stevesilberman

stevesilberman, 7 hours ago to random

Finally, the article Mama Cass always deserved. David Crosby used to tell me all the time about how wonderful and wise she was and how much he loved her. Good job, Lindsay Zoladz. [gift link] https://www.nytimes.com/2024/05/09/arts/music/cass-elliot-mamas-and-the-papas-death.html?unlocked_article_code=1.qk0.ULeX.IapX-To0hDKJ&smid=nytcore-ios-share&referringSource=articleShare&sgrp=c-cb

stevesilberman, 1 day ago to random

The sea lions are out in force at Pier 39 in San Francisco, double the usual number, drawn by a large school of anchovies. [photo by Barbara Gersh]

stevesilberman, 1 day ago to random

Poet and essayist Gary Snyder was born OTD 94 years ago, and bless us all, he's still alive. The real-life model for Japhy Ryder in Kerouac's "Dharma Bums," he was one of the first American Zen students, and his books include Riprap, Turtle Island, and The Practice of the Wild. A profound, graceful, timeless thinker whose writing will be speaking fresh wisdom for centuries. [photo taken last year by Wang PIng]

stevesilberman, 2 days ago to random

Those "Marxist college professors" you've been hearing so much about? My father Donald was proudly one of them. At the height of the Vietnam War, he was fired for saying so, and his students and fellow professors, who loved him, occupied the administration building for 2 weeks before my parents and others were arrested. I just found this at a cool online bookstore, Bolerium.com. Such memories.

stevesilberman, 2 days ago to random

Happy birthday to Carolyn Adams Garcia, aka Mountain Girl. An adorable photo of MG with Jerry Garcia, 7/2/67 at El Camino Park in Palo Alto, by Ron Rakow.

stevesilberman, 2 days ago to random

While it's cute that some people still refer to Elon Musk as "CEO" of something-or-other, what he does all day is simple: Obsessively engaging with neo-Nazi nudniks broadcasting stupid and hateful ideas on X, while using lots of emojis. https://www.motherjones.com/politics/2024/05/i-read-everything-elon-musk-posted-for-a-week-send-help/

stevesilberman, 3 days ago to random

It's darkly hilarious watching Kristi drown in the quicksand of her own lies in real time. She may as well have a neon sign over her head flashing "BULLSHIT... BULLSHIT... BULLSHIT... BULLSHIT." https://www.threads.net/@aaron.rupar/post/C6odW-MAZh3

stevesilberman, 3 days ago to random

I can't be there, but this Monday 5/13 at Carnegie Hall, there will be a star-studded tribute to the music of Crosby, Stills, and Nash, featuring many younger musicians. Looks great. https://www.carnegiehall.org/Calendar/2024/05/13/The-Music-of-Crosby-Stills-and-Nash-0800PM

stevesilberman, 4 days ago to random

Beautiful obituary by @nytimes' Clay Risen for poet Jerome Rothenberg, whose hugely influential "Technicians of the Sacred" brought indigenous poetries into Western conciousness. [gift link] https://www.nytimes.com/2024/05/05/books/jerome-rothenberg-dead.html?unlocked_article_code=1.pk0.vQqU.d0jxOEMibPrO&smid=url-share

stevesilberman, 5 days ago to random

So much of MAGA media and the GOP is about normalizing bizarre, freakish, inhuman sociopathy. Here's FoxNews host Rachel Campos-Duffy celebrating the hammer attack on Paul Pelosi. This woman has nine children. I wonder what values she thinks she's teaching them? https://www.mediaite.com/tv/foxs-rachel-campos-duffy-jokes-about-violent-attack-on-ex-speakers-husband-maybe-paul-pelosi-needs-the-hammer/

stevesilberman, 5 days ago to random

Happy #StarWarsDay! My own favorite personal anecdote: I saw Star Wars with poet Allen Ginsberg when it first opened in Boulder in 1977. When the crawl went up the screen ("A long time ago, in a galaxy far far away..."), Allen sighed, "Thank God - I don't have to worry about it!"

