Wednesday, November 17, 2010
You're being lied to and robbed
Christian Science Monitor finds that tax cuts haven't created jobs, and Republicans want to increase the gap between the rich and the poor.
ONE HUNDRED!
Jacquilynne made 100-layer lasagna and I think I can turn it vegetarian without too much thought.
(Now I can close the tab so I don't keep returning to it going "I know I have that open for a reason!")
(Now I can close the tab so I don't keep returning to it going "I know I have that open for a reason!")
But do you promise to really, really grope me?
TSA success story. Blogger avoided the pornoscan and led others to do so too.
Sure, our revolutionaries are bourgeois and ineffectual, but the police state is mostly inept and bullying.
Sure, our revolutionaries are bourgeois and ineffectual, but the police state is mostly inept and bullying.
Tuesday, November 16, 2010
Why I love Gil Thorp
"Besides, I'm a people person, I like jam bands, and my guidance counsellor says I'd be good at it."
Monday, November 15, 2010
More music mondays!
162mbs of sweet, mixed-up action.
Jazz, metal, rap, Maroon 5, what more could you want?
Greenery—Quasimoto—The Further Adventures of Lord Quas
Animal Nitrate—Suede—Suede
I Never Want To See You Again—Quasi—Featuring "Birds"
Let's go dancin' (reprise)—Sparque—12"
This Love—Maroon 5—Songs About Jane
Folk Song—Michael Blake—Kingdom Of Champa
Thor (The Powerhead)—Manowar—Sign Of The Hammer
Intro To Rock—Marxy—Sonido Uzumaki
Money Money—Georgi McKay—Roots To Roots Vol .1
Sweet '69—Pink Mountaintops—Pink Mountaintops
The Rhythm—Gatsby The Great—Falling Up
Absorva—Mombojo—nadadenovo
Colours Move—Fuck Buttons—Street Horrrsing
Johnny Pissoff Meets The Red Angel—Fugs—It Crawled into My Hand; Honest
Something's Gotten Hold of My Heart—Terry Reid—Bang Bang, You're Terry Reid
Rahsaanica—Rahsaan Roland Kirk—Natural Black Inventions: Ro..
Agri Dagi Efsanesi—Mogollar—Anadolu Pop
I'm a Cadillac/El Camino Dolo Roso—Mott the Hoople—Mott
Kooler Than Jesus [Electric Messiah Mix]—My Life With the Thrill Kill Kult—Confessions of a Knife
Robot [7" Mix]—The Plastics—New Wave Complex Vol.4
Girl Friend—The Modern Lovers—The Modern Lovers
Perfect Kiss—New Order—Substance
Ain't Been to No Music School—The Nosebleeds—Streets (BEGA1 Vinyl)
Isn't it a pity—Galaxie 500—On Fire
You're My Miss Washington, D.C.—Nation of Ulysses—13-Point Program To Destroy America
Sang And Dance—The Bar-Kays—Stax-Volt Soul Singles Vol. 2 (68-71)
Down Down—Status Quo—Misc Oldies
Like That—Stat Quo—Aftermath Music
Never been a night like this—The Quads —Single
The Oil Runs Out—Newtown Neurotics—Single
Jazz, metal, rap, Maroon 5, what more could you want?
Greenery—Quasimoto—The Further Adventures of Lord Quas
Animal Nitrate—Suede—Suede
I Never Want To See You Again—Quasi—Featuring "Birds"
Let's go dancin' (reprise)—Sparque—12"
This Love—Maroon 5—Songs About Jane
Folk Song—Michael Blake—Kingdom Of Champa
Thor (The Powerhead)—Manowar—Sign Of The Hammer
Intro To Rock—Marxy—Sonido Uzumaki
Money Money—Georgi McKay—Roots To Roots Vol .1
Sweet '69—Pink Mountaintops—Pink Mountaintops
The Rhythm—Gatsby The Great—Falling Up
Absorva—Mombojo—nadadenovo
Colours Move—Fuck Buttons—Street Horrrsing
Johnny Pissoff Meets The Red Angel—Fugs—It Crawled into My Hand; Honest
Something's Gotten Hold of My Heart—Terry Reid—Bang Bang, You're Terry Reid
Rahsaanica—Rahsaan Roland Kirk—Natural Black Inventions: Ro..
Agri Dagi Efsanesi—Mogollar—Anadolu Pop
I'm a Cadillac/El Camino Dolo Roso—Mott the Hoople—Mott
Kooler Than Jesus [Electric Messiah Mix]—My Life With the Thrill Kill Kult—Confessions of a Knife
Robot [7" Mix]—The Plastics—New Wave Complex Vol.4
Girl Friend—The Modern Lovers—The Modern Lovers
Perfect Kiss—New Order—Substance
Ain't Been to No Music School—The Nosebleeds—Streets (BEGA1 Vinyl)
Isn't it a pity—Galaxie 500—On Fire
You're My Miss Washington, D.C.—Nation of Ulysses—13-Point Program To Destroy America
Sang And Dance—The Bar-Kays—Stax-Volt Soul Singles Vol. 2 (68-71)
Down Down—Status Quo—Misc Oldies
Like That—Stat Quo—Aftermath Music
Never been a night like this—The Quads —Single
The Oil Runs Out—Newtown Neurotics—Single
Super secret time travel project needs more help
So, if you're interested, get ahold of me. It's going to be sweet. Totally fucking sweet. Seriously.
Sunday, November 14, 2010
The ongoing two-square league tour
Inaugural gamae at Talmadge. Amy and Josh split set, 1-1. 1st: J, 21; A,18. 2nd: A, 21; J, 19.
Saturday, November 13, 2010
You can't teach French to a pig
So, since I gotta stop fighting with friends-of-friends on facebook pages, I'm putting this blog entry here so I can refer people to it any time they wanna mix it up.
That means every time someone starts spouting off about gay marriage, "socialism" or religion in government on social media and the discussion goes more than a couple comments, I'm going to refer people here.
Anyone else who wants to mix it up here is welcome.
That means every time someone starts spouting off about gay marriage, "socialism" or religion in government on social media and the discussion goes more than a couple comments, I'm going to refer people here.
Anyone else who wants to mix it up here is welcome.
Friday, November 12, 2010
Thursday, November 11, 2010
Two old multiplayer games I posted to MeFi forever ago
Crystal Clear, in which the object is to blow up crystals, and has maybe one player in the lobby ever (and I suspect they're a bot).
Quadradius is checkers in some needlessly robotic dystopic future. It's the kind of video game people in Firefly would play if they ever played video games.
Both are free, but have hardly any players. You can choose to pay to play either of them if you want to, I guess.
Quadradius is checkers in some needlessly robotic dystopic future. It's the kind of video game people in Firefly would play if they ever played video games.
Both are free, but have hardly any players. You can choose to pay to play either of them if you want to, I guess.
Test Card F
This is the sort of thing I'd go to if I wasn't worried about being the only stoned 31-year-old surrounded by a bunch of sober tweens and their parents.
Still, I wonder if telling them that I have a blog that gets literally hundreds of hits a day would be enough to score some free tickets.
Wednesday, November 10, 2010
A little late and a little wrong
Screamo cover of Crank Dat is better than it has any right to be. Now superman!
If there's a system, there's someone who will break the system
How Terry Kneiss broke Price is Right.
The writing's a bit over-wrought (a little too much ESQUIRE IS SERIOUS BUSINESS feeling for me) but the story is neat.
The writing's a bit over-wrought (a little too much ESQUIRE IS SERIOUS BUSINESS feeling for me) but the story is neat.
Hannah Savannah fo fanna
A sapphic Oz schoolgirl named Hannah
Took to prom a dear friend, one Savannah.
They were barred by the haters
So they said: "see you laterz!
It's not just to behave in that mannah."
The Quidnunc Kid limmerizes this story about two girls who can't go to a formal dance together in Australia. (Which a former student says has always been homophobic.)
Took to prom a dear friend, one Savannah.
They were barred by the haters
So they said: "see you laterz!
It's not just to behave in that mannah."
The Quidnunc Kid limmerizes this story about two girls who can't go to a formal dance together in Australia. (Which a former student says has always been homophobic.)
Tuesday, November 09, 2010
Four snappy signs advertising democracy
Burmese military party wins Burmese military party elections, democracy party concedes defeat.
I am grateful as hell to have the privilege to live in a country where the cartoonish shenanigans of superstitious autocrats won't likely ever get me killed. Say what you will about American elections and their efficacy (and with this last one, we've got plenty to bitch about), but it often irks me when critics of the American political system don't at least acknowledge that it could be much, much worse.
