Life in the Big City

My fantasy of moving to the suburbs has ended- at least temporarily-since two of my kids got admitted to elite Chicago elementary schools for next year. After I heard the news, I took the garbage out and saw a pair of soiled plaid pants and large BM in front of the garage door. I thought about taking a photo and posting it, but decided against it.

April is the cruelest (National Poetry) Month

How have you been enjoying National Poetry month so far?
Here's Coleman Barks reading his translation of a poem by 13th Century Persian mystic Jalāl ad-Dīn Muḥammad Rūm. According to tradition, Rumi was born in Balkh, Bactria, which is now Afghanistan.

Happy Birthday to Samuel Beckett (13 April 1906 – 22 December 1989)

and finally, here's a link to America's favorite and most idolized African American Islamic poet.

Hee Haw: The Next Generation

Time Magazine reports that the Obama gun sales boom started the day after election day is still booming.

While "The Greatest Generation" and baby boom conservatives all loved Westerns, the genre lost relevance following the civil rights and anti-war movements. Obama doesn't have the same Hollywood Texan swagger of conservatives' favorite presidents. With stories like Obama Calls Space Shuttle and President Reassures Americans of Future, we're clearly in science fiction territory. I mean, a black President of the USA?!? C'mon, get serious.

Just as I was beginning to feel smug about the decline of the Cowboy as president image, I remembered that Gene Roddenberry sold Star Trek to network executives as a disguised Western, "Wagon Train" to the stars. D'oh.

Happy St. Stupid's Day

The First Church of the Last Laugh is having its 31st celebration today in San Francisco. Part of the ritual is going to the stock exchange and exchanging a sock. For more holy details, check out:

http://www.saintstupid.com/

By coincidence- or the unseen hand of the divine- this year's parade coincides with the G20 meeting:

http://www.g-20meltdown.org/