They Want Your Pity

The always pretty-durn-good (though they get ahead of themselves sometimes) Slate.com has a small article up raising the question of whether the massively isolated super-rich are just as dysfunctional as any highly impoverished family; except with the power to affect thousands of lives with their poor choices, as opposed to their immediate surroundings. I've always had a "richie bias," so of course I had to mention this.

Slate.com

Sun Lips

I saw these guys last night at the 7th Street Entry, they were mind-blending. The lady keyboardist was adorable, all genuine smiles and praying-hands-thank-yous, while their drummer was completely on-point punishing.
My budly Mux Mool opened and did a fucking great job - the first of many, to be sure. His light show was put together by Time Squid, Minneapolis' foremost video rapist, with two gigantic flourescent equalizers that gave the Entry a weird gallery feel.

Black Moth Super Rainbow's singer and I assume live sound manipulator (he sat on the floor for the show, I didn't see him at all) also put together this amazing DVD video of all Betamax footage set to their music. The footage on this thing is incredible, and you can buy it on their website.

They're still on tour.

Black Moth Super Rainbow
Mux Mool
Time Squid

Manners Militia

Because they're the only nation crazy enough to, Japan has instituted a manners police to patrol the subway in Yokohama. Sorry dudes, but Westernization does have its side effects. People are only going to get ruder.

"Topping the list of offences [copied from a British newspaper, where they care not for proper spelling] was talking loudly in groups, followed by mobile phone chatter, unruly children accompanied by nonchalant parents, and 'leaky headphones'."

As far as the photo accompanying this post, I searched for "Japanese girl yelling" and this was the most incendiary thing I could find.

The Guardian
BBC

How Do You Say ‘You’re Hitting My Cervix’ In Klingon?

All the star trek you'll ever need to see...



I'm Finished!

Holy what?!?!

Cancer and oil crises solved with 1 invention apparently.... god I hope this is true. GO AMERICA!!!

Brooks Smart While Dowd Acerbic, Hot

Good Lord David Brooks. Writing on the only topic that exists at the moment, Hillarack (Barillary? Clinbama?), Dave nails it yet again. On the Clintons: "It’s like a machine for the production of politics. It plows ahead from event to event following its own iron logic. The only question is whether Clinton herself can step outside the apparatus long enough to turn it off and withdraw voluntarily or whether she will force the rest of her party to intervene and jam the gears."
And Maureen Dowd, the Manhattanite eyebrow-raiser in all of us: "...even Clinton supporters know that Bill does not want to be replaced as the first black president, especially by a black president with enough magic to possibly eclipse him in the history books." That is fucking cynical!


The Long Defeat - David Brooks
Hillary or Nobody? - Maureen Dowd

Finally

Machismo apparently gets you somewhere, at least. A rash of emo youth beatings is sweeping the fine and beautiful country of Mexico. Obviously homophobic, but that's hardly anything new in that country. And these gang aren't gay, they're just like any of the other young victims of sexual identity vandalism, young lads in skinny jeans you see sitting on a city corner rolling their feet on skateboards with poems etched into them. When you grow up practicing N'Sync choreography with your friends, this is the inevitable outcome.

Sierra Vista Herald

A Cocksucker By Any Other Name

Nothing like sowing the seeds of hate in one of the most civilly liberated countries in the world. Meet Geert Wilders, who looks like Reverend Billy but with sincerity about his haircut. He's produced a film that makes a presumably ignorant and ignorable case for deporting all Muslims from The Netherlands, and that anyone who reads the Koran (which he relates to Mein Kampf) is a fucking terrorist.

Christian Science Monitor

Mark Another One Down For Common Sense

Anything that can stay edible for over 1,000 years is probably some kind of superfood. But once again those kooky scientists with their even kookier funding partners have discovered what indigenous peoples around the world have known for pretty much ever: honey is good for you! Nice to know...now go and prove how different men and women are.

Natural News

Man Regrows Finger, Anoles Unimpressed

So we really can do this now? This guy sprinkles some pig bladder powder on his severed fingertip and it grows back completely, in four weeks. Apparently the powder spurs cells into regenerating whatever they assess is wrong or gone. Wood shop teachers across America have already started a pig bladder powder co-op.

