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By
Wil Forbis
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So I was just watching Seinfeld and it struck me that there is one fundamental flaw of the show: could Jerry and Elaine really blossom as friends after having dated each other? I say this as someone with, I think, a fairly admirable record of staying on good terms with exes, but there's no doubt that it forever alters the dynamic of the relationship. Watching Jerry and Elaine's relationship on the show, there seems to be no hint of sexual tension (excluding the episode where they did get back together.) Is that possible?
So, I caught both "Hamlet 2" and "House Bunny" this weekend. They're essentially the same film --- a flawed protagonist comes to the aid of society's malcontents --- but both were pretty enjoyable. Normally I don't watch comedies on the big screen, but I've been on a comedy kick lately. Of the two films, I'd have to say "House Bunny" was superior. Partly due to the fact that Anna Farris is really attractive, but also a really good comedian.
Friday, August 22, 2008
You know, for a long time I was rather dismissive of arguments that there wasn't a sort of universal form of beauty. By this I mean, I believed that there is a hierarchy of beauty, and some people are more beautiful than others (myself for example), and attempts to level the playing field and argue that "everyone is beautiful in their own way" were doomed to failure. I have several arguments with feminists and lesbians about this during the 90s -- they would argue that our modern sense of beauty as epitomized in people like Pam Anderson or that chick from Titanic are false unrealizable ideals. And they would point to standards of beauty in the past, such as the fleshy Marilyn Monroe, or the paintings of full figured women from centuries past, and state that the standard of beauty is flexible, and changes over time.
Now that point I didn't really argue with. I agree that you can add or take away 20 or 30 pounds from a lot of women and they'll still be within the same range of attractiveness they were already at. My argument was that there's a classic design of beauty that's timeless: certain kinds of eyes, certain kinds of mouths, certain kinds of spacing of the facial elements, certain textures of skin. I'm not saying there's only one type here --- there's beautiful Asian women who look decidedly different from beautiful white women. But at the same time, we all know ugly when we see it, and no amount of argumentation is going talk us out of it.
But that said, I have to concede my notions of what is attractive have expanded over the years. And while I was sitting having coffee today I came up with two possible reasons for this: 1. I'm getting old and desperate, and 2. I'm simply getting bored with these classic forms of beauty. The answer, probably is a little bit of both. There's some famous quote along the lines of "an available woman is always more attractive than an unavailable one" meaning if some chick is giving you the signal that she'll suck your dick, you're going to be way more infatuated with her than some prissy hot model type who won't give you the time of day. So it would stand to reason that as I get older, the women who signal availability to me are less and less attractive, but I find their availability attractive.
But I'm intrigued with the ramifications of option 2. There's plenty of great music I've basically gotten bored with. There's plenty of great movies I don't have any urge to ever see again. Maybe I'm just burning out on the standard classic beauties, and women with "nontraditional" looks start to become appealing precisely because of their diversity. It's like moving away from summer blockbusters and getting into independent cinema.
But there's a third, even more interesting element. I've come to realize that my desire to have sex with a woman (which is little different from whether I find a woman attractive) is somewhat binary. Either I do or I don't. I freely concede, for instance, that Beyoncé is more attractive than the Hispanic girl I saw waiting at the bus stop today, but they both fit into my "I would like to have sex with you" category. And in that sense, they become equal. All of Beyoncé's fine genetics and vast millions spent on beauty products are swept away.
Ah, what a fickle mistress love is.
Ninja vigilantes are on the prowl!
Cops in Clifton, New Jersey, earlier this week cuffed two ninja vigilantes dressed in black SWAT-style vests and carrying knives, throwing stars, swords, nunchucks and a bow and arrows, who were apparently on their way to deliver cease-and-desist letters to local drug peddlers, AP reports.
The self-styled "Shinobi warriors" were pulled on Wednesday in a car on Route 46 en route to urge narcotics dealers and users to stop their "impure" activities. Their letter warned that those who refused to see the light would be administered "justified yet, merciful force".
