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May
16: Draw Your Own Conclusions... Majority
Leader Tom Delay recently reported that the House
of Representatives will not extend a 1994 ban on
military-style assualt weapons such as Uzis... good
news for your friendly neighborhood crack dealer,
militia or white supremacist group. Even President
Bush believes the ban should remain in
effect...
...
Ever wanted something so badly that you'd sell a
vital organ or limb? In Eugene, Ore., parents at
one financially-strapped school went the bake sale
one better... trying to sell their blood plasma in
an attempt to raise the $73,000 needed to cover
salary and benefits for one teacher. Rumor has it
that it may've been a protest against the Bush
administration...
Radio
sucks but MTV sucks more. A morning post at
industry site Adland reports a rival music channel
is urging MTV to "save the music video!" A poster,
featuring Sally Struthers, was installed in Times
Square -- on a Viacom-owned billboard. Posters will
also be placed on Viacom-owned telephone kiosks
near MTV's offices (why is this funny? Viacom owns
MTV) and... the agency that created the work also
distributed 2 million free cups that say: "Where's
the M in emptee-vee?
May 4:(Un)Popular Opinion... some insights
from Sunday's op-ed pages that may go against the
grain but are well worth examining ... in the
Washington Post, a piece by T.R. Reid examines our
country's underage/binge drinking phenomena, laying
some of the blame on liquor laws. "In the United
States," he writes, "our kids learn that drinking
is something to be done in the dark, and quickly.
Is that the lesson we want to teach them about
alcohol use?" ... A thoughtful letter in the
Pittsburgh Post Gazette reminds us that, while we
may be outraged at social injustices abroad, to
remember the poor here at home... Jane Flanders of
Squirrel Hill writes "Visit any city... that has
the cultural amenities to attract the wealthy and
take a not-so close look at the obvious... " ...
speaking of that... In today's Indiana Gazette, one
editorial comments on rising CEO pay (uh-gain)
while another notes an Oregon school district was
forced to cut 17 days from its school year due to
budget problems. One local reader suggested that,
should a CEO be so inclined, he might consider
donating half his salary to a struggling school
district. I think she was being sarcastic...
however it does bear mentioning, for persepctive's
sake, that some compensation packages no doubt
equal if not exceed many districts' operating
budgets...
...
In such times, there's only one thing to do... go
out and get yourself a treat... friends recently
returned from a pilgrimage to the Cheese House near
New Alexandria. Apparently it's a good time
&emdash; I'm told they sell wine there... Now
that's the kind of treat that takes your mind off
the weighty matters above...
May 1: ...Received a call from the Indiana
Players... Supposedly funding and plans for a
theater are coming together. Our article on H-bird
stirred a little controversy; but it's all good
(for now)... We should have an update in a couple
of weeks...
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Where'd
it go?
The Hummingbird Theatre (much to our
surprise) has apparently flown the coupe
after we gave them the May cover story --
pretty funny, ha, ha... to be continued --
perhaps in our new Discussion
Group...
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"The progressive technical domination of nature
becomes mass deception and is turned into a
means for fettering consciousness. It impeded the
development of autonomous, independent individuals
who judge and decide conscously for themselves." --
Theodor Adorno, 1991 (must
read)
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From
the May (IN PRINT) issue:
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Not quite subliminal but close... Brand
consultant Lucian James (www.lucjam.com/billboard.html)
keeps track of products cropping up in the
Billboard Top 20 charts--bringing product placement
to yet another medium. Hip-hop pimps everything
from Courvoisier and Coke to Lexus and Prada--not
to mention their own brands like Snoop Dogg
clothing, etc...
50
million historical records at the National
Archives are now available online... Their
database makes searching easier, prior to this you
either had to physically visit the Archives or make
a request by phone (and pay a fee). Check out:
www.archives.gov/aad/
Do
your part for the economy... Even in the worst
of times, there are (hopefully) a few
philanthropists around... If you're one, it looks
like our library could use some help. Reductions in
state funding are putting institutions like the
Indiana Free Library's programs and services in
jeopardy...
Following
up on last month's exhortions to plunder the
internet for freeware fonts... If you can, you
might want to consider making a small donation to
whomever you're downloading from. Remember these
guys aren't Microsoft--it's a nice thing to do; and
for as little as $2, you can call yourself a
patron.
LOCAL
GOINGS ON... Last month Murphy's II closed when
they lost their lease -- but there's no real
shortage of wings in town... Get out and
vote on May 20th in the primaries... Kudos to
City Council for funding a study on downtown
traffic flow... Now the question is, will
anything be done? Follow the on-going saga of the
Indiana Players search for a new theater at
www.indianaplayers.com
Indiana
Trivia -- Great moments in Indiana County
history... In 1984, IUP garnered national
attention when Lisa Birnbach's college guide named
the school as having the ugliest men in higher
education. The following year, the old court house
appeared in the opening of ABC sitcom "He's The
Mayor;" and let's not forget our one-thousandth
point of pride: Coney's Appetizer Lady!
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