... I was giving them away

PALIN: “One step away from stealing from the...

Sat, 08 Nov 2008 13:19:34 -0500

PALIN: “One step away from stealing from the campaign.”

Ron English put up a great street art installation in Boston...

Tue, 08 Jul 2008 12:07:26 -0400

Ron English put up a great street art installation in Boston near the South End on Harrison Street. If you live in the area you should check it out.

The Boston Globe has an article here about how all the other little WASP-ish art galleries that Ron English’s fans have put up a few “illegal” posters advertising the work. This is why Boston is Boring and why I’m moving to Durham, NC. At the very least Durham is cheaper.

McCain has desecrated an American Flag in the most vain way...

Tue, 03 Jun 2008 14:20:17 -0400

McCain has desecrated an American Flag in the most vain way possible.

via: New York Times

How punk rawk is tat? This is the stamp for the Great Scott in...

Sat, 31 May 2008 21:48:27 -0400

How punk rawk is tat? This is the stamp for the Great Scott in Boston.

"Cheney traveled to Iraq by having the senior leadership of that country draw a pentacle on the floor..."

Fri, 09 May 2008 15:01:00 -0400

“Cheney traveled to Iraq by having the senior leadership of that country draw a pentacle on the floor and summoning him.”

- NPR’s Wait Wait…Don’t Tell Me!, you can hear it at about 3:23

Not quite the soft political jokes you’d expect from some soft public radio lefties.

I’ve seen this image so many times in the past few months,...

Wed, 07 May 2008 13:03:00 -0400

I’ve seen this image so many times in the past few months, and I have to say that I find it obnoxious. It is so trite and kind of juvenile, as if it’s the work of an angsty high schooler. It seems like a “hip” version of one of those office Team Work posters..

“When a team of dedicated individuals makes a commitment to act as one…the sky’s the limit.”

headspace:

antoinetta:

(via darnie)

misunderstood, methinks.

Sun, 04 May 2008 23:05:14 -0400

brokengentleman:

I feel like a lot of people really misunderstood what I was going for, so let me clarify.

…

i was trying to say that people should be judged based on their actions, not whether you think they deserve what they have, or whether they do what you would like them to do (or would do in their place) with their status.

also, i cringe at anyone thinking i agree with Rand about anything.

i feel really terribly misunderstood here, because it rankles that someone would suggest i don’t think it’s worthwhile to help those in need. all i said was, being rich when someone else is poor doesn’t necessarily make you a bad person, even if you show no signs of guilt about being rich.

I assumed I was misunderstanding you from the start based on the point of view of everything else you’ve written, but I wanted to clarify, and it was also an opportunity to work out some my own thoughts on the matter. Thanks for starting the discussion.

I don’t think anything is good in absolutes. It’s not good to always hate people richer...

Sun, 04 May 2008 21:55:00 -0400

I don’t think anything is good in absolutes. It’s not good to always hate people richer than you. It’s not good to hate in general. And I don’t think it’s good to assume that all people that show animosity towards people with more money hate them, or show animosity towards them for no good reason.

The thing that frustrates me about “people with more money” (or for that matter, people with less money) is when they assume that poor people deserve to be poor because they haven’t worked hard enough. Or, speaking in the generalities I abhor, when The Upper Class finagles its way out of taxes through loopholes, or when people complain about having to give money in taxes for the lower classes, etc, etc, etc. There are so many people caught in cycles of poverty, so many forces beyond their control exerting pressure on them to keep them where they are.

Of course it isn’t impossible for people to bull themselves up by the bootstraps, and they should want to, but it can be next to impossible without some help. Barbara Ehrenreich’s excellent book, Nickel and Dimed, does a great job of illustrating those forces.

This is also my frustration with Ayn Rand. She throws together her theories which support the idea that she’s rich because she deserves it and then everyone else who reads it agrees because they believe too that they deserve it. And you know what? Most of them probably did work really hard, and they do deserve what they have. But, that doesn’t mean poor people deserve to be poor, and don’t deserve help. Sometimes people just need a safety net.

