CONTEXTUAL MUSINGS

4th of July Thoughts...

2008-07-04T12:34:00.000-07:00

"For those who stubbornly seek freedom, there can be no more urgent task than to come to understand the mechanisms and practices of indoctrination. These are easy to perceive in the totalitarian societies, much less so in the system of 'brainwashing under freedom' to which we are subjected and which all too often we serve as willing or unwitting instruments." - Noam Chomsky

"We are increasingly imprisoned by our organizations, processes, systems, and 'shoulds'. Passion, which is inherently equitable, has been eviscerated, and finds itself subservient to the status quo. In this we are all complicit. Yet, we wonder why there is so much rage, why so many feel unsettled. You are not saving yourself or your loved ones through your complicity; the rage will find your doorstep given a new dawn." ~ J. David Zacko-Smith, Contextual Musings, 2006.

IMAGE: Fireworks at the Marina, Seattle, 2007

Shut Up and Let Me Go!

2008-07-04T12:16:00.001-07:00

Three things I love combined: The Ting Tings, Apple and dancing feverishly! I ain't freakin', I ain't fakin' this...

Questions reveal truth: what did McCain do in the military, and, will it help the world?

2008-06-30T09:05:00.000-07:00

I'm not the kind of guy who shies away from thinking about and asking questions people really don't like to have asked. But, questions deconstruct "reality", and are VITAL to finding out the nature of "truth". The founder of Americablog asked a good question about John McCain yesterday - one that isn't really "nice" - but one that certainly has merit, and reveals a hidden "trueness" about this person seeking the highest office in the land. Does simply being IN the military, being shot down and held captive, REALLY have HIGH value in this equation? Yes, it's a terrible, unimaginable thing for many of us, BUT how will it help him (and help us - those he is trying to lead) in any substantial way? Are there not other experiences that might matter more? Is it fair to have it discussed ad nauseam? Don't these kinds of experiences essentially change a person, thereby impacting their ability to lead? Just asking . . .

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Sunday, June 29, 2008 - Americablog
Honestly, besides being tortured, what did McCain do to excel in the military?

It's not "nice" to ask the question, but it's actually a pretty good question. Yes, we all know that John McCain was captured and tortured in Vietnam (McCain won't let you forget). A lot of people don't know, however, that McCain made a propaganda video for the enemy while he was in captivity. Putting that bit of disloyalty aside, what exactly is McCain's military experience that prepares him for being commander in chief? It's not like McCain rose to the level of general or something. He's a vet. We get it. But simply being a vet, as laudable as it is, doesn't really tell you much about someone's qualifications for being commander in chief. If McCain is going to play the "I was tortured" card every five minutes as a justification for electing him president, then he shouldn't throw a hissy fit any time any one asks to know more about his military experience. Getting shot down, tortured, and then doing propaganda for the enemy is not command experience. Again, it's not nice to say say, but we're not running for class president here. We deserve real answers, not emotional outbursts designed to quell the questions.

HOT!

2008-06-28T10:08:00.000-07:00

I don't know what it's like where you are, but here in Seattle it's sunny, bright and going to be about 90 degrees today. Whoopee!

As if the weather weren't hot enough, how about a few pictures of a VERY attractive man to make things extra steamy?

Please welcome the super sexy Ettore Tossi!

It's now less than a month before I head back East to see family (in Pennsylvania), take a trip to the beach in New Jeresy (some of my favorite beaches ever are in Jersey), and then head up to Buffalo, New York to begin my assistant professorship! Many changes on the horizon to be sure.

Dubai's NEW "Swirling Skyscraper"!

2008-06-27T07:00:00.000-07:00

Incredibly cool! Dubai has been on the cutting edge for years (and I'm not just saying that because I'm Middle Eastern), and this shows us why...besides looking amazing, it also uses wind turbines to generate power for itself!

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NEW YORK -- An Italian architect said he is poised to start construction on a new skyscraper in Dubai that will be "the world's first building in motion," an 80-story tower with revolving floors that give it an ever-shifting shape.

The spinning floors, hung like rings around an immobile cement core, would offer residents a constantly changing view of the Persian Gulf and the city's futuristic skyline.

A few penthouse villas would spin on command using a voice-activated computer. The motion of the rest of the building would be choreographed in patterns that could be altered over time.

