David Michael Newstead's Blog, page 111
May 24, 2016
The Typewriter Inheritance, Part Five
By David Michael Newstead.
I guess I should start by saying that I didn’t intend for this to turn into a saga. But the more difficult it became to repair my grandfather’s typewriter, the more committed I became to the project. Maybe I’m stubborn.
Initially, I thought I’d just hire someone to fix it. They’d know how to do that. Then, it’d be in perfect working order again. The end. Unfortunately, things got more complicated, which pretty much lends itself to a writing project.
Here are the issues:
There are no replacement parts, because this machine hasn’t been in production since the mid-1960s.
Typewriter repair people are few and far between these days and most of them are quite old, meaning there’s a generational divide when discussing possible solutions.
Internet resources don’t have a lot of specifics to offer on this subject, because typewriters are so antiquated.
The public library didn’t have anything I needed in a practical sense.
And I couldn’t find any old owner’s manuals or parts manuals for my model of typewriter.
Admittedly, those are challenges all revolving around being starved of very specific information. That said, each of these issues forced me to look at this topic more in-depth and from as many angles as possible. Already I feel like I’ve learned a lot. And no stone can be left unturned!
For example, I took the listed price of my grandfather’s typewriter and adjusted it for inflation after 60 years.
In 1957 dollars, that’s $94.50
In 2016 dollars, that’s $796.75
Of course, there are a lot of typewriter scenes in movies and TV shows from over the years. I recall a particularly interesting Al Jazeera English report about skilled typewriter professionals still hard at work on the streets of New Delhi, because typewriters were once so popular in India and (functional benefit) they don’t require electricity to operate. But as interesting as it is to learn about other cultures and historical periods, this project is ultimately about repairing something.
To do that, I’ve brainstormed a couple of activities going forward.
I’d like to take my typewriter apart and put it back together, perhaps recording how to do that.
I bought a few useful books on Amazon that I still have to read and, most importantly, put into action.
And to overcome the lack of replacement parts, I’m going to have to learn something about 3-D printing.
That means that there’s more to come in this series as I essentially bridge the gap between the world that is and the world that was. Stay tuned for more.
May 17, 2016
An Interview with BEARD PAC
By David Michael Newstead.
As you may have noticed, bearded politicians in America have steadily declined since their heyday in the 1800s. During that time, men like Abraham Lincoln and Rutherford B. Hayes occupied the Oval Office. But tragically, there hasn’t been a full beard elected to the presidency since Benjamin Harrison in 1888 and not even a single moustache in the White House since William Howard Taft left office in 1913. In this year’s primary, for instance, Ben Carson was the only bearded candidate among the 17 Republicans vying for the nomination, further illustrating how facial hair is the exception and not the rule in American politics. But could that be changing?
Recently, I spoke with one of the founders of BEARD PAC, which is an actual Super PAC in the American Midwest. Short for Bearded Entrepreneurs for the Advancement of a Responsible Democracy, BEARD PAC’s mission is to “act to independently support the candidacies of bearded candidates nationwide.” Below, I’m joined by BEARD PAC co-founder Jonathan Sessions to discuss politics, facial hair, and the 2016 election.
David Newstead: I was curious why you decided to start a Super PAC and what you’ve learned since then?
Jonathan Sessions: Well, actually, this was a comic brainchild of mine and my friend Andy’s from high school. So, over ten years ago, we were sitting around as high schoolers do and commenting on the fact that presidents were no longer elected with facial hair. You know, we went through this era where generations of presidents all had facial hair. And as we’d entered modern history, we’d stopped seeing presidents elected with facial hair. They’re very clean-cut individuals and there would be actually comments about people not getting elected because they had facial hair or not getting the nomination because they had facial hair. So, we realized that something needed to change.
So, we came up with this in high school. There wasn’t really the mechanism to do anything at that time. We thought about forming a State PAC, but that didn’t quite make a lot of sense. You know, if there’s one thing Missouri’s got it’s a lot of people with facial hair. So, we waited. And then of course, Citizens United came down and that gave us an opportunity to have a little fun.
