Tuesday, May 25, 2004

The updates on this site still seem to be experiencing technical difficulty. The newly launched H Bomb magazine, though, has not. Instead, the controversial Harvard-published sex mag recently launched with its first issue after much media rigmarole. Previews of the saucy art and mediocre writing therein can be found via H Bomb's home page: http://www.h-bomb.org Though I could have sworn Maxim has already published plenty about designer condoms. 1:50:54 PM    comment []

Tuesday, March 16, 2004

Three "celebrities" who don't deserve the press they are being given today: Ralph Nadar (although the non-profit headquarters news may crush is one percent margin), Jayson Blair (even though the Fox News channel seems to like him/hates The Times) and Whitney Houston (who should have been rehabilitated when she tried to dance). 3:13:07 PM    comment []

Finally there will be a liberal radio network featuring the likes of left wing Al Franken (who supposedly will be calling his show The Franken Factor) and Janeane Garofalo. Can you hear Bill O'Reilly grinding his teeth? To find out more about Air America, click here: http://www.airamericaradio.com 3:38:41 PM    comment []

They say that what you do now can come back and haunt you later. Such was the case for Jay Blotcher, a stringer at The New York Times who was fired after the paper found out that he was a member of the anti-AIDS advocacy group ACT UP...14 years ago. The Times is apparently arguing that his involvement with advocacy is a conflict of interest, since Blotcher has been handed the title of ACT UP member several times in print. The Nation recently wrote about the debacle, citing positive and negatives reactions, including one from ACT UP founder and playwright Larry Kramer who likens the firing to McCarthyism. So it seems, the gesture is a grounded, if not consistent one, but I'm still wondering if the move is less about the paper's image (which is hardly squeaky clean) and more a tactic to crawl out from under the Jayson Blair shame. After all, Blair's new book is already on shelves. 3:35:31 PM    comment []

It turns out that the content that had been posted here is lost to the cyber beast. But the name is back in place and I intend to add content regularly again to hopefully build up (build back) this page. To begin, Bush's political spin monsters, I mean, advisors, have already rolled out the first negative campaign ad in what will undoubtedly be a series. Aside from crassly using the events of September 11 for political gain, the negative ad points to the administration's fear about reelection. Kerry, it seems, is a threat after all. To read more about the Democratic front runner, click here: http://www.johnkerry.com/ 3:18:32 PM    comment []

Friday, March 12, 2004

Dear readers: After renewing the license for this blog, all of my former content was wiped out and the name mysteriously changed. Needless to say, this content creator is not very happy with the situation. Help is pending from the higher powers. In the meantime, please excuse the appearance. Hopefully Vanitas Personae (as this blog should be called) will be back to "normal." 3:04:35 PM    comment []

Bad movie: Wonderland. As a friend described it: Short attention span theatre. It's a shame, too, because the story of porn star John Holmes' demise has all the makings of a classical Greek tragedy. Or at least Boogie Nights. 12:48:20 PM    comment []

Friday, March 5, 2004

Last evening I watched the DVD of 'Pieces of April.' It was one of those films where you're immediately suspicious of the preview you saw a year ago, but thought to yourself, "Maybe I'll just rent it later." It was worth it. The previews, which portrayed a much more whimsical, if not "cutesy" film, didn't really do justice. Instead, 'Pieces of April' is a much more simple account of one day that tells a year's worth of stories. It seems to know just what details are important, often ones that are overlooked, like a mislaid comment your mother made once during a long car ride that you've nearly forgotten. Despite the morose premise -- a dying mother decides to accept a Thanksgiving dinner invitation from her wayward daughter, thus hauling the entire family to a dump in Manhattan's Lower East Side -- it really works. You never can tell if the family will get there or whether they'll change their minds, whether the turkey will be cooked or the neighbors will ever understand English. The characters are quirky enough to be realistic, without bounding off the deep end like an absurdist lemur. The movie is very much about timing, which, we are reaffirmed, is sometimes out of sync with expectation. The only trouble is Katie Holmes. I just wish she would stop shooting those doe-eyed expressions as if she was still living on Dawson's Creek. Please note: The soundtrack features four very good songs by The Magnetic Fields. 3:07:03 PM    comment []

Thursday, March 4, 2004

If George W.'s favorite NRA-friendly bill is passed, buy a bullet-proof vest. According to the "Protection of Lawful Commerce in Arms Act," gun dealers would be immune from any liability in the event that one of their paying customers decides to mow down a pack of Cub Scouts. After chewing on this stat -- one percent of gun dealers supply 57 percent of the guns used in crimes -- it becomes clear where the administration's allegiance lies -- and it's not with the often talked about "homeland security." Instead, if the bill passes, victims, like the ones gunned down by John Mohammad and Lee Malvo in the Washington D.C. area, would have no legal recourse to prevent those same people from getting assault weapons without background checks. Interestingly enough, Bush's own front man, John Ashcroft, has taken liberties with the Second Amendment by digging into private records for "homeland security" sake. As Arianna Huffington points out, "I guess Ashcroft missed the al-Qaida training manual our soldiers found in Afghanistan, which included a chapter on how easy it is to stock up on a whole sleeper cell's worth of weapons in the United States." 1:46:36 PM    comment []

