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John Cage’s 4’33”

Trailer for Koyaanisqatsi

It is bitterly cold.

It snowed about an inch last weekend, and we’ve been getting flurries all week. The Manolo claims that DC residents were trained to drive in San Diego, and I believe he is right. It seems everyone in the greater DC area uses the first snow fall as an opportunity to drive on the wrong side of the road, run into other cars, and test how far their SUV will slide on its side.
This particularly upsets me, because last Saturday, before it started snowing — before there were even clouds — someone rear-ended me at a stop-light. Until I can get repair scheduled, Aicha’s tailpipe is sagging and mangled below her marred bumper. I do have to say she solidly won that fight, though. So, until this weather is over or until everybody starts riding Metro I’m paranoid about somebody else running into the back of me.
In the meantime, I’m burning all my plastics in an effort to foster more global warming.

Taken out my window this morning.

Bono has gotten some press lately with the (RED) campaign that he’s bought into. Actually, I’m a little bothered by how much press this has gotten. This is American philanthropy at it’s best. You buy a $200 Apple iPod, Apple gives $10 to the UN Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria. Perfect! You get stuff, and cool red stuff, at essentially retail, but you get to feel good about helping people with AIDS. Apple, meanwhile, or The Gap gets you to buy their stuff (even if you already have a RAZR, you have to have the (RED) MOTORAZR) and they get a nice tax write-off for what was essentially a marketing cost. Win-win for capitalism! Now I’m a pretty big capitalist myself, but don’t try to pass off our greed for trendy products as charity.
Since its kick-off about a year ago, the (RED) campaign has donated something like 15 million dollars ($15,000,000) to the Global Fund. I can’t find an exact number, but that seems about right based on the progress throughout last year. If the percentages on the iPod and the RAZR are representative, this represents about $300 million in sales for the participating partners. Not a bad haul, considering that Apple also gets profits from the car charger, case, pedometer, and music that goes with that red iPod while the Gap gets all the profits from the belt, jeans, and camisole you got to go with your INSPI(RED) t-shirt. If these corporations are so concerned with giving to impoverished nations, why not give a percentage of everything they sell? If the consumer is so concerned with the plight of third-world citizens, why did he just spend $300 on another cell phone? Something about solving the world’s problems through materialism just makes me twitch.
Now let’s compare. In 2006, 21 billion dollars ($21,000,000,000) was requested by the federal government for treating AIDS/HIV within the United States. In addition, under the President’s Emergency Plan For AIDS Relief (PEPFAR), $3.2 billion, or over 200 (RED) campaigns, was allocated for international AIDS relief. PEPFAR promises $15 billion in aid over five years. This includes over $300 million annually allocated to the Global Fund. This program, one of President Bush’s favorite new initiatives gets virtually no press. You’ve never even heard of it have you? I’d print t-shirts, but there are very few words that end in pepfar.
I’ve never really been good at making a point on my blog. I seldom have one to make. There’s what I’m thinking. If I were Lon Solomon, this is where I’d expect you to say “So what?” And I wouldn’t know what to say.
I’ll tell you what. Next time you want to help save the world — instead of dropping thirty dollars on that t-shirt think that for the price of that t-shirt plus tax, you can feed, educate, and provide health care for one of thousands of children in the most impoverished regions of the world.

xkcd: Awesome web comic.

Since Christy asked … this is basically a panorama in three shots.

Have you seen the cookies they have at Starbucks? They must be eight inches across and over an inch thick. I went to Starbucks tonight. After my girlfriend ordered her tea, she asked me if I wanted anything. I said “Yes. I would like a cookie and two more friends.”

Brad recommends: Happy Slip

I am totally obsessed with the fashion blogs. I can’t go a day without reading The Manolo. I love the commentary from Daddy Likey and apologize to anyone with sensibilities as I say these are really hot boots.
I check out The Sartorialist on a regular basis. Although the commentary is very brief, The Sartorialist is unique in that the author features a lot of men’s fashion. Why is it so hard to find people writing about men’s fashion? Men wear clothes nearly as much as women.
There are your three fashion links for tonight. Go out and be fabulous.

I live in a studio apartment. That’s a fancy way of saying I can’t afford walls. I can’t paint, so whenever I spend time in my studio, I like to record things. Turns out I snore.
Some people call this type of apartment an efficiency. I think that is appropriate. I do not have to bother with lengthy area designations such as “bed room,” “living room,” and “dining room.” I come home and have a seat in the room. I have a kitchen with an island bar that separates it from the room. When I eat at the bar it’s like I’m in a nether-world.
I don’t ever want to live in a place where I have to unplug the vacuum to get all my floors. I’m hoping to renew my lease and throw a staying-put party in August. I will order pizza and have my friends make sure I don’t load anything in my truck.
They can sit on the floor in my room.

It is 10 o’clock, and I am hungry. I found three kinds of crackers in my kitchen and now I am looking for some of those little summer sausages.