In the Shadow of Sputnik

The Man Came Around

2010-11-03T14:18:00.004-05:00

This sounds incredibly cheesy, I know, but I felt a void this morning that needed filling but by what I had no idea. Then The Man In Black came to my rescue. I don't know why, but these (mostly) slow, depressing songs put me in a great mood. Enjoy!

"To change oneself. My trouble is laziness."

2010-10-29T11:13:00.004-05:00

So, I have been meaning to start again with the writing...maybe some day...with the post on Ingmar Bergman that is rolling around in my head. But for now, music!

What what...

2010-10-25T14:47:00.002-05:00

The very strange mix of music that's been running through my mind as I run around San Fran for work. I think I need more sleep and less coffee...

I telt you it was a weird mix.

Running Around My Head

2010-10-20T16:42:00.004-05:00

A bunch of songs I can't seem to get out of my head lately, now get to be stuck in yours. Pretty much all older stuff, but maybe some of it'll be new to you.

Sure is.

2010-08-12T17:00:00.006-05:00

I'm extremely happy to see that Sputnik has decided to start blogging again; maybe the rest of us will too. But in the meantime and because I'm an ass, I'm posting this just to counter her intelligent discussion, just as it used to be. Enjoy.

A Post for my Facebook Friends Ranting about the Cordoba Mosque

2010-08-09T13:49:00.015-05:00

As I opened facebook today, I was disheartened to see almost an entire page of status updates and articles opposed to the construction of the Cordoba House Mosque near the former WTC site. Perhaps not surprisingly, most of these comments came from the real America, that is, my friends and acquaintances from Ohio (not my uber-liberal, latte drinking commie friends within the ivory tower). My initial inclination was to reply to the mosque opponents in their statuses, however, I stopped for two reasons. First, I haven't spoken to many of these people in years so suddenly blindsiding them with my political beliefs seems, well, douchey. Second, I've finally resigned myself to the fact that you can never win someone over to your side during an argument, only a conversation. With that in mind, I hope that a few of the mosque opponents will read this. Afterwards, please feel free to converse or simply call me a moron in the comments.

To be honest, my main problem with this debate is not the question of whether the mosque is built. Although, I strongly agree with one side of the argument, I can see the other side's point. My real problem is that acquaintances of mine feel comfortable casually writing blatantly hateful anti-Muslim remarks in a public forum. I find this really disturbing. As such, my comments will be directed primarily at their portrayal of Muslims.

The common theme within the anti-mosque arguments is that Americans have been tolerant enough already to Muslims - we accept them but they continue to kill us. A mosque at the WTC site is simply asking too much given that 3,000 innocent Americans died there because of Muslim fanatics. I sympathize with the anger you have, but I have a number of problems with this argument. (I'll limit myself to five):

First, a semantic point- we're not really 'accepting' Muslims as a religious group if we try to deny them the ability to legally construct their places of worship. That's called discrimination and it seems to fundamentally conflict with the First Amendment: 'Congress shall make no law respecting the establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof...' I'm guessing from other facebook posts that my mosque opponent friends tend to be pretty big fans of the founding fathers -- well, that's the very first thing that the founding fathers wrote down in the Bill of Rights.

Second, to conflate the beliefs of the 19 religious fanatics who attacked on 9/11 with all 1.57 billion Muslims, or 23% of the world's population, is astonishingly ignorant. For a start, you might want to check out this wikipedia page, just to get a feel for how different the individuals who call themselves Muslim can be each other. Next, I think you should open any major newspaper. Now go to the international section. Now find a story about Muslim extremists killing innocent civilians. Who were those victims? I think you'll be astonished to discover how often the victims were also Muslims. Didn't you ever wonder why this was the case? If extremists like Al-Qaeda represent the political beliefs of all Muslims, why the hell would they spend most of their time attacking other Muslims? I'm genuinely confused as to how a reasonable person could make any sense of the Middle East if they treat Muslims as a monolithic whole.

Now, I'm not saying that there are not plenty of Muslims out there who hate the US - there certainly are - but I hope you'll agree that when you're talking about a quarter of the world's population, it's simply impossible to make blanket statements about them. In this context, your statements such as "they stone people" or "they blow themselves up" or "they're racist" are horrendously unfair to the vast majority of Muslims. They also display an impressive lack of understanding of religion, politics, international relations, history, current affairs and, well, irony.

Third, I got the sense from many of the conversations on facebook that mosque opponents genuinely do not understand why so many Muslims hate America. I don't want to get into the whole "they hate us for who we are" vs. "they hate us for what we do" debate, but I hope that even mosque opponents will grant that wars (even when motivated by genuinely good sentiments) are not surgical procedures. Justified or not, American actions have resulted in a huge amount of collateral damage to civilian populations in predominately Muslim countries that breeds resentment. I suggest reading this 2009 post by Stephen Walt to get a feel for the reasons behind anti-American sentiment. Even using conservative estimates for Muslim fatalities, Walt finds that "the United States has killed nearly 30 Muslims for every American lost. The real ratio is probably much higher, and a reasonable upper bound for Muslim fatalities... is well over one million, equivalent to over 100 Muslim fatalities for every American lost."

Fourth, several mosque opponents published excerpts from the Qu'ran as evidence that Islam is a distinctly violent religion. As an atheist, I'm not going to debate the validity of any religious belief. But I will note that all of the major religious texts contain good, bad and absolutely appalling verses that can be used by good, bad and absolutely appalling people to justify their good, bad or absolutely appalling actions. If any of my Christian friends would like to debate me on this point, I'm more than happy to Bible thump up some verses that will scare the hell out of you.

Fifth, if you'll grant my last point that religion can be used as a force for good or evil, tolerance or intolerance, then I think you should look at the motives of Imam Feisal Abdul Rauf, one of the leading forces behind the mosque. Please read this article by Fareed Zakaria, who makes an excellent point when he argues, "If there is going to be a reformist movement in Islam, it is going to emerge from places like the proposed institute. We should be encouraging groups like the one behind this project, not demonizing them. Were this mosque being built in a foreign city, chances are that the U.S. government would be funding it."

What I learned today...

2010-08-03T16:20:00.005-05:00

I doubt anyone ever checks this blog anymore since all of its bloggers have abandoned their posts, but I'm feeling antsy so maybe I'll start back up for awhile. I've even thought of a new way of blogging that hopefully encourages me to write interesting things, but avoids my tendency to over analyze everything that I put out here. Here's the plan: I will write one post every weekday for the next couple of weeks sharing the most interesting fact that I learned that day. If possible, I will try to guilt trip the other writers on the blog into following suit. If anyone actually visits this blog and likes it, they can write an indecipherable string of words in the comments presumably for the purpose of selling viagra and I will know that I have succeeded. (That is what those commentators were trying to say, right?)

