I Love John Stewart

I just finished watching the much publicized Cramer vs Stewart interview, and I am even more in love with John Stewart than before. He destroyed Cramer, Cramer knew it, and knew he was blatantly wrong on every level. Here are a few excerpts:

Stewart: CNBC could be an incredibly powerful tool of illumination for people that believe that there are two markets: One that has been sold to us as long term: "Put your money in 401ks. Put your money in pensions and just leave it there. Don't worry about it. It's all doing fine." Then, there's this other market; this real market that is occurring in the back room. Where giant piles of money are going in and out...it's dangerous, it's ethically dubious, and it hurts that long term market.

So what it feels like to us...is like we are capitalizing your adventure by our pension and our hard earned money. And that it is a game that you know is going on. But you go on television as a financial network and pretend isn't happening.

...

Stewart: [CNBC] whose side are they on? It feels like they have to reconcile as their audience the Wall Street traders...these guys' companies were on a Sherman's March through their companies, financed by our 401ks, and all the incentives of their companies were for short term profit. And they burned the fucking house down with our money and walked away rich as hell, and you guys knew that that was going on.

...

Stewart: Isn't that part of the problem? Selling this idea that you don't have to do anything: "sit back and you'll get 10 to 20 percent on your money", don't you always know that that's going to be a lie? When are we going to realize in this country that our wealth is work. That we're workers and by selling this idea that of, "Hey man, I'll teach you how to be rich." How is that any different than an infomercial?

Cramer: Well, I think that your goal should always be to try to expose the fact that there is no easy money. I wish I had found Madoff...

Stewart: But there are literally shows called Fast Money.

Cramer: I think that people... [Audience laughs] There's a market for it and you give it to them.

Stewart: There's a market for cocaine and hookers!

...

Cramer: But it's difficult to have a reporter to say I just came from an interview with Hank Whats-his-face and he lied his darn fool head off. It's difficult. I think it challenges the boundaries.

Stewart: Yeah. I'm under the assumption, and maybe this is purely ridiculous, that you don't just take their word for it at face value-- that you actually then go around and try and figure it out... Maybe we could remove the financial expert and the "In Cramer we Trust" and start getting back to fundamentals on reporting as well, and I can go back to making fart noises and funny faces.



Excellent.

Steve

I Love Modest Mouse

Two back to back music posts...ugh

My friend drove us back from Modest Mouse last night, and I feel terrible because that was shitty of me to drink that much and then not even be able to provide good conversation! It was a great concert...actually stike that-- it was a terrible concert, but a great modest mouse show! It seems like they *want* feedback and poor mixing. Three shows in a row-- the feedback and the mix has been terrible. My ears are still ringing.

The most annoying and funniest part of the night was this drunk girl that kept trying to barge into where we were standing (on the balcony railing). We were there waaay before she got there, and it was a good spot. She didn't pick up on the fact that her flirting with me to squeeze in just wasn't helping her at all :-)

I hope I can hear again in a few hours...

Steve

Why The Killers rock my face off

The Killers are really popular, so they don't need endorsements from lowly bloggers like myself, but I was listening to 'Spaceman' today on Day & Age by The Killers, and that song just is awesome. I was thinking of reasons that I love the Killers and came up with five.

1. People complain that the Killers are overrated and arrogant. The Killers say that "they don't care", and they "think they make music really well and should be proud of it."-- therefore re-affirming everyones suspicion that they are crazy arrogant. But you know what: they are completely right.


2. Their music is great mix of simple complexity. They make pop music that is both modern and progressive (tonal qualities, construction), but simple and traditional (chord progressions, melodies, and hooks).


3. 
   
   
   Seriously, what the hell are these?? The answer is awesome
   


4. You can hear just twenty seconds of 'Spaceman' and you will be singing "oh oh oh-oh oh, oh... oh-oh-oh" for the entire day, forcing people to tear off their ears from aggravation. But you just can't get enough.


5. Brandon Flowers is hot :-)
   
   

I am seeing Modest Mouse tonight for the fourth or fifth time. If all goes well it will be a nice break from life for a few hours, and they will play a great show...

Strike that... they never play a good show. Issac is typically high or drunk, and doesn't really care anyways. Their music kind of thrives off this accidental greatness amidst chaos-- so even with the sloppy guitar work, mics with feedback, etc. something kind of amazing happens...

Although I am typically inebriated for their shows- so that may be affecting my assessment >:-)

Much Love,
Steve

Furious

Each of us has our talents and our short-comings. I feel I am typically a very hard worker and a good student. I have always done well in school (awards, nearly 4.0 GPA)-- I have always been on the ball. For some reason this semester- I am FUCKING UP. I am behind in both projects. I have turned in every assignment in one class late, and I just noticed that I completely missed an assignment. It was due Saturday, and I didn't even know about it. I don't know whats going on with me, but this is one of the few things I am proud of, and for some reason I am fucking it up. I feel like I am drowning-- work is PILING up (Im behind), school work is PILING up (behind there too), my contracting work is being neglected and I've over spent certainly on frivolous things recently. And this weekend I'm going to a concert and have plans to go out with friends. Clearly, this is no time for having fun-- I should be locked away in a coffee shop getting MY SHIT TOGETHER. Good god I am so fucking angry at myself right now I want to just cry and go to sleep...like it will all be taken care of for me. This is a unique failure that is new, and that makes me feel like SHIT.

Ok enough self-deprecation- Im going to bed.

I hope everyone else is doing better than I--

Steve