Fiction:
A.L. Kennedy: Everything You Need.
Douglas Coupland: Microserfs.
Film:
Kyss Mig (2011, Alexandra-Therese Keining) ***.
Too Big To Fail (2011, Curtis Hanson) ***.
Show:
Sailor Moon, Season One, Two and Three.
Life, Season Two.
Pushing Daisies, Season One, Season Two.
Parenthood, Season Two.
Friday, September 30, 2011
Linkliste unbehandelter Themen
Politics:
Germany's Bundestag voted for the enlargement of the European Financial Stability Facility yesterday, the Austrian Nationalrat is currently debating the issue (a positive outcome is very likely, both ruling parties will vote for it, so will the Greens). The enlargement needs to be approved by all 17 euro zone countries.
NY Times: In European Crisis, Experts See Little Hope for a Quick Fix, September 29, 2011
NY Times: Germany Approves Bailout Expansion, Leaving Slovakia as Main Hurdle, September 29, 2011
Pakistan... if the upcoming Presidential elections eventually include foreign policy questions, the question of Pakistan will probably come up.
NY Times: Pakistanis Tied to 2007 Border Attack on Americans, September 26, 2011
The Washington Post: U.S. sharpens warning to Pakistan, September 21, 2011
The National on the role of the United States in the changed political landscape after the continuing Middle Eastern uprisings.
Pop Culture:
A previously unreleased track by James Blake and a quote about the current state of dubstep (aiming for the "frat-boy market").
Nevermind was re-issued (and re-mastered) on its 20th anniversary.
An interview with Alex Kingston before the season finale of Doctor Who - as much as I didn't enjoy the way Amy's arc was written this season, I am still looking forward to finding out about River and the Doctor.
A list of pilots I've watched so far this season: 2 Broke Girls, Suburgatory, Ringer, Prime Suspect, Homeland, The Secret Circle, Pan Am, The Playboy Club. A list of shows I'll continue watching: Homeland.
Also, The Fades is getting really good (I like all the characters, but Mac is such a scene-stealer). After only two episodes, all the characters are complicated and conflicted! "There is nothing more pathetic than needing someone!" (from the writer who wrote "I think you need someone to want you" about a character also played by Lily Loveless!)! It's genuinely scary and beautifully filmed.
Friday, September 23, 2011
There really isn't a "lesser evil" scenario here, is there?
More than any of the earlier debates, this encounter highlighted the ferocious centrifugal pull on the 2012 GOP presidential field. The tone of the questions -- both from the grassroots activists and the panel of Fox reporters -- captured the demand among much of the Republican electorate for an uncompromising and unqualified conservative agenda. In the debate's first hour alone, Rick Santorum proposed to ban public employee unions; Michele Bachmann proposed to eliminate the Education Department and build a fence along every foot of the Mexican border; Herman Cain would he would shutter the Environmental Protection Agency; Newt Gingrich described President Obama's agenda as "socialist"; and Ron Paul said he would end birthright citizenship for the children of illegal immigrants born in the U.S. All of that raises the possibility that the GOP this year could produce a convention platform that includes provisions that the eventual nominee, especially if it's Romney, may feel compelled to renounce.
The Atlantic: 5 Takeaways from the GOP Presidential Debate, September 23, 2011
Yeah, because the one government agency that just screams "pointless" and "wasteful spending" is the one that ensures the quality of drinking water and controls legally sold pesticides.
Monday, September 19, 2011
Award shows are upsetting; irrelevant
But when do I ever pass on a chance to talk about my favourite shows? (also, I haven't actually seen the whole thing so maybe I'll comment on Jane Lynch's performance etc. when I have)
Saturday, September 17, 2011
...
Instead of watching shows I actually need to watch for the reviews: basking in the glorious sunshiny happiness (which is, of course, perfectly balanced with a melancholic sadness occasionally) of Pushing Daisies. What a perfect way to prepare for rainbows!unicorns!waffles! before Parks and Recreation starts again.
