The Theater Loop: "A Highland Park group called the Improv Playhouse says it will take over the old Eileen Boevers Traveling Troupe, a teen ensemble that collapsed along with the rest of the Apple Tree Theatre earlier this month."
Wednesday, September 30, 2009
Worth a Look
Here are some of the articles from last week's greenpage posts that could be worth your time...
Art and life
Backstage at BackstageJobs.com: "In the 72 hours between 10pm Thursday (when I got home from a show) and 10pm Sunday (when I expect to get home from a show), I will have spent 35 hours traveling to, traveling from, or being in a theatre. And this is an easy 3 day period compared to many. Some days are 14-16 hours in the theatre.
These are hours not spent with my family. These are hours not available to spend with my family. This is what is required to work in theatre."White House Honor
Carnegie Mellon University: "The G-20 Summit week concludes Sept. 25, with Carnegie Mellon Professor Gregory Lehane directing First Lady Michelle Obama's concert for the spouses of G-20 leaders — a responsibility undertaken at the special request of the White House."I – Phone apps for Theatre
Ramblings of a Techie: "I recently got a Apple I-Phone 3gs 16gB so I have decided to see what software applications are available for the entertainment industry. so below is a list with links and a brief summary. and were I have used it personally what I think of the app."A.C.T. Offers Valet Bike Parking on Bike to the Theatre Nights
Stage Directions: "American Conservatory Theater (A.C.T.), in partnership with the San Francisco Bicycle Coalition (SFBC), is providing a greener alternative to theatre transportation. For each production of the season, A.C.T. will host a Bike to the Theatre Night, during which the SFBC will offer free valet bike parking for all patrons who cycle to the theatre. Valet bike parking is available one hour prior to showtime. Bicycles will be attended throughout the evening. Patrons are asked to please bring their own locks."Behind the Curtain of a Customizable Theater
Wired: "The Dallas Arts District Theater was a magnificent piece of crap. Affectionately dubbed the Shed, the junky, corrugated-steel construction looked more warehouse than Koolhaus, but it was basic enough that wild-eyed visionaries would routinely rip out and rearrange seats to fit whatever the current show demanded. Then, in 2005, the Shed was torn down."Fabric Printing with Citra-Solv
Instructables: "Any photograph, image or design that looks good in black and white is a great candidate for printing with Citra-Solv. It's permanent, can be washed in the washer, takes about 2 minutes to do and it's cheap and easy."
Shorties
- 12:50 At an actual full serve only gas station. Almost forgotten how that works. #
- 20:24 Hmm. Wifi working on campus stranger and stranger. #
- 23:04 tonight I made the wifi work on my phone at home by booting the wifi - not a permanent solution I am afraid. #
- 00:25 @scoutfinch2271 wow Hi Kira #
- 00:25 RT @SenArlenSpecter: I will continue to work with my colleagues for a public option once the legislation arrives at the Senate floor. #
Tuesday, September 29, 2009
Shorties
- 21:44 Apple people say I am going to have to reinstall my iPhone as new. Not enthused am I. #
Monday, September 28, 2009
Apple Tree Theatre closes its doors…
Lake County Performing Arts (LCPA): "We were saddened to hear the recent news by the management of Highland Park’s Apple Tree Theatre to cancel the 2009-2010 season and close its doors."