David Newstead: And was that process difficult?
Jonathan Sessions: That process was stupidly simple.
David Newstead: I mean, I’m sure you remember Colbert Super PAC?
Jonathan Sessions: Yeah, Making a Better Tomorrow, Tomorrow. The process is comically simple. I mean, it’s truly a one-page form that you can download and fill out. I have a background in being actively involved in politics. I’m elected to my local school board and I’ve been actively involved in quite a few local and state campaigns. Ethics commission reports are pretty simple. Or I don’t know about simple. They’re complicated, but it’s like anything. Once you do it enough, you get the hang of it. So, that’s probably one of the things I’ve heard. People don’t realize Super PACs have to report, but the reporting is remarkably simple.
David Newstead: Just out of curiosity, because you’re an elected official, do you and the other co-founder have beards?
Jonathan Sessions: Andy and I both have beards. Although, Andy is not elected in any capacity, but he does work in political fundraising. I will say I’ve been giving Andy a hard time, because just this last week for summer he shaved down to a moustache. Or I call it the East Nasty ‘Stache, because he lives in East Asheville. But up until about a week ago, Andy and myself have both had beards continuously for years.
David Newstead: I mean, it would be a scandal otherwise, really.
Jonathan Sessions: Yeah, it’d be like a Feminist PAC being run by men. A beard PAC being run by clean-shaven people.
David Newstead: Like family values candidates having extramarital affairs.
Jonathan Sessions: Yeah, it’d be something hypocritical like that.
David Newstead: Do you guys have a favorite president or a favorite politician? Like who are you picturing in your mind when you think of this ideal candidate?
Jonathan Sessions: There are easy ones to go with. I mean true leaders in facial hair such as Abraham Lincoln. And the story with Abraham Lincoln is he received a letter from a young lady who said she had four brothers and two of them were very much in support of him, but the other two said they would only vote for him if he grew a beard.
David Newstead: And I mean, he was elected twice. And he grew a beard.
Jonathan Sessions: But then you look at like the juxtaposition to today where Bill de Blasio shaved his beard. He had a beard for years, but before he ran for mayor he shaved his beard. And you think like, this is an incredibly liberal man. He is the kind of person where you would assume a beard isn’t going to sway a voter.
David Newstead: That leads into my next question. Especially from the 20th century onward, bearded politicians have been most often associated with left-wing politics. Like in the case of hippies, beatniks, hipsters, and notable communist revolutionaries like Che. Because of that, is your Super PAC left-wing in its focus or are you hearkening back to the more moderate and conservative beards of the 19th century?
Jonathan Sessions: Good question. Yeah, I think there is, in current day, the stereotypical Burt’s Bees political style of bearded man. But last we looked at U.S. Congress, it was pretty equally split facial hair both to the left and to the right. You know so, we’re non-partisan. We don’t have any particular leaning. We’re looking for individuals with good policy and a full beard.
David Newstead: So along those lines, would supporting Sikh-Americans, Muslim-Americans, Orthodox Jews, or the Amish be something you’d be interested in? You know, strong beard proponents.
Jonathan Sessions: We’re not concerned with an individual’s faith or religious beliefs.
David Newstead: So, if they have a beard, however they acquired this beard whether through politics or their faith…
Jonathan Sessions: Or personal preference.
David Newstead: …personal preference, shaving sensitivities. Whatever the reason, it’s fine with you?
Jonathan Sessions: I’ll be the first to say, 95 percent of the reason I don’t shave is just sensitivity.
David Newstead: I believe last I checked, you’ve raised $53 or $52 dollars?
Jonathan Sessions: $52, I believe it is.
David Newstead: And how have you spent this money?
Jonathan Sessions: Well, right now, we’re really thinking about what our options are. Obviously, we don’t have like Karl Rove money. So, we’re looking to see what kind of options there are. One thing that has intrigued us as we get closer to the general election, we do recognize and are thankful for a recent court ruling that says Instagram videos do not count as advertisements. And so, we have a lot of flexibility there at a very low cost of entry to do videos and photos on Instagram. We do have an Instagram account. It is currently bare. But you might see us post somethings as we get closer to the general election. Obviously with limited funds, you know we have limited opportunity.
