tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-79171118316366704772009-11-13T02:56:19.437-05:00To capture both the "mirth and matter" that we encounter each day, from the solemn to the silly.chris baillyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06322730963644337646noreply@blogger.comBlogger228125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7917111831636670477.post-54153485543049746082009-07-07T13:48:00.003-04:002009-07-07T14:12:15.585-04:00

Recently, my wife and I began to put together our first real budget.  We have paid all of our debt and we would like to begin saving a substantial amount of money so that we can one day put down a large down payment on a house.Since we have been focused on finances recently, we have both been doing research.  My wife is reading a book written by "America's Cheapest Family," in order to get ideas

Jared Menendezhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11569471445588612657noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7917111831636670477.post-55993689737398453922009-04-15T11:17:00.003-04:002009-04-15T11:26:59.449-04:00

There are a few important health topics that I did not expect to learn about during my first two years of medical school. One such issue is the multitude of cases when a patient’s symptoms don’t follow the statistically predicted “textbook” course. Another example is the legal dilemmas doctors face while contemplating their practices. However, one matter that is particularly overlooked is a

Lizhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12045764894411529709noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7917111831636670477.post-69315606659743849142009-03-02T09:29:00.001-05:002009-03-02T09:31:38.846-05:00

This review originally posted here.Besides the moniker, there is little uniting the disparate and diverse groups that have come to reside under the umbrella label of “indie rock.” Once a term charged with a DIY ethos and armed with record deals from plucky independently-owned companies, indie rock has become a catch-all for all vaguely-rocking, non-major-label music produced by white

Zach Wallmarkhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12721897453982055033noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7917111831636670477.post-25922148795863703252009-02-27T05:45:00.004-05:002009-02-27T06:38:34.836-05:00

Everywhere you look there's more hurt for the music industry. Rather, more hurt for large recording labels. A recent article from Encore refers to a lawsuit by Eminem's publishing company, FBT Productions, against Universal Music Group in regards to unpaid royalties from digital downloads. The $1.6 million sum is rather unimpressive as far as industry lawsuits go. What matters it the

ruxtonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01324560285945072669noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7917111831636670477.post-29254564342879278322009-02-24T21:12:00.002-05:002009-02-25T17:56:55.726-05:00

“How’s medical school going?” That’s a common question, and I don’t think I have the most cheerful answer. Maybe my bitter honest sentiments were strengthened by living in Ukraine- where one never responds to an inquiry with “Great!” or “Good.” I can’t bring myself to respond that medical school is “cool” or “amazing.” The best word that comes to mind lately is “ok.” Yes, just ok. Why just

Lizhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12045764894411529709noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7917111831636670477.post-24694227132441341542009-02-11T03:39:00.002-05:002009-02-11T03:50:34.138-05:00

"'... Good Sir, you are an Athenian, a citizen of the greatest city with the greatest reputation for both wisdom and power; are you not ashamed of your eagerness to possess as much wealth, reputation and honours as possible, while you do not care for nor give thought to wisdom or truth, or the best possible state of your soul?' Then, if one of you disputes this and says he does care, I shall not

ruxtonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01324560285945072669noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7917111831636670477.post-67438139145217539722009-02-10T12:45:00.007-05:002009-02-10T13:21:47.414-05:00

There was a running joke a few years back poking fun at the sudden flood of band names such as The Hives, The Editors, The Subways etc. – the joke went that if the band had a name that started with ”The” and a plural ”Somethings”, it was a pretty safe bet that you were in for a ride of late 1970’s/early 1980’s new waveish rock á la Joy Division.In the Indie Rock scene, that name trend may have

Karihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05591053328585328349noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7917111831636670477.post-2511898896708099852009-02-05T15:07:00.000-05:002009-02-05T15:08:38.399-05:00

