This is not surprising.

Thanks to Lil' Pea for the scoop. I passed by that article when I saw it...don't know why.

There was some weird terrorist connection with Bechtel if I remember correctly. Anybody remember? I'm too busy to dig for it right now.

GQ gets it right, and I'm just as surprised as you are

First off, I'd like to say that women's magazines suck. There are very few with anything more than fashion/diet/sex/decorating tips. Guys have it much better...even Playboy has good articles. Hell, Hustler has been a political rancoteur lately! So GQ (which we get at our house for no reason...I never subscribed, but I like the magazine just fine, so thanks, Mystery Subscriber!) has a profile of Paul Wolfowitz this month that's nothing new, really, except that it sums up the problems of neo-con optimism in Iraq and the Middle East in a nice succinct paragraph.

Regarding Asst. Defense Secretary Wolfowitz, Wil S. Hylton writes:

"...for Paul Wolfowitz, a man who spent nearly all his adult life earning a modest wage in government, the war on Iraq really wasn't about "seas of oil" or "bureaucratic reasons" or any of the devious motives attributed to him lately, but was more of a personal crusade for the exaltation of his beliefs, and article of his faith, a reflection of his certainty that democracy cures all--a glimpse of his hopeless, childlike optimism." (emphasis mine)

Sounds okay, like he's a pretty good guy, right? Here's where they nail the clusterfuck that is our failed policy in Iraq:

"Well, what else would you call it? What do you call a man who knows so much of history yet expects to find allies in Iraq? What do you call a man who thought democracy had a fighting chance in a country with no democratic tradition, ever? As though the people of that country don't blame America for walking away in 1991, as though they haven't been bombarded with anti-American propaganda every day since, as though they and their neighbors across the Middle East haven't become inflamed with hatred for America, embittered by the chaos in Afghanistan and Somalia and the long history of American support for Israel, as though the people of the Arab nations aren't inundated daily on Al Jazeera and the Arab News Network with images of Palestinians dying, as though American policy in the Muslim world hasn't sponsored corrupt dictators for the past half century, creating a world where Saudi schools teach hatred of non-Muslims, where imams preach the holy jihad, where a majority of people trust Osama bin Laden more than George W. Bush, where Daniel Pearl was killed in Pakistan merely for being an American Jew, where, in the interest of market advantage, America has overlooked tyranny throughout Arabia, allowing the people of Egypt and Saudi Arabia and even Iraq (during the war with Iran) to languish under the whims of our coronies? There is a name for a man who expects democracy to spring up in spite of all this, to flourish in a region deprived of secular education and liberal ideas, a place so bitter and mistrustful of our motives that nineteen of their young men, even after living in the Western world for ten years, were willing to spend their lives on our destruction. There is a name for a man who could look past all this and expect to find goodwill. He is a hopeless optimist."

Not a total hatchet job, but it makes Wolfowitz out to be sort of a rube. And maybe he is. When you put it like Hylton does, I can't believe we ever thought the war in Iraq was a good idea. The only compelling pro-war argument that holds up for me now is the human rights angle, which, unfortunately (and not for people like YMSP82 and V+, of course), was an afterthought and an addendum to arguments about democracy-spreading, etc.

Reaping and sowing

I'm watching a telethon, I mean Praisethon right now on one of the religious stations, and it's hilarious and disturbing at the same time. The minister keeps telling people to send in money because it's like planting a seed that will grow into more money or hmmm...come to think of it, I'm not really sure what's going to happen with that money actually because the guy can't speak two words without saying "hallelujah" or "amen" or "glory to Jesus." All I know is that reaping and sowing are involved. He has spoken of these two gerunds often and with much ferocity. One part of the set, where he does interviews with people who tell him about how God helped them get out of debt or pay a van, looks like a junior high Drama Club production of The Tonight Show. What's really scary is the semi-pyramid scheme that this guy has set up wherein he encourages the people who are in the worst financial straits to give up the most money because they're the ones who need money the most. Yeah, I know. It's circular reasoning at its best. "Seeing as how I need money so much and am in such bad financial straits it makes total sense to send Rev. James Payne the money that I desperately need to survive."