Tadeusz Tertkiewicz, 20, and Jesse Trojaniak, 19, were charged on a weapons possession rap. Tertkiewicz is "also charged with harassment for a letter left for an ex-girlfriend".
You'd think she would have been thrilled to be dating a ninja. Maybe his ninja sword wasn't long enough.
Thursday, August 21, 2008
This story, about police busting into the house of a small-town mayor, shooting his dogs and wrongly accusing him of trafficking drugs, has rightfully been held up as an example of what's wrong with the drug war. But I think it encompasses a much larger topic. If the police burst into your home, shoot your dogs and then accuse you of child porn, or murder, or tax fraud and it turns out they made a mistake, they should be punished, and severely so. I'm generally pretty pro-police, and frankly ignore many of their indiscretions --- I won't lose any sleep over about a rapist who mysteriously gets a broken jaw while in police custody --- but when cops fuck up, they need to pay.
Wednesday, August 20, 2008
There's an interesting new poll about misconceptions the British have about United States.
A poll of nearly 2,000 Britons by YouGov/PHI found that 70 per cent of respondents incorrectly said it was true that the US had done a worse job than the European Union in reducing carbon emissions since 2000...
The survey showed that a majority agreed with the false statement that since the Second World War the US had more often sided with non-Muslims when they had come into conflict with Muslims. In fact in 11 out of 12 major conflicts between Muslims and non-Muslims, Muslims and secular forces, or Arabs and non-Arabs, the US has sided with the former group. Those conflicts included Turkey and Greece, Bosnia and Yugoslavia, and and Kosovo and Yugoslavia.
Asked if it was true that "from 1973 to 1990 the United States sold Saddam Hussein more than a quarter of his weapons," 80 per cent of British respondents said yes. However the US sold just 0.46 per cent of Saddam's arsenal to him, compared to Russia's 57 per cent, France's 13 per cent and China's 12 per cent.
Now some of these don't really surprise me, and in fact I probably would've answered parts of the survey incorrectly myself. But here's the one that really gets me.
More than 50 per cent presumed that polygamy was legal in the US, when it is illegal in all 50 states.
The United States has a worldwide reputation for polygamy? Where did this come from? Was it because of that South Park episode about Mormons?
In many ways, this does jibe with my experiences talking to Europeans. In some areas they seem to be bafflingly naïve to what life in United States is like. I recall talking to a bar owner in Amsterdam, and when I told him I lived in Los Angeles, I could not convince him that I wasn't dodging bullets every time I went down to the 7-11. On the other hand, I've talked to Europeans who have an inappropriately positive view of the United States, and think that we all sit around getting lap dances while Tahitian ladyboys push chocolates into our mouth.
More and more, I find myself watching dog food commercials and thinking, "I could eat that." There's some sort of Benefull stew with meat and carrots that looks delicious.
Tuesday, August 19, 2008
Ah, yes, more political blogging.
This point, made by Brendan Nyhan, mirrors some thoughts I've had recently as well (thus they must be very wise.)
While I obviously have normative concerns about misleading campaign attacks, it's much less clear that the LBJ ad had "crushing smear power," that the Swift Boat ads "severely undercut" John Kerry, or that Michael Dukakis lost his 17-point lead in the polls as a result of the Willie Horton ad. The leading models of presidential elections predicted that Goldwater, Kerry, and Dukakis would lose. Journalists tend to construct post hoc narratives after the fact about election outcomes that tend to rely on dramatic visuals from debates and campaign ads rather than the fundamentals (the state of the economy, presidential approval, war casualties, etc.)
I'd add one other to this -- the claim is often made that Howard Dean lost the 2004 Democratic nomination because of his infamous yell. But what people forget is that he was yelling after having just lost the Iowa primary, a primary everyone thought he would win. (Not only did he lose it, I think he came in third.) Additionally, he spent the bulk of his money on the Iowa primary and the loss seriously deflated him.
I am the power and the light.
