to scare Americans into voting for their party. But this candiate is married to someone who voted for leaders who espouse seccession, and Republicans can't wait to get her elected into office.
It is illegal for a state to seccede from the Union. It's right there in the Consitution that Palin wants to swear to uphold. It has been illegal to do so ever since the Civil War. When Alaskans voted for statehood, they knew this rule (even if they were mislead into the decision, as the AIP asserts).
In Texas, we consider such seccession groups as fringe and crazy. We scoff when groups like the Republic of Texas had their skirmish in El Paso years ago. But the truth is, a lot of groups in America want to leave the union. 25 states have such lunatics, in places as liberally docile as "Free Vermont," or as hardcore conservative as "the League of the South." If you don't remember your history, we already tried a confederacy, and it didn't work, that's how we ended up with our Consitution in the first place!
And these extremist groups occassionally host conventions together to discuss ways to help. In 2002, during once such convention, the vice-chair of the AIP addressed the united groups and said that his state's governor, Palin, was a member of his party before she became mayor (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7Re0vmbtHK8), but had to convert to Republican in order to advance her personal career.
Again, why hasn't Bill O'Reilly pressed her about this in the No Spin Zone? When is Wolf Blitzer going to seriously address this in the War Room? Both have made off the cuff references to it, but they have yet to explore these allegations.
But the media's special treatment of her doesn't stop there. It extends to her spirituality, too. First off, it's clear that McCain not only chose her because she is a woman, but because she excites the neo-conservative Christian Right in more than one way. She worshiped in a Pentacostal church for several years while mayor of Wasilia. This particular church teaches that their hometown will be a safety zone for Christians during the Judgment to go when they are persecuted. How do they know? because it was revealed in prophecy. The same prophet who foresaw this also speculated where people who voted for Kerry in 2004 would end up, and another pastor there denounced Isreal and claimed the terrorism there was a result of their failing to accept Jesus as savior. Last summer
Obama's pastor said something a little more rational, by just as outlandish, and the media went bererk. He said that 9/11 was a result of our actions and mistreament of foreign people. He didn't claim it was outright some sort of divine punishment, but instead poor insight by both Bush I and Clinton which provoked the attacks. He also speculated that AIDS was fabricated by the US Government and then (either purposely or unintentionally) spread to the communities it now affects. People berated Obama because of things his pastor said. It made international headlines. Yet, Palin speaks before the same congregation where she attended before she converted to Republican, and asks them to "pray for the soldiers doing G-d's will" in Iraq, and to pray for the politicans to let drilling happen in Alaska, and hardly little to nothing gets mentioned by the same media, except for a few brief 2-min news stories here and there (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QG1vPYbRB7k).
If anything, I wouldn't put it past the Republicans to have crafted the entire debate with Obama's pastor months ago in anticipation for choosing Palin knowing the media would have fatigue with such facts by election time.
The election campaign has turned sour. It's bad when even Karl Rove admits McCain's camp doesn't use the truth in their attacks. But we still get told by the media they are mistreating her, when I think from just these two examples, it's more than evident that no matter what shade of lipstick you put on a pig and then you call her Monique, after all is said and done, she's still just a pig. The media caters to Palin more than they would like to confess to themselves.
7:39 PM
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September 14, 2008 - Sunday
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A Texan-Size Hurricane
Current mood:  overstimulated
Category: News and Politics
By now, y'all are tired of hearing about this hurricane (esp. since more than half of y'all who read my blogs have direct ties to the area devestated by the storm). But, since it makes for some sensational news stories, y'all can bet for the next two weeks we'll see nothing but reports on the damages Ike caused ... along with lots of photo opts by both Presidential candiates and Governor Perry to show their sincere concern for those affected by this calamity. Less than 8 weeks to go until the election and these politicans will milk this disaster for everything they can to get their approval ratings higher.
I keep hearing the media stress "not enough people evacuated." If you're from the Golden Triangle & reading this entry, you're either one of the people who evacuated, one of Entergy's 4% of total Texas customers who retained electricity in the region, or you scrambled to buy a generator Thursday night to ride out the storm. It's times like these I'm glad I moved from there long ago. Here in San Antonio, we didn't even get a drop of rain ... and we sure could have used some, too. But at the same time, since I grew up there, I still feel a close connection to the area and the many people whom I've known my whole life.
It's real easy for CNN or FOX anchors to comment that more people should have left prior to Friday; however, as someone who has personally experienced dozens of stronger hurricanes in that same place, I understand why more people didn't flee. The National Hurricane Center only ranked Ike as a Catergory 2. Usually, a Cat-2 is a very serious [but mild] tropical cyclone which doesn't require going anywhere. In fact, I remember enduring more powerful ones, like Cat-3 Alicia back in 1983 when I was in kindergarden. That storm made landfall in almost the exact same location as Ike, but it was ranked higher on the Saffir-Simpson Scale and did less damage than yesterday [btw isn't "Simpson" a great name for a hurricane measurment system?].
