One particularly depressing thought that occurred to me last night: there’s an episode of The Simpsons in which a bear is spotted in Springfield, causing the townspeople to go crazy and demand that Mayor Quimby do something about the town being “infested” by bears. Quimby starts a massive “bear patrol,” with armed agents and helicopters [...]
Entries Tagged as 'Arts and Entertainment'
Socialist Patrol
November 3rd, 2010 · 1 Comment · AR, Arts and Entertainment, Politics
Tags: 2010 elections·magic rocks·right-wing hysteria·The Simpsons
The Full Story
September 28th, 2010 · No Comments · AR, Arts and Entertainment, Labor
As buzz began to grow around Davis Guggenheim’s new documentary, Waiting for Superman, with positive reviews from critics, glowing media coverage, and most importantly, Oprah’s seal of approval, I realized that at some point I was going to have to write about it. The vilification of teachers’ unions is a particularly big concern of mine, [...]
Tags: charter schools·Dana Goldstein·Davis Guggenheim·Finland·Finnish education·rubber rooms·Steven Brill·teacher tenure·teachers' unions·Waiting for Superman
Godsend
June 16th, 2010 · No Comments · AS, Arts and Entertainment
Sad news this week. God decided to smite Touchdown Jesus (or as some refer to him, Big Butter Jesus). Touchdown Jesus was hit by lightning and burned completely to the ground, leaving only a steel frame behind. What are the possible implications of this smiting? Burning Man is over. God 1, Jesus 0. Jesus tiring [...]
Tags: Big Butter Jesus·burning·Burning Man·God·Jesus·Judaism·lightning·miracle·Ohio·smite·smiting·Touchdown Jesus
Fuel for the Crazies
March 5th, 2010 · 1 Comment · AR, Arts and Entertainment, Politics
I went to see The Crazies last night. Horror’s not really my preferred genre, but some friends were going and it seemed like a good night for a good/bad movie. Sadly, I found myself unable to leave politics behind during the movie. I was very disturbed, but not for the reasons the movie intended. I [...]
The Sad, Untriumphant Return of Lying to Make Friends
January 23rd, 2010 · No Comments · AR, Arts and Entertainment, Law School, Politics, Supreme Court
Due to a combination of final papers, holidays, cross-country and cross-state travel, the start of a new semester, and good old-fashioned laziness, Lying to Make Friends has been silent for the past month. That silence has been extended for the past week because all of the top stories in the news, with the exception of [...]
Tags: bone-crushing depression·corporations·crisis of democracy·David Letterman·Haiti·health care·health care reform·John Edwards·laziness·Scott Brown·Supreme Court
Michael Moore: A Love Story
October 8th, 2009 · No Comments · AR, Arts and Entertainment, Politics
I saw Capitalism: A Love Story last night, and highly recommend that everyone else do the same. I want to keep this post short, but some of the better reviews can be found here and here. The reason I want to keep this short is because the power of Moore’s films lies in the simplicity [...]
Tags: Capitalism·evil·Michael Moore·truth
Shame on You, Polanski Apologists
September 28th, 2009 · No Comments · AS, Arts and Entertainment, Law and Justice, Uncategorized
Thank goodness someone said this so well, because every time I tried to write it I started getting all curse-y. Yes, Chinatown is a great movie. AND?! Shame on you, Joan Z. Shore, author of the book “Saging — How to Grow Older and Wiser,” which is apparently meant in an ironic way. Shame on [...]
Tags: Anne Applebaum·Chinatown·Joan Z. Shore·Kate Harding·Roman Polanski·Tucker Max
Polanski Arrested
September 28th, 2009 · No Comments · AR, Arts and Entertainment, Law and Justice
There may a good argument against finally bringing Roman Polanski to justice for the rape he committed over 30 years ago. This is not it. Particularly unpersuasive is this passage: Polanski, who panicked and fled the U.S. during that trial, has been pursued by this case for 30 years, during which time he has never [...]
Pittsburgh in the News!
September 24th, 2009 · No Comments · AR, Arts and Entertainment, Labor, Politics, Sports
With the G-20 in Pittsburgh and much chaos expected, the media spotlight is on the Steel City. The LA Times and CNN emphasize the city’s transition from gritty and industrial to trendy and high-tech. But since no outsider could truly capture Pittsburgh’s greatness, I feel obligated to share some of the more pertinent facts about [...]
Tags: Arnold Palmer·Arsenal of Democracy·banana split·G-20·Latrobe·Mr. Rogers·Pittsburgh·Pittsburgh Penguins·Pittsburgh Pirates·Pittsburgh Steelers·PNC Park·Rolling Rock·steel