Monday, August 18, 2008
I caught wind of this a few weeks ago when it happened but forgot to comment --- apparently MIT has made a major breakthrough in the ability to use solar power to split water molecules into hydrogen and oxygen atoms, thus creating a cheap source of carbon free power.
Daniel Nocera, a professor of chemistry and energy at MIT, and postdoctoral fellow Matthew Kanan have figured out how to split water into hydrogen and oxygen cheaply and efficiently at room temperature. The process can later be reversed, allowing the recombination of hydrogen and oxygen in a fuel cell to create carbon-free electricity.
"This is the nirvana of what we've been talking about for years," Nocera told the MIT News Service. "Solar power has always been a limited, far-off solution. Now we can seriously think about solar power as unlimited and soon."
Nocera's breakthrough could enable the "hydrogen economy," a possibility that many have dismissed as impractical.
If the they're right about this, it strikes me as huge news -- certainly the kind of thing that should be making headlines. I've read fairly extensively about using hydrogen for power, and the main complaint most hydrogen detractors make is that it's not energy-efficient -- that it takes more power to create hydrogen than the hydrogen itself would provide. This would seem to defeat that complaint.
Sunday, August 17, 2008
I was sitting having lunch today, and I started perusing the LA Times coverage of the recent Obama/McCain debate mediated by mega-pastor Rich Warren. Apparently, at some point during the debate, McCain recounted the experience by which he reaffirmed his faith in God -- a story which is apparently common knowledge though I'd never heard it. As told, he was imprisoned in a Viet Cong Camp in Hanoi and one of the guards drew a cross in the dirt, providing for McCain some sort of connection with a fellow Christian and God is a whole.
So I was reading this in newspaper and thought, "that sounds a little fishy." I'm quite willing to give McCain the benefit of the doubt here --- perhaps it did happen, or perhaps in his torturous state he thought it happened --- but it seems to me that life rarely works in such a... how shall I say it... literary fashion.
Then I open up AndrewSullivan's website, and see that he's asking questions around the same topic. And pointing out that McCain's story is remarkably similar to that of another man.
Definitely something I'd like to see more investigation into.
Thursday, August 14, 2008
In the past couple weeks there's been an interesting series of vignettes on Charlie Rose about the rise of China. This series has of course overlapped with Russia's recent invasion of Georgia. And those two events have coupled together in my mind to cause a few interesting musings.
There is every indication that American power is shrinking on the world stage. And, frankly, like a lot of people I'm particularly sorry to see that happen. Much of our power is a result of massive military spending which I'd rather not pay for. Additionally, our decades long reign on this power has engendered a lot of resentment --- I'm of the mind that the rest of the nations in the first world can grapple with the worlds problems for a while. And philosophically, I just don't think nation should have the right to exercise their will on other nations the way we have over the years. I'd be quite happy letting our military decline and for our nation to resign to the status of a country like Spain --- but with better food.
But unlike a lot of people, I don't have a particularly optimistic view of the results of this decline. I think there's a sense, perhaps more commonly found on the left, that the reason Europe has behaved in a relatively civilized fashion for the past 50 years is because they became enlightened and swore off warfare. Nonsense -- war in Europe declined because Europe was held within the grasp of the two superpowers, the US and the Soviet Union. As usual, it's easiest to think of this in terms of gorillas. In any gorilla tribe, you have the alpha gorilla. When he's big and strong, the other gorillas don't fight because he'll kick their ass if they do. But when he starts to get old, the other gorillas fight, perhaps settling old resentments that have fostered for years. At least until another alpha gorilla comes along.
The US is the big gorilla. The rest of the world are the other gorillas. As we weaken, it's unavoidable that the other gorillas will start fighting more. The weakening of the US as a superpower ultimately links directly to an increase in deaths around the world (it's a bit of a shifty correlation of course -- medical advances and technology may offset those numbers by saving lives.) Ignoring the advent of another superpower, I think you'll start to see a lot more destabilization of Asia, Africa, South America and even Europe. (Though Europe's destabilization may not be so much warfare between two nations, but the internal strife -- Basque terrorists in Spain, that sort of thing.)