David Newstead: That’s not a bad idea.
Jonathan Sessions: BEARD PAC is all about enjoying the loopholes in American politics.
David Newstead: Just to double check, are there any powerful, shadowy corporate interests behind your Super PAC?
Jonathan Sessions: I’m not going to disclose that information.
David Newstead: Nor do you have to.
Jonathan Sessions: Nor do I have to.
David Newstead: I assume you’ve been paying attention to the election?
Jonathan Sessions: We’ve been paying attention for a while. We’re always on the lookout for a beard in politics. Paul Ryan, for instance. Paul Ryan had a great looking beard. And then the second someone said, “Hey, wanna be speaker?” Boom! Beard gone. It’s not even a real election. It’s a Congress election. Done.
David Newstead: Among the presidential candidates, what could they do to attract support from BEARD PAC?
Jonathan Sessions: They’d start by growing beards. And then, we’d humor a conversation and take a finer look at the policies that that individual is supporting. Politico did a really great piece on “What would these candidates look like with beards?” And it was a while ago, so there were a lot more monkeys in that circus
David Newstead: We did have a lot of candidates.
Jonathan Sessions: Yeah and so they put beards on all of them. And I stand by that Obama would look good with a beard.
David Newstead: You know, I feel like ideologically speaking it’s weird that Bernie Sanders doesn’t have a beard. It seems like that should have already happened decades ago.
Jonathan Sessions: Yeah. He seems like a non-grooming kind of guy. I will confess that mid-beard looks like you’re just being lazy before it gets full enough. For any candidate, I would be hesitant to suggest growing a beard mid-campaign. It may not hurt. I don’t think it would hurt. You could just say, “I’m growing a beard. Discuss.” I’m sure there are some like body people that manage style that would say, “No, you just look lazy.”
David Newstead: I mean, it wouldn’t be the strangest thing that’s happened in this election.
Jonathan Sessions: It wouldn’t be. It wouldn’t be. I mean, I would be personally interested in seeing Donald Trump to do a beard comb over.
David Newstead: Oh god.
David Newstead: Going back to an actual question, are there any beard policies that you advocate for? The things that come to mind are a recent Supreme Court case about prisoners being able to grow beards and there’s been a lot of discussion over the last few years about Sikhs in the U.S. military being able to grow beards. Any comment?
Jonathan Sessions: There’s a good couple of things you’re addressing there. One, I have had a longer beard, like decently long, and I would say I could not imagine hiding a knife or a gun in my beard. I mean, that’d be impressive if someone could pull that off. So, there’s that. In regards to your second point, while I understand there may need to be some management for specific jobs. Like we’re not opposed to hairnets. But why does everything have to have such a nihilist approach? Can we find a happy medium? You know, can we make an adjustment for someone’s face? I come back around to like we shouldn’t be dictating as much into personal lives. Like that kind of thing – a personal grooming choice of someone’s.
David Newstead: So if you’ll humor me, I’m going to say the name of a U.S. president and you just say whatever facial hair style comes to mind. Like what facial hair should they have?
Jonathan Sessions: Alright.
David Newstead: JFK?
Jonathan Sessions: I have a hard time saying that like he needed anything more than like a five O’clock shadow.
David Newstead: See, I saw him with like a Tom Selleck moustache.
David Newstead: Richard Nixon?
Jonathan Sessions: Richard Nixon is Mutton Chops. I say Mutton Chops.
David Newstead: I sort of envisioned an evil turn-of-the-century handlebar moustache like an old-timey villain.
Jonathan Sessions: I could see that as well. I could. Kind of like something out of Gangs of New York.
David Newstead: Barack Obama?
Jonathan Sessions: Barack Obama. I think he’s gotta rock the James Hart like just let it kind of go, get a little long. Keep it trim up top. Just maybe a high top, but keep it pretty clean. And then, just let that beard go.
