winterSmith
Barack Obama: talk loudly and carry a little stick (or, Mr. Obama sells a horse)
I’ve been thinking on Obama’s recent outbreak of backbone. Standing up to his FCC appointee on Net Neutrality was a fun start, and a lot of folks are welcoming the fact that finally, after six long years, he’s beginning to act with a little courage. Maybe. Maybe he realizes that he has two years left and no more elections to
Read moreDear Woody Paige: thank you for saving my life
Hi Woody. I’ve been posting the poems from my latest book to Ello lately – one per day – and this morning’s entry was “Old Ethan’s Quantum Diary.” It’s an especially difficult and painful piece of a larger work that is, in many ways, the most tortured effort of my 35-year creative writing journey. As I explained in the preface to
Read moreDear progressives: #KillTheHostage
A political list I’m on has been having some interesting discussions running in parallel of late surrounding a variety of issues (Obamacare being the big one), and at the core of it all is a basic question: how do progressives aggregate and assert the power needed to effect the policies they support. (Which is ultimately the core question of all politics, I guess.) So, if you’re
Read more“Evil Eye” from Snake Rattle Rattle Snake: Saturday Video Roundup
Snake Rattle Rattle Snake had the release show for their new CD, Totem, last night at the Gothic in Denver. Jeez, I wish I could have been there. I think the disc officially drops this week, and thanks to a free preview the other day, I can say without reservation that this is one of the top releases of the year
Read moreTime let me play and be / Golden in the mercy of his means
Berlin Wall falls – 25 years ago today (your time will come)
Where were you when you heard the news?
Read moreWhy Sam Smith is unelectable
S&R co-founder Mike Sheehan had a really funny comment on my “Dems need their own Tea Party” post. As in, I laughed until my sides hurt. Checkit: Well, what’s stopping you from running for office? If I’d had soda in my mouth I’d have spewed it all over your computer. He continues: Er wait, never mind… intelligence is a liability in
Read moreWhat the Democrats need is their own Tea Party. And fuck Mark Udall.
I’ve been sifting through the various analyses and post-mortems, and I don’t know that I have anything insightful to say that others haven’t said better. Also, I just don’t have the energy. I think it’s clear from what I have had to say in recent years – and I have said it in various forms more times than I can
Read moreFeathers
Sail away home
For Ronan: 2002-2014…
Read moreRIP Galway Kinnell
One of our greatest poets has died at 87. I had the privilege of seeing Kinnell read while I was at Iowa State in the late ’80s. He did some new things – things he’d been working on during the flight out, in fact – but this was the high point of the evening. Thank you, Galway. Sleep well.
Read moreRetailers to plus-size women: fuck you – a disgusting insight from Big Data
Plus-size fashion? Sure, as long as you don’t care about color. I had kind of a WTF? moment at work today, that turned into a moment that made me think, and finally into a full-blown depressing moment. We’re working on a project for a retailer that sells a wide range of clothing to women. We were examining the strategic keyword
Read moreNew Twin Peaks series?! Dear David Lynch, The Raveonettes, The Blueflowers and The Lost Patrol belong on the soundtrack
Three new CDs worth 15 stars from three bands that were born for Twin Peaks… You may have heard: THERE’S GOING TO BE A NEW TWIN PEAKS SERIES!!! THERE’S GOING TO BE A NEW TWIN PEAKS SERIES!!! THERE’S GOING TO BE A NEW TWIN PEAKS SERIES!!!
Read moreThe most beautiful college campuses in America: 10 thoughts on a new list
There’s a new list out ranking the 20 most beautiful college campuses in America. These things are always subjective, and they can start more arguments than they settle, but I have to admit that this is a not-bad list. I haven’t been to all the honored campuses, but I am familiar with several of them. Heck, I hold degrees from
Read more
