| Moment of Zen/I spend too much money on records/Bruce Springsteen rules |
[Sep. 5th, 2008|07:10 pm] |
The absolute best part of the John McCain speech last night was right after he said the following few lines:
"If you find faults with our country, make it a better one. If you're disappointed with the mistakes of government, join its ranks and work to correct them. Enlist in our armed forces. Become a teacher. Enter the ministry. Run for public office. Feed a hungry child. Teach an illiterate adult to read. Comfort the afflicted. Defend the rights of the oppressed. Our country will be the better, and you will be the happier. Because nothing brings greater happiness in life than to serve a cause greater than yourself."
The camera is panning across the audience, panning and pausing, panning and pausing, and for a second it stops on this dude, who is holding up a misspelled sign -
PRICELESS!
(Image ganked from Ben Smith's blog on Politico)
What I don't get is why the people standing around him didn't say anything. If I was at a big event like the RNC and someone near me was holding a misspelled sign, I'd speak up, if just to keep something like that from making the press. You've got to take pride in your politics!
--
I buy too many records. On the other hand, I have some money now and I have great taste in music (obviously), so I guess it's worth it ;)
Today's buys! All 7" records!
Current 93/Nurse With Wound - "No Hiding From The Blackbird / The Burial Of The Sardine" split. Reissue on Harbinger from 1990.
Amy Winehouse - "The Ska EP". Covers of The Specials, Toots and the Maytals, Andy & Joe, and Sam Cooke. If you're curious, there's a download link over here.
Snipers, Amdi Petersens Armé, Paragraf 119, Incontrollados, Gorilla Angreb, Uro, Lokum, Aktiv Dödshjælp, Young Wasteners, No Hope For The Kids, Slave, Asbest - "København I Ruiner" double 7" compilation from 2003.
Teen Cthulhu - "When Flesh Becomes Scabbard". Seattle thrashy metal from the early 00s.
Sticks & Stones - "Coupe Flowers Can't Fail". Pete/Jack Terricloth from World/Inferno Friendship Society's band from the late 80s and early 90s. This is apparently not one of the better albums, but fuck it, I'm excited just the same. They cover Atlantic City by Bruce Springsteen, how can it be bad?!
--
Speaking of The Boss, I've been completely infatuated with the cover of Thunder Road on the Tortoise & Bonnie "Prince" Billy album "The Brave and the Bold". It's really, really, really good. At least, I think it is. Maybe it's just because I've listened to it 15 times or so in the last day or so... eh, I'm sure it's great.
Here's a link, so you can hear it too if you're so inclined:
http://www.sendspace.com/file/lk7ieo
--
A storm's a comin! I gotta get outta here before it hits and I melt! |
|
|
| Hockey Moms Love Hitler |
[Sep. 4th, 2008|01:13 pm] |
From CNN by way of The Slog |
|
|
| A response to the RNC/DNC |
[Sep. 3rd, 2008|12:55 am] |
| [ | Tags | | | video posts | ] |
| [ | Current Location |
| | Hard Hat, NJ | ] |
| [ | Current Mood |
| |  remembering the 90s | ] |
| [ | Current Music |
| | some Camper Van... | ] |
I was just watching Joe Lieberman's speech to the RNC today and by God, that man is a jerk. I've been trying my best to follow the hoopla at the conventions while at the same time paying attention to all the police repression going on outside of the hallowed doors of the two party system. Nothing like balancing, "God only made one John McCain, and he is his own man" against "Beginning last night, St. Paul was the most militarized I have ever seen an American city be, even more so than Manhattan in the week of 9/11 -- with troops of federal, state and local law enforcement agents marching around with riot gear, machine guns, and tear gas cannisters [sic], shouting military chants and marching in military formations."
Lieberman's speech and all the various promises he was making just made me think of the following song:
I don't know what the world may need
but a V-8 engine's a good start for me
think I'll drive and find a place to be surly.
I don't know what the world may want
but some words of wisdom could comfort us
think I'll leave that up to someone wiser.
'Cause what the world needs now
are some true world of wisdom
like la la la la la la la la la.
'Cause what the world needs now
is another folk singer
like I need a hole in my head.
I don't know what the world may need
and I never grasped your complexities
I'd be happy just to get your attention
I don't know what the world may want
but your long sweet body lying next to mine
could certainly...raise my spirits.
'Cause what the world needs now
is a new Frank Sinatra
so I can get you in bed.
What the world needs now
is another folk singer
like I need a hole in my head.
Cracker
"Teen Angst (What the World Needs Now)" |
|
|
| Presidential Candidate Dick Cheney |
[Aug. 31st, 2008|11:54 am] |
"... a marquee event meant to send presidential candidate Dick Cheney into the fall campaign with a burst of energy ..."
