Monthly Archives: February 2010

First Jewish President, Chapter 2

Posted on February 25, 2010 | 2 comments

When Mike Bloomberg decided to run for a third term as New York City mayor, he derailed the mayoral ambitions of Rep. Anthony Wiener, Congressman from New York’s 9th District. Wiener, who was considered the leading candidate, seemed set on following the Ed Koch career path, and the zeitgesit pegged him as the leading Democratic candidate. Instead, he has reinvented himself as the most outspoken Congressional advocate for real health care reform and the public option.

Hat’s off to you Anthony! Keep up the good work!

If you too share my enthusiasm, why don’t you drop Rep. Wiener an email here.

2 Comments

Posted in Politics, The American Experience

The Real Threat? 75 Native Right Wing Terrorist Attacks since Oklahoma City

Posted on February 21, 2010 | Leave a comment

Austin, TX IRS office, Feb. 18, 2010

Summarized starting on page 13 of this must-read report from the Southern Poverty Law Center:

http://www.splcenter.org/sites/default/files/downloads/The_Second_Wave.pdf

Meanwhile, the victim of the Austin plane crash has been identified as 68 year-old Vernon Hunter. Hunter, an African-American, enlisted in the Army in 1959 and served two tours of duty in Vietnam. Retiring from the Army after 20 years, he joined the IRS in 1979 or 1980, and at age 68, was considering retirement. http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2010/02/20/ap/national/main6226936.shtml

Mr. Patriot Movement, behold the face of your “government enemy”:

Vernon Hunter of Austin, TX

Beck-o-Sphere

Posted on February 18, 2010 | Leave a comment

Beckosphere.

“Let’s see how that comes up on the old search engines?”

Craigslist a-hole of the week: you choose

Posted on February 16, 2010 | Leave a comment

Not sure which of these is more insulting.

“Come intern with us!” has a kind of jet-set ’60s ring to it, and uses one of the classic Craigslist asshole memes — the impressive, big-money client list. Mysteriously, they just can’t afford to pay someone to “freshen up our look,” so they’re looking for “a new batch of interns.” I’m sure you’d get into the right spirit every day as you bring the creative director his coffee. BTW, how many of the “old batch of interns” got jobs with your firm?

“Incredible Opportunity” is just kind of pathetic and lame, as if someone said — well, let’s place an ad and see if anyone is stupid enough to answer.

Graphic Design Internship with Established New York City Entertainment

Date: 2010-02-14, 11:40AM EST
Reply to: job-zb6yk-1600336236@craigslist.org ^{[Errors when replying to ads?]}

Are you interested in pursuing a career in the graphic design, but don’t have experience? Don’t know where to turn to gain real industry experience to build your portfolio?Come intern with us!

It is a great way to introduce your improve and showcase your skills network while gaining crucial experience to further your career.

We are a rapidly expanding entertainment group with office and studio space in Chelsea, Flatiron, and Tribeca that works with well-known clients and brands, like Kanye West, Mos Def, SummerStage, John Legend, Ciara, Chanel Iman, Damon Dash, MTV, BET, Heineken, Bacardi, Miramax, and America’s Next Top Model.

Currently, we are looking for a new batch of interns to help us freshen up our company’s graphics.

You must be reliable, motivated, out-going, and detail oriented with the ability to be a team player or a self-starter. Computer skills and people skills are a must. This is a non-paid internship with the option for college credit, but for the right person could turn into a great paying part-time freelance gig.

If interested please email us All of the following:
• Full Name
• Email Address
• Phone Number
• Best time to contact you
• Your weekly availability
• A brief introduction to you, what you’re currently involved with, like school… personal projects, and what will you bring to us
• Links to your MySpace & Facebook accounts giving us additional insight into you
• Links to any websites with your work.

Please note… emails missing information will not be received. So, if you don’t have a link or an example of your work communicate this, don’t assume we know.

Thanks! We look forward to hearing from you!

This is an internship job

Principals only. Recruiters, please don’t contact this job poster.

Please, no phone calls about this job!

Please do not contact job poster about other services, products or commercial interests.

