***On another note, this is the CNN.com headline blurb right now: "We all know that Michael Jackson was one of the greatest entertainers who ever lived. But when it came to how he conducted his business and financial affairs, was he smart, lucky, or mad? As it turns out, he managed to be all at the same time. Although he had a shrewd sense of business, he had no appreciation of the value of money, CNNMoney.com reports."
How disgusting is that sentence? Appreciation of the value of money. Of the value of money. As if not appreciating money is a bad thing. I don't appreciate money. And I certainly don't think money has value other than a numeric one. Money is the cause of way too many problems in this world. I use it because I have to live within the confines of the culture we live in, but I don't ever put value on money. Or at least the kind of value this headline implies.
I think more people should learn to not appreciate money. People might be happy and in debt rather than just in debt. One of the best examples of this is of the gambler Archie Karas. Check the story out if you get a chance. He could be an example for everyone--not for his gambling habit but for his attitude towards money and life:
"You've got to understand something. Money means nothing to me. I don't value it. I've had all the material things I could ever want. Everything. The things I want money can't buy: health, freedom, love, happiness. I don't care about money, so I have no fear. I don't care if I lose it."
-Archie Karas
October 23, 2009
"Justice"
http://www.cnn.com/2009/CRIME/10/22/georgia.landfill.body/index.html
(video here.)
Your daughter just died, and all you can think about is bringing the killer to "justice"? What is justice? Is it really taking a person's life away for taking a person's life away? "You took mine so I take yours." I sometimes forget we live in a society where our justice system is based on childish rules of what is fair and what isn't. I feel for this woman, I really do. I hope the killer is found. But the passion that this woman shows in wanting to find the killer and put him to "justice" is not as far from the passion the killer probably displayed in killing that little girl. Her little girl died, so she wants nothing more to see him die--or at least put in prison the rest of his life. An eye for an eye, essentially.
Justice, as we use it today, implies that someone is deserving of something because of something done to them. So by losing something we gain a privilege that is otherwise prohibited by law? An interesting Catch 22 shaded by a system of law. He kills her. So he should be brought to justice (sentenced to death, more than likely, depending on where the trial takes place) in the name of her newly appointed inherent right to avenge her daughter's death. But we are not held responsible for putting a man to death. Justice is justified revenge. Of course, no one looks at it in this way. In our society, justice and the justice system are "good" and "right". Are they really?
In the movie "Where the Wild Things Are", Max's sister does him wrong by not protecting him and comforting him when her friends destroy his snow fort; in response, Max ransacks her room and covers it in snow. Justice? Who wins? Our "justice system" is legal justification for Max fucking up his sister's room, only in this case other people would do it for him while he watches on. It is a childish law system, spruced up to the point where the words "justice" and "rights" are taken for granted.
This won't and probably can't change any time soon. But this attitude of a self-righteous sense of justice needs to change. That woman does not deserve "justice" for losing her daughter. She does not now gain the privilege and blessing of divine justice to see that man executed. An eye for an eye makes the whole world blind. Mourn your daughter. Celebrate her life, short as it may have been. Our "justice system" will do what they can to find your killer and put him away, but don't make it your mission to find and destroy a man's life. What do you then become?
I would not expect her to show the compassion the killer did not show her daughter, but think about this: should the killer be caught, her compassion could influence the outcome of his life--show hatred and a sense of revenge ("justice") and he is executed, but show compassion and leniency and perhaps he gets life. A life taken, a life saved. Perhaps not a good person or one who will do good things, but a person nonetheless, a life nonetheless.
Where have we come to that people feel that someone deserves to die, where they fight for a person to be executed? When the DC snipers were caught years ago, people pushed for the trial to take place in Virginia rather than Maryland. Why? Because Virginia allows capital punishment and Maryland does not. How is this justice?
(video here.)
Your daughter just died, and all you can think about is bringing the killer to "justice"? What is justice? Is it really taking a person's life away for taking a person's life away? "You took mine so I take yours." I sometimes forget we live in a society where our justice system is based on childish rules of what is fair and what isn't. I feel for this woman, I really do. I hope the killer is found. But the passion that this woman shows in wanting to find the killer and put him to "justice" is not as far from the passion the killer probably displayed in killing that little girl. Her little girl died, so she wants nothing more to see him die--or at least put in prison the rest of his life. An eye for an eye, essentially.Justice, as we use it today, implies that someone is deserving of something because of something done to them. So by losing something we gain a privilege that is otherwise prohibited by law? An interesting Catch 22 shaded by a system of law. He kills her. So he should be brought to justice (sentenced to death, more than likely, depending on where the trial takes place) in the name of her newly appointed inherent right to avenge her daughter's death. But we are not held responsible for putting a man to death. Justice is justified revenge. Of course, no one looks at it in this way. In our society, justice and the justice system are "good" and "right". Are they really?
