10.08.08
Posted in Media, Politics, Uncategorized at 4:41 am by laurajberg
As the candidates walked into the theater on Tuesday night, before either said a single word, my eyes were drawn to the image of an elderly appearing man perched on the edge of a stool, hunched over a pad of legal paper writing furiously. Images of high-schoolers scribbling down memorized physics equations on their test papers came to mind. What was this man doing?
Of course, the man I am referring to is none other than the Republican Presidential candidate. A man who, apparently, can’t remember his own policies long enough that he has to jot reminders to himself before the debate begins. There is an amount of strategy to these debates. They are tests in a way. But mostly tests of performance that allow the candidates to clear up any confusion about their platform. One expects that a candidate is well versed in his own policies and does not need a set of bold-faced bullet points to remember.
I have several theories on this strange behavior. The first is the age issue. Too few crosswords Mr. McCain? Perhaps he simply needs a little memory jogging. And while that’s all fine and good it’s not something I look for in a nation’s representative. Theory #2: anger management. Remember the first debate when he looked scary and evil all the time. It seems he has a perpetual sneer when otherwise unoccupied. Maybe he was told to “appear to take notes” so the camera couldn’t catch his facial expressions as Obama spoke. And notice that when he wasn’t writing he stood awkwardly, shiftily in the corner. I half expected him to tackle Obama to the ground. And last but not least – he could have just been doodling. President McCain. Mr. President McCain. President Maverick McCain. I heart Mavericks…
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10.05.08
Posted in Art and Music, Media, Uncategorized at 10:56 am by laurajberg
Ever heard of this guy? Probably not, unless you’re a teenage girl or you’vebeen reading about the new movie The Rocker with Rainn Wilson (of The Office fame). But this guy’s got talent. Check out his website and, I think this is pretty cool, you can listen to all of his music on the site’s Radio.
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Posted in Media, Politics at 8:41 am by laurajberg
I always find it discomforting to look at these maps when so much is colored red. But fortunately size is deceptive. Check out those numbers!!!
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10.04.08
Posted in Art and Music, Media at 2:28 pm by laurajberg
So, as you can see, with the help of my technologically brilliant husband I am succumbing to the popular activity of public personalization a.k.a. blogging.
I remember when I first read about blogging. I was a freshman at McGill, on my spring vacation in Florida. The Sun Sentinel published a piece about this crazy new thing where people publish their writings on the internet. The story was a bit cynical and scathing and led me to wonder why in the world anyone would want others to read about their personal lives. Keep in mind this was also the beginning of reality TV, an interesting, not-coincidental association that I will have to come back to at another time. The idea of the personal as public was discomforting to say the least. As with all new things the public was initially skeptical. And, though the bloggers featured in this particular story were meant to be representatives of this new ‘artform’ they were not exactly nouveau bohemian writers of witty prose. The majority of bloggers at the time used the internet as a means of public confession. Many wrote about their evenings of debauchery, with pictures to boot, or their seemingly endless break-ups, get-back-togethers and cheatings in between. They had a very strong and dedicated following of readers who reveled in others’ misfortunes. They were probably the same crowd that kept Temptation Island on the air for more than one episode.
Things have changed. Blogging has morphed into a new form of literary expression that at times borders on the brilliant and artistic. I cannot say the same for reality TV. Perhaps it will get there some day. People have made careers by their blogs. Many have used it as an in to formal publishing. The internet has democratized the writing industry. Everyone can take a chance at being the next post-modern, stream of conscious poster-child.
This once laughed at idea has really caught on. And, it seems, I’ve caught the bug.
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