I am grateful as hell to have the privilege to live in a country where the cartoonish shenanigans of superstitious autocrats won't likely ever get me killed. Say what you will about American elections and their efficacy (and with this last one, we've got plenty to bitch about), but it often irks me when critics of the American political system don't at least acknowledge that it could be much, much worse.
Climate consensus on Kool and the Gang
From 2008, the Bulletin of the American Meteorological Society (BAMS, which has a pretty sweet acronym for an academic journal) totally guts the myth that in the 1970s, people were more concerned about global cooling than global warming (PDF here). The publication record simply doesn't support that assertion, frequently heard from climate denialists like Sen. Jim Inhofe. It's a pernicious myth, but this is a pretty handy debunking.
Where my Steichmen at?
My Father's Mustache is a tumblr blog of vintage mustache shots, which got me thinking about all the old pictures of Matt, Jay and Ken (to my knowledge, Grandpa Erv never had a mustache). Mine's always part of my beard, except during those brief, confused moments between the accidental overtrim and the totally bald face (how do ladies do it? It's so cold!).
I mean, seriously,
this guy (and the house he's in) could be in some old album lying around in North Riverside.
I mean, seriously,
this guy (and the house he's in) could be in some old album lying around in North Riverside.
Monday, November 08, 2010
Every Monday until I get a job
Another mix for you! I do housework to 'em, but you're of course free to do whatever to the music, but it's a fairly disparate mix and because it's for housework, I haven't ordered the tracks.
Download it here.
Orcus' Avarice—Ancestors—Neptune With Fire
If It Runs—Bad Livers—Delusion Of Banjer
Telecommunication—A Flock Of Seagulls—A Flock Of Seagulls
Pack You Up—Black Tambourine—Complete Recordings
Yaba Funk (Pre Mix)—Captain Yaba—Yaba Funk Roots
The Distance—Cake—Fashion Nugget
One Way Street—Aerosmith—Aerosmith
A Change is Going to Come—Baby Huey And The Babysitters—Living Legend: The Baby Huey Story
Surprise Truck—Camper Van Beethoven—Camper Van Beethoven (3rd)
Tearin' It Up (Larry Levan Mix)—Chaka Khan—12"
Ain't Mutatin'—Bird Nest Roys—Whack It All Down Ep
Winter Grey—Arcturus—Aspera Hiems Symfonia
Drag Racing—Big Stick—7"
IPT2—Battles—EP C/B EP
Woman Of Screen—Boris—Pink
Oaktown—Casual, Too Short, Richie Rich—Too Short-American Pimps
cool my fire—ada—blondie
Superstarfighter—Blumfeld—L'Etat Et Moi
Shining Brightly—Brinsley Schwarz—Brinsley Schwarz
Download it here.
Orcus' Avarice—Ancestors—Neptune With Fire
If It Runs—Bad Livers—Delusion Of Banjer
Telecommunication—A Flock Of Seagulls—A Flock Of Seagulls
Pack You Up—Black Tambourine—Complete Recordings
Yaba Funk (Pre Mix)—Captain Yaba—Yaba Funk Roots
The Distance—Cake—Fashion Nugget
One Way Street—Aerosmith—Aerosmith
A Change is Going to Come—Baby Huey And The Babysitters—Living Legend: The Baby Huey Story
Surprise Truck—Camper Van Beethoven—Camper Van Beethoven (3rd)
Tearin' It Up (Larry Levan Mix)—Chaka Khan—12"
Ain't Mutatin'—Bird Nest Roys—Whack It All Down Ep
Winter Grey—Arcturus—Aspera Hiems Symfonia
Drag Racing—Big Stick—7"
IPT2—Battles—EP C/B EP
Woman Of Screen—Boris—Pink
Oaktown—Casual, Too Short, Richie Rich—Too Short-American Pimps
cool my fire—ada—blondie
Superstarfighter—Blumfeld—L'Etat Et Moi
Shining Brightly—Brinsley Schwarz—Brinsley Schwarz
Saturday, November 06, 2010
Best spam ever
BEWARE OF NIGERIA SCAMMERS!!!
Mr.Baba Gana Kingibe
show details Jul 22
ATTENTION:BELOVED FRIEND,
THIS IS THE SECRETARY TO THE PRESIDENT OF NIGERIA,HOW ARE YOU TODAY AND YOUR FAMILY IF FINE THANK'S BE TO GOD ALMIGHTY. I CONTACTED YOU TO INFORM YOU THAT AM SORRY OF WHAT YOU HAVE PASS THROUGH IN NIGERIA. PLEASE AM
VERY SORRY FOR THAT, PLEASE ACCEPT MY SYMPATHY AND EMPATHY I WANT YOU TO KNOW THAT I CONTACTED YOU JUST FOR ONE REASON,TO INFORM YOU THAT YOU WILL BE COMPENSATED FOR THE MONEY THAT YOU HAVE LOST
TO NIGERIA SCAMMERS SO FAR.
I PROMISE AND I ASSURE YOU THAT YOU WILL RECOVER IT BACK,I WILL COMPENSATE YOU WITH THE AMOUNT OF $5.2 MILLION UNITED STATE DOLLARS BUT PLEASE I WANT YOU TO REPLY ME BACK WITH YOUR
INFORMATIONS BELOW.
THE INFORMATION I NEED FROM YOU ARE LISTED BELOW.
1, YOUR FULL NAME'S:
2, YOUR ADDRESS:
3, YOUR HOME PHONE NUMBER & CELL NUMBER:
4, YOUR AGE:
5, YOUR OCCUPATION:
6, YOUR INHERITANCE :
7, YOUR INTERNATIONAL/DRIVER'S LICENSE OR ID:
BUT PLEASE I WANT YOU NOT TO GO INTO NIGERIA INTERNET BUSINESS TRANSACTION AGAIN AFTER YOU HAVE RECEIVED YOUR COMPENSATION BECAUSE IT IS AN ILEGAL ACT,IS A SCAM,ANYBODY THAT CONTACTS YOU TO INFORM YOU OF A TRANSACTION
PLEASE EMAIL ME TO LET ME KNOW.
AND AM FIGHTING AGAINST IT WITH FEDERAL BUREAU INVESTIGATION SERVICE IN YOUR COUNTRY AND THE ECONOMIC AND FINANCIAL CRIME COMMISSION(EFCC).
CONTACT ME ON THE DETAILS BELOW;
NAME MR. BABA GANA KINGIBE
EMAIL kbabagana32@yahoo.com.hk
TEL 234-80-3354-7109
BEST REGARDS,
SECRETARY TO THE PRESIDENT OF NIGERIA.
BABA GANA KINGIBE
Mr.Baba Gana Kingibe
show details Jul 22
ATTENTION:BELOVED FRIEND,
THIS IS THE SECRETARY TO THE PRESIDENT OF NIGERIA,HOW ARE YOU TODAY AND YOUR FAMILY IF FINE THANK'S BE TO GOD ALMIGHTY. I CONTACTED YOU TO INFORM YOU THAT AM SORRY OF WHAT YOU HAVE PASS THROUGH IN NIGERIA. PLEASE AM
VERY SORRY FOR THAT, PLEASE ACCEPT MY SYMPATHY AND EMPATHY I WANT YOU TO KNOW THAT I CONTACTED YOU JUST FOR ONE REASON,TO INFORM YOU THAT YOU WILL BE COMPENSATED FOR THE MONEY THAT YOU HAVE LOST
TO NIGERIA SCAMMERS SO FAR.
I PROMISE AND I ASSURE YOU THAT YOU WILL RECOVER IT BACK,I WILL COMPENSATE YOU WITH THE AMOUNT OF $5.2 MILLION UNITED STATE DOLLARS BUT PLEASE I WANT YOU TO REPLY ME BACK WITH YOUR
INFORMATIONS BELOW.
THE INFORMATION I NEED FROM YOU ARE LISTED BELOW.
1, YOUR FULL NAME'S:
2, YOUR ADDRESS:
3, YOUR HOME PHONE NUMBER & CELL NUMBER:
4, YOUR AGE:
5, YOUR OCCUPATION:
6, YOUR INHERITANCE :
7, YOUR INTERNATIONAL/DRIVER'S LICENSE OR ID:
BUT PLEASE I WANT YOU NOT TO GO INTO NIGERIA INTERNET BUSINESS TRANSACTION AGAIN AFTER YOU HAVE RECEIVED YOUR COMPENSATION BECAUSE IT IS AN ILEGAL ACT,IS A SCAM,ANYBODY THAT CONTACTS YOU TO INFORM YOU OF A TRANSACTION
PLEASE EMAIL ME TO LET ME KNOW.
