My New Idol

I am no artist nor do I claim to be one, but those are some seriously cool paintings and sculptures. Pedro Friedeberg seems like he would be a real hoot to hang out with. His paintings may have meaning but I'm not quite seeing it. I would go to see a Friedeberg exhibit simply because it would be cool not because I want to find out what the artist meant when painting these. I would love to know why he likes hands so much. All of his sculptures are made of hands and some feet. They look awesome and I want one for my house, but why so many hands?

The author says he thought he knew Pedro until he  read his biography and then he puts in a quote from Friedeberg himself. He doesn't say much at all. He lets the pictures speak for themselves. If a picture says a thousand words I have to say that these painting are worth far more than a thousand.

Article: The Work of a Surreal Designer

A Rant About Cartoon Network

Ah the good old days. When men were men and a mallet in the head was hilarious. I never knew that Cartoon Network had only been around since '92. Being born in 1994 I just assumed that it had always been around. This article really makes me miss when shows were funny on CN like Dexter's Lab, Cow & Chicken, Tom and Jerry, and  Johnny Bravo. That was good programming. Nowadays Cartoon Network has the audacity to try and put live action shows in the line-up. I know that I'm the umptee-seventh person to talk about how cartoon network used to be good, but for real man what the heck. All there is on now is cookie cutter crap with the same exact plot in each show. What ever happened to experimental shows like Sheep in the Big City and Courage the Cowardly Dog? With my childhood slipping away day by day I can only take solace in the fact that CN still has Adult Swim (My favorite channel, if you can even call it that). Adult Swim has stayed strong with weird shows that appeal to a certain audience of awesome people since it's inception. If only Cartoon Network could have been as steadfast with their line up.


The author talks about the beginning of CN and give basically a behind the scenes look at what went on for this show to start. He shows pictures of a card box that was sent out to show the marketability of Cartoon Network. He isn't trying to say anything about the downfall of CN he gives the reader a little known story about something that we all know and love (Sort of).

Article: When Cartoon Network Was Born

Euphemisms

I had to check this article simply because the title made me "LOL" by myself. Famous political flip-flopper Mitt Romney hits it out of the park again with partnership agreements. Do you guys remember when it was cool to be liberal? Why is the Christian Right taking over the United States again? All I could think of as I read this article was the famous George Carlin routine on euphemisms. A video which I have placed down yonder (you're welcome). A partnership agreement sounds like something the NBA needs to make to end the lockout. It doesn't sound like a happy marriage.


Alex Pareene writes a very funny article on Mitt's new proposal for gay marriage. He writes very sarcastically and makes fun of the cold robotic term "partnership agreement" by finishing up his article with a paragraph so politically correct you can hardly understand what is going on.

Article: Mitt Romney proposes “partnership agreements” for gay couples who happen to be emotionless cyborgs

What's Your Occupation? Part Deux [Boston Edition]

I never thought I'd see the day that my own fair city would fight the Occupy Wall Street Movement. This article makes you wonder. What were those hundred peaceful protesters doing that made them more serious threats than others during the raid? I was actually in Boston this past Saturday. I jumped in the protester's parade as they walked by the public garden. I saw the nice little camp that the protesters had set up. It hardly seemed like a place that required a force of 200 riot geared officers to clear out at 1:30 in the morning. Maybe I'm just a child with pipe dreams of a Government that actually listens to the people, but When the President sees the future of the United States in the streets protesting you would think that he would do something.


The author writes a quick snippet of what is going on in the city. He shows no bias, but he does call the people, "peaceful protesters," which could be taken as a biased phrase. There is little background information about the actual movement. The article just tells of the raid that occurred. 

Article:Boston’s mayor: “Civil disobedience will not be tolerated”

The question was, "Do you believe that a homemaker who has never been a wage  earner should be entitled to a Social Security death benefit for her survivors?" The answer is in the title. Sure if a mother is a hard worker she deserves recognition and the respect of her peers, but if she never pays into the system. Why would she be entitled to anything back? That's like Wesley Snipes being upset with the police force of his town. It's not like Blade pays his taxes, so what right does he have to be upset? Bonnie Smith-Yackel's mother never worked in the literal sense, so I'm sorry but there is nothing more to be said.

What's Your Occupation?

– “Occupy! Bring instruments, food, blankets, bedding, rain gear, and a sense of justice”

– “Spread the word” via nycga.net, Twitter, and Facebook

–”Donate” either money or food or clothes

–”Follow the occupation”

–”Educate yourself”

These are the things you must do to continue the occupation of Wall Street. The occupation has moved to the Brooklyn Bridge and beyond sine it's start on September 17th. However the protesters were stopped by some not so sympathetic police officers and hundreds of occupiers were arrested. It seems that in any case of uprising the more outrageous the police riot control tactics become the more momentum the uprising has gained. If that is true then Occupy Wall Street is going strong. It is a promising sight to see a gathering of more than a hundred people for an important cause other than legalizing marijuana, and I would say I'm all for the Occupy Wall Street movement. However I have no idea what they stand for, and neither do they from what I've read. I'm all for sticking it to the man and hating every "Joe big business" out there, but I wish the protesters would think of something to protest for already.

Justin Eliott writes an un-biased piece about the ongoing occupation of Wall Street. There is no intent other than letting the reader know what is going on in the world around them. He uses a picture of an arrest to grab the reader's attention. He uses a quote from the recently created newspaper "The Occupied Wall Street Journal." This article is for anyone that wants to learn more about the movement. There is no bias and the author does a great job of delivering the facts.

Article: Busted on Brooklyn Bridge

Magic Mushrooms for the Terminal Soul

I had to go for this article right when I saw it. Alexander Zaitchik writes about experimental psilocybin treatments for terminally ill cancer patients, and I think it's a fantastic idea. So many cancer victims spend their last days even weeks in a hospital paralyzed by the fear of their encroaching death. From the article it is obvious that there have been promising results, but I don't see this being more than an experiment. If this starts to gain any momentum it will have a serious battle ahead of them. Every anti-drug crusader and their mother will be out campaigning against the treatment without any consideration for the cancer patients themselves. No human should lives their lives in fear especially someone that is terminally ill. Hospitals already get patients into experimental chemo treatments which can be very dangerous. Why not try something experimental that won't hurt the patient. Now I'm not saying that everyone needs to run out and get some 'shrooms, but if you were in a terminal patient's shoes.. Wouldn't you want to at least be at peace with the life you have if nothing else?


Zaitchik is obviously on the side of the doctors in this article. He kicks off the article by taking the reader on an adventure with Kristof Kossut, a terminally ill man going into the Bluestone Center for Clinical Research. After the Kossut story the author quotes different doctors that vouch for this experimental treatment. He also takes a look at the expensive treatments that take place in the last moments of one's life. He says that if we just helped the person cope with what was coming rather than spending so much on useless treatments a lot of money could be saved. This article definitely isn't trying to pull anyone on his side. The article is more of a look into the psychedelic side of things for someone that is alright with it in the first place.


Article: Flashback! Psychedelic Research Returns