Day: October 1, 2005

Last night we went to go see the Smothers Brothers – yes, they’re still alive. It was exactly as expected, and brought back fond memories of the Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour.

The show was noteworthy for some of the new, young talent it brought to the medium. ~ Mason Williams, heading the writing staff, achieved fame not so much for his politically engaged writing, but for his instant guitar classic, “Classical Gas.” Bob Einstein wrote for the show and also played the deadpan and very unamused cop, Officer Judy. He went on to greater fame as Super Dave. Finally, the as yet unknown Steve Martin cut his comedic teeth as a staff writer for the show.

After a good amount of singing (and bickering), the YoYo Man showed up.

We seemed to be right at the cut-off age of 50. Everyone else there was older than us.

I’m glad we went.

Nevada provides especially fertile grounds for studying ghost towns, as the hot desert air has preserved even many 100-year old wooden buildings, and many of the ghosts in Nevada remain in isolated solitude (unlike, say, Colorado, where former ghost towns are now ski resorts).

The (soft cover) booklet “Nevada Ghost Towns” is available here.

“History is in the making, and those paying attention have ringside seats.”

Americans have long valued autonomy as a component of freedom. ~ The more wealth one amasses, the more independent one is in the world. One is free by becoming self-reliant and an island unto oneself.

For Europeans, freedom is not found in autonomy, but in embeddedness. To be free is to have access to a myriad of interdependent relationships with others.

The American Dream pays homage to the work ethic. The European Dream is more attuned to leisure and deep play. The American Dream is inseparable from the country’s religious heritage and deep spiritual faith. The European Dream is secular to the core.

Everybody NEEDS Joel’s Blog – Don’t forget to have fun.