Extremism, Flowers, and the Powers that Be

If you take a strong position on some issue, or on cultural/political matters in general, it is easy to label those on the other side as “extremists” or “reactionaries” (while failing to see that they might be passing the exact same judgment on you). For example, I remember when the O.J. Simpson verdict was about […]

Police and Wannabe Soldiers

Piggybacking on our latest podcast, I thought I’d post this clip from John Oliver’s HBO show, Last Week Tonight. In it he addresses the shooting of Michael Brown and chides the Ferguson Police Department and mayor’s office both for their deplorable handling of the situation, but also for ridiculous weapon-envy: “The police are troublingly dressed like […]

Podcast #2

Our second podcast is now available for download. In this episode, Christian and I discuss the shooting of Michael Brown, the unarmed black teen who was shot in the back and head by a white police in Ferguson, MO, last week; we explore the issue of whether people on the right are more ideologically driven […]

Podcast #1

As promised, the first of Heavy for the Vintage’s weekly podcasts is available for download (you can download or stream here as well as over at the Podcast page). In this episode, co-host Christian and I discuss the American attitude toward work and compare it to that of other cultures; we talk about the horrific actions of […]

Farewell, Robin Williams (and Whatchoo Talkin’ ‘Bout, Willis?)

Like all of you I’m sure, I was saddened to hear about the death of Robin Williams, who committed suicide on Monday (he had battled drug addiction in the past and alcoholism and depression very recently).  As I remarked several months ago at the passing of Philip Seymour Hoffman, it is always heartbreaking when someone […]