Michael Braun's Blog

I’ve never really had a garden before. And that isn’t about to change this summer; as Feist says in ‘Mushaboom’ – “we’ve got it hard, second floor living without a yard.” Nevertheless, I am going to give gardening a go this year! This weekend, Lauren and I hope to go buy some planter boxes and plants. Not sure what more than flowers (tomatoes maybe, but other veggies… I’m not sure what will grow well enough in a box), but it should be plenty to brighten up my porch! I’ve been thinking about attempting to put up some sort of trellis potentially. I think that could add some style as well!

Other than that, the weekend is looking pretty quiet. It feels like it came at the right time, but also like the week was short, what with traveling on Monday and Tuesday. It’s nice to not be in the office; if only I could have that without having to also stay in a hotel room. Soon enough, soon enough. I’m a-counting.

Looks like Obama is on a roll here, though it’s a little disturbing that he has become the de facto nominee rather than the flat-out powerhouse winner. Of course, whenever a contest goes on this long, it’s hard to feel that the winner has emerged as the immediate popular favorite. Will his having to fight his way to the top advantage him against McCain? Will McCain’s “his turn now” status and ties to the uber-unpopular Bush administration hinder him in the race? I want the candidates to be settled as soon as possible so we can start seeing some cross-aisle brawls, rather than dreadful party civil war.

Finally, Madison has really ripped up Mineral Point Road. I drove to work yesterday around 8:15 and didn’t see a single worker trying to get the street ready to be paved. What’s up with that? It’s a disaster area; they cannot afford to waste a minute of time! It’s already a major traffic snarl come rush hour. I’ve taken to turning on High Point when coming from the west, then taking Tree Lane down to Westfield, to Farmington, to Gammon, to Colony, to Inner, to Yellowstone – ALL THAT rather than get stuck in traffic around Gammon.

In my ever vigilant attempts to police the horrible news website CNN, I noticed a unique way they are attempting to make more money. CNN now offers, with select headlines, the chance to buy that headline screen-printed on a t-shirt. But, to produce headlines that are t-shirt worthy and to report the news in a professional matter seem mutually exclusive (at least in any terms of standard journalism ethics). CNN seems to understand this, which leads to some pretty stupid headlines available on t-shirts.

I’ve decided to spend the day checking on what headlines you can get on a t-shirt, in an effort to cause mirth and merriment for my readers, and to condemn CNN and their ridiculousness. I will also list some headlines that would make particularly stupid t-shirts.

0900:
Headliner Shirt Options:
Boy, 10, saves classmate with Heimlich
Whiz kid runs school’s computers
Ginormous sinkhole gobbles up yards

Real Headlines Not on Shirts:
What would you ask Obama?
Corpses piling up as Myanmar misery deepens

Thoughts:
For the record, “ginormous” is not a word.

1018:
What? No new headlines for t-shirts? That’s bad marketing! In fact, we lost the Heimlich headline! And I was about to order that shirt!

Real Headlines Not on Shirts:
Is it too early for a Clinton “deathwatch”?
Women, click here for good health

1124:
New Headliner Shirt Option:
Church fills pews with free gas raffle

Real Headlines Not on Shirts:
“White Americans” want me, Clinton says

1408:
New Headliner Shirt Options:
Obama’s blue jeans put press in tizzy
Stiletto-clad beauty queen seeks office

Real Headlines Not on Shirts:
McCain “losing bearings,” says Obama.

Thoughts:
Several headlines have dropped away, also losing us the chance to buy a shirt with that headline. Funny thing, the “Ginormous” headline has remained. Perhaps because it is selling shirts?

1537:
New Headliner Shirt Option:
Small town preps for big Bush wedding

Thoughts:
Who in the world would ever want that headline on a t-shirt? It seems like the most random of random headlines to offer. Maybe someone liked the play between the words “small” and “big”. So edgy!

1626:
No new headlines! Again, terrible marketing of the news by CNN. If I can’t have the headline on a t-shirt, I don’t want to read it.

I will keep up my vigilant watch on CNN. We must convince them to offer ALL headlines on t-shirts. If my news can’t be worn on my chest, then staying informed loses all luster.

I bought a new album this morning: the self-titled debut of artist Santogold. She’s a woman from Philadelphia, with an educational background in Caribbean and West African Drumming. Now that’s a major! But her music is much more diverse than that. Some have compared her to M.I.A., and I agree that they both have potential to be breakout, crossover women musical artists. Overall, her debut shows her range is much greater than M.I.A.’s, as is her musical background.

The most immediate touchpoint, sonically, is Gwen Stefani. Her songs all have a pumping beat, solid pop sensibilities, and a vocal range that keeps her sound interesting. But Santogold seems more interested in exploring the use of different rhythms, rather than Stefani’s interest in exploitative Western-centric views of Japanese culture. She takes her educational background and merges it solidly with Alternative and New Wave music.

Those comparing her to M.I.A. will find her song ‘Creator’ most like an M.I.A. track, but even it, on its own, shows more potential than M.I.A. did on her second album. For one, the lyrics are much more understandable and sensible. She does not seek to paint strange images connecting world cultures, over beats and lines stolen from African teen groups. So while the song is sonically something that M.I.A. might have put together, it blends more perfectly into the album, rather than sticking out as a reminder of how “edgy” is the artist.

