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A blog with delusions of grandeur

Michael Pollan on Whole Foods

As Emdash said last week some folks are boycotting Whole Foods for some dumb things that Whole Foods CEO John Mackey said regarding the current health care debate. To completely destroy my credibility, I don't think I actually read what he wrote, so take this with a bag of salt (that you may or may not buy at Whole Foods). I'll only reiterate that I'm not boycotting Whole Foods, I don't shop there because I don't like it. You know who else isn't boycotting Whole Foods? Michael Pollan:
So Mackey is wrong on health care, but Whole Foods is often right about food, and their support for the farmers matters more to me than the political views of their founder. I haven’t examined the political views of all the retailers who feed me, but I can imagine having a lot of eating problems if I make them a litmus test.


Via HuffPo and Joe.

Mad Men Season 3 Episode 3 Recap

As disjointed as this episode was, it was certainly better than last week. Multiple scenes had me feeling squirmy with nervous tension that just wasn't there last week.

-We can cross weed off the list of anachronistic 60's show subplots. So we've got that going for us. It's funny Kinsey had a friend who could get him dope in about 25 minutes. It's not like that guy had a cell phone, or even a pager, or even an answering machine... He had to be at home ready to leave as soon as the phone rang.
-Roger in black face. I'm not so shocked it happened, but it was probably as surprising a scene as we'll see. I'm sure that got gasps all across the country. And it sounded like he was singing, while it sounded like Joanie was not.
-Sally stealing $5. Cry for attention? Foreshadowing of grandpa doing something inappropriate? Unconnected to anything?
-Don making a drink was a funny scene, almost as if they were making a commercial for Old Fashioneds. Not totally clear on what the purpose was, except to provide more of Don's background, show his affinity for and comfort among outsiders.
-"No one thinks you're happy. They think you're foolish." Well, now. I guess we all know where we stand.
-That was a nice kiss at the end of the show. What kind of cads is Governor Rockefeller hiring in his office? Hitting on and feeling up pregnant ladies?
-And how could I forget Pete Campbell dancing The Charleston with his wife? That may have been a more ridiculous and surprising scene than Roger in blackface. They were really good!
-I think we're getting a baby next week. Think Don will be with another lady while it's happening?

Rachel Getting Married (2008)

This wasn't bad, it just wasn't good. There's a lot in here which will likely touch people in a way that makes them list it as on of their favorite movies on Facebook and I will think poorly of them for that. It gets really weird at the end, too.

The Roots Watching 2 Girls, 1 Cup

I couldn't think of something to post today, so instead you get this:

Tim Wakefield Sure Is Cuddly

I should say up front that I'm a huge fan of Timmy so maybe I'm oversensitive, but isn't this kind of a weird thing to say?

In the same way that a child's bedroom isn't the same without a favorite old teddy bear or a beloved, threadbare old blanket, Fenway Park isn't the same without Tim Wakefield.


Threadbare?

Olly Moss Lost Poster

Wow, this poster by Olly Moss celebrating the last season of Lost is exceptional... Reminds me a little of his Die Hard poster, which is also phenomenal.

Olly Moss Lost Poster

Stimulus and the States

Twenties on White
Photo by Flickr user Darren Hester


This is almost entirely wrong-headed: the point of stimulus aid to state and local governments isn't to save state and local government jobs. The point is to provide fiscal support so that states, which generally have to balance their budgets, don't make pro-cyclical spending/service cuts or have to enact tax increases during a recession.

I’m Huge in Hungary!

The Hungarian site Comment.hu linked to Everything Don Draper Said Season 2. Since the write up is in Hungarian, I used Google Translate to figure out what they said. And actually, it's just a more artful way of saying what most other people say about the Everything They Said series.

Click the image below to see what they say about me in Hungary.
Hungary

Everything Don Draper Said Season 2

Mad Men Season 2
As mentioned last week, Everything Don Draper Said (Season 1) follows up on Everything Tracy Jordan Said Seasons 1, 2, and 3. This season is only around 7500 words (as opposed to Season 1's 10K words), but you're still gonna lose a morning if you try to read it all at once. Stay tuned, more coming soon from your favorite television characters. In any case, this fall is going to feature some fun Everything They Said projects... Without further adieu.







