Long time, to be sure. I just wanted to check in with the world to let it know that I've not succumbed to Swine Flu, as much as the nytimes.com would love to add "New Hampshire" to it's sensationalistic (but oh-so-clean-looking) "Flu Tracker" interactive graphic. The Times, which used to be one of the more level-headed corporate media outlets has succumbed to the all-consuming virus that has infected the corporate media as it does all businesses: "Greed Flu." (I dare not venture on to see the garbage on msnbc.com, cnn.com or--shudder--foxnews.com.)
People have grown accustomed to graphic photographs and video footage from far-off wars and genocides. Real images of surreal situations and people so different from us as to be almost unreal. Give the people what they want (or at least can't help but peak at) and they'll fill your coffers from now until the cows come home (which, when they do, Murdoch will likely buy them all up, the slaughterhouses, too, and squeeze the life--and a tidy profit--out of apocalyptic beef. If there is a God, may He have a sense of irony and infect those cows with Mad Cow Disease. ) Anyway. The NYT interactive graphic is, comparatively, much cleaner.
Though, I wonder if I could get text updates the nanosecond a new case is discovered. Let's track flu infections and deaths the way we count Olympic medals. Cold. Impersonal. Competitive? Heaven forbid respectfully covering a public health situation rather than gawk with paralyzing fear, mixed with all-too-morbid fascination.
Sure, this flu is spreading quickly, sure Michael Crichton et al have our imagination whipped into a frenzy over killer virus strains, but let's put this into perspective. How many people die from the "normal," human influenza viruses annually? In 2003 the CDC reports that figure was roughly 36,000. How many people die from cancer--daily? The American Cancer Society reports 1,500. We're not lining up in cancer wards, watching people die, or flipping our shit whenever we miss work or school because the flu makes us puke a little. Where is the NYT graphic tracking cancer deaths? The Swine Flu kills fewer than two hundred people in less-than-ideal living conditions and suddenly the sky is falling.
Swine flu: more hype for your money.
22:56: Amendment: The NYT has earned itself a tiny bit of respect, albeit thanks to its bloggers. This "The Lede" piece is extremely well done and far better than my above rant. (Which is why Robert Mackey makes the big bucks and I'm left to shout into the cyber-wilderness at no one at 11 o'clock on a Friday night.)
Friday, May 1, 2009
Monday, January 12, 2009
WTF Obama: A Quick Rant
C'mon, Obama! I'm not cheering you on. I'm demanding that special something I need to put faith in you.
$775 billion? Not enough.
No justice for Bush administration crimes against humanity and American civil liberties? Really not enough.
This is a moment that will define not only your legacy but the history of the United States of America. You need to choose to either be a lap dog Democrat like Pelosi et al, or stand up now for those who stood up for you in November. Their votes mean nothing if you are an enabler like the rest. You're better than this.
Or at least I hope you are. We need to show the world once more that to be an American means something. Personally, I'd like to show the world the way to lead, not force such a way on it. I'd like to be known once more as the land of liberty, not a police state. There is a difference between being a compromiser and compromising your integrity and values. You talk about "Hope" and "Change" but all I can hope for is that you will really become an agent of change starting January 20. C'mon, Obama. America deserves better.
$775 billion? Not enough.
No justice for Bush administration crimes against humanity and American civil liberties? Really not enough.
This is a moment that will define not only your legacy but the history of the United States of America. You need to choose to either be a lap dog Democrat like Pelosi et al, or stand up now for those who stood up for you in November. Their votes mean nothing if you are an enabler like the rest. You're better than this.
Or at least I hope you are. We need to show the world once more that to be an American means something. Personally, I'd like to show the world the way to lead, not force such a way on it. I'd like to be known once more as the land of liberty, not a police state. There is a difference between being a compromiser and compromising your integrity and values. You talk about "Hope" and "Change" but all I can hope for is that you will really become an agent of change starting January 20. C'mon, Obama. America deserves better.
Tuesday, January 6, 2009
Wintry visits in Somerville
Hanging out at the Tarcitano pad on a Tuesday evening, I find myself beginning my third night in a small, cozy apartment in Somerville. I'm not sure if the home has more food, books, or DVDs; either way, one is never wanting for nourishment, enlightenment, or entertainment (though at the moment I'm too starved to think or even consider my cinematic options for the evening).
We went to see Simmons today. Though small, I found the campus very welcoming and the facilities looked brand new, with a touch of artful good taste. Each of the graduate schools and even the undergraduate college were decorated with the same themes found on their respective websites and in their respective pamphlets and literature. I also very much enjoyed the ample natural light found within the library, a modern-looking glass building where I can easily see myself studying.
This visit comes, of course, about a week following the submission of my application materials to both Simmons and Columbia. It's simply a waiting game for Columbia, while I must return to Simmons for interviews once my application materials are in order. I still very much prefer Simmons' program to that of Columbia (two masters versus one, Boston historical institutions versus those of New York), but Manhattan schooling could be cool, too. If I only do the archives MS now, I can decide if I truly want to go for the history MA after, or perhaps pursue a career as a professional researcher for movies or TV (a fascinating job idea I only first thought of today). We'll just have to see where Tuany and I both get admitted.
Otherwise, just looking forward to a day of cooking tomorrow with Rose, a winter's vacation on Nantucket, and a new job with kiddies!
Off to eat (hopefully). For now, enjoy these tiggle bitties.
More later...
We went to see Simmons today. Though small, I found the campus very welcoming and the facilities looked brand new, with a touch of artful good taste. Each of the graduate schools and even the undergraduate college were decorated with the same themes found on their respective websites and in their respective pamphlets and literature. I also very much enjoyed the ample natural light found within the library, a modern-looking glass building where I can easily see myself studying.
This visit comes, of course, about a week following the submission of my application materials to both Simmons and Columbia. It's simply a waiting game for Columbia, while I must return to Simmons for interviews once my application materials are in order. I still very much prefer Simmons' program to that of Columbia (two masters versus one, Boston historical institutions versus those of New York), but Manhattan schooling could be cool, too. If I only do the archives MS now, I can decide if I truly want to go for the history MA after, or perhaps pursue a career as a professional researcher for movies or TV (a fascinating job idea I only first thought of today). We'll just have to see where Tuany and I both get admitted.
Otherwise, just looking forward to a day of cooking tomorrow with Rose, a winter's vacation on Nantucket, and a new job with kiddies!
Off to eat (hopefully). For now, enjoy these tiggle bitties.
More later...
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
