Legendary New York City Punk Dies

The New York Times reported that the front man of the Velvet Underground, legendary punk Lou Reed died Sunday. The Velvet Underground experienced commercial failure in the 1960s, but later grew a substantial cult following. Lou also had a successful solo career, and was known for his thoughtful and often melodic rock. His death is thought to be due to a liver transplant he received earlier this year. He was 71.

We'll miss you and your wild side, Lou. Hopefully the afterlife is only the beginning of a great adventure.

Peace for U

On Oct. 15, a few weeks after an attempted rape on Plattekill Ave., this anonymous message appeared at a construction site near where the attack occurred. 

Today, on my usual walk up to campus, I noticed there had been a change. 

Pot for Potholes

Did you guys know that pot (well, medical marijuana) is now legal in 21 states in the U.S.? Pretty cool. However, some conservatives are already thinking of ways to take as much fun as possible out of the exciting acceptance of weed sweeping across the nation. 

A Michigan news website quoted Rep. Mike Callton last month: "You can tax the heck out of marijuana,” Callton says, “put it into a separate fund for Michigan roads - because it doesn’t seem like that money is going to come from anywhere else at this point in time - and it’s a cute name, 'pot for potholes.'"

On his show Wednesday night, Stephen Colbert warned that this was a dangerous idea because "you know what they'll be legalizing next to fix every crack."

Democrats and Republicans Are 'Optimistic'

The New York Times provided America with some good news today, reporting that "Democratic and Republican leaders in the Senate were close late Monday to an agreement that would increase the nation’s borrowing authority and provide enough money to operate the government until the end of the year." The Times reports that a vote on a new plan, which is highly unlikely to include "any provision to delay or repeal a tax on medical devices"  but does offer the Republicans certain compromises, could occur as early as Wednesday, which would end the shutdown and avoid a debt crisis- at least temporarily. 

Not everyone was happy. 

"What goes around comes around," said Senator John McCain. "If they try to humiliate Republicans, things change in American politics."

Day 13

So, today marks the 13th day the federal government has been shut down, the 13th day Republicans and Democrats couldn't come together for the good of the American people, the 13th day Pres. Obama had little to nothing to say about it. And by the looks of it, with the debt crisis looming over Congress, things are not about to get better. CNN has the scoop.

Passion v. Fear

One teacher discusses her teaching strategy in the swampland that is the classroom in an article that is particularly poignant for those of us who are currently somewhat apathetic college students. 

Grief

Last March a photographer's walk through Arlington National Cemetery's Section 60, the burial ground for soldiers who fought in the Iraq and Afghanistan wars, culminated in the discovery that many of the graves had been desecrated. The mementos that loved ones had put on the graves were gone. It was discovered that the cemetery was enforcing a new policy. Nonetheless, it made for a shocking photo essay that captured not only the still real grief of family members who have lost people to war, but how you could rid anything of its humanity, even a graveyard. 

Rise of the Phoenix

I usually don't care about celebrity culture, but the other night I watched I'm Still Here and I'm still blown away.
In 2008 and 2009, most people in Hollywood thought the highly acclaimed, Oscar-nominated actor, Joaquin Phoenix, had lost it. He said he was quitting acting to pursue a rap career, a hilarious notion, especially considering his complete lack of musical talent. He started sporting this look:

He initially claimed that a documentary crew had approached him and he had agreed to let them film his "transformation." There is a scene where Ben Stiller approaches him about playing a part in his move Greenberg and Phoenix just completely blows him off. There are scenes where he is freaking out about not having pot, and doing cocaine with hookers. He followed P. Diddy all around the country in an attempt to get him to release his (terrible) rap CD. During the height of the media madness, as the entire country asked, "What's happened to Joaquin Phoenix?", he went on David Letterman and solidified the fact that he had gone absolutely bonkers. 

Then he released I'm Still Here, the supposedly real footage of his Phoenix's-gone-loony breakdown. But guess what? I'm Still Here isn't real. 

Joaquin put on a real live show for the entire world, and he fooled us all. Just for a movie! I'm so impressed, I want to watch every Joaquin Phoenix movie out there there is. 