Shorties
- 12:30 @tcschwa welcome to my world this years Frosh were born in the 90's #
- 15:53 iPhone wifi interaction definitely not happy - did that happen to anyone else when they updated for MMS? #
Sunday, September 27, 2009
Shorties
- 14:38 @puffskein that sucks, I'd been waiting for it to start u again #
- 22:47 Apple, I think the iPhone update cocked up my wifi settings - FAIL #
Saturday, September 26, 2009
Shorties
- 11:10 Studiocraft CAD - Units, Limits, Layers, Lineweight, Linetype, Ortho, OSNAP #
- 11:53 I've never felt more watched in my life - and I used to act (a long time ago) Its like you can feel the facial recognition software running #
- 12:21 @bpeoples, @aerdin, @jkrall have you people heard of AIM? #
- 21:09 At Six Penn Kitchen. Downtown kinda empty - even with the Bucs game #
- 23:54 @puffskein was it lousy? #
Friday, September 25, 2009
Shorties
- 11:21 @puffskein crap, where's my Magneto helmet #
- 12:50 Looks like about half of CMU stayed home today #
- 13:59 @giantspatula stopping? I don't believe it. #
- 14:18 @giantspatula see, toldja! #
- 15:20 RT @WDUQ_News: Tear gas appears to have been fired on 37th. Protesters were running with a dumpster. #
- 16:19 thats very definitely a fence #
- 1 6:31 Goodbye Harry Donovan, you will be missed. #
- 17:12 RT @48v: CMU: stay clear of UC turnaround. they aren't letting people past. you can wall down the other side of forbes. #G20 #
- 17:23 received word from the Dean that due to security concerns regarding the G-20 The Dean would like anyone who is able to do so to head home #
- 17:51 I love Pittsburgh News - riot police in the street will not delay those weather forcasts #
- 18:06 End of the road. Close as I could get. yfrog.com/4rvnpcj #
- 18:49 RT @WDUQ_News: Tear gas near Phipps. crowd of protesters who appear to be students with a few protesters who appear to be more seasoned. #
- 22:01 @tcschwa who me? #
Thursday, September 24, 2009
Nothing to See Here
So you can see Phipps from CMU. I figured I would go look. So did some other people.
Really you couldn't see much. Police cars, TV lights
Here's a zoomier view
of course, it actually looks like this
a little further up the street. There were guys like this every 50 yards or so, plus others on horseback.
using the fence as a tripod (max zoom is usually blurrier)
nice doggie
but in the end, prolly more interesting on TV.
Shorties
- 11:58 My that's a lot of police. #
- 17:38 Tech Direction 1- Newsquiz, Talking about Scope, Breakout assignment questions, Estimating assignment #
- 19:14 Tech Direction 3 - Communicating when your project is out of scope. #
- 20:23 Cross Option Meeting #
- 23:09 @aerdin woohoo! #
- 23:16 Gadhafi just said that Jack Ruby's killing of Lee Harvey Oswald needs to be investigated (no, we're not making that up). bit.ly/urlDC #
- 00:06 @puffskein :-) #
Wednesday, September 23, 2009
Tuesday, September 22, 2009
Guest Essay: Theater-goers lose a treasure
PIONEER PRESS :: Highland Park News: "Almost exactly a year ago, I was part of a standing ovation close to a thousand strong as Eileen Boevers and Apple Tree Theatre became the toast of the 2008 Joseph Jefferson Awards. In Chicago's glittery version of the Tonys, Boevers -- wearing a mega-watt smile -- accepted the Outstanding Achievement Award. The founder of Apple Tree Theatre, as everyone in that enthused audience knew, was a bona fide visionary, a writer/director/producer and all-around force to be reckoned with."
Apple Tree Theatre bows to economy
News Sun :: Entertainment: "Founded a quarter-century ago in the same church basement where Gary Sinise started Steppenwolf Theatre, the Apple Tree Theatre closed its doors Monday when officials announced it had been overwhelmed by economic doldrums."
Apple Tree Theatre closes its doors
PIONEER PRESS :: Highland Park News: "While city officials continue to search for performing arts groups to lure area theater fans to the downtown Highland Park Theater, the community has just lost a core piece of its cultural base.
Apple Tree Theatre closed its doors this week after more than three decades in the city."
Shorties
- 13:49 @kmhodgson not yet dammit #
- 13:53 Technical Direction I - Assignment Questions, Technical Direction management structure & delegation of responsibilites #
- 18:40 Technical Direction III - budget the mainstage... #
- 19:35 Greenpage top five: bit.ly/SAgTd #
- 20:54 Checking out GoW Tech and then just checking out. #
Monday, September 21, 2009
Worth a Look
Here are some of the posts from the Greenpage this week that might be worth your time...
Communicating with Co-Workers and Clients Through Social Media
WebWorkerDaily: "Lately, I’ve gotten a lot of my clients contacting me through Twitter, LinkedIn and other social media sites. I got a direct message from one of my clients, saying that she has a new project she wants to start on. I received a LinkedIn message from a prospective client interested in working with me. It isn’t just clients, either. I sent a direct message to a designer I’m working with in order to get a quote for a project myself.