AND AM FIGHTING AGAINST IT WITH FEDERAL BUREAU INVESTIGATION SERVICE IN YOUR COUNTRY AND THE ECONOMIC AND FINANCIAL CRIME COMMISSION(EFCC).
CONTACT ME ON THE DETAILS BELOW;
NAME MR. BABA GANA KINGIBE
EMAIL kbabagana32@yahoo.com.hk
TEL 234-80-3354-7109
BEST REGARDS,
SECRETARY TO THE PRESIDENT OF NIGERIA.
BABA GANA KINGIBE
Wednesday, November 03, 2010
Tuesday, November 02, 2010
Monday, November 01, 2010
Amy and I did our voting homework
Here's how I'm going to vote (UPDATED WITH THE FEW RACES I MISSED LAST NIGHT):
Yes on 19.
I know some stoners and activists are against it. I think some of their critiques are legitimate. But a lot of it's just crazy paranoid fantasies about what will totally happen if there's, like, legal weed, man. The market will get involved!
In terms of what it'll mean for most recreational stoners, and because I love an underdog, I'm voting yes. This is one area where experimental democracy can have real dividends, and give other states a model for how to start the march toward full decriminalization.
Yes on 20.
California voted for the redistricting committee in 2008, but it hasn't meant anything because there's been no redistricting — the Census comes every ten years. Given that the Prop 11 in 2008 that authorized this also removed the prior law keeping legislators from gerrymandering districts to favor parties, incumbents or candidates, voting no on 20 is remarkably stupid. Carl Pope of the Sierra Club out to be ashamed, having his name next to the crazed invective from the voter guide, especially since it sounds like he doesn't know what the prop says. Yes on 20, no on 27.
Yes on 21.
Would you pay $18 a year to have free access to all state parks? Hell yes. Conservation, education, whatever, don't care. Free trips to state parks whenever I want to go? I realize I'm betraying hints of my class here, but goddamn, I love me some free parks and will go all the time. It already costs about six bucks a visit, depending on which ones and how long you park. So figure that you just have to go three times a year to break even, or four times to come out ahead? The argument against is just that it's some sort of car tax or something, and really just comes across as Rob Stutzman hates parks.
No on 22.
Really, trying to put up structural barriers to stop cash flow treasury abuses only works when we're running a surplus. Right now, 22 is just a measure from folks who don't believe government ever works wanting to prove themselves right by making it harder for government to work.
No on 23.
Part of the problem with global warming is that it really is a problem that we have to deal with even when it's not politically or economically convenient. It is happening, deniers are flat earthers, and the economic effects are going to be devastating, so letting them cascade earlier is dumb. Combine that with the loss of green jobs just so that current businesses can keep polluting? Ugh.
Yes on 24.
This one, I could go either way on. I do think that the business tax exemptions as passed were a terrible compromise to an elite group of national and multinational chain businesses that should never have even been necessary. I understand the LA Times position that it's not the voters' place to hash out tax code, especially not through the initiative process, but given that they're bad policy and that the voters are the last chance to catch them before they go into effect, it's hard not to see this as a good opportunity. Especially because the remedy proposed by the Times is to vote out the representatives, but that's easier said than done and only really speaks of single-issue voting anyway. I don't like the initiative system, but when given the choice between voting for 24 and voting against it? I'm voting for it grudgingly.
Yes on 25.
As you hear on every single campaign ad, "Sacramento is broken." A lot of that is because of the two-thirds majority required to get a budget through the legislature. We waste millions, hundreds of millions, every year, and during the worst economic downturn since the Great Depression, no less. The two-thirds requirement entrenches partisanship and destroys compromise, just like it does in the US Senate. It may mean higher taxes. It will also mean better budgets sooner, with fewer cuts to services. If you like good government, vote yes.
No on 26.
Everything I just said about 25? Reverse it for 26, which would require a two-thirds vote on any fees raised by the government. Now, fees were supposed to be the libertarian approach to taxes, where people pay based on how much they use and can decide how much they use. Sure, it seems a little naive to tell some kid up in Tehachapi that he's choosing to drive his car to work, and so he can ration his other trips to stay within budget, but revenue's gotta come from somewhere. Sorry, you just don't get a good government for free. You get a Somali government for free. Anyway, I'm rambling. Twenty-six would be bad for California. Don't vote for it.
No on 27.
Why would we want to get rid of that redistricting board? Twenty-seven gets rid of it, in concert with Prop 20. It doesn't "save us money," it's sponsored by lunatics and incumbents (with some overlap between the two).
Barbara Boxer for US Senate.
Fiorina was terrible for HP and got fired. Now she's running a cynical campaign, the only real advantage of which is that she brought out a mean, petty Boxer. On some level, it was fun to see Dems fight nasty. On the other hand, it gets old real fast. I'll probably vote early, but if it looks like a blowout, I gotta admire Duane Roberts from the Greens running on a Vote for Duane platform. You know, if you just gotta vote for someone you could have a beer with.
Jerry Brown for Governor.
"I am Governor Jerry Brown. My aura smiles and never frowns." As a big fan of punk rock, I always hoped I'd get to vote for California Uber Alles.
Karen Bass for US Rep.
She got elected two years ago, and I haven't heard boo from her since. Still, when in doubt, this year I'm going Dem.
Curren Price for State Senate.
Endorsed by EQCA, so at least there's that.
Mike Gatto for State Assembly.
Also endorsed by EQCA, Gatto looks a bit sleazy and I couldn't tell from his ads if he was Dem or GOP, but he's a Dem and is apparently for marriage equality. Why not?
Gavin Newsom for Lieutenant Governor.
His cousin's Joanna the screechy harpist. I once worked with a guy named Ted Newsome, which'll make it hard to remember how to spell Gavin's last name. He might get to be governor if Brown dies. Why not?
Debra Bowen for Secretary of State.
She's done a pretty good job for the last four years, so might as well keep her going. I went to a DMV a couple years ago, it was pretty nice, but I'm not sure she's responsible for that. Pretty fast. I'm not sure if she's responsible for that, but in Michigan she would be and she's on a down-ticket race. She's running against a bootstrapping NFL player who sounds like a total dumbass. I'm not going to lie, I think focusing on voter fraud is kinda silly, but that's what she's gotta do, and he's just kinda saying that he'll provide hope for kids and give companies exit interviews when they leave the state (WTF?).
John Chiang for Controller.
I keep wanting to find out that Controller is some sort of super comic book villian position that, through a fluke of California's initiative process, is put up for election every four years. "As the Controller, I will use implanted brain chips to reduce techno-waste by thirty percent! Mind-erase collars and tele-helmets are costing us millions per year!" Chiang's been a pretty good controller, and I voted for him before, so I'd like to keep the streak alive.
Bill Lockyer for Treasurer.
I honestly had no idea what party Lockyer was from, given his ads about being independent and chastising both major parties. He's done well holding California together as much as it has been, and if the sucker wants another term, he should get it. He's up against someone endorsed by the Howard Jarvis Taxpayers Association, who fill the voter guides with so much nonsense that it must be a front group for guys who drink the blue fluid at barbershops.
Kamala Harris for Attorney General.
The LA Times endorse Steven Cooley as a bit better than Harris, though they concede that both of the candidates are strong ones (for a change). But what doesn't bother them about Cooley, that he's stridently pro-death penalty, anti-gay rights and that he said he'd join in the bullshit lawsuit against "Obamacare," does bother me. These aren't little things, and that he's from LA and is a "good manager" isn't enough for me to get over my reluctance to put the defense of rights that I cherish in his hands.
Dave Jones for Insurance Commissioner.
Dave Jones has been so good as Insurance Commissioner that I won't even make a Monkees joke.
Larry Aceves for Superintendent of Public Instruction.
He's actually been a superintendent, seems to not have dogmatic positions one way or another, and is up against a guy touting his endorsement from the California Professional Firefighters. Has Torlakson (a mysteriously Swedish name) promised to require fire safety classes as graduation requirements? Don't vote for big fire!
Mike Gatto for
No endorsements on Board of Equalization.
