Thursday, May 31

In her paintings and prints, new artist Mirjana Ugrinov communicates in a unique language of expression: the language of light, texture, movement, geometry and their opposites.
(Just for the record, this is Megan’s blog, but she’s trapped behind her firewall at work today…)

In a startling show of corporate predictability (I mean, these guys just make our job so easy sometimes), Exxon Mobil Corp. shareholders sided overwhelmingly with management in rejecting proposals on the environment and gay rights. The story >>

Wednesday, May 30

Sorry for the lag. We’ve been on vacation. I think my brain is still on vacation—that’s the only explanation I can give for linking to this and this.
We say raise it even more and make Americans aware of how much we consume!

Friday, May 25

Ummm-um. Gotta love all the latest flack that's turning the sports world upside down. Readers' comments are shared here. I particularly love the quote from the Texan that reads, "I don't want to be watching the game thinking, 'Oh, boy, there are two outs, bottom of the ninth, one man on, down by one and I sure hope this damn queer can come through.'" Then there's the one that reads, "Gay women athletes, no problem for me. But men? Unless they're figure skaters ... it would be difficult."

Just anotha' day in the world of homophobic professional sports!

Wednesday, May 23

I think the comparison that many people are making between the Taliban and the Nazis is right on the money. Can I throw the KKK in there as well? Let’s hold up these groups as poster-children illustrating how not to live in the world. They’re a bunch of violent, isolated, dangerous, misled and spoiled children. More
Unbelievable.
"When the U.S. Wins, You Win"??? Give me a McBreak!
Just a quick thought on yesterday's Kaycee comments: Have these liars now ruined the opportunity for someone who is really dying to publish an online journal?

Tuesday, May 22

The story of "Kaycee Nicole Swenson," fictitious cancer victim. Amazing--an illustration of the "power" of using the internet to mislead thousands. All your common sense are belong to us.
Poor Bush. He's such an easy target!
Maybe Guiliani's girlfriend can stay at the Brooklyn Museum of Art now that she's in a pinch about sleeping quarters!

Monday, May 21

Darwin racist? The Louisiana Legislature seems to think so. Geesh.
Ford is at it again. This is the second recall since the whole Firestone thing. Ford loves us, yes they do.

Saturday, May 19

Oh, yeah: Molly Ivins on Working for Change discusses yet another type of corporate propaganda: Hard core pharma-porn.

Thursday, May 17

Energy crisis? Not outside of California. Confidence crisis? Yup: "the energy plan Bush will release Thursday, crafted in near secrecy by a task force dominated by power-industry execs, with no environmentalists or consumer advocates, is likely to worsen that political crisis."

Wednesday, May 16

Wednesday is the day to ask fun questions: Where are we now? Is there anything that means anything? Cynicism is the order of the day. Morality is relative. Truth changes from person to person. Money is abstract. There cannot be any sweeping social movements anymore. When did it happen? Vietnam? The atomic bomb? Modernism? Can anyone say anything decisively about anything?

Gary Kamiya today in Salon.com: Modernism was the product of a uniquely cataclysmic change in society…Charles Peguy…said in 1913 "the world has changed less since the time of Jesus Christ than it has in the last 30 years." This accelerated change in all areas of society -- Einstein's rewriting of the laws of nature…the invention of the car, the plane, the phonograph, the triumph of industrialization, the city, bureaucracies and rationalized capitalism -- was unprecedented, and it will never happen again.

What a great article. It gets you thinking: what is “meaning?”

Tuesday, May 15

I promised, so I'm proud to report that I saw an SF Car Share car on the road yesterday. The program appears to be working out, inspiring!
Statement of corporate philanthropy, fiction?

Monday, May 14

Interesting website I stumbled upon today. Spend some time exploring this site. They have a lot to say.

Saturday, May 12

It's time for another childish question: Why can't people just let other people be happy and do what they want, as long as they don't hurt anybody else? (link via Metafilter)

Thursday, May 10

I'm sure this is the way to win back our seat on the Human Right's Commission and respect from other nations.

Wednesday, May 9

The term “working poor” shouldn’t be in our collective vocabulary. But it is.

Tuesday, May 8

Sure, Michael Moore may have some points in his rant about how previous presidents messed things up, and that it's not all Bush's fault, but here's a li'l known fact that (once again) doesn't make the Prez look so good: Did you know that Shrub picked a major campaign contributor who does not speak French to serve as U.S. ambassador to France? C'est ridicule!
Rrrrrreear! Michael Moore's spin on Bush. Read on.

Monday, May 7

"Scientists at the country's national laboratories have projected enormous energy savings if the government takes aggressive steps to encourage energy conservation in homes, factories, offices, appliances, cars and power plants." Wouldn't you listen to your own scientists?

Saturday, May 5

“I have concluded that the whole misfortune of men comes from a single thing, and that is their inability to remain at rest in a room.” –Blaise Pascal

Friday, May 4

You know how we here at OS are always ranting and raving about how the United States has misplaced priorities and really doesn’t comprehend the big picture (i.e. the state of rest of the world)? Well, we’ll take this as evidence that we’re not crazy.

Thursday, May 3

Rising Waters: Global Warming and the Fate of the Pacific Islands is a film produced by the Independant Television Service which explores the the effect that global warming is having on Pacific Islands right now. Here are schedules for local public broadcast stations and links to great resources on global warming.

Wednesday, May 2

Just when you thought humanity (or lack thereof) couldn't get any worse than it already is... This is horrible.
Although we don't usually "promote" sites in this manner, here is an interesting read about intelligent journalism, and the price we all might have to pay to have it continue.