The Political Compass. All roads lead... Left.

At least for myself, I, not completely surprisingly, found. As has been discovered on many sites, in many trappings, I decided to re-evaluate my political and economic leanings in the wake of the recent economic crisis gripping the nation. Have my views grown to differ from a younger me? Has the old adage "a twenty year old without a heart is a conservative, a forty year old without a head is a liberal" begun to tug at my soon to be 29 year old brain?

The short answer, no. I fell just about smack dab where I did when I first took the test 5 years ago. For those who are inquisitive, I fell here:
I was pleased to notice that my views placed me nearly in the same spot on the grid as Mahatma Gandhi; always a shining figure to emulate, in my own opinion (which I guess makes perfect sense...huh). What does it mean? I'll leave that for you to interpret. Are you curious as to where you fall? Do you want to see how you compare to Stalin, Hitler, and Pol Pot? Of course you do (but don't blame me if you find out you're some sort of totalitarian anarchist or some such other anachronistic train wreck). Anyway, click here to give it a go.

Wanna Support a Good Cause? C'mon, You Know You Do.

Our good friend Dave McDermott, currently serving as a wonderful counterweight to the Bush administration for the Peace Corps in Cameroon, alerted us to an upcoming festival aimed at "increas[ing] awareness among the population of Batibo of Peace Corps and its mission; to showcase the culture of the Moghamo people for visiting Peace Corps volunteers; to encourage the use of volunteers as resources for development within the community; and to sensitize and educate the population in the areas of health, agroforestry, business, and HIV/AIDS through animations given by volunteers on topics such as nutrition, soybeans, AIDS prevention, and appropriate technology irrigation." So, in a nutshell, it's something far more noble and valuable to people than what we are all doing this weekend.

I don't know exactly what these "animations" are, but with Dave involved, I'm guessing they're poignant, educational, and possibly acerbically funny. Anyway, there is additional information on the Peace Corps website. 'Why would I look this up?' you're asking yourself? Because you can also donate a few bucks for the cause. You can spare a few bucks to help a good guy along in his mission for the Peace Corps in Africa, right? And besides, how could you not after being entertained by this picture of him (in his pre-public service in Africa days):

Service to country...Dave McDermott, we salute you.

The Rockometer (Or, The Hideously Ill-Conceived Disgrace on the Lake)

And so it has come to my attention, courtesy of the weekly e-newsletter from Cool Cleveland, the newest and most brazenly obscene monument to blind consumerism and lack of spirit for the common good: The Rockometer. This monstrosity looks like a cross between a second-rate Atlantic City casino and the MySpace page of a 15 year old. Doubt me? See below:

What is it, you ask? Well, according to Christopher Axelrod, the Bratenahl native and creative mind behind the project, it will be:

"A rockometer is a retro measuring devise or pulse meter, which indicates the “spirit” or civic “heartbeat” of the City of Cleveland. The actual meter, situated at the crown of the façade on The Rockometer building will be enhanced by three, jumbo outdoor video screens directly underneath, which will indicate a visual explanation as to why the meter is pointing to low, medium or high (i.e. The Cleveland Browns won a game on Sunday giving the meter a high rating). This “social seismograph” will never be utilized as a commercial or advertising element, and all programming of content will be created in- house by the staff marketing team."
(Source: www.therockometer.com: note, there's a very good reason that until now, that domain name was not taken).

So, not only will this thing top out at -14 on the "pulse meter" during the first week in February, further inciting depression from the local population already deficient in sunlight and up to their waists in dirty snow, but it will also provide an explanation; as in, 'well, we're poor, cold, and unhappy with our jobs (or lack thereof)'.

But oh, it gets better.

"When you hear the popular phrase “Party like a rock star” in the national media, one tends to think of tony destinations, glittering venues, and dazzling celebrations. All of these perceptions will apply to Cleveland when The Rockometer building is completed, creating the largest and most elaborate 2,000 seat banquet, special events and party center east of Las Vegas."

So, just as Cleveland (might) finally get the long promised (and possibly not worth it) brand new convention center, this schmuck is promoting the exact same thing, only taking up what should be public access lakefront space and turning it into a carnival sideshow.

Just in case you missed it the first time:

The Numbers Don't Lie

Okay, so back to politics because I'm helpless against its insatiable pull. I took this from the New York Times site today because I'm sick of rhetoric and political grandstanding from both sides, and there's nothing like some honest to god data to get the real picture. What it shows is a pretty remarkable gap between the growth of family incomes year to year, during both Republican and Democratic presidencies. Across the board, and not surprisingly, among the bottom 40% of the population, Democratic presidents have, if not sustained or engendered, witnessed considerably greater economic growth at the core family level over the past 60 years.

I won't speculate deeper on the variables inherent in this sort of equation (social, political, economic, military, etc.) as this post would extend indefinitely, but as a nugget of real, hard information in a sea of claims and allegations, it's as good as gold.

Filler

Okay, I'm not going to get directly involved in the brouhaha that is THE SARAH PALIN CONTROVERSY!!!!!!!! I just want to point out this little nugget from former Secretary of Labor Robert Reich, available here on his blog, under "Vetting".

I don't even really want this blog to be about politics (too much), so I'll follow that tidbit with, as someone once said, something totally different....

For those attending on the 27th, here is a picture of the exterior of Asterisk, so that you aren't wearily crawling through Tremont looking in vain for anything that might resemble a typical art gallery:

Also, in case you were wondering about the place, all the information you are seeking can be found here. Happy hunting...