Frankly, I just don't know enough. As the people who split up the public excise revenues in California, it's a position just absolutely ripe for a noir novel to be written about it, the dirty unsupervised moneys that go through the vaguely named bureaucracy. I'm pretty much just gonna vote straight Democrat, because what the hell. In all but one of the districts, that's who's already the incumbent; in the last, the Dem gives "Former Honorary Mayor of Pacific Beach" as a qualification, so why not?
John Nuguez for County Assessor.
He's endorsed by the Dems, at least. Scant info on the lower races.
Randy Hammock and Alan Schneider for Superior Court Judges. Rrrrrandy. Rrrrrrandy Hammock.
LA Times says "Yes" on all the judges. After that, the punditocracy thins out quickly. The only real No that I've seen going around is on Ming W. Chin, because he voted that Prop 8 was constitutional under the California state constitution. I'm as against Prop 8 as anybody — hell, I worked against it for a year — but I can understand that in his legal opinion, it was allowed under California law, even if I disagree with that. It was always going to be a federal thing, anyway. So, I'm voting for all of 'em; you can leave out Chin if you like.
Whew. I think that's all from my ballot.
Yes on 19.
I know some stoners and activists are against it. I think some of their critiques are legitimate. But a lot of it's just crazy paranoid fantasies about what will totally happen if there's, like, legal weed, man. The market will get involved!
In terms of what it'll mean for most recreational stoners, and because I love an underdog, I'm voting yes. This is one area where experimental democracy can have real dividends, and give other states a model for how to start the march toward full decriminalization.
Yes on 20.
California voted for the redistricting committee in 2008, but it hasn't meant anything because there's been no redistricting — the Census comes every ten years. Given that the Prop 11 in 2008 that authorized this also removed the prior law keeping legislators from gerrymandering districts to favor parties, incumbents or candidates, voting no on 20 is remarkably stupid. Carl Pope of the Sierra Club out to be ashamed, having his name next to the crazed invective from the voter guide, especially since it sounds like he doesn't know what the prop says. Yes on 20, no on 27.
Yes on 21.
Would you pay $18 a year to have free access to all state parks? Hell yes. Conservation, education, whatever, don't care. Free trips to state parks whenever I want to go? I realize I'm betraying hints of my class here, but goddamn, I love me some free parks and will go all the time. It already costs about six bucks a visit, depending on which ones and how long you park. So figure that you just have to go three times a year to break even, or four times to come out ahead? The argument against is just that it's some sort of car tax or something, and really just comes across as Rob Stutzman hates parks.
No on 22.
Really, trying to put up structural barriers to stop cash flow treasury abuses only works when we're running a surplus. Right now, 22 is just a measure from folks who don't believe government ever works wanting to prove themselves right by making it harder for government to work.
No on 23.
Part of the problem with global warming is that it really is a problem that we have to deal with even when it's not politically or economically convenient. It is happening, deniers are flat earthers, and the economic effects are going to be devastating, so letting them cascade earlier is dumb. Combine that with the loss of green jobs just so that current businesses can keep polluting? Ugh.
Yes on 24.
This one, I could go either way on. I do think that the business tax exemptions as passed were a terrible compromise to an elite group of national and multinational chain businesses that should never have even been necessary. I understand the LA Times position that it's not the voters' place to hash out tax code, especially not through the initiative process, but given that they're bad policy and that the voters are the last chance to catch them before they go into effect, it's hard not to see this as a good opportunity. Especially because the remedy proposed by the Times is to vote out the representatives, but that's easier said than done and only really speaks of single-issue voting anyway. I don't like the initiative system, but when given the choice between voting for 24 and voting against it? I'm voting for it grudgingly.
Yes on 25.
As you hear on every single campaign ad, "Sacramento is broken." A lot of that is because of the two-thirds majority required to get a budget through the legislature. We waste millions, hundreds of millions, every year, and during the worst economic downturn since the Great Depression, no less. The two-thirds requirement entrenches partisanship and destroys compromise, just like it does in the US Senate. It may mean higher taxes. It will also mean better budgets sooner, with fewer cuts to services. If you like good government, vote yes.
No on 26.
Everything I just said about 25? Reverse it for 26, which would require a two-thirds vote on any fees raised by the government. Now, fees were supposed to be the libertarian approach to taxes, where people pay based on how much they use and can decide how much they use. Sure, it seems a little naive to tell some kid up in Tehachapi that he's choosing to drive his car to work, and so he can ration his other trips to stay within budget, but revenue's gotta come from somewhere. Sorry, you just don't get a good government for free. You get a Somali government for free. Anyway, I'm rambling. Twenty-six would be bad for California. Don't vote for it.
No on 27.
Why would we want to get rid of that redistricting board? Twenty-seven gets rid of it, in concert with Prop 20. It doesn't "save us money," it's sponsored by lunatics and incumbents (with some overlap between the two).
Barbara Boxer for US Senate.
Fiorina was terrible for HP and got fired. Now she's running a cynical campaign, the only real advantage of which is that she brought out a mean, petty Boxer. On some level, it was fun to see Dems fight nasty. On the other hand, it gets old real fast. I'll probably vote early, but if it looks like a blowout, I gotta admire Duane Roberts from the Greens running on a Vote for Duane platform. You know, if you just gotta vote for someone you could have a beer with.
Jerry Brown for Governor.
"I am Governor Jerry Brown. My aura smiles and never frowns." As a big fan of punk rock, I always hoped I'd get to vote for California Uber Alles.
Karen Bass for US Rep.
She got elected two years ago, and I haven't heard boo from her since. Still, when in doubt, this year I'm going Dem.
Curren Price for State Senate.
Endorsed by EQCA, so at least there's that.
Mike Gatto for State Assembly.
Also endorsed by EQCA, Gatto looks a bit sleazy and I couldn't tell from his ads if he was Dem or GOP, but he's a Dem and is apparently for marriage equality. Why not?
Gavin Newsom for Lieutenant Governor.
His cousin's Joanna the screechy harpist. I once worked with a guy named Ted Newsome, which'll make it hard to remember how to spell Gavin's last name. He might get to be governor if Brown dies. Why not?
Debra Bowen for Secretary of State.
She's done a pretty good job for the last four years, so might as well keep her going. I went to a DMV a couple years ago, it was pretty nice, but I'm not sure she's responsible for that. Pretty fast. I'm not sure if she's responsible for that, but in Michigan she would be and she's on a down-ticket race. She's running against a bootstrapping NFL player who sounds like a total dumbass. I'm not going to lie, I think focusing on voter fraud is kinda silly, but that's what she's gotta do, and he's just kinda saying that he'll provide hope for kids and give companies exit interviews when they leave the state (WTF?).
John Chiang for Controller.
I keep wanting to find out that Controller is some sort of super comic book villian position that, through a fluke of California's initiative process, is put up for election every four years. "As the Controller, I will use implanted brain chips to reduce techno-waste by thirty percent! Mind-erase collars and tele-helmets are costing us millions per year!" Chiang's been a pretty good controller, and I voted for him before, so I'd like to keep the streak alive.
Bill Lockyer for Treasurer.
I honestly had no idea what party Lockyer was from, given his ads about being independent and chastising both major parties. He's done well holding California together as much as it has been, and if the sucker wants another term, he should get it. He's up against someone endorsed by the Howard Jarvis Taxpayers Association, who fill the voter guides with so much nonsense that it must be a front group for guys who drink the blue fluid at barbershops.
Kamala Harris for Attorney General.
The LA Times endorse Steven Cooley as a bit better than Harris, though they concede that both of the candidates are strong ones (for a change). But what doesn't bother them about Cooley, that he's stridently pro-death penalty, anti-gay rights and that he said he'd join in the bullshit lawsuit against "Obamacare," does bother me. These aren't little things, and that he's from LA and is a "good manager" isn't enough for me to get over my reluctance to put the defense of rights that I cherish in his hands.
Dave Jones for Insurance Commissioner.
Dave Jones has been so good as Insurance Commissioner that I won't even make a Monkees joke.
Larry Aceves for Superintendent of Public Instruction.
He's actually been a superintendent, seems to not have dogmatic positions one way or another, and is up against a guy touting his endorsement from the California Professional Firefighters. Has Torlakson (a mysteriously Swedish name) promised to require fire safety classes as graduation requirements? Don't vote for big fire!
Mike Gatto for
No endorsements on Board of Equalization.
Frankly, I just don't know enough. As the people who split up the public excise revenues in California, it's a position just absolutely ripe for a noir novel to be written about it, the dirty unsupervised moneys that go through the vaguely named bureaucracy. I'm pretty much just gonna vote straight Democrat, because what the hell. In all but one of the districts, that's who's already the incumbent; in the last, the Dem gives "Former Honorary Mayor of Pacific Beach" as a qualification, so why not?