In the movie "Where the Wild Things Are", Max's sister does him wrong by not protecting him and comforting him when her friends destroy his snow fort; in response, Max ransacks her room and covers it in snow. Justice? Who wins? Our "justice system" is legal justification for Max fucking up his sister's room, only in this case other people would do it for him while he watches on. It is a childish law system, spruced up to the point where the words "justice" and "rights" are taken for granted.
This won't and probably can't change any time soon. But this attitude of a self-righteous sense of justice needs to change. That woman does not deserve "justice" for losing her daughter. She does not now gain the privilege and blessing of divine justice to see that man executed. An eye for an eye makes the whole world blind. Mourn your daughter. Celebrate her life, short as it may have been. Our "justice system" will do what they can to find your killer and put him away, but don't make it your mission to find and destroy a man's life. What do you then become?
I would not expect her to show the compassion the killer did not show her daughter, but think about this: should the killer be caught, her compassion could influence the outcome of his life--show hatred and a sense of revenge ("justice") and he is executed, but show compassion and leniency and perhaps he gets life. A life taken, a life saved. Perhaps not a good person or one who will do good things, but a person nonetheless, a life nonetheless.
Where have we come to that people feel that someone deserves to die, where they fight for a person to be executed? When the DC snipers were caught years ago, people pushed for the trial to take place in Virginia rather than Maryland. Why? Because Virginia allows capital punishment and Maryland does not. How is this justice?
October 18, 2009
Reflection: Reliability
When you start to fall you cling to the people closest to you. Sometimes you drag those people down with you. Sometimes they pull you up. But most of the time they just walk away.
Not to sound depressing or anything, but people are not reliable. Few are, very few. I think for the most part this is not a reflection of who they are so much as a reflection of the times we live in. The world we're surrounded by reinforces this indifference.
That needs to change.
Not to sound depressing or anything, but people are not reliable. Few are, very few. I think for the most part this is not a reflection of who they are so much as a reflection of the times we live in. The world we're surrounded by reinforces this indifference.
That needs to change.
October 14, 2009
Ups and Downs
And now for a segment I call "Three Up, Three Down" (that I basically stole from ESPN.com..but shh!). It is also known as "Bored at Work".
THREE UP
1. Chacarero. If you live in Boston and don't know what this place is and like great sandwiches, um...go. I work right around the corner from the place (on Arch St fyi) and I've gone there for lunch like once a week. Note: they have small and large sandwiches, but unless you can eat an elephant get the small--contrary to its size label, it's quite large.
2. Where the Wild Things Are. Blah blah blah you've heard it all before.
3. The Chinatown Bus.
Say what you will about Chinatown bus services, but you can't deny it's an adventure every time you ride one (and it's mad cheap, though I've heard Bolt Bus is the way to go now). Case in point: going from Richmond, VA to New York my bus failed to show up by 7:30AM when it was scheduled to leave, and a few minutes later a 10-seater cargo van pulls up to the 7-11 (yes, the pick up point was a 7-11). We joke that this is the bus. Oops. The bus broke down and we have to take the cargo van 2 hours up to DC to catch another bus, which will take us to New York. Uhhh.... To be honest, I didn't think twice about getting on the bus. Having been part of the "Chinatown experience" many times over the last few years, this just wasn't surprising. Anyway, 12 people and their luggage are crammed into the van and we drive to DC, where we catch a bus that breaks down twice on the way to New York...
...yet we get to NYC 30 minutes ahead of schedule. What? Yep. That's the Chinatown bus for you. I've ridden legit bus lines like Grey Hound before and had miserable experiences. Lesson: When in doubt (and in debt), take the Chinatown.
