Daily Archives: October 8, 2012

9 posts

Paul Ryan Continues to Show the “Grace” and “Maturity” He’s Known For

Oh, we’re just joking. He shows neither of those things.

Paul Ryan got a bit testy and snotty today when a local reporter of Flint, Michigan’s ABC12 deigned ask him about gun control and tax cuts as a follow-up question as it related to supporting community programs and charities to in Ryan’s words, “Help people in inner cities have more opportunities so they won’t resort to gun violence.” We would also like to tell Paul that inner cities aren’t the only places where there is gun violence. Continue reading →

666 Park Avenue is Just Plain Horrible at Horror and Why Network Dramas Have A Lot to Learn

Do you have a television class system? This would be a system delineating which shows you watch, and in what sequence, as well as how you categorize everything else? For some of us there are the shows we watch religiously as they air, and others we may want to “hold” for a variety of reasons. Maybe it conflicts with a more coveted show airing at the same time slot, or the show seemed a bit “iffy” to start with, or the premise was interesting, but the execution seems baffling. Those may fall into the “DVR Doldrums,” an entry on your DVR that you’ve forgotten about, that’s just sitting there, once reaching some measure of status in your viewing world, but now left to be viewed on a Sunday afternoon while you fold socks.

This is what 666 Park Avenue has become. Continue reading →

Top 20 Abandoned Places

For the past eight months, the Five Abandoned Places series has showcased a total of 175 locations from around the world. Today’s “top 20” post will mark the last of the weekly series (which no doubt will take on a new form in the weeks ahead). Many thanks to the readers who have offered site suggestions or left comments. Continue reading →

Album Review: Mumford & Sons’ Babel

Mumford & Sons - Babel

I was introduced to Mumford & Sons during the summer of 2010 while working as a defense contractor in Afghanistan. Stateside, Sigh No More was already a viral hit, but being overseas I hadn’t heard anything of the band until the economics podcast Planet Money used the single Little Lion Man as the intro music to one of their podcasts; I was instantly intrigued.  Continue reading →

Read This Book: Shani Boianjiu’s ‘The People of Forever Are Not Afraid’

While living in Israel some years ago, I’d often encounter male soldiers on the street or traveling by bus or sherut. Their olive green military uniforms, combat boots, berets tucked under left epaulets, and assault rifles straddled over their shoulders was always a jarring image to behold during my initial weeks in Haifa. Yet as time went on, they, like the ubiquitous Cyprus trees, began to fade into the landscape with one exception: female recruits.

Israel is the only country in the world with a mandatory military service requirement for women. The times I’d cross their path, I’d often wonder what their lives and training were like, what they thought of the draft, and what their hopes and dreams were post-IDF? Did they see themselves as children weighed down in adult clothing? Were they fearful of death, or worse, fearful of becoming indifferent to the killing of others?  Continue reading →

My List of the Top 10 Travel TV Show Hosts

If you’re into travel, then you’re probably into travel TV shows. Which hosts make the top 10? Here are my favorites:

10. Rick Steves. He’s got that awkward uncle vibe going, but his shows and books are chock-full of useful information about Europe and beyond. His support of NORML definitely gives him more street cred with the PBS crowd.

9. Karl Pilkington. An Idiot Abroad is brilliant. For the life of me, I can’t figure out if his dislike of travel is an act. Continue reading →