Episode 1
"Yeah, I eat a lot of apples."
"What's the number?"
"Dead, both."
"My dad was 41, 42, he died in an accident. My mother died in childbirth. She was 22, I think."
"Everything? Depends on the day."
"3."
"5."
"Yes."
"What do you mean?"
"How do you feel?"
"Nope, no, I've been good."
"How is it?"
"Makes you feel better about sitting in a bar at lunch. Makes you feel like you're getting something done."
"Is it good?"
"Any calls?"
"Of course."
"What do we have?"
"I can almost picture it."
"So it's about an airline that's flown by Indians. Maybe a plane with some arrows stuck in the cargo door? That's funny. That's what gets people attention now, right? There has to be advertising for people who don't have a sense of humor."
"What else you got?"
"Stop writing for other writers."
"What's outside that window?"
"I get on a plane, I don't care where I'm going, I just want to see the city disappearing behind me."
"That Indian, that's not about the majestic beauty of the Mohawk nation. It's about adventure. Could be a pirate. Could be a knight in shining armor. Could be a conquistador getting off a boat. It's about a fantastical people who are taking you someplace you've never been. Blah, blah, blah, blah."
"You want to get on a plane to feel alive. You want to get on a place to see just the hint of a woman's thigh because her skirt is just this much too short."
"So I guess I'm helping both of us."
"For what purpose?"
"Well, young campaigns don't necessarily come from young people."
"So what am I supposed to do, dangle a Pepsi out the window and see if I can hook a stroller?"
"This sounds like accounts to me."
"You want younger people than that?"
"Tell Duck, clients don't understand. Their success is related to standing out, not fitting in. It's a fad. Paint them a picture, uh, something like one wants to be the needle in the haystack, not a haystack."
"You're talking as if they're some fresh version of us. They're not. Young people don't know anything, especially that they're young."
"I know."
"Don't worry, we will be out of here before the singer starts."
"I don't think we have, Bets, Don Draper."
"Pleasure."
"I do."
"I don't think it's permanent."
"She's a party girl, Bets."
"Really."
"How stupid do you think I am?"
"How does room service sound?"
"Wow."
"Hold on."
"Hello, yes, this is Mr. Draper in room 804. Yes, can you send up some vishiswas and a BLT on white toast…"
"Scratch that, 2 shrimp cocktails."
"So, I have a lot of thoughts. How old are you?"
"Right, you're experienced, I got it. Are you married?"
"So, again, you both did everything together and yet you get paid more?"
"But, you contribute words?"
"I'm gonna ask you a question that was always asked of me when I was on job interviews."
"Have you ever been fired?"
"Book's good. By the way it has Julian Koenig's fingerprints all over it."
"Pleasure to meet you, Mr. Smith."
"That must happen all the time. You two share an office?"
"Of course not."
"Good. So now that I've given you your babies and Xerox machine, should I throw in a couple of elephants? I don’t want there to be any excuses when you can't bring in Martinson's Coffee."
"Send them in."
"Where are we?"
"Are you gonna underline the 'you'? For half the people it will be 'where are you going'?"
"Where the hell is Dale?"
"I don't know, sure, it's fine. It's obvious, I'm uninvolved."
"What about that?"
"No, she's right. Just because it has sentiment doesn't make it sentimental. We're talking about businessmen."
"Says who? Just so you know, the people who talk that way think that monkeys can do this. And they take all this monkey crap and just stick it in a briefcase completely aware that their success depends on something more than their shoeshine. You are the product. You feeling something. That's what sells. Not them. Not sex. They can't do what we do. And they hate us for it."
"Is that a question?"
"You can put that in your book."
"Take your hat off."
"Hey, Carla. Hey, BD."
"I am tired. Where's Mrs. Draper."
"Want a ride to the station?"
"Goodnight."
"Here, give it to me."
"I'm here, too."
"Hi. Bobby conked out, where were you?"
"Well, I was here."
"I did."
"Come on, show me what you learned in ballet."
""Now I am quietly waiting for the catastrophe of my personality to seem beautiful again. And interesting and modern. The country is gray and brown and white and trees. Snows and skies of laughter always diminishing. Less funny, not just darker, not just gray. It may be the coldest day of the year, what does he think of that? I mean, what do I? And if I do, perhaps I am myself again.""
Read the rest of this entry »

The Ten (2007)

I like Paul Rudd, but I'm not sure this was his best work. It's a sort of funny premise, I guess, well, no, it's not. It wasn't unwatchable, but you'll be happier with something else.

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