David Newstead: See, I went in the other direction with that. Cornell West style. Because he won’t be president anymore, so he can do whatever he wants. Just let himself go.
Jonathan Sessions: Oh, I see that. Yeah, just let it go. I mean, as he gets older.
David Newstead: President Ronald Reagan?
Jonathan Sessions: Ronald Reagan. I see as like a 1970s moustache guy.
David Newstead: I sort of envisioned maybe a Clark Gable, sort of a 1930s thin moustache. And I don’t even know how they achieve it is the other thing.
Jonathan Sessions: I’m sure mascara.
David Newstead: Personal favorite, FDR?
Jonathan Sessions: Young FDR or old FDR?
David Newstead: Your discretion.
Jonathan Sessions: I think just out of respect for his forefathers, I’m gonna go moustache. Like Teddy Roosevelt rocked a moustache.
David Newstead: Good association.
David Newstead: There’s no right answer to this, but maybe a goatee on FDR. I don’t know.
David Newstead: Then, honorable mention question. Vice President Joe Biden?
Jonathan Sessions: You know, I really would love to see Joe Biden with one of those chin tails like the lead singer of Anthrax
David Newstead: See, I had said Soul Patch. So, I feel like that’s roundabout the same thing.
Jonathan Sessions: I could see Uncle Joe with a Soul Patch, starting like a White Snake cover band.
David Newstead: Alright, so two closing questions. First question. Who is your Super PAC endorsing in the 2016 presidential election?
Jonathan Sessions: We have not made a decision yet.
David Newstead: Ok. Second question. Who is your Super PAC endorsing in the 1870 presidential election?
Jonathan Sessions: 1870! Who are my candidates?
David Newstead: f I remember correctly Rutherford B. Hayes and then another old white guy?
Jonathan Sessions: 1870. Now, the last president elected with facial hair was Benjamin Harrison in 1888.
David Newstead: Wait. Full beard or facial hair?
Jonathan Sessions: Full Beard.
David Newstead: Taft had a moustache, so that’s the last facial hair of any kind.
Jonathan Sessions: There are photos of Truman when he would go to Martha’s Vineyard. He would grow a beard on vacation, but he wasn’t elected with one.
David Newstead: Alright. So, Benjamin Harrison was the last full beard.
Jonathan Sessions: So, there was an election in 1872. I was going to say 1870 sounds like an off year.
David Newstead: Yeah, I just kind of made it up really. lol.
Jonathan Sessions: I just did a quick google search like who would that have been? So, Ulysses S. Grant won in 1872. But out of all of them, Benjamin Brown was governor of Missouri and a Vice Presidential candidate and he had a legit beard.
David Newstead: It’s a shame it’s fallen out of fashion, but maybe you guys are leading the resurgence.
Jonathan Sessions: We’ll see what happens. I will say that if I could compare my beard to a president, I would say it would be a solid Ulysses S. Grant.
David Newstead: What about your co-founder, Andy?
Jonathan Sessions: You know, Andy rocks some mutton chops every so often. So, I would say he would be a Martin Van Buren. Like a really solid Martin Van Buren.
Note from the Author : Two interesting historical notes came up while I was putting this interview together. Although beards are most commonly associated with left-wing politics today, every fully bearded president in U.S. history was actually a member of the Republican Party in the 19th century: Lincoln, Grant, Hayes, Garfield, Arthur, and Harrison. It’s also worth pointing out that every black Republican candidate for president so far this century has had facial hair: Alan Keyes, Herman Cain, and Ben Carson. Food for thought.
View their Filings with the FEC
May 16, 2016
May 11, 2016
A Century of the Trench Coat
By David Michael Newstead.
I was reading over the winter and at some point I stumbled onto an intriguing historical fact: trench coats got their name from the First World War.
I quickly got online to confirm and I learned that the now obvious origins of the name had been staring me in the face for years. Trench coats were worn by British officers during the harrowing trench warfare characteristic of World War One. The coats shielded soldiers from the wind and rain. And they would go on to become very popular in peacetime thanks to their utility and style.
