A Can't-Believe Cantilever

Here's a super-cool residential tower currently under construction in New York City.

The design is based on a stack of cantilevered floors (a cantilever is a beam supported on just one side). Cantilevers are an enduring architectural convention. Probably the most famous example of cantilever archtecture is Fallingwater, by Frank Lloyd Wright, a residence built over a waterfall.

The purest example of cantilever architecture is a tree. Each branch represents a cantilever from the trunk. If the branch is thick enough and short enough, we all know it will support a tremendous amount of weight.

That's why this building by the office of Rem Koolhaas (is there a better name in architecture?) won't fall down, despite looking a little rickety.

If you're in NYC, head down to 23 East 22nd St. The tower should be finished in 2010.

For more pix and info, click here.

Marvin Gaye Sings The Anthem

The setting: The 1983 NBA All-Star Game, at The Forum in Inglewood, California.

Performing a song that invites bombast, Marvin Gaye takes a soulful approach. In this clip you'll hear hints of his forbears Nat King Cole and Sam Cooke, filtered through Gaye's own urbane, urban style.

His performance seems invented on the spot, with an unexpected phrasing that, like a cat, always lands on its feet. He doesn't just sing the notes; he makes sweet love to them. Gaye was, and is, coolness personified.

What you'll see here is no mere performance. It's an example of a dominated culture recontextualizing a work of the dominant culture to create a thing of transcendent beauty. It's a black man singing a song written by a slave owner, making it his own optimistic creation.

For centuries, the finest African-American musicians have taken Anglo songcraft and revealed the hidden layers of passion and pain we'd overlooked. Gaye's performance here epitomizes this meme, and the crowd certainly knows it.

A year later, he would be dead, killed by his own father.

Insert Caption Here

Perhaps there's a way to combine both of these machines?

"Sorry Sweetie, Love, Walt"

Just 70 years ago, a young woman from Searcy, Arkansas applied for a position in the Walt Disney creative department.

Silly girl! She obviously didn't realize that Disney maintained a strict hiring policy: men only.

Youngsters who see a rejection letter like this may think, "what possible reason could Walt Disney have had for not hiring women?"

It's simple. In 1938 (or 1968, for that matter), a woman didn't think in terms of developing a "career." A woman's career was simple: get married, raise children, and keep your husband happy enough for him to resist running off with his secretary. If a woman pursued a career, she was seen as an oddity at best, and a worst, a threat. She was a strange creature who obviously had no interest in following her divinely-prescribed societal role and would probably die alone and childless.

If, as a young woman of that time, you had the temerity to question the status quo, you would find no shortage of Bible instructors and moral teachers who would conveniently point out this was the way things were supposed to be, as per God himself. Any deviation from the plan would lead to a breakdown of society, and an eventual Communist overthrow. It was best, they argued, to stick with a Bronze Age sensibility.

When confronted with a relic like this, we usually roll our eyes and think, "wow, we've really come a long way."

Actually, we haven't. Here's an essay question: what sort of cultural imperatives do we cling to that our antecedents will snicker at in the year 2078?

Movie Review: Vicky Cristina Barcelona

Woody Allen's latest film is a sensuous examination of youth, travel, and the allure of dangerous, passionate love. Though Allen is 72 years old now, he's still very much attuned to the restless spirit of the young American twenty-somethings navigating their way through the Catlalan capital. "Vicky Cristina Barcelona" isn't the work of an elder statesman; rather it's the exuberant work of a man not nearly finished living a searching, artistic life.

Sure, the dialogue might not be as sharp as Allen's best work (or even Whit Stillman's "Barcelona"), but the film is still wonderful. Rebecca Hall (as Vicky) is the moral center of the story, an soon-to-be-married academic with a buttoned-down approach to relationships. Cristina (Scarlett Johansson) is a free-spirit with a "bring it on" approach to life. They meet an abstract painter, Juan Antonio (Javier Bardem), who quickly invites both to join him in a far-away Spanish town for art, wine, and three-way sex. Vicky is repulsed. Cristina is intrigued.

Add a mentally unstable ex-wife to the mix (Penelope Cruz) and the young American girls experience the ride of a lifetime. That's all I'll reveal about the plot.

