Category: Culture

Did you see, or rather hear, Sue Simmons on NBC in New York curse? Take a look:

See what happens with real-time authenticity? Those of us who work with media outlets (including online ones such as a blog or Twitter) never know when things may just come out, as if on their own Who hasn’t done something like this (and if not yet, just wait . . .)!

Is society getting more corrupt? More free? Perhaps values are not even the issue–perhaps the rapidity of information exchange and heightened authenticity? What are some of the repercussions? Dangers? Opportunities? Challenges? Benefits?

I do not think this is an area for concern, after all. Gas just went to $4.03 by me. We are still in a war with no end in sight. The housing market is a disaster. Thousands just died in Myanmar and China. Tibet is imprisoned. The Democrats are (again) destroying themselves. Polar Bears are listed as threatened. Tuition is up.

Need I go on? Sue is a real person. Did we ever expect otherwise?

I have no idea how I came across this today, but there is an interesting and potentially valuable article on How to Survive a Riot. I have never been in one, but being in a large, international city (even a well-managed and rather safe one, relatively speaking), one can never be too prepared. The article is short and there are a few useful suggestions I found.

My main take away? If in a riot or mob, move to the side slowly so as not to attract attention to yourself (and possibly make you a target of the rioters or the police). I hope I will never need this . . .

I started to read Umberto Eco’s novel The Name of the Rose while at the gym earlier this evening. I tried to get into the novel several times, but found the Prologue (yes, I usually read them!) overly obtuse. That in itself had stopped me from getting into the story itself, which is something I finally decided to do when I went to do some cardio at the gym (I read while on the machines, and none of the pile of magazines I have enticed me).

One of the statements in the text struck me about our present political and socio-economic challenges: “If a shepherd errs, he must be isolated from the other shepherds, but woe unto us if the sheep begin to distrust shepherds” (p 29).

Does this have a familiar ring, in an election year with seemingly obscene spikes in oil and food (and Manhattan real estate) prices?

What an engaging story.

Have you heard that catchy tune in the colorful new Saturn Vue commercial? It is by Simple Kid, and is called “Lil King Kong,” and I just bought it from iTunes as well.

Thank you, Tunes on TV! How did we ever learn these sorts of things before the Internet?