Anyway, today's most interesting fact is about the sheer intensity of the allied bombing efforts against the German front line during WWI. I knew it was brutal, but Stephen Biddle's Military Power: Explaining Victory and Defeat in the Modern Battle has some truly mind-blowing statistics. Here are a couple of the quotes that illustrate what I mean:

Regarding the Battle of Messines:

"German trenches in 1917 suffered obliterating artillery barrages of literally atomic magnitudes: the ten-day Allied bombardment before Messines in July 1917 dropped about 1,200 tons of explosives - in nuclear parlance, more than a kiloton, or more explosive power than the U.S. W48 tactical nuclear warhead- on every mile of German defensive frontage." (Pg 30)

Regarding the Battle of Passchendaele:

"Preparatory barrages reached extraordinary intensity: the seven-week long bombardment before Passchendaele in June 1917 consumed some 4.3 million shells (or the industrial output of 55,000 workers for a year at a cost of 22 million pounds, just short of the cost of the entire Home Army in 1914) yet failed to produce a breakthrough." (32)

If that description didn't drive home the size of the artillery barrage, perhaps this before and after photo will:

Alright, that's it for day one. Let's hope the most interesting thing that I learn tomorrow will be less depressing.

On repeat this week.

2010-01-22T14:53:00.002-06:00

Sputnik and I were at this show, good times.

On repeat this week.

2010-01-15T10:52:00.003-06:00

RIP Jay Reatard.

(Clipse)

(Sister Machine Gun)

(Mos Def feat. Slick Rick)

On repeat this week.

2009-12-29T15:47:00.002-06:00

On repeat this week.

2009-12-18T11:32:00.002-06:00

Get UP off my lawn.

2009-12-16T13:51:00.000-06:00

On repeat this week.

2009-12-11T10:45:00.002-06:00

On repeat this week.

2009-12-04T14:12:00.002-06:00

2009-11-20T17:59:00.001-06:00

(via the whoa!)

...touch it?

2009-11-18T16:08:00.001-06:00

Best one yet. Richter steals the show, again.

Between Two Ferns with Zach Galifianakis from Between Two Ferns

Great advice from a great man

2009-11-16T11:56:00.003-06:00

...and a better writer.

(via filmdrunk)

On repeat this week.

2009-11-13T09:44:00.003-06:00

Apparently, it's punk/metal week on Sputnik.

(pantera)

(be your own pet)

(lars frederiksen and the bastards)

(mariachi el bronx)

(down - phil anselmo's other band. I guess his only band now that pantera is no more.)

(rancid - i've probably already said enough about this album.)

(gallows - good fun)

NOLA

2009-11-10T15:07:00.002-06:00

I am back from New Orleans and, for a place I never thought I would like and never ever wanted to even visit ... I loved it. If I had the opportunity I would probably move to the French Quarter right now.

Because of my completely addictive personality, I am currently obsessed with the Rancid song New Orleans. Enjoy.

Photo of the day.

2009-10-31T09:00:00.001-05:00

Nothing clever to say today, just enjoy. I'm off to NOLA for a few days, I'll spew more garbage when I return.

Photo of the day.

2009-10-30T11:00:00.002-05:00

Rent or buy Sunshine, you will not be disappointed.

On repeat this week.

2009-10-30T09:40:00.001-05:00

Photo of the day.

2009-10-29T12:00:00.001-05:00

Hey, guess what? If you haven't seen Gilda, then shame be on your home.

Wednesday's new artist...

2009-10-28T16:58:00.003-05:00

Is me. I got lazy, so here are some photos I have taken over the last year. They span three continents (Africa [Morocco], Australia, and North America [Michigan and Florida]). Enjoy.

Photo of the day.

2009-10-28T11:00:00.000-05:00

If you haven't seen Rear Window, you are seriously missing out.

Photo of the day.

2009-10-27T15:14:00.003-05:00

If you have not yet seen Malena, fix that.

Movie Posters

2009-10-25T17:38:00.001-05:00

A few weeks ago TCCandler posted their "100 Greatest Movie Posters". Not movies, but the posters. There are several very good ones on there; I've picked a few of my favorites (both posters and movies) on their list and added a few I would have liked to have seen included. Enjoy.

Chinatown (1974)

Secretary (2002)

Irreversible (2002)

Veritgo (1958)

The Descent (2005)

The Rocketeer (1991)

Others that I would like to see on the list:

The Girlfriend Experience (2009) - an okay movie, but I am obsessed with this poster

The Broken (2008) - the movie was pretty good, but the poster is great

The Lady From Shanghai (1947) - Gilda (included on the Candler list) is a far superior film, but I like this Rita Hayworth poster much better

Touch of Evil (1958) - a great noir poster and an even better noir movie, even if Charleton Heston plays a Mexican...

Any other posters you guys really like?

On repeat this week.

2009-10-23T12:18:00.002-05:00

...or really the past few weeks. I'm back and ready to share more music with you all, cuz you care.

Ehud Olmert Protest at the University of Chicago

2009-10-21T09:10:00.004-05:00

Last Thursday, former Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert attempted to give a speech at the Harris School for Public Policy here at UofC. Here's what happened:

Predictably, the usual response ensued- described by some as freedom of speech and by others as 'Tragic...anti-semitism, hitler lovefest at Muslim protest against Jews.'

UofC President Robert Zimmer responded yesterday evening by sending an email to all students, faculty and staff:

At the height of attacks on the University of Chicago in the 1930s as a “hot bed of radicalism” by politicians and the national press, President Robert Maynard Hutchins responded by proclaiming our core values, asserting that “… free inquiry is indispensable to the good life, that universities exist for the sake of such inquiry, that without it they cease to be universities, and that such inquiry and hence universities are more necessary now than ever.”

This culture of inquiry and informed argument is a cherished hallmark of the University of Chicago. It flourishes in an environment where what matters is what you say, not who you are. We believe that in the open clash of ideas, progress is made and understanding emerges. But like any cultural conviction, an environment of informed argument and critical inquiry must be nurtured. It creates for the faculty, students, and staff of the University of Chicago the fundamental right and responsibility to foster and protect rational discourse in an environment marked both by the rigorous challenge of ideas and by tolerance for the expression of multiple viewpoints.

Speakers invited by faculty and students should have every expectation to be treated in accord with the highest ideals of the University. There is also a reciprocal obligation to hear from those who wish to express dissent, but not in a manner that prevents the speech of those with whom they disagree. At institutions without our strong tradition of free inquiry, speakers have been prevented from freely presenting their ideas. We had such an event occur on our campus last week. It is in this context and given the particular history of our institution that the repeated disruption by audience members of the views presented by Prime Minister Ehud Olmert, speaking at the invitation of the Harris School, is disturbing. Any stifling of debate runs counter to the primary values of the University of Chicago and to our long-standing position as an exemplar of academic freedom. It is a rupture of the sort that is rare on our campus because of our shared views of the importance of inquiry, discourse, and informed argument.

In the tradition of President Hutchins, his predecessors and successors, we remain committed to fostering an arena for the free expression of ideas because it is the essence of our existence as a great University, and we as a community will continue to defend the rights to free expression on our campus.