Cruz is absolutely stunning; she'll likely receive an Oscar nomination for her role as a tortured, suicidal/homicidal genius. Bardem is the quintessential Spanish lothario: hyper-masculine, yet sensitive in a way that only European men can be. It's difficult to believe any woman could resist his advances. Hall ostensibly plays the role of Woody Allen; an intellectual nebbish drawn to life's pleasures, yet simultaneously frightened by them. She preaches temperance as a virtue, but she's not quite sure she believes her own sermon. She's fantastic, with one of the film's best sequences, a wordless exposition of the travails of dressing for a date. Only Johansson seems out of her element; while she's certainly young and ripe; she can't yet own a scene like Penelope Cruz. She still seems like an ingenue plucked from the street, not a fully developed, richly layered actress.

Is the unlived life worth living? Should our only regret be living a life without risk? This is a movie that asks the big questions of life, with one of the world's most exquisite cities as backdrop. Gaudi's architecture. Spanish guitar. A beautiful cast. What's not to love?

McCain & Keating: Another Embarrassment

Forever tainted by his dealings with Charles Keating, John McCain enlisted another Keating, former Oklahoma governor Frank Keating, to attack rival Barack Obama ("that one!").

Though the brave hero McCain didn't dare confront Obama man-to-man during their second presidential debate, Keating suffers no such compunctions:

"He ought to admit," Keating said, "'You know, I've got to be honest with you. I was a guy of the street. I was way to the left. I used cocaine. I voted liberally, but I'm back at the center.'"

"A guy of the street?" What's that supposed to mean?

Obama edited the Harvard Law Review. He was a professor at The University of Chicago. He's the only African-American in the U.S. Senate. Does that sound like "a guy of the street?"

Keating, as McCain's surrogate, is simply reminding racist whites that all black men, even preternaturally gifted and talented black men, are amoral, beastly animals that simply cannot be trusted.

For shame, Frank Keating. For shame, John McCain.

Greenspan & Greenbacks

The NY Times takes a look at legacy of legendary Fed Chairman Allan Greenspan in a sweeping article today.

The article focuses on derivatives, a complex accounting instrument being blamed for the financial crisis gripping the world. Greenspan fought against any regulation of derivatives, while Warren Buffet famously derided them as "financial weapons of mass destruction."

Sadly, even today, Greenspan stands by his belief in derivative contracts. The Times writes:

The problem is not that the contracts failed, he (Greenspan) says. Rather, the people using them got greedy. A lack of integrity spawned the crisis, he argued in a speech a week ago at Georgetown University, intimating that those peddling derivatives were not as reliable as “the pharmacist who fills the prescription ordered by our physician.”

Somehow Greenspan failed to recognize a fundamental human characteristic: greed. In a playing field devoid of regulation, greed will always trump integrity. For such an intelligent man, Greenspan will likely go down in history as a tragically naïve student of human nature.

Welfare For The Privileged

Failed Lehman Bros. CEO Richard Fuld (who grabbed nearly $500 million in compensation from his sunken firm) wonders to Congress:

"Until the day they put me in the ground I will wonder," Fuld said in his first public comments since Lehman filed for bankruptcy protection. "I do not know why we were the only one" that was not rescued.

Still upset at poor black folk and hillbillies on welfare?

Any form of handouts is wrought with pathos, but I'll side with the poor over the rich every time.

From DailyKos

This is graphic design that tells a wordless story.

One To Watch: Kristin Schaal

Best known for her role as a groupie on "Flight Of The Conchords," 30-year old Kristin Schaal is one of the funniest women on TV.

Quote: "When you're the awkward ugly girl in junior high, and this" — comedy — "is keeping you from getting your face beat in, you hone it."

It's hard to take your eyes off her perpetually baffled face, but she's clearly a smart, talented woman. Watch for her.

The Black Keys

It's a rock and roll given: with each new generation of middle class white boys, a few brave souls will attempt to play the blues. Some fail (Pat Boone), some succeed (Eric Clapton). Emerging American duo The Black Keys are succeeding with an approach wholly different than their generational kindred spirits, The White Stripes.

The White Stripes consist of a guitar and drums, just like The Black Keys. They're both from pathetic Rust Belt towns (Detroit and Akron), and they both play a sort of free-form, heavily-amplified blues/rock. But the similarities end there.