It just really makes you think about what the words "dedication" and "commitment" really mean.

Well played, Joaquin. 

Going Off The Grid Part II

On random and unnecessary Facebook statuses: 

"You know what I'm talking about. I just had a bowl of cereal. Mmmm sugar puffs. What is that?"

Going Off The Grid

This summer, my shitty HP laptop contracted a virus around the same time I deleted my Facebook account and I essentially went off the (virtual) grid. Writer Patrick Ross is taking a break from the never-ending distractions of the digital world, too. His "One Week Social Media Withdrawal" is outlined in a blog post, ironically, but he hopes that the time away will allow him to finally get his three-year-long project completed. 

My laptop works again (though it's been a long road), but I'm still anti-social media, abstaining from Tumblr, Twitter, and especially Facebook. Don't get me wrong; social media has a lot of practical uses and can be a fun and social tool as well. But for me, the endless updates of what people were doing with their lives were too much. It was information overload of the worst kind. I knew too much about who broke up with their boyfriend every two weeks, who had a 3.67 GPA, and who was way too into drunk selfies. I almost felt bad for some of them, with the show they had going on. I almost felt bad for me, too, with how obsessed I could get with some of their pages, and my own. 

So I'm off the grid, and it's great. Sure, I don't get to always see the pics from the party the night before, or participate in the occasional Facebook debate, but I have a real life, and real friends who, if need be, can tell me what's going on the virtual land of social media. Usually, we talk about other things. 

Now and Then

To be fair, keeping an eye on Sarah Palin seems like a good idea.   

In Case You Haven't Heard

Love, CNBC. 

More Thoughts About the Shutdown

The question most on my, and a lot of people's, mind lately about this whole Congressional mess is: why are Republicans so against the Affordable Care Act (a.k.a. Obamacare)? A New York Times article entitled "A Population Betrayed" discusses the issue of Republicans leaving their own supporters without health insurance, some among the poorest in the country (obviously this excludes Rupert Murdoch, and the like). If the Republicans don't find it a worthwhile endeavor to ensure the people who put them in office, never mind Democrats, independents, and politically apathetic individuals, the basic right of healthcare, what exactly do they intend to accomplish in Washington? Stop people who love each other from getting married? Insist on trying to maintain America's Puritan image of centuries past? It's been too long since the government was able to put its differences aside and make an important stride for a country running out of steam. 

Partisan Politics Make Me Mad

Many articles published in the wake of the government shutdown have proposed that the Speaker of the House, John Boehner (R-Ohio) [pictured below], has the ability to end the shutdown but will not due to the conflicts of partisan politics. Boehner will not pass a bill to fund federal agencies and national parks for the next six weeks because it lacks Republican support. The Washington Post reported: "The speaker’s closest allies say he cannot afford to defy those on his right flank by ending the shutdown with largely Democratic votes." With 800,000 federal workers at home and economists predicting that if the shutdown continues it will cost the economy billions of dollars, Republicans still insist it is worth the attempt to derail Obamacare--or worse yet, to not piss off your buddies. The speaker's problems are far from over, with the impending debt crisis looming over his, and America's, horizon. 

Apple Replaces Coke As Top Global Brand

Coca-Cola has fallen to number three in the ranking of the most successful global brands after holding the number one spot for the last 13 years, as described in the Interbrand's Best Global Brands 2013 report. The new number one and number two? Apple and Google. The top 10 includes five technology companies, indicating even more how the world is changing. But Coke shouldn't worry too much; another beverages brand doesn't even crack the top 20, with Pepsi coming in at number 22.

I'd like a new iPhone, and maybe a Coke, too.

Death of a Journalist

                                                        (Taken from jimromanesko.com)

Journalist Marina Shifrin quit her Next Media Animation job because she felt that "for the past six years I've been a writer trapped in a journalist's body." She writes on her blog about how she got fed up with the profession: "Journalism is the worst! I mean if you're not reporting about which Kardashian is pregnant, then you're reporting about a baby that was shot in the head."

Read her whole rant on her blog.