Also predictably, the UofC students that I've spoken to are outraged by what they see at Zimmer's invocation of freedom of speech in order to limit freedom of speech.

Some (semi-random) thoughts on discussions of Israel at UofC

1. Having spent several years there by now, the claim (by Campus Watch and others) that the university has an antisemitic environment is absurd. At the most basic level, the university is accommodating of all religious faiths across the board. Tuition is too high and students are too savvy for the administration to take any other line than the politically correct one. Specifically, however, if UofC should be called anything, it should be called a historic home for (secular and religious) Jewish intellectual thought- featuring the Committee on Jewish Studies, the Chabad Jewish Center, and many esteemed Jewish faculty members - such as Bellow, Morgenthau, Bloom and Strauss - who fundamentally shaped the curriculum and culture of the university. It's hard to imagine what UofC would look like without them.

2. Although I've had countless heated debates about Israeli foreign policy - both inside and outside of class - I've never once heard anyone make even a slightly disparaging remark about Jews. People around here are smart enough to make the distinction between Israel as a state, the Jews as a community, and Judaism as a religion. That might not be true for all of the protesters who come to campus... but that's a different issue.

3. Student groups like the Conservative Coalition and Chicago Friends of Israel make sure that many influential Israeli and Neoconservative politicians are able speak on campus, such as John Bolton and Richard Perle. I've attended a couple of these speeches, and while the atmosphere could be charged, the debates were always civil.

4. Having served as TA for most of the large undergraduate lecture courses in Political Science, I've noticed that Israel comes up under three circumstances- 1) in favorable terms in discussions of the Middle East; 2) as a victim of terrorism; and 3) the IDF as an 'incredibly efficient fighting force.' Palestinians are rarely, if ever, mentioned in these courses.

As the last two points show, in terms of the Palestinian-Israeli conflict, students are much more likely to be exposed to the pro-Israeli viewpoint from faculty and invited guests.

5. I can't even come up with words to describe how awful I think the personal charges of antisemitism against Mearsheimer for publishing The Israel Lobby are. Moronic comments about the book on Amazon from people who have clearly never read a page are bad enough, but statements like this one, from David Rothkopf are truly appalling:

"They may not be anti-Semites themselves but they made a cynical decision to cash in on anti-Semitism by offering to dress up old hatreds in the dowdy Brooks Brothers suits of the Kennedy School and the University of Chicago. They did what the most desperate members of academia do, they signed up to be rent-a-validators, akin to expert witnesses who support the defense of felons with specious theories served up on fancy diplomas…. In reality they were giving one crowd in particular precisely what it wanted to hear."

I'm going to rely on Jerome Slater's brilliant rebuttal of these claims:

"In nearly fifty years in this profession, I cannot recall seeing in a professional publication a more defamatory, demagogic, and irresponsible passage. Mearsheimer and Walt, two of our most prestigious academicians (ranked fifth and twenty-second, respectively, in a survey of international relations scholars having the greatest impact in their field), chaired professors at two of the world’s greatest universities, are either personally anti-Semitic or cynical hacks who decided to “cash in” on anti-Semitism– presumably meaning to advance their careers, if not to become rich.
Perhaps I may be in a better position to respond to this attack than Mearsheimer and Walt, and not merely because I have my own criticisms of The Israel Lobby. Unlike Walt and Mearsheimer, I’m Jewish, which may make it somewhat more difficult to charge me with anti-Semitism—though of course not impossible, since there is always the self-hating Jew gambit. Moreover, as a former Fulbright lecturer at Haifa University, and once a volunteer to serve in the Israeli navy, it presumably is also slightly more difficult to charge me with being “anti-Israel.”
Second, since I am merely a member of the academic middle class with no connection to either Harvard’s Kennedy School or Chicago’s political science department, I cannot be considered to be a Brooks Brothers suit-wearing member of what Rothkopf, apparently having failed to look up the names of the faculty at those institutions, hilariously seems to believe is a preserve of a stuffy Wasp academic aristocracy.
Finally– and by no means least–while it may be beneath the dignity of Walt and Mearsheimer to respond to Rothkopf’s vicious personal attack, it is certainly not beneath mine.
Rothkopf’s attack on the motives of Walt and Mearsheimer is made without even a hint of evidence to support it. Apparently, Rothkopf thinks evidence is irrelevant, a fault that is hardly uncommon among those who cannot abide serious criticism of Israeli and U.S. policies. Indeed, since his entire piece is full of self-referential comments—“Believe me,” “I know for a fact,” “My problem is,” “I’m ok with that,” “Freeman I can forgive, Walt, not”—Rothkopf apparently expects readers to accept his charges merely on his say-so."

6. I don't envy Zimmer's position right now; he must be facing pressure from all fronts. On the one hand, I think he is right about the university's tradition of open (and generally civil) debate. And honestly, I think a more effective strategy for the protesters to get their message across would have been to prepare very articulate and damning questions for Olmert during the Q&A session - in conjunction with very vocal protest outside. Also remember how annoyed everyone was at the town hall protesters when they wouldn't allow Democrats to explain their positions on health care? Yeah... this is how that looks from the other side. On the other hand, given the relative dearth of pro-Palestinian discussion on campus, the debate was hardly balanced from the beginning. Screaming also attracted international attention to an event that otherwise would have gone unnoticed. Finally, whether you sympathize on this issue or not, I imagine everyone has some issue that could get them up in arms like the protesters. Who would want to limit a form of discourse that they might someday need to engage in?

Alright... any thoughts anyone?

On repeat this week.

2009-10-09T10:32:00.003-05:00

(great collection of b-sides, demos, and live tracks. best version of About Today you will hear without being there.)

(contains All the Wine, All Dolled Up in Straps, and the original version of About Today. three of my favorite songs from my favorite group.)

(oh how i miss you elastica. where have you gone?)

(a great crutch for pumping you up to get 30 things done all at once. all most as good as chugging coffee. almost.)

Wednesday's new artist...

2009-10-07T17:36:00.002-05:00

Is my cousin Grant Hickey. See more here. Do it.

On repeat this week.

2009-10-02T10:24:00.003-05:00

If you like Arctic Monkeys crossed with Southern Rock (it's actually a good thing) check 'em out.

Haven't listened to the FLC in a long time. Too long.

FF's best, in my opinion

The Beatles' White Album + Jay-Z's Black Album = Awesome

"I'm gonna do all the grocery shopping for the White House myself."

2009-10-01T20:42:00.002-05:00

See more Drunk History here.

Wednesday's new artist...

2009-09-30T09:48:00.002-05:00

Is Will Murai. Check him and maybe even buy some.

On repeat this week.

2009-09-25T09:15:00.001-05:00

But I got 500 channels and nothing's ever on.

2009-09-24T11:22:00.004-05:00

Really America, really? But why? Open a book, take a walk, or do battle with Zombies. Anything but more American Idol or The O'Reilly Factor.

