Thank you Johnny Cash, for all your great music and influence. We'll surely miss you.

And John Ritter too?

I'm gettin' all Aristotleian on you . . . classnotes and such.

tekhne (the word is conventionally translated as 'craft, 'skill' or 'art') as art is precisely mimesis (a word translated as 'immitation', although many scholars prefer 'representation') as it immitates art.
in the material record, we see the effort of the species grappling with Intelligence . . . the material forms in which Intelligence is manifest.

the function of literature is to articulate and sustain the polis/people. To invoke the people as the function of literature, to articulate and sustain a nation is a dangerous concept.

See if you can relate / see the connection of the above and this . . .

Don't Sweat The Technique Lyrics
Eric B. & Rakim

Don't Sweat The Technique

Don't sweat the Technique(2x)

Let's trace the hints and check the file
Let see who bit to detect the style
I flip the script so they can't get foul.
At least not now it'll take a while
I change the pace to complete the beat
I drop the bass 'till mc's get weak.
For every word they trace it's a scar they keep...
'Cause when I speak they freak
To sweat the technique
I made my debut in '86
Wit a melody and a president's mix
And now I stay on target and refuse to miss
And I still make hits
wit' beats, parties, clubs, in the cars and jeeps
My underground sound vibrates the streets
MC's wanna beef then I play for keeps
When they sweat the technique

Don't Sweat the Technique

They wanna know how many rhymes have I ripped in rep., but
Researchers never found all the pieces yet
Scientists try to solve the context
Philosophers are wondering what's next
Pieces are took to last who observe them
They couldn't absorb them, they didn't deserve them
My ideas are only for the audience's ears
For my opponents, it might take years
Pencils and pens, are swords
Letters put together form a key to chords
I'm also a sculpture, born with structure
Because of my culture, I'm a rip and destruct the
Difficult styles that'll be for the technology
Complete sights and new heights after I get deep
You don't have to speak just seek
And peep the technique

But don't sweat the technique

I speak indiscreet cause talk is cheap
Then I get deep and the weak then complete their
Pull with a seat, never weak or obsolete
They never grow old techniques become antiques
Better then something brand new 'cause it's radiant
And the wild style'll have much more volume
Classical too intelligent to be radical
Masterful, never irrelevant: mathematical
Here's some soothing souvenirs for all the years
They fought, and sought, the thoughts and ideas
It's cool when you freak to the beat
But don't sweat the technique

Don't sweat the technique (2x)

This make sme angry. Color Coded airline tickets . . . ? because it is assumed that we're all really dangerous people, terrorists in the making? because we really don't need freedom anymore? who the heck makes these decisions? I think this is ridiculous . . .

I thought Leni Reifenstahl had checked out years ago, but apparently she's part of the Century Club.

most of my firends with blogs don't post anymore it seems . . . i guess they're busy or something.

You can feel that fall is on it's way, it's in the air in the evenings. And then of course winter follows. What i like least about winter, aside from it being cold, is the lack of smells. Outside air smells at least, are far fewer in winter than in spring or summer. Smell is a big part of autumn, no doubt, but there's some summer smells i'm going to miss: rain falling on hot pavement, tomato plants, and sunscreen. the cut grass, the footy weed smell, well these i may not miss so much. i'm ready for fall now ... or ready to begin the adjsutment. i'll still moan hear and there about the cold. tha't jsut who i am. but i'm ready for fall to come

Goodbye Warren Zevon, we'll miss you. Ahhooooooo! Werewolves of London!

Here's a funny story about two dumb chix to make your day a little brighter.

A cool article on Salon about Bjork, if you can't read it let me know, I'll get you the article another way.

A little something is born and a little something dies with each season change. Yesterday evening I picked up Eli to go play catch (we didnt think many folks would show up for softball because of the rain, and yup, nobody else did) at Wightman field. School started last week, and I think last week was perhaps the last Tuesday softball game, because despite the rain and mud, there was little league soccer in left field, and girls field hockey in right field. Looks like both organizations have Wightman as their regular practice spot? Does anybody remember from last year how it panned out? Anyways, I'm grateful for a good summer of softball fun, and looks like Sunday softball is still on. Plus, now there's Cathedral lawn soccer on Friday's . . . So something dies, something's born.