Today, a hundred years later, trench coats are more closely associated with businessmen or hard-boiled detectives. That said, they represent one of many enduring legacies of that Great War a century ago.
May 5, 2016
Discussing Safe Bars at a Bar
By David Michael Newstead.
In this podcast, I’m joined by Jessica Raven from Collective Action for Safe Spaces and Lauren Taylor from Defend Yourself to discuss the Safe Bars initiative and the importance of bystander intervention in countering sexual harassment in public. To learn more and to stay up-to-date on certified Safe Bars in the D.C. area, check out the new Safe Bars Website.
May 1, 2016
How the Other Half Lives
By David Michael Newstead.
This was original posted on Collective Action for Safe Spaces. Learn More.
About six years ago, it dawned on me that my female friends were dealing with a daily set of challenges in public that I just don’t face. And the stark contrast to my own life is surreal to me, because both experiences are considered the norm.
For instance, when I walk down the street I think about my day or random things I have to do. I might stare down at my shoes or look at the sky. I could be happy. I could be sad. But safety just doesn’t cross my mind, day or night. It just isn’t a concern.
Women, on the other hand, often seem to plot out specific streets to take at certain times with an exit strategy and countermeasures for unwanted attention or a worst case scenario. That is to say, our routines couldn’t be any more different.
Essentially, women have to live as if the entire city is overrun with zombies and typically men do not. That’s how I started to think about it anyway. And I don’t say that to be funny exactly, but to point out that if a person felt at-risk most of the time, that’s much worse than any horror movie.
In public, I get to have peace of mind. In fact, I have so much peace of mind when I move from place to place that I take it for granted: on public transit, on sidewalks, in bars, restaurants, side streets, the gym, in any store, at any hour. For women, even if many of them arrive safely, that very real concern for their well-being would hang over them in ways that are shocking when you really think about it. Recently, I heard a friend openly worry whether the scarf she was wearing could be used against her, which means she felt any mundane decision could endanger her safety.
And, in fact, research supports her concern. According to the 2014 study by Stop Street Harassment, a majority of women (65%) report having experienced sexual or gender-based harassment in public, along with 25% of men who mostly identified as LGBTQ.
The more I heard about things like this, the more I wondered what if anything I could do to help and how men in general could be an ally on this issue. Obviously, do no harm is a good place to start. But the solution needs to be about more than just not harassing women in public. Being an ally extends to your own personal conduct as well as being aware of what’s going on around you. Ideally, your support will never be necessary, but it could make a critical difference. Even if it’s just for their peace of mind.
April 30, 2016
April 27, 2016
Gillette’s New Razor
By David Michael Newstead.
For two weeks, I tried the new Gillette Fusion ProShield, jotting down my thoughts along the way. Cool and ultra modern-looking, the ProShield’s main benefits are the lubricant stripes around the entire blade. And while this does make for a noticeably smoother shave, the stripes wear out pretty quickly. Because packs of replacement blades are priced at around $41.00, I consider the ProShield way too expensive for day-to-day use. And after giving it a try, I think I’ll stick with my regular blade.
April 25, 2016
From NPR: Bid To Boost Black Men’s Voting Heads To The Barbershop
By Katie Colaneri.
Leroy Robinson Jr. owns a barbershop in West Philadelphia. He’s been doing this work for 40 years — and he says the trade runs in the family.
“My father’s a barber, my brother is a barber and here I am,” he says.
His favorite part of the job is talking to his customers about, well, nearly everything.
“Right now, the political thing is on the horizon,” Robinson says, “But the biggest thing right now is Villanova.”
Robinson is part of a project trying to get barbers like him to focus less on local NCAA champions and more on the “political thing” in this election year.
The project, called Sharp Insight, is the brainchild of Duerwood Beale, a rapper-turned-local nonprofit director. Beale has been doing outreach work in barbershops for about 20 years, sharing information about STD testing and registering people to vote. Beale says barbershops, which have been called the “black men’s country club,” are the ideal place to reach men of color of all ages, backgrounds and beliefs.