I don't even know how one can watch an average of 8 hours of television a day. I suppose my consumption goes up on the weekend, but still, 8 hours?!

(Via, via)

Best Young Directors

2009-09-11T17:00:00.000-05:00

I seem to borrow a lot of ideas from Pajiba, a site I check constantly. Awhile ago they published a Best Sophomore Directors list which I really enjoyed and which inspired me to draft this list, even with its Pajiba-crossover.

The title may be a bit misleading as these boys are not all young, but are relatively new directors who's work has really moved me without an extensive catalogue (5 or less movies completed in a short period of time, cause 5 movies can be a whole career for some) of work like a FF Coppola, Scorcese, Howard Hawks, or Sergio Leone.

Shane Black - Kiss Kiss Bang Bang. This is on my top five favorites of all time and has been since I first saw it. Robert Downey Jr doing what he does best, Val Kilmer doing what he used to do so well. While KKBB is his only directing gig, Black is also responsible for writing Lethal Weapons 1-3, The Last Boy Scout and The Long Kiss Goodnight (which I re-watched last week and it's STILL as awesome as you remember it being).

Noah Baumbach - Kicking and Screaming; Highball; Mr. Jealousy; Margot at the Wedding; The Squid and the Whale.

Darren Aronofsky - Pi; Requiem for a Dream; The Fountain; The Wrestler. He is now begining work on Black Swan (seriously, click the link to learn more, you will not be sorry), a ballet movie with a dark side. Also, he's married to her. This man is living my dream.

David Gordon Green - George Washington; All the Real Girls; Undertow; Snow Angels; Pineapple Express. Besides Pineapple, his movies are low budget, local and depressing. See 'em all.

Rian Johnson - Brick; The Brothers Bloom. I have probably already said enough about these two films on this site. If you haven't seem them, shame on you.

Tomas McCarthy - The Station Agent; The Visitor. You probably know him as an actor from the best part of season 5 of The Wire, or elsewhere, but you should get to know him as a writer/director. Both of his films are wonderfully intimate tales of lonlieness and the need for family, in whatever form it may take these days.

Jonathan Levine - All the Boys Love Mandy Lane; The Wackness. I have not seen Mandy Lane and cannot find it, but I understand it is a great horror film in the vein of Behind the Mask. The Wackness is a great little film about growing up (whether you're 18 or 60 - I'm looking at you Sir Ben).

Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu - Amores Perros, 21 Grams and Babel.

Okay, so 3 of the 5 directors on Pajiba's list are on mine too; maybe this is more than overlap and really just a bending of their rules so I could show off. Regardless, I guarantee you can watch any of these movies and thoroughly enjoy them (except maybe Aranofsky's, his name is usually nowhere near the word enjoy due to the tone of his films, but he is a master craftsman). You've got some homework to do.

Who else would you place on this list (limit the director to 5 full length films or less)?

On repeat this week.

2009-09-11T11:42:00.003-05:00

Sorry that I did not have an Artist of the Week and will not have one next week either (watch out Bourbon Country, here I come!). Instead I will point you to daily posts from two of my favorites, Yimmys Yayo and Billy is Gray (who I have made the Artist of the Week before).

Here is what I've been listening to.

"These Vegans are increasingly known as the Taliban of Dieters."

2009-09-10T11:28:00.002-05:00

(via TWBE)

Good point. It's nap time.

2009-09-09T12:10:00.002-05:00

(Via xkcd)

Just so we're clear.

2009-09-08T20:47:00.001-05:00

But let's not forget the smug sense of superiority, now shall we?

2009-09-08T10:58:00.002-05:00

Link via PhDComics

On repeat this week.

2009-09-04T10:58:00.005-05:00

Really, I have listened to nothing besides NIN for 8 to 10 hours a day all week. It's a sickness. So, instead of posting a bunch of NIN album covers, I will say that the Wave Goodbye show was incredible and I will miss the Nails very much (even if they are only going away as a touring band). I will leave you with this: a link from NYCtaper of their 26 August show at Terminal 5 in NYC, which was a very similar set list to the Chicago show I saw. Go, download and enjoy it now!

Quote of the day.

2009-09-02T15:20:00.002-05:00

"Nothing hurts a film’s box office chances more than being labeled intelligent"

-Steven Lloyd Wilson, Pajiba

Read his review of Gattaca here.

Wednesday's new artist...

2009-09-02T13:29:00.003-05:00

Is Max Papeschi from Milan, Italy. See more here and here.

Summer Movie Round Up Part II

2009-08-31T15:25:00.013-05:00

While reading Pajiba Publisher Dustin Rowels' summer round up, I realized that my own was somewhat flawed (or maybe not) in that I did not choose a top 5 (and I'm sure there is plenty else wrong too). So today I have corrected that oversight with my own top 5. I don't think it's any sort of coincidence that I tend to link to Pajiba in every movie post and that mine and Dustin's lists have a large bit of overlap. Maybe I'm just un-original but I hope not.

His:

1. (500) Days of Summer
2. District 9
3. Away We Go
4. The Brothers Bloom
5. Star Trek

Mine:

5. District 9 - It's been said many ways in many places, but action and sci-fi movie makers at every level should learn from this one.

4. The Hurt Locker - The suspense, the explosions, the story and the acting made this my favorite action (though some woudn't put that tag on it) movie so far this year.

3. The Hangover - My face really and truly hurt from laughing so much at this one. That hasn't happend in a theater in a long time.

2. The Brothers Bloom - while watching this in the theater, I remember actually thinking to myself, "this is my favorite movie of all time." Now, as you may have previously noted, I thought it was a little too clever for itself, and it didn't end up being my all-time favorite, but Bloom was one heck of a ride that I plan to enjoy again and again. Also, Rachel Weisz.

1. (500) Days of Summer - After all that I have posted here, was that any surprise?

Though these are my top 5, I stick by my earlier post and think it was a pretty darn good summer for movies. Anyone else got a top 5 list they want to share?

"Yes, I killed him. I killed him for money - and a woman - and I didn't get the money and I didn't get the woman. Pretty, isn't it?"

2009-08-28T11:17:00.008-05:00

That line from Double Indeminty pretty much sums up the Film Noir genre. I have been working on writing a piece on my favoirte film genre, the Noir, for some time. Turns out, Drew Morton at Pajiba has done all the work for me. He has written a top 5 list with the following perameters and, I must say, his list is excellent. I love all of these movies and especially the top two.

Morton's rules: The films must cover "the classical age of the film noir which, according to filmmaker and noir scholar Paul Schrader, ranged from 1941 to 1958 or, to use specific films as temporal boundaries, from John Huston’s The Maltese Falcon (1941) to Orson Welles’ Touch of Evil (1958)" and there can only be " one film per director with the

hope of offering up a bit more of a variety."

Now go, my children, and learn thee much about the wonderful world of Noir.

