NYTimes.com

Sometimes Behaves so Strangely

Jad Abumrad and Robert Krulwich produce Radio Lab, a program that is, at least to my thinking, the most consistently mind-blowing radio series ever created. They are between seasons right now, and are using the free podcast to expose listeners to some archived episodes. Of course, if you need to hear more than the weekly podcast, a number of old shows are available for download directly from the web site.

Here's a sample i ripped out which is one of my favorite moments form the show, and a great example of the exciting things they are doing over the air waves. The first time I heard this clip i was speechless, but did manage to laugh out loud several times even though I was alone while listening. I hope you enjoy it as much as I did...

Shocking! That is just Shocking!

ISU 15 - Iowa 13

Labor Day Weekend: A tour of the Upper Middle West (Part 3)

Madison
(Saturday, September 1)

Friday night in Madison is a mess. I'm still sick, but feeling obligated to bar hop. Rick drives his car, a manual transmission, and proceeds to get too drunk to drive home. Rachel, the person with whom we are staying, gets completely messed up on whiskey shots. There's some drama about where I will take the passed-out-on-the-street Rick whilst Rachel continues to drink the night away. Eventually it's settled, and we cab it back to Randy's place for a couple hours of sleep.

Next morning, having retrieved Rick's car, we meet Rachel at IHOP for breakfast. I'm feeling much better, but Rick and Rachel understandably need some time to recover. So we spend much of the day Saturday at Rachel's watching Family Guy episodes on DVD. We finally get motivated for dinner around 6. Rachel takes us to a Jamaican restaurant on "Willy St." Because Rachel is dog sitting and we've already kenneled up the pups, we are out for the night. I question wheter we'll have the stamina to make it until bar close with me still recovering from feeling sick and the other two still recovering from the night before.

Its a pretty laid back night really. We bar hop through State street with the crazy college kids after the Wisconsin game. Once we're through there, we head back toward the towny bars to finish out the night. And yes, we do make it until nearly 2, although none of us was rip-roaringly drunk. All in all a pretty fun night out.


Madison to Minneapolis
(Sunday, September 2)

Sunday we're up for breakfast at the Come Back In. It's the taste of Madison on the square this weekend, so we do a quick tour after lunch. Rick and I are ready to get back on the road, and so by 1 we're back at Rachel's packing up the car. Its time for the drive home, back up I-94, through Eau Claire on the way to pick up my car, and onto Minneapolis.

The 5-day 3-state tour is coming to a close. It's been a satisfying road trip despite my feeling under the weather, and the Cyclone loss to Kent State. We survived a bit of drunken drama on Friday night, and salvaged a really great time in Madison, a city I'd like to get to know a little bit better. I've heard Rhianna 1000 times, been in a car for nearly 20 hours, and yet I'm still sad to have this trip end.

I think another road trip is in store for later in September, but the question is where should I go next? I'm thinking the UP of Michigan, and then on into Canada. anyone have any suggestions?

Labour Day Weekend: a tour of the Upper Middle West (Part 2)

Cedar Rapids to Madison
(Friday, August 31)


Rick is notorious for sleeping in. Late. Much later than most people past the age of 25 could justify. On the drive to Cedar Rapids from Ames he had promised to sleep in typically late, even though we had plans to have lunch with his parents. I woke up at 8 AM this morning, and knew that there was no way Rick would be awake for several hours. Since I was still feeling feverish and generally sick, I decided to go back to bed to try to sleep it off. And sleep it off I did. All the way to Noon. At which time I found my way to the shower, and spent half an hour getting ready for the day. When I'm all set I go looking for Rick, and find him in the kitchen siting with his mom, talking. It turns out the sprinklers outside had woken Rick up at 9, and he couldn't fall back asleep. He and his mom had been waiting around for me to get up for more than 3 hours. It's a nice way to meet a friend's parents.

We pick up Rick's dad at his printing company and head off for lunch at a local pizza place. I wish i remembered the name. Rick's dad, Jim, is apparently the typically schmoozey business man, as the apparent owner of the place comped us our meal: Pepperoni and Black Olives on thin crust. Yummy. But I'm still to sickish to really taste any of it. Jim is a winker, and though later Rick tells me "he does that to everyone," at the time it made me feel as though he was trying to communicate with me in some kind of secret code. Two winks for "I know where you live."

