Big Sole Blog (BSB)

I heard about this video a while back, an education on the two economic theories that influence political decisions, that is John Maynard Keynes vs. Friedrich von Hayek theories. Adherence to one or the other falls along party lines: Democrats tend to be pro-Keynes, who theorized that too much saving makes for a stagnant economy and if the economy stalls, the government may have to intervene to

So far the only event I've seen for New Orleans for National Dance Day 2011 is this one, which was posted at NOCCA's (New Orleans Center for Creative Arts) website. July 5, 2011 – To celebrate the 2nd Annual National Dance Day (July 30), Chard Gonzalez Dance Theatre is offering a free Zumba class at NOCCA. Launched by Nigel Lythgoe, executive producer and judge of “So You Think You Can Dance”,

The bombing and shootings in Norway made me remember an experience I had in 2003 when I worked at an airport kiosk and encountered a Norwegian man taking pictures of workers loading a passenger plane. I wrote about the incident at my old blog, Confessions of a Jersey Goddess, in 2007. Here's my recollection as written then:... I worked for a while at Newark International Airport and noticed a

Visit msnbc.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economyWhat I'm about to say may sound like conspiracy theory talk, but it's not. In fact, to many people who study politics, nothing that I'm about to say will be news. But to most of the people who have been obsessing about the Debt Ceiling and deficit debates, the following may sound like crazy talk. I'm referring to the

As I work at putting my life in order, which means doing the things I've always said I would do before my time runs out on this planet, I realize that I'm spending less time online. That's a good thing, but it's also a strange thing given how much time I've put into the Internet since 2002 and even earlier. I should probably elaborate, but I've got someplace to go right now and later it's

Here are Sasha and Alexander dancing to Aretha Franklin's "That's Life" during the Top 12 episode of So You Think You Can Dance on Fox. I agreed with the judges on their performance. Beautiful. Sasha nailed it and Alexander was fantastic. So, I was surprised to see the pair in the bottom three. Unfortunately Alexander was voted off during results Thursday night and so was Ryan, who the judges

I was married and in my early 30s when Lorena Bobbitt, age 24, cut off her husband John Wayne Bobbitt's penis in Virginia. What level of rage does it take to do that to a man? Today I learned another woman has done it again, Catherine Kieu Becker, 48, of Southern, California. CBS News reports that she "drugged her estranged husband, tied him to a bed, cut off his penis and put it through a

It used to be that if it sounds too good to be true, then it's probably not true, but today the story opens:If it sounds too good to be true, welcome to the world of penny auctions. It isn't a scam, people actually win, but there are things you should know before you jump in." ... Jonathan Mason from Frankenmuth is the proud owner of a brand new $35K Chevrolet Camaro, and you're not going to

I stumbled across this Booknotes TV interview with novelist Walter Mosley. It's fascinating. He's fascinating far beyond his novels. He talks about everything from the birth of Easy Rollins, to his growing up in Watts with an African-American father and Jewish mother, to his vision for making America better. The man is a deep thinker who considers how we can improve the world, which is how he

I just finished listening a Writer's Digest on-demand workshop with Cheryl Klein of the Arthur A. Levine imprint at Scholastic Books. She shared a great deal of wisdom, and I was happy to hear her say that while writers are told "show don't tell," the truth is you need both. The workshop was on plot structure, and she's also a believer in the book map. Klein was also the continuity editor for the

Last night I went to an advance screening of Starz new Torchwood series, Mircale Day, at the AMC Elmwood theater in Harahan, Louisiana. The show's premise intrigued me the first day I saw the trailer on Starz, and with the exception of having to squint due to what seemed to be a bad print that was too dark for viewing, I really enjoyed the first episode. I will watch it again when premieres on TV

National Dance Day is July 30, 2011. As usual, it is promoted by Fox Network's So You Thank You Can Dance and the Dizzy Feet Foundation. The Larry King Cardiac Foundation is also a sponsor. From the show's website:NATIONAL DANCE DAY (is) a grassroots initiative that encourages the nation, young and old, to move! Individuals, families, organizations and communities from across the nation come

So, Japan has digitized commercial spokespeople and holographic rock stars.CreationBy Nordette N. AdamsThe new world comes at us fast:Unhuman creatures, made to last.Pretty zombies of our minds—not of flesh, born of time—will count our days and nightsas we inject nanobots to spiteour blood. Desperate, we fight Deathor God to overcome the soiled breathwe have called life. Dust mocks us to the

Where is he now!I can't remember this model's name. It started with a T. I keep thinking, Thunder. I don't know why.

After reading the depressing New York Times article this morning about recent developments in the DSK rape case, I was glad I found this video. It's called the "world's largest flash mob dance video" produced by Eurovision Song Contest 2010, and I really needed to see something to make me feel better about humanity, at least a way to look at the brighter side of the species.However, I don't think