This is the anti-blog. A place for me to write about myself and pretend someone is interested.
Let's call it the Feud ChannelI see a local magazine with a full-page ad for a "Chef Knockout" event, featuring a grimacing chef wielding a rolling pin for a club. It makes me wonder what has happened to the ancient art of cooking, which up until now was considered feminine, nurturant and artistic. But now that men have put on the chef's hat, it seems like competition and prizes are what's it's all about. |
The Aristocracy of DisabilitySomething I fear is happening in the civilized world is the emergence of an Aristocracy of Disability. As has been seen many times through history, aristocracies tend to expand while collecting more rights, and all at the expense of the common people. |
The 9-11 victimhood theaterI have been living in Manhattan (lower east side) for 2 months and the noise level has changed since I was here last. New city ordinances have put expensive fines on excessive honking so the street traffic is noticeably quieter. You can get a $350 fine for honking frivolously. |
Bring on the Hydraulic DespotismI was reading the report on the New York Times: Charging by the Byte to Curb Internet Traffic and suddenly felt compelled to comment. |
Hot in ManhattanHere in New York we are having a heat wave. Millions of air conditioners are running and Con Edison, the local power company, has asked customers to voluntarily reduce their use of air conditioners. In some cases they have cut the supply voltage by 8% just to keep people powered up. |
Thank you Mr. TimLast night I attended a theatrical biopic monologue on the life of Tiny Tim, who was born Herbert Khaury. Tim was a rather strange and conflicted individual best known for his 1960s rendition of "Tiptoe Through the Tulips". Tiny Tim was born to a Christian Lebanese father and a Polish Jewish mother, and the contrast between these two parts of his heritage seemed to influence his life strongly. |
America's obsession with terrorismI have been in Manhattan for 2 weeks now and have noticed that New Yorkers are completely unconcerned with terrorism. Occasionally you see a soot covered terrorism warning poster that stands as a reminder of an era, like the anti-communism of the McCarthy era. But by and large New Yorkers have healed from the wounds and are back to being happy, aggressive and sociable people like they always were. |
This is the futuristic dystopian existence I was afraid ofI had to wait for a few hours today in front of a house in a neighborhood and had a conversation with a 4 year old little girl who lived there. She was an active and curious girl who enjoyed talking to strangers like me. She mentioned the monsters a few times that lurked somewhere. She wasn't sure where they were but she thought maybe they were at the school a few blocks away. Upon questioning, it turned out the "monsters" looked like regular people but suddenly turned into monsters unexpectedly. |
American malaise: You are dismissedToday I went to visit an old friend in a "retirement home". He is in his late 80s and fading away, waiting to die. He has short term memory loss but can recite events that happened early on with ease. And it is all told with a pervading sense of malaise, a certain subtle bitterness. It's fitting end to a life devoted to the American Dream. |