But are there any problems that can arise from conducting business conversations through social media?"Top 10 Underhyped Webapps, 2009 Edition
Lifehacker: "As with rock music, video games, and other awesome pursuits, great web applications often don't get enough credit for what they do well. We're revisiting and updating our favorite underhyped webapps to give a new crop of contenders their due."How to Finish a Writing Project
Men With Pens: "Do you have a big writing project on the go? Perhaps it’s an ebook, a non-fiction book, a novel, a free report for your website, or a series of pillar posts for your blog. Whatever that project is, it’s probably not something you can knock out in an afternoon."Dear Dramaturgs...
Dramaturgy in H[ollywoo]D: "Even though you have been trained to be lean, mean researching machines, frankly...research is the last thing anyone will hire you to do. Everyone assumes that the writers and designers have done their own homework, so why would they hire someone ELSE to do research? That's just another person on payroll. And, whatever research jobs you will get will probably be part-time and underpaid. Why? Because there is no union for researchers. You will live your lives pseudo-employed, without health care and definitely without benefits.
So, here are some other options you should look into"Synonyms: “Local” and “Small-town”
100k: "I went to Thesaurus.com for some help in coming up with a new name for this project, and I typed in “small town,” which brought up the following list"Code of Ethics for Theatre Workers
Chicago Stage Review: "A part of the great tradition of the theatre is the code of ethics which belong to every worker in the theatre. This code is not a superstition, nor a dogma, nor a ritual which is enforced by tribunals; it is an attitude toward your vocation, your fellow workers, your audiences and yourself. It is a kind of self-discipline which does not rob you of your invaluable individualism."An experiment in procrastination
Orange Crate Art: "Students have three papers to write. Students in one class make their own deadlines. Students in a second class are given one deadline for all three papers: the last day of class. Students in a third class are given three deadlines for the three papers: the fourth, eighth, and twelfth weeks of classes. Which class gets the best grades?"Mad Men Props
Props: "I love Mad Men. If you watch the show, you know it is just jam-packed with period details and an almost obsessive attention to detail. The show takes place in and around New York City in the early 1960s. For some people, this would be a prop master’s dream; for others, a nightmare."
Shorties
- 15:37 30 minutes of Sunday Productivity remaining #
- 19:27 So much for undefeated #
- 19:36 @backstagejobs thanks for the follow up, I'll make sure the student sees it. #
- 23:58 missed seeing Mad Men win best drama because I was watching Mad Men #
Sunday, September 20, 2009
Saturday, September 19, 2009
Ellipses...
Talk like a pirate day, Rosh Hashana, Apple Tree closing, and I am doing ellipses. Blog motivation FAIL... Just how does it turn out that the top selling NFL jersey in PA is Brett Favre? Must be a few others cancelling each other out. Good to know Polamalu is popular in Alaska though... The G20 is next week, work told us to keep kids busy so they won't be "tempted to join protests." Can't have that... Read online that Caprica is on hold. Hope it makes it... The Steeler's game tomorrow is during the Emmy's. I think I'll be watching the game... Rick Santorum is talking about running for President, I will up and join the Republican party to vote in that Primary: Palin, Santorum, Wilson... Getting life put together for another trip to Chicago, and then one to Bloomington, after that there's something, but I don't know what it is... Of course President Obama has to say the criticism isn't race based - don't get much traction to govern calling your constituents racist. That's what blogs are for... Finally going to try to get the paper copies of my summer presentations to the DC students, I hope they haven't been holding their breath... Really too bad about that Senate health insurance bill, write your congresscritters... I've got a lot to say about Apple Tree and the Workshop, but it may just be too much for blogging - more like therapy... First show of the season goes into tech this week, we're ok, but if we try to do the rest of the season at this duty cycle we're going to be sorry - after just the one show (and one at a time) one of the kids is already a little pungent... I may have to work tomorrow, that's three Sunday's in a row. That's why I get the big buck I guess... When the holiday falls on Shabbat there's no shofar - and with me having spent all that time polishing up my tekiah-gadola...
