Andrew's Upstanding US Citizen Homepage

How I feel about art is probably not what everyone else feels. I see art as an extension of the artist's ego. Its a mix of talent, concept, and scope. For example, I see high concept minimalistic art as extremely egotistical. Note the disparity between the thinking required to understand it and the effort it takes to produce it. Meanwhile, still life drawings are quite humble. They are exactly how they look to be.

If you're ever in the market for a refrigerator, you should definitely check out a 2-mile stretch of Broadway that cuts through Bushwick here in Brooklyn, NY. While you're at it, stop by my place - I live right in the middle! There are so many refrigerator stores in my neighborhood, you'd expect there to be colorful lighted banners draped across the street declaring it the "Refrigerator District" kinda like they do with Little Italy. They don't. In fact, you get the idea that despite their abundance, these stores would rather not be visited.

The casual television audience must have wondered what hit them when, 4 years ago, poker players started invading commercial breaks and primetime sports offerings. Today, they're still everywhere and as obscure as ever, but their waning popularity has audiences anxiously awaiting their exit. As confused viewers silently wonder who Daniel Negreanu is, they watch him playing a game of pool while his voice waxes about the nuances of poker. They're also silently offended by Phil Hellmuth's annoyingly antagonistic personality. Who the hell is he and why does he have such an ego? With the poker bubble having finally burst, the splatters of its geeky semi-celebrities become more and more tacky against the glossy picture of fame that we're used to seeing. While poker as a headline event may be drying up, we're about to see a whole new trend in entertainment that will bring along an even more unfit batch of celebrity wannabes.

Corporations, monopolies and power imbalances are impeding democracy, but they are not the cause of the problem. The cause is the lack of vigilance on behalf of the American public in keeping our elected officials in check. The chain of corruption begins where the official sees a strategy other than sound policies that will get them elected. That strategy stems from the public's susceptibility to advertising and charisma over logic and reason. This is not the public's fault, but we must acknowledge this weakness before it can be overcome.

I bet you didn't know that I am a huge sports fan. I consider myself a Los Angeles Lakers and Dodgers lifer. I don't watch much television, but I try to never miss a game. The NBA All-Star game isn't usually something I watch, but I have an idea that would make it more appealing.

I think the Point Guard "Skills Challenge" should be integrated into the actual All-Star game.

Is that blog you're reading trying to sell you something? While they were once used as platforms for vocal members of the online community to broadcast their lives and opinions, blogs have evolved into a marketing tool. As content-rich and informative websites, blogs are easily read and categorized by search engines. With easy access from search traffic comes the prospect of profitability. With the Long Tail theory of niche relevance in full effect, you no longer have to be a blogging celebrity to make money from your traffic.

In my life, I've been diagnosed with a few disorders that would easily send a man to a regimen of pills, namely; ADHD without hyperactivity, clinical depression, and social anxiety disorder. If you ask me, though, I'm not really that messed up. I've been offered medications to fix it all, but I'm determined to find a better way. In the beginning, there was just the ADHD, and it bothered my mom. I would fall asleep in kindergarten and the teacher thought I was ... you know ... special.

Words to avoid when addressing middle school students:

dongle
fluctuate
gherkin
cummerbund
volva
pianist
seminary
tipple
rear admiral
poop deck
booby
pervasive
dike
penal
ballpeen
rectify
titmouse
assonance
uvula
castrato
diction
buttress
masticate
kumquat
shuttlecock
cumin
puss
philatelist
perfunctory

Source: TFP & My Co-Workers

Lana was friendly the way Hillary Clinton is friendly. She was interested in your conversation the way a lost tourist is interested in the banter than you wrap around your directions that you give. Her euphemisms and vocabulary made you wonder if her childhood consisted of late night hypnosis in front of an endless stream of infomercials. She pronounced names as if there was only one set of grammar rules in the world. It was a shame that she was so obnoxious, or else it would have been easy to ignore her.

We must use the US Constitution as our guide and apply its principles in broad, unprejudiced strokes. We must allow freedom to the people and reshape the role information plays in our society. We must educate people and we must distribute information with equal accessibility. The visceral satisfaction of one-way entertainment must be made duplex. Emotional decision making must become educated decision making. Bad decisions must be exposed and those who made them must be held accountable, starting from the top.