stevesilberman, 6 days ago to Autism

Very honored to see my history of #autism and #neurodiversity, "NeuroTribes," on this list. https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2024/books/top-books-list.html?smtyp=cur&smid=bsky-nytimes

stevesilberman, 6 days ago to random

When she's not shooting puppies and goats and lying about that, prominent liar Kristi Noem is embarrassing her publisher by lying about alleged meetings with world leaders like Kim Jong Un, which simply never happened. https://www.thedakotascout.com/p/gov-kristi-noems-account-of-meeting

stevesilberman, 6 days ago to random

No, I'm not going to make fun of Trump for wearing diapers. Many disabled and elderly people do, including my late mother, who also had dementia. But I'm happy to point out all the other reasons why you shouldn't vote for a terrorist cult leader and rapist who packed SCOTUS with grifters and undoubtedly sold top-secret intel to the highest bidder while tens of thousands of Americans were dying of COVID because of his policies.

stevesilberman, 7 days ago to random

Confession: Tonight @WardQNormal.bsky.social and I realized neither of us had ever seen "On the Waterfront" before. Brando was amazing, almost feral, but that "contender" clip gets all the attention, while Karl Malden's speech about Christ kneeling beside the longshoremen was one of the best monologues in the history of cinema. "Liberal" Hollywood at its best, and boy, do we need that reawakening of human conscience now in this time of ravening evil.

stevesilberman, 7 days ago to random

Amazing story: For the first time, scientists have observed an orangutan applying a medicated paste that it made to heal a wound. https://www.bbc.com/news/science-environment-68942123

stevesilberman, 8 days ago to random

Joni Mitchell fanatics: An amazing tape. "The Three Great Stimulants" originally appeared on "Dog Eat Dog," one of Joni's later albums that is awash with sighing synthesizers and ponderous overproduction. Here she is singing the great and very timely lyrics with just a guitar, like a folk song, from an NPR broadcast on 5/11/95. It's genius. Click to download. https://www.dropbox.com/scl/fi/znfb0hc5pt3izdy2nu9kq/The-Three-Great-Stimulants.mp3?rlkey=gor0mp80cnbgfmri5m3hi4rhi&st=ivet4msy&dl=0

stevesilberman, 9 days ago to random

Poet, essayist, and film director Paul Auster has died. A gorgeous elegy by Lucy Sante, author of "I Heard Her Call My Name." [gift link] https://www.nytimes.com/2024/04/30/books/review/paul-auster-appreciation.html?unlocked_article_code=1.ok0.a5y5.C_odhn3i06QN&smid=url-share

stevesilberman, 9 days ago to jazz

My husband and I watched Duke Ellington's electrifying Newport performance of “Diminuendo & Crescendo in Blue” tonight. It's the Hendrix-sets-his-guitar-on-fire moment of #jazz. Go Paul Gonsalves! https://youtu.be/wIX7fnYANak?si=57U7TbtSuhccGh4y

stevesilberman, 9 days ago to random

TFW you see a photo of a teenager on a webpage and you think "How cute, they're letting kids give webinars now," and then you realize the person is a renowned expert in their field, not a teenager, and you're just... really old.

stevesilberman, 10 days ago to random

I suppose to appreciate the full impact of Seinfeld saying you can't do comedy anymore because of the "extreme left and PC," I'd have to understand that before that, he thought what he was doing was comedy.

MattMerk, 10 days ago to random

Just watched the pilot for The X-Files, and have some thoughts. 1) Cinematography looked better back then. Log encoding of media shot with digital cameras was a blessing and a gigantic curse. 2) I miss self-contained, not serialized episodes. 3) Gillian Anderson was and is great. (But I fear finding out something terrible exists about her that I just haven’t heard yet. Please don’t tell me if there is!)

stevesilberman, 11 days ago to random

First dream of my mom since her death in December. I was talking to my sister in front of a bar when I saw Mom in a cab in one of her exuberant red outfits. She jumped out and shouted, "I'm so glad to see you kids!" But when I looked at her face under her hood, there was just empty space and stars.

stevesilberman, 11 days ago to random

Please join us on Monday (tomorrow!) for an online conversation to benefit AutAngel, a wonderful UK organization run by #autistic people for autistic people. Check your local time zone. (10:30am PT, 1:30pm ET, 6:30pm BT) https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/a-conversation-with-steve-silberman-tickets-861397943437?utm-campaign=social&utm-content=attendeeshare&utm-medium=discovery&utm-term=listing&utm-source=cp&aff=ebdsshcopyurl

stevesilberman, 11 days ago to random

If you think Kristi Noem tripling down and changing her story about why she had to execute her puppy is blatantly sociopathic, wait till you hear what the GOP has planned for trans folks, women seeking abortions, and librarians.