Normally during a Cat-2, we just tidy up all the branches or other loose items from the yard, stock up on essential goods, and keep away from the windows while we weather the weather.
The NHC determines a storm's severity by its wind speed. Although Ike failed to mature into a fiercer distrubance while in the Gulf, they predicted a terrible storm serge instead. Some officials even warned about "certain death" by flood waters. I've never heard such a harsh statement to describe a Cat-2 storm, and by the time the counties or parishes in its path declared a manditory evacuation, it was already too late for most people to run to safety because traffic quickly congested and it became too dangerous to drive due to the inclement conditions.
But the main reason many people failed to evacuate was due to the manditory evacuation for Hurricane Gustav just two weeks ago. I believe many residents either didn't have the financial resources to move twice in such a short period of time, or they didn't take the threats seriously since Gustav veered more Eastward than previous predicted and barely affected the Texas/Louisana border. The premature evacuation of the Florida Keys just days before the storm passed into the Gulf probably also influenced some people to think it wasn't as dangerous as first forecasted.
I've looked at lots of images from its aftermath, and I am totally astounded at its destruction. Although it's obvious it wasn't as aweful as Rita three years ago (Happy Anniversary!!!), it will leave just as powerful of an impression in the psyche of the residents for many years to come. The Commerce Dept list Rita as the 4th most intense hurricane on record. Katrina only ranks 6th. While Ike wasn't as grave as the other storms, it will still find its name on the list of most costliest storms. Some news agencies already estimate it will cost as low as $8 billion to as much as $27bil. These are just prelimanary figures, it will take many months before we know a precise number. Rita only cost the region $10.5 bil (in 2007 dollars) and ranks 8th on list of costliest storms. A $27 bil. price tag would put Ike 3rd or 4th on the list, $8 bil would make it 10th (also in 2007 dollars).
And that money isn't factoring how much this cause will effect our pocketbooks the rest of the year. Gasoline jumped as high as $5/gal in some places overnight according to the Associated Press. Since this part of Texas produces most of the nation's petro -- and those refineries are out of commission due to electrical outages -- we could see the prices soar even higher in the next coming weeks. Refineries along the Lousianan coastline just recently had power restored due to Hurricane Gustav, some of them went as long as three weeks without it. Some parishes around Baton Rouge & New Orleans still lack energy thanks to the Gustave, so Entergy has placed them as the top priority because it has taken longer than expected. That same company now estimates it could take upwards to three weeks to completely service the nearly 4 million customers without lights around the greater Houston area. Cross your fingers it will happen sooner, but don't hold your breath, if you live in the more rurual areas of Beaumont or suburban Houston.
This storm could also impact the upcoming election. If gas prices continue to hover around $5 or higher by the time we go to the polls, it could portend a victory for the Democrats since this party champions alternative energies, and most Americans view the GOP as the party in the pocket of Big Oil. Again, cross your fingers the Dems will win, but don't hold your breath. 
The important thing from this hurricane is that the loss of life wasn't as bad as anticipated. The death toll as of now is below 100 people, and most of those were killed by the storm in Haïti. Gov. Perry's office reported over 940 people were salvaged from rising flood waters by early responders, so the death toll really could have been much worse.
1:02 PM
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+++ RED CROSS INFO FOR TX & LA +++
Current mood:  bummed
Category: News and Politics
Attention evacuees and those affected by Hurricane Ike:
Below I listed info for various chapters of the Red Cross across Texas & Louisiana. If you need their services, contact the organization closest to your whereabouts. If your location isn't found here, the general phone number for the Red Cross is 1-800-RED-CROSS, they can direct you to a chapter near you -- or visit their website and enter the ZIP code of the place where you are staying.
Feel free to repost or forward in case others need assistance, too.
Thanks ~ JohnnyDiva
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*Alexandria -- http://www.cenlaredcross.org/
contact number: 318-442-6621
*Austin -- http://www.centex.redcross.org/
Per website: "Please contact the Austin Hurricane Hotline at 512-974-1110 to get the latest information about evacuations and evacuation center openings."
*Baton Rouge -- http://www.batonrouge.redcross.org/
*Beaumont/Golden Triangle -- http://www.redcrossbeaumont.org/
Per website: "If you are a victim of a disaster and need assistance, you can call 409-832-1644 24 hours a day, 7 days a week and receive immediate assistance"
*Corpus Christi -- http://www.cbtredcross.org/
contact number: 361-887-9991
*Dallas Metroplex -- http://www.redcrossdallas.org/
Contact numbers:
Corsicana Branch (Ellis, Navarro Counties): 903-874-4551
Dallas Headquarters (Dallas County): 214-678-4800
Denton Branch (Denton County): 972-219-4860
Greenville Branch (Hunt, Hopkins, Delta and Rains Counties): 903-455-7932
McKinney Branch (Collin County): 972-562-0601
Terrell Branch (Kaufman, Rockwall, Van Zandt Counties): 972-563-1030"
* FEMA -- www.fema.gov
contact number: 1-800-621-3362
*Fort Worth -- http:// | | |
