tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-73121492011-06-08T01:35:52.927-05:00art, politics, opinions, grammar, random stuff, boiled, poached, fried, sunny side uprabbithttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03269290495604454136noreply@blogger.comBlogger3341100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7312149.post-14655204204813939892009-04-12T18:21:00.002-05:002009-04-12T18:27:55.973-05:00

Amazon rank: Amazon sales rank has been stripped from books deemed too gay, even where not sexually explicit, as part of an "adult" policy to keep them out of bestseller lists. Yet hetero porn (the deathless Playboy: The Complete Centerfolds) survives.

rabbithttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16614987768417981858noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7312149.post-54079952444408672812009-04-01T10:43:00.002-05:002009-04-01T10:47:00.307-05:00

This is not what I want to read about nuclear missile installations (whatever day it is):According to wire reports, the remote facility temporarily moved to Defense Condition (Defcon) 3 in the pre-dawn hours, but quickly backed down from that posture. An airman at the installation who asked not to be identified blamed the mishap on "way too much caffeine" consumed by occupants inside the secluded

rabbithttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16614987768417981858noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7312149.post-86348235124859020292009-02-10T20:43:00.001-06:002009-02-10T20:43:44.693-06:00

OK, that's all I have to say.

rabbithttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16614987768417981858noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7312149.post-91055271666124594762009-01-25T11:19:00.006-06:002009-01-25T11:31:30.001-06:00

I hereby ordain that film critics should start using this new term I made up for the way the camera in movies about the twentieth century emphasizes shots of people smoking in a place it's no longer legal (like an airplane or an office cubicle), or drinking or smoking while pregnant. (In case it's not obvious: after not seeing a movie in a theater in a very long time,* I recently saw

rabbithttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16614987768417981858noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7312149.post-87827135660996089852009-01-25T07:37:00.002-06:002009-01-25T07:49:21.997-06:00

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/01/24/health/research/24coffee.html?emMmmmm.....

rabbithttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16614987768417981858noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7312149.post-10513667280248072392008-12-31T16:47:00.002-06:002008-12-31T16:50:04.334-06:00

That about says it. Though I'm impressed with the Clintonesque, lawyerly, "depends on what the meaning of is is" logic of why it's fine to accept the nomination.

rabbithttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16614987768417981858noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7312149.post-54405175546748935822008-12-24T09:38:00.002-06:002008-12-24T09:47:04.753-06:00

I am making an ABC book of the financial crisis and I need some help determining which is the best word for each letter of the alphabet. Anyone have an opinion on which A is the best?AAA (credit rating)AFFINITY FRAUD (what Madoff engaged in by cheating mainly Jews)AIDAIGASIAAUTO INDUSTRY (or AUTOMAKERS)OR, anyone have any other suggestions?

rabbithttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16614987768417981858noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7312149.post-58332099624077756452008-08-31T00:12:00.003-05:002008-08-31T00:16:14.955-05:00

As of Thursday, the bus stops on 51st St. at Greenwood and at University Aves. have been "permanently" removed, and there's a rather ostentatious police blockade preventing traffic from entering the 5000 block of Greenwood. I wonder how long they'll let traffic go by at all? I guess this is what being the party's official nominee brings with it. So much for public transportation a block away from

rabbithttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03269290495604454136noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7312149.post-62743340826766527582008-08-06T22:21:00.004-05:002008-08-06T23:00:58.065-05:00

So all last week I was waiting patiently for my new Credo mobile phone to arrive. I'm feeling pretty good about how every call I make is going to help make contributions to good liberal causes.Credo uses Federal Express for deliveries. So on the first day, Federal Express leaves a door tag on the gate outside my building. The driver has checked the option on the door tag that requires me to be

rabbithttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03269290495604454136noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7312149.post-89698159713196586552008-07-09T15:50:00.010-05:002008-07-09T16:34:28.255-05:00

This one translates as: "Re-live May 68 on Oldies 90.4"This one responds to it. Half-erased, it translates as: "Where are the spaces for [free/creative/open] expression?  

rabbithttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03269290495604454136noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7312149.post-54412126578708688992008-07-02T12:22:00.006-05:002008-07-02T12:31:43.047-05:00

OK, I am not actually staying in the sky. I am at the University of Exeter for a conference on obscenity in the French Renaissance--talk about abstruse and overspecialized! But it should be fun....This is a view that includes part of the courtyard of the hall where I'm staying and some of the countryside. Exeter is in "the heart of Devon." There are beautifully rolling hills, cows and sheep, and

rabbithttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03269290495604454136noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7312149.post-30770310631182434452008-07-02T11:51:00.003-05:002008-07-02T12:32:45.648-05:00

Oxford, where I was doing some research involving geometry in medieval manuscripts (and found some other interesting stuff too). 

rabbithttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03269290495604454136noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7312149.post-72655279633137268232008-06-19T20:06:00.001-05:002008-06-19T20:09:01.250-05:00

rabbithttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03269290495604454136noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7312149.post-9001539841780401122008-06-19T12:12:00.001-05:002008-06-19T12:14:48.601-05:00

http://chicagoist.com/2008/06/17/interview_bank_of_america_cinemas_m.php

rabbithttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03269290495604454136noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7312149.post-70472244358669244112008-06-18T23:43:00.002-05:002008-06-18T23:43:47.287-05:00

