Mobile Technology 101: 1969 – George Harrison Announces He Is Leaving Beatles, Later Returns.

Hi,

I had to turn off the radio on account of all the talking about Rep. Giffords getting shot in the head and how that kid was unhinged and some other guy calling in to say that the kid coulda just seen a Target advertisement and been inspired to go shooting and how everyone on the show rolled right over the other guy that called in to say something to the effect of: "Hey all you crackers! If that s#!t was done by a black man we'd be having a talk show about the spread of terrorism and orange alerts and ..." a bunch of other stuff that was, errr, dead on the money except that implicit in his point being essentially ignored was the notion that 'This is not the time for the race conversation. This is the conversation about how we have conversations in this country"'. And when Brian Lehrer is sitting there, on the radio, lamenting that if we do things like tone down the "eliminationist rhetoric" and/or have rational discussion using principles of logic or things that can be proved, that he worries about what will happen to our political discourse because he feels so strongly that "we need spirited debate in the United States" and "we need people being snarky about politics in the United States" and on and on as if no one listening to the radio in New York City knew that we were talking about the United States or that it would actually be a problem if people talked about political issues using things like logic or reason or generally stopped yelling and/or lying about one another.

Anyway, speaking of how long it's been since you've talk to your mom, there's a lot of speculation about just what iPhone Verizon will announce tomorrow. Some people think you'll actually be able to make a phone call, but rumor has it that Steve Jobs is really pushing back against that concept on account of it interfering with the longest running practical joke is technological history.

Oh, and since I've successfully distracted you from all the terrible news of the day, I should remind you that on this day in 2006, an Australian woman appeared in court charged with repeatedly stabbing her partner with a pair of scissors in the back, shoulder and thigh because he played Elvis Presley’s song “Burning Love” over and over again.

In related news, I'll be playing bass with Wes Hutchinson, this Friday night, on both sides of the velvet rope at Rockwood Music Hall. Click this sentence to be taken to Wes' website, which ingeniously provides no information about anything unless you count his name. Speaking of limited communication skills, my guess is that the website referenced in the preceding sentence was designed by this guy.

Mwah!

M

Modern Dance 101: Marshawn Lynch's Beast-Mode Run Seals Win For Seahawks

Hi,

(Editor's Note: The initial writing of this entry was rudely interrupted yesterday by something called "My Life". Since it would take me too long to retype and/or retense, if you will, certain sections said entry, I'll leave it to you to be smart enough to figure out which things are not actually happening today or tonight.)

Hi,

Before we talk about Casey Shea's big announcement that he'll finally be available on the Verizon wireless network tonight at Glasslands I wanted to spend a little bit of time talking about me and how I feel about all about the blatant stereotyping and small mindedness running rampant in the modern dance world. That's right kids, as any self respecting reader of Manhattan magazine knows, this week is APAP. For those of you who don't have self respecting people in your life to tell you about things that are worth doing besides over-eating at the new Checker's on Broadway and Marcy, APAP is "The Nexus For Arts Presenting Worldwide". Now, if you're anything like me, "The Nexus For Arts Presenting Worldwide" means that you took the A train uptown to Columbus Circle for the first time in about 6 years and then walked around in a circle for about four minutes trying to remember which direction 8th Ave. goes. Also, if you're anything like me, once you got your bearings straight you might then have found yourself at the corner of 55th St. and 9th Ave. talking to yourself in phrases like: "Oh, yeah. Alvin Ailey. Where is number 405? He's dead. Damn, this place looks pretty nice. AIDs. I think that woman might not be wearing clothes. Same with Rock Hudson."

(Editor's Note: The girl who used to be sitting next to me was reading a book called: Generosity.)

(Editor's Note: This is about the point in my day that I used to have my first cigarette.)

(Editor's Note: As if there was any doubt that the rest of the band needs to play louder, I just got recognized as the bass player from Mother Feather.)

