Blogrophenia: The Reverend Aton's Site

I've always liked To Kill a Mockingbird, but it wasn't until seeing Capote that I learned anything about Harper Lee the person. Apparently she just wrote for Oprah's magazine.

Good article about Lieberman, the hopefully soon to be outgoing Senator from CT. . .

Great Quote

When asked at Leeds, where a plaque to memeorialize their famous concert there was being put up, if this is the beginning of the end for them, the great Pete Townshend responds: "I thought it was in 1969, I didn't think it would last till the end of the week."

I can't explain,
Moses

Martin Peretz makes the compelling argument for Al Gore. . . Our once and future President (rightful anyway). . . And TNR responds to Kos. . .

Let's Win One for the Party

If your a Democrat and a decent human being you may have a vested interest in seeing that snake Joe Lieberman lose his Senate seat in CT. If you actually want to do something about it check out Ned Lamont's website here. Get involved.

Let's ditch this guy. . .just like he ditched us. . .

Times are gone for honest men,
and sometimes,
far too long,
for snakes,
Moses

Seeking Book Donations

The New Orleans Public Library(New Orleans LA)

The New Orleans Public Library is asking for any and all hardcover and paperback books for people of all ages in an effort to restock the shelves after Katrina. The staff will assess which titles will be designated for its collections. The rest will be distributed to destitute famil! ies or sold for library fundraising.

Please send your books to:

Rica A. Trigs,
Public Relations
New Orleans Public Library
219 Loyola Avenue
New Orleans, LA 70112

If you tell the post office that they are for the library in New Orleans, they will give you the library rate which is slightly less than the book rate.

Daily Kos up to no good?

Even do good guys do wrong occasionally. . .

Wade's World: Heat Win it All

Well, we did it. The first win in franchise history. I still that it was pretty scummy of Riley to fire Van Gundy but you have to hand it to him and his Miami Heat they brought it home. I am happy to have gotten the cahnce to see this team so many times in person both at home and on the road. Will it last? I doubt it, but it's fun now.

We are the champions my friend,
Moses

Wade takes a picture with a fan last year in NJ. Moses Aton

Crossing the iLine. . .

Take an iCrap? Ok, I love technology and I am not sure I can live without an iPod anymore. All that said this is taking it too far now. . .

Push it too far,
Moses

Spidey Comes Out

Sort of anyway. . . Just as comic books championed the cause of the civil rights in the 1960's they take on civil liberties now. . . Well, done. I always liked that medium. A true American original. Ken Burns should add comics to his dictum that jazz, baseball and the Constitution are the great legacy of America. Maybe more minor, but undeniable. . .

Does whatever a spider can,
Moses

Wherefore Art Dems?

Peggy Noonan's de facto response to Peter Beinart in terms of the history of the Democratic Party. . .

Stop light,
Plays it's part,
So I would say,
You've got a part,
Moses

Things are Looking Better All the Time

Is Lieberman leaving the party? It looks like it might be possible. . .

We can only hope and pray. . .

It was a beautiful day,
Moses

20-20-24 Hours Ago. . .


I feel the same about some Republicans I know. Some. Most are douschebags who don't know right from wrong, though.

BONDED TO RAMONE

June 14, 2006 -- EDDIE Vedder has dedicated Pearl Jam's new album to his late, great friend, Johnny Ramone. While that would explain the fast tempos and chunky power chords that dominate the eponymously titled "Pearl Jam," one-time grunge god Vedder acknowledges he had a unique friendship with the Ramones guitarist, a hardcore Republican who was never known to be the nicest guy in the world. "We used to laugh that I made him a nicer human being and that he made me more of an a - - hole," Vedder tells Rolling Stone. Vedder, along with Red Hot Chili Peppers guitarist John Frusciante, Vincent Gallo and Rob Zombie, spent hours at Ramone's house, where he would play them music (on a jukebox, not a guitar) and show film clips of acts from Gene Vincent to the Dead Boys. "We were the students of Johnny Ramone, and forever bonded," Vedder says. "Never have I experienced a loss of someone I talked to with such frequency, in such depth, with such intimacy

C

Read at your own peril. (those easily offended may want to lay off)

Mars Anyone?

No less of an intellect than Stephen Hawking is warning us to colonize elsewhere. . .

Scary stuff, the future of man on this planet is uncertain, to say the least.

It's the end of the world as we know it,
And I feel fine,
Moses

M

I went to see Peter Lorre in "M" tonight at the MoMa. Tremendous movie! This 1931 movie manages to create the modern psychological thriller (that so much tv nowadays is based on btw). It features some German Expressionism and anticipates Film-Noir! In addition, it is thoughtful and entertaining and features one of the all time cinematic performances via a very young Peter Lorre. Great stuff. Check it out!

Let me add that, according to the IMDB, the working title was 'Die Mörder sind unter uns' ('The murderers are among us), which was then later changed to 'M'. The original title could be interpreted as a stab at German society at the time and the Nazi party (see wiki entry: M) Think about that next time you hear anti-Bush song or see an anti-Bush movie, art often precedes the rest of the world in recognizing political danger. . .