PostingID: 1600336236

Intern to Creative Director (Greenwich Village)

Date: 2010-02-14, 12:25PM EST
Reply to: amelia@urbanzen.com ^{[Errors when replying to ads?]}

Incredible opportunity to work with a creative director and get some hands-on training in a diverse range of fields. The ideal candidate will be extremely organized, detail oriented, proactive, graceful under pressure, a team player, and willing to take on a variety of responsibilities, including admin and calendar work, in order to help the executive and the creative department in a fast-paced environment.

A background in not-for-profit, as well as an interest in well-being issues, children issues, yoga, graphic design, and/or art and photography, is helpful. We are looking for someone who is excited about learning, can rise to challenges, and has a great attitude.

When applying for the internship, please indicate “Intern to Creative Director” in the subject line, and include a cover letter and resume.

Requirements
– highly organized
– efficient
– able to multitask
– team player and terrific people skills
– strong writing and research skills
– great phone manners
– comfortable with Quark or Indesign
– comfortable with Photoshop
– tech savvy

Compensation: unpaid

This is at a non-profit organization.

This is an internship job

Principals only. Recruiters, please don’t contact this job poster.

Please, no phone calls about this job!

Please do not contact job poster about other services, products or commercial interests.

PostingID: 1600393735

The Cheap Thrill of Libertarianism

Posted on February 4, 2010 | 1 comment

: Rand Paul, by Carl Bork.

Today’s Washington Post has an in-depth article on how libertarian scion Rand Paul, with the support of Sarah Palin and the Teabaggers, is leading the race for the Republican nomination for Senate in Kentucky.

There’s something for everybody in today’s libertarianism. Everytime something shouldn’t be “somebody else’s business,” whether it’s an unfair parking ticket, the hassle of getting a building permit for that bathroom upgrade, medical marijuana, or the income tax. Libertariansim today is NIMBY-ism made literal. You stake your flag — or your teabag or whatever — and it ain’t nobody’s business but your own.

But in the end, libertarianism is a cheap out, and joining forces with the teabaggers will be the political death knell for both movements. “He who governs best governs least” is brilliant rhetoric, but less than stellar logic. Are you really willing to have no recourse when your neighbor starts raising goats, the kids down the block are having an all-night party, and the local policeman is just the local bully with an arsenal and no rules? Haul your own trash down to the river-side and personally negotiate with the local mafia before dumping it in? Educate your own children, sure, but do you really want to do your own research on which brand of ibprofen or interferon is manufactured to clinical standards? Lug a wheelbarrow of bullion and your gun down to the corner to bargain for bread? Withdraw all troops from all overseas engagements, disband the CIA and the FAA? Don’t worry — if the plane stays in the air at all, we’ll just ‘roll’ on them ‘trr’sts.’ Get real.

This is all just a sideshow to the difficult task of self-governing that our American system tasks us with — a cop out. Rhetoric’s easy; governing’s hard — isn’t that one of the standard criticisms leveled at the current administration? And the Obama administration answers it honestly: ‘yep, it’s hard — are you going to join us in trying?’ Or just scream bloody murder for a term or two in Congress, and then go piss off to your guest appearance on Dancing with the Stars?

Grow up folks: you want to live in the ‘liberteabag’ paradise about as much as you want to become a Tibetan monk. It may be an attractive fantasy on a day when the hassles of real life seem insurmountable. But it’s no answer for a real country with real problems and a broad population that deserves serious politics, a serious polity, and a serious society.

1 Comment

Posted in Politics, The American Experience

My last boss…

Posted on February 1, 2010 | 1 comment

“At the flower shop, which was a mom-and-pop operation as opposed to a massive multinational corporation, the harassment from the two bosses was awful. I was working with immigrants from Mexico and Honduras, and all of us were yelled at — all day. No breaks, no overtime, nothing. If they hadn’t fired me after two days, I doubt I could have survived much longer. It’s exhausting to have someone shouting at you all day and not being able to punch them in the face or at least talk some shit back. It also showed that sweatshops can be hidden in plain sight.”