This is why you proofread articles before uploading them to the Internets, Associated Press!
p.s. It was fixed two minutes later. That doesn't matter though, cause I caught it and now I can laugh at them FOREVER!!! *bwahaha*
p.p.s. It's actually not _that_ funny, though I really did chuckle when I saw it.
p.p.p.s. New World Order! Cheney will be our next president! Beware! Take care!
|
|
|
| p.s. |
[Aug. 25th, 2008|06:04 am] |
| [ | Tags | | | kitty, real life | ] |
| [ | Current Mood |
| |  ~_~ | ] |
| [ | Current Music |
| | Bruce Springsteen | ] |
In regards to my last post, about the phrase "Obama bin Biden": At the time I made that post, a bit under two days ago, there were approx. 600 hits on Google for the phrase. At this point in time, Aug. 25, 6:05, it's up to 3600 hits. That's a 500% increase in two days.
Check it out for yourself!
http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&safe=off&client=firefox-a&rls=org.mozilla%3Aen-US%3Aofficial&hs=i1g&q=%22obama+bin+biden&btnG=Search
--
I was on the radio tonight for six hours. My brains are fried.
Playlist for the last four hours can be found here. My friend Justin from Northern Liberties was guest DJ for part of it. Towards the end I was doing some live mixing of the Qur’an as read by Shaikh Mahmud Khalil al-Husary with Muslimgauze and Sun Ra and his Arkestra. It turned out really good, actually.
--
Today is going to be a washout in terms of getting things done. Mondays always are, because of my radio show. That's okay, cause I have a screening tomorrow. Still, I have so much shit I need to do, it's reaching the point of being overwhelming. I might be able to convince my friend to drive me around later so I can finally pick up all the things I stored at people's houses when I left down oh so many months ago. I know I have two boxes of books at one house, a box of clothes and some books and a bike frame at another, and a rifle at a third. I want all those things back, really, really, really badly. I miss my books almost as much as I miss my music. Getting all my physical belongings back would definitely help my mood. No bones about it, I am a collector, and not having my stuff here really stinks.
--
I have recently come into two guitars for free, an acoustic and an electric. The former is a Vega and the latter a Samick. This would be awesome if I knew how to play guitar. That reminds me, I should get into the habit of playing the saxophone more often. Last time I played a musical instrument with both skill and confidence I was 10 years old and taking piano lessons from the old smelly lady down the block. I always wanted to play jazz stuff and she was always pushing classical, of course. I have a very clear memory of playing "When The Saints Come Marching In" at a recital when everyone else was rocking the Schubert or the Bach or whatever the kids are into these days. That Yoni, always a rebel!
--
Kitty!
 |
|
|
| Obama bin Biden |
[Aug. 23rd, 2008|02:15 pm] |
As of right now, Aug 23, 14:15, there are 595 hits on Google for the phrase "Obama bin Biden" and 65 for "Osama bin Biden". I wonder how much that will increase come November. Anyone want to make any predictions as to how popular those phrases will become? *rolls eyes*
This thought was inspired by this overheard conversation posted over at the Slog, the blog of the Seattle alternative weekly The Stranger:
“Is it just me, or does Obama-Biden sound way too much like Osama Bin Laden for the common American to stomach?”
Oof. While I do think that's nonsense, I wouldn't put it past, say, Rush Limbaugh or Glenn Back to take the idea and run with it. Ahh, well. That's politics for you. |
|
|
| That text message everyone has been waiting for... |
[Aug. 23rd, 2008|03:09 am] |
| [ | Current Mood |
| |  amused | ] |
| [ | Current Music |
| | WLUW | ] |
... probably just woke up a whole bunch of people. Come on, Obama, three in the morning is not the time to be sending out important messages. |
|
|
| "If the border patrol doesn't get you, the chicken and burgers will. Go vegan" |
[Aug. 19th, 2008|03:07 pm] |
http://blog.peta.org/archives/2008/08/peta_warns_mexi.php
From the People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals:
No matter what your stance is on the highly controversial U.S.-Mexican border fence project, everyone can agree that those who decide to come to the U.S. should be warned about the downside of our nation's meat and milk consumption habits. PETA is warning immigrants that there's much more to worry about than proper documentation.
We've written a letter to the commissioner of U.S. Customs and Border Protection asking to buy space at each of the nine southwest border sectors for our new ad. Those considering entry will then read this message: "If the border patrol doesn't get you, the chicken and burgers will. Go vegan" (or, in Spanish, "Si no te agarra la migra, te atraparan el pollo y las hamburguesas. Sé vegano").