While the Stripes adhere to a strict color scheme (red, white and black), the Keys seem to wear whatever was laying on the floor. While the Stripes exude sexuality, the Keys are average-Joe nerds who could use some exercise.

The full house at The Granada last Friday night was hot for the Keys, though, and they certainly delivered. Dan Auerbach is an idiot savant on blues guitar, spitting out loopy, muscular riffs that seem to draw upon the entire history of the genre. He's surprisingly congenial with the crowd, and he works himself (and the audience) into a frenzy with a combination of old fashioned hard work and a symbiotic relationship with his drummer.

Their performance became noticeably more loose and authoritative as their set wound down, leaving their audience sweaty, satisfied, and as the cliche goes, wanting more, much more.

Jessica Lea Mayfield

Nineteen year old Jessica Lea Mayfield opens for The Black Keys, Friday night at the Granada Theatre in Dallas.

How did she score such a gig? Well, Dan Auerbach of the Keys is her artistic patron, and invited her to open their shows.

She brought along a full band, but her schtick is simple: art-school girl acoustic solo.

She was a cool customer, and shows a lot of promise. Her songwriting and arrangements need work, but keep an eye on her.

Is Obama a Good Speaker?

Daniel Finkelstein of the Times of London asks the question.

"I find that too often he can be an empty, rather woolly speaker. Someone who likes the sound of his own voice a bit much. It is a danger he has to guard against."

Popular wisdom holds that Obama is a fantastic orator. But is he effective? He's still not shown he can match Bill Clinton's ability to frame difficult issues in clear, succinct language that gives the audience a simple takeaway.

If Bill were running against McCain, his lead would be insurmountable. What advice does Clinton's policy adviser William Galston have for Obama?

"Your stump speech is too long and discursive. It shouldn’t last more than fifteen minutes, it should focus on your agenda, not today’s news story, it should feature short, declarative sentences, and it should leave no doubt about what you care about the most."

Though he, too, was a law professor, Bill Clinton never sounded professorial. After a rambling speech at the 1988 Democratic Convention (the audience applauded when he said "in conclusion"), he simplified his message, turned up the dial on his personal charm, and won consecutive terms. Obama has inherited what should be an ideal landscape for victory. Will his message seize it?

The Mediterranean Diet Fades in Mediterranea

Fascinating article in the NY Times. Even Mediterraneans are having a tough time following the Mediterranean diet these days.

A Greek man laments the influx of junk food and cheese:

"If we continue like this, we’re going to become like Americans, and no one wants that.”

Fast-food culture and cattle ranchers don't like the Mediterranean diet — it calls for red meat just once a month. If we all ate like that, McDonalds/Burger King/Wendys would all be out of business in a year.

Future Oscar Winner

Elisabeth Moss had a major role on The West Wing, currently stars on Mad Men, and will soon star on Broadway in Speed The Plow.

Her major roles have featured her playing intelligent young women in stifling situations — first as the daughter of the President of the United States, and now as a young female copywriter in a male-dominated early-sixties ad agency. She uses her extraordinary face to convey a repressed rage against constraint that sears the screen. A recent Mad Men scene found her in suffering silence versus a predatory priest. Without speaking a word, she communicated a gripping range of emotions that explained exactly what her character was feeling. I was blown away.

She is beautiful, but not in a Charlize Theron kind of way. Moss has a unique, aquiline beauty, which lets her play anything from dowdy and tired, to stunningly vibrant.

I can't think of a better young American actress working today. When she gets the chance, she'll win an Oscar.

Brother, Can You Spare $700 Billion?

The leader of the party of low taxes, deregulation, and personal responsibility plans to ask Congress to approve a $700 billion bailout to fix the credit crisis.

Let me repeat, without using my cut-and-paste command: Seven-hundred BILLION dollars.

That's roughly $2,000 for every man, woman and child living in the United States.

Can you imagine what we could have done with $700 billion?

For one thing, every single American could have world-class, guaranteed health coverage, with free prescriptions and possibly complimentary lollipops. Instead, more than forty million Americans are left to fend for themselves, unable to afford to see a doctor.