Speaking at a news conference in New York on Tuesday, the building's designer, David Fisher, declared that his tower will revolutionize the way skyscrapers are made -- a claim that might strike some as excessively bold.

Read more about the swirling skyscraper (see a video too) here or scroll down for photos.

The Greatest EVER!

2008-06-25T22:54:00.000-07:00

No one can, has or ever will compare to Maria...the talent, the beauty, the raw power, the drama, the taste and class. Incomparable. I visited her (empty) mausoleum spot in Paris a few year back, and there's still a fresh rose there every day ('m told by bequest of Aristotle Onassis)!

"Once one heard and saw Maria Callas—one can’t really distinguish it—in a part, it was very hard to enjoy any other artist, no matter how great, afterwards, because she imbued every part she sang and acted with such incredible personality and life. One move of her hand was more than another artist could do in a whole act."

Maria Callas
Andrea Chenier - Umberto Giordano
Recorded 20 September 1954
At Watford Town Hall, near London
Philharmonia Orchestra under Tullio Serafin

Maria Callas sings "Miserere" from "Il Trovatore", Act 4 (Verdi) in Paris, 1959.

The Insanity of Buying H2O in PLASTIC BOTTLES!

2008-06-25T10:20:00.000-07:00

There are many things that just bug the shit out of me - many. Take, for example, some of our neighbors who are a.) never home, and b.) incapable of caring for/paying someone to care for their yard - WHY bother to own a house? Buy a condo, my dears, and save the neighbors from looking at your neglect or cheapness. I take care of my yard (and don't scream "I have no time" - I did it while working, getting my PhD and traveling). Then, there are my other neighbors who buy bottled water by the case! Yes, they drive their $60,000 Audi SUV to Costco and haul case after case of "SmartWater" into their $500,000 townhouse and THINK they are doing something grand for the environment and their health. Well, unfortunately:

1.) You burned God knows how much gas (at almost $5 a gallon right now) in your gargantuan car (I will give them credit for having only one car - some of our neighbors have THREE - and there are only two people in the household) to buy it and get it back here. My partner and I cut back to one car - ditching our Audi S4 for a Jetta TDI which burns biodiesel.

2.) You could circle the Earth 129 times if you laid, end to end, the 28 BILLION plastic water bottles Americans toss in the trash each year (source, Men's Health, July/August 2008, p. 98). That's 28 BILLION from Americans alone!

3.) It takes 17 MILLION Barrels of oil each year to supply the US consumer with water in bottles (repeat after me - troops are getting killed in IRAQ for OIL). Source.

4.) Only about 12% of plastic water bottles are recycled each year (and people think it all is recycled - but, generally, most of them end up in local landfills - and they last FOREVER). Source.

So, my dears, drink tap water - "bottle it" yourselves - or buy a Brita! But, you'll say NO to BOTTLES if you have a BRAIN! I'm not saying it's easy or even possible to cut plastic completely out of our lives (or that we even should), but simply not buying water in plastic bottles is a GREAT place to start!

Homophobic Heinz!

2008-06-24T14:41:00.000-07:00

Shameful, really, that an unintelligent idiot like Bill O'Reilly has such sway...I think the ad is adorable!

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From Americablog:

Heinz pulled a mayo ad, airing only in Britain, because it showed a man kissing his partner goodbye on his way to work. Heinz felt it had to pull the ad, and I repeat, only aired in the UK, because Bill O'Reilly complained that he didn't want to see it, even though it wasn't aired in the US at all. Nice. So Heinz now has an official policy that gay couples are verboten in Heinz ads, even in Europe. Gays are too controversial, too icky, too gross for Heinz. Very nice. Does Heinz also feel that gays are too gross to market to in Spain, where gays can legally marry? How about Norway, we can marry there too. And I wonder how Heinz feels about a black man kissing a white woman. I can see it now, try Heinz's new Miscegenation Mayonnaise, served on white bread only.

Heinz is one of the most recognizable brands in America. So it shouldn't be too hard to remember to avoid all of their products now and in the future. It's not like there isn't other mayo and ketchup to buy (and honestly, Heinz mayo? who buys that crap anyway?)

