Ken Burns Hates Mexicans

More Blogs About Buildings and Food

Been back in L.A. for a week now. Finally. So now, not only can KenBurns daily blog posts continue with impunity, but I also have time to visit interesting websites recently discovered...

Ryan's Daily Music Post. Not your run-of-the-mill song-of-the-day website, this eclectic music blog straight outta San Antonio reflects the crazy cultural mix of South Texas and its music fans. Esteban Jordan next to Leon Russell next to the Drive By Truckers (yes!) next to Nick Lowe!? But, even more surprisingly, it all makes perfect sense. A clean, well-lighted site with no frills, no blather, just a daily song post that lets the music stand and deliver.

(Notes on) Politics, Theory & Photography. "Images," William Burroughs famously wrote, "that's what I eat." Been mulling for years exactly what Wild Bill truly meant with his wonderfully ambiguous dictum, but I'm guessing whatever it was the Beat writer would be pleased with the "Notes on..." blog's critical mix of pictures and politics. Not so much semiotic photo deconstructions a la Barthes and his black French soldier saluting the flag, but analysis on law, the election, images, and and, yes, the occasional opine on, say, the Miley Cyrus - Vanity Fair - Annie Leibowitz photo controversy, complete with links to Germain Greer essays on the subject.

The Kareem Abdul Jabbar Blog: The  Insights of the NBA's All-Time Leading Scorer.  OK: For hard core NBA fans looking for intelligent discussions on everything basketball head on over to TrueHoop.com -- there is not a finer site for that kind of insider info -- but for everyone else head on over to Kareem's more expansive blog. Jabbar's musings on history, culture, politics, and, yes, even the hated Lakers, make for thoughtful reads. Check out his recent post on the 1968 Olympics in Mexico City. Kareem was there. And Jabbar's insight on race, the Vietnam War, his personal conflicts felt as a Black athlete contemplating a boycott, and how it all matters in the context of today, Beijing, and the Iraq War is a must-read. He's the consummate scholar/athlete. John Wooden would be proud.

Oh! Industry Smart, fun, and extended posts about Pat Benatar power ballads, Harold and Kumar going to Guantanamo, and the ABC soap General Hospital (alas! no mention of All My Children, but no one's perfect, right?) -- with the occasional Monkees YouTube TV show clip provided as apt audio visual aid. What more could you want in a blog? Run by a trio of savvy academics -- the collectively self-described "Audre Lord of the Rings" -- their entries prove PhDs can not only be fun, but illustrates how the scrutiny of contemporary pop culture can be relevant, political, and revelatory -- in the right multi culti hands. And a Camper Van Beethovan sample? Be still my fanboy's heart.

6767. Dave Navarro's blog. Admittedly, not officially a favorite site. Yet. In fact, I just became aware of 6767 three days ago. But I mention it because Navarro blogged this week how Girl in a Coma is his favorite new band -- plus homeboy posted my music video for 'Say.' Badass. While on his site I discovered Navarro's side band project: Camp Freddy. A Who's-Who of rock musicians playing entire sets of cover songs. Last week Camp Freddy jammed with Steve Jones for some Sex Pistols covers and opened their set the always witty choice of Cheap Trick's Hello There Ladies and Gentlemen. How cool is that? Camp Freddy's doing a residency at the Roxy all this month. Last week's set also included some Bowie, the aforementioned Pistols, Led Zep, Motorhead, and the Stooges. I'll for sure be there next Thursday. Stay tuned for a review...

And, lastly, in the spirit of the above recommended Oh! Industry blog, I leave you with the brilliant proto riot girl Poly Styrene and her band X Ray Spex (mini doc here) with their punk classic "Oh Bondage, Up Yours!" Very badass. Rock on. Have a good weekend. And don't forget Mother's Day.

Quote of the Day

It's election day. And Andrew Sullivan notes on a must read post that 1.5 million people have donated money to Obama's campaign. Via the internet. The significance of that, he writes, is astounding. Again, 1.5 million...

That's how many people have now donated to Obama. No one has ever come close to this in history. And it was done by the Internet, destroying the power of major donors to control a candidate, empowering so many to make a difference and altering the face of campaign finance for ever. And yet the Democrats are seriously considering rebuking this astonishing achievement in favor of an old nepotistic pol whose campaign, when it hasn't been incompetent and complacent, has been straight from the Rove playbook.

Any Democrat who spurns this achievement is destroying their own party, and its future. This has been a revolutionary campaign already. Because it has been built as much from below as from above. And because it has brought so many to believe in their country and its politics again. I don't care if I am thereby tarred as an Obama kool-aid drinker. The facts remain, and one day, the MSM will absorb them.

Be Back on Monday

The Powerbook finally went out. Sent the Mac for repairs. Will be back blogging on Monday. Until then I'm going to be reading a book. Writing with pen on paper. Taking a walk. See you next week.

Noriega Runs for U.S. Senate

A couple of progressive political blogs have turned their attention to Texas State Rep Rick Noriega, who's contemplating a 2008 run for the U.S. Senate against John Cornyn. Both blogs have walked away dutifully impressed.

Crooksandliars.com bonds with the Afghan war vet over shared liberal ideology and their mutual love of Eric  Clapton. (Oh, well, nobody's perfect.) They conclude, rightly, that Noriega's "an extraordinary guy– one of the most outstanding political figures I’ve ever met in my life."

Meanwhile, Firedoglake.com interviews the Houston native, ex school teacher, Jr. College and Harvard grad, and reports:

Rick wants to end Bush’s wars because, among other things, he’s fought in them on the ground, unlike Bush, and Cornyn. He understands what border security is all about and why its important to all Americans and not just a racist cudgel to drum up xenophobic, nativist political support. He’s run a FEMA-like effort to help offer shelter to New Orleans refugees. And like he told me, “We need more regular folks in the Senate; there are enough millionaires in there already.”

Noriega faces an uphill battle against incumbent John Cornyn, one of the most conservative Senators around. Cornyn's a big booster of Alberto "the Geneva Convention is Quaint" Gonzales, a rubber stamp pal of George Bush, Karl Rove protege, and all-around right wing Chickenhawk. What's great about this early progressive blog support of Noriega is the much needed money it'll bring to the campaign, much like the national support that helped Ned Lamont defeat Joe Lieberman in the Connecticut primary. (Only this time, let's hope the Texas race ends better.) Even some Tejano Republicans are supporting Democrat Noriega. Seems Cornyn's xenophobic anti-immigration stance prompted the crossing over of party lines.

And don't let all the pics of Noriega in uniform fool you. I mean, the guy's trying to win a race in Texas after all. The progressive bona fides on Noriega are impressive, especially from a guy representing a red state: gay rights, pro choice, strong supporter of public education, liveblogger for the Daily Kos from their recent netroots convention, an Afghan war vet decidedly against the war, and apparently the vato's a big Mana fan. Oh, well, like I said, nobody's perfect.

Cafe Tacuba rules don't you know. 

Anyway, keep an eye out on this race with national implications on the future of progressive political net support and whether or not another Chicano joins the "world's most exclusive club." It should be getting interesting.