"Who knows what it's like to be me?!??" - M, Peter Lorre

Once, upon a time,
Moses

Top Ten Sounds of Summer 2006

10. In Your Honor, Foo Fighters - This album is ranked so low here only because it's been out for so long (2005), but since this is the first summer since it's come out I think it's fair to include it. It a double disk with a kick ass rocking/shredding first disk and a beautiful/mellow second disk (complete with a Norah Jones duet). Chill out with disk two as you lay out and pop in the much more rocking disk one for the party at night in Southhampton.

9. Wolfmother, Wolfmother - A modern take on Black Sabbath and Led Zeppelin. These guys know how to groove and unless this album is a total freakish fluke they should be around for a while.

8. Rather Ripped, Sonic Youth - Forget what you know about this band. If like many other music fans you've been turned off by some of their "weirder" stuff, fear not: this album rocks! You can stream it here for free just to be sure.

7. Twelve Gardens, Billy Joel - Admit it. You like him. Everyone does and yet it's hard to come to terms with that for some reason. This lively album is replete with all your favorite hits. I have yet to hear this album in it's entirety, but having heard parts and seen him perform an entire concert at the Garden on this particular tour I can tell you that he sounds great. Put on the The Downeaster Alexa and think about the erstwhile commercial fisherman of Long Island while you enjoy your day out there in fishing in Montauk. And it's ok, everyone likes him too. . .

6. Z, My Morning Jacket - This album has actually been out for a little while (2005) but as I have only discovered it as a result of them opening for Pearl Jam, I'll put them on this list. Chilled out mellow summer album perfect with a beer and a smoke.

5. We Shall Overcome: The Seeger Sessions, Bruce Springsteen - These big folk American songs popularized by Pete Seeger work so well with Springsteen that they essentially become his. His reworking of several songs helps to distinguish them too. But all in all perfect tunes for a lazy summer day on a hammock while contemplating the state of the world with a hangover in Easthampton. For a recent Boss show review go here.

4. I Think I See Evil, Kervin - This incredible rap rock band with a monstrous rhythym section will blow you away and the best part is that after a nice summer day on the beach you might be able to come back into the city and catch them in person. Check out their site for more information on the band and show dates.

3. Stadium Arcadium, RHCP - Anything by this California band is perfect for the summer and so for music fan's it's just a great stroke of luck that you can get an entire double album's full of brand new great music by this legendary band that stands up to anything they've ever done. This band is one of the few I can think of that just keeps getting better and I've liked them since my BMX/skateboarding days of the late 1980's and early 1990's! Watch Dani California video here.

2. Living with War, Neil Young - The peerless Neil Young manages to comment brilliantly, forcefully and essentially perfectly (ok, occasionally he's a bit heavy handed) accurately while still putting out a kick ass album. You may want to skip a track here and there for summer listening purposes, but all in it's a thoroughly enjoyable summer album that you can enjoy confident in the fact that we're only a few years removed from this long protracted George W. Bush induced national nightmare.

1. Pearl Jam, Pearl Jam - Sixteen years after they first got together, this album finds them in their best form yet (or at least since Ten). Thoughtful, timely and rocking. Pop it in, have a drink and a smoke and rock the summer away. . . Almost every song on the album is tremendous but pay particular attention to Severed Hand, Marker in the Sand, Life Wasted, World Wide Suicide (notice all the "W"'s?) and Come Back. Check out the video to Life Wasted here.

I have tasted a life wasted,
And I'm never going back again,
Moses

Martin Short: Fame Becomes Me

Ok, folks as promised you'll be hearing a lot about this show here. . . And, boy, do we have a treat for you today! Without further ado: A VIDEO MONTAGE!! of the upcoming masterpiece.

While you're longing for the greatest comedian of all time, enjoy this Jiminy Glick interview with Jon Stewart.

Hooty Pooty!,
Moses

Interesting story here, I don't know what was/is so controverial about it but the Passion of the Christ was ranked as the most controversial movie of all time by EW. What's controversial about it? Either you believe in Christ or you don't. . . where's the controversy?

Summer Movies Review

Well, we're past Memorial Day and less than two weeks from the official start of summer and so I figured I'd give some movie tips, in no particular order:

Mission Impossible: This movie isn't bad at and if you look into last month's posts I've reviewed it already and it is what it is, which is a nice little action movie that make you forget life and that you will quickly forget.

Da Vinci Code: As Stanley Kaufman of TNR points out possibly the most interesting thing about this movie is the pheonomenon surrounding it, notably that even after the book sold 60 million copies it took a movie to get everyone all fired up. Fun movie and a bit more thoughtful than MI 3 or at least it tries to be. . .