For all the cranks (often right-wing Christians performing exegesical yoga) that complain about federal social spending, here's some perspective:

In 2007, the federal government spent $254.2 billion on welfare. Today, we're about to spend nearly thrice that amount to try to fix a situation that could have easily been avoided by preserving the simple regulations already enacted by the congress under Franklin D. Roosevelt more than 70 years ago. (Thanks, Bill Clinton & Phil Gramm.)

Conclusion? Before we indict all of the brown people and hillbillies for sucking this country dry, think about the big screw perpetrated by Wall Street types wearing silk suits and slicked-back hair. They may not laze around in a trailer all day, but on this day, they've brought the country (and possibly the world) to its knees in a way that all of Reagan's so-called "welfare queens" could never dream of.

When a politician proposes any kind of government action that might actually help poor and working-class Americans, it's dimissed as "socialism" or "neo-Marxism" (often, ironically, by poor and working-class Republican voters). But when politicians propose government action to help the wealthy and privileged, it's championed as a "bold approach."

Question for anti-socialist free-marketeers: in what way is this proposed bailout anything but (a) the priciest instance of socialism in US history, and (b) a thundering repudiation of Friedman-style laissez-faire economic theory?

Right-winger Michelle Malkin laments:

"This is your Bush legacy — not Pelosi’s, not Reid’s, not Obama’s: A ginormous bailout of every last, failing, panicked financial institution’s illiquid assets that may reach into the trillions — TRILLIONS – when all is said and done.

Reader John in Venice, CA e-mails: “Going forward there is no debate a conservative can win when pitted against a liberal wanting to spend money on social programs. What would the argument be against spending money on terrible social programs? Government money does not work? Conservatives who are supporting this welfare bailout are no different than Maxine Waters or Barbara Boxer. We have lost. Conservatism has absolutely no more moral high ground to speak from.”

Fiscal conservatism has been on life support for quite some time. Bush/Paulson pulled the plug permanently today."

Why do Americans who can't scrape two nickles together continue to vote for politicians who champion the privatization of profits, but socialization of losses for Wall Street?

Survivor

Former Blink-182 drummer Travis Barker cheated death last night, surviving a plane crash that killed 4 of 6 people on board.

Barker and the other survivor, "DJ AM" Goldstein, apparently kicked out windows to escape the burning wreckage. Once outside the fiery crash, they struggled as flames continued to burn through their clothing.

Both are expected to survive.

Barker starred with his ex-wife, former Miss USA Shanna Moakler (who has dated Billy Idol and Dennis Quaid), on "Meet the Barkers.

After their separation, Barker dated Paris Hilton, which led to an infamous physical altercation between the women at an L.A. nightclub.

All Growed Up: Gary Puckett

Singer Gary Puckett had a string of hits in the late sixties, including "Lady Willpower," "Woman,Woman," and "Young Girl," a creepy song with lyrics that could have been written by Humbert Humbert.

He's still performing today, hitting the high notes and looking remarkably youthful for a 66-year old man. If he's had plastic surgery, one certainly can't tell from his photo.

For persepective, consider this: he's one year younger than Dick Cheney.

What gives?

Raucous Laughter

You know how seeing somebody yawn makes you have to yawn?

Well, laughter has a similar effect. Watch as these two news dudes completely lose it on set.

At the :53 mark, one anchor begins laughing so hard he literally cannot breathe.

Are Cats More Beautiful Than Humans?

It's a strange question, but one worth asking. Let's pretend we're not a member of either species, but rather an uninvolved observer from the Planet **56-AE.

Eyes
Though lacking an eyebrow, cats have much larger, more expressive eyes than a human. Their eyes come alive in the dark, adding a mystical sensuality that humans can't match.

Nose
A cat's nose is a simpler, more elegant structure than a humans. In fact, human noses are often cited as an defeater of beauty. Cat noses are compact, tipped with color, and their nostrils are small, almost incidental, as compared with humans.

Mouth
Cats lack full lips, so humans get the nod in this department. Human lips can range from full and pillowy, to narrow and vice-like.

Ears
Human ears are strange, unresolved open coils of skin leading directly into the skull. Smart women keep them covered. They seem slapped onto our heads, and with rare exception, never move. Cat ears are expressive and architectural, forming a lovely triangular shape, which they display with pride.