The AP is having a field day with NBC's Katie Couric today, as she is desperately trying to defend her interview with well-known, former New York Times plagiarist/serial fabricator Jayson Blair, who has authored a newly published book about his "evil doings." While I am hesitant to give one iota of space to Blair or his book, the Couric criticism is definitely revealing of just how much controversy surrounds him -- even after The Times fall out. I'm not entirely sure that landing the first interview with Blair is particularly novel anyway, especially as most producers have backed away from giving him press for reasons of, perhaps, allegiance, but also (most importantly) distrust. Who wants to give credence or air time to someone who is a proven liar? While Blair claims to have stopped lying...well...he still blames his deceit on substance abuse, never actually accepting responsibility. Seems as though he has no problem accepting free press, however. Meanwhile, The New York Times is said to be mulling over whether to review the book for reasons of, um, merit? 11:01:59 AM    comment []

A thank you is in order to Brian, who aptly pointed out that my reference to Whitney Pastorek was gender-confused. That is, I referred to Ms. Pastorek as a "him," when in fact, she is very much a "her." Apologies. Hopefully my error didn't steal too much away from the actual reference. I must have had Eli Whitney on the brain, as opposed to that character from A Different World. No one thinks about Whitney Houston anymore, right? I definitely wasn't thinking about Whitney Houston. 10:40:55 AM    comment []

Wednesday, March 3, 2004

A very funny (and strangely on-point) essay by Whitney Pastorek about why blogs are ruining her life is featured in the Village Voice this week. You can check it out by clicking on the following link or go directly to the online edition to read lots more about politics (and porn): http://www.villagevoice.com/issues/0409/essay.php Death Cab for Cutie lovers beware. She administers a few good blows: "My name is Whitney Pastorek, and I do not have a blog. I am not on Friendster, I do not live in Williamsburg, and I do not think Death Cab for Cutie is a particularly great band." What she really wants is someone to buy her a beer. Like, a real person. Not an online one. Amen. 4:22:31 PM    comment []

I've always assumed that Gary Bauer was hiding something. Turns out it's a mysterious "Oxford study" he's been using to suggest homosexuality is more dangerous than smoking. Bauer, president of the right-wing religious group ironically named "American Values," is fanatically in favor of a constitutional amendment forbidding same-sex marriages. While Bauer has a history of making homophobic statements, this time he's gotten in bed with Darwin. His preposterous statement (pasted below) surely stands on its own as a work of idiocy that he describes as a "documented medical fact." Trouble is nobody except Bauer seems to know from where this "fact" comes: "While marriage law has traditionally been a state issue, the definition of marriage has never been an issue ... More importantly, however, the government has an obligation to promote public policy that is best for the general welfare and to discriminate against behaviors that adversely impact society and public health. Tobacco use is heavily regulated by the state and smoking is strongly discouraged. A major study conducted by Oxford University demonstrated that homosexual conduct is three times more deadly than smoking. Homosexual behavior is fraught with adverse health affects. Again, this is not opinion, but documented medical fact. Public policy must not be ignorant of medical facts associated with this lifestyle and from a public policy perspective, the behavior should not be encouraged by affording it the status of marriage." He never does cite what "major study" was conducted by Oxford University. And isn't it odd how enthusiastic the right has suddenly become about protecting people, but not state's rights? Otherwise, if allowing same-sex marriages is an endorsement of bad heath, then I wonder what Bauer thinks about abusive heterosexual spousal relationships that seem to exist quite freely (a person convicted of abuse is still free to marry), quickie marriages in Vegas (Britney did it!) and marriages between smokers, none of which prevent the union, healthy or not. If that doesn't convince you, ask yourself if you really want your government to tell you to eat your vegetables? 11:12:47 AM    comment []

Tuesday, March 2, 2004

Byte Me blogger Frank Catalano ironically downplayed blogs recently, saying that so few people actually read them. I suppose it could be considered metablogging? Anyway, you can read his rant here: http://bytemeonline.blogspot.com/2004_03_01_bytemeonline_archive.html#107819824637963845) 2:32:02 PM    comment []

Man's Best Friendster? Fellow http://www.Friendster.com users may be surprised to note that there's competition in the cyber social scene thanks to a newly launched site for the love of dogs. The official http://www.Dogster.com was conceptualized by seemingly bored dot-com canine lovers in the San Francisco area who wanted to create an overzealous social networking for their best animal friends. Exclusively for dogs, the site provides man's best friends with their own Web pages with pictures, likes and dislikes, along with links to adoption and rescue shelters. According to Dogster, when the site launched in January, it entertained a mere 100 dogs. Since then, thousands of pooches have been signed on from all over the world. And while other pet lovers have tried to include non-canine species, Dogster is strict about its doggy door policy. Because of the popularity, the site is growing its content in the meantime, too. Obituaries about famous celebrity dog deaths are featured. Dogster also launched advice columns that tackle such topics as house training and behavior modification in "I Like it Ruff" and "Barking Dog News." But if dog owners are very lucky, then their own pets may get spotlighted as "dog of the week." The Bay Area's http://www.SFGate.com reported that one such dog, a silver-haired Chihuahua, made the cut for his uncanny likeness to Pop artist Andy Warhol. Famous for 15 minutes, indeed. 1:20:10 PM    comment []