The conversations revolves around the embarrassing loss from the previous night (Rick's parents are Hawkeye fans), the upcoming Iowa game in Chicago -- to which Rick's rents are going -- and politics. I'm uncomfortable talking politics when first meeting people. It so dangerous, especially in Iowa, that I might say something to completely alienate myself or someone else. Turns out the rents are fairly pragmatic, share a dislike of the religious right, are appalled that Fred Thompson is a legitimate Presidential candidate, and think Hillary is a liar. I can deal with most of these thing, but i do think Hillary gets a bad rap. I let it go in the interest of keeping things amicable.

With Jim back at work, Rick and I have a couple hours to kill back at his house before we can leave for Madison. Its about a 2 hour drive, and i we arrive to early, everyone will still be at work. We spend the time shooting the breeze with Connie (mom), playing with an oversize Black Lab named Sammy, and drinking lots of fluids in an effort to recover enough for tonight's compulsory bar hopping. Having killed just enough time, we hit the road once more.

The drive between CR and Madison is very pretty . Lots of big, rolling hills, and low valleys as you skirt the Mississippi river. I sleep for most of it. When we arrive in Madison, its a quick stop to meet Rick's pal Randy and his new condo. Its a nice place and Randy has good taste. You can tell even though the place still feels new and not quite home yet. Although I have to say that it looks much more like a home than my place, and I've got 6 months on him as a homeowner. Thats just plain old ambition on his part.

Labor Day Weekend: A tour of the Upper Middle West (Part 1)

Eau Claire to Minneapolis
(Thursday, August 30)

This is one of the shortest and least interesting legs of my journey. It's a quick stop in the Warehouse district to pick up Rick & change cars, and then we're on our way to Ames, IA for the first Cyclone Football game of the Gene Chizik era! It is my first drive back into the cities since the California calamity, so I'm a little tense but relax a bit after i start driving.

Minneapolis to Ames
(Thursday, August 30)

Rick starts the trip out on a rather inauspicious note, getting a parking ticket after failing to feed the meeter during the 5 minutes it took us to pull his car out of the garage, and put mine in its place. Parking ticket aside, we're off on the road with high hopes for the coming game. Hopes that would be dashed by a rather unspectacular performance from the boys in Cardinal and Gold -- losing to lowly Kent State. The pregame warm up includes a trip to the famously famous barbecue joint, Hickory Park, and a stop at Dogtown to pick up some fancy new ISU duds.


Ames to Cedar Rapids
(Thursday, August 30)

With the game lost there's nothing to do but drive to our short trip's waypoint: Cedar Rapids, IA. Rick's hometown. Second worst smelling city in Iowa, right behind Sioux City. The drive is 2 plus hours and tedious as we're both dead tired from cheering our beloved Cyclones to another loss. Rick manages to get us there without hitting any wild animals. Using our better judgment, for once we bypass the liquor cabinet and hit the sheets. We've got more driving to do tomorrow, and I'm fighting off a head cold. It just wont due. There's too much fun ahead of us for me to get sick now.

Pop Culture in tiny, bite-sized portions

I'm so happy the New Pornographers finally released their latest album, Challengers. Its not as all-out-rock-out as either Electric Six or Twin Cinema, but at least on the first listen though i think it has potential to end up in the regular rotation of favorites. I know some people probably think Dan Bejar's song are over the top and a little circus-y, but i always look forward to his contributions the most. They usually end up being my favorite songs.


Has anyone seen Rocket Science yet? Living in Eau Claire sort of limits my access to new movies. I wonder if an independent movie theater would be successful here. It seems like it could be, with the university in town. The local megaplex is showing Superbad though, which stars my celebrity look-alike, and which Ebert gave 3 1/2 stars.


I just purchased a new game for my Wii called Trauma Center. I haven't played it yet but it sounds like a pretty entertaining new idea for a game. I'm a little worried that it might feel a little too real, and I will get grossed out and have to stop playing. We'll see what happens.

What does it all mean?

An online subscription to the OED costs a mere $275 per year. You could luck out with the word of the day.

From the good folks at Merriam-Webster:

rhet·o·ric
n.

1. 1. The art or study of using language effectively and persuasively.
   2. A treatise or book discussing this art.
2. Skill in using language effectively and persuasively.
3. 1. A style of speaking or writing, especially the language of a particular subject: fiery political rhetoric.
   2. Language that is elaborate, pretentious, insincere, or intellectually vacuous: His offers of compromise were mere rhetoric.
4. Verbal communication; discourse.

This word strikes me as being the evolutionary ancestor of "Flip-flopper" in politispeak. At least the dictionary definition has been adequately reworked to incorporate the emerged colloquial use. Of course, with the 4 accepted definitions above, rhetoric can basically mean whatever the hell you want it to mean.

