95 North. . . The Newspaper

My NYT comment on  this article .  Daniel   Wallingford, CT   47 minutes ago From various documentaries to stories from journalists who have been given access to North Korea since 2008, the script has been the same. "Visitors" are given a tour of the country designed to make North Korea look prosperous, Anti-American propaganda fills the streets, and government minders follow journalists at every turn. A great example is this 2011 Vice News Documentary:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=24R8JObNNQ4 The point is, North Korea never seems to change. The unimaginable repression. The anti-American rhetoric. Threats of war. The malnourished, isolated, and information poor populace. President Trump is the only wild card in this equation, a joker that risks a dangerous war with the most predictable regime on the planet. I am dismayed that Mr. Kristof is sounding the drums of war based on his "feelings" regarding the first visit he's had...

I posted this in my room this year. I'm encouraging each student (I'm fortunate to have no more than 4 at a time) to "pick one" for the week. Why not? The longer I've been working in education, the more and more I've felt that building positivity and community is the 1st priority. Of course, I should adjust/made a modified version of this list for my life outside of school. I just haven't gotten to it yet. I'll fully admit that I have a tendency towards cynicism and pessimism. However, it is little positive actions like those listed above that help push me out of those shells and out into the world of engagement, a world that stands on a higher ground. What's  happening on the higher ground? Everything is clearer. The regrets of the past and the anxieties of the future aren't weighing you down enough to drown out the present. Sounds good to me!

What is a guilty pleasure, exactly, and who gets to define what that is? I've long thought there is a certain degree of cultural snobbery involved in labeling, for the rest of us dummies, what constitutes a guilty pleasure. Case in point: Kid Rock. I work with someone (who won't read this blog) who loves Kid Rock. This person elects to spend their time listening to, and enjoying the hell out of, Kid Rock. Kid Rock combined rap and metal and never stopped. Kid Rock is a rust belt icon. Kid Rock speaks to a certain segment of the culture that others choose not to engage. And his shows are  affordable and so is the beer .  Despite his attributes, Kid Rock is also an idiot who wants to run for U.S. Senate in Michigan. And his music leaves much to be desired, perhaps because of he represents the worst of rap, rock, modern southern/heartland rock, and the like.  But who am I to decide what the best music is? And if I liked Kid Rock, would I consider it a "guilty...

From the opening fade in at at the beginning  Street Legal , a hazy and humid, hungover morning emerges. America's ragged hero meets us out in the fields, amidst flag banners and ancient pageantry. Bob Dylan is here, declaring that it's been "sixteen years. . . sixteen years ". Indeed, it had been a long sixteen years. Sixteen years since a young Robert Zimmerman put out his first self titled album out in 1962. By the late 1970's, Bob appeared worn, was divorced, and had been spit up and thrown around by the press and the public. He was looking for answers. They'd arrive a year later. However, the questions always come first. The questions and turmoil that lie at the heart of 1978's  Street Legal  make their faces clearly shown on three important tracks: "Changing of the Guards", "Senor (Tales of Yankee Power)", and "Where are You Tonight? (Journey Through Dark Heat)". The first track off of Street Legal , "...

Dunkin’ Donuts owns Connecticut, and New England for that matter. But what explains the dominance of Dunks over Starbucks, and even independent coffee shops? To find the answer, I think you have to look at the origin story of each company. Assuming that people tend to attach themselves to larger narratives, brand loyalties in CT start to make more sense. In short, I think Dunkin’ represents a certain cultural element that New Englanders feel comfortable identifying with. Recent picture of New Haven, CT: home to 10 Dunks locations. Starbucks: Cultural Identifiers Starbucks appeals to a sort of post-hippie capitalist/left coast individualist spirit. After all, it is a Seattle institution, the place that monetized and sanitized fringe art movements, grunge rock, and coffee. The Pacific Northwest was founded by New England Yankees, so the culture carries an inherited sense of Yankee habits and customs, with much emphasis being placed on education, hard work, and usi...