Entries from November 4th, 2006
“Wal-Mart,” a proponent of nuclear armaments and state-sanctioned torture told me recently, “is the embodiment of everything good about America.”
To his credit, this was a former employee of the company who appreciated their diverse hiring practices. He touted the standard mantra of any big-business apologist. Low prices. Job opportunities. Convenience.
Maybe years of watching that bouncing yellow smiley face spout peppy PR BS impeded his ability to notice the irony in selecting this blue behemoth as a metaphor for American life. For beneath the glossy façade of corporate accountability and exemplary capital gain lurks the true face of brand USA. […]
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Tags: Opinion · Commercialism · Consumerism · Sprawl
In a recent survey, conducted exclusively in my closet and laundry hamper, I discovered I am the “proud” owner of forty-one tee shirts. The breakdown of these forty-one tee-shirts is as follows: Ten blue, five black, five white, four gray, three red, two orange, two yellow, one green, one tan, one taupe, one brown, and seven ring-collared and sleeved shirts of various color combinations. Garnered through unforeseeable osmosis the last seven years, I now find myself at the mercy of these inanimate objects. […]
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Tags: Opinion · Comedy · Commercialism · Consumerism
An Interview with David Bazan
During its humble beginnings, Pedro the Lion entered the indie rock circuit as a relatively unknown entity. Nearly a decade later the band boasted over a half-dozen releases and a devoted, cult-like following. So why, at the height of his glory, did David Bazan, the creative mind behind Pedro, dismantle his life’s work? Fear not my lion loving friends. Now touring solo and armed with his latest material (Fewer Moving Parts E.P.), Bazan takes time-out to answer questions about material – old and new – all while battling bad cell phone signals and “bad highway signage.” The following are excerpts from a lengthy discussion that originated from a van somewhere between Memphis and Springfield, Missouri.
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Tags: Interviews · Music
Pot’s danger downgrade in new anti-drug ads sends a mixed message. It's in conflict with years of propaganda.
Please imagine a teenager sitting on his friends couch, holding that first joint. This is a big leap for him, ignoring years of indoctrination, contemplating the small white cylinder in his hand. It looks harmless. It smells good. The allure of rebellion inherent in the act calls out to him.
I think we all know how this little scenario usually unfolds. And it’s not with the “just say no” ending our legislators and court systems want to hear.
Billions have been poured into anti-drug ad campaigns aimed at keeping our nation’s youth off that devil’s weed. […]
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Tags: Current Events · Drugs · Marijuana