Even worse are the execrable "songs" performed by the Ugliest Band Ever, a vocal duo that sings along with pre-recorded music that resembles Human League b-sides from the Jimmy Jam/Terry Lewis Crash era, only nowhere near that good. The female singer, weighing in at an estimated 300+ pounds, warbles and emotes with the best/worst of 'em, never once staying on key. And she can't hold the damn microphone up to her mouth, so her vocals are always cutting in and out. The male half of the Ugliest Band Ever (which is saying something, since Soundgarden did, in fact, exist at one time) has a goatee, a goiter, and a penchant for harmonies so blisteringly over-the-top that idogs in my neighborhood are being sent into apoplectic fits as I write this. When you hear him sing over and over and over and over again about "the beautiful face of Jesus...that pretty, pretty face of Jesus" I swear to you that your underwear will not remain unsoiled. The Rev. Payne says that he has written about 22,000 songs. I hope that what I just heard wasn't one of his.

Jesus seemed like a pretty hip guy. I wonder if he would have died for anybody's sins if he'd known that his religion was going to turn out this cheesy.

Mystery of the day

Why has no one put out a Fat Albert CD? I would die to hear "Playin' Hookie" (sp?) right now. That band was funky.

5-7-5

I have absolutely nothing to discuss, so I offer you these haikus:

Whispering cavemen
Carry big sticks to the hunt
They are silent death

I scan documents
For an unyielding mistress:
The state of Georgia

Dasani water
Mine tastes just like plastic dirt
Too ancient to drink

This morning I ate
Crispy Hexagons in milk
Generic Crispix

Two sucky things.

This.

And this. I love The Price Is Right, and I loved Rod Roddy. I can't believe he had breast cancer. That's scary and strange.

Mike Leavitt is no "champion of the environment." His confirmation (and the 88-8 vote...fucking sellout fucking Democrats) is grotesque.

Barafundle

If you have a chance to go see Welsh popsters Gorky's Zygotic Mynci (or the Super Furry Animals, for that matter) get thee to wherever they are right now! I saw them last night and they were unbelievably good. I had no idea what to expect, having been kind of perplexed by their recent pastoral acoustic landscapes. What I got was about 36 different genres, perfect song selection (let's hear it for "Poodle Rockin'") and transcendent musicianship. For the 150 or so of us there, it was a wonderful night.

Long-delayed REM review

Okay. Here it is...my review of the REM show at Phillips Arena on Oct. 12. First off, I must say that the stage setup was hard to describe, but quite beautiful. Shimmer-y, if you will. Phillips Arena had pretty good sound, comparable to the old Omni, and being on the floor was 50/50 good/bad because the view was good when we could see over the tall people, including the bizarre dancer in front of us (who left after three songs) and the guy who decided to stand on the chairs (who left after four songs or something). Pete Yorn was kind of disappointing, but I did get to watch some of the Georgia/Tennessee game while he played. I also met up with Susan Walker, and old MSU friend who is more beautiful than ever (and now a lawyer in St. Louis)....she don't hold a candle to my Mame, though! Here's the set list (thanks V+), which I'll analyze on a song per song basis:

FINEST WORKSONG--great show opener. It me up and running right away. Michael was out of control all night, and it all started right here. Not much movement from Mike, which was a trend for the night. Peter demonstrated his trademark windmills and half-assed kicks. Good stuff.

BEGIN THE BEGIN--fuck. What a 1-2 combo. One of my all-time favorites. The dancing girl was distracting us, but no matter. A rocker.

SO FAST SO NUMB--I thought they pulled this one off well, though I would have preferred "Bittersweet Me." I think this song is underrated, especially in the live setting.

DRIVE--finally I heard them play the real version of this song, not the funky abortion that they used to play. Automatic... was well represented, but I could have heard more. I bet they've never played "Monty Got A Raw Deal."

ANIMAL--this one's pretty good. Not great, but pretty good. I wonder when it was written...V+? Still, the energy was high.

FALL ON ME--a mainstay and always a pleasure to hear.

YOU ARE THE EVERYTHING--wow. The show could have ended right here and I would have been satisfied. I love this song, and their version this night was beautiful.

BAD DAY--I love this song, especially after watching the video 30 times at the Team Clermont office. Of course, it based on the "It's the End of the World..." chord progression, but it seems original in its own right. A companion piece...

THE ONE I LOVE--another mainstay, but still a great tune after all these years. Easy to remember the lyrics on this one. What the hell is Mike Mills singing in the chorus? The world may never know.

