Noam Chomsky on Media Manipulation
Chomsky proves the point, long since and increasing more obvious, that great thinkers are always and invariably provocateurs as well as outsiders. U-tube this:
The Enemy of My Enemy is My Friend
from a profile of libertarian candidate Bob Barr in The New Yorker:
‘For Barr, the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001, and the subsequent expansion of executive power under President Bush, were a political turning point. “I went through Reagan National after 9/11, and saw guardsmen with automatic weapons,” he told me. “It dawned on me that we’ve entered a whole new world. It may have made other passengers feel more secure, but it made me feel dramatically less free. Freedom is a lot more important than security. You can never freedom through security….When the government can invade the information in your bank account, when the government can listen in to your telephone and e-mail conversations, simply because they think it is necessary to protect us from terrorists, or whoever, they are undercutting the very basis of our free civilization.”‘
THE THIRD MAN CONTINUES
Beyond the Palin - Part II
This stuff is so good you couldn’t even make it up if you tried! From The International Herald Tribune:
Who was the highest paid individual in Senator John McCain’s presidential campaign during the first half of October as it headed down the homestretch?
Not Randy Scheunemann, McCain’s chief foreign policy adviser; not Nicolle Wallace, his senior communications staffer. It was Amy Strozzi, Governor Sarah Palin’s traveling makeup artist, according to a new filing with the Federal Election Commission on Thursday night.
The New Depression - Part One
The parallels are seriously eerie. From The Big Money web site, excerpts from Benjamin Roth’s Diary:
June 5, 1931. Immediately after the 1929 crash the speculators rushed in to buy “bargains” but were badly mistaken because the market kept going down and down even tho’ industrial leaders kept on assuring the people that everything was fine and the worst was over. At the present time the newspapers are urging people to buy these “bargains” but opinion is much divided as to whether or not the bottom has been reached.
Thomas Frank on Joe the Plumber
from “Joe the Plumber and GOP ‘Authenticity’” by Thomas Frank in The Wall Street Journal (10.22.08):
The conservative movement made its name battling moral relativists on campus, bellowing for a “strict construction” of our nation’s founding documents, and pandering to people who believe that the Book of Genesis literally records the origins of human existence.
And yet here are the words of Ronald Reagan’s pollster, Richard Wirthlin, as recorded in one of the main Reagan strategy documents from 1980: “People act on the basis of their perception of reality; there is, in fact, no political reality beyond what is perceived by the voters.”
Beyond the Palin - Part I
Purely hilarious, this vid is beyond good and evil:
Friday Lunch: More La Pietra
Cliff and I shared yet another particularly brilliant meal at what we both acknowledge is the best new restaurant in the town. Chef Bruce Logue is dreaming up a whole new world of Italian inspired dishes, each one seemingly more delicious than the next. Here’s the Gastro-Guru’s take on Friday’s repast:
Brad and I returned to La Pietra Cucina for lunch today and we were knocked out as usual. We split a salad made with lobster mushrooms, seldom seen on Atlanta menus.
Then Brad had grouper over creamy, diced eggplant in a tomato sauce with shrimp. I ordered the day’s risotto, full of prosciutto cotto, chives and bits (and slices) of fresh figs..
OMNIVORE CONTINES
Notebook: Found Objects
Found on the Net:
(1) if i cared about yr opinions, id wear yr t-shirt
(2) because he has wicked mommy issues
(3) so theres this kid named jeff and hes from my hometown. hes 18 and hes about to sign a multimillion dollar contract and be picked top ten for the major leagues. its like national news and everyone is shitting their pants over it. this kid is a fucking dick. ive known him since i was 6. we used to be really good friends cos he used to do really fucked up things and it was funny. then we hated each other when he got cool and i became whatevr the fuck i am now.
(4) ok so heres where it gets fucked up.my dad was like. doing his mother. she was fucking crazy obsessed with him and it was this huge thing. this was when i was like 8 or 9. big messy crazy thing. it blew over and now everything is cool i guess.but i know my dad was obsessed with that kid. he thought he was gods fucking gift. hes like obsessed with this whole ordeal now too. and i think hes gonna do something really crazy. like sue or something for his money. cos hes sort of like that.
Poem: Personal & Confidential
if i choose not to hear the siren song
nor heed the urgings of my heart
if i fail to read between the lines
or reading them cannot find solace there
if i lack the will to laugh
the faith to cry
and if my bruised and battered heart
no longer has the strength to break anew
still
your name stands your image too
the fixed and starry pole round which my life
winds its weary way from empty night
to empty day
[2004]
Friday Lunch: Savor Specialty
Mr. Bostock once again captures the essence of our regular Friday luncheon experience:
“I lunched Friday with my usual date, Brad, and another friend, Brian. We visited Savor Specialty Foods at Peachtree Battle Shopping Center.
The shop offers an impressive selection of gourmet sandwiches, all but one of them under $8, like my “Toscano” with fennel-seed salami, olive chutney, Provolone, mayo and local greens. I had it made on ciabatta…”