once upon a time, some people decided to be jerks and ever since that day i've had to start locking the new stuff. no offense to the nice people. i mostly add people i know or people who have overlapping friends. thx.
The earth was formless and void, and darkness was over the surface of the deep, and the Spirit of God was moving over the surface of the waters. - genesis 1:2
this song is it for me today. sam sparro - black & gold
hey theastrolabe, thanks again for posting about him! it turns out he as a friend of a friend. i hope i get to meet him.
btw, he did a killer version of american boy by estelle the other day. i like it better than the original.
Things have been super busy the last few weeks, and it has taken away my valuable blogging time. So I am here doing another list to rattle off a bunch of things at once instead of taking my time.
1) BAD INTENTION, GOOD DESIGN My brother sent me a link to this image depicting the transformation of this toothpaste in Hong Kong from the racist name "Darkie" to the meaningless name "Darlie". The first thing I noticed was that despite the fact that it was racist, the Darkie box just looked better. The drawing was nicer, the design more assured. I have family members who collect things like those old Mammy doll salt shakers and Aunt Jemima bottles and I am always visually drawn in by them despite the fact that they are meant to be offensive. Not sure what that means. But anyway with that in mind, I came across this contest where designers are being challenged to create a vintage looking ad for a modern looking product. Look how cool and appropriate the Segways look in olden times!
2) MOVIES I've seen a few movies since last we spoke. Here are some one sentence reviews *In The Cut - It was kinda cheesy but unspeakably sexy, I will never look at Mark Ruffalo the same again.
*Dune - Not bad, but I was not as amazed as I'd hoped to be. *The Pervert's Guide to Cinema - I'd gone to see this with labrujah last year but it was too much to handle then so we left before it was over, it made a lot more sense this time around but I'll certainly have to watch it a few more times. *Shanghai Kiss - This movie -- which I guess is supposed to be the Chinese-American version of Garden State -- was absolutely cheesy, but Ken Leung is so hot, funny, and charming that I had to keep watching. *In The Time of Gypsies - This is a film by Emir Kusturica who did Underground, it is not available on DVD as far as I can tell so I was lucky to catch it on television the other day; it's beautiful classic magical realistic Kusturica.
Slow, pointless, plot-less, overstuffed, most gratuitous use of Bob Marley music, most anticlimactic garbage I have ever laid my eyes on. Congratulations on bumping Altman's Pret A Porter out of the worst movie seat.
I don't think I am being a scrooge when I say I am totally inclined to agree with this recent post by Penelope Trunk. I would be much obligedhappier if non-Christians were no longer being pressured into (EDIT:17.35) celebrating Christmas. Frankly, as a Christian, I'm coming to the realization that it's being pushed down other peoples' throats and it is absolutely abhorrent to me. Frankly I think non-Christians would enjoy having that heavy burden lifted off their shoulders; Jews would be able to push Chanukah back down as the less-significant holiday that it actually is, Kwanzaa could finally die the death its deserved, and more people (including Christians!) could keep money in their pockets at the end of the year.
I think returning Christmas to its rightful place would be the Jesus-y thing to do and if people want some sort of non-denominational winter festival to spend time with family they could go on ahead and lobby for it (though in America, isnt Thanksgiving e-frikkin-nough?). While I don't think any of this will happen any time soon, I think it's good to get the idea circulating.
I am finding this whole story SO AMAZING. I don't know if they are reporting it in the states but it's all over the place on the BBC and other British news outlets (which is what I mostly follow).
Long story short:a man went canoeing 5 years ago and disappeared. His family reported him missing and after some time passed he was pronounced dead and his wife claimed the insurance money. About a week ago the man walked into the police station and said he was "a missing person". The police go to alert his wife and it turns out she has recently sold off her house and moved to Panama, but tells the police and media that she's thrilled to hear the news...then their vacation pictures FROM LAST YEAR surface. Uh, WTF?! Read about it here. I hate that I love sensational stuff.
Interesting interview with Ayaan Hirsi Ali (former Dutch MP and now a resident scholar at the neocon American Enterprise Institute) from The Spectator. I'