You might point out that, on an elementary level, words are just abstract symbols for real-world observations. And as such their meanings are subjective by default. At the same time, its not unrealistic to argue that all of modern society is founded on the rather bizarre notion of object-i-fying certain of these abstract symbols in order to advance humankind. That is, the modern world relies upon the ability to take for granted the objective, concrete status of some here undefined 'fundamental' notions despite their inherent abstract, observational nature.

Where am i going with all this? The sub-prime mortgage crisis. Specifically, the way in which one can find an almost infinite number of explanations for what went/is going wrong. And not just from the guy who's always spouting off at the local pub. It seems every economist in the world has a different explanation for what is happening and why it is happening. They can't all be correct, and yet a number of conflicting opinions create rhetorically sound arguments.

Which is to say that anyone can be "right minded" about any issue if he or she can convince enough people to agree (And likewise may be "wrong minded" if enough people disagree). Which is to say that society is actually and fundamentally subjective after all. And those arbitrarily object-i-fied notions are not so agreed upon after all.

As the world and its human systems and processes become more and more complex, I'm afraid those looking for answers are bound to come up with nothing but more rhetoric.

I'm a BELIEVER

But I only buy it for the pictures.

Bravo is teasing us in the lead up to the next Season of Project Runway with Tim Gunn's Guide to Style. The first episode airs Thursday, Sept 6.

I found the link to this article on Towleroad -- are we all just sims? The first page you're like "ok this is interesting but way out there" and then you click to the second page and you're all like "wow this is totally blowing my mind."

I'll be chillin' in the Eau C this weekend. But fear not, it just so happens to be the weekend of the Chippewa Valley Gay Pride!

Annie Hall is from Chippewa Falls you know.

Yes, I was in California

And here's the proof.










More proof here or here.

Wisc-istory

For your reading enjoyment, from the trustworthy folks at wikipedia.


Taliesen

Feel the Burn

Even quitting smoking I'm nearly $3000 in the hole in just the first 7 months of the year. Thank you Quicken for showing me just how financially irresponsible i seem to be. I guess maybe i should put off buying this totally rad entry table/desk, or this bedding set, or this chair. Poor house, when will you ever be properly furnished?

Also, things keep breaking. The first thing to go was the stopper in the upstairs bathroom sink. I had to take it out after it got permanently stuck in the 'down' position. Next was the toilet handle in same bathroom. Yes, the toilet handle. One day it simply decided to snap right off in my hand. Then just before I left for California, the front door lock inconceivably got jammed. I hardly ever use this door (except once a week to pick up the Sunday paper), but i had to destroy the entire doorknob and lock just to get the damn thing open. Not to mention the top step to the basement which still needs to be re-carpeted after the whippet incident.

Upon returning from California, I opened the fridge to find an exploded carton of milk that had dripped its contents all over the inside of the door and onto the floor in front. There's nothing more fun than cleaning up congealed milk from your kitchen floor at 2:30 AM after a full day of traveling across the country.

But our store's official yearly review from our district manager is finally over. So at least there's that.

Slippery Slope

And Thusly, God created the YouTube in order that people might partake in it, and in order that whomever shall partake in it shall not be disheartened regarding his own abilities; but rather, he should take heed and knoweth that he is not, and willth never be, the most foolish of men in all the land (Psalms 3: 1-7).

Travellin' Man

It's the eve of the big trip to California for Joe & Angie's wedding. Here's a few clips that are sure to put you(me) in a travellin' mood.

Blah blah blah and other economic musings

Its been said by at least one economist/sociologist that if Americans ever grow tired of the myth of the American Dream -- the idea that everyman has a shot at overcoming the obstacles to class mobility and making it big time -- we would demand more equitable wages.

I'm not John Edward's #1 promoter, but I do think he's right to say America has a poverty crisis on its hands. It might not be as noticeable in the city, where one can easily surround himself with people of similar backgrounds and interests. But my experience even in Eau Claire has shown just how much people struggle to make a living . And I'm not talking about buying a fancy car or expensive home and struggling to make the payments.

Something like 13% (more than 1 in 10, notably) of the residents of Eau Claire live below the poverty line. Thats earnings of less than $14, 00 a year for a 2-person household.

I'm not a self-defined socialist. Generally speaking i think markets do a good job of creating efficiency. But as I see it there are two real problems with the Capitalist system that are going to need to be fixed if it is to remain a viable option. Firstly, as the world becomes smaller and smaller through globalization, workers are going to need the ability to follow jobs for which they are trained. Second, capitalists need to develop a correction for the problematic undervaluation market forces seem to consistently place on human life.