Originally published on Fábrika, 02/03/09.Pop music has always been an international creature. Easy as it is for America to lionize its role in what has become a global phenomenon, every corner of the world has added something unique to popular music as it’s gone through its violent evolution. Pop the world over owes (African-)American music a huge debt of gratitude. But pop builds on itself; it

Zach Wallmarkhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12721897453982055033noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7917111831636670477.post-67624274146179529202009-01-21T15:30:00.003-05:002009-01-21T15:31:33.789-05:00

In 1928, the Brazilian poet Oswald de Andrade penned an influential statement of purpose for the modernist movement in his country, a work that appeared under the unusual title “Manifesto Antropófago” (Cannibal Manifesto). His thesis was both radical and banal: Brazil’s greatest cultural aptitude lay in “cannibalization,” tearing juicy ideas from the still-warm flesh of other cultures and

Zach Wallmarkhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12721897453982055033noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7917111831636670477.post-56736066107352483312009-01-12T16:38:00.002-05:002009-01-12T16:43:15.160-05:00

This is a fantastic, completely 2009 idea: Tan Dun has composed a symphony and is inviting everybody to download music for their respective instruments, rehearse with a video of the Chinese composer conducting directly to you and your specific part, then record (video or audio) yourself playing it. All submissions will be assembled into a virtual orchestra and will be played in Carnegie Hall this

Zach Wallmarkhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12721897453982055033noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7917111831636670477.post-20051739215316010272009-01-11T20:58:00.001-05:002009-01-11T21:00:24.082-05:00

Between Biochemistry and Nutrition classes, I’ve learned an awful lot about digesting things this past fall. Eating things just isn’t the same when you can imagine it all breaking down inside your belly—the micelles of fat, the brush border of the small intestine taking up nutrients with passive sodium transport, and the fecal-bulking fiber in the colon. Mmmm! Of course food is a huge topic in

Lizhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12045764894411529709noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7917111831636670477.post-83361926271854516212009-01-04T18:07:00.004-05:002009-01-04T18:17:48.103-05:00

-from the ny times-Provides a critical overview of the financial collapse.While i've read countless examinations of the recent financial collapse, this is the most provocative piece i've encountered. He regards the situation with the harsh criticism it deserves but does so in a way that is comprehensible and illuminating.  $$$$$$$$$$$$

Nolanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15123346178378918726noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7917111831636670477.post-43121233197110539532008-12-16T09:18:00.005-05:002008-12-16T09:24:22.606-05:00

Go here to download a podcast of my recent review of the new Guns n' Roses album "Chinese Democracy." I'll be doing music reviewing in this format more in the future.

Zach Wallmarkhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12721897453982055033noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7917111831636670477.post-82292657125503916452008-12-10T15:07:00.002-05:002008-12-10T15:18:18.569-05:00

What do Nine Inch Nails tunes and the Barney theme song have in common? In addition to Reznor's and the dinosaur's penchant for purple velvet, they both share the unfortunate commonality of torture. As I chronicled in a series of posts from last April, the US military and intelligence services have been using music as a weapon of torture with imprisoned "foreign combatants" since the invasion of

Zach Wallmarkhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12721897453982055033noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7917111831636670477.post-26205674643024487662008-12-10T10:19:00.002-05:002008-12-10T10:22:25.141-05:00

Originally posted on Fábrika here.Listening to the recent album by New York-based Haitian singer Manze Dayila made me think of the title to A Tribe Called Quest’s first record, “People’s Instinctive Travels and the Paths of Rhythm.” This title has always impressed upon me the organic and always moving nature of music, its ability to traverse seas and cross cultures. Indeed, the cultural travels

Zach Wallmarkhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12721897453982055033noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7917111831636670477.post-48611092404649606262008-12-09T13:49:00.001-05:002008-12-09T13:49:59.175-05:00

Zach Wallmarkhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12721897453982055033noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7917111831636670477.post-67733949322184363092008-12-01T13:20:00.002-05:002008-12-02T02:06:50.326-05:00