Istria Cafe in Hyde Park, Chicago, is now celebrating of "Government Appreciation Month" by offering one free medium gelato to any national presidential candidate or family member.

rabbithttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03269290495604454136noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7312149.post-12453404522029725922008-04-15T21:40:00.000-05:002008-04-15T21:41:01.779-05:00

What's up with the flotilla of movie trucks outside Obama's house right now?

rabbithttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03269290495604454136noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7312149.post-8854336139208166342008-01-03T14:54:00.000-06:002008-01-03T14:58:36.317-06:00

At O'Hare Airport, in the United terminal, there's a nice feature above the E-ticket checkin terminals: a display screen explaining to you the security requirements for bringing liquids in carry-on luggage. 3-1-1, as we all now know. (3 ounce containers, in one quart ziploc bag, per one passenger, I guess.) What's awfully nice about this feature is how honest United is about why were are doing

rabbithttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03269290495604454136noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7312149.post-19931679762395266022007-07-31T14:58:00.000-05:002007-07-31T14:59:22.334-05:00

I've been pretty overwhelmed. I'm going to start blogging again soon. I promise. All for now, but more to come....

rabbithttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03269290495604454136noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7312149.post-89691985025734710092007-03-22T23:22:00.000-05:002007-03-23T00:01:55.607-05:00

Siren of the Tropics (La Sirène des Tropiques)[this post is part of Goatdog's 1927 Blog-a-thon]In Siren of the Tropics (1927), Josephine Baker’s character, Papitou, is by no means a siren. The title comes straight from a marquee at the Folies Bergères; maybe it’s just ironic. Josephine doesn’t sing, and she doesn’t effortlessly (or even calculatedly) attract the man she loves, though she does

rabbithttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03269290495604454136noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7312149.post-1170799097765406102007-02-06T15:55:00.000-06:002007-02-06T15:58:17.783-06:00

Just a follow-up to my note below about Sony. A couple weeks ago I filed a complaint with the Better Business Bureau of New York (because that's where Sony's corporate headquarters is). I was assigned a case number and wasn't sure anything would come of it. Well, lo and behold, I got a call from a Sony employee saying my rebate would be on its way direct from headquarters (bypassing the rebate

rabbithttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03269290495604454136noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7312149.post-1170310321319308322007-02-01T00:05:00.000-06:002007-02-01T00:12:01.343-06:00

OK, so while I'm blogging again, something of a more frivolous nature than the School of the Americas. Well, not frivolous, but something of mainly personal and not global relevance. Here it is: NEVER, NEVER, NEVER count on Sony to honor a rebate promotion. Sony owes me $500 (a promised rebate on a pricey video camera) and apparently has no plans of coughing it up. On October 4 they informed me

rabbithttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03269290495604454136noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7312149.post-1170285391504904172007-01-31T17:08:00.000-06:002007-01-31T17:16:31.520-06:00

That's right, I haven't been blogging much. Today I am moved to blog by the courage of my neighbor, Don Coleman, who, along with 15 other protesters, was just sentenced to two months in federal prison for "unlawful entry" (stepping over the line onto Army territory) at the School of the Americas, Ft. Benning, Georgia, this past November. The School of the Americas trains Latin American military

rabbithttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03269290495604454136noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7312149.post-1168718020342135342007-01-13T13:50:00.000-06:002007-01-13T13:53:40.366-06:00

Seen: one medium-sized raccoon, successfully dodging traffic on Chicago Avenue between Ashland and Noble around 8pm. ("That's a raccoon!" many were heard to say.)Also heard: "Did you hear James Brown died?" [With Jamaican lilt:] "Girl, under what rock have you been hiding?"

rabbithttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03269290495604454136noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7312149.post-1166760876375490262006-12-21T21:41:00.000-06:002006-12-22T09:02:40.963-06:00

"Happy Holidays" has been a part of our culture for over a hundred years. Why is there suddenly a war against it? Why is this simple phrase suddenly so scandalous?I was inspired to do this research by a friend who, I guess, travels in somewhat more conservative circles than I do. She mentioned to me that she'd "gotten @#$%^" one year when she sent a "Happy Holidays" card instead of a "Merry

rabbithttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03269290495604454136noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7312149.post-1166323305529995562006-12-16T20:33:00.000-06:002006-12-16T20:41:45.546-06:00

Hey, that's catchy, kinda like "Mirror in the Bathroom." Feel Tank has now had 2 of its 15 minutes of fame. Listen here.In other news, two of my three readers know this already, but...I had good news about my tenure case yesterday. Maybe I can start blogging under my real name now. (Maybe not.) Yesterday it was 60 degrees in Boston in mid-December. On any other day, for me, that would be cause

rabbithttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03269290495604454136noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7312149.post-1165762161213347912006-12-10T07:49:00.000-06:002006-12-10T08:50:35.786-06:00