“The Top 5 Noirs from the Classical Age” according to Drew Morton (click the title for the column)
#5: Alfred Hitchcock’s Strangers on a Train
#4: Stanley Kubrick’s The Killing
#3: Carol Reed’s The Third Man
#2: Orson Welles’s Touch of Evil
#1: Billy Wilder's Double Indemnity

On repeat this week.

2009-08-28T08:51:00.002-05:00

One of these things is not like the other ...

Summer Movie Round Up.

2009-08-27T09:00:00.001-05:00

As we reach the end of summer (can you believe that, already?), I wanted to give you all (all two of you) a follow up to my Summer Movie Guide. I saw all of the movies that I previewed except It Might Get Loud, which hasn't made its way to Chicago yet, and The Time Traveler's Wife, which I couldn't bring myself to see. Also, I somehow left The Hangover and Star Trek off the Guide, so they are added to my round up along with a few others.

(500) Days of Summer - Not so shockingly, this was my favorite movie of the summer. A wonderful story and not just a pretty face. Also, check out this great post on JGL.

Terminator Salvation - The first, and maybe only (see Inglourious Basterds below) let down of the summer for me. Granted, it was a McG movie, so I shouldn't have gotten my hopes as high as I did, but still. Sad. However, I do find that this movie can be explained away by the fact that Christian Bale was originally supposed to play the Terminator and when he decided to play John Connor instead, the story was partially rewritten. There are also rumors that they were working off of mulitiple scripts, which would certainly cause some sort of chaos. Anyway, a movie with some fun, but not worth remembering (so I put the Judgment Day trailer up instead).

District 9 - My surprise of the summer. I expected it to be good, but it was so much more than I thought it would be. There is enough action to satiate any Transformers follower, but intelligence enough to make it watchable.

The Hurt Locker - Brilliant. Just brilliant. I rue the fact that GI Joe and Transformers have taken in a combined $496 Million while D-9 and Hurt Locker have made $47 Million. Granted, the budget for D-9 was $30M and Hurt Lockers was probably no more than that, but these two movies were what summer blockbusters should be. There was more than enough action in them while still being intelligent and thought provoking in several ways. Things I have not heard from Joe or the Trannies.

Star Trek - The first of the big blockbusters of the summer. It was intelligent and lots of fun. It is also the first JJ Abrams vehicle that I have really enjoyed. Other than PSH's way-too-small part in the otherwise lousy M:i:III (I don't like that colon to letter ratio).

Moon - Another great Sci-Fi movie. I would put it more akin to 2001 than Star Trek; it is an expoloration of loneliness, longing and determination through the eyes of technology.

In The Loop - a great little Aaron Sorkin-esque political film. What Wag the Dog should have been. See it asap. And yes, that is My Girl!

The Hangover - Funniest damned movie of the summer, no doubt. I don't think I really need to say anything about it since everyone and their father (including mine) has seen it, so that's that.

The Brothers Bloom - Rian Johnson's follow up to Brick. It was a little too intelligent for its own good, but it was so fun to watch all the different cons unfold that over indulgence is a-okay with me. I still like Brick better, but for me that is like saying The Killing is just okay when compared with Dr. Strangelove - it doesn't matter because Kubrick is better than 99% of what is out there.

Inglourious Basterds - I'm not really sure what I think of this one yet. I loved parts; I was not so enamored of other parts; one part I straight up hated. However, based on the writings of Karina at Spout and of Riku Writes, I will need to see it again to truly decide. Riku writes:

"I love the shot of the cream and the strudel. That was a nice touch that shows a film maker who is patient and meticulous. Reminds me of the Coen brothers shot of the uncrinkling wrapper in No Country."

I may have to see it again, and quite soon. I was expecting something that the Basterds was not and it needs revisiting. Maybe Brad Pitt's character's closing line was spot on.

Public Enemies - Michael Mann's best work since Heat, in my opinion. I loved Collateral too, but I think this was better. Enemies deserves to be seen on the largest and loudest screen you can find - it'll give you what I imagine is a pretty good idea of what it is to be in a gun fight in the woods with a Tommy Gun. Scary and loud as hell.

Dead Snow - Scissors Happy mentioned this one in the comments and off we went to see it. If you love B-movie horror, especially the Evil Dead trilogy (as the movie is not afraid to mention) you will love this. One that is meant to be seen in a crowded theater (or living room) with some of your closest, jumpiest friends.

Thirst - Chan-wook Park makes a departure in story from his vengeance trilogy, which he is best known for, with Thirst. He does, however, maintain the level gratuitous violence that he is known for. However, Thirst is esentially a comedic horror love story. I wouldn't call it a black comedy, but I did laugh out loud at least a half dozen times. And it is a vampire movie, but really it is a love story about people finding out who they really are. But don't forget the violence. As the senior citizen who followed us into the movie last night asked her husband "do you want to move back? It's a splatter-er."

So, oh so faithful reader(s): what did you think of any of the films above that you saw, and what were your favorites of the summer?

PS - I will be doing a fall/winter preview soon enough, but until then salivate over this Inception teaser.

Wednesday's new artist...

2009-08-26T10:14:00.003-05:00

Is Aidan Hughes, aka BRUTE! He is responsible for nearly every KMFDM album cover, which was my first exposure to him, as well as some other great woodblock work for magazines, BBC, and Warner Bros. Browse and purchase here. Do it.

"...cause I'm leaking toxins."

2009-08-26T10:01:00.002-05:00

Something to look forward to on tv this fall ... if you have HBO (click the link for a better preview and to make sense of my title).

Interesting. Not sure why you'd want to eat a Big Mac, but interesting.

2009-08-21T10:42:00.003-05:00

Way to go Chicago ... I think.

(via boing boing from the economist)

On repeat this week.

2009-08-21T09:22:00.003-05:00

(nin - year zero [my favorite nin album since, well the last one. Reznor is still that good.] I also get to see nin for one of their last live shows, ever. suck it, bitches.)

(KMFDM - their best album in my opinion)

(Tapes 'n Tapes - saw them with AB last weekend along with Art Brut. Great show)

(yes, Mariachi el Bronx. Again.)

Wednesday's new artist...

2009-08-18T10:47:00.003-05:00

Is subway designers of abandoned subway stations. You can find more here, here and here.

On repeat this week.

2009-08-15T11:37:00.002-05:00

(the bronx)

(snoop dogg - great show at lollapalooza)

(beasties)

(yyys - another great lolla show, even if karen forgot her lyrics for a moment)

(spank rock - great baltimore hip hop)

2009-08-13T08:45:00.000-05:00

(via billy is gray)

Wednesday's New Artist...

2009-08-12T10:10:00.003-05:00

Is Polina Viljun. Pretty pictures to lighten up your day.

On repeat this week.

2009-08-07T09:05:00.002-05:00

(Miles Davis)

(Get well MCA - wish you were still playing Lolla...)

(Rancid)

(The Gaslight Anthem)

(Metric)

Since I haven't posted anything movie related in sometime...