Sofia Coppola is not only a subtly attractive woman, but talented and intelligent as well. She's well within my age bracket for chix, trouble is she' maybe married and definitley running in different circles than I do. Anyways, I'll still go check out her upcoming film, Lost in Translation if I can help it. it also has Bill Murray in it. I'm looking forward to seeing him in a role where he is not a loser (Royal Tannenbaums, Rushmore). Maybe it's just those Wilson brothers who like to cast him as a loser.

A link describing Stylistic Vices

On another note, here's a good piece from the NY Times on String Theory for all you physics people. It's kind of the Seinfeld of Physics:

Dr. Michael Douglas of Rutgers and the Institute of Advanced Scientific Studies, near Paris, called the plethora of string universes "the Alice's Restaurant" problem.
"You can get anything you want at Alice's Restaurant," he said. "Is this a theory of something, very many things or nothing? That's what we're trying to establish."

Way to go, Papa!!! Dr. Kevan Yenerall has a new book coming out called Seeing the Bigger Picture. From the Clarion University Newswire, April 30, 2002, a few words about the paper (relevant to the book) he and his colleague Mark Sachleben presented:

YENERALL PRESENTS POLITICS AND FILM PAPER
Kevan M. Yenerall, assistant professor of political science, presented the paper "Seeing the Bigger Picture: Understanding Politics Through Film and Television" at the annual meeting of the Midwestern Political Science Association in Chicago, Ill., April 25-28. The paper was co-authored with Mark Sachleben of Miami University.

"Seeing the Bigger Picture" outlines how the medium of film and the moving image can be employed in the political science classroom. Specifically, Yenerall and Sachleben address the benefits and drawbacks of using film in the classroom, the importance of providing alternative and diverse viewpoints through film, and offer several specific assignments and discussion questions designed to spark critical thinking, discussion and debate in the areas of American politics and international relations. The authors review film and video dealing with globalization, neocolonialism, the presidency, and civil rights and social justice.

Yenerall developed the course "Politics and Film" (PS 301) at Clarion University and also directs an annual Politics and Film series. The second film series will commence in the fall of 2002.

Kevan has a truly distinctive perspective on movies, as evidenced one fine sunday evening at Dee's Cafe when he brought by the movie Gramps starring Andy Griffith.

"That may work in the real world,
but how does it stand up as a theory?"
--Anonymous Frenchman

Erin and Dan Brown have some great stuff going on at the Renaissance Fair (and who wouldn't want to be King or Queen?) Huzzah!!! Huzzah!!! Huzzah!!! I think this weekend or next, I'd like to go check my pals out at the Renaissance Fair. One of my favorites is the mud show, but one piece of advice, don't sit too close. ;)

If you need some burnination, play Trogdor!

Who knew there was all this stuff about the Dark Side of the Force . . . ?

Go talk about Shitty Shitstein and Fucky McFuckface or whatever diatribe of swears you got lined up to the folks at Lucky Pierre's . You have until this weekend for them to record your three minutes of cuss guff.
And if you'r estill not satisfied and havemore angst to vent, you can go to Spain and pelt people with tomatoes. I totally recommend chekcing out the slideshow. Funny stuff . . .

And by the way, dark chocolate is better for you . . .

And perhaps only Anders (as far as readers of this blog go) may have a deeper interest in this guy: Scott of the Antarctic's rival

Oh yeah, there are idiots in Britain too. Jsut ask the Black lady who was supposed to get a white foot

Some new dance moves?

Here's a story from the New York Times about a modern day Bonnie and Clyde. Here's the story of the real criminal duo.

Following is a poem written by Bonnie Parker somewhere in the last weeks of her life: (The punctuation are hers.) She entitled it:

The Story of Bonnie and Clyde

You’ve read the story of Jesse James
Of how he lived and died
If you’re still in need for something to read
Here’s the story of Bonnie and Clyde.