Shorties
- 13:32 RT @pennjillette: We're going to be TV cops in a new ABC series. Yup, we'll fight crime in Vegas! tinyurl.com/md4dbg #
- 21:53 Hangin with the Gilboa kids - desire for children fading #
Friday, September 18, 2009
Shorties
- 12:32 RT @thespophile: Why has no one ever mentioned www.shoesforcrews.com before? It's like stagehand shoe heaven. #
- 13:50 Can't look at the screen for more than a few minutes - that can't be good. #
- 14:11 @giantspatula did they confound and bore villains into submission? #
- 14:29 Buying a book I was supposed to buy a week ago #
- 16:31 SRC Meeting #
- 19:39 @thespophile that was special wasn't it? #< /li>
Thursday, September 17, 2009
Shorties
- 14:41 Tech direction 1 - newsquiz, "work it out in rehearsal", show breakout assignment #
- 19:55 too bad the newSenate bill has no public option - contact your senators and tell them the public wants one and its the moral thing to do #
- 23:53 Could I go to the MLE Pinktober event if I won? Dunno #
Dear Senators Casey and Specter
Hi,
We're really disappointed to hear officially that there is no public option in the proposed Senate health insurance legislation.
The more research I do, the more I believe that the market and for profit private companies will never be able to do what we need done. These entities make decisions based on what is best for the company and it's ownership - not for customers.
And for that matter, patients should be patients, not customers.
Small not-for-profit co-ops are an interesting idea, but will not have the weight to make a difference against the established corporate competition. We've apparently been able to see this in states where both exist. If we're not going to go all the way to single payer, we have a responsibility to provide a robust, national public option with a chance to survive.
Leaving health insurance to corporations is really just a legalized form of extortion transferring the hard earned money of working people into the pockets of corporations. Allowing that to continue - facilitating its continuation - is immoral.
The public favors a public option, doctors and nurses favor a public option. The only people opposed to this are the ones profiting from it. As Senators you represent the people who vote for you, and if you value the health of those people you should listen to their doctors. The insurance companies and their financial backers and benefactors should not be a compelling voice in this discussion. Their interests are not ours, and shouldn't be yours.
Wednesday, September 16, 2009
Shorties
- 10:58 Giving a CAD Mastery Exam #
- 13:22 #Greenpage Weekly Top Five: bit.ly/1VgRHS #
- 18:59 anyone need a freelance TD gig in Pittsburgh for the next few weeks? #
- 22:44 Cough, sneeze, hack, cough, sneeze #
Tuesday, September 15, 2009
Worth a Look
This weeks postings from the Greenpage that are worth your time:
Jujamcyn Names Jordan Roth President, Signaling a Broadway Youth Trend
NYTimes.com: "Ushering in a new generation of Broadway power brokers, Jordan Roth, a 33-year-old producer, finalized a deal on Tuesday to buy a stake in and to lead Jujamcyn Theaters, one of the theater district’s biggest landlords."Open Letter to Rocco Landesman
100k: "First of all, allow me to congratulate you on being confirmed as the new Chairman of the National Endowment for the Arts. Over the past 18 months, I have had the pleasure of working closely with Mr. Bill O’Brien and Ms. Carol Lanoux Lee in the Theatre Program, both of who have been encouraging, helpful, and inspirational."Top 10 Apps for Scheduling a Meeting Online
The Best Article Every day: "Meetings suck. But if there’s one thing worse than meetings, it’s playing email tag to schedule them. Is your company still sending out mass emails to ask for preferred meeting times? It’s the pits, isn’t it? Yes, Outlook has a hack whereby you can solicit responses for scheduling, but it’s not much of an improvement. There’s a better way, and it’s a ridiculously simple concept. A Web app lets you pick a range of dates on a calendar and then notify your colleagues so they can pick the times and dates that work for them. You then view the responses and you’re done."Irish & Classical Theatre boils down 'Crime and Punishment'
Pittsburgh Tribune-Review: "In a world saturated with information, says Matthew Gray, the survivors are those who are good at editing.
He's demonstrating that belief as the director of Pittsburgh Irish & Classical Theatre's production of 'Crime and Punishment,' which begins performances today.
Marilyn Campbell and Curt Columbus' live stage adaptation distills this complex tale and its contest between two minds into an 80-minute drama enacted by three actors."Do Health Insurance and Self-employment Mix?