John Nuguez for County Assessor.
He's endorsed by the Dems, at least. Scant info on the lower races.
Randy Hammock and Alan Schneider for Superior Court Judges. Rrrrrandy. Rrrrrrandy Hammock.
LA Times says "Yes" on all the judges. After that, the punditocracy thins out quickly. The only real No that I've seen going around is on Ming W. Chin, because he voted that Prop 8 was constitutional under the California state constitution. I'm as against Prop 8 as anybody — hell, I worked against it for a year — but I can understand that in his legal opinion, it was allowed under California law, even if I disagree with that. It was always going to be a federal thing, anyway. So, I'm voting for all of 'em; you can leave out Chin if you like.
Whew. I think that's all from my ballot.
Citizens united
I wish money didn't equal speech, but one of our best chances at fighting that is losing badly in Wisconsin.
Now that California looks pretty safe, I gave Russ Feingold $10. He's the politician that best represents my views, and he's someone I always think of when the nattering "No Difference" crowd tries to pretend that everyone in office is equally bad, and that there's no point in fighting for Democrats.
I got involved. I hope you do too, even if it's late.
Now that California looks pretty safe, I gave Russ Feingold $10. He's the politician that best represents my views, and he's someone I always think of when the nattering "No Difference" crowd tries to pretend that everyone in office is equally bad, and that there's no point in fighting for Democrats.
I got involved. I hope you do too, even if it's late.
Monday mixing!
Another zip of music to wash dishes to.
Again, meant to be shuffled. Good stuff, though, I think.
Too Much Fun—Too Much Fun—Muncie Sampler I
Bodies Adjust—Thunderbirds Are Now!—Justamustache
IEIEI—White Denim—Workout Holiday
Fell in Love—Vertex—Roots of Swedish Pop Vol 1 the Mod Years
Pyromaniac—The Verlaines—Juvenilia
All About My Fetti—Young Lay—New Jersey Drive, Vol.1
Look Out World—The Sliver Fleet
フリーダム—天井棧敷／東京キッド・ブラザース (Tokyo Kid Brother)—サントラ盤!! 書を捨てよ町へ出よう
Hoo-Bangin' [WSCG Style]—Westside Connection—Bow Down
Take A Stroll Through Your Mind—The Temptations—Psychedelic Shack
Listen People—Steve Marcus—Tomorrow Never Knows
She's An Angel—They Might Be Giants—Then
Zebra Ranch—Debris'—Static Disposal
Autobiography—Sloan—One Chord To Another
Set Me Free—TIn Openers
The Pros—The Roots—Game Ruffs
Scratchy—Travis Wammack—That scratchy guitar from Memphis
Stone—Small Faces—First Step
Time—The Parliaments—Testify! - The Best of the Early Years
Step it up—Stereo MC's—Connected
Rosewood—Woody Shaw—Rosewood
food & drink synthesizer—Unrest—Perfect Teeth
Over, Under, Sideways, Down—Yardbirds—Roger the Engeneer
You Don't Need A Doctor—The Robocop Kraus—They Think They Are The Robocop Kraus
Speed Limit—Tommy Lam—Dateless Night
Leather Wings—This Will Destroy You—This Will Destroy You
Third Uncle—Zongamin
Reinforcements—Sparks—Propaganda
Up Your Speed Ft Pyrelli—Sway—Up Your Speed
A View From Her Room (12")—Weekend—Archive
It Don't Mean Nothing At All—Valves—VA-Every One A Classic 4
Bootsie's Lament—Oneness of Juju—Bush Brothers and Space Rangers
Again, meant to be shuffled. Good stuff, though, I think.
Too Much Fun—Too Much Fun—Muncie Sampler I
Bodies Adjust—Thunderbirds Are Now!—Justamustache
IEIEI—White Denim—Workout Holiday
Fell in Love—Vertex—Roots of Swedish Pop Vol 1 the Mod Years
Pyromaniac—The Verlaines—Juvenilia
All About My Fetti—Young Lay—New Jersey Drive, Vol.1
Look Out World—The Sliver Fleet
フリーダム—天井棧敷／東京キッド・ブラザース (Tokyo Kid Brother)—サントラ盤!! 書を捨てよ町へ出よう
Hoo-Bangin' [WSCG Style]—Westside Connection—Bow Down
Take A Stroll Through Your Mind—The Temptations—Psychedelic Shack
Listen People—Steve Marcus—Tomorrow Never Knows
She's An Angel—They Might Be Giants—Then
Zebra Ranch—Debris'—Static Disposal
Autobiography—Sloan—One Chord To Another
Set Me Free—TIn Openers
The Pros—The Roots—Game Ruffs
Scratchy—Travis Wammack—That scratchy guitar from Memphis
Stone—Small Faces—First Step
Time—The Parliaments—Testify! - The Best of the Early Years
Step it up—Stereo MC's—Connected
Rosewood—Woody Shaw—Rosewood
food & drink synthesizer—Unrest—Perfect Teeth
Over, Under, Sideways, Down—Yardbirds—Roger the Engeneer
You Don't Need A Doctor—The Robocop Kraus—They Think They Are The Robocop Kraus
Speed Limit—Tommy Lam—Dateless Night
Leather Wings—This Will Destroy You—This Will Destroy You
Third Uncle—Zongamin
Reinforcements—Sparks—Propaganda
Up Your Speed Ft Pyrelli—Sway—Up Your Speed
A View From Her Room (12")—Weekend—Archive
It Don't Mean Nothing At All—Valves—VA-Every One A Classic 4
Bootsie's Lament—Oneness of Juju—Bush Brothers and Space Rangers
Thursday, October 28, 2010
SoapBoxLA: Breakin' the law and proud of it!
SoapBoxLA: Breakin' the law and proud of it!: "One would think that those about to break the law would be discrete about it, but when law enforcement and municipal authorities get busy ..."
James Anthony Carmichael, where are you?
So, one of the records I got from Cousin's Vinyl was this Buluu album called O Happy Day by the Southern California Interdenominational Youth Choir (B-60001), that I loved. It's soulful, funky, gospel with a big warm room and sparse, percussive piano. But I couldn't find much info on anyone involved — the label was an offshoot of Dunhill, which was eaten up by ABC and later Universal, and Dunhill is best known for Three Dog Night. Buluu isn't really known for anything.
Fast forward a couple of years — I'm living in LA now, and this is the Southern California etc. Choir, after all. Likewise, in the intervening years, someone else has tracked down at least another link, or I was able to find it at least.
AMG says he was born in 1920, so it's iffy if he's still alive. But I'm wondering where the hell I'd find someone that knew him. Oh, and somewhere during his career he added his middle name, so that makes things tougher too.
Fast forward a couple of years — I'm living in LA now, and this is the Southern California etc. Choir, after all. Likewise, in the intervening years, someone else has tracked down at least another link, or I was able to find it at least.
AMG says he was born in 1920, so it's iffy if he's still alive. But I'm wondering where the hell I'd find someone that knew him. Oh, and somewhere during his career he added his middle name, so that makes things tougher too.
Wednesday, October 27, 2010
Four better excuses for Tim Proffit
I was learning a line dance to go with Boot Scootin' Boogie.
I was over-zealous in showing Lauren Valle my new butt-toning shoes.
I just got back from a wine tour of Napa and I hallucinated grapes on her.
Valle looked like one of those cyborgs you can only defeat through stomping.
I was over-zealous in showing Lauren Valle my new butt-toning shoes.
I just got back from a wine tour of Napa and I hallucinated grapes on her.
Valle looked like one of those cyborgs you can only defeat through stomping.
"Hi, I'm Tony Perkins. I'm running for America's biggest asshole."
Tony Perkins tells NPR that gay suicides are because kids know they're abnormal.
Finally, someone to stand up for the bullies, so long as they're "Christian."
Finally, someone to stand up for the bullies, so long as they're "Christian."
A new definition of chutzpah
The old joke goes that the definition of chutzpah is asking the court for mercy as an orphan after killing your parents.
After stomping on Laura Vale, Tim Profitt asks for an apology from her.
After stomping on Laura Vale, Tim Profitt asks for an apology from her.
Tuesday, October 26, 2010
Monday, October 25, 2010
Oll Korrex!
Finally did an edit and a color correction on the set I took at FYF (or FYFest or FYF Fest or Fuck Yeah Fest or whatever they're calling it), and I think they look better cropped and balanced.
Monday Mix!