Please contact Heinz and let them have it:

UK: Nigel Dickie, +44 20 8848 2726 - Nigel.Dickie@uk.hjheinz.com
US: Jessica Jackson, 412-237-3562 - jessica.jackson@us.hjheinz.com
Michael Mullen, 412-456-5751 - Michael.mullen@us.hjheinz.com

Loved It!

2008-06-23T18:47:00.001-07:00

Finally saw "Sex and the City" in movie form - and LOVED it! What a well done extension of the acclaimed show. I'm also addicted to "Labels or Love" - the Fergie tune she wrote for the movie! Totally glam, baby!

Love's like a runway but which one do I love more?
No emotional baggage, just big bags filled with Dior
Love's like a runway, so what's all the fussing for?
Let's stop chasing them boys and shop some more.

Shopping for labels, shopping for love
Manolo and Louis, it's all I'm thinking of
Shopping for labels, shopping for love

Manolo and Louis, it's all I'm thinking of...

Addicted...

2008-06-22T22:56:00.000-07:00

OK, so there's a part of me that is highly intellectual, and another part that is 100% pure trash - THAT side of me is addicted to reality TV. Baby, I watch it all - The Real World, Denise Richards; It's Complicated, Flipping Out, My Life on the D-List, The Two Coreys, Flip That House, The Girls Next Door, etc, etc. Need I go on? Needless to say it's all pure, mindless fun (with the occasional hot man or drama girl to keep things spicy). I started watching the Tori Spelling show - Tori and Dean Inn Love - a while back and got kinda addicted, and now I have a huge cruish on Tori's husband, the sweet, beefy and tattooed Dean McDermott! Tori and Dean are now back in Hollywood, and it's getting crazy(ier)...

David Beckham - The NEW Armani Underwear Pictures!

2008-06-19T09:59:00.000-07:00

This man just gets better and better and better....simply awe inspiring! Every once in a while they're going to release some new photos from his shoot for Emperio Armani underwear, and I wholeheartedly support that!

So many reasons to love Joan Rivers...

2008-06-18T09:07:00.000-07:00

Apparently she didn't know the show was live, and was asked to leave during a commercial break. Whatever! I laughed!

Racism is ALIVE and WELL in America!

2008-06-17T10:21:00.001-07:00

Unfortunately I think this is a preview of things to come, and it's totally nauseating if you ask me. It is up to EACH and EVERY one of us to work against this shit (and that's exactly what it is -- SHIT) and to ensure EQUITY (NOT EQUALITY) for EVERYONE! We are ALL responsible. As Martin Luther King, Jr. said not so long ago..."He who passively accepts evil is as much involved in it as he who helps to perpetrate it. He who accepts evil without protesting against it is really cooperating with it."

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Pin at the GOP state convention in Texas: "If Obama is Presisdent... will we still call it the White House?"
John Aravosis (DC) · 6/17/2008 11:50:00 AM ET · Americablog

Expect the Republican party to do absolutely nothing about the racists in its own midst. The national Republican party in Washington has contacts all the time with its state parties. I'm sure there's money involved, and you'd better believe that when John McCain visits the states, he meets with local party officials. At what point do we hold John McCain responsible for fraternizing with racists? You don't see John McCain ever saying that he's no longer going to meet with, fundraise with, any state parties that promote or tolerate racism (like the folks in NC and TN). All McCain and that national party does is say "gosh, that's so bad, stop that now." McCain and the GOP have the power to punish the racists in their midst. So when will they? Oh, and for all of you in the media who will of course say that this has nothing to do with the GOP: What would you say if racist pins were being handed out at the Democratic National Convention?

A little Tuesday DELICIOUS!

2008-06-17T09:47:00.001-07:00

Sheer perfection, no? Perfect development, manly hair (but not too much) - an all around totally delicious dude!

Bush and McCain = Dumb & Dumber

2008-06-15T09:00:00.000-07:00

OK, so I know President Bush thinks we're all dumb, but it seems as if John McCain thinks we're even dumber. I know George is dumb, but it's looking like John is even dumber still. Is it really possible that anyone could make so many blunders, could be such a DOCUMENTED hypocrite (time and time again he contradicts himself) so that it all just seems silly that the man is even wasting his time running for PRESIDENT. The GOP is going DOWN with this guy as their leader!