It's been a long time since I've spent enough time in Cambridge and Somerville, MA, to eat out at enough restaurants that I can get a sense of the food vibe--at least the cheap lunch food vibe--around here. The past two weeks have changed that. Here's my report. Sushi. Cafe Sushi (1105 Mass Ave) good; Blue Fin (1815 Mass Ave, i.e. Porter Exchange) better -- and there's a Japanese grocery there

rabbithttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03269290495604454136noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7312149.post-1165196596948925942006-12-03T19:42:00.000-06:002006-12-03T19:43:16.966-06:00

From Tagzania.

rabbithttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03269290495604454136noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7312149.post-1165015734583801932006-12-01T17:26:00.000-06:002006-12-01T17:28:54.600-06:00

Well, at least that's what I'm told at the checkout line in Shaw's (a New England supermarket chain): a sign asks to be flattered if you are carded, and to "accommodate our employees in their quest to obey the law."Speaking of the law, would you pass the new U.S. citizenship test? I'm not sure I would. One of the questions asks, "What is the law of the land?"Guesses?

rabbithttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03269290495604454136noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7312149.post-1163830356715986862006-11-18T00:06:00.000-06:002006-11-18T21:07:58.410-06:00

Not here, and not in Holland. Right.What happened to the much-vaunted Dutch cultural tolerance? I guess it fell victim to that other Dutch value, the imperative to keep women's bodies on view at all times.

rabbithttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03269290495604454136noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7312149.post-1162139165189989952006-10-29T10:22:00.000-06:002006-10-29T12:46:30.556-06:00

"Sideways-facing cat": a nice, relaxing asana that anyone can do at home...

rabbithttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03269290495604454136noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7312149.post-1161451065131267062006-10-21T11:56:00.000-05:002006-10-21T13:06:53.086-05:00

The far-right authoritarian pundit Dinesh D'Souza will unveil the secret complicity of Christian fundamentalism and Islamist terrorism in his forthcoming book, The Enemy At Home: The Cultural Left and Its Responsibilty for 9/11. Only he doesn't seem to realize it. His argument is, apparently, that fundamentalist terrorists are right to attack America, because America allows so many excessive

rabbithttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03269290495604454136noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7312149.post-1161217453852548112006-10-18T18:58:00.000-05:002006-10-18T19:24:13.873-05:00

I had a very weird conversation last night at a lecture I went to for work. The talk itself was enjoyable. But it included dinner, and I got stuck at a table with someone who simply wouldn't shut up. I think her response to a feeling of insecurity was to hold forth--without prompting--at great length, not allowing anyone else at the table to get a word in edgewise for the entire hour-long dinner.

rabbithttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03269290495604454136noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7312149.post-1160602458428107262006-10-11T16:30:00.000-05:002006-10-11T16:34:18.453-05:00

UC Davis is conducting a study on cats who eat plants.At least, they were in 2004. I'm not sure the study is still active. But the site still works, and it's fun for procrastinatory purposes, in any case.

rabbithttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03269290495604454136noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7312149.post-1160405492470900042006-10-09T09:38:00.000-05:002006-10-09T12:11:29.543-05:00

Well, North Korea exploded a nuclear bomb yesterday, but that's not what I'm blogging about. Today is the day in the year when human beings collectively begin living beyond their means--measured according to earth's natural resources. So think about it--what's your eco-footprint, how can you reduce it, and how can you convince other people to do the same? (The bigger problem, of course, is the

rabbithttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03269290495604454136noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7312149.post-1160248331376220542006-10-07T14:10:00.000-05:002006-10-07T22:25:43.646-05:00

In the Twin Cities for a few days for work.1. The Big Ten, them likes the football.2. Normal room temperature in Minnesota is colder than in Chicago.3. Does Target own this town? I mean towns?4. The Walker Art Center is a great contemporary art museum. And all kinds of people go there, at least on Free First Saturdays.5. They really do say "you bet" and "alrighty" and they call me "dear."Late

rabbithttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03269290495604454136noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7312149.post-1160184360425022312006-10-06T20:25:00.000-05:002006-10-06T20:26:00.453-05:00

Via Crooks and Liars.

rabbithttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03269290495604454136noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7312149.post-1159895328741420542006-10-03T11:59:00.000-05:002006-10-03T12:08:48.743-05:00

So, it's pleasing to see the Republican leadership in trouble, but I have to say KB is right about the extent to which this is stoking homophobia. I really, really, really wish people on "our" side would refrain from calling Foley a pervert or pedophile. It's not perverted or pedophilic for an adult to be attracted to sixteen-year-olds, though there are certainly questions to be raised about how

rabbithttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03269290495604454136noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7312149.post-1159893372991169592006-10-03T11:11:00.000-05:002006-10-03T13:30:54.063-05:00

My journey from the east coast back to Chicago began at the airport when my flight was not on the monitor. Did it actually exist? I'm still not sure. They checked me in and, because security has trumped other aspects of check-in procedure -- at the small airport where some of the 9-11 hijackers first boarded -- they didn't bother to charge me for the excess baggage weight. (This is a significant

rabbithttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03269290495604454136noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7312149.post-1159725796436552982006-10-01T13:01:00.001-05:002006-10-01T13:03:16.466-05:00