(Sorry if it seems like I have a chip on my shoulder, but my family benefited from some social services while I was growing up, but now I am a successful, taxpaying member of society making my own contribution. And I believe the majority of those that receive services have stories more similar to mine.)

All I expect out of “people with more money than me” is empathy. Warren Buffet is someone that I have great respect for. He lives his life unostentatiously, and gives so much back. Bill Gates is another who lives his life how he will, but gives so much back. I see people in the city who are probably making only $35K and act like rich dicks, I don’t like them anymore than people that act that way with 10X the salary.

That said, I really enjoy your tumblr Broken Gentleman, and I look forward to your response.

And Broken Gentleman, I’ve been reading your tumblr for a while now and have always enjoyed it so this certainly isn’t meant to be

brokengentleman:

i’m constantly confused by the immediate assumption that rich people, even the ones surrounded by those in poverty, are somehow evil. i’m so far from rich that even contemplating this is amusing, but still - are the wealthy expected to spend money only on others? are they not allowed to enjoy what they have / have earned?

i just think that being loaded and relatively selfish is exactly what 90% of the population would do if they became billionaires. as such, i try not to judge the actual billionaires for spending their money on nice things.

maybe it’s just me, but hating someone because they have more than you did / do is the same as hating someone for having less. so don’t be a dick.

I’m staying in this Friday night because I’m a bit...

Fri, 02 May 2008 22:35:59 -0400

I’m staying in this Friday night because I’m a bit under the weather, and I’m taking this time to put together the best muxtape I can muster. This of course means hours of listening to music, which for me means the Talking Heads will get plenty of air time.

David Byrne fascinates me. He’s definitely an enigma, and one well worth paying attention to. He has become a bicycle advocate of sorts, he has written/drawn a book for McSweeney’s, and he writes a great blog. Check them out and enjoy the video.

alexbalk: Please don’t let me lose to that little bitch Gladwell. Don’t worry Balk. I voted...

Thu, 01 May 2008 11:30:54 -0400

alexbalk:

Please don’t let me lose to that little bitch Gladwell.

Don’t worry Balk. I voted for you as a Write-In.

The Atlasphere: Ayn Rand Dating & Networking

Tue, 29 Apr 2008 10:17:08 -0400

The Atlasphere: Ayn Rand Dating & Networking:

toomuchawesome:

bg5000:

squashed:

For the rationally self-interested romantic in you….
Like the social network for pets, this will help keep these people away from us regular folk.

Just like that dating site for people with herpes! Objectivism is philosophical herpes.

I feel like there could be a dating site for people that despise Ayn Rand. I’m sure it would be filled with witty intelligent people, without an overly inflated sense of selfworth. We could call it Heaven.

"But [America] goes not abroad, in search of monsters to destroy."

Mon, 28 Apr 2008 11:06:00 -0400

“But [America] goes not abroad, in search of monsters to destroy.”

- She is the well-wisher to the freedom and independence of all.

She is the champion and vindicator only of her own.

She will commend the general cause by the countenance of her voice, and the benignant sympathy of her example.

She well knows that by once enlisting under other banners than her own, were they even the banners of foreign independence, she would involve herself beyond the power of extrication, in all the wars of interest and intrigue, of individual avarice, envy, and ambition, which assume the colors and usurp the standard of freedom.

The fundamental maxims of her policy would insensibly change from liberty to force….

She might become the dictatress of the world. She would be no longer the ruler of her own spirit….

[America’s] glory is not dominion, but liberty. Her march is the march of the mind. She has a spear and a shield: but the motto upon her shield is, Freedom, Independence, Peace. This has been her Declaration: this has been, as far as her necessary intercourse with the rest of mankind would permit, her practice.

— John Quincy Adams, 1821

It’s distressing to me that this description no longer applies.

Read the full speech here.

preoccupations: Stuff of LifeWhat you have just witnessed is...

Mon, 28 Apr 2008 11:02:27 -0400

preoccupations:

Stuff of Life

What you have just witnessed is called waterboarding. The US authorities call it an ‘enhanced interrogation technique’. They say it is a necessary and acceptable ‘tool’ in the war on terror. They say it is ‘safe and lawful’. They say that by using it, they are not doing anything inhumane.