Here's a curious little find -- a video of Nina Hagan performing "The Lady Is a Tramp." Apparently she did a whole bunch of swing stuff. Really makes the point that, in addition to her wild eccentricities, she's just got a great solid voice.
Tuesday, August 12, 2008
I saw Pineapple Express this weekend. Definitely some very funny moments and worth seeing. But something seemed out of sync about it. On one hand you have these characters trading very witty comments back and forth and making arcane references to modern pulp culture. But that's mixed in with almost absurd Schwarzenegger style action scenes. On one hand the film seems ultra realistic, on the other hand, cartoonish.
But it's good to see a guy like Seth Rogan making his way to the top of the Hollywood heap.
Sorry for the light posting schedule folks. Just super busy.
Kittens are fuzzy.
Friday, August 08, 2008
Here's what appears to be the most galling part of John Edwards affair with Rielle Hunter.
In 2006, Edwards' political action committee paid $100,000 in a four-month span to a newly formed firm run by Hunter, who directed the production of just four Web videos, one a mere 2½ minutes long.
Hundred thousand dollars? They better be the Citizen Kane of Web videos.
Tuesday, August 05, 2008
Interesting --- there seem to be some indications that John Edwards had an affair and fathered a child with another woman. (Of course nothing is more reprehensible than having affair with your own wife.)
The disparity between his good looks and his wife's rather middle-aged appearance has been well noted --- I can't help but sympathize with John. It's a shame to look that good (the hair! It's like those JFK hair helmets Devo wore on the cover of the New Traditionalists album.) and not be sleeping around.
Now, of course, there may be nothing to the story, but whenever the situation arises I always wonder why do they do it? Why did Clinton do it? Why did Larry Craig do it? Why did that gay Republican dude from Florida or wherever flirt with Senate interns? You would just think in this day and age, if you're a politician, you're going to get caught.
Sunday, August 03, 2008
Hey, there's a new interview with me over at Diskant.net. Sample below.
If you were to be a monster in a B movie, what would you like your back story to be?
I’d probably be one these mad scientists who comes up with some harebrained scheme to impress a girl. Something like, “She’ll have to pay attention to me once I’ve harnessed the POWER of the SUN to FLY!” And of course that would fail and I would become hideously disfigured and go around killing prostitutes.
Do you have any requests for when I’m elected Evil Dictator of the World?
Can you help me harness the power of the sun to fly?
Friday, August 01, 2008
Remember this when you're shopping for my Christmas present. You can now buy Gangsta Babies!
Comin straight outta crib-town! Each of these 10-inch hooddlers is A-Listing in the play ground. Rockin fabtastic clothing and so much baby bling that other rug rats can only catch their vapors. Series 1 set of 4 contains: Pookie: The green-eyed baller. But dont make him cranky... ya wouldnt like him when he's cranky.
etc. etc.
Thursday, July 31, 2008
I'm a fairly regular watcher of Tavis Smiley show on PBS -- it's a political/cultural interview show along the lines of Charlie Rose, but hipper because it's hosted by a black man. And there was one moment on that show that occurred about six months ago and struck me as rather curious. Tavis was interviewing Hillary Clinton, and she made a comment that there had been six Democratic primaries so far and that she had won four and her opponent had won two. I found myself screaming at the television set --- a fairly common occurrence around my house --- that Obama hadn't even been on the ballot for two of the primaries, so of course she'd won more. And I was a little surprised that Tavis didn't call her on it. Though he was certainly polite, I presumed he, being a black man, was Obama supporter.
But there's a new article in the new New Yorker that reveals a number of things about Smiley I was unaware of. For one, he is a regular commentator on Tom Joyner's radio show, and he's been openly skeptical about Obama. Tavis seems to fall into the same camp as Jesse Jackson and a number of others, who feel insulted that Obama rose to success without having to kotow to the black establishment. This is a side of Tavis you never see on his PBS show, but suddenly that oversight of six months ago makes a little sense.
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