Please feel free to add a little blurb that highlights something funny, inspiring, thought-provoking, sad, happy, or even mundane about everyone's favorite gut-distending holiday.

ruxtonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01324560285945072669noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7917111831636670477.post-59929538805718027302008-11-25T14:27:00.002-05:002008-11-25T14:31:01.687-05:00

During this summer, I was preparing myself for medical school by doing foolish things- I read a popular teen vampire novel called Twilight. This week Twilight the movie premiered, although I haven’t had time to go see it yet. However, it was during this same week at one of my final biochemistry lectures that I learned something very interesting and unexpected… vampires are real! What?! Why

Lizhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12045764894411529709noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7917111831636670477.post-53790451706051243362008-11-23T17:05:00.005-05:002008-11-24T13:58:32.885-05:00

One of the best parts of higher education is having someone explain something to you in such a way that you exhale the quintessential "OH!" One such moment was a computer science instructor who stated the now obvious "Random generation is a human construct." It is tempting to observe the chaotic structure of the universe as random, but such an observation would be incorrect. The universe, just

ruxtonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01324560285945072669noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7917111831636670477.post-59946524942052180272008-11-17T15:35:00.002-05:002008-11-17T15:38:31.562-05:00

Originally published on Fábrika here:As a great music critic once put it, “pop eats itself.” Nowhere is this dictum as playfully and wantonly embodied as in “Around the World,” by electronic musician Señor Coconut. Our shape-shifting DJ (a.k.a. Atom) has resurfaced under yet another alias to produce a quirky, delightful collection of international pop covers. His self-described style, “

Zach Wallmarkhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12721897453982055033noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7917111831636670477.post-45919561872490627402008-11-12T15:10:00.004-05:002008-11-12T15:17:45.453-05:00

Originally published in Fábrika here.For most groups, establishing a unique signature sound is a matter of transcending strict genre – witness, for instance, Sigur Ros with their symphonic soundscapes that seem to defy the broad label “rock.” This is understandable, for as much as we cling to the norms of a given genre to define our tastes, we always want our favorite musicians to violate those

Zach Wallmarkhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12721897453982055033noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7917111831636670477.post-15832439302008482322008-11-08T16:44:00.001-05:002008-11-09T10:23:50.664-05:00

On the stump, Obama liked to talk about his unique heritage, his "father from Kenya and mother from Kansas." Poised between two cultural worlds and witness to many more in his formative years, Obama's childhood presented many complex challenges to the traditional, rooted sense of identity. His father abandoned him when he was very young; he was raised for years by his white grandmother in Hawaii;

Zach Wallmarkhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12721897453982055033noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7917111831636670477.post-52999750145967598332008-11-08T13:14:00.003-05:002008-11-09T11:02:36.402-05:00

... but doesn't make the internet any cheaper. Anyway, with a move, new jobs, a new kid, no wireless, and array of art projects, it gets tough to sit down and be Mirthful & Matterful. It's also difficult to compose the rather large essays this blog has become famous for (locally famous at least). That said, here's a few blurbs tugging at my brain. 1. John McCain. If you had run your

ruxtonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01324560285945072669noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7917111831636670477.post-26192718569093544202008-11-07T15:16:00.005-05:002008-11-07T15:25:02.767-05:00

There's a poignant and telling project going on in a certain quiet corner of the Internet. View love letters from the 52% of blue America to the 48% of red America (and vice versa) here.

Blue-eyed wonderhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16665116120497158929noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7917111831636670477.post-2112255592533617772008-11-07T09:50:00.006-05:002008-11-07T11:01:56.500-05:00

Since Barack Obama's stunning and monumental election as president earlier this week, Americans have started to repair the shame that has accompanied their nationality for years. Americans living in Berlin and Paris were out in the streets early Wednesday morning proudly displaying the flag; being an American in the world suddenly stopped being a liability and became an object of celebration. And

Zach Wallmarkhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12721897453982055033noreply@blogger.com0