Monday Mix!
The combination of having an mp3-radio thingy in the kitchen, so I can play music while I wash dishes, and needing random playlists for writing more (I'm writing more, can you tell? Every time there's a new blog entry, I'm slacking off from applying for jobs or writing!) has led me to toss together some stuff. I'll keep putting them up here until I get another job (even if I start selling more writing, that won't cut down on the slacking).
Meant to be listened to on shuffle (so no particular order):
Dur dur—Alex & Les Lézards—Dur Dur single
Things goin' on—Lynyrd Skynyrd—Lynyrd Skynyrd
Love Bones—Johnnie Taylor—Stax-Volt Soul Singles Vol. 2 (68-71)
Cowboy—Jon Spencer Blues Explosion—Orange
Yes My Skin Is Black—Jonny Clarke—Girl I Love You
Humrush—KMD—Mr. Hood
Your heavy dream (won't fly)—Alec Bathgate—Gold Lame
My Friend Joel—Lem Jay—Sonido Uzumaki
Temple of the Mental—Material ft. Killah Priest—Intonarumori
Togetherness—A-frames—2
Hoja De Trebol—Los Grimm—Hoja De Trebol single
Big Science—Laurie Anderson—Big Science
Tell Me—Lesbians on Ecstasy—Tell Me single
Can't Play Around (Larry Levan Mix)—Lace—Atlantic Records (0-89927a)
Dub Revolution (Part 1)—Lee Perry & The Upsetters—Scratch: Lee Scratch Perry Arkology - Reel I
No Limitations—L*Roneous—Imaginarium
Mama Marimba—Jarman, Joseph & Don Moye—Black Paladins
Crippled Child—A Certain Ratio—The Graveyard & The Ballroom
A Vague Sense of Order (Bloody Miles Mix)—Anton Fier—Dreamspeed/Blindlight
You Are The Generation That Bought More Shoes And You Get What You Deserve—Johnny Boy—You Are The Generation That Bought More Shoes And You Get What You Deserve single
If you enjoy it, lemme know!
The combination of having an mp3-radio thingy in the kitchen, so I can play music while I wash dishes, and needing random playlists for writing more (I'm writing more, can you tell? Every time there's a new blog entry, I'm slacking off from applying for jobs or writing!) has led me to toss together some stuff. I'll keep putting them up here until I get another job (even if I start selling more writing, that won't cut down on the slacking).
Meant to be listened to on shuffle (so no particular order):
Dur dur—Alex & Les Lézards—Dur Dur single
Things goin' on—Lynyrd Skynyrd—Lynyrd Skynyrd
Love Bones—Johnnie Taylor—Stax-Volt Soul Singles Vol. 2 (68-71)
Cowboy—Jon Spencer Blues Explosion—Orange
Yes My Skin Is Black—Jonny Clarke—Girl I Love You
Humrush—KMD—Mr. Hood
Your heavy dream (won't fly)—Alec Bathgate—Gold Lame
My Friend Joel—Lem Jay—Sonido Uzumaki
Temple of the Mental—Material ft. Killah Priest—Intonarumori
Togetherness—A-frames—2
Hoja De Trebol—Los Grimm—Hoja De Trebol single
Big Science—Laurie Anderson—Big Science
Tell Me—Lesbians on Ecstasy—Tell Me single
Can't Play Around (Larry Levan Mix)—Lace—Atlantic Records (0-89927a)
Dub Revolution (Part 1)—Lee Perry & The Upsetters—Scratch: Lee Scratch Perry Arkology - Reel I
No Limitations—L*Roneous—Imaginarium
Mama Marimba—Jarman, Joseph & Don Moye—Black Paladins
Crippled Child—A Certain Ratio—The Graveyard & The Ballroom
A Vague Sense of Order (Bloody Miles Mix)—Anton Fier—Dreamspeed/Blindlight
You Are The Generation That Bought More Shoes And You Get What You Deserve—Johnny Boy—You Are The Generation That Bought More Shoes And You Get What You Deserve single
If you enjoy it, lemme know!
Sunday, October 24, 2010
Friday, October 22, 2010
Might be too heavy for Superman to lift
After Meg Whitman's campaign literature has extolled the documentary "Waiting for Superman," and repeatedly slammed Jerry Brown for being in the pockets (or on the strings) of the teacher's union, the NY Review of Books takedown of the movie is worth reading. It's a bit long, but basically skewers the idea that charter schools are a panacea, something that I saw in Michigan back when I was working on the Ann Arbor Guide for SGI. We ended up running a sidebar (now lost to the sands of time) based largely on a couple reports that came out reporting that charter schools were by and large unstable money-sucks with terrible academic records, mired in terrible real estate deals and often tainted by insane religious indoctrination.
Sorry, guys, while public schools are fucked up, charters aren't a magic bullet. And I say this as someone who got lucky enough to go to the alternative schools in Ann Arbor.
I will also take this brief moment to stump for James Herndon's The Way It Spozed To Be and How To Survive In Your Native Land, both great, funny books about teaching and education.
Sorry, guys, while public schools are fucked up, charters aren't a magic bullet. And I say this as someone who got lucky enough to go to the alternative schools in Ann Arbor.
I will also take this brief moment to stump for James Herndon's The Way It Spozed To Be and How To Survive In Your Native Land, both great, funny books about teaching and education.
Proof positive
I have been loving this Proof Positive album. With rhymes from my friend Matt G, and fantastic soulful production, I've been meaning to write up a review for a while. That'll have to wait, because it's too good not to just share it now. It's free too, all you bootleggers out there!
Thursday, October 21, 2010
I'm the Asshole from El Paso
I'd only ever heard about the titular asshole from a mixtape a friend made me years ago, so I had no idea that it was part of a larger novelty "pornographic" country album.
Great pairing for Johnny Pissoff, right?
Great pairing for Johnny Pissoff, right?
Wednesday, October 20, 2010
Zuke alorz!
Rachel, from LA, makes zukes with dill.
Alas, when I made 'em, kinda soggy and meh. (Is it weird that I don't want to badmouth bloggers in town, on the off chance I meet them?)
Zucchini remains a generally meh food for me. I made good tacos with them once, and would like to try Rick Bayless's
Alas, when I made 'em, kinda soggy and meh. (Is it weird that I don't want to badmouth bloggers in town, on the off chance I meet them?)
Zucchini remains a generally meh food for me. I made good tacos with them once, and would like to try Rick Bayless's
Digital imperfections
Consumed on Digital Imperfections.
To which I say, don't blame me, man, I shoot a Holga. It's interesting how this movement exists at the same time as the over-saturated hypercontrast images that you see in art shows, like the consumers finally got this hard-on for pictorialism.
For the fellas
Remember, if your girlfriend won't have sex with you because you haven't taken out the trash after telling her you would, That's witchcraft!
We Want a Better World, Mo
Maureen Tucker, drummer for the Velvet Underground, just granted an interview about her political views and her relationship to the Tea Party.
In it, she mostly comes across confused and cynical, railing against "socialism" in nearly the same breath as complaining about the lack of increases in social security.
But she articulates a view that I think is emblematic of a lot of the conservative discourse, and that I think can't be answered by simply snarking on her.
Tucker starts out by saying that the government can't and shouldn't provide all things to all people, which is a fair, if not exactly full, statement to make. She talks about how when she was growing up poor, she didn't have TVs or Levis, a sidelong attack on what she sees as the entitlement of the younger generation.
Part of that can be understood just by noting that she's old, and that this is a complaint made by old people throughout history, that young people don't know how good they have it, that they're decadent and demand more and more. Monty Python riffed on this, as did Dana Carvey. It's a complaint that's been around since Plato, with Socrates declaring that the grasping nature of the young will always corrupt governments from generation to generation.
But to acknowledge that as a complaint, Tucker should also acknowledge that when she was younger, she wanted TVs and Levis. And also that the country is a better place for having enough of a surplus to provide TVs and Levis for the poor (and that's leaving off the fact that when she was young, TVs and Levis were the new hotness; it's not like the majority of welfare recipients have flatscreens). She says she survived, but survival is the barest measure of a society. We're better off with TVs and Levis, and companies that make TVs and jeans are better off for us having them down to the lower income brackets. You can live without them, and maybe should, but most people choose not to and we are better off economically for that.