I went to college with a girl who was born without exterior ear flaps. Her replacement ears, while presentable, still drove home the fact that human ears are innately unattractive, a vestigal adornment crudely covering the inelegant open pits leading into our brains.

Skin
Absent thick fur, human skin is exposed to the elements, and eventually shows age lines. Cat skin is covered in fur and hides wrinkles. Plus, their fur invites touch in a way that human skin simply can't.

Markings
Human men can cultivate facial hair, but it can't compare with the deep, sophisticated patterns found on the lowliest tabby cat. Women apply makeup to their faces to accentuate their eyes, cheeks and mouth, an advantage a cat can never exploit, but still doesn't need.

Winner
Cat! Is this possible? It ultimately comes down to their eyes and the ears. Some humans are a work of art. All cats are a work of art.

(Anyone ever enamoured by a cat knows it's true.)

Still, I'm a man, and a woman's beauty rules the day.

Microsoft Shelves Pricey Ad Campaign

Blessedly, Microsoft has put the kibosh on those awkward, unfunny Bill Gates/Jerry Seinfeld ads.

In true Microsoft fashion, the campaign smacked of throwing big money at a problem. "Jerry Seinfeld was cool 15 years ago! Let's see if he's available! And we'll pair him up with Bill Gates for some observational humor!"

The final result? A series of spots featuring two extremely wealthy men, idly resting on their laurels. Not cool.

Let's not forget that the computer seen on the set of "Seinfeld" was always a Mac.

Meanwhile, the Apple campaign (which could have been produced for, say, $20,000) rolls on. These spots reinforce Steve Jobs' legendary aesthetic (a Nordic, white-on-white austerity), while clearly positioning Apple as the computer/cell phone/mp3 player of choice among the hipster set.

While Bill Gates' place in the history of information technology is undeniable, I've always considered him more opportunist than innovator. His empire, built on stand-alone software packages that run on operating systems pioneered by others (like Apple), is in peril. Conversely, Steve Jobs continues developing consumer products that revolutionize the industry, along with ad campaigns that seem fresh and relevant to their target audience.

While I'm loathe to gush about a corporation, any corporation, can anyone deny that Apple is the most innovative, most relevant, most American corporation in the world today?

Go Panthers!

Famous alumni of this great American high school:

• Ryan Malone (hockey player)
• Sean Casey (baseball player)
• Kevin Orie (baseball player)
• Heather Terrell (author, barrister)

They Grow Up So Fast…

Pebbles the Cat is becoming a big girl now. But she's still playful, and she purrs a lot.

When I finish my shower and swing the curtain open, she hops up on the bathtub rim and licks all the water off my leg while purring loudly.

She's very furry. Her ruff is regal. She only eats dry food. She never tries to sneak outside. She poops in my plants. I think she misses her brother. She only drinks water out of a people cup. She's one years old. She was found wandering around with her littermates at Lake Arcadia. She was adopted last Halloween. She greets me when I come home with lots of cat talk. When I say her name, she flicks her tail wildly, even if she's pretending to be asleep.

I only call her "Pebbles" during official business, like trips to the vet. Usually I call her "Pebby," "Baby Cat," "Lil' Baby Cat," "Baby Girl," or "Ki-Ki."

The omnipresent sense of guilt I feel for not spending more time with her only confirms my suspicion that I'd be a mediocre parent at best.

Worth The Proverbial Thousand Words

Caribou Barbie, another victim of an unfortunate camera angle.

Lovely Rita

Our song break today is one of my all-time favorite ballads, "We're All Alone."

The melody, by Boz Scaggs, is incredibly complex for an AM pop song. From the first notes, the singer must absolutely nail some difficult passages. Rita does it effortlessly, without labor or hestitation.

Scaggs is also to be commended for constructing such a perfect fit between words and music. Very few words sound forced into the melody. The pacing of the phrases is fantastic, and the melody never bores. And Coolidge sings as a comforting, reassuring lover, beguiling, yet somehow maternal. In her hands, the song becomes an erotic lullaby.

I find her performance (while sometimes breathy) far superior to the Boz Scaggs version. In his take, Scaggs affects his Kermit the Frog voice, and I get too distracted to enjoy the performance.

Rita is still performing today, and she's as lovely as ever.