One of the most revered American writers passed on yesterday from a long battle with lung cancer.
I have long been a fan of John Updike, as he is truly a master of the written word and wrote evocative complex stories about America that nearly every willing reader could enjoy. His Rabbit series and short stories like “A & P” spoke to a whole generation of people from small town, middle America. He also selected the Best American Short Stories of the Century.
Updike has been an inspiration to both writers and readers alike, as he was one of the few writers in America who could cross genres between novel, short story, poem, and essay seamlessly and effortlessly, but also touch the heartstrings of readers by bringing to life even the most mundane characters. His final novel, Terrorist, published in 2006, was an opus that set in motion his views of the September 11 attacks.
Wyoming: Equal Rights (because they were the first state to give women the right to vote. Way to go, Wyoming!)
Oklahoma: Labor Conquers All Things (that depresses the hell out of us)
Alabama: We Dare Defend Our Right (badass!)
Virginia: Thus Always to Tyrants (wtf? That’s your motto?)
West Virginia: Mountaineers are Always Free (also badass!)
South Dakota gets the Lame Award for stealing Arkanas’ motto and stamping God on it; they changed “The People Rule” to “Under God the People Rule.” I’m gonna go pray in their schools now. Close runner up is Maine, whose motto is “I Direct” because they used to hold their presidential elections before anybody else.
Somebody’s a little full of themselves. I’m looking at you, Maine.
You had no idea, but the United States is on the verge of civil war. At least that’s what Igor Panarin, a Russian professor and “expert” on American relations is saying. He’s been saying it for years, actually, but just in these past weeks Russian media (and the Kremlin) has picked up his story and is running wild with it.
According to the Wall Street Journal, Panarin’s theory is that “mass immigration, economic decline, and moral degradation will trigger a civil war next fall and the collapse of the dollar. Around the end of June 2010, or early July, he says, the U.S. will break into six pieces — with Alaska reverting to Russian control.”
Glad you’ve got that schedule down to weeks.
In the end, you skinny-leg jean people out on the east coast will end up joining the European Union, everyone in the south goes to Texas (?!), the west goes to CHINA and everyone in the North? Oh they just fade into Canada.
It’s sad to me that Panarin can not only get away with publishing this theory in Russia but that the state, knowing full well what complete rubbish it is, will let it propigate. But we’re also talking about the country where Dimitry Medvedev is the “President,” people have “rights” and the government isn’t a tyrannical oligarchy, right?
Macy’s in New York City is one of those icons that features into many a trip to the Big Apple.
Our travel agent in Singapore told us when she visited the U.S. that Macy’s was her favorite stop in NYC. Of course, she also told us that one week in Disney World was not enough.
This video that spans several years shows just how much Macy’s has played into American culture. Ignore that it’s an ad for Macy’s. I was impressed by just how many movies have made reference to this store. There are shots of the Thanksgiving Day Parade as well. I haven’t seen this ad before. Perhaps, you have. At any rate, I am fond of movie montages, so here it is. Regardless of whether one likes Macy’s or not, this is sure an example of the cross between consumer economics, travel and culture.
Here at Gadling we’ll be highlighting some of our favorite sounds from the road and giving you a sample of each — maybe you’ll find the same inspiration that we did, but at the very least, hopefully you’ll think that they’re good songs. Got a favorite of your own? Leave it in the comments below and we’ll post it at the end of the series.
“Do you like American music? I like American music. Don’t you like American music? Baby-yyyyyy…” –The Violent Femmes, American Music
For those who are gearing up to travel the vast roadways of America by car, we have here a list of appropriate music to make you feel relaxed, at peace with the road, and good’n American. Though you may be traveling for the holidays, we’ll exclude holiday music. You’ll hear it at every gas station.
Even the street on which you live looks a little more ripe with possibility when that song plays.
Once you head out into the amber waves of grain and the fruited plains, it’s a great time for expansive music like that from accidentally Canadian Joni Mitchell. I recommend Urge for Going, Heijira, and You Turn Me On, I’m a Radio. And those are just a couple of her travel-themed hits.
Going through the purple mountains’ majesty? Forests? (Yeah, “America the Beautiful” totally skipped the forests.) Try the soundtrack to Field of Dreams, composed by James Horner. It will fill you with wonder. Here, watch somebody on YouTube play The Drive Home. Want lyrics?
Next, get out some Bob Dylan and play Tangled Up in Blue. Make sure you dig through your classic rock collection. Especially as you pass through strange towns and cities, The Eagles, Guns and Roses, Jimi Hendrix, and Journey all take on a strange, retro-poignance.
Lastly, though it’s downright un-American, The Beatles are great for road trips. Everyone sings along, and if you’re really up in arms about the Britishness, you can get the soundtrack to Across the Universewith all the new covers.