Tucker then moves on to a litany that's got at its core an ignorance and distrust of government. Which is understandable, given that idealistic Democrats are disappointed with Obama, from his handling of health care to his continued privacy violations and failures on LGBT issues, and that Republicans are livid over attacks on their privilege and have an established media apparatus that's the very definition of sophistry. The Republicans have retreated to the same rhetoric they used to fight against Roosevelt and the New Deal, but Obama's no Roosevelt — there are no fireside chats to reassure the nation — and the American people have, by and large, forgotten that Republicans were wrong about the Great Depression and wrong about the recovery and that their positions remain wrong today.
Progressives are also hobbled by a generally disengaged populace, especially on the part of the poor. The shift toward suburbanization has meant that people are alienated from each other and harder to organize, and the very availability of the TVs Tucker complains about means that more leisure time is spent with entertainment than with organizing for solutions. This isn't a novel statement to make — the California Supreme Court decided in Pruneyard v. Robbins that the modern suburban anomie and alienation required a diminishment of private property rights for the health of democracy. (It goes without saying that property owners detest the decision.)
Rather than trying to explain to Tucker that there's no such thing as a donkey museum, at least not in the US, that the TARP bailouts actually started under Bush, that no one is saying that you can't fly a flag or sing the national anthem, or that many of her other complaints are based on nonsense, misinformation and ignorance, and that taxes for most folks have actually gone down since Obama's taken office, or that you can't decry name-calling in one breath while calling all politicians cheats and liars in the next without being at least a little hypocritical, it's worth making the case (again, I know, it seems to never be enough) that we are working for a more egalitarian and more free country and world.
The health care reform isn't perfect — I would have preferred a public option — but it's a good start, and without an organized, coherent left (which only seems to come from dire crises), it wasn't going to happen. But the health care reform we got despite the best efforts of the insurance lobby will still save billions of dollars and thousands of lives. The banking reform was also a good start, and the bailouts of the auto companies not only saved thousands of jobs, but have now essentially paid for themselves. These were real successes, and there's a real danger in allowing the narrative from the left to be one of dissatisfaction with all things, rather than recognizing the incremental nature of progress.
That's how we beat the Mo Tuckers, by articulating the better world we want and showing real progress toward it. People are scared now, people are scared over their health and money and the changes to their culture, but pretending it's worse now than in the 1970s or 1930s or 1890s or even 1840s is ahistorical nonsense and shows a naive view of history. It's better now, and it's better because some politicians really do want to make things better, and those politicians are the ones who we largely elected in 2008, and we're better for it.
Tuesday, October 19, 2010
You know you want it, even if you don't want it
The 15 Most Sexually Suggestive Katy Perry GIFs.
Which, really, you are a sad, sad person if you get off on in any way (because anyone's fetishes that don't line up with mine EXACTLY are pathetic losers who deserve their frustration and loneliness), but I love because I love animated gifs that allow me to stare at them for hours rather than getting more work done.
Also, I should be killing ants and this counts somehow, I'm pretty sure.
Saturday, October 16, 2010
Intruder "Death Scenes" 1989 unrated Slasher
Scott Speigel's Intruder, featuring Sam and Ted Raimi.
Also seen in Skinny Puppy's Worlock:
Hose! Hose! Hose that house!
After seeing that fire fighting was included in the Olympics of 1900, and searching for the reputed "full page" of Spaulding Almanac that described it, I found this instead, a Spaulding guide from 1910 that includes then-current records for hopping, sack races, and something called "stone gathering," which I've only been able to find references to either as a set of results and records or as "the now-defunct sport of stone gathering."
But what the hell was it?
But what the hell was it?
Wednesday, October 13, 2010
The mind makes pictures from points
Constellation Records has been kind/wise enough to start putting nearly all their albums up on the web, streaming, for free. I've been writing a lot lately, and have been enjoying an album that I bought but can't seem to find, the ol' This is Our Punk Rock from Thee Silver Mount Zion Orchestra and Doo-Dah Band or whatever the hell their full name is. I'm a fair-weather fan of a lot of the Constellation stuff, where sprawling post-rock can also mean aimless noodling post-rock (though I bet it's pretty fucking tits live), but this I like, and they're encouraging me to amble my way through their catalog in a way that I would never have done without being able to just play whatever I wanted.
I may even end up buying the album again. Or maybe buying it for someone else. Cheers, Constellation, you win the internet music business!
More tab-closing cruft
Eugene Field's Tribune Primer sent me down the Wikipedia hole.
A reference to a printer playing Pedro for beer money led me to Three-card Brag.
I had no idea what a Herdic was, but it's a kind of cab.
And I don't know how I got to Ptolemy VIII, Land of Punt or The Tale of the Shipwrecked Sailor, but they're all fascinating. (Of course, I'm the type of person who can while away an hour reading Indo-Roman Trade Relations.
I'm sure it'll all end up in a tasty stew sooner or later.
A reference to a printer playing Pedro for beer money led me to Three-card Brag.
I had no idea what a Herdic was, but it's a kind of cab.
And I don't know how I got to Ptolemy VIII, Land of Punt or The Tale of the Shipwrecked Sailor, but they're all fascinating. (Of course, I'm the type of person who can while away an hour reading Indo-Roman Trade Relations.
I'm sure it'll all end up in a tasty stew sooner or later.
Tuesday, October 12, 2010
Monday, October 11, 2010
Saturday, October 09, 2010
Thursday, October 07, 2010
Wednesday, October 06, 2010
"Jesus made God, not Adam and Steve"
I was trying to remember what some earnest skate punk told me down in Long Beach, but couldn't exactly and hoped I'd written it somewhere online. Searching led me to this, which is either sublime parody, mental illness or prodigious stupidity, but hilarious no matter what.
Tuesday, October 05, 2010
No hands!
Bolivian president Evo Morales got gashed in a foul from a member of the opposite political party during an exhibition match.
He then drove a "penalty knee" into the guy's nuts. POW!
Who says soccer is boring?
Monday, October 04, 2010
Ned sed 90s rock
Ned Raggett's Top 136 albums of the '90s.
Raggett, a longtime contributor to AMG, is one of my favorite music writers by far. I don't always agree with him, like I actually enjoy rough and rootsy music and find a lot of the fey utopianism of Britrock embarrassingly naive, but his opinions are always well-considered, illuminating and coherent. He has a very well-articulated aesthetic of what he likes, and where that aligns with mine, I've learned a tremendous amount by reading his writing. Also, he mailed me a couple of Disco Inferno discs and I should probably take him out to dinner here in LA.
Raggett, a longtime contributor to AMG, is one of my favorite music writers by far. I don't always agree with him, like I actually enjoy rough and rootsy music and find a lot of the fey utopianism of Britrock embarrassingly naive, but his opinions are always well-considered, illuminating and coherent. He has a very well-articulated aesthetic of what he likes, and where that aligns with mine, I've learned a tremendous amount by reading his writing. Also, he mailed me a couple of Disco Inferno discs and I should probably take him out to dinner here in LA.
Saturday, October 02, 2010
Wednesday, September 29, 2010
SHENANIGANS!
More from Chris Anderson Watch:
Merriam-Webster's on-line dictionary defines "shenanigans" as "questionable practices or conduct" and "high-spirited or mischevious activity." Put "homosexual" in front of "shenanigans" and it is quite apparent that Habratowski was indeed referring to a "gay" orgy.
Jesus, this morning it was pathetic. This is just hilarious. "Hey Farva, what's the name of that restaurant you like with all the goofy shit on the walls and the mozzarella sticks? "
Merriam-Webster's on-line dictionary defines "shenanigans" as "questionable practices or conduct" and "high-spirited or mischevious activity." Put "homosexual" in front of "shenanigans" and it is quite apparent that Habratowski was indeed referring to a "gay" orgy.
Jesus, this morning it was pathetic. This is just hilarious. "Hey Farva, what's the name of that restaurant you like with all the goofy shit on the walls and the mozzarella sticks? "
Yes, Michigan
This is the sort of person who Mike Cox has working for him now. Want him in the governor's office, Michigan? Shirvell was Cox's CAMPAIGN MANAGER in 2006. This isn't some outsider whom Cox tolerates; this is an insider who Cox is protecting.
Monday, September 27, 2010
Classics make you smart
They got a story for everything.
"Hey Pan, you still bummed about your girlfriend drowning?"
"Yeah, dad!"
"Ever try just rubbing your dick in your hand?"
"WOW!"
Also, Oh that Diogenes!
"Hey Pan, you still bummed about your girlfriend drowning?"
"Yeah, dad!"
"Ever try just rubbing your dick in your hand?"
"WOW!"
Also, Oh that Diogenes!
