In Praise of Jon Stewart

Hopefully, you saw Stewart emerge as a serious journalist on Thursday night's episode of THE DAILY SHOW. He aggressively pursued Jim Cramer of CNBC fame for not doing enough to draw attention to the financial crisis in this country, for not being alert enough to catch it before it erupted into a nonstop lava flow of loss.

Too many people don't take Stewart seriously because his show is on Comedy Central. It's a shame. Even though we laugh as he pokes fun of current events, he makes his audience aware that the world has dire problems we must be deal with.

iPod Essentials #65: 'Money for Nothing"--Dire Straits

So Octomom and brood are getting a new house in La Habra, paid for by Grandpa. How can Grandpa afford this $559K house? Through his countless media appearances, worrying about the mental state of his daughter. Mind you, he and his wife are $23,000 behind in their current mortgage.

The whole thing disgusts me. "Money for nothing."

True, Mark Knopler of Dire Straits wrote this catchy pop song as a bit of irony. Most musicians work hard for their financial survival. But what have the Sulemans ever done other than pimp out their family problems on DR. PHIL for a buck?

As the middle class becomes extinct in this country, it's hard not to become bitter toward people like them. "Money for nothing."

In Praise of Hulu.com

In case you didn't know, Hulu.com airs repeats of new and not-so-new TV shows. I even watched two episodes of my belated favorite soap, ANOTHER WORLD. Commercials are brief and unintrusive. I just hope Hulu remains free and online for years to come.

iPod Essentials #64: "Up-up and Away"--The 5th Dimension

Ahhhhh, a breath of late 60's air. When the world wasn't as busy and complex and troubled as it is now. Pleasing pop perfection with its intricate harmonies and instrumentals.

I'd like to take a balloon ride over the African plain in Kenya. That's on my bucket list. Imagine what you could see a few hundred feet in the air.