Monthly Archives: May 2017
Trump, the Scandalist
I once read that one meaning of scandal, lost in English but retained in some other languages, is roughly “uproar in the theater”. This might be due to star feuds or controversial staging or slipshod performance or messy personal lives … Continue reading
Trans-X
Well the difficulty comes when race and culture (mostly) coincide as is the case of US blacks. Black might be a racial category on the census form but at ground level I’d argue that it’s also a cultural category that … Continue reading
Loves me some Eurovision, 2017 pt. 5: Grand finale and wrap up
The Songs with a Bye This year more than ever showed how wrongheaded giving some countries a bye into the final is. Let’s take each one in order of appearance. Italy – Italy is very good at producing grand sweepingly … Continue reading
Intonation and Meaning…
I went to a monthly outdoor fleamarket today. There was a musician busking at the entrance (playing the trumpet over taped backing). I usually toss a couple of zloties to whoever’s busking. As I did so he stopped playing a … Continue reading
Loves me some Eurovision, 2017 pt. 4: second semi-final notes and songs with a bye
General second semi-final notes As I predicted the sound quality was a lot better for the second semi, I’m hoping it stays like that for the final. I usually don’t watch the opening numbers or non-competitive song parts but they … Continue reading
Loves me some Eurovision, 2017 pt. 3: second semi-final
I stopped watching after the perfromances so now I will do a rundown of the songs with my personal picks for the top 10 (based on song, performance, weirdness, other intangibles) before checking out which songs actually qualified. Serbia – … Continue reading
Loves me some Eurovision, 2017 pt. 2: first semi-final notes
Just a couple of notes on the semi-final and on Eurovision in general. Logo The logo is kind of blah and the slogan “Celebrate Diversity” sounds old and tired. It might be needed in Ukraine at this particular time, but… … Continue reading
Loves me some Eurovision, 2017 pt 1: first semi-final
Eurovision is a glorious, overblown, one of a kind mutant cultural spectacle. I love it more than words can say (though usually the songs are crap and I almost never agree with the results). Anyhoo, I’d been thinking it was … Continue reading
Neoliberalism, Sterility and the Hollowed Out Center
Quick theory on why Neoliberalism is doing so badly and why it’s not going to get better (hardly any of this is original, but I’m too lazy/busy to list all the sources. Neoliberalism causes sterility. Societies that accept neoliberalism therefore … Continue reading
More Holidays than Strictly Necessary…
A total of four and a half days of my classes are cancelled at my institution between Maundy Thursday and May 10 (aka Sports Day*) and three more days (that I don’t have classes on) get the chop as well. … Continue reading