THREE DOWN
1. Loan payments.
I graduate from a 4-year university with a degree and people tell me I have to pay my dues by getting a job I'll probably hate. Pay my dues? Are you fucking kidding? I have $125,000 in debt (yes, that much) from a mediocre college experience where most of my "learning" came outside of class. Who exactly am I "paying my dues" to? The government? Corporate America? I'm a little lost. If anything, I feel like I'm owed something for taking on a burden of six-digits worth of loans for something that probably should be free anyway. Education, like health-care, should be a public service, not a luxury. It also doesn't help that loan processors only give you a 6-month deferment of your loan payments from the MOMENT you stop being a full-time student, regardless of your future intentions. Six months? Gee, thanks, I can almost take a breather and figure out my entire life in six months. Oh, wait, I'm supposed to spend that time looking for a job? But I'm not ready for a job right now, I just spent four exhausting years getting a fucking degree! Let me have a fucking break! Nope. You just got the gift and privilege of a grade-A American education! Time to PAY YOUR DUES! You mean financially? Well, that too, but education isn't about moneyyyy, it's something all young Americans should be grateful it's being offered to them, regardless of cost! Brilliant. Truly brilliant. You can go fuck yourself, overpriced college-level institutions. And you too, government-sponsored (and private) loan providers.
2. Boston sports. Call me spoiled, but it's just not the same when there isn't a parade at least once a year. And I don't even like all of the Boston sports teams.
3. The Nobel Peace Prize committee haters. Look, I don't really care all that much that Obama won it and didn't turn it down. Why should he? I also don't feel strongly one way or another about the committee's reasoning behind awarding the prize to Obama. What really pisses me off is that people are getting so upset over this. I realize the prize is a great symbol, has a long and respected tradition, and holds a lot of respect internationally, but it's just that: a symbol. I don't even know what the physical prize is but I assume it's some kind of gaudy, metallic thing made to look mad sexy so as to represent the name. But come on. It's an award. Awards don't preclude greatness or great acts, and in the end they are really just a form of recognition of a person or an act. The criteria can always be argued, but you can't really argue that without awards, people would not have the motivation to do great things. Gandhi never won a Nobel Peace Price, but according to the criteria he was probably the most deserving person who ever lived that we know of. Does that tarnish the shit he did in the name of peace and non-violence? Absolutely not. Obama hasn't done much yet, true, but whether he ends up doing great things or falling well short, people are not going to give the credit for his successes to the committee nor blame them for his failures. In the end, it's just an award and a title, no matter how prestigious.
THREE UP
1. Chacarero. If you live in Boston and don't know what this place is and like great sandwiches, um...go. I work right around the corner from the place (on Arch St fyi) and I've gone there for lunch like once a week. Note: they have small and large sandwiches, but unless you can eat an elephant get the small--contrary to its size label, it's quite large.2. Where the Wild Things Are. Blah blah blah you've heard it all before.
3. The Chinatown Bus.
Say what you will about Chinatown bus services, but you can't deny it's an adventure every time you ride one (and it's mad cheap, though I've heard Bolt Bus is the way to go now). Case in point: going from Richmond, VA to New York my bus failed to show up by 7:30AM when it was scheduled to leave, and a few minutes later a 10-seater cargo van pulls up to the 7-11 (yes, the pick up point was a 7-11). We joke that this is the bus. Oops. The bus broke down and we have to take the cargo van 2 hours up to DC to catch another bus, which will take us to New York. Uhhh.... To be honest, I didn't think twice about getting on the bus. Having been part of the "Chinatown experience" many times over the last few years, this just wasn't surprising. Anyway, 12 people and their luggage are crammed into the van and we drive to DC, where we catch a bus that breaks down twice on the way to New York......yet we get to NYC 30 minutes ahead of schedule. What? Yep. That's the Chinatown bus for you. I've ridden legit bus lines like Grey Hound before and had miserable experiences. Lesson: When in doubt (and in debt), take the Chinatown.
THREE DOWN
1. Loan payments.
I graduate from a 4-year university with a degree and people tell me I have to pay my dues by getting a job I'll probably hate. Pay my dues? Are you fucking kidding? I have $125,000 in debt (yes, that much) from a mediocre college experience where most of my "learning" came outside of class. Who exactly am I "paying my dues" to? The government? Corporate America? I'm a little lost. If anything, I feel like I'm owed something for taking on a burden of six-digits worth of loans for something that probably should be free anyway. Education, like health-care, should be a public service, not a luxury. It also doesn't help that loan processors only give you a 6-month deferment of your loan payments from the MOMENT you stop being a full-time student, regardless of your future intentions. Six months? Gee, thanks, I can almost take a breather and figure out my entire life in six months. Oh, wait, I'm supposed to spend that time looking for a job? But I'm not ready for a job right now, I just spent four exhausting years getting a fucking degree! Let me have a fucking break! Nope. You just got the gift and privilege of a grade-A American education! Time to PAY YOUR DUES! You mean financially? Well, that too, but education isn't about moneyyyy, it's something all young Americans should be grateful it's being offered to them, regardless of cost! Brilliant. Truly brilliant. You can go fuck yourself, overpriced college-level institutions. And you too, government-sponsored (and private) loan providers.2. Boston sports. Call me spoiled, but it's just not the same when there isn't a parade at least once a year. And I don't even like all of the Boston sports teams.