1) Allowing for the free movement of labor would restrict the income disparity in developing countries, as at least some workers from more developed parts of the world would no doubt follow jobs for which they are skilled. These workers would still be working at a bargain price relative to their jobs in a developed nation (their imported money buys a higher quality of life), but they would demand higher wages than the underdeveloped workforce -- driving up wages in developing countries. The incentive to move jobs into developing countries still exists (the labor cost is still cheaper), its just not as grossly unjust as today's model. To be sure, not all people will move to follow jobs. But some will, and I'm banking that enough would follow jobs they know in lieu of facing uncertainty in their home nation to make a significant impact on the cost model. Of course, there are tremendous political and social obstacles to allowing for a global free labor market. But we're globalizing other parts of the marketplace despite these challenges, so there's no reason that it couldn't be accomplished.

2) In nearly every case i can think of (ex. wages, health care, food supply, housing) the free market substantially undervalues the importance of human life. That is to say, the traditionally efficient market in these commodities exists in such a way that the well beings of the people the market was designed to serve are not the primary interest. And the problem here is that even the best intentioned programs (like minimum wage laws, or rent controls) tend to have the opposite effect on the situation. I don't have a magic answer here, but i believe its a fundamental question that will need to be answered in our lifetimes if capitalism is to become a completely global institution.

These are somewhat incomplete thoughts, and I'm not an economist. But I am a humanist, and these things sometimes keep me up at night.

*I'll post my usual disclaimer about not enjoying arguing on principle -- only on semantics. So if you basically agree with me but want to nitpick then comment away. If you think I'm an idiot you can go fuck yourself :)*

Original content is still Hard

So here's a clip from YouTube:



The Song is "Hello From Eau Claire" by Xiu Xiu. I'm not sure if they mean EC, WI or EC, MI but I'm rootin for the home team.

Drive_Starbucks

Patriots of Europe returns from slumber (momentarily) to bring you an experimental documentary: "Drive_Starbucks."

I hope you enjoy listening to this as much as I enjoyed putting it together...

DRIVE_STARBUCKS

We now return to our regularly scheduled hiatus.

-PoE

Finger, Map of U.S., Plant

Tonight airs the second installment of the new "This American Life" television show (only on Showtime!). I watched the primere, and I gota say that I wasn't so into the story about the cloned bull. Mind you, I did laugh out loud at the bull's name: Second Chance.

The 'best day ever' act was more my style. There was something so utterly cruel about it. It was perfect. And the way the band finally came around to accepting that it was worth it in the end. I mean, classic stuff Ira. Not quite as good as you signing the theme to the O.C. but I'll take it.

Hopefully tonight will build on the first episode.

Bring it on.

BLOG Vacation

Dear avid readers,

I'm not saying the PoE is fading into extinction. It's just that I haven't felt like posting the past few weeks, and i don't see that changing for the near future. So consider the blog on indefinite hiatus while I go about trying to adjust to living in a small town. You know, like a vacation.

-Dave

America's Dairyland

Today I took yet another step in consummating my relationship with Wisconsin. I got my new plates and registration. I would've gotten my new license, but apparently you can't use your cable television bill as proof of residence. Sine I already paid and shredded my first month's utility bill, I have to wait until 30 days after I get the next one to go get my license.

Aren't they pretty in a totally plain, generic way?



The bizarre thing is that you get your plates right there at the DMV office. No temporary piece of paper to stick in the back windshield here. No waiting 7 to 10 days. They just have a bookcase full of prefabricated plates. They pick a set seemingly at random, and there you have it. And the people behind the counter were unexpectedly nice. Almost creepily nice. You just don't expect that at the DMV.

The best part, though, was that there was absolutely no wait. I've tried to get new plates twice only to get discouraged by the "Your wait is approximately 2 hours" sign taped to the door. Today there was no sign, and I had the building almost entirely to myself.

But think if Inland Revenue had known I was in the country. Stick it down, put it back, never saw it!

In case you missed it

Best halftime show ever. Look for the chick (dude?) in white near the beginning of part one. She almost wipes out, prancing from one side of the symbol/stage to the other. Also, super-size prince behind the white sheet -- totally rad! Enjoy:

The Glass? It's basically empty.

Another weekend, another road trip back to the increasingly mecca-like twin cities. This pilgrimage has become a near certainty. If I have the weekend off, I'm driving to Minneapolis. Part of the plan this time was to see The Glass Menagerie at the NEW Guthrie theatre. This being the first production in the new building I've been remotely interested in seeing. The new complex has three performance spaces. The thrust stage, continuing in the tradition which made the Guthrie notable, is the largest. Followed by the Proscenium stage, with its red red red motif. And finally there is a small black-box studio for developmental works, and other non-traditional performances.