Statement of the Midnight University"Opposing the Closure of Channels of Free Communication"Beginning on Friday September 29th, the Midnight University's website has been blocked by the Ministry of Information and Communication Technology (ICT), Thailand. However, ours was not the first one to be blocked or tampered with by the power of the Coup Council. The Midnight University's considered

rabbithttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03269290495604454136noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7312149.post-1159717031900614682006-10-01T10:32:00.000-05:002006-10-01T10:37:11.920-05:00

It seems I've been a bit too sanguine about the Thai coup. I learn via nettime that they've shut down the website of the Midnight University, a clearinghouse for scholarly translations, educational materials, free and vigorous intellectual discussion, and democracy activism in Northern Thailand. I know the people who run it and have the greatest respect for them. This is unacceptable repression

rabbithttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03269290495604454136noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7312149.post-1159638411224088612006-09-30T12:46:00.000-05:002006-09-30T13:13:58.160-05:00

Was just trying to save as draft and accidentally posted, so if you momentarily saw a fragmentary post, my apologies. Anyway, the Oops goes once for me, and once for the Washington Post, which reported with an unintentionally colorful (or, who knows, maybe intentional) choice of words that that Mark Foley had until recently been a "respected House member cruising toward a seventh term"...

rabbithttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03269290495604454136noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7312149.post-1158799253001526992006-09-20T19:26:00.000-05:002006-09-20T19:41:41.573-05:00

I'm a little uncomfortable with the way some people are talking about George Allen. OK, he's a racist, also a weenie. But he's not Jewish. It doesn't matter whether Jewish law says he's Jewish if his mother is Jewish because he doesn't observe Jewish law. His mother is a practicing Christian and so is he. But he does have Jewish ancestry. The problem is that he thinks asking whether he has Jewish

rabbithttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03269290495604454136noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7312149.post-1158756887181809032006-09-20T07:51:00.000-05:002006-09-20T07:54:47.200-05:00

"Today, he is seen as a seriously flawed political leader, who had tried to propagate and perpetuate a culture of corruption and deceit that threatened to undermine democracy as we knew it. Throughout his five and a half years in power, he was exposed as a greedy politician who had pursued selfinterest at the expense of public good. Even called a tyrannical leader by some, he was accused of

rabbithttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03269290495604454136noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7312149.post-1158696253909157792006-09-19T15:03:00.000-05:002006-09-19T15:04:13.936-05:00

What I would have liked to have written about Daley and Wal-Mart.

rabbithttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03269290495604454136noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7312149.post-1158461286780409182006-09-16T21:42:00.000-05:002006-09-16T21:48:06.780-05:00

I forgot about the downtown farmer's market on Wednesday, which was a blessing in disguise, because there's a better one (and not too much further to walk) on Saturdays. Speckled red lettuce, purple peppers, yellow squash, tomatoes and cucumbers! Yes, that's work stuff next to the plate. A paper I was reading, sitting top of my computer. My standards for what constitutes a good Saturday have

rabbithttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03269290495604454136noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7312149.post-1158460927252813162006-09-16T21:40:00.000-05:002006-09-16T21:42:07.266-05:00

Separated at birth?

rabbithttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03269290495604454136noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7312149.post-1158115276849586852006-09-12T21:30:00.000-05:002006-09-12T21:42:16.076-05:00

So, I've got my laundry in the dryer and I've put my nice new CD in the player and I'm about to brew my evening coffee when WAAAAAAAAAAAH -- the fire alarm is going off. WAAAH WAAAH WAAAH WAAAH WAAAH. OK, where are my keys. Hm, bring anything else? No, what if it's really a fire? I walk down the ELEVEN flights of stairs in the place where I'm temporarily staying. Lots of cooking smells; it's

rabbithttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03269290495604454136noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7312149.post-1157973635021501812006-09-11T06:17:00.000-05:002006-09-11T06:20:35.036-05:00

rabbithttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03269290495604454136noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7312149.post-1157914807402575102006-09-10T13:46:00.000-05:002006-09-10T14:41:17.506-05:00

Last night I (re)watched "Cape Fear" (the 1962 version) on Turner Classic Movies. Maybe it's just that I don't live in 1962, but for the first twenty minutes or so, even though I knew Robert Mitchum was the villain, I was on his side as his civil liberties were repeatedly and blatantly violated. I wish the movie would go a little further in letting us think maybe Gregory Peck's fears are

rabbithttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03269290495604454136noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7312149.post-1157831342458636762006-09-09T14:45:00.000-05:002006-09-09T14:49:02.500-05:00

So I'm browsing the energy bar selection in the local (well, not so local--a half-hour walk) natural food store. Eight-Year-Old Kid: Hello.Me: Hello.Kid: Are you looking for applesauce?Me: No, I've got applesauce.Kid: Are you looking for candy?Me: Is that what those are?Kid: [Stunned into silence]

rabbithttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03269290495604454136noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7312149.post-1157774198491211172006-09-08T22:55:00.000-05:002006-09-08T23:04:05.246-05:00

