The answer is “yes.”
February 28, 2010
February 27, 2010
Vancouver Olympics: Great TV in an Era of Awful
For those critical of NBC or the Vancouver Winter Olympics, I offer these words: “Two and a Half Men”, “Gay, Straight or Taken”, and Fox News.
From start to finish, this has been one of the most exciting live events ever, especially considering the crap that’s usually on. There was tragedy, triumph and, of course, tons of redemption and helicoptered-snow. Shawn White flew higher than any tomato ever. Apolo Ohno was, well, Apolo Ohno. Lindsey Vonn was disappointing. Bode Miller was inspiring. Joannie Rochette was unbelievable. Kim Yu-na totally predictable- and totally fascinating. The Canadians were incredible. The Americans were more incredible. We fell in love with Canadian ice dancers Tessa Virtue and Scott Moir. Even the nerds of the world, who’ve never even touched ice outside of a Diet Coke, fell in love with the Norweigian curling team’s pants.
Congrats to everyone at NBC and Vancouver for a true spectacle. It shows again that winter is fun- even if you’re not the one getting snowed on.
Depression’s Upside: New York Times, “Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind” Make It Good to Be Sad Again
“Hail divinest Melancholy/Whose saintly visage is too bright/To hit the sense of human sight.”
- Milton, “Il Penseroso”
Is there an upside to everything “bad”? The atomic bomb? Animal testing? The Chicago Cubs? In journalism, you’re taught to look at every side (well, at least two sides) of every story. That’s me. That’s also Pollyanna and Candide. And while it may be difficult to find the good in the Haiti earthquake and the Kardashians, there may indeed be positive benefits to depression.
As you know, my father and members of his family suffered from depression much of their lives. Therefore, I look for and see signs of it in myself. But instead of reading yet another depressing self-help book or missive from a pharmaceutical manufacturer, the New York Times has produced another excellent and useful article about the subject.
The concept of “rumination” (literally, chewing), described in the article, as a root cause of depression makes sense. My father had an excellent memory, was a brilliant student and accountant, and thought for long periods of time (ruminated) about numbers and facts before drawing what he considered airtight conclusions. While this ability often manifested itself as obsession and fixation, the article suggests that it’s a basic human trait that enables analytical and creative thinking. The quote from Milton above, as well as others from creative thinkers, artists and others in the article, indicate that “the black dog” that Winston Churchill used to describe depression can be helpful, inspirational, and ultimately productive. Depression, as Adrian Monk would say, “is a blessing and a curse.”
I strongly urge you to read this article. It will not only help you understand a friend or family member (or yourself) better. It will also help demystify depression and hopefully end the pharmaceutically-based mania that has demonized melancholia by prescribing powerful, mind-altering drugs to help us deal with what truly are life’s every day challenges. I also recommend you watch “Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind” again. After both of these, you’ll run outside and whistle for your “black dog” to come home.
“How happy is the blameless vestal’s lot! The world forgetting, by the world forgot. Eternal sunshine of the spotless mind! Each pray’r accepted, and each wish resign’d.”
- Alexander Pope
February 25, 2010
Schreiner Productions Adds Solar Hot Water; Still the Only Solar-Powered Video Production Facility on Earth
Here’s the installation of the solar hot water panels (above) at our home/my business in Salt Lake City this week. Rule of thumb is one panel per person so we have two of them. Below is in the installation of the new 80-gallon hot water storage tank. What’s great is that it’s electrically heated. That means it’s heated by our 2kWh of solar PV panels already in the backyard instead of natural gas. The savings should be huge. FYI: the green liquid in the tank video is glycol. It runs through a tube in the storage tank and is what is heated to keep the water hot. Like one of those systems that melts the snow off your driveway.
Shocking Revelation: Glenn Beck Goes Green; Apocalyptic Panderer or Al Gore as Grim Reaper?
“I’m willing to do anything but use the CFLs… I put them in once and couldn’t stand the way they lit up the room.”
- Glenn Beck
A headline is supposed to shock you into reading the article. And the revelation by, of all publications, USA Weekend, that Glenn Beck is a closet environmentalist and a global warming believer on the surface is nothing short of startling. But when you actually read on and LISTEN to Beck and follow not only his professional but personal behavioral patterns, you’ll discover something less surprising.
He’s a pandering, hypocritical, carnival-barking, street clown shouting as loud as he can about whatever he can think of that will get people’s attention. Think of the guy with the sandwich board standing on the street corners of cities proclaiming the world is going to end so he can get a few bills thrown in his hat and buy a Big Mac. That’s Glenn Beck. And his hat runneth over.
He publicly criticizes Al Gore for his position on global warming while secretly (until now) agreeing with it. But end-of-the-world scenarios are Beck’s raison d’etre and the lynchpin of his multimedia empire. Human-induced climate change is probably the best apocalyptic theory going today with the exception of an asteroid plummeting into Midtown Manhattan. Without inspiring fear of divinity-inflicted mass destruction, Beck’s just another right-wing cartoon character. It’s good to know he’s on the green team. Still, it’s just hard to understand why he’s lying to everyone else- just like every other Republican, though the others defy Beck’s model by also lying to themselves.