Overall, I’m on my third way thru the album, with no desire to stop now. I’ve got the volume up high and am enjoying the energy of the album. At 12 tracks (the final being a remix), the album’s length seems perfect. Its diversity is much appreciated, yet held together by Santogold’s excellent vocals and lyrics. I’d highly recommend checking it out!

Georgia is expected to be the first state in the Union to resume executions after the Supreme Court ruled that execution by lethal injection is not cruel and unusual punishment. Judge Alito, the genius, actually argued that he sees no reason why the government should be required to perform painless executions.

I imagine that our crime numbers dramatically increased while the stay of execution was in place. No doubt those criminals normally deterred by the threat of execution felt free to resume their ruthless assault of law-abiding citizens like you and me. Freedom!, they cried. Finally we are free to pursue our unlawful acts of murder! All we risk is life imprisonment!

What a sad, sad day for America when we can’t even recognize that we have failed these lawbreakers just as much as they have failed us. A criminal is proof that our society is not perfect. And proof that that individual did not see fit to live within the constraints of our society. So while he serves time in jail, we should be required to try to rehabilitate him. If he can be rehabilitated, he should be released. If not, he should remain in prison.

Judge Alito and the other conservative psychos who voted to resume executions have another stain on their souls. No doubt they feel righteous enough to decide the fate of someone’s life, but I believe that power must be taken out of the hands of the court and placed in the hands of the individual and nature. If the individual seeks to die for his crimes, he should be allowed to. Otherwise, he will die when his body can no longer sustain his life. Those are the only two forces that should be able to decide when a life is ended. What kind of society do we live in that an individual cannot decide to legally end his life, but a court can?

Anyway, I sure would feel safer walking the streets of Madison if only I knew killers could be legally murdered for their crimes, sentenced to death by those granted that supreme power, the ability to decide between life and death for a lawbreaker. Conservative Psychos: may the blood of those you have killed stain your hands forever, and may the guilt leave you restless at night, for the rest of your naturally occurring life.

I’ve not traveled for work since last July, and this trip is just for 2 days. I’ll be headed home tomorrow. But still, it’s work travel, and it’s no fun. I ran into someone from work who expressed interest in travel. Wow, he and I could not be more different. At least I’ve the opportunity to work with some folks I usually only talk to on the phone. It means getting a lot done, and the day went pretty quickly. One more night in a hotel bed and then back home to Madison where I belong.

Hopefully traveling tomorrow will mean I get to miss most of the election coverage. On Tuesday, Indiana and North Carolina hold their primaries. They’ve never been more important in understanding who the nominee will be. Clinton won’t give up, and neither will Obama. And while Obama looks like the likely nominee, questions about his former pastor still dog him. Let me tell you somthing: Bush got foreign policy advice from Jerry Falwell. Obama listened to some fiery speeches by a religious leader who also presided over his wedding and the baptisms of his children. How is it possible that Obama faces criticism and Bush does not?

There’s a basic psychological theory about the nature of racism. It says that many people will not discriminate on the basis of race unless there is another attributable factor for the discrimination. The basic study went like this. People were told they needed to go to another building to continue an experiment they had started. Half were told they needed to hurry, the others told they could go whenever. On the way to the building, they were confronted with someone needing help who was either Black or White. And equal number of those in no hurry helped the Black versus the White person. Those in a hurry helped the White person significantly more than the Black person. Those who reject Obama because he knew someone who said things the people don’t like are doing the same thing. So if you are doubting your support of Obama because of Rev. Wright, you are a racist.

Not much else going on. Dinner should be soon; I’m pretty hungry. After that, a long stretch of doldrums. TV is never less appealing than when you are alone in a hotel room. Even though I get HBO. I don’t even really like HBO. I watched an episode of that show ‘Entourage’, and it was pretty stupid. Not that I hated it, but I didn’t laugh a single time through the whole show. I bet you cannot name another show during which I would NOT laugh at all. Go ahead, try!

I believe that John McCain’s ideas for healthcare reform are so bad, I won’t even write a rant about it in an effort to make strong ‘pathos’ make up for weak ‘logos.’ Instead, I will break it down into three parts.

The basics: McCain would offer tax credits to individuals who purchase their own healthcare, outside that offered by the government or employers.

The problems: Many.
1. The poor, old, and/or sick are not helped if they cannot find or afford coverage.
2. No safeguards against bad insurance companies.
3. No balance between those who are healthy supporting those who are sick, if the sick can’t get coverage.
4. No benefit to those who take a lower paying job because of better benefits. Sorry, civil servants.

Why it won’t work:
1. The legislation would have a hard time passing. It offers virtually no help to the individual, but plenty of help to employers (who can now justify gutting, or cutting, their benefits offered). McCain also admits that it won’t help the sick or old, and that it may raise taxes on folks who aren’t buying their own insurance.
2. It delays a fix for a true problem – Medicare and Medicaid spending increases. If we don’t put everyone in the same pool, the government is still stuck covering those people who can’t get health insurance.
3. Businesses need people to want their insurance as an incentive for a job. A paycheck alone is not enough to keep many people in a job they may not like. They must feel that if they leave, they lose a good thing (something beyond money).

Overall, I think the plan is hilariously terrible. McCain, in all his straight-talking glory, admits it doesn’t help the people who currently need the most help. So what the fuck is the point to reforming healthcare? If there’s no money in it, the free market isn’t going to jump at the chance to ensure a broke, homeless, 70-year-old, cancer patient. You suck, McCain. For real.