Now Bonnie and Clyde are the Barrow gang,
I’m sure you all have read
how they rob and steal
And those who squeal are usually found dying or dead.

There’s lots of untruths to those write-ups
They’re not so ruthless as that
Their nature is raw, they hate all law
Stool pigeons, spotters, and rats.

They call them cold-blooded killers
They say they are heartless and mean
But I say this with pride, I once knew Clyde
When he was honest and upright and clean.

But the laws fooled around and taking him down
and locking him up in a cell
‘Till he said to me, "I’ll never be free
So I’ll meet a few of them in hell."

The road was so dimly lighted
There were no highway signs to guide
But they made up their minds if all roads were blind
They wouldn’t give up ‘till they died.

The road gets dimmer and dimmer
Sometimes you can hardly see
But it’s fight man to man, and do all you can
For they know they can never be free.

From heartbreak some people have suffered
From weariness some people have died
But all in all, our troubles are small
‘Till we get like Bonnie and Clyde.

If a policeman is killed in Dallas
And they have no clue or guide
If they can’t find a friend, just wipe the slate clean
And hang it on Bonnie and Clyde.

There’s two crimes committed in America
Not accredited to the Barrow Mob
They had no hand in the kidnap demand
Nor the Kansas City Depot job.

A newsboy once said to his buddy
"I wish old Clyde would get jumped
In these hard times we’s get a few dimes
If five or six cops would get bumped."

"The police haven’t got the report yet
But Clyde called me up today
He said, "Don’t start any fights, we aren’t
working nights, we’re joining the NRA."

From Irving to West Dallas viaduct
Is known as the Great Divide
Where the women are kin and men are men
And they won’t stool on Bonnie and Clyde.

If they try to act like citizens
And rent a nice little flat
About the third night they’re invited to fight
By a sub-gun’s rat-tat-tat.

They don’t think they’re tough or desperate
They know the law always wins
They’ve been shot at before, but they do not ignore
That death is the wages of sin.

Someday they’ll go down together
And they’ll bury them side by side
To few it’ll be grief, to the law a relief
But it’s death for Bonnie and Clyde

********************************

And then there's this:

Here's the website of the starwars kid i was telling you about, click "original" first then watch some of the remixes. "Re-mix" and "Dork Clones" are the two funniest. The story behind it is some kid from Canada filmed himself acting like a Jedi with a light sabre and his friends got hold of it. Then internet geeks got hold of it and the rest is history. enjoy.

So there's this test you can take and it tells you some stuff, at least in generic terms. It's gotta be those damned super powers that scored me my high rating. A least it isn't a Very High rating . . . I knew I shouldn't have played with that friggin' meteorite I found that one night in the mountains . . .

Disorder | Rating
Paranoid: Low
Schizoid: Low
Schizotypal: High
Antisocial: Low
Borderline: Low
Histrionic: Low
Narcissistic: Low
Avoidant: Moderate
Dependent: Moderate
Obsessive-Compulsive: Moderate

URL of the test: http://www.4degreez.com/misc/personality_disorder_test.mv

Paranoid
Paranoid personality disorder is characterized by a distrust of others and a constant suspicion that people around you have sinister motives. People with this disorder tend to have excessive trust in their own knowledge and abilities and usually avoid close relationships with others. They search for hidden meanings in everything and read hostile intentions into the actions of others. They are quick to challenge the loyalties of friends and loved ones and often appear cold and distant to others. They usually shift blame to others and tend to carry long grudges.

Schizoid
People with schizoid personality disorder avoid relationships and do not show much emotion. They genuinely prefer to be alone and do not secretly wish for popularity. They tend to seek jobs that require little social contact. Their social skills are often weak and they do not show a need for attention or acceptance. They are perceived as humorless and distant and often are termed "loners."