ELECTROLITE--for some reason, this one, while well played, failed to grab me as much as I would have liked. I love this song and was looking forward to hearing it played, but when the time came, I felt strangely empty, kind of like when I saw U2 perform "Bad" a few years back.

E-BOW THE LETTER--Ms. Comrade thought Pete Yorn dicked up the Patti Smith vocals, but I thought it was okay. I think this song is better than I thought it was when it was released. Still, I'd love to hear "Leave" in its place for once.

(DON'T GO BACK TO) ROCKVILLE--Mike Mills on lead vocals and the crowd goes wild! I always sing "Don't go back to Starkville" in remembrance of times past. Another crowd favorite.

FIND THE RIVER--nice.

LOSING MY RELIGION--still holds up, but no surprises here.

AT MY MOST BEAUTIFUL--since I'm a Beach Boys fanatic, I've always had a soft spot for this one. Well played, though I could feel the momentum slowing down at this point a bit.

SHE JUST WANTS TO BE--a real clunker. One of the worst REM songs ever written/recorded. Every other song on Reveal is better (why not play "Beach Ball" or "I've Been High?"). And then they tack on a laconic noise solo at the end. Gross. The night's low point, without a doubt.

WALK UNAFRAID--I like this one okay, but it was not enough to pull me out of the mid-show doldrums that the last song caused.

MAN ON THE MOON--Aha! Just what I needed. A fun sing-along. I wish Michael would do his Elvis "Hey, baby!" instead of just yelling it. Oh, well. Mame told me I was being dorky for even bitching about it. She's probably right. As always.

--Encore--
LIFE AND HOW TO LIVE IT--holy shit! This song was amazing. I've never heard it played live and it's easily one of my top ten REM songs ever. A fucking monster.

NIGHTSWIMMING--beautiful. Nice water effects with the lighting.

FINAL STRAW--boring.

GARDENING AT NIGHT--fuck.

WOLVES, LOWER--holy fuck.

SITTING STILL--Jesus fuck.

RADIO FREE EUROPE--fuck me.

PERMANENT VACATION--fuck, I can't take it anymore.

IMITATION OF LIFE--have I died and gone to heaven?

IT'S THE END OF THE WORLD AS WE KNOW IT (AND I FEEL FINE)--always a blast, though it may be cliched.

Wow. What a night. Only a few low points. No Monster, which was not unexpected, but "What's the frequency, Kenneth?" would have been cool. Of course there are a million songs I wanted to hear, but you can't have everything. We ended up at the afterparty at the Roxy, where I demonstrated my dance moves (pointing and "jazz hands") for Susan and Ms. Comrade. Good times, and a fun way to end the night.

Believe it or not...

...but I'm a fan of pretty strong discipline in schools. Not super-rigid, mind you, but the military schools have strong discipline and superior educational results. So do a lot of private (non-racist private schools, that is) and Catholic schools. I think loose and free-flowing classrooms are all fine and dandy, but I'm not sold on the Montessori method and the like. Discipline does not have to be contrapositive to free thinking. Strict discipline can be taken too far, though, as evidenced by this story. There's definitely a balance that needs to be figured out...and expelling a girl for writing a fictional story in her diary is not the answer. Zero tolerance policies routinely result in these kind of idiotic circumstances and trample upon student civil liberties. Discipline should be based on mutual respect and common sense, not paranoia and rigidity.

Oh, another thing...

Polly turned me onto this CBS News story about Halliburton price-gouging in Iraq. Call me cynical, but I can't say I'm surprised at all.

Phew! So much to write about...

...and my new boss at work caught me blogging, so I have to do this while he's out.

Thanks to Polly and the Mooch for digging up this story on Haley Barbour, former Republican National Committee chairman, current GOP gubernatorial candidate in Mississippi, and piece-of-shit racist who has ties to the Council of Conservative Citizens. I already posted stuff about this, but I'm happy to see some people in the mainstream media taking notice of this. Haley Barbour's racist connections should tarnish George W. Bush, if he's willing to put his support behind people like this! A friend of mine works for a Jackson, MS TV station that ran a story on this development and, apparently, nobody gave a crap. That sucks. Spread the word, people!

I'm working on my long-awaited REM review, V+, so don't worry. It'll arrive before the next century.