X-Men 3: Not nearly as bad as the reviews make it out to be. Probably not as good as X2 but, probably at least as good as the first one. Frasier Crane (Kelsey Grammar) as the Beast works very well and although Nightcrawler is conspicous in his absence all your favorite muties are back and Magneto is as bad ass as ever. Cool little scene from the past too. Great entertainment, if you're a fan of superhero movies and/or the X-men it's a borderline can't miss.

The Break Up: Interesting movie that is a bit better than your run of the mill romantic comedy. Vaughn is excellent and Aniston is very good. The chemistry between them is decent but maybe not as good as you might think considering their well publicized off screen romance. Good movie.

So there it is, you really can't go wrong with any of these. While none of them are Citizen Kane neither are any The Hours. They all succeed in what they set out to do in my opinion, namely: In being entertaining summer movies.

Fun, Fun, Fun,
Moses

Music

It amuses me when people pretend that their subjective taste in music is better or worse than anyone else's taste, it's even more comical when people pretend that their taste indicates greater intelligence. It's usually overcompensating for some kind of failure in their life and/or general bitterness or sometimes it's a mask for racism ("I hate rap!"). Anyway, New Yorker music critic has an interesting take here.

I'm in tune,
Moses

Duke Scandal

Interesting conservative rant about the whole mess. Even a broken clock is right twice a day.

You know you're right,
Moses

Pearl Jam

Among the many other reasons I love this band so much is that for less $15o dollars I recently saw two shows in three days at the Continental Airlines Arena and with 48 hours of both shows was able to download both concerts and now have them on my iPod. Their absurd talent aside, they deserve so much credit for being this fan friendly. Other bands (a very popular Irish band with a two letter/number name come to mind) put on all sorts of airs of altruism and such while charging as much as they can get away with for tickets. Pearl Jam is sincere and honest and that's too rare nowadays. . .

If you hate something,
Don't you do it too,
Moses

Supergay?

This is pretty funny actually. Someone started a rumor that the new Superman portrays Superman as (can it be related to Spacey's appearance in the movie as Lex Luthor?) and apparently - or it seems to me anyway - that the producers are flipping, hence director Brian Singer's silly statement: Superman "is probably the most heterosexual character in any movie I've ever made," For more go here.

Even heroes have the right to dream,
Its not easy to be me,
Up, up and away...away from me,
Its all right...you can all sleep sound tonight,
Moses

Bush: English Muthafucka!!!!

Keep talking buddy. . .

Forget Beinart. . . Keep talking George. . . The best argument for Dems is George W. . .

Where have you gone Joe DiMaggio?,
Moses

New York Baseball Tonight

Good wins for the Yankees and Mets tonight. The injury depleted Yanks get a win against the tough Sox who threw their best at them in Beckett at them. Meanwhile the Mets start out a West Coast trip very well after an all night flight with Reyes leading the game off with a blast.

Put me in coach,
Moses

End of the Road for Ugly Kid Joe

Many think that Lieberman may be the first casualty of the Iraq war. Let's hope he is, if so it couldn't happen to a bigger jerk and sellout. . . And let me say something else: I don't think it's so wrong for a Dem to support Iraq, many I respect did, I just think that that JL is such a blatant opportunist that it make me sick. . .

He tried to sell out his party for his own gain and it's now coming back to haunt him. . .

How does it feel?,
To be on your own?,
Moses

Miami Vice

While my young Marlins are quietly winning 9 of 12, the MIAMI HEAT are going to the Finals! I am not particularly optimistic about them winning but I think they can do it. . .

Some like it hot,
Moses

The Melk Man Cometh. . .
For those of you not on the Melky Cabrera bandwagon yet, there's still time to get on board. This guy is a blast to watch play. . . Plus you got to love the left hand throwing switch hitting combo. . .

Taranto No More

In case you haven't noticed, I've long since stopped posting on my anti-Taranto website. It's not even worth it. . . Plus I've been so busy. . . Eh, maybe I'll pick it up at some point. . . Probably not though. . .

How do you sleep,
Moses

The Good Fight

I first met Peter Beinart in 1996 when I was at Duke Law School, I liked him immediately. I have followed his career very closely reading him TNR and in syndication, etc. I have yet to read his new book, but I plan to do so soon. From what I hear it's very good. . .

Interesting little kerfuffle btw brewing, see Andrew Sullivan here. . . You'll find a link there to the Huffington Post. . .

I felt the Earth on Monday,
Moses

Quote of the Day

At one point, talking about his friendship with the magician David Blaine, Penn leaned across the table and said, 'Why are we close friends? I don't ask. I don't want to know. Love the mystery. Don't want to know why I'm here, per se, in life. Feel it, follow the feeling. But don't want the answer. Don't want the safety net of "Am I gonna have an afterlife or am I not?" Somebody says there's a God, I think it's a kind of funny notion. Somebody says there's not, I think it's a funny notion. To know is a funny notion. And so, you know, if I've got a religion, it's the mystery of the thing.' - Sean Penn from an article about him in the Guardian.