By leaving behind a far healthier staple diet of vegetables and grains—like rice, beans, corn, peppers, and tortillas—Mexicans and other immigrants will likely find themselves fattening up on the fiberless, fatty, cholesterol-laden U.S. diet, which is linked to heart disease, various types of cancer, and strokes (our nation's three biggest killers) as well as impotence (internationally recognized killer of the mood).
PETA's placement of these colorful ads would certainly offset some of the tax dollars that fund the fence. It's a winning solution for the folks at U.S. Customs and Border Protection, immigrants, and farmed animals alike!
Spanish: 
English: 
--
If this actually happens it will be the most insulting, classist, racist, horrible, and just plain ridiculous ad campaign in PETA's history.
You know what's almost as stupid than the original post? The fact that out of the approximate 60 comments, only a couple point out that (illegal) immigrants have a lot better things to worry about than their diet, especially at that exact moment. For the most part, the fence isn't even an issue for these idiots. They're more interested in arguing about Mexican food and if it's healthy or not than about the moral ambiguity of the whole thing.
To give you an idea, here are my three favorites:
Classist:
"I don't think the ads are insulting but, even if they are--so what?? Diets high in animal products ARE bad for you--that's a FACT, like it or not. Animals are tortured and slaughtered by the hundreds of thousands and fed to humans--that's a FACT, like it or not. Just because people are poor, that does not excuse their eating of animals. They bear the same guilt as those who are wealthy and eat animals."
Dumb:
"My feelings are split about the border fence? It's such a hard issue to talk about in my [Mexican-American] family. Regardless of the outcome I hope that we can all come together as one world and start eating less and less meats. Just look at the animals and appreciate their beauty ... Posting these signs will wake up some people to realize that they need to change the way they eat. It's a great thing...........GO PETA"
And just plain stupid:
"I come from a very traditional Mexican family and yes i've seen the food my grandma makes and it can be very unhealthy, however, I think the idea of these ads is a great one. My grandma grew up in Mexico where they had to kill their animals in a very old fashioned way, there were no meat markets back then & some old school farmers still carry on this way. Everyone in most part needs to be educated whether it comes to eating right or protesting against animal cruelty and slaughter houses. As for you very naive and ignorant racist people, this is NOT a debate on putting the fence up, it's about protecting animals and warning immagrants about America's poor diet consumption!"
--
Hat tip to ![[info]](http://p-stat.livejournal.com/img/userinfo.gif) satanscientist for finding this in the first place! |
|
|
| Why I'm on the radio |
[Aug. 18th, 2008|03:52 am] |
|
I'm currently playing Muslimgauze, KK Null, and Jack Kerouac reading On The Road... AT THE SAME TIME! |
|
|
| I fucked up that last entry. Let me try again. |
[Aug. 17th, 2008|03:59 am] |
| [ | Current Location |
| | tha 088 | ] |
| [ | Current Music |
| | Meisce | ] |
p.s.  |
|
|
| |
[Aug. 16th, 2008|12:03 pm] |
| [ | Current Location |
| | Out the door! | ] |
| [ | Current Mood |
| |  chipper | ] |
| [ | Current Music |
| | Smashing Pumpkins | ] |
It's funny to come to this update page and not be greeted with some half-finished post. I've been slacking at being a slacker, it seems! No good. The real world has been getting in the way of the Internets and I feel like I haven't had some good online vegging out in at least a couple weeks. When I was in the study I was online a bunch, sure, but that wasn't... it just wasn't comfortable, okay? Hah! Don't give me that look. I'll set you on fire.
So what has your faithful hero been up to if he hasn't been living his life online? Well, except for making money, which is really nice, the past week has seen me in my tour guide hat, as my friend Jesse is in town from Seattle/Bellingham.
Jesse is really rad and I'm trying to convince him to move to Philly. It's what I do, as anyone who has ever visited me here can attest to, I'm sure. My friend Rachel, who is also a Jesse friend - truth be told, a bigger one than me, as they've known each other since middle school - came down from NJ and the lot of us have been rampaging through the city. It's been a lot of fun.
Yesterday involved tacos, an anti-occupation demonstration, and a trip to the The Grand Lodge of Free and Accepted Masons of Pennsylvania. Like, seriously, the Grand f'n Lodge, which is located - and I'm sure this is just a happy accident - right next to City Hall. It was really interesting and awesome. Our tour guide was a transplanted Oregonian and an admitted Anglophile who also spoke fluent French, which must have been really awesome for the eight or so French speakers on our tour. It was a bit odd, out of the approximately 15 people there for the four o'clock, 11 were non-Americans and I was the only Philadelphian.