Some thoughts from this past weekend:
--I performed my first wedding ceremony, which was beautiful and sad at the same time (we did a short, but nice, tribute at the beginning to departed grandparents). Lots of people afterwards called me "the Pastor" and "the Reverend." Gorjus called me the Right Rev. Jensen. I like that.
--the wedding photographer/fuhrer was pretty pushy, and she made the bridesmaids walk about 200 yards down a terraced lawn to a lake, over a slippery bridge, and onto an island in high heels. Thankfully, everybody made their mark with minimal injuries, though there were some ant bites and sunburns.
--it was great to see all of my friends from college, but I wish we could have hung out longer. Everybody's having babies now...strange, fascinating, fun, and a lot of work. That's how I feel about this "baby thing." It changes every facet of your life. I'm not sure I'm ready to deal with it yet. We'll see.
--Mame is the worst on long car trips. An hour or two in and she's all "I'm bored" and "are we there yet?" She's like Lisa and Bart. Plus, she's a front seat driver all the way.
--I drank moonshine next to a trampoline. I ate way too much meat. I never took a fully satisfying shower.

More to come if I think about it...

I watched part of Krull again this morning. What's wrong with me?

I couldn't have said it better

Josh Marshall attacks one of my pet peeves: that criticism of Israeli policy is somehow anti-Semitic, as if there was no way to separate Israel the concept, Israel the country, Jewish people as an ethnicity, and Judaism as a religion. You criticize one, in my case Israel the country, and you're attacking them all. Conservatives love to levy charges of anti-Semitism against liberals because they have so many racial skeletons in their own closets. "If you disagree with Ariel Sharon, you hate Jews." Listen, Ariel Sharon is a butcher, as is Yassir Arafat. But somehow I'm anti-Semitic if I condemn Israel policy in the occupied territories. Bullshit. Well, I'll let Josh Marshall (who is Jewish) do the rest of the talking for me:

But I must tell you that I am growing more than a little weary of the Jewlier than thou comments emanating from some of my co-religionists on the other side of the aisle. (Similar aspersions from non-Jews are no great shakes either. But those guys are just practicing unwitting self-parody.)...

I think I could say, with far more merit, that those who make these charges are exploiting and trivializing the issue of anti-Semitism by using it as a tool to blunt criticism of their foreign policy views and the foreign policy pursued by this administration. One does not have to agree with the policies of Ariel Sharon’s government to be a Jew in good standing or an even an Israeli for that matter. I have some acquaintance with more than a few of the latter. And, believe me, they don’t all see eye to eye on this issue. (There is a reason, after all, why they call it ‘revisionist Zionism.’)

The pessimistic optimist

It seems odd to me that Donald Rumsfeld is so positive in his press briefings and so negative in this wildly reported on memo to the top Pentagon brass. It's like two different pictures. I honestly don't know what to think, but it creeps me out just a little bit that he's not being forthright about his own reservations on the war. Some have stated that this memo was intended to be a pep talk of sorts. Huh? Who the hell would get pepped up by this depress-o-rama? It'd be like trying to pep up the long-suffering Vanderbilt football team when they're down 44-0 against, say, Miami. "We've run ourselves ragged! They've got more players than we do! We don't have the depth or money for new equipment! You will probably all end up injured! Oh, and we play Oklahoma next week!"

Just sayin'...

"Give me one reason not to do it..."

That's a line from a song from the unfinished sixth Elliot Smith album. Well, I guess no one gave him a good enough reason because he killed himself, apparently from a knife to the chest (which, by the way, is probably one of the most horrible ways I can imagine of killing oneself). I really liked Elliot Smith, mostly the older, pre-Dreamworks stuff, but his lyrics, backed by often upbeat and beautiful music, always made me a little uncomfortable, especially the ones about hard drug use. It seemed fitting when Wes Anderson et al. used "Needle in the Hay" for the attempted suicide scene in The Royal Tennenbaums. I saw him in concert a few years back, and he seemed in really good spirits, backed by Sam Coomes (his former bandmate in Heatmiser) and some other ringers. It was a pretty great show. Apparently, he didn't give too many of those chipper shows. I was one of the lucky ones.

It's just really sad.

Off to Mississippi

See you next Monday!

What white supremacists?

Strangely enough, I was tipped off to this by Andrew Sullivan! Here lies a picture of Mississippi GOP gubernatorial candidate (and former Republican National Committee chairman) Haley Barbour and a bunch of white supremacists...oh, wait, excuse me! I mean the Council of Conservative Citizens. These guys are slime. Their association with Trent Lott helped take him down, so hopefully, it can do the same to Barbour. Spread the word!

