Who’s that over there
Looks like he don’t care
Almost lost his mind
Too much working overtimeGotta get out every night
City gates are open wide
Gotta get away from here
Take that car and push that gearHe don’t need no one
He’s the rising sun
He won’t shed no tears
Got no time to break down here
“Working Overtime” by New Order
(I wish that said “New Order.” I am most definitely ready for them.)
“In this economy,” some strange things are happening to global finance and our domestic banking systems. I’ve actually taken quite a bit of interest in economic happenings – even leading me to buy and read an issue of The Economist, which I’m sure will delight Andy to no end.
So, hot on the heels of the Rolling Stone article that has me ready to sink $1000 into gold coins as opposed to my savings account, I found this piece from The Raw Story:
China’s top banker proposes new world reserve currency
The article’s author, Stephen Webster, seems set on downplaying the significance of this move, even after Moscow also pledged support for the same move as we get closer to the G20 summit. However, I find it weird that this is now the fourth time I’ve heard mention of the same global currency thinking in a two week period.
I’m not necessarily scared of a single, global currency but I do worry that the people who will be controlling it are going to be the same third-world debt peddlers as those running the World Bank, IMF, etc.
If you haven’t been watching the Travel Channel’s “Mark & Olly: Living with the Machigenga,” you may have missed out on one of the better shows this season. Mark (our ex-military adventurer – a greying, less deranged Bear Grylls) and Olly (our bumbling journalist) have taken their nearly neo-Victorian explorations to Peru to live with a tribe of people known as the Machigenga. Not content to merely study these people, Mark and Olly have decided to live with them as members of the community. So far we’ve seen these two Brits high as kites on shamanic medicines, attempting to build canoes out of felled trees and teaching the tribe how to make a proper cup of Earl Grey.
But, the real star of the series this time around has been an accidental cast member. On a hunting exhibition, the tribesmen shot down two wooly monkeys – a father and mother, as it turned out. As they crashed down to the ground from the canopy, their tiny baby fell with them. While the Machigenga had no qualms about eating mom and dad, they decided to keep the baby on as a pet and gave it to Mark with the promise that it would “help him do things” in the village.
As far as I can tell, baby Gianna is mostly interested in helping ratings for the show and being the focus of a web series, “The Adventures of Mark and His Monkey.” It may be the cutest thing imaginable, watching this globetrotting adventurer fall madly in love with a very clever little chattering critter. The fact that she reminds both Kate and I of Bellatrix only adds to the joy of watching these videos every single week after the show.
Luckily, the webisodes are online forever and there’s going to be an all day marathon of “Mark & Olly” this Sunday, starting at 3 pm. I highly recommend tuning in and going head over heels for “Monkeyface,” too.
Another Sunday evening and The Fifth Element is on TBS again. I’d have never guessed, back in 1998 while watching this on HBO (since no one would take me to see it in the theatre) that this movie would become such a mainstay on the TV films circuit.
I’m not complaining of course. This is always a treat to see. Milla Jovovich, Jean-Paul Gaultier, the future – what’s not to love?
I realized that Luc Besson and Milla Jovovich had developed a “Divine Language” for Leelo to speak in the film but I just learned tonight that there’s been an effort to expand and write down this fictitious language. Behold:
The Divine Language (on Blogger)
They are even working on other translations for the dictionary based on languages other than English. It’s like frakkin’ Tolkein shit up in here. Some people are so very motivated by the weirdest things.
I’m glad that they are.
Welcome friends and professionals. I’m glad to report that I’m up and blogging again. You may have noticed the new address – nicholasjsmerker.info. I’ve changed my domain to reflect the fact that I’m doing this on my own now. I hope to really get moving now that I’ve got everything under one umbrella. Thanks for coming by and bear with me while I get things put back in order!
(which is actually probably rather like regular Top Gear, but I digress)
Paranoia und Verschwörung in Bayern
All I can gather from this is that a Hungarian journalist had his camera confiscated while touring the BMW plant in Germany – after which, he totally lost it and decided to create a short story illustrated with crayon. It is magnificent.
The Invasion from Outer Space by Steven Millhauser (for The New Yorker)
Trying to Live on 500K in New York City
Tiny violin played by The New York Times.
Today has been one of those snowy days in Maryland that makes me question whether anyone here has actually seen a snowstorm. We had 3 hours off this morning for what was, essentially, a light dusting of the fluffiest powder this side of dandelion pollen. I’ve resigned myself to being forever confounded by the weather weirdness of this Eastern Shore.
However, with my extra time today, I have decided to make you your very own compilation, dear readers: the Not Really All That Snowy Day Mix. Your tracklist is below.
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You can download the entire mix for seven days by clicking here.
Download a high resolution PDF of the album art, too!
The board game “Dread Pirate” and the rusty razor blade that fell out of the shrink wrapped box after we opened it tonight. The maker, Front Porch Classics, is out of business. Can’t imagine why…