Scott Blakeman @ Pratt Manhattan Gallery

http://www.scottblakeman.com/

Scott Blakeman

I discovered Scott Blakeman -- who had the stage -- when I delivered postcards to Clark @ Pratt's Manhattan Gallery. I loved his political humor -- but his Jewish humor wasn't quite making it for me. I really can't laugh about the myth of Jewish power, when this so-called myth has been the guiding force behind so much anti-semitism. I did appreciate his references to Joe Lieberman, though. Joe's been looking so lost and pathetic lately. I can't believe that I supported him eight years ago.

Ed Koch and Me

I never thought I'd agree with Ed Koch on anything. I used to run into him all the time when we lived a block apart in the Village. I kept my distance. But now we actually have something in common: "She scares the hell out of me," Koch stated in reference to Sarah Palin. Me, too -- and probably for the same reasons.

Jamie Lynn Spears vs. Bristol Palin

Ms. Palin’s prism of God, Alaska and Country, in that order, obscures an irony. When 17-year-old Jamie Lynn Spears, Britney’s sister, shows up pregnant, it becomes one more example of permissiveness gone amok. But array those same circumstances over 17-year-old Bristol Palin, and it is received at the convention as one more example of steadfast prolife values.
When it comes to the culture wars, it all depends on where the baby bump lands.

David Carr, New York Times, September 7

I Just Don't Get It!

I just don't get it. I don't understand how conservative Republicans can so casually dismiss Sarah Palin's daughter's pregnancy. Something's wrong with the picture. The young couple should have been educated on how to avoid unwanted pregnancy -- even if their parents wanted to believe that their children would not engage in premarital sex. (So much for "abstinence only." ) And why weren't these teens practicing safe sex -- with STD's so prevelant among young people? And certainly getting married under these circumstances is absurd. What message are we sending young people? It makes a mockery of everything we educators have been teaching our students for years.

Abstinence Only?

"We have been blessed with five wonderful children who we love with all our heart and mean everything to us. Our beautiful daughter Bristol came to us with news that as parents we knew would make her grow up faster than we had ever planned. We're proud of Bristol's decision to have her baby and even prouder to become grandparents. As Bristol faces the responsibilities of adulthood, she knows she has our unconditional love and support...Bristol and the young man she will marry are going to realize very quickly the difficulties of raising a child, which is why they will have the love and support of our entire family. We ask the media to respect our daughter and Levi's privacy as has always been the tradition of children of candidates."

Sarah Palin

Shattering That Glass Ceiling

It certainly was clever of McCain to select a woman as a running mate. Nor is it a coincidence that she is a good-looking woman. But does he really think that any of us who supported Hillary Clinton would switch our allegiances to the Republican Party? With her anti-abortion and generally conservative record, Sarah Palin is the anti-Hillary. And please don't try to pass her off as a "working mother." I wonder just how much emotional and physical energy she currently expends on her children. And just how much will she be offering her Down syndrome-child whom she chose not to abort? As the sibling of a severely disabled sister, I have some understanding of what goes into raising such a child. Were she in public office, or any kind of office, my mother never could have done it.

Thank You, Miranda July (& Zadie Smith)

As I've just begun a year off from my day job, I've decided to devote one hour a day just to reading anything I please -- excluding the myriad newspapers, magazines and Internet sites I'm addicted to. 'picked up The Book of Other People, edited by Zadie Smith and discovered the immensely talented Miranda July. I love her poignant humor and can't wait to find out more about her. http://mirandajuly.com/

A Passion for Life

I just finished reading Swimming in a Sea of Death, David Rieff's thoughtful memoir of his mom's illness. I found myself identifying throughout with his emotions -- an uneasy fusion of guilt and regret -- and with Susan Sontag's passion for life, despite her personal sorrows and frustrations. He writes, "The simple truth is that my mother could not get enough of being alive. She reveled in being; it was as straightforward as that. No one I have ever known loved life so unambivalently, and I am almost certain that had she lived to a hundred...nothing except the loss of intellect would have made her any more reconciled to extinction." I wonder about myself. Is my passion for life -- despite my personal sorrows or because of them?

Raging Against Mortality

Reading David Rieff's memoir of his mother's death, I can certainly identify with Susan Sontag's struggle against mortality. Death makes no sense. There's far too much to do. Like Susan Sontag, I am "unreconciled against mortality."

Me and Janis in Woodstock

August 24, 2008

Why I Hate Blogs, Cell-Phones, E-mail and Everything Internet-Related

Ben Stein says it all: http://www.nytimes.com/2008/08/24/business/yourmoney/24every.html?ex=1377316800&en=1cab585b041c7732&ei=5124&partner=permalink&exprod=permalink