By the way, why the hell were cloggers at one of their meetings?

Um, wow.

I just downloaded some songs from Screech's band, Salty the Pocketknife. Check 'em out! They're "awesome."

Don't use the porta-potties at Tiger Stadium.

I wouldn't exactly call LSU's bad fan reputation undeserved. When ever I attended games there, I was spit on by old ladies, heard racial epithets thrown at the band's black members, and had to dodge flying bottles of all sorts. It was disgusting.

Happy birthday, Vodka!

This guy...this guy right here...

Mudballs from heaven

So I'm standing outside, playing around with one of our cats, when I feel something hit my head. At first, I thought it was bird poop, but when I reached up and touched it (with some trepidation, mind you...a bird pooped on my head in NYC once and it was really disgusting and a total pain in the ass) all I felt was crumbly mud. Where the hell did this dirt clod come from? I wasn't close to any trees or my house's roof or anything! This mudball just came out of nowhere and landed in my hair. It's going to be a bitch to get all of this dirt of out of there.

Everyday the world seems more bizarre to me.

Probably because of stories like this one. I knew about the faux-Confederate movement in Bavaria but not the actual Confederate ancestors in Brazil.

Achtung!

Do not, I repeat DO NOT, buy a Nokia N-Gage. You will be wasting your money. It is a piece of crap. Trust me, any game system that requires you to remove the battery to change out stale Playstation ports is a piece of crap.

I don't know where he finds this stuff

...but Emerson hooked me up with this nugget about duck necrophilia/rape.

Indoor air pollution

This is a real problem. Here's an excerpt from a paper I wrote on the subject...high schoolers: plagiarize away!

According to Mark Diamond, a lawyer writing for the ABA Journal, “[t]here is a danger in America more widespread than AIDS, more insidious than heart disease, more prevalent than cancer” (Diamond, 1987). He is speaking of indoor air pollution, a problem that the EPA called the #1 pollution problem in America (Conlin, 2000). Though not as hyped as outdoor air pollution, levels of indoor air pollution can be up to 100 times more concentrated than outdoors, caused by everything from hair spray to insecticides to burning candles (Conlin, 2000; The Economist, 1999). Already, this issue is becoming an environmental justice issue, as groups of workers and homeowners are suing, respectively, company owners and building contractors for what they see as unsafe environments. In developing countries, the problem is quite bad, aided mostly by cooking fuel pollution; this issue is an economic one, as many of these people can’t afford more expensive, but cleaner cooking methods (Ellegard, 1997). This issue could be used in the classroom in a variety of ways to open children’s eyes to dangers of particulate matter in the air and the numerous legal and economic issues surrounding it.

The way our homes and workplaces are built and the materials used within are some of the primary causes of indoor air pollution, and the inability of most ventilation systems to get rid of these pollutants only exacerbates the problem (Diamond, 1987). Poor indoor quality is often called “Sick Building Syndrome (SBS),” and it can lead to a variety of health problems, some of them quite serious (Conlin, 2000; Diamond, 1987). Elissa Feldman, the EPA’s associate director of the Indoor Environments Division, says that “the chemical soup swirling through office air ‘is a complex mixture that we just don’t know that much about and no one has set standards for…[w]e’re not [always] sure of the health effects’” (Conlin, 2000). According to an article in the July 17, 1999, issue of The Economist, “[u]sing gas cooker, or burning candles…both result in indoor levels of carbon monoxide and particulate matter that are just as high as those to be found outside, amid heavy traffic” (The Economist, 1999). Furthermore, crowded classrooms with overworked ventilation systems contain “levels of carbon dioxide that would be regarded as unacceptable on board a submarine” (The Economist, 1999). Exhaust fumes from the garage, moldy sheetrock caused by leaky pipes, fire insulation, excessive use of cleaning products, the so-called “new car smell,” even carpet: all of these are underacknowledged hazards to one’s health (Conlin, 2000; Diamond, 1987; the Economist, 1999; Belkin, 2001).