2009-08-06T15:08:00.003-05:00

Here's this sweet little thing. It's not really to do with movies, but the major players are the people behind (500) Days of Summer, so I'll take it.

I'm looking forward to an end-of-the-summer recap, following up on this, but now that summer has finally made its way to Chicago just in time for Lollapolooza, I'll wait awhile longer...

Wednesday's New Artist...

2009-08-05T09:57:00.002-05:00

Is Andrew Goldsworthy. He does unbelievable things with (not to) nature. He also not that new - been working since the 1970s, but seriously, check out his super skillz. If you like 'em, I highly suggest Rivers and Tides.

(h/t to AB for introducing me to Andy's work several years ago.)

Capitalism brings us all together

2009-07-26T13:40:00.004-05:00

Courtesy of Slate, here are two videos. The first is an Israeli cellphone advertisement featuring an impromptu game of soccer between Israeli soldiers and Palestinians over the wall. I'm serious. That really is the commercial.

The second video is a Palestinian response. Guess what actually happens when you kick a soccer ball over the fence?

Raising Neanderthals from the Dead

2009-07-24T19:53:00.004-05:00

Reading Scientific American today, I came across this article regarding Neanderthals. It's a quite interesting summary of the different hypotheses regarding why Neanderthals died out- climate change, competition with modern humans, interbreeding, etc. But the thing that most caught my eye was the news that German scientists are close to mapping the entire Neanderthal genome... If this is the case, it raises an amazing question: Should we bring back a Neanderthal from extinction?

The more you get thinking about it, the more you realize the implications of this ethical dilemma. (Encino Man and those Geico commercials seemed to have glossed over a few things.) Can you make a utilitarian scientific case for potentially subjecting a humanistic being to a life as a research subject? Does it matter whether Neanderthals are actually a variant of Homo Sapiens or their own species Homo Neanderthalensis? Would modern humans naturally view Neanderthals as inferior (and act like the monsters we're capable of being) or would we revere a one of a kind species? If we brought back a Neanderthal and he/she wanted to breed with a modern day human, should we let them? If upon reaching adolescence they decided to not participate in our studies, should we let them? How insanely would creationists react if scientists not only decided to play God but also to definitively debunk their nonsense? Even if Neanderthals seem to have the same genes for vocal chords as modern humans, would we actually learn that much from talking to one since they wouldn't have any intrinsic knowledge of what life was like 28,000 years ago? If it's not okay to clone modern humans, why would it be okay to clone ancient ones?

Weighing all these pros and cons, I'm leaning towards thinking it should be done:

Modern humans can be monsters, but also saints. Just because the endeavor is fraught with danger, doesn't mean that with proper precautions, this couldn't be approached reasonably. However, before any action got under way, I would want a top-notch panel of the world's best ethicists, biologists, sociologists and political scientists working for years to create the mother of all IRBs.
I'm no scientist, but the potential research findings from something like this seem enormous. I'm also no utilitarian, but if every precaution is taken to make sure the Neanderthal has a pleasant and free life, then maybe it's not that bad... maybe.
If I could make the decision now that 28,000 years after modern humans go extinct, some post-human scientist could make a clone of me from my bones, I'd say yes. Granted not everyone would feel the same (and I have no idea what proper application of Rawls's hypothetical contractualism would say about this), but it seems a bit presumptuous to assume that many Neanderthals wouldn't make the same decision... (they did have bigger brains than us after all and just because they went extinct doesn't mean they were dumber.)

Now having said that, however, I feel a little queasy. There's just something inherently wrong with making decisions for a human-like being that I know nothing about. Perhaps that is a good enough reason in and of itself to never try to clone a Neanderthal. What do you think?

Music I've been listening to lately...

2009-07-24T10:26:00.008-05:00

Some new, some old; just thought I'd share.

I won't be posting next week, so consider this your New Artist(s) of Next Week.

(Atmosphere - download the EP free here.)

(M. Ward)

What I Learned Today...

2009-07-23T19:46:00.005-05:00

Since I haven't blogged in a really long time, I've decided to get back into the habit by writing up a post on one interesting thing that I learn per day. Today, I spent most of the day reading Steven Wilkinson's Votes and Violence (fantastic book- highly recommended), skimming through several old issues of The Economist (Sir, if your magazine were a man, I'd marry him), and playing astrophysicist in the Sierra Nevada mountains (no, seriously, sometimes my life is cool).

But for today's interesting tidbit, I thought I would write about the importance of two presidential elections in determining the voting behavior of African-Americans. (My friends studying American Politics will have to forgive my previous ignorance on this subject.) I had always wondered why the party of Lincoln had ceased to be the party representing blacks prior to the Civil Rights movement. Given many events between 1965 and the present, it's obvious that many African-Americans would be reluctant to support the GOP, but what exactly happened in the century following 1865 to make this the case?

Obviously, a whole lot of history. Yet for the sake of simplicity, I'll boil it down to backdoor shenanigans during two elections:

1876: Republican Rutherford B. Hayes vs. Democrat Samuel J. Tilden

Long story short, the 1876 election is disputed. The validity of 20 electoral votes favoring Tilden from Florida, Louisiana and South Carolina are called into question given accounts of fraud and threats of violence against Republican voters. After much name calling, a commission is formed which decides to split the electoral college 186-185 favoring Hayes. Not surprisingly, the Democrats are reluctant to accept this result (or at least reluctant to accept it without Republican concessions). Alas, the unwritten Compromise of 1877 is struck.

In exchange for recognizing Hayes as president, Democrats obtained the removal of federal troops from Florida, Louisiana and South Carolina. This wouldn't have been such a big deal, except for the fact that those federal troops were still protecting former slaves from violence. Unfortunately, we all know what happened to Blacks in the South after the Republicans sold them out for power.

But to see how the Democrats gained black support, we'll have to turn to:

1948: Democrat Harry S. Truman vs. Republican Thomas E. Dewey (and Dixiecrat Strom Thurmond)

As Harry Truman approached his second term (but first presidential election) in 1948, it was far from clear that he would win the election. In fact during the spring of 1948, his approval rating was barely higher than Bush's at 34%. The DNC knew that drastic action was needed. Democratic advisor Clark Clifford came up with a brilliant plan for Truman to win the support of "working people, the veterans and the Negros" in the crucial new swing states of Illinois and Michigan. To win the black vote, Clifford advised that Truman

"Should speak out frankly and fully on his magnificent record as a fighter for Civil Rights- he should mention his votes in the Senate, his anti-poll tax and anti-lynching legislation, his support for wartime FEPC [Fair Employment Practice Committee], and his orders to end discrimination in the government and the armed services to prove that he acts as well as he talks Civil Rights. The Negro votes in the crucial states will more than cancel out any votes he may lose in the South." (Quoted from Votes and Violence)

Truman follows his advice and wins with 49.6% of the vote. His victory illustrates the soundness of this strategy, and paves the way for subsequent Democrats (most notably Johnson) to follow his lead. The Civil Rights Movement marks the real turning point (and the definitive loss of the South for the Democrats), and finally Obama gets 95% of the black vote in 2008.