Web Worker Daily: "In my Labor Day post, I talked about the importance of web workers advocating for ourselves, and why it is necessary. One of the topics for advocacy that is on everyone’s mind right now (at least in the U.S.) is healthcare, or more particularly health insurance. This topic is of special interest to the segment of web workers who are self-employed or work freelance."Apple Tree Theatre falls
The Theater Loop: "After 26 years of productions on Chicago's North Shore and 40 years of educational programs, Apple Tree Theatre's board of directors plans to release a note Monday saying the theater is going out of business, effective immediately.
In the note, Apple Tree says its doors will close, with the entire 2009-10 season canceled."Race, the Subject We Can’t Stop Talking About
NYTimes.com: "PRESIDENT OBAMA, like his predecessor President Bill Clinton, has suggested that this country engage in a dialogue about race."But what has our 230-year national experience been but a dialogue about race?
Our earliest drama on the subject, “Metamora,” by John Stone (1829), concerns the relations between the Massachusetts settlers and Prince Philip of the Wampanoags. So does the novel “Hope Leslie” by Catherine Sedgwick (1827).
Shorties
- 11:49 ATT closing has brought forth another wave of mom for me. Needed to happen anyway I guess. #
- 13:26 Technical Direct I - Shop layout project submissions, discussion #
- 17:13 NPR how can you start a story saying "support dwindling" and then in the story say 50-70% polled are in favor. Is more than half= dwindling #
- 17:13 Technical Direction III - How could that deck have gone in faster? #
- 17:54 @bpeoples even if it were hardly seems to justify "dwindling" #
- 02:02 Just said "ZO MG WTF" in a work email. #
Monday, September 14, 2009
Shorties
- 15:45 work, swell #
- 18:05 Wave 77, new high score... bit.ly/2cary #
- 00:01 Looked like it would come out well for the Bears - and then less so. #
Sunday, September 13, 2009
Shorties
- 13:57 Off to work. Why not? #
- 14:38 @scoutfinch2271 some of my kids built that set #
- 16:02 I've got nothing today. #
- 17:30 Anyone got an iron? yfrog.com/16fzjj #
- 18:10 @mipow backdrop for our first show #
- 19:20 @sdeutsch well we were still in it when we decided to quit #
Saturday, September 12, 2009
Shorties
- 09:06 Ok, I'm here, but no class. I wonder who is right. Probably them. #
- 11:02 Surprise, I was right. #
- 11:03 Gah! Students acad instances have no toolbars. Can I teach without toolbars? Guess I need to learn the ribbon. #
- 16:24 All these leaves on the ground. When did fall happen? #
- 21:23 Playing Doc's BSG game at gamenight. #
- 22:35 @aerdin we have lots of stuff #
- 00:28 End of an era: bit.ly/3PdZ g3 - kinda bummed #
Friday, September 11, 2009
Shorties
- 11:14 There ought to be a reprimand or censure of Rep. Joe Wilson to discourage that kind of conduct in the future. (via @SenArlenSpecter) #
- 14:01 Just a little surprised the pregame hasn't started #
- 16:48 SRC Meeting #
- 19:18 @mattigray probably not completely the same audience #
- 19:19 In my driveway. Trying to kill things. #
- 19:23 There appear to be seven different Oracle apps for the iPhone, none of which will let me view my oracle calendar from work. #
- 20:04 Is there something wrong with missing the Emeril show? #
- 21:11 POLAMAZING!!! #
- 21:19 FARIERMAZING! #
- 22:08 @mipow stifling my reflex answer #
- 23:34 Overtime #
- 23:48 good guys win - woohoo #
Giving
Give the gift of Presidential respect.
Orange Crate Art: Joe Wilson’s “he”: "In other news, a website for Congressman Wilson’s Democratic opponent Rob Miller has raised $133,399 since last night. Correction: $133,424."