Vamanos!

2008-06-14T10:11:00.000-07:00

Let's go back to realty!

Our trip to Mexico was GREAT - despite the sort of rainy weather we had for much of the time (some tropical depression over Acapulco affected the whole area - and still is). Puerto Vallarta is as lovely as I recall, and it was warm and fun despite the occasional rain. We drank, swam, hot-tubbed, read, played Wii, walked around, and shopped. The house was BEAUTIFUL, and Omar, our houseman, was a superb cook (his chiles rellenos are to die for)! So, now it's back to Seattle, which is at least sunnier, though also colder, and back to reality (at least for now).

On a side note, I graduate tomorrow - and it'll be the first graduation ceremony I'll attend since high school; I skipped graduation from Penn State with my BA (I mean there were like 6,000 people graduating that year), and from Seattle University with my MPA (I was off partying with family and friends and just pulled a no-show). ;-) After tomorrow's ceremony at Qwest Field, I'm having a big party at Via Tribunali, a favorite (and very authentic) Neapolitan Pizza place - and I'll have a diploma to show that I'm actually a doctor now! Vamanos!

PHOTOS: The living room of our house, windows/art at top of stairwell (and it was a well - the house was on 4 levels), view of courtyard with pool/hot tub and fireplace, a local goat and horse, and one of the many cool doorways (this one was near Casa Kimberly, where Liz Taylor lived for 26 years). The very top picture is the window of a small vodka bar in old town...cool, eh?

Back to my scheduled vacation...

2008-06-05T10:25:00.000-07:00

I was supposed to have been on a blogging vacation for a few weeks, but so many things have happened in the world (see posts below) that I couldn't help making a few entries. But, I'm outta here! I finished my last two papers as a doctoral student today and submitted them, and am off for a 6 day trip to Puerto Vallarta, Mexico (which celebrates my 40th, my partner's 50th and our 10-year anniversary). I was in PV a few years back - though just for a day as part of a Mexican cruise I took with my main squeeze. So, I'm looking forward to a few days of lounging and warm temperatures (it's in the mid 80's). I rented a private 5 bedroom villa (8 friends and family members are joining us) on a hillside with ocean views - and it comes with a chef and houseman, and is 5 blocks from the beach. AHHHH! We're also taking a 2 hour sunset cruise on a private 48 foot sailboat - fully crewed, with an open bar and dinner served. Talk to you - and will post some pictures - after June 13th! Pictures below are of our villa's living room and the pool...

Barack Obama WINS, Hillary Clinton LOSES!

2008-06-05T09:52:00.000-07:00

Hilary Rosen said it well (and she was one of Hillary's prime supporters and is a powerhouse in the Democratic Party):

Senator Clinton's speech (Tuesday) night was a justifiably proud recitation of her accomplishments over the course of this campaign, but it did not end right; she didn't do what she should have done. As hard and as painful as it might have been, she should have conceded, congratulated, endorsed and committed to Barack Obama...

I am also so very disappointed at how she has handled this last week (if not the last several weeks). I know she is exhausted and she had pledged to finish the primaries and let every state vote before any final action. But by the time she got on that podium last night, she knew it was over and that she had lost. I am sure I was not alone in privately urging the campaign over the last two weeks to use the moment to take her due, pass the torch and cement her grace. She had an opportunity to soar and unite. She had a chance to surprise her party and the nation after the day-long denials about expecting any concession and send Obama off on the campaign trail of the general election with the best possible platform. I wrote before how she had a chance for her "Al Gore moment" And if she had done so, the whole country ALL would be talking today about how great she is and give her her due. Instead "she left her supporters empty", Obama is angry and party leaders are trashing her. She said she was stepping back to think about her options. She is waiting to figure out how she would "use" her 18 million voters.

But not my vote. I will enthusiastically support Barack Obama's campaign. Because I am not a bargaining chip. I am a Democrat.

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You know, I've been trying not to gloat - but it's difficult! The Democrats finally have a nominee - one recognized by the popular media and by the former reigning queen of the Democratic Party, Hillary Clinton! Even though Hillary tried to overshadow the historic moment that occurred on Tuesday by making that inane and delusional speech, and was forced into "suspending" her campaign (keep in mind she is "reserving the right to inject her name into the convention", keeping her delegates in case she should have to "use" them) I'm so relieved it's over.

