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Had a great time watching The Men Who Stare At Goats this weekend. It is definitely good for a few laughs. I wanted to find out a little bit about how much is actually true in this movie. Wired has a nice short article on the subject here. According to the article, psychic spies and playing Barney to prisoners is true, but nobody actually killed a goat with his mind (the article doesn't say they didn't try, though, and it is also silent on the subject of sparkly eyes). As for how the rumor about killing goats got started, I have my own theory...
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In this clip, Oscar the Grouch's GNN (Grouchy News Network) just isn't grouchy enough, prompting viewers to switch to a "trashier" news show: Pox News.
Obviously the Obama administration is leaning on PBS. You can do your part to show PBS that this is unacceptable: don't buy any products from companies that advertise on their channel. Clearly I need to watch more Sesame Street. Happy 40th! I’ve enjoyed seeing Tom Delay on Dancing with the Stars. While his
actual dancing has been awkward, he has made up for it with his humor. My favorite line from him? Tom’s dance instructor: “Now go left!” Tom: “It’s simply outrageous for me to go left!!” I think there should be more politicians on DWTS, and Newsweek agrees with me. They’ve published a list of 11 politicians they’d like to see on the show, including Janet Reno, Vladimir Putin, and Levi Johnston. In that spirit, DWTS should get some economists on. Here are some I’d like to see: · Jeffrey Sachs. Bono could perform for the results show. · Hank Paulson. Not technically an economist , I know, but maybe we could finally see him run like a bunny. · Stephen Levitt. I’m sure he’d come out of it with some research revealing fascinating insights into what it takes to win on the show. · Austan Goolsbee. I think he’d be a crowd-pleaser. Also, he might rub Len Goodman’s head. · Caroline Hoxby. She’s got an elegant look, and as a Rhodes Scholar, probably athletic aptitude. · Paul Krugman. Not going to happen, but one can dream. Other ideas? Share them in the comment section. Mark Newport's knitted batman suit is at the Renwick Gallery in Washington DC, along with some of his other pieces. It's a very small exhibit, but it is fun, and since the Smithsonian doesn't charge admittance, it is worth droppingn by next time you are in the area and have a few minutes to kill. Newport's pieces, all knitted, are purposely oldly proportioned and ill-fitting; in short, a caricature of the sleek and colorful outfit I imagine myself wearing while saving the world. (Although there is a very long outfit that I think would work out well with Mr. Fantastic's talents.) It's a fun melange of things from childhood: comic book characters, silly pajamas, and lumpy sweaters. The placard at the Renwick says that his work plays on gender stereotypes by mixing knitting with comic book heroes. I wonder if it also serves as a metaphor for how many men feel about pressure to meet masculine stereotypes: they try to act out those roles, to put on the superhero costume, but in the end they feel frumpy and lumpy and somehow not masculine at all. I wish that there were a corresponding art project for women, serving as an allegory for how we feel when we try to live up to the pressure to be elegant, beautiful and sexy, and end up falling over in our stillettos.  Here, Mark Newport knits in his knitted Spiderman suit, which is unfortunately not among those at the Renwick |
About Liz
I have worked in economic policy and research in Washington, D.C. and Ghana. My husband and I recently moved to Guyana, where I am working for the Ministry of Finance. I like riding motorcycle, outdoor sports, foreign currencies, capybaras, and having opinions. Archives
December 2016
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