Analyzing data collected in surveys from three major Third World cities (Lusaka, Maputo, and Hanoi), Ellegard found that indoor air pollution is indeed a huge problem in the developing world as well (Ellegard, 1997). He notes that “[c]ompared with the situation in ambient air in industrialized countries, the levels of indoor air pollution in industrialized countries, the levels of indoor air pollution in developing countries are orders of magnitude higher and affect a larger number of people, most of them women and children” (Ellegard, 1997). 200 million women in the developing world “smoke” anywhere from 2 to 20 packs of cigarettes a day without actually smoking (Ellegard, 1997). Though it is hard to measure the effects of indoor air pollution in these areas, cooking fuel pollution--pollution caused by use of cheap but dirty cooking fuel sources like sawdust, wood, coal, and charcoal--causes chronic respiratory illnesses and excessive eye irritation (Ellegard, 1997).

Indoor air pollution is quickly becoming a legal and environmental justice concern. Do workers have the right to work in an environment where the air is safe to breathe? Should homeowners expect superior building materials that are resistant to mold and don’t give off air pollutants? Don’t people in the developing world deserve to breathe particulate-free air? Many legal and health experts say “yes” and a new legal cottage industry surrounding issues of indoor pollution is springing up in this country (Diamond, 1987). Employees at such major employers as Levi Strauss, BP Amoco, US West, and even the Environmental Protection Agency, “have claimed they suffered sick-building-related illnesses” (Conlin, 2000). OSHA standards in this country, however, don’t necessarily cover all of the pollutants in our workplace air, and homeowners have struggled to get money out of contractors and insurers for health problems caused by mold via water damage (Belkin, 2001; Conlin, 2000). The World Health Organization estimates that one in three workers work in a so-called “sick building” and has said that cooking pollution problems in the developing world should be taken seriously, calling for better indicators for smoke exposure and development of cleaner cooking spaces (Conlin, 2000; Ellegard, 1997). Unfortunately, these cleaner work and home environments often come at a high price, and though the problem in America is surprisingly classless (though poorer areas and blue-collar jobs are still more susceptible), in the developing world, the poor suffer the most (Belkin, 2001; Conlin, 2000; Ellegard, 1997).

Works Cited
Belkin, Lisa. “Haunted by Mold.” The New York Times Magazine. Aug 21, 2001: 28.
Conlin, Michelle. “Is Your Office Killing You.” Business Week. June 5, 2000: 114.
Diamond, Mark. “Liability in the Air: the Threat of Indoor Pollution.” ABA Journal. Nov. 1, 1987: 78-85
“The Enemy Within.” The Economist. July 17, 1999. 352 (8128): 77.
Ellegard, Anders. (1997). “Tears while cooking: and indicator of indoor air pollution and related health effects in developing countries.” Environmental Research. 75: 12-22

In the past few days I've...

--seen Lost in Translation, which is just a beautiful movie, even though it's largely plotless. It's got great attention to detail and great, humorous, but ultimately lonely, performances by the two leads.
--seen The Rundown, which was stupid, fun, and hilarious.
--seen The School of Rock, which was just plain fun and hilarious. Seriously, I thought this was an amazing comedy, and the kids in it were dynamite. It's like Kindergarten Cop without the strange violent sequences. Okay, it's probably better than that.
--attended the Georgia-Alabama game through free tickets from my stepsister, who interns with the Alabama football team. I was sitting among the player's parents, who cried when players got injured, groused about Mike Shula, and watched in horror as Alabama rolled over and died in the first half, then mounted an ultimately anemic comeback in the second half. I had to contain my excitement and act like I was rooting for Alabama. It was hard. I wore jeans and a khaki jacket, so as not to align myself with either side.
--watched the Braves blow another postseason to the on-fire Chicago Cubs. Sigh. This is the life I've chosen, and I have few regrets. I will say this: go Cubbies! First off, you always want to lose to the winner because it vindicates you in a way, but also, the Cubs, particularly this Cubs team, is worthy of a World Series. Do they deserve it? Nah...I don't think any team deserves anything unless they win, but I'd love to see the Cubs go all the way. Just them winning their first postseason series since 1908 is like a World Series victory in Chicago. My wish: Cubs vs. Red Sox. I think the universe as we know it would end if this happened. That'd be interesting. The final game in the Red Sox-A's series was pretty wild, too. I could talk baseball all day long on this blog, but, thankfully for you, I refrain.
--watched the atrocious 30th Anniversary edition of Night of the Living Dead where they padded a (necessarily) short, low-budget zombie movie with horrible, modern-looking new scenes that were not directed by George A. Romero. Find an old Goodtimes videotape of this movie for 5 bucks (the one that includes "Reefer Madness" as a bonus) and be done with it. Stay away from this DVD!
--played still more of Final Fantasy Tactics Advance. It's almost all I think about.