Wow! Could it be… MONEY?
February 24, 2010
SeaWorld Orca Kills Trainer: Some Animals Just Don’t Belong
Another in a long list of incidents involving killer whales happened in Orlando today. Reading about the incidents in the linked article, you get the impression orcas might not LIKE being held captive for human amusement. One thing about the fans who saw this latest episode: they will never forget that show. Question is what did they learn? Orcas are dangerous. Humans are vulnerable. Amusement is relative. My kid’s afraid of the water now.
How about “stop this stupidity and leave those animals alone?” We know dolphins like us (maybe not the guy in the picture) but they are not good at killing us without a lot of help. You have to pick your captive animals like you pick your friends: carefully.
China’s Minority Museum Turns Tibetan Genocide into Family Fun
“The culture here is the same as inside the park. “You’re getting cheated inside. You come out here, you can see everything for free.”
- Ai Yong: (minority) rubber farmer in China
It used to be called, in English translation, “Racist Park.” And while China’s new theme parks featuring their ethnic minorities are designed to be some sort of twisted tribute, they really live up to that ironically accurate name. The NYT article about China’s celebration of overt, escalating and Han (majority)-inflicted genocide is truly eye-opening- if not eye-rounding.
Like any zoo, you can see Tibetans, Dai and other ethnic minorities dressed in their colorful native garb, dancing their happy native dances, and re-enacting their ancient customs. All this while those real minorities are still alive (barely) and still engaging in their real ancient cultural customs in their real communities. But the Chinese would rather you not see that. In fact, they’ve made it so difficult for most Chinese and Westerners to visit Tibet and other cultural enclaves that you almost have to visit Racist Park.
Why is the Chinese government and military doing this? To continue their paranoid campaign of oppression and eradication of the Tibetan, Dai and other people they deem inferior and dangerous to the Han majority. If China’s leaders had their way, the only Tibetans and minorities would be in zoos. And at this rate, they’re not only succeeding. They’re making even more money at it by making genocide, literally, a day in the park.
February 23, 2010
Vietnam’s Fishing Community Honors Dead Whale
Scanning the volumes of information that counts as news, it’s rare I find something as unique, meaningful and touching as this story about Vietnamese fishermen giving last rites to a dead whale. This form of honor is as old as life on Earth- older than God really (humans invented him just a few thousand years ago). Native Americans routinely honored the beasts they killed for food and if you want to see modern animal worship in Western culture, visit a PetSmart or watch Animal Planet.
Why leaders of the white, American Christian conglomerate insist that destroying Earth and its inhabitants (including humans) for our amusement and comfort is “God’s will” escapes me. But if you want to see people who understand how humans and Nature are inescapably related, apparently- and ironically- you must leave the U.S. and go to Vietnam.
February 22, 2010
Vancouver Olympics Update: Bode Miller Wins Gold in Redemption
The word this Olympics is “redemption.” Redemption for Lindsey Vonn, redemption for the Canadian hockey team- the list goes on and on and… Sometimes I think these so-called “heroes” are merely competing to escape prosecution, pay off gambling debts, or overcome any one of a number of phobias, playground nightmares or other emotional and physical scars.
However, Bode Miller appears to have captured the gold in the Super-Combined Redemption race. Though there are still lots of recovered alcoholics, abandoned children, and political refugees left to compete. I’ll admit: I’m not a big Bode fan. But he proved that, regardless of the redemptive qualities of made-for-TV sports events, it’s possible to get better as you get older- if you don’t give up.
February 20, 2010
Breaking Irony: Tiger Woods Moralizing Continues While Corporate Media Break Every Code of Decency
If the corporate news media are good for one thing, it’s hypocritical, pointless and incessant moralizing on subjects they know nothing about. So the deconstructing of Tiger Woods’ fake news conference is rampant in this morning’s paper and electronic rags because- well, that’s what the corporate media does. Deconstruct. As in, the opposite of construct.
Problem is with articles like this swill in the Washington Post is that it sets a standard of decency for celebrities while inexplicably and hypocritically ignoring every other type of person who walks the earth- particularly the media themselves. And the nonsense about Woods “tricking” or “deceiving” the world into believing that he was a wholesome, family guy are the ravings of idiots who think the world should be or would be perfect if everyone would just do as they say.
I watched Woods’ news conference and thought: “just go back and play golf so you can support your family, the PGA and the TV networks.” That’s what everyone wants. Instead, we’ve got reporters stalking his children, news executives exploiting Woods’ problems for their own gain, and the sport of golf and the entire sports world by association agonizing while the networks and sponsors writhe in pain from all the lost revenue due to Woods’ absence from the PGA tour.
Like a guy who can’t keep his weenie in his pants, the corporate media can’t help moralizing even as they violate every code of decency themselves and exploit others’ misery for their own amusement and profit. The punishment for their recklessness and stupidity: no Tiger, no money, no credibility. Who’s sorry now?