Now there's a headline you never thought you'd see on my blog. And nonetheless... some folks have been having it.

rabbithttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03269290495604454136noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7312149.post-1157598418940927352006-09-06T21:42:00.000-05:002006-09-06T22:06:58.963-05:00

I just got home from one of those rich-people dinners that people in my profession sometimes have to go to. I think this one wasn't actually supposed to be a rich-people dinner, but due to some crossed wires, two different dinners were planned, and the poor scholars' dinner was merged with the rich-people dinner; it wasn't the organizers' fault, so I was determined not to feel put upon. They had

rabbithttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03269290495604454136noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7312149.post-1157509857873484752006-09-05T21:25:00.000-05:002006-09-05T21:30:57.943-05:00

I was on a roll there for a little while, part of my plan to blog regularly again, but since then I've been submerged in such topics as the Chinese Rites Controversy, sexy angles [I can't explain; it would take too long], engravings of Roman monuments, and Botticelli. I'll come up for air sooner or later.

rabbithttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03269290495604454136noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7312149.post-1157246970714155112006-09-02T20:28:00.000-05:002006-09-02T20:32:47.983-05:00

We're glad you feel that way.

rabbithttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03269290495604454136noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7312149.post-1157230608235434292006-09-02T15:44:00.000-05:002006-09-02T15:56:48.333-05:00

Apparently "mainstream Freemasons" (now there's a contradiction in terms) are still undecided about whether to offer official recognition to the parallel African American lodges known as Prince Hall lodges after the Black Barbadian man, Prince Hall, who founded the first one in Boston in the late eighteenth century. Actually, mainstream Freemasons are not so undecided, unless you count Texas,

rabbithttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03269290495604454136noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7312149.post-1157206637528681982006-09-02T09:09:00.000-05:002006-09-02T09:21:58.420-05:00

I don't know how it is that I just heard about this, but...the Art Institute of Chicago has ended voluntary "suggested donation" admission and instituted mandatory ticket prices. I knew I was suspicious of all those demographic studies that were supposed to show how much economic value museums contribute to cities. Since museum visitors have been "found to be disproportionately white, educated

rabbithttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03269290495604454136noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7312149.post-1157061110480676882006-08-31T16:46:00.000-05:002006-08-31T16:51:50.500-05:00

The new Feel Tank site also has a new call for projects. Everybody should take a look and propose something!And apparently the new issue of Renaissance Magazine (not scholarly, OK, but I'll take what I can get; I've always had a soft spot for the "faire and reenactment community") has some nice things to say about, ah, somebody's book. Goatdog left for Chicago today and I will now go drown my

rabbithttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03269290495604454136noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7312149.post-1157026733754149802006-08-31T07:13:00.000-05:002006-08-31T07:39:40.950-05:00

Katherine Harris: "God is the one who chooses our rulers."Aside from the fact that this allows her conveniently to divest herself of any responsibility for election 2000, my question is....RULERS?I guess this is a glimpse into how the ruling class talks amongst themselves--only silly Katie wasn't supposed to let it out. "The separation of church and state is a lie" is not so far from "Democracy

rabbithttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03269290495604454136noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7312149.post-1155842497662695352006-08-17T14:13:00.000-05:002006-08-17T14:21:37.686-05:00

A friend at a university that shall remain nameless passed on the following skills expected not only of staff but also of...faculty?!?Anyone spotting a faculty member at any university exhibiting any of these skills, please pass the sighting along. I'll keep a tally.

rabbithttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03269290495604454136noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7312149.post-1155604468125227302006-08-14T20:06:00.000-05:002006-08-14T20:15:39.503-05:00

Check out the newly revamped Feel Tank site.

rabbithttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03269290495604454136noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7312149.post-1155344810835109202006-08-11T19:56:00.000-05:002006-08-12T09:49:34.046-05:00

So, I'm in Maine for a couple weeks. Luckily, given all the flight security kerfuffle, I made my flight this morning without too much trouble, no thanks to the guy in the airport shuttle who insisted on paying with a credit card and thus adding 10 minutes to our trip or to the woman in front of me in the security line who waited until she was standing in front of the screening area to realize

rabbithttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03269290495604454136noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7312149.post-1155007464760914242006-08-07T22:02:00.000-05:002006-08-07T22:24:24.796-05:00

So, I figured I should write something for today since it's my birthday. What to say? I celebrated with Goatdog and some friends last night at the new Velvet Lounge, listening to improvisational jazz, and we might end up on public radio, because they had someone there doing a piece on the opening of the new club. This morning I had a good yoga class. Then I had lunch with a colleague, various

rabbithttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03269290495604454136noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7312149.post-1154662883551207852006-08-03T22:37:00.000-05:002006-08-03T22:42:15.770-05:00

The heat has finally abated. And last night, I had a dream in which I showed up to do a minor errand at the home of a distant acquaintance and found that all my female friends were gathered there for some sort of event to which I hadn't been invited. A few minutes later, we're all standing outside in a loose circle putting our shoes on, and someone says, "so, are we going to endorse this Hillary

rabbithttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03269290495604454136noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7312149.post-1154032953791975752006-07-27T15:36:00.000-05:002006-07-27T15:42:33.816-05:00