A few more thoughts:

To Californians whining about the results of the recall: I have nothing to say to you. You guys made your bed, so you've got to sleep in it.

I'm going to start volunteering at a middle school in Greene County. I'm tired of sitting around pontificating but not doing anything about it.

I've gotten really freaked out about indoor air pollution, so expect a post quite soon about the problem that the EPA calls the #1 pollution problem in America.

I actually enjoy making Powerpoint presentations, despite my better judgment.

Sigh.

You know things are getting bad when you start to get tired of seeing repeat episodes of COPS...and you get excited about getting a new high score on the Orbitz blimp game.

Holy crap.

What a great sports day for me so far: Mississippi State finally wins, Georgia beats the hated Crimson Tide, the Giants lose three to the Marlins (!), and the Braves pull one out over the Cubs.

More on the Georgia game later.

Now if only Auburn can pull out a miracle over Tennessee...

UPDATE: Auburn pulled off a major upset against Tennessee, holding them to, like, 4 yards rushing or something. Tennesse was a tad overrated, having struggled on offense all season long. It seems like Auburn's really starting to turn things around. I'm glad. I like Tommy Tubberville and was worried about him keeping his job. He was the only Ole Miss coach to stand up to tradition and demand an end to the flying of the battle flag.

Everybody had weird names back then.

The chairman of the Georgia State Board of Barbers in 1998 was named Virgil D. Ergle.

An interesting Pacific UV review...

Hey, Agent! They mention your trumpet playing. I can't say I disagree with this review, even having played on the record. What no one seems to mention, however, is that there are three non-shoegaze songs on the record. Oh, well.

Wait! I found a review that actually mentioned the instrumentals and such! Not the best of reviews, but at least it's different.

Forgive the superfluous commas

My review of the new High Llamas' record, Beet, Maize & Corn, is up at Dusted Magazine.

Like Bambi...with an "O"!

I didn't know that deer ate cigarette butts...

On photos and racist halftime shows

1. Mame has put up one of the best photos she's ever taken: a picture of my accordian. It's available here.

2. I was thinking about the story I posted earlier about the Nazi flag being flown at a Texas high football halftime show. I'm reminded of a less egregious example of a racist halftime show that I participated in as a cymbal player in the Famous Maroon Marching Band at Mississippi State University. It was called "A Tribute to Motown," but only one Motown artist, the Temptations, was featured. In addition to the Temptations we played "Under the Boardwalk" by the Drifters (recorded before the advent of Motown, I believe), an Aretha Franklin medley (I think that was it, but regardless, Aretha was an Atlantic recording artist, NOT Motown), and "I Got You (I Feel Good)" by James Brown (he doesn't even sound like Motown). The point of the matter is this: the announcer would come on over the loudspeaker and announce to the crowd "Now...the Mississippi State University Famous Maroon Band brings you the sounds of Motown!" And it was a total lie. But no one noticed because these were all black artists, so OF COURSE they had to be on Motown...I mean, that's a black record label, right? Forget Tina Marie, forget the unheard Mynah Birds record, forget the fact that Motown was often considered black-music-for-white-people. No, they were all black artists, so they had to be lumped together into one group even though there are obvious differences between all of them. From a music fanatic's perspective, it's a real fuckup. From a person who is able to recognize the different styles of music made by people of color (all R&B and soul is not the same), it was a crisis of biblical proportions. I think the only people who got pissed off were myself and my friend, Mark, who is black and considered it pretty offensive.

The "brick dick" is the winner...

...of the Most Phallic Building in the World contest, presented by Cabinet Magazine and Jonathon Ames. Agent McClacho should note the high number of votes for the capitol building in Tallahassee.

Live Free or Die!

I bet the Libertarians chose New Hampshire for its slogan and beautiful scenery. It beats the shit out of Wyoming, though, honestly, I think their message would get further over there. Personally, I think the Free State Project idea (regardless of its politics) is fucking brilliant. Maybe the Greens should take over Montana...

Bad idea

Waving the Nazi flag at a halftime show was a bad idea. Doing it at the beginning of Rosh Hoshannah was probably a worse idea.