(Editor's Note: Being thus warmed up, or not being able to think of anything to say, this is about the point in my day that I used to have my second cigarette.)

Anyway, APAP. It's kind of like South By South West for Modern Dance. Except that I've never been to SXSW and I think that music festivals are a scam. To be fair, I guess I kinda think that most things are a scam, which by dint of percentages might make what was a scam no longer a scam but just the way things are. Another example might be say, congressional representatives. Scam? Or just the way things are? Depends. Anyway, I got into this APAP thing for free for the same reason everyone else that wasn't on the stage did: It was a free event unless you were on stage. The people on the stage got to pay to be there and perform for people who may or may not have the power to decide to book them at a venue where you might make enough money to break even on production costs. Sounds like a pretty great deal. Or a scam. Or, a labor of love.

(Editor's Note: Hawai'i is the correct spelling of the word "Hawaii".)

Anyway, you may or may not be surprised to learn that my knowledge of "Modern Dance" pretty much begins and ends with me perfecting something called "The Moon Walk" in front of the floor to ceiling mirror covered wall in the Basile family living room back in the winter of 1984. So you can imagine my shock to bear witness to the myriad displays blatant stereotyping and small mindedness of the modern dance world. Take for instance The GIMP Project. Yes, you read that right and yes I typed it right. And yes, I know. Don't get me started with the name. I mean, are people even allowed to say gimp anymore? And what's more, the Ms. Latsky who conceived this project wherein she would make a spectacle of people being disabled, didn't even have the vision to use non-disabled people to do the disabled dancing. That's right. Actual people with disabilities dancing on a stage next to people who are not, at least physically, disabled. As if nothing could be more normal. Anyway, if you thought that was bad, just wait for about three and a half seconds when I tell you about the black dancers in the Baker and Tarpaga company. I mean, come on. You mean to tell me that just because your dance company is based in Africa and your piece requires that the dancers hit predetermined rhythmic cues that you can only use black dancers? Stereotype alert!

(Editor's Note: This is about the point in my day that I used to think about how the thing I have been writing doesn't seem to be as funny as I thought it would be and then go have a cigarette. No, I just get to sit here and either stare at this screen and feel sorry for myself, or open another browser window and read some more fluff on TalkingPointsMemo.)

And speaking of the as yet attempted assassination of Gabrielle Giffords and all the other fluff featured on TalkingPointsMemo, here's a little something I call "Cut And Paste":

An aide to Sarah Palin claims the crosshairs depicted in her now-infamous target list of Democrats were not actually gun-sights, and that it's "obscene" and "appalling" to blame Palin for the shooting.

"We never ever, ever intended it to be gun sights. It was simply cross-hairs like you'd see on maps," said Rebecca Mansour on the Tammy Bruce radio show. Moreover, there was "nothing irresponsible" about the image, and to draw a line connecting Palin and Saturday's shooting is "obscene" and "appalling."

[TPM SLIDESHOW: Across the Nation, Vigils Held for Rep. Gabrielle Giffords]

You can see the original image below. Mansour called the crosshairs "surveyor marks." Palin has removed the list from her PAC website, but not from her Facebook page.

"I don't understand how anybody could be held responsible for somebody who is completely mentally unstable like this. Where I come from the person that is actually shooting is the one that's culpable," Mansour said, before intimating that the suspect, Jared Loughner, is actually a liberal. "It seems that he people that knew him said that he was left-wing and very liberal -- but that is not to say that I am blaming the left."

[TPM SLIDESHOW: Dem Rep. Gabrielle Giffords Shot In Arizona]

"I never went out and blamed Al Gore or any environmentalist for the crazy insane person who went to shoot up the Discovery Channel," she said.

[H/T: Ben Smith]

Late update: A reader points out that Palin herself referred to the crosshairs/gun sights as "bullseyes" after the election.

I think the moral of the story is "The Proliferation Of Guns Makes It Easier For Crazy People To Kill Other People" but I'm not totally sure.

Mwah!

M