Thursday, September 10, 2009
Shorties
- 09:06 Anticipating tears after tonight's Presidential address, wondering if they will be tears of joy or despair. Yes we can? #
- 09:12 9:09:09 9/9/09 - woohoo! #
- 09:13 Provost's Assessment Task Force meeting #
- 11:20 @scoutfinch2271 ouch, and I thought that was easy street #
- 14:04 Technical Direction I - Newsquiz & "What's got David worrying today?" #
- 14:33 Any CMU Drama PTM types working on TV shows for the fall season please send me a note. #
- 16:38 Tech Direction 3 - Structure interface & Smooth Criminal questions #
- 19:41 finished the new lab review form: FORM LR-EZ #
- 20:19 Too scared to watch #
- 21:07 "watching" the speech by searching tweets for "Obama" - looks like he didn't cave, and some of our reps may have embarassed themselves #
- 23:56 @SenArlenSpecter this constituent would like to see you actively and vocally pursue a robust public option. #
- 00:22 @aerdin really co uld have been the end of him for me. #
Wednesday, September 09, 2009
Shorties
- 12:08 @renelae the fridge is now a constant source of surprise for me #
- 12:44 chatting with Diver Steve #
- 19:54 Enough for today. Never finished, only published. #
- 23:13 someday I will actually read the articles I star in Google Reader, someday #
- 01:12 @scoutfinch2271 'night #
Tuesday, September 08, 2009
Shorties
- 12:20 @aerdin right, no - and ps, too early #
- 14:24 Fridays #
- 21:48 Greenpage top five: bit.ly/4ms9Ln #
- 00:12 Made it well into day three without the dreaded email. But now - back to real life. #
Monday, September 07, 2009
Worth a Look
This weeks articles from the Greenpage that are worth a look...
Critics aren't obligated to support theater we don't like.
Storefront Rebellion: "I'm reading with some fascination the comment debate on Chris Jones's review of Route 66's High Fidelity, which opened Monday night. I was there, but I'm not reviewing the show for TOC, so I'll leave my own opinions of the show aside until John Beer's review hits on Monday. But the bedrock of the comment by 'allison' that kicked off the conversation, and some of the comments that follow, deal in what I consider to be fallacies about a critic's job description; they also address some of what I talked about in my post here earlier this week. Not that he needs it from me, but I feel compelled to defend Chris a bit."Philips and Lighting Science Group Settle All Litigation
Lighting&Sound America Online - News: "Lighting Science Group Corporation and Royal Philips Electronics have settled all of their commercial and intellectual property disputes by way of a comprehensive agreement that revives their former commercial alliance."The Cole Drill
Toolmonger: "The Cole Drill is a type of ratchet drill that consists of a post assembly clamped to the workpiece (such as an I-beam or large tube) and a drill assembly attached to the post that feeds downwards by a screw and turns with a concentric ratchet. The assembly allows great drilling pressure at low speed so that large diameter holes can be drilled in steel entirely by hand."Decoding Emerging College Majors
CollegeSurfing Insider: "I love reading articles about college major trends because that’s a good way to gauge which career fields are up-and-coming and eager to hire. Lucky for us, writers at The Chronicle of Higher Education did some legwork in yesterday’s story, “5 College Majors on the Rise.”"Student Debt Grows Dramatically
WSJ.com: "Students are borrowing dramatically more to pay for college, accelerating a trend that has wide-ranging implications for a generation of young people.
New numbers from the U.S. Education Department show that federal student-loan disbursements—the total amount borrowed by students and received by schools—in the 2008-09 academic year grew about 25% over the previous year, to $75.1 billion. The amount of money students borrow has long been on the rise. But last year far surpassed past increases, which ranged from as low as 1.7% in the 1998-99 school year to almost 17% in 1994-95, according to figures used in President Barack Obama's proposed 2010 budget."The Big List
Theater For The Future: "Theoretically, the big list would allow for the tracking of deep patron data – such as city-wide theatergoing habits of individual patrons. This would be a massive first step for small storefront theaters who are trying to gather real, actionable marketing data."
Shorties
- 11:51 @giantspatula perhaps less tweeting, more sleeping #
- 11:52 nearly half way through a successful no-email weekend! #
- 15:10 Off to the housewarming #
- 20:02 @aerdin I'll make sure we add that class #
Sunday, September 06, 2009
Saturday, September 05, 2009
Batshit
When did the news become the Jerry Springer show?
There's been a lot of talk for several years about how corporate ownership and media conglomerates have changed the way news editors work. I guess there was a whole season of The Wire built around the idea that what goes on the pages of a newspaper these days doesn't have to be about quality or even truth. I have to say though I think we're at a high water mark. News outlets are all about reporting the noise now, not about reporting the reason.
