Culture

I was at a concert for U.S. Royalty a couple of weeks back (new band, not bad, check em out) and prior to the show, I had a discussion with a couple of friends about which television sitcom was better, Family Ties or Growing Pains. Of the four of us, I was the only one to support Family Ties, which I thought was a bit surprising considering Generation Y’s love for anything Michael J. Fox. This got me thinking, is there any sitcom that could beat Growing Pains in a debate when everyone has been drinking and the arguments for support are more matter of fact than insightful and thought out? Just considering the possible talking points:

• A character named Boner.
• Launched Leonardo DiCaprio’s career.
• Kirk Cameron was once a teenage heartthrob, now a born-again Christian, discuss.
• The butt of all of How I Met Your Mother’s interweb jokes… Alan Thicke.
• The Seavers lived in Smithtown, NY, the neighboring town to where I grew up.
• Seems like there is a reunion episode every 5-10 years or so…
• The show featured a spin-off, Just The Ten Of Us.
• A couple of iconic episodes such as when Mike Seaver gets the water bed.
• Everyone and I mean everyone, remembers the theme song.

So while I still contend that Family Ties was the better show, no one really seems to care about how it’s unjust to not allow someone to write a book report about Huckleberry Finn…

Part of my criticism of using the stock market as a tool to gauge not only the strength of the economy, but the success or failure of the current administration was the relationship between correlation and causation. Bob Henderson, the founder of The Church of the Flying Spaghetti Monster, in an open letter to the Kansas School Board, challenged the absurdity of the correlation implies causation concept. His argument was rather simple…

Over the last couple hundred of years, the average global temperature has gone up. Over that same period of time, the number of pirates have declined. (more…)

One of the many intriguing aspects to the television drama LOST has been its take on fate. At times, the show has addressed the topic by either describing what appears to be random coincidences such as characters on the show interacting in the past or by using a much more blunt approach in discussing the destiny of a character. Season Five has revolved around the idea that six of the characters (O6) who have previously left the island, need to return to save the island. I have given thought to why the O6 need to return to the island and have reached a few conclusions as described below.

The concept of fate dictates that events in our lives are bound to happen. When you meet the guy or girl of your dreams, you were always meant to be together, but you had to find each other first. This implies that a script of our lives has already been written. That every decision we make, while believing that it is an action of free will is really a decision that has already been made for us. (more…)

When riding on the New York City subway during rush hour, you tend to see two types of people. Those who sleep and those who read; I fall into the latter category. My taste, which happens to vary quite a bit, includes the area of socio-economic thought, as found in Levitt’s Freakonomics and Gladwell’s The Tipping Point. I am intrigued by the concept of how what we take for granted, can be explain when analyzed using economic models, such as cost-benefit analysis and game theory. In recent months, I have tried to take a step back from my biases and view situations economically. One such situation has been the political climate in this country since the Obama administration has assumed power.

Only days before Obama took the oath of office, the de facto spokesman for the Republican Party, Rush Limbaugh, drew a divisive line in the sand when he uttered the words, “I hope Obama fails.” (more…)

Anyone who knows me well knows that I was not blessed with any artistic ability. When I doodle, which is not often, I find myself drawing a series of geometric shapes forming some larger, abstract shape. However, my lack of artistic ability has never suppressed my ability to appreciate the work of others. In my old apartment, paintings graced the wall in each room. My favorite painting, a reproduction of Van Gogh’s Starry Night, currently hangs above my couch in my living room. Hardly an art connoisseur…

Earlier this week, the Museum of Modern Art (MOMA) unveiled an exhibit at the Atlantic-Pacific subway station in Brooklyn. Along the walls, all throughout the station hang the reproduction of famous works by Pollack, Dali, Van Gogh, Warhol, et al. I have always been skeptical of anything New York City does in the name of art. The Gates of Central Park were supposed to add color during the gloomy days of the winter, yet I do not know of any person who enjoyed them. This past summer, the city unleashed The Waterfalls on the East River. But the eyesore of scaffolding took away from any beauty that could come from seeing a waterfall from beneath the Brooklyn Bridge. While on a smaller scale, this latest attempt by the city hits the mark. For those who are too consumed in the daily rigors of life to find the time to enjoy the MOMA, the MOMA has brought the art to you. I implore anyone who walks through the station, to slow down, look around, and enjoy… I know I will…