Well you’ve just seen it for yourself. What do you think?

At Amnesty International we’re in no doubt that waterboarding is torture. As such it is illegal. And it must stop.

If you agree, join us.

I couldn’t say it better myself.

"It ain’t me. It ain’t me. I ain’t no millionaire’s son, no. It ain’t me. It ain’t me. I ain’t no..."

Sat, 26 Apr 2008 19:57:33 -0400

“It ain’t me. It ain’t me. I ain’t no millionaire’s son, no.
It ain’t me. It ain’t me. I ain’t no fortunate one, no.”

- I just realized while eating lunch with Billy Dalto that John Fogerty, a wealthy and famous rock star by the time this song was written, sounds partially absurd singing this lyric. I’ve heard the song thousands of times and had never paused to consider that he is probably one of the most fortunate people on the planet. (via mills)

This is one of my favorite CCR songs, and truly a song that seems to have really captured the feelings of those that had to serve while “millionaire’s sons” (I’m looking at you Dubya) did not have to serve. And to play the semantics argument, I don’t believe anyone from CCR was a millionaire’s son.

And really I guess I just feel like money or no money John Fogerty was a man of the people. Or at least that’s how I want to feel.

Fuck

Wed, 23 Apr 2008 10:51:13 -0400

mills:

Fuck fuck fuck fuck fuck fuck fuck fuck fuck fuck fuck fuck fuck fuck fuck fuck fuck fuck fuck fuck fuck fuck fuck fuck fuck fuck fuck fuck fuck fuck fuck fuck fuck fuck fuck fuck fuck fuck fuck fuck fuck fuck fuck fuck fuck fuck fuck fuck fuck fuck fuck fuck fuck fuck fuck fuck fuck fuck fuck fuck fuck fuck fuck fuck fuck fuck fuck fuck fuck fuck fuck fuck fuck fuck fuck fuck fuck fuck fuck fuck fuck.

Before you unfollow me, please note (1) I wrote this on my iPhone, which has no copy and paste, requiring real drive, and (2) the typo I made most was ‘fuxk.’ That is all.

It would appear that one of my favorite tumblr authors is having a bad day. For what it’s worth, his commentary and opinions are some of the most thought provoking on Tumblr. I think Tumblr can easily devolve into an orgy of great design, but the community features and reblogging can really create the ideal environment for discussion and in short, you should follow him.

Thank you, and goodnight.

Umh… yes? The 1936 Summer Olympics… nice try...

Tue, 22 Apr 2008 14:10:39 -0400

Umh… yes?

The 1936 Summer Olympics… nice try though.

alexbalk:

The Solution To Barack Obama's "Patriotism Problem"

Thu, 17 Apr 2008 17:12:00 -0400

alexbalk:

This is probably way too strident, but whatever, fuck this day.

I love Alex Balk (in a purely Platonic way). His self-loathing while at Gawker charmed me and reflected my own feelings about how I enjoyed Gawker but felt dirty about said enjoyment, and when he started out at Radar I was quick to sign up for my subscription.

Enjoy. (and go pick up your own subscription to Radar, it’s only $10)

I’m a little bit obsessed with this song. It usually...

Thu, 17 Apr 2008 17:02:00 -0400

I’m a little bit obsessed with this song. It usually starts off mini dance parties with my S.O. in our tiny little kitchen.

Thao, Bag of Hammers

Birds do it, and Bees do it, and good lord so do slugs

Tue, 15 Apr 2008 19:55:04 -0400

simko:

In the past week, I’ve conned over a dozen people (including my mother) into watching this BBC video of (incredible) slug sex by claiming that Cirque du Soleil was opening an animal division. I’d feel slightly guilty were it not for the truly phenomenal ending… Enjoy.

This image has haunted me since I first saw it a high school...

Fri, 11 Apr 2008 17:22:00 -0400

This image has haunted me since I first saw it a high school history text book. I couldn’t believe that I was actually seeing what I saw, I was sure there was some other explanation. What type of American could ever use the Flag as a weapon? (Unless of course it was used against a Godless Communist). Unfortunately the textbook had no background information, but thankfully Slate has a great piece giving background on the pulitzer winning photograph.