Its sad to me that the most upright *newscasts* these days are The Daily Show and Real Time with Bill Maher. On these shows you can depend on people being asked a thoughtful followup question or having people making the noise explored a little beyond their vitriol. There was a short story on Real Time setting the Rural Area Medical stop in LA against LA town hall meetings on health insurance reform. We'd all seen the folk outside shouting at the legislators about how the government has no place in our healthcare. It took Real Time to tell us that at least in this case those people were Lyndon Larouche supporters. Was that a point the other news outlets didn't find salient?
(As a side note, the juxtaposition of less than 100 protestors claiming we have no need for universal heathcare and literally thousands of people lined up for a one time chance at free heathcare was pretty powerful, and something no other news outlet chose to do - well done Real Time.)
This week I constantly heard on the radio, and eventually read in the paper how "some" parents don't want their child to hear the PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES deliver a back to school address. In the paper one of the district officials said she'd had "30 calls." Does anyone for a minute think in a city district that 30 calls could possibly be a significant number? At the high school I attended, 30 calls would be 1.2%. I bet without much effort I could generate 30 calls to any district about anything. If they got 30 calls saying all swim classes should be naked do you think they would seriously consider it? How about 30 calls saying students should be able to drink wine in the school cafeteria? 30 calls? 30 calls? Really? 30 calls?
Batshit.
It isn't news. Maybe if the story was "after receiving 30 calls this school is actually considering making a policy decision - WTF is up with that." That might be news. We need to focus on the stories and not on the noise. Noise is WAY to easy to generate these days. I haven't seen the story about how thousands of people had the same facebook status two days ago (ok, I looked, Google News says there were nine - and after looking at the stories they were all "will it matter" and "how did it start" process stories - not one about the fact that thousands of people stood up).
Screaming, batshit people (on either end of the spectrum for that matter) might make good TV; it certainly has been great for Springer and the like. But the fringe is the fringe. The more you report it the more it seems like it is normal. It's not normal, it's batshit. Not allowing your kid to hear the President is batshit. Threatening to secede from the union is batshit. Bringing a gun to a Presidential rally is batshit. Its generally accepted wisdom that Lyndon Larouche supporters aren't mainstream. Why are we covering this crap?
Stop watching the shiny objects. Find the news. That's your job - not mine.
Friday, September 04, 2009
Thursday, September 03, 2009
We're Paying Already
As the health care drum beats continue, one of the most prevalent complaints from Democrats is that we can't have public health insurance because it's too expensive. There's a problem there of course, and that's that we're already paying. It's not like all the uninsured people just die as soon as they get sick, they avail themselves of the finest healthcare in the world, and we all pay for it. The difference is that we don't see all the money in one place. It gets spread out in smaller amounts all over the place, so it seems like it's not there. But without a doubt it very truly is.
Of course the first way we pay for this is in higher health care costs. If everyone had a way to pay for the services they got, then across the board costs could be lower. Since many people don't have insurance but still get treatment, some of those costs are left in the laps of health care providers and they make it up by billing us all more - for everything.
Often the costs not borne by the provider themselves are passed on to Medicaid. While the federal government provides support for Medicaid it is largely a distributed program, with much of the burden falling on state governments. States in turn close that funding gap by raising our state income taxes, or increasing fees, or raising sales taxes. If you don't think you are already paying taxes for other people's health care - beyond what we all pay for Medicare - you're fairly naive. Health care expenses are a significant and ever escalating part of state budgets that we all subsidize currently.
You also pay for health care any time you buy anything or pay for pretty much any service. Since employer provided health insurance is the standard operating procedure in this country businesses must recover the cost of that outlay from their customers. Each time you buy pretty much anything some portion of your payment goes to cover the health insurance of the person that made the thing or provides the service. Wouldn't it just make more sense for each of us to deal with our own insurance rather than give our money to a business so they can pay an insurance premium for someone else? Beyond that, many employers have negotiated health insurance for retirees into labor contracts, both for union agreements and for people negotiating independently. So not only does part of your payment go to the insurance of the person that currently works on the product, but some of it goes to pay for the insurance of all the people that used to make the thing but have retired. With the aging of the population that sort of arrangement is a formula for disaster.