Menagerie was on the proscenium stage starring Tony award winner, Harriet Harris, as mother Amanda Wingfield, and Randy Harrison (Justin from Queer as Folk) playing young Tom. Judge as you will, but I'll now admit that this performance was the first time I'd either seen or read this particular piece of Americana. I've got to say everything is all fun and games until the last lines of the first act: "Wish for Happiness." Then its pretty much an emotional slippery slope right down to the end.

I like it!

For the life of me though, I couldn't stop thinking about Harrison as Justin from Queer as Folk. He'd be going through bits of dialogue, and all i could think was "I've seen you suck off some guy in an ally, and then spit his cum on the wall." It was distracting. After the show, while sitting at the bar with James, I verbalized this impression just as an innocent passer-by reached earshot. One can only imagine the thoughts that went through this stranger's head. Yes, he definitely heard me. And yes, completely out of context. And yes, it was at a gay bar. And no, he did not come back and ask for James' phone number.

I think I'm going to start a letter writing campaign to officially nickname this theatre "Big Red"

George Michael and Buster only Not

I'm not encouraging comparisons here, but I find this funny. Also, look for Impossible is the Opposite of Possible on your next Wholphin dvd for more hilarity from Michal Cera (or maybe just watch it here)

Cat Power

What kind of coffee is so rare that a measly 8oz cup will set you back $10? The answer is Kopi Luwak, a bean collected from the feces of the Indonesian, cat-like animal. Apparently, the Luwak has an appetite for the fruit from ripe coffee plants, and while the fleshy part of the fruit is digested, the bean finds its way completely through the system relatively unharmed. At which point it is collected and washed by what must be some dedicated workers. Then the finished product is baled, and sent to fancypants coffee boutiques around the world.

Where people like me (and Ben, Joe, and James)catch wind of the exotic wackiness, and can't help but give it a try. Credit to Joe and Ben here, I would have remained blissfully ignorant of this particular delicacy if they hadn't brought it to my attention.

So what does it taste like? My first reaction was that it tasted like watered-down coffee. It wasn't bad, but all things considered, it certainly didn't strike me as anything that unusual. Apparently, some people really enjoy the flavor, as it is allegedly less bitter than more typically processed coffees. I've been drinking the so-called bitter coffees for a while now, so maybe this particular flavor advantage was lost of me.

But the experience was never really about how it would taste. Of course, you knew that already didn't you?

Gerrymandering

This week The Corporation (italics for emphasis) reshuffled the regions and districts it uses to geographically divide the country. We've added an entire region, and something like 20 new districts. Previously, my store was in the Minneapolis district - hence I was moved here. After the re-structuring, my store is part of the *new* Madison district. I'm not even in the same region as the Cities anymore.



This presents a small problem, as it is rare to be promoted outside of your district, and even more rare to switch regions. At least this is how things used to work. There's no telling what my real chance of moving back to Minneapolis is. I did dodge a big bullet with this restructuring though. For reasons I wont bore you with, the district manager for a neighboring district is not a Dave fan. Our store could have ended up reporting to her - which wold have been unfortunate. Instead we get a newbie. Well, he's been with The Corporation (italics for emphasis) for some time, but not as a district manager.

But as usual, things could be worse. My return to the City of Lakes may be less likely today, but at least I'm not Drew. His store - previously in the Denver district - is now a part of the Salt Lake City district. Which means Drew's best shot at city living is in Utah. And we all know how he feels about Mormons.

Another one Bites the Dust

The exodus continues:

Rick, the same Rick who just bought a new condo in the warehouse district, is temporarily leaving the city of lakes for the sandy beaches of Honolulu. Sure its only a 6 month deal, but Rick's departure marks another significant loss of a person-with-whom-i-occasionally-to-oftentimes-hang-out.

In the past 12 months, the following friends have left the Twin Cities.

Colorado Drew
Ohio Drew
Joe Lew
Angie
Me
Chad
Justin
and Rick.

And yes I am my own friend - arguably my best available these days. At least in the OC.

Rick's move to Hawaii is also significant in that it abruptly changes my winter vacation plans. I was gearing up to convince Ben and the Rock to fly to Costa Rica with me. But now that I'll have a free place to stay in Honolulu, I really have no choice but to (begrudgingly) take advantage of Rick's hospitality. And I use the term in the most naive, conventional way possible.

Do they have nude beaches out there? I'd better get me that Body by Jake DVD I've had my eye on.

I Won't Let it Control my Life