I'm also tired of hearing Hillary supporters whine about her loss. Face it, she was out campaigned and out fundraised (she didn't plan to lose on Super Tuesday), and her rationales for staying in so long were weak at best, and she tried to use threats and fear to keep her faltering campaign alive. Considering that she and Bill were were some of the best politicians in history, they sure did a lackluster job (she was beaten by a guy who literally came from nowhere and had no money and no name recognition). Likewise, I think this whole thing has brought out the worst in Bill Clinton; the lies, the anger, the threats were all craziness. The era of the Clintons (and the Bush family) is OVER. I'm sure Hillary can continue to do great things, but she lost her meaning for me when she voted for the war in Iraq, and cemented that loss when she acted like an arrogant, spoiled child in the last months of her campaign.

Now, we can CELEBRATE the FIRST AFRICAN-AMERICAN to be a major party's presidential nominee! Barack Obama represents CHANGE, HOPE, and a NEW VISION for this country and we WILL BEAT JOHN MCCAIN in November!

Goodbye, Hillary . . . GO OBAMA!

Give It To Me, Madonna!

2008-06-02T10:28:00.000-07:00

From Madonna's recent Roseland Concert in NYC:

See the official video here (and try and forget it's courtesy of the flaming Perez Hilton who just annoys the crap out of me). 15 minutes of fame = OVER! But I LOVE the song (lyrics and beat are fantastic) and the video is awesome - Madonna looks amazing, as usual.

The REAL John McCain? A stumbling buffoon...

2008-05-31T10:02:00.001-07:00

I know I'm supposed to be on a little hiatus, but I couldn't resist broadcasting this bad boy! So far this display of flip-flopping has gotten 1.5 million hits on YouTube - so pass it on! McCain sure is classy (and smart). *WINK*

Blogging Vacation

2008-05-15T22:14:00.000-07:00

Well kids, I find that I'm ready to take a little time away from the blog. To be honest, I'm just feeling no motivation to either post or read -- the weather is turning warm and sunny (finally) here in the Northwest, and I have a book chapter and a journal article to finish writing, and an invited lecture to prepare and deliver before we leave for Mexico (praise Jesus) on June 7th - not to mention extra miles running in the sunshine and working in the garden, and the fact that I feel confident Hillary Clinton will actually go away sometime very soon and I can stop bitching about her nonsense. Take care and I suspect I'll be back after June 14th. In the meantime, here are a few favorite photos from my collection...adios!

And, lastly, this is why I support Barack Obama - you cannot deny the man can campaign, that he knows his stuff (foreign policy and all), and that he is hardly afraid to take on John McCain EFFECTIVELY and will WIN in November! Here's Obama's rebuttal of the almost unbelievable remarks made on foreign soil by "President" Bush yesterday, which were supported by his "mini me" flip-flopping candidate, John McCain...

Why Seattleites Suck!

2008-05-14T14:13:00.000-07:00

While I LOVE Seattle and the Pacific Northwest, one MAJOR problem I've had is the way people treat one another out here - it's VERY different from the Northeast (or most of the rest of the world for that matter) where I grew up, and it's one thing I'll be happy to leave behind when I move back there this August to start my assistant professorship -- people here can be passive aggressive and downright rude! My friend Vicky is throwing me a celebratory dinner this weekend (for my graduation and new job), and invited some friends - one of whom just sent me the following e-mail:

"I was going to come to Vicky’s on Saturday evening for your dinner, but then I got an opportunity to go to the Storm game. It’s opening night, and you know, well shucks-I really want to go. So sorry to miss what promises to be a great time. I wish you well and hope that our paths cross again sometime."

So, she accepted the invitation, but is now blowing off the host and me to go to a basketball game! People out here do this kind of shit far too often - make plans and then back out of them because something they think is "better" comes along. I find it exceptionally rude. Of course, I also find it rude that we've had people to our home multiple times who have never, ever reciprocated in any way - not even an invitation to go out to dinner (I understand if you don't like to cook or don't have the space, etc) or grab a drink. So, rude Seattleites, kiss my (amazing) ass - the people in Buffalo are warm, inviting and sociable - all things many of you are NOT!