Loyal readers may have noticed that I haven't been writing much lately. Maybe it's the weather, but I seem to be in an all-around writing block. I'm doing fine at amassing information in the library (except today when I couldn't manage to drag myself in and did internet research instead) but I'm having a hard time wrestling any piece of writing, no matter how short, into a shape I like. This is

rabbithttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03269290495604454136noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7312149.post-1154011199984463682006-07-27T09:24:00.000-05:002006-07-27T09:40:00.000-05:00

In the New York Times on Sunday, Stanley Fish reduced academic freedom to consumer choice: "Academic freedom means that if I think that there may be an intellectual payoff to be had by turning an academic lens on material others consider trivial — golf tees, gourmet coffee, lingerie ads, convenience stores, street names, whatever — I should get a chance to try."(If you don't have a nytimes

rabbithttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03269290495604454136noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7312149.post-1153949188087232762006-07-26T16:24:00.000-05:002006-07-26T16:27:19.070-05:00

Here's a link I won't explain, but some of you may be able to guess why I included it.(By the way, I only say "score one point for me" because I fully expect there to be many, many, points for..."them.")

rabbithttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03269290495604454136noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7312149.post-1152479417089048782006-07-09T16:09:00.000-05:002006-07-09T16:10:17.106-05:00

Why did he do it?

rabbithttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03269290495604454136noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7312149.post-1152416430550859792006-07-08T22:27:00.000-05:002006-07-08T22:40:30.586-05:00

Today I should have gotten "real" work done, but instead sorted and prepared old clothes I'm getting rid of, picked up our newly repaired vacuum cleaner and vacuumed, mowed the lawn, and did some cooking. Here's one of the things I made:Courtesy of Delicious Living Magazine, Kale-Almond Pesto and White-Bean Pasta (a recipe originally given to me by anonymous). I doubled the recipe, substituted

rabbithttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03269290495604454136noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7312149.post-1152298143321750262006-07-07T13:40:00.000-05:002006-07-07T13:59:58.586-05:00

Goatdog and I decided to give our President an appropriate welcome today as he visited the Museum of Science and Industry, Hyde Park, Chicago. I rounded up as many people as I could, which was one. But a few others heard the news and showed up:Neighborhood folks greeting the Commander-in-Thief; I'm not in it because I'm taking the picture. But I would have been holding the "Bush Kills Kids"

rabbithttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03269290495604454136noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7312149.post-1152195805593389012006-07-06T09:22:00.000-05:002006-07-06T09:23:25.613-05:00

That's about all I have to say for now.

rabbithttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03269290495604454136noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7312149.post-1152022916660053452006-07-04T09:03:00.000-05:002006-07-04T09:27:52.130-05:00

I'm back in Chicago and have been unpacking and getting myself organized and so I have not posted photos of my trip, or anything about France's miraculous victory over Brazil on Saturday, or about my readjustment to American living. I'd like to post a link to a news story about the Taste of Chicago Seven, the seven people who were arrested at the Taste of Chicago for handing out leaflets against

rabbithttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03269290495604454136noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7312149.post-1151524744730414412006-06-28T14:54:00.000-05:002006-06-28T15:00:10.250-05:00

Pont de Bercy, May 2006Pont de Bercy, June 2006This is almost untranslatable, but my best guess is "Let's present utopian grievances."

rabbithttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03269290495604454136noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7312149.post-1151446577575695802006-06-27T17:07:00.000-05:002006-06-27T17:16:17.593-05:00

A nice way to end (almost) my time in France: watching France beat Spain in the 1/8 finals of the World Cup in a stadium full of 10,000 French people (well, 9,800 maybe; there were probably a few other non-French like me). How, you ask, did I do this in France, since the World Cup is happening in Germany? At the Stade (stadium) Charléty, in the far south of the city, they let people in free

rabbithttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03269290495604454136noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7312149.post-1151361821640665142006-06-26T17:38:00.000-05:002006-06-27T12:02:01.323-05:00

I really do. But I'm not sure how I feel about the recently released film, made up of shorts by twenty different filmmakers. This phrase has a history for me -- I'll always remember it as the thing Prince said when he walked on stage at Bercy in 1988. There are some really good bits in this film. But [SPOILER! hell, I don't care] Harry Potter the vampire is not one of them, and I wish it didn't

rabbithttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03269290495604454136noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7312149.post-1151347476208697962006-06-26T13:15:00.000-05:002006-06-26T13:53:11.473-05:00

Warning: political post ahead. I could write a Modest-Proposal-style post heaping ironic praise on patriarchy, but really what I want to do is bring back the concept of patriarchy as an analytical tool. Whenever a feminist uses the word, s/he's immediately branded hysterical. Maybe it's because the term has expanded to appear to mean something like "how men rule women." Actually, to get to the

rabbithttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03269290495604454136noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7312149.post-1151172248557800962006-06-24T12:40:00.000-05:002006-06-24T13:04:08.593-05:00