And then going back to the employer again, we pay for insurance through lower wages. If our employers didn't have to provide health insurance for us the money they pay for insurance could come to employees as wages. With the cost of insurance outpacing inflation I think it's fairly certain that cost of living raises have taken a hit to pay for accelerated insurance premiums (and that's without considering the shriking of scope of service many of us have seen from the employer provided health insurance as well).
- Lower Wages
- Higher Consumer Prices
- Higher Taxes and Government Fees
- Higher Healthcare costs
Shorties
- 11:49 Technical Direction I - Newsquiz, Shop Layout... Kitchen Renovations #
- 11:50 @aerdin there's lots of awesome things that aren't so much relevant #
- 11:51 @bpeoples yeh, we have a capstan winch for that. if there were something off the shelf between those options it would be worth looking at #
- 13:53 @aerdin not irrelevant, just comparatively less relevant - and design is on a different page - I'm mostly about engineering and fabrication #
- 16:21 Tech Direction 3 - Spitballing & Why I Hate Zebras... Smooth Criminal Project #
- 17:36 Production Meeting - Grapes of Wrath #
- 23:28 Good thing me and the missus aren't judges - we'd-a told all three to pack their knives #
Wednesday, September 02, 2009
Shorties
- 14:40 Greenpage weekly top five: bit.ly/19ro8M #
- 16:30 Need more capital items. What should I want? #
- 17:04 Option Coordinator Meeting #
- 19:38 Do you think there were Thundercatboxes? #
- 19:39 @bpeoples got an older metal lathe and an end mill. application is thin though. be nice to be talking about something that would get use #
- 23:44 @aerdin 3d printer is on my list. I'm not sure why. #
- 23:45 @bpeoples those motors don't have much for speed if I am remembering correctly #
- 23:45 2049 Space Race Victory - Huzzah #
Tuesday, September 01, 2009
Greenpage, of Note
This past week's articles of particular note on the greenpage...
The Legacy of Thirtysomething
Women & Hollywood: "It’s been over 20 years since Thirtysomething went on the air and 18 years since it departed and now finally the first season will be released on DVD today. What I find so interesting about the show is how far reaching into TV and films — but mostly TV — that the participants of the show have had on our lives."
Uploads, Not Open Calls
Backstage: "It's a familiar routine for actors everywhere: Get dressed, check your makeup, fight traffic or subway crowds for an hour or more, then sit in a casting office, poring over sides for the hundredth time as you wait for your name to be called. A few minutes later, you're saying 'Thank you' and heading off to your next chance to hurry up and wait. It's just what you have to do to get a job, right? Well, maybe not anymore."
Is now the best time for this?
PRODUCER’S PERSPECTIVE: "According to this New York Times article, Local 1 made a move on The Joyce Theater this week, in an attempt to organize and unionize the stagehands at the 472 seat theater in Chelsea."
Producer’s Perspective fails to consider the other perspective
Backstage at BackstageJobs.com: "The Joyce Theatre in NYC recently had its stagehands ask to have IATSE Local One represent them. The stagehands, and Local One, are hoping that the Joyce Theatre management will work through the first step of the process in a fair manner. Specifically: if an independent third party, chosen by the theatre, determines that a majority of the stagehands have signed representation cards (as Local One claims), then the Joyce should voluntarily recognize the union as the bargaining agent for the stagehands. This would then pave the way to begin contract talks."
The Questions You Shouldn't Answer, And The Answers You Can't Let Go Of - World-building
io9: "The night before we were scheduled to shoot that scene, John Wirth and I went down to the set to see how it looked. It's late and I know the crew wants to get on their work. But here's the conversation we have:
ME: There's something…not right.
JOHN: I agree. It's just…what is it?
ME: It's not…I dunno…right.
PRODUCTION DESIGNER: Could you be a little more specific? We'll fix it. But, you know, maybe a direction to go in? Font size? Pen color? Anything?
ME: It's just…I can't think of any other way to say it…but it doesn't look like a Terminator wrote it.
JOHN: Exactly.
PRODUCTION DESIGNER: Huh."
Shorties
- 10:05 Disney is buying Marvel? I wonder what that means for Islands of Adventure. #
- 11:33 Tech Direction - Units, more responsibilities, and maybe some shop layout #
- 17:37 Tech Direction III - Welcome to the Crazy Scheme #
- 22:17 Fantasy Football drafts are boring #
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