3. The Nobel Peace Prize committee haters. Look, I don't really care all that much that Obama won it and didn't turn it down. Why should he? I also don't feel strongly one way or another about the committee's reasoning behind awarding the prize to Obama. What really pisses me off is that people are getting so upset over this. I realize the prize is a great symbol, has a long and respected tradition, and holds a lot of respect internationally, but it's just that: a symbol. I don't even know what the physical prize is but I assume it's some kind of gaudy, metallic thing made to look mad sexy so as to represent the name. But come on. It's an award. Awards don't preclude greatness or great acts, and in the end they are really just a form of recognition of a person or an act. The criteria can always be argued, but you can't really argue that without awards, people would not have the motivation to do great things. Gandhi never won a Nobel Peace Price, but according to the criteria he was probably the most deserving person who ever lived that we know of. Does that tarnish the shit he did in the name of peace and non-violence? Absolutely not. Obama hasn't done much yet, true, but whether he ends up doing great things or falling well short, people are not going to give the credit for his successes to the committee nor blame them for his failures. In the end, it's just an award and a title, no matter how prestigious.
October 13, 2009
Things to Come
Ah, so many good things coming up the next two weeks....
Today: new Flaming Lips album
Oct. 15: Move into new place (finally)
Oct. 16: Where the Wild Things Are in theaters
Oct. 16: New York, I Love You in theaters
Oct. 17: VT football vs. GT
Oct. 17: Gaslight Anthem at the HoB
Oct. 20: new Roots album
Oct. 23: Antichrist in theaters
Oct. 26: Thievery Corporation at the HoB
Man I am gonna be brokeeee...
(also, don't know how old this is but...it's pretty great)
Today: new Flaming Lips album
Oct. 15: Move into new place (finally)
Oct. 16: Where the Wild Things Are in theaters
Oct. 16: New York, I Love You in theaters
Oct. 17: VT football vs. GT
Oct. 17: Gaslight Anthem at the HoB
Oct. 20: new Roots album
Oct. 23: Antichrist in theaters
Oct. 26: Thievery Corporation at the HoB
Man I am gonna be brokeeee...
(also, don't know how old this is but...it's pretty great)
October 8, 2009
Top Priority
Been pretty busy lately, not much time to blog...but I promise I'll have a lot more to write about in a few weeks once I get settled into my new place.
Until then, here's a sample of what I've been working on so much the past several weeks...this is the mission statement for the production company I'll be starting over the next year:
"This company is built upon the premise of promoting universal equality, and the means will be the medium of film. We seek to use film, as art as well as exposition, to inform people of the human condition and how they can work together towards a world without hate, discrimination and violence. Through a deep commitment to both the art of filmmaking and the cause of spreading peace, love and equality as the central message, Top Priority Productions strives to use the respective power of each to create a media force that can touch and affect the most far-reaching of audiences. With film as the medium and the entertainment industry as the outlet to draw from, the message can be channeled with efficiency greater than that allowed by other means. This message is our top priority, and the impact of which is the main fruit of our labor. Seeing this as our strongest motivating factor, there is no limit to how far we can reach."
Still needs a little work but it's still early in the planning process. Oh, and in case you missed it, the name references the Mos Def song "Priority" that I posted about a while ago. Just one of my many inspirations for the company and its mission.
Until then, here's a sample of what I've been working on so much the past several weeks...this is the mission statement for the production company I'll be starting over the next year:
"This company is built upon the premise of promoting universal equality, and the means will be the medium of film. We seek to use film, as art as well as exposition, to inform people of the human condition and how they can work together towards a world without hate, discrimination and violence. Through a deep commitment to both the art of filmmaking and the cause of spreading peace, love and equality as the central message, Top Priority Productions strives to use the respective power of each to create a media force that can touch and affect the most far-reaching of audiences. With film as the medium and the entertainment industry as the outlet to draw from, the message can be channeled with efficiency greater than that allowed by other means. This message is our top priority, and the impact of which is the main fruit of our labor. Seeing this as our strongest motivating factor, there is no limit to how far we can reach."
Still needs a little work but it's still early in the planning process. Oh, and in case you missed it, the name references the Mos Def song "Priority" that I posted about a while ago. Just one of my many inspirations for the company and its mission.
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