Silvio Berlusconi, the recently ousted Italian Prime Minister, is fond of taking pages out of the Bush family playbook, but here he's being outflanked, it appears, on the right: his party's poster for his referendum (which certain on the left call a bid for neofascism) has been covered over by this:Translation, approximately, "Never in Italy! No to gay pride! No to civil unions! Let's defend the

rabbithttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03269290495604454136noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7312149.post-1150104104373899892006-06-12T04:21:00.000-05:002006-06-13T06:52:41.133-05:00

Where I was on Sunday (the Ponte Santa Trinita in Florence).

rabbithttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03269290495604454136noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7312149.post-1150103986387317482006-06-12T04:11:00.000-05:002006-06-12T04:21:05.883-05:00

Where I was on Saturday (Città di Castello).

rabbithttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03269290495604454136noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7312149.post-1149361873223217822006-06-03T14:06:00.000-05:002006-06-03T14:11:13.243-05:00

What would the world be like if Louis XIV had been Louise XIV?This site will regender all pronouns and personal (first) names for you. The only problem is, it thinks a lot of things are first names that we don't tend to think of as first names.Like, say, France. Or, well, Paris...

rabbithttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03269290495604454136noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7312149.post-1149359086623919262006-06-03T13:16:00.000-05:002006-06-03T13:26:25.390-05:00

Hot on the heels of the mention of the "Ode to Joy," here's my translation of a seventeenth-century song in praise of coffee that I found in my researches today. It sounds about right to me. Air Nouveau by Mr. de BacillyDelicious Coffee, whose sweet bitternessHas so often kept me safe from a pitiless Cold,Intent on ruining my voice.I would be an ingrateIf I did not sing your glory,Scoff at

rabbithttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03269290495604454136noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7312149.post-1149226974362583492006-06-02T00:39:00.000-05:002006-06-02T00:45:34.953-05:00

Yesterday at my Metro stop a group of "young Larouchists" were singing a very well-organized rendition of the "Ode to Joy" and passing out flyers warning that Cheney is planning an attack on Iran in August.Sigh. I wanted to run around telling all the people who took the flyer that Larouche exists only to suck all the useful energy from people concerned that Cheney is planning an attack on Iran in

rabbithttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03269290495604454136noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7312149.post-1149017275539648342006-05-30T14:23:00.000-05:002006-05-30T14:27:55.556-05:00

Overnight, I went from being a Lowly Insect to being a Flappy Bird in the TTLB Ecosystem. I thought it was because of my recent mention of marijuana. But no: I think it's because Slithering Reptile Goatdog (who gets a whole lot more traffic than I do) was finally noticed by TTLB.

rabbithttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03269290495604454136noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7312149.post-1148935143465072252006-05-29T15:35:00.000-05:002006-05-29T15:39:38.493-05:00

Something Chicago has in abundance that Paris has hardly at all:Squirrels.Something Paris has in abundance that Chicago has hardly at all:Gothic churches.Something Amsterdam has in abundance that Chicago has hardly at all:Cafés where people openly consume marijuana.Something Chicago has in abundance that Amsterdam has hardly at all:SUVs.

rabbithttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03269290495604454136noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7312149.post-1148243976409195862006-05-21T15:28:00.000-05:002006-05-22T02:07:29.453-05:00

As an American MSM (mainstream media) hater, I had high hopes for BBC World, the CNN-inspired version of BBC television that we get here in Frogland. No such luck. While it's a respite from the incredibly fluffy French TV news (do they even have TV news? no, but they have philosophical débats) it is mostly just slapdash propaganda for capitalism. I'll throw up, honestly, if I have to hear one

rabbithttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03269290495604454136noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7312149.post-1148159493981932202006-05-20T16:00:00.000-05:002006-05-21T15:28:18.413-05:00

So, I finally watched all of Jean-Luc Godard's "miniseries" (not like any miniseries you'll ever see in the US!), "Histoire(s) du cinéma." They're having a retrospective at the Centre Pompidou and I sat through all 5 hours in one day. Having watched the "morceaux choisis" (selected bits) shown in the US recently, I can say that Hitchcock comes off as a less central figure in the long version, and

rabbithttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03269290495604454136noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7312149.post-1147453440293848552006-05-12T11:57:00.000-05:002006-05-12T12:04:00.310-05:00

So, we know Berlusconi's out, and maybe Thaksin too. And Blair says he's leaving... eventually. But is anyone in the US paying attention to the fact that there's a scandal in France that's threatening to bring down not only Dominique de Villepin but maybe Chirac too? All to the benefit of...Sarcozy?I guess the scum's what rises to the top, no?

rabbithttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03269290495604454136noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7312149.post-1147349776239755852006-05-11T07:13:00.000-05:002006-05-11T07:16:16.263-05:00

Dog radio comes to Thailand.

rabbithttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03269290495604454136noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7312149.post-1147245225991283802006-05-10T02:09:00.000-05:002006-05-10T02:13:46.006-05:00

Today is the first annual commemoration (sorry, non-French-readers) of the end of the French slave trade, which occurred on May 10, 1848.On the news this morning, all the talk was of the Great French Men who fought slavery. Hooray for them!

rabbithttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03269290495604454136noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7312149.post-1147199972834746802006-05-09T13:35:00.000-05:002006-05-09T13:39:32.853-05:00

So, my first day in Paris I strolled down to the local bakery, bought a "pain de campagne," had a taste, and said to myself "why is it that at any random bakery in France you can get excellent bread, while even in fancy bakeries in the US you can only get halfway decent bread? What is wrong with us?" Then I got an email from a colleague who stayed in this neighborhood last year mentioning the "

rabbithttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03269290495604454136noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7312149.post-1147104915967139472006-05-08T11:05:00.000-05:002006-05-08T11:15:15.990-05:00

It's been over a month since I last posted here--in that time I have been to the east coast and the west coast and across the Atlantic. (I'm in Paris for the next month--still getting over jet lag--and then Italy for a few weeks thereafter.) Also during that time, Goatdog and I decided to stay in chilly Chicago after thinking long and hard about moving to warmer climes. I'm not really "

rabbithttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03269290495604454136noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7312149.post-1143995643561252812006-04-02T11:21:00.000-05:002006-04-02T11:34:03.806-05:00

Turns out there are coyote living in Chicago. 2000 of them, according to this article in Salon (subscription or ad-viewing required) about poor Hal, the recently trapped Central Park (NYC) coyote who died as he was about to be released into the wild. Jackson Park geese, watch out.

rabbithttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03269290495604454136noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7312149.post-1143839051999220262006-03-31T14:56:00.000-06:002006-03-31T15:04:12.016-06:00

And Patrick Leahy. All the other Democrats, including Durbin and Kennedy, were no-shows on the censure hearing.And in other news. I missed this, apparently, when it was first a news item. Did everybody know Holland is now testing immigrants for PCness? Which is to say thinly-veiled (so to speak) non-Muslimness? Accept our liberal values, OR ELSE! Maybe here in 'merica we could have would-be

rabbithttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03269290495604454136noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7312149.post-1142743937818530062006-03-18T22:49:00.000-06:002006-03-18T22:52:17.830-06:00

At the antiwar protest today in downtown Chicago (and, dammit, there were more than 7000 people there) I overhead a charming specimen of cop humor: confusing "No more wars" with "No more whores," he said, "That's it, I can't support this cause anymore."

rabbithttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03269290495604454136noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7312149.post-1142564832081422142006-03-16T21:05:00.000-06:002006-03-17T07:45:39.963-06:00

It's not as hard as you think.

rabbithttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03269290495604454136noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7312149.post-1142398268612328482006-03-14T22:49:00.000-06:002006-03-14T23:33:54.136-06:00

Is this purely for the benefit of blue staters? Does anyone have any evidence of these all blue "Go Left" Gap jeans ads running anywhere that's not a Democratic stronghold?Not that anyone comments on here anyway....

rabbithttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03269290495604454136noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7312149.post-1142087628846575722006-03-11T08:28:00.000-06:002006-03-11T08:33:48.860-06:00

Faces just keep getting smaller and smaller.

rabbithttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03269290495604454136noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7312149.post-1141928404226613912006-03-09T12:12:00.000-06:002006-03-09T14:15:02.136-06:00

States that rank HIGHER by the number of libraries there that own my book (according to Worldcat) than they do by population:Texas (1st in libraries owning my book/2nd in population)Illinois (3rd/5th)Ohio (4th/7th)North Carolina (6th/11th)Massachusetts (6th/13th)Virginia (10th/12th)States that rank LOWER by the number of libraries there that own my book than they do by population:California (2nd/

rabbithttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03269290495604454136noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7312149.post-1141913340200289992006-03-09T08:01:00.000-06:002006-03-09T08:09:00.213-06:00

South Dakota bans nearly all abortions.Other states with similar legislation pending include Ohio, Tennessee, Indiana, Georgia and Kentucky.Brought to you by these Democrats who voted to end debate on Alito:Akaka (HI), Baucus (MT), Bingaman (NM), Byrd (WV), Cantwell (WA), Carper (DE), Dorgan (ND), Inouye (HI), Johnson (SD), Kohl (WI), Landrieu (LA), Lieberman (CT), Lincoln (AR), Nelson (FL),

rabbithttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03269290495604454136noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7312149.post-1141682173700099672006-03-06T15:55:00.000-06:002006-03-06T15:58:28.186-06:00

create your own visited countries mapI didn't count Japan, because I've only been to the airport...technically not Japanese soil because I didn't go through customs. Right?

rabbithttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03269290495604454136noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7312149.post-1141579237003468692006-03-05T11:17:00.000-06:002006-03-05T11:20:37.013-06:00

With primary elections coming up, which in many cases decide the outcome of the general election hereabouts, I just received a call from a campaign volunteer for Barbara Flynn Currie, who I think is my Illinois state rep. The volunteer asked me which of several issues was most important to me, then read me a text relating to Currie's stand on that issue. Then asked if she could count on my vote.

rabbithttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03269290495604454136noreply@blogger.com0