CBS

1,000

It isn't a large number of people, and the U.K. is sending them back to Zimbabwe. Letting them stay wouldn't mean a losing of face on the strength of your immigration policies. It amounts to a noble gesture towards a terrible and deteriorating situation. Deportation just means 1,000 more lives upended and further destabilized while the world looks on and shakes its head.

"I was sexually assaulted in front of my kids," she said.

"If I go back, I am still at risk. There is no way I am going to volunteer myself to return to the same situation I fled from."

BBC

Yes I Read Boing Boing

This was just too funny not to copy.

Filler Oh Filler

Just because your graphics guys are bored doesn't mean you have to put this shit up as news. Come the fuck on.

Daily Mail

Not Exactly Unexpected

So the web is spurring change in journalism. How odd.
Because of the lack of a solid web business model, it is apparently causing less sources to be spread further, instead of democratizing the media. Journalists are being asked to do more with the same amount of time, which one assumes would lead to less comprehensive coverage and more reliance on established angles for stories.
This isn't really surprising. In the mad dash of technological advance that brought us to where we are at this moment, news outlets scrambled to find a workable economic model for doing the news biz on the web. They still haven't found it, obviously. Couple that with ever-shrinking newsroom staffs and what do you get? Less comprehensive coverage and more reliance on newswires and blogosphere buzz.
This may be true there but not here : "In another unexpected finding, citizen-created Web sites and blogs are actually far less welcoming to outside commentary than the so-called mainstream media, the report said."

Wired

7 New Deadly Sins? Goddammit....

Apparently after 15 centuries the catholic church finally got bored of the original 7 deadly sins and decided to tack some new ones on to the list. Are they losing that many followers? Time to add some more scared shitless sheep into the herd! After last weekend, and how much my body hates me right now, I wouldn't be surprised if there isn't something to new-sin #3... if you dont hear from me again soon, you should probably put on that sunday dress-- and stop littering... for gods sake!!!

P.S. Amy Winehouse really needs to lay off the crack...

Please Let It End Violently For Him

In just another sign of lost integrity and respect internationally, Bush has vetoed a no-brainer piece of legislation that illegalizes torture. This is to be swept under the rug and overlooked I'm sure, towards the more drastic failures and dramatic catastrophes of his presidency. He even looks at this as an important milestone of determination. What to say? Only a year more? I suppose, but it still is so frightening.

BBC
New York Times

Bad math blues

Today is super Tuesday and many believe the nomination for the Democratitc party will be a lot clearer after tonight. Others (Clinton supporters) see tonight as a turning point, by no means the end of Hillary's campaign. Hill-rod is expecting a comeback that will give her the momentum she needs to beat Obama and carry the nomination. Maybe she will win 3/4 tonight and prolong all of this. What would you say though if I told you Hill-dawg could win the next 16 elections and still not have enough delegates to overtake Obama? Using Slate.com's delegate calculator one can see that this is in fact the case. Should Clinton step down after tonight if she gets 1/4? Say only Ohio. Should she just drop out anyway? Many say she should and unify the party. I for one find this nomination contest to be a great exercise in our democratic process but it does seem that Obama-tron has taken a very strong lead. It appears this could be a very interesting display of American democracy.

"Waterproof and powered by pizza."

In keeping with my super advanced understanding of trends; may I present the next gen medium for display and Bluetooth technology. Our Skin! Jim Mielke’s Core77 and the brand new electronic tattoo display are here and now! Her Digital Tattoo Interface is a display the size of 2×4 inch which also acts as a Bluetooth device made of thin, flexible silicon and silicone. It is inserted through a small incision beneath the skin and muscle. Two small tubes on the device are attached to an artery and a vein to allow the blood to flow to a coin-sized blood fuel cell that converts glucose and oxygen to electricity. Think about what this technology could mean for the future of tattooing? I want a full body sleeve so I can further embellish the social mores public cell phone use violates.