Tricknology Built All This
A couple weeks ago I came across this really interesting photo of Detroit, taken in 1930: (Click for higher resolution awesomeness) Then just this week I started reading Middlesex by Jeffrey Eugenides, where he has this passage: My grandparents’ eyes glazed over at the sheer activity, streetcars rumbling, bells clanging, and the monochrome traffic swerving [...]
Tags: Detroit, email, Jeffrey Eugenides, letters, Michigan, Middlesex, Rorty
Republican Jesus Invites You to Read the Constitution
Speaking of great art (and blasphemy), you simply cannot top this: This is One Nation Under God by Jon McNaughton, who is the Luke Skywalker to Thomas Kinkade’s Darth Vader. Most of what you need to know about this masterpiece is made plain when you see that one of the “positive” characters is holding Cleon [...]
Tags: Americanism, art, Christianism, constitution, Jesus, Kinkade, kitsch, Republicans, Skousen
The Scandalous Art of Paul Fryer
Nov 5, 2009 images, philosophy, theology
Twenty years after Andres Serrano debuted Piss Christ to shocked believers worldwide, Christendom is again up in arms over another work of art. Fundamentalist antipathy toward the arts is well-documented, and artists like Serrano and Damien Hirst have ensured that this feud isn’t likely to die soon. British artist Paul Fryer, a churchgoing Christian himself, [...]
Tags: Andres Serrano, art, avant garde, Christ, conservation, cross, Damien Hirst, fundamentalism, Paul Fryer, sculpture
All Beard Things Must Come to an End
When I hit puberty about three years ago, I decided two very important things. 1. I need to try and graduate college in under 10 years. 2. I will never, ever grow a beard. Apologies to my brethren, but red beards are a terrible idea for 99% of gingers. But because I’m a man of [...]
Tags: beard, goatee, hitchhiking, metal
I’m Like a Nok
Last weekend my parents, their boss, and I took a whirlwind four-day trip to the southern & northern ends of Thailand to see family friends and colleagues. Down south we visited the Phang Nga province, an area that was totally devastated by the tsunami of December, 2004. This is a famous patrol boat that was [...]
Tags: cats, Chiang Rai, disaster, earthquake, Phuket, Thailand, tsunami
Museo de Awesome
Aug 28, 2009 Argentina, TEFL, images
We finally got our lesson assignments for the next two weeks. The summary: Tuesday –> high beginners –> house chores Wednesday –> low beginners –> talking about past vacations Thursday –> basic beginners –> describing daily and weekly routines Tuesday –> high intermediates –> compare & contrast dating customs Wednesday –> basic beginners –> houses [...]
Tags: art, avant garde, Frida Kahlo, grammar, Latin America, modernism, museums, South America
Cole-Lee Wedding
My brother got married this past Friday! The wedding was at Benham’s Grove in Centerville, and they’re now on their honeymoon somewhere in Mexico. This whole past week has been a blur, but a lot of fun. Photos courtesy of Katie & Ken Cole.
My Conversion to Orthodox Judaism
Aug 2, 2009 images
Well the conversion hasn’t happened yet, but Kevin Kuhn did find my Jewish doppelgänger during his recent trip to Israel: It’s uncanny, I tells ya.
Tags: Israel, Kevin Kuhn
Goodbye PokerStars
So I’ve quit poker for good in anticipation of my impending move to Argentina. It was extremely bittersweet for me to cash out my entire PokerStars account today; happy for the money, sad to leave it all behind, disappointed I didn’t win more. But poker has enabled me to have a life that wouldn’t have [...]
Tags: gambling, hold'em, poker, PokerStars
National City Bank Sucks
I’ve had a lot of problems with National City in the past month. In one case, I’d done a lot transactions recently and needed an electronic copy of my bank statement — but was informed by two “specialists” that this was impossible and that hard copies sent via snail mail were the only option. It [...]
Tags: National City
Ocean of Noise
May 23, 2009 images, links, reading
J. Motta’s got me hooked on Swaptree and I’ve made a few trades already. One of my favorite swaps has to be getting rid of a neurotic alcoholic’s memoir in exchange for a tome on deconstructive religion & the meaning of forgiveness. No disrespect intended to Mr. Burrough’s, but he’s no Derrida. Question: if you had [...]
Tags: College Democrats, deconstruction, Derrida, Liberty University, poverty, Remy, Sean Hannity, Swaptree, torture, waterboarding
Pinoy Power
Dec 7, 2008 images
Manny Pacquiao demolished Oscar De La Hoya last night. This is a small sample of the terror Oscar faced: Oscar, hombre, what happened? I thought you used to be good? Are you just going to let this short Filipino stomp all over you? Guess so:
Tags: boxing, Pacquiao, Philippines
Computers? That’s so Cedarville!
Nov 27, 2008 Cedarville, images
This is an ad for Cedarville College in the The Baptist Bulletin, January 1969. The student pictured is my dad, a junior chemistry major at the time. Click for larger version.
Tags: Cedarville, computers
Bigot on Wednesday, Churchgoer on Sunday
Oct 17, 2008 images, politics, videos
Sen. John McCain likes to depict the bigots in his party as fringe elements, a few “bad apples.” It’s become less obvious that this is so considering how widespread the nasty attacks have become. The state of political discourse: from leaders — Rep. Westmoreland (R-GA) openly calling Obama “uppity” — to laymen (see above) the [...]
Say Hello to Republican Jesus
By the way, if you’re sick of the torrent of lies and obfuscations from the McCain-Palin camp, here’s an article on the real case against Obama: The Obama Craze: Count Me Out by Matt Gonzalez, vice presidential candidate for Ralph Nader.
A Wretched Anniversary
Tags: 9/11, nationalism, patriotism, terrorism, violence, war
Look Ma, I’m makin’ friends!
May 3, 2008 Cedarville, images, philosophy, politics
Some people were apparently less than amused with my last Cedars article: This was mailed to me on Wednesday. The unsigned note says “Do You have eany Idea how Many Good Men Died for your freedom of speech. This is how you honor Their Memory. I bet you Feel Proud.” College-level reasoning at its best! [...]
Tags: Cedars, Cedarville, hatemail, non-violence, pacifism