Note to Hillary Clinton: YOU LOST - GO AWAY!

2008-05-13T23:43:00.000-07:00

I could not agree with John Aravosis (the founder of Americablog) more - GO AWAY HILLARY! Her victory speech tonight (and, come on, West Virginia is about as conservative as it gets, folks) was just D-E-L-U-S-I-O-N-A-L! She reminded me of Bush trying to convince the nation that he had a mandate to govern when he "won" back in 2000 and 2004 (when, in fact, he lost - not only because the Supreme Court got involved and handed him the election, but because he lost the popular vote by a nice margin - and what did we end up with? A President with about the lowest approval ratings in history and a crazy war). Ugh!

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Go away you horrible human being
by John Aravosis (DC) · 5/13/2008 09:25:00 PM ET · Americablog

IT'S NOT CLOSE. YOU FREAKING LOST THE NOMINATION, WHAT THE HELL IS WRONG WITH YOU?

Good God. What is wrong with her? The Clintons and their campaign staff don't give a damn that they are now hurting our electoral chances in the fall against McCain and against the Republicans in Congress. Their campaign isn't happening in some vacuum, and they know it. Our candidates can't fundraise because of her. Obama can't focus on McCain because of her. Obama is wasting money on HER, rather than spending it on McCain, because of her. EMILY's List, and AFSCME, and the American Federation of Teachers and others are wasting their members' money on her now-failed race - money that they could be spending, should be spending, on other real races, races that haven't already lost. She can't win, the math says she lost the nomination, but she doesn't give a damn. She's going to stay in the race like some spoiled hateful egotistical brat.

Why is the media even covering her? The only stories that should be written about Hillary Clinton is how much damage she's causing our party. How she's hurting fundraising at the DNC - they even admitted it, they're not raising the money they need to fight John McCain because of this woman. Why don't you write some stories about how she is hurting our candidates who can't fundraise because of her? How she has forced EMILY's List and AFSCME and the AFT to waste their money because of her. How she has caused a civil war in the Netroots. Five months ago we all felt that we had 3 great candidates. Now, far too many of us loathe Hillary Clinton, and she has done her racist best to ensure that her supporters can't stand Barack Obama either.

The Clintons don't give a damn about our party. Their party, their church, is themselves. To hell with everyone else. I actually liked Hillary up until a few months ago. Other bloggers used to tell me that Joe and I were too nice to Hillary. People just assumed that we were endorsing her. Now I actually loathe her. She makes me yell at the TV like she's George Bush, and no one other than George Bush makes me yell at the TV - until now. I actually can't stand her or her husband any more. I defended her. I defended her husband. And now I'm actually wondering if the Republicans weren't right about them. That's how bad she has damaged her reputation. People who actually liked you, who actually helped you, who actually defended you, LOATHE you now. Call me a Clinton-hater all you like, but people like me were the ones who had your back. And we never will again.

Let me close with what Mike Huckabee just said on MSNBC:
"The happiest person in America tonight is John McCain."

The Big 10!

2008-05-11T20:39:00.000-07:00

Well, today is my 10th anniversary with my partner - woo hoo! We met on-line, talked for weeks on the phone and by e-mail, and then finally met for our first date at B & O Espresso (a Seattle institution), and two years later we moved in together and 8 years after that here we are...celebrating a decade together! We've had an amazing ten years - seen some trying times, but mostly GREAT times - traveled a lot, ate and drank, spent a lot of time with family and friends, supported one another in all possible ways - and I wouldn't trade a second of it for anything in the world! We went to our favorite pizza joint, Via Tribunali, for dinner, and we leave for Mexico in 3 weeks (we rented a 5 bedroom villa near the ocean and are taking 8 friends for 5 days of C-E-L-E-B-R-A-T-I-O-N-S; margaritas, time in the sun, and authentic mexican food - our villa comes with a personal chef, a houseman and a housekeeper - in addition to the pool and hot tub), and is within walking distance of the Zona Romantica and gay beach in beautiful Puerto Vallerta. Vamanos!

SNL Tackles Hillary Clinton...

2008-05-11T10:08:00.000-07:00

...and it's pretty damn funny (though I doubt she's laughing at this one):