[also: a trailer for The Fades, a clip from the appearance of the producers and the cast at Comic Con, and a short interview with Daniel Kaluuya and Lily Loveless.]
Friday, September 16, 2011
The sound is what found us
In a way, that might seem strange, because we've all been in bands for many, many years, but I think reconvening in a new dynamic, a lot of it just felt new. Some of the lyrics are about testing one's own relationship not just to music, but to art, the notion of still trying to maintain a creative, vibrant self as you get older. I think that for people that continue to be engaged with music and art and creativity in their 30s and 40s and beyond, you have to have a continual dialogue that's basically convincing yourself that it's okay not to have stopped, because along the way, you've seen friends and colleagues that decide they can't anymore, for whatever reason. So there is a lot of convincing oneself and grappling with the validity of it. I wouldn't say we're just singing about music; we're grappling with why and whether you can still find salvation in art, and whether it's okay to, whether by now we should have found salvation in the white picket fence and kids. It's become harder and harder to maintain a little of that nontraditional status. So I think it's a little more like that than, "Hey, this is fun," but certainly a handful of the songs call into question that sort of conundrum.
The A.V. Club: Carrie Brownstein and Mary Timony of Wild Flag
Sunday, September 11, 2011
Thursday, September 8, 2011
"Maybe it's time to have provocative language in this country"
With only months left until the caucuses and primaries to choose a Republican to take on Barack Obama for the White House next year, the polite skirmishing that marked the Republican debates before the summer disappeared in the first five minutes as Perry and Romney tore into each other.The debate confirmed it is now a two-horse race, with Michele Bachmann, who is in third place in the polls, the biggest loser of the night, as she was completely overshadowed by Perry and Romney.Republican strategists were divided afterwards on Perry's strategy, with some predicting that his refusal to back down from his hard-right positions will win him the party nomination, and others expressing concern that such positions could alienate mainstream voters who will decide the White House race.
The Guardian: Rick Perry clashes with Mitt Romney in combative Republican debate, September 8, 2011
Slate: The Duel, September 8, 2011
NY Times: Romney and Perry Clash, Drawing Lines in G.O.P. Sand, September 7, 2011
The Atlantic: Rick Perry and Mitt Romney Dominate Republican Debate, September 7, 2011
Since I know absolutely nothing about any of the candidates, Rick Perry, Mitt Romney, Michele Bachmann, Newt Gingrich and Jon Huntsman
Wednesday, September 7, 2011
Tuesday, September 6, 2011
Linkliste unbehandelter Themen
Politics:
A new civil war in the Sudans is slowly approaching.
openDemocracy on the new political landscape and the shift in the public debate in Norway after the massacre.
Are Republicans profiting from not only arguing that the Democratic Party is failing, but from portraying government itself as failing? ("nihilistic effort")
And also in The Atlantic, some thoughts on the changing nature of sovereignty after the intervention in Libya (and what role did the intervention play in the revolution?).
Pop Culture:
I feel really bad for failing to mention before how utterly lovely and beautiful the second season of Out With Dad is. I have the approximate same amount of love for this show that I reserve for Parks and Recreation. Also, Kenny is the best best friend ever.
Rookie magazine asks famous people (Joss Whedon and Alia Shawkat, among others) how they survived high school. The issue always brings me back to the Buffy-episode Earshot: Every single person down there is ignoring your pain because they're way too busy with their own. The beautiful ones, the popular ones, the guys that pick on you... everyone.
What is the sound of an avalanche taking out a dolphin?
WILD FLAG - Romance
you make my feet move
you turn my head
that's why i love you the best
The record is streaming in its entirety here, the official release date is September 13. Also I might be willing to make a deal with the devil to see them live in Vienna. It's like my personal last chance flower after making the stupid mistake of not seeing Sleater-Kinney the year before they went on hiatus.
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