Sunday, September 26, 2010
Thursday, September 23, 2010
"Bikes" starts with "B," "blue helmets" starts with "B."
This is the Republican candidate for governor in Colorado alleging that bicycles are a threat to the American way of life.
This is the sort of conspiracy theory the Amish would dream up.
This is the sort of conspiracy theory the Amish would dream up.
Hallelujah
David Bazan of Pedro The Lion used to be the only good Christian rocker. Now he's not really Christian.
Music here.
Music here.
Ride it, link dump!
Amy made the shirt but neither of us wants to actually pay real money for it. It's better to find it at a thrift store and imagine what the person who died in it's life was like.
My friend Malcolm's beats. He was my best bud from, like, fourth grade through middle school — his early claims to fame were that he could play an endless boogie vamp on the piano, and that he could sing in a deep voice, like Clarence "Frogmouth" Henry.
Computer scientists seem to rather miss the point of the philosophical term "Ontology," but it's a neat article nonetheless.
Aedui is the only druid we know by name. And he was likely a total douche.
Marc Augé wrote that book about non-places that I want to read.
When you bringin' the Phrygian Cap back, hipsters?
Stooges Wax Museum.
Hrm. I don't think this is exactly what I want, but maybe I'll want it later. I want an English language catalog of all the works at the first Salon de Refuse. I could muddle through a German one. French does me fuck all. Shame it happened in France.
The astute reader
In One: The Republicans claim that they can simultaneously spend more money on inane bullshit like a missile shield and cut taxes for the wealthiest, and that this will magically increase jobs. Their mendacity is matched by their brazenness.
In Two: A professor stumping for these policies makes swift habit of lying for his benefit, and to the detriment of you. His mendacity is…
In Two: A professor stumping for these policies makes swift habit of lying for his benefit, and to the detriment of you. His mendacity is…
Sunday, September 19, 2010
How many states?
Lost State catches conservatives clueless on number of states.
I guess maybe they count Puerto Rico already?
I guess maybe they count Puerto Rico already?
I think I passed that once
The story of Zzyzxx.
A fellow MetaFilter member also made the film mentioned in the article and sent me a copy. I don't remember it that well, (there was another movie around the same time with a similar name — honest! — and I always get them confused) but I think I still have the DVD around here somewhere.
A fellow MetaFilter member also made the film mentioned in the article and sent me a copy. I don't remember it that well, (there was another movie around the same time with a similar name — honest! — and I always get them confused) but I think I still have the DVD around here somewhere.
We don't have to be like they are
Japandroid's Heavenward Grand Prix. That "We don't have to be like they are" is ripped from something else just outside of my memory box.
Saturday, September 18, 2010
Making Future Magic
Making Future Magic: iPad light painting from Dentsu London on Vimeo.
My mother often refers to the mechanism of photography as "magic." She knows, at least intellectually, that it's silver halide ions filling their electron shells with photons, but that kind of explanation just doesn't do anything for her. "Magic" fits how she thinks better.
This is a fun little proof-of-concept video for Making Future Magic, who use the iPad to create animated light images. I do wish that they'd branched out a little further from just tossing their logo into different situations, but there's a tremendous potential here for someone who can take this technology and use it in an evocative way. The form recalls hallucinations, spirits, sprites, the whole panoply of late 19th and early 20th century occult experimentation with photography.
It's really quite magical.
Thursday, September 16, 2010
Ten More Ways To Die In Canada
Posted by Corbin in "Travel Tips," Ten Ways To Die In Canada is a decent, if lackluster, start.
Bears? Sure. Rattlesnakes? Maybe… West Nile Virus? Aren't we pushing this a bit just to make ten?
Ten more ways to die in Canada:
1) Hockey fight.
Likely a pick-up game where the lone Wings fan keeps riding the lone Habs fan about the Richard Riots and gets shirted. To avoid this, you must concede that the last Wings season was pretty disappointing and that Guy Lafleur might be able to take Yzerman.
2) Drunk on mickeys and two-fors.
Chasing Alberta rye with Moosehead seems like a quaint local custom, but then you're being wheeled out of some basement in Surrey and dumped in the Serpentine Fen. It's like, whoa, slow down der den.
3) Brained with a Juno.
They're like the Canadian Grammy's, thus guaranteeing that the only place you will ever run the risk of an irate wife driving the glass head of the Tragically Hip's Junie (or whatever they call them) into your temple is Canada.
4) Ennui
Looking out over the plains of south Ontario just, you know, gets to you, especially in February, when you haven't seen the sun in months and everything is just gray…
5) Trapped on a burning bus with William Shatner, Michael J. Fox, Paul Shaffer and Ryan Reynolds.
This one pretty much explains itself, but it's one of the best reasons to avoid public transit while in Canada.
6) Contaminated homemade poutine.
Spoiled turkey gravy kills more people than scurvy in Canada, especially when ladled from an uncovered can left out on the counter. While it's often so cold that you have to wear three sweaters indoors, this is not a food safe temperature.
7) Killed for tire money.
Canadians are so confused by their looneys and their tooneys and their throonies and their foonies that they've retreated to the only common currency: Canadian Tire Money (CTM). Avoid being jacked by violent criminals that stray over the border from America at will, simply by keeping your CTM on a card or in convenient tire form.
8) Gored at a rodeo.
For some reason, Alberta has these huge rodeos that are full of ways to die, which you might as well, being at a rodeo in Alberta.
9) Choke to death on Timbits.
There's a dutchie Timbit lodged in your throat, and you're slapping the table, knocking over the other 17 from your pity pack onto the floor, and everyone's just politely ignoring you. They know you are an American, and thus not allowed to be helped by their socialist Heimlich maneuver.
10) In French.
Zut allors! Je suis mort! Au Québec!
Bears? Sure. Rattlesnakes? Maybe… West Nile Virus? Aren't we pushing this a bit just to make ten?
Ten more ways to die in Canada:
1) Hockey fight.
Likely a pick-up game where the lone Wings fan keeps riding the lone Habs fan about the Richard Riots and gets shirted. To avoid this, you must concede that the last Wings season was pretty disappointing and that Guy Lafleur might be able to take Yzerman.
2) Drunk on mickeys and two-fors.
Chasing Alberta rye with Moosehead seems like a quaint local custom, but then you're being wheeled out of some basement in Surrey and dumped in the Serpentine Fen. It's like, whoa, slow down der den.
3) Brained with a Juno.
They're like the Canadian Grammy's, thus guaranteeing that the only place you will ever run the risk of an irate wife driving the glass head of the Tragically Hip's Junie (or whatever they call them) into your temple is Canada.
4) Ennui
Looking out over the plains of south Ontario just, you know, gets to you, especially in February, when you haven't seen the sun in months and everything is just gray…
5) Trapped on a burning bus with William Shatner, Michael J. Fox, Paul Shaffer and Ryan Reynolds.
This one pretty much explains itself, but it's one of the best reasons to avoid public transit while in Canada.
6) Contaminated homemade poutine.
Spoiled turkey gravy kills more people than scurvy in Canada, especially when ladled from an uncovered can left out on the counter. While it's often so cold that you have to wear three sweaters indoors, this is not a food safe temperature.
7) Killed for tire money.
Canadians are so confused by their looneys and their tooneys and their throonies and their foonies that they've retreated to the only common currency: Canadian Tire Money (CTM). Avoid being jacked by violent criminals that stray over the border from America at will, simply by keeping your CTM on a card or in convenient tire form.
8) Gored at a rodeo.
For some reason, Alberta has these huge rodeos that are full of ways to die, which you might as well, being at a rodeo in Alberta.
9) Choke to death on Timbits.
There's a dutchie Timbit lodged in your throat, and you're slapping the table, knocking over the other 17 from your pity pack onto the floor, and everyone's just politely ignoring you. They know you are an American, and thus not allowed to be helped by their socialist Heimlich maneuver.
10) In French.
Zut allors! Je suis mort! Au Québec!
Monday, September 13, 2010
Kibitz a bit
Canter's inspires font; Canter's finds font; Font designer wraps truck.
Couple of cool things in this, like finding out who actually makes the gourmet food trucks around town, as well as a pretty cool font.
Couple of cool things in this, like finding out who actually makes the gourmet food trucks around town, as well as a pretty cool font.
Saturday, September 11, 2010
Yo dog Greg Nog
On prompting from The Whelk, Greg Nog battered two slices of cheese, then used those as bread in a grilled-chese-cheese-cheese sandwich. While it's too much dairy for me personally, this is the type of attitude that gets science done, and I salute it.
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