Here, have a picture! I need to go catch a bus to NYC!
EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEVIL! |
|
|
| |
[Aug. 11th, 2008|05:44 pm] |
 |
|
|
| |
[Aug. 10th, 2008|11:16 am] |
I have this bad feeling, guys, that people here think I'm some sort of white boy Rastafarian. See, not only do I have dreads - albeit only in the back, which is probably more confusing than anything else - but I'm using a pair of Skullcandy headphones that are Rasta-themed, which is to say they have a red, green, and yellow color theme going on. Don't give me that look, they were free.
Which is to say:
or bonus points with Duggan
(both taken at squelch84's wedding a couple months back)
+
=
:( :( :( :( |
|
|
| Two paraphrased perspectives on my nationality |
[Aug. 10th, 2008|01:42 am] |
From the Trinidadian dude in my study who lives in Queens:
"You're Israeli? I never would have guessed that. You don't argue about everything, man! All the Israelis I know, you can say to them, 'Man, that sun today, it's really hot!' and they'll argue with you about it! I mean, these guys, they'd argue with you about the time of day if they could. It's like they're not happy unless they're upset about something."
From my friend Ben who grew up in a religious Jewish home in Brooklyn:
(Talking to a mutual friend after meeting me for the first time)
Ben: "Wow, that's the first non-Jewish Yoni that I've ever met."
Rachel: "He's totally Jewish."
Ben: "But... he just doesn't seem that... I mean, he just didn't strike me as that Jewish."
Rachel: "Ben, he's from Israel and he's not religious."
Ben: "Oh, he's Israeli! That makes so much more sense!" |
|
|
| re the Olympics |
[Aug. 9th, 2008|07:10 pm] |
When I was a kid I'd always root for the USSR and East Germany over America both because I thought communism was cool and because everyone was always against them. I got a lot of shit from my friends but I didn't care. I've always loved an underdog.
 |
|
|
| study land |
[Aug. 9th, 2008|03:36 pm] |
| [ | Current Location |
| | I'm a hippie! | ] |
| [ | Current Mood |
| |  dirty haha | ] |
| [ | Current Music |
| | Go listen to the Dead! | ] |
I feel like I've finally earned my hippie wings. I'm in a medical study up here in beautiful Hamilton, NJ - around the corner from Trenton - and I just had one of the nurses come up to me, take me aside, and tell me that I need to shower. Like, need. I was planning on taking one this afternoon anyway. Up until this morning we had IVs in our arms because they were drawing a lot of blood. That means no shower. Those were in for about 24 hours or so, give or take. I didn't have a shower Thursday, so it's probably been since Wednesday morning. Whatever, I don't really get too much BO, especially when I'm stuck in a really air conditioned environment for a few days. I haven't sweated in days; it's a bit weird. I think it's more the fact that I'm not the type to wear cologne or use dryer sheets or whatever. Almost all the rest of the dudes in the study are _dudes_, right on down to the stereotypical comments about female athletes they were making today when women's Olympic soccer was on TV, and I'm sure that when their toiletries haven't been confiscated they all smell like dudes, hardcore.
The reason for the comment about "hippie wings" is due to all the stories I've heard from friends through the years about being harassed for actual or perceived dirtiness while doing medical studies. Not saying that it's okay to be dirty during a medical study, because it's not. I'm just saying that I'm really not terribly dirty and I think I'm being targeted for looking funny, which is hilarious. There's a dude sitting across the table from me who has also not showered or changed his shirt since we've been in the study. I know this because he's wearing a "Rush Tour 2008" shirt. It's okay, he's Canadian. No one is going to tell him to shower, at least not at this juncture, because he doesn't have a dumb haircut and a beard, unlike yours truly.
Ahhh! Perceptions! They'll make an ass out of you and... Eh, whatever. I'm going to go take a shower. |
|
|
| From the MySpace frontpage... |
[Aug. 5th, 2008|01:52 am] |
| [ | Current Location |
| | Game Over Land | ] |
| [ | Current Music |
| | Neutral Milk Hotel - I'm a hipster douchebag, how about you? | ] |
I just lost the game! MySpace are a bunch of motherfuckers.
p.s. Facial tattoo is real. That's amazing and ridiculous. Facial tats have jumped the shark! |
|
|
| The world is very small. |
[Aug. 3rd, 2008|12:34 pm] |
Did I ever tell you about how in high school I was briefly seeing the daughter of Robert Stevens, one of the five people killed by alleged anthrax mailer Bruce Ivins?
True story! |
|
|
hrrrrrrrrr
full
snarky