Festival of the dead: Samhain 2015
Hat full of words, words like the ember-lit belly of a Samhain sky
Read moreZombie America: a metaphor
US culture is like a zombie apocalypse. Andy Borowitz nails it: Scientists: Earth Endangered by New Strain of Fact-Resistant Humans MINNEAPOLIS (The Borowitz Report) – Scientists have discovered a powerful new strain of fact-resistant humans who are threatening the ability of Earth to sustain life, a sobering new study reports.
Read moreLawn jockey: yard and garden statuary in the post-racial South
A question of black and white
Read moreAre Bernie and Obama socialists? A brief primer
If you think Barack Obama is a socialist, you simply don’t know what the word means. That’s likely because you’re lazy and willing to trust those who would manipulate you for their own cynical ends, and who really could not care less about your well being. Obama is demonstrably to the right of Nixon (aside from the racist Southern strategy) and
Read moreSuperShuttle satisfaction survey: you people need to get your act together
SuperShuttle is a smoldering dumpster fire. I returned home from vacation this morning. I had reserved a lift with SuperShuttle to save a few bucks on airport parking. Never again. As we landed I flipped on my phone. I had an e-mail from SuperShuttle explaining how to check in on the mobile. Sweet. I followed the instructions and proceeded to
Read moreTurning Leaves: Reynolda Gardens
Hoosier Pass
Great new music for fall: Saturday Video Roundup
Chvrches, Metric, Meg Myers and IAMX lead the charge into autumn No major theme today – just some cool new discoveries. Let’s start with the latest from Chvrches – folks, end to end this is one of the absolute best pop CDs I have ever heard. “Leave a Trace” is the lead single and it’s the earworm from hell, but
Read moreRIP Yogi Berra, anchor baby
Would the GOP have deported Yogi Berra? Item 1: Yogi died last week. He was an American icon of the first order and a legendary practitioner of the national pastime. Wikipedia sums his career up nicely. An 18-time All-Star and 10-time World Series champion as a player, Berra had a career batting average of .285, while compiling 358 home runs and
Read moreJust a tree
… but one of my favorite trees. It’s a survivor; it’s a loner; it’s monument to the majesty of the Colorado Plateau. I posted a different angle of this scene this summer.
Read moreWhen a capella met metal: Saturday Video Roundup
So, I wake up this morning to find that Frank Balsinger has uncovered an a capella take on Rammstein’s “Du Hast.” Because of course somebody would have to do that, and of course Frank would find it. So for SVR today, let’s enjoy some a capella abomination. I guess that would be a bomination, huh? First, Viva Vox, and if you don’t get why
Read moreAudre Lorde: S&R Honors an icon of artistic vision, diversity and self-awareness
Audre Lorde taught us that power begins with knowing and accepting ourselves. In our world, divide and conquer must become define and empower. We’ve been taught that silence would save us, but it won’t. It is not our differences that divide us. It is our inability to recognize, accept, and celebrate those differences. The reading list for the contemporary poetry
Read moreStakeout: 1953 Packard Clipper
Nathaniel Rateliff & the NightSweats: CD of the Year candidate
Okay, the verdict is in. I’ve spun the eponymous Nathaniel Rateliff & the Nightsweats at least 20 times now and it’s a legit CD of the year candidate. I’m hearing influences ranging from Sam Cooke to Van Morrison to old Appalachian gospel. Let’s check a couple vids, shall we? Here’s the one people seem to be raving about, “SOB.”
Read moreCecil the Lion’s killer doesn’t quite get it
Walter Palmer, the dentist who killed Cecil the Lion, says he did nothing illegal and that he’s going back to work. I don’t think Dr. Palmer understands the issue. He doesn’t grasp why people are so upset. He thinks we’re all mad because we mistakenly believe that he broke the law. No, Walter, we know you acted legally. We live in
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lullaby pit 