Schizotypal
Many believe that schizotypal personality disorder represents mild schizophrenia. The disorder is characterized by odd forms of thinking and perceiving, and individuals with this disorder often seek isolation from others. They sometimes believe to have extra sensory ability or that unrelated events relate to them in some important way. They generally engage in eccentric behavior and have difficulty concentrating for long periods of time. Their speech is often over elaborate and difficult to follow. (This sounds like so many heads, young and old ... )

Antisocial
A common misconception is that antisocial personality disorder refers to people who have poor social skills. The opposite is often the case. Instead, antisocial personality disorder is characterized by a lack of conscience. People with this disorder are prone to criminal behavior, believing that their victims are weak and deserving of being taken advantage of. They tend to lie and steal. Often, they are careless with money and take action without thinking about consequences. They are often agressive and are much more concerned with their own needs than the needs of others.

Borderline
Borderline personality disorder is characterized by mood instability and poor self-image. People with this disorder are prone to constant mood swings and bouts of anger. Often, they will take their anger out on themselves, causing themselves injury. Suicidal threats and actions are not uncommon. They think in very black and white terms and often form intense, conflict-ridden relationships. They are quick to anger when their expectations are not met.

Histrionic
People with histrionic personality disorder are constant attention seekers. They need to be the center of attention all the time, often interrupting others in order to dominate the conversation. They use grandiose language to discribe everyday events and seek constant praise. They may dress provacatively or exaggerate illnesses in order to gain attention. They also tend to exaggerate friendships and relationships, believing that everyone loves them. They are often manipulative.

Narcissistic
Narcissistic personality disorder is characterized by self-centeredness. Like histrionic disorder, people with this disorder seek attention and praise. They exaggerate their achievements, expecting others to recongize them as being superior. They tend to be choosy about picking friends, since they believe that not just anyone is worthy of being their friend. They tend to make good first impressions, yet have difficulty maintaining long-lasting relationships. They are generally uninterested in the feelings of others and may take advantage of them.

Avoidant
Avoidant personality disorder is characterized by extreme social anxiety. People with this disorder often feel inadequate, avoid social situations, and seek out jobs with little contact with others. They are fearful of being rejected and worry about embarassing themselves in front of others. They exaggerate the potential difficulties of new situations to rationalize avoiding them. Often, they will create fantasy worlds to substitute for the real one. Unlike schizoid personality disorder, avoidant people yearn for social relations yet feel they are unable to obtain them. They are frequently depressed and have low self-confidence.

Dependent
Dependent personality disorder is characterized by a need to be taken care of. People with this disorder tend to cling to people and fear losing them. They may become suicidal when a break-up is imminent. They tend to let others make important decisions for them and often jump from relationship to relationship. They often remain in abusive relationships. They are overly sensitive to disapproval. They often feel helpless and depressed.

Obsessive-Compulsive
Obsessive-Compulsive personality disorder is similar to obsessive-compulsive anxiety disorder. People with this disorder are overly focused on orderliness and perfection. Their need to do everything "right" often interferes with their productivity. They tend to get caught up in the details and miss the bigger picture. They set unreasonably high standards for themselves and others, and tend to be very critical of others when they do not live up to these high standards. They avoid working in teams, believing others to be too careless or incompetent. They avoid making decisions because they fear making mistakes and are rarely generous with their time or money. They often have difficulty expressing emotion.


At least i'm not like this guy so much . . . kind afunny in the sad and pathetic sorta way.

softball last night was cool, finally played on a winning team. hit somewhat better than Sunday, several singles and a lot fewer pop-ups, my fielding was about average, and afterwards, a few of us went to The Sharp Edge for some beers and food. and now that they're all finished with their renovations, i gots to say, the place looks good! it was worth all the schtuff that they did, cuz it's much bigger and looks nice. and whatever their mystery brew was last night, it was tasty......... mmmm . . . beer!

I picked up a few books about Maxfield Parrish at the library the other day. If you don't know his name, you'll know his images once you see them. I've always liked his stuff, the twilight colors, girls on rocks, and the whole Art Nouveau style is pretty frickin cool if you ask me ...