Super interesting, right? But what would have happened had Hayes not sold out the southern black population in 1877? Blacks essentially lost 60 years of political representation. If this hadn't happened, could a Republican-led Civil Rights Movement have occurred decades earlier? Also, purely out of curiosity, is this history common knowledge that I was unaware of until today?

Wednesday's New Artist...

2009-07-22T11:06:00.002-05:00

Is Vhils. AKA AlexandreFarto. Working out of Lisbon and London. Check him here.

Wednesday's New Artist...

2009-07-14T15:55:00.008-05:00

Is coming to you on Tuesday ('cause I'm going to be stuck in meetings and with family all Wednesday), and is (are) Robert and Shana ParkeHarrison. They are a husband-wife photography team, and their stuff blows my mind. Check a few examples below and many more of my favorites here.

Is she fucking SIGNING a baby?!

2009-07-13T16:20:00.003-05:00

I hope I never see you again.

(via NYT, but she'll never know because she can't name a single newspaper in the history of news.)

Badass picture of the day

2009-07-13T15:20:00.002-05:00

"I'm sure the pilot waved at me."

(via)

Why is oil so cheap?!

2009-07-10T10:10:00.004-05:00

As a consumer at the gas pump I get no pleasure paying $3/gallon, but after a little reflection I'm starting to feel lucky. If you've seen Matt Simmons on CNBC in the last few years, you probably know the feeling. Watch him dance with the Fast Money crew in July of last year:

No one at Fast Money seems interested in considering the long-term undervaluation of oil. Predictions of doom aside, Simmons seems to be on solid ground. At the current market price of $60/barrel, crude oil is a mere $.09/cup. At Chicagoland gas stations, refined gasoline now sells for about $3/gallon or $.19/cup. Dirt cheap! A tall coffee at Starbucks costs me at least $1.40 or about $.70/cup. A liter of Fiji water costs $2.50 or about $.60/cup. These extremely popular luxuries are at least three times more expensive than the lifeblood of the economy.

So why is oil so cheap? And how is it this cheap when an international cartel is regulating supply?

Wednesday's New Artist...

2009-07-08T09:29:00.006-05:00

is Lauren Bates Jaffe, who is a photographer and an NYU student. I am thoroughly creeped out by her animal masks project (in a good way), and absolutely love one pill makes you smaller (excerpts below). If you like her stuff, you can pick it up on her etsy account, I think I just might.

What came first, the music or the misery? Did I listen to pop music because I was miserable? Or was I miserable because I listened to pop music?

2009-07-04T13:37:00.015-05:00

When life gets you down, what do you do?

If you're like me, you fire up the dvd player and break out your most depressing movies and wallow in your sorrow. These are a few of my favorites.

First up: High Fidelity

This one has been around for awhile and I have the feeling that anyone who is reading this has probably seen it, so you know why this is on the list, just enjoy the scene below.

Closer

This is my current go-to. I tend to watch it a few times a year to flame up my depression. Below is my favorite scene of the movie, for Clive Owen's delivery in the last 10 seconds.

The Good Life

I just watched this movie and found it to be great. After checking the cast, anyone who knows me (or has read my other movie posts) will realize what drew me to the movie, but it is very much worth the watch. The film has great performances from Harry Dean Stanton and Chris Klein (shocking, shocking I say!) as well as the rest of the cast, and is pretty damned depressing. I think the ending was a bit trite, but I understand why it was done and was handled much better than to be expected. I feel like this preview may give away a little too much of the story, but if you need convincing to see, take a gander.

Revolutionary Road

This movie will suck the life out of you and make you never want to get married, have kids or leave the city (if you live in one). I think this will probably take Closer's place and become my new go-to. Yay me.

So peeps, lets hear it: what is your go-to movie or activity when you feel like life is beating you down a little more than normal?

Join the cool kids and see these movies. Srsly.

2009-07-01T14:11:00.006-05:00

I think anyone who has read any of my film posts will know that I love Pajiba.com. They have a great outlook on films a great staff of writers. This week marks their 5th anniversary and they are pulling out the big guns to celebrate - tons of interesting and intelligent content.

Pajiba has just posted 12 More of the Best Movies You've Never Seen (there are 13 listed, as Rocket Science appears on both lists) to follow up on their 2007 Films You Didn't See. If you are looking for a good watch over the holiday weekend (or just in general) you pretty much cannot go wrong with any of these 25. I have seen 17 of these and loved everyone, but I would highlight Brick, Before the Devil Knows You're Dead, Half Nelson, Gone Baby Gone, Let the Right One In, Primer, or Junebug.

Those should get you through the long weekend.

UPDATE: I slept on the fact that they put out the original list in 2006, also filled with celluloid goodness. Please see All the Real Girls (I just rewatched it this weekend and it was wonderful) and Kicking and Screaming (the Noah Baumbach film, not the Will Farrell soccer abortion).

PS: And here I thought I was going to get through a movie post without mentioning Zooey. Oh, well.

Wednesday's New Artist...

2009-07-01T09:24:00.003-05:00

is John Ryan Solis. Great stuff. Here's a sample.

2009-06-26T16:09:00.001-05:00

(via xkcd)

Summer Movie Guide

2009-06-24T11:01:00.012-05:00

(where is this bus and how do i get a ticket?)

Remeber when I used to actually write stuff about movies, instead of just posting pictures? Well, lets give that a try again.

To begin with, this is a different sort of summer movie guide than If you are looking for insight on big movies like Transformers, I think Roger Ebert has you covered (seriously, read it, it's worth it). A bit back, Pajiba ran a top 10 Antiblockbuster list. I'd like to highlight a few of their choices and a couple other films for when you need to get out of the heat and into a cool, dark theatre. Pajiba's list looks pretty good, though I have no interest in Taking Woodstock and minimal interest (beyond the cast) in The Boat that Rocked but the rest look or are great.

500 Days of Summer - It looks like a clever, fun (non) love story featuring Zooey Deschannel. I'm sold.

500 Days of Summer International Trailer | Movies & TV | SPIKE.com

The Brothers Bloom - Sputnik and I saw this a few weeks back and I loved it. A great sophomore effort by Rian Johnson and a whole lot of fun. It might have been about 5 minutes too long, but completely worth your time and money.

Inglorious Basterds - Tarantino and Nazi scalps. 'nough said.

It Might Get Loud - I want a coke bottle gee-tar!

The Hurt Locker - "If I'm gonna die, I'm gonna die comfortable"

District 9 - creepy aliens and what looks to be a good drama.

Public Enemies - I suppose this is a blockbuster, but it looks to be a damned fine one.

The Time Traveler's Wife - The first preview does not look too promising, but the book was great and I have to say that the first trailer for 500 Days of Summer made it look pretty unappealing (even with Zooey) but the International Trailier (featured above) changed my mind. Hopefully a new TTW trailer will do the same.

Finally, Zombieland and Shutter Island don't come out until October, but they both look to be spectacular. A little something to look forward to.

Y'all got any movies you're looking forward to this summer?

Wednesday's New Artist...

2009-06-24T09:26:00.002-05:00

Is Billy is Gray. Billy posts found and original art, which is all pretty interesting. Below are a few of my favorites, but I suggest you browse his blog yourself.

I Want.

2009-06-23T15:51:00.002-05:00

So, you think I can get one of these for my living room? Via WBE.

“At Apple’s recent WWDC developer conference, 20,000 of the most popular iPhone apps were showcased on a pulsating wall of 30 Cinema Displays. Whenever someone downloaded a particular app, its icon pulsed light outwards creating a mesmerising display.”

Random texts I have recently received, taken out of context.

2009-06-16T11:56:00.003-05:00

"Yes and the word I was trying to type was perfected, in case you are wondering." (from my mother at 11:30 at night)

"Sigh"

My favorite:

"I just paid 5.99 to watch bride wars alone. Now it's time to cry myself to sleep." (from a dude)

My favorite when taken completely out of context:

"Going underground now." (oh, the plethora of possibilities...)

Wednesday's New Artist...

2009-06-16T11:40:00.003-05:00

...is coming at you on Tuesday, because I'll be on vacation the rest of the week. Yay me.

Anyway, his name is Clay Gardner and he takes pictures. It's amazing what a story can be told in 18 short photographs; check out Missing Persons for proof.

Here are a few good websites to follow all of the new developments in Iran:

2009-06-15T12:08:00.006-05:00

Saeed Valadbaygi's Revolutionary Road: Collects pictures and videos from blogs, youtube and facebook.
Tehran 24 also has incredible coverage.
Andrew Sullivan not only has great coverage of numerous blogs, but also continuously updated live tweeting from inside Iran. For an analysis of the incoming election results see link, link, link, link and link.
For a collection of good videos from youtube see HERE.
For twitter coverage, see HERE. (God, I hate twitter.)
FiveThiryEight has been doing some excellent analysis of the Iranian election results.
The National Iranian American Council has breaking news.
Here's a guide to tracking Iranian developments with twitter and youtube.
Juan Cole
Laura Rozen at FP
The Media Line
Finally, Huffington Post, ABC News, NYTimes, Slate and BBC all have continously updating coverage.

Any other recommendations?

2009-06-15T09:59:00.002-05:00

This has been all over the interwebs lately, but if you haven't yet seen it: Banksy's Bristol show.

Also, check out his NYC Pet Shop.

Found Sputnik

2009-06-12T13:32:00.003-05:00

Saw this downtown on my way back to work from lunch. Didn't know Sputnik was a bike rider.

Freeper? But I barely know her...

2009-06-11T02:29:00.006-05:00

For a while, if you've been paying attention to my obsessed ramblings concerning politics, I've predicted that freerepublic.com is going to produce some whackjob who'll try to kill (or succeed in killing) Obama. So this James von Brunn didn't exactly go for the gold, but at 88 years old he did survive shooting up the Holocaust Museum (killing at least one Zionist acolyte, I suppose).

Apparently James von Brunn was a Freeper (a user of the site) who went by the handle "wannabegeek". I'm not sure how long these links will be available, but I'll give them credit where credit is due in that moderators nuked this thread earlier today and now it's back. Additionally, this listing of the links he submitted still seems to be working.

Now, it doesn't actually end with this. It actually ends with users first denying that he was part of their community since ThinkProgress reported it and ThinkProgress was conspiring against them. This was followed by a lengthy discussion about how Obama, Democrats, liberals, and especially Rev. Wright are the real anti-Semites and freerepublic.com is a bastion of support for Israel. Finally, as a denouement everyone generally agrees that this will lead to Obama creating a fascist state beginning by taking away their guns. (It's been a theme lately.)

I'll be trying to fill this post with links to more examples of the above responses, but I'll leave you with this quote from a self-described Catholic priest (link to thread):

On the opening day of the Holocaust Museum, a friend of mine set up a small table near the entrance, with the bodies of babies retrieved from dumpsters in Washington, Maryland, and Virginia. When people saw what they were, they let loose a torrent of curses—at her. Then they went inside to participate in lamenting the Holocaust.

I have never had the slightest interest in visiting the hypocritical, morally hollow “Holocaust Museum.”

Admittedly, an obvious rift does and has existed on the site between fiscal conservatives and cultural conservatives which shows itself at times like these. The lack of a coherent conservative public sphere for expressing these or other socially moderate views probably contributes to the "Him? Well we would have NEVER let him stay if we knew he was like that!" mentality. Without a moderate pole to gravitate towards extremist ideas become more popularized within the group since they all call themselves conservatives as a social movement.

What a wonderful country. Seriously. This and Tiller's death (which Freeper's described as Obama's "Reichstag Fire") ought to be enough to just about bury evangelical Republicans. Nothing to do with how the majority of them act, just the fact that hate spewed out will eventually turn into violence on someone's part. In other words, Al Gore, ACORN, Obama, the ACLU, and PETA aren't all part of the same liberal discourse in the same way conservatives are.

Wednesday's New Artist.

2009-06-10T09:10:00.005-05:00

This week we visit Blaise Allysen Kearsley. Breathtaking photography based out of NYC. Enjoy.

New Artist of the Week.

2009-06-04T13:12:00.003-05:00

I am a bit behind on this, but here's your artist of the week: Hannah Stouffer.

If you don't already know Timothy McSweeney, you should.

2009-06-04T12:04:00.005-05:00

McSweeney's is a great site for literary enjoyment, mostly submitted from the masses. My favorite section has always been the Lists. Also, if you are in the San Fran area, stop by their pirate store, 826 Valencia, or shop it here for your pirate supplies.

POTENTIAL BUSINESS OPPORTUNITIES BASED ON SONGS BY THE ROLLING STONES, À LA "RUBY TUESDAY" RESTAURANT.

BY TREVOR SEIGLER

- - - -

"You Can't Always Get What You Want" Steak House

"(I Can't Get No) Satisfaction" Escort Services

"Sympathy for the Devil" Pet Supplies

"Under My Thumb" Construction

"Brown Sugar" Refining

"As Tears Go By" Grief Counseling

"Beast of Burden" Overnight Shipping

"The Last Time" Dating Service

"19th Nervous Breakdown" Mental Institute

"Mother's Little Helper" Daycare Center

Not so breaking news: Khrushchev ordered Berlin Wall.

2009-06-02T11:26:00.003-05:00

I actually was not aware that there was debate whether Khrushchev or Ulbricht ordered the Berlin Wall built, but if you had doubts: blame Nikki. Regardless, Spiegel has a good, short article about preparations for The Wall.

Good point, but I don't think they're listening.

2009-05-29T10:55:00.000-05:00

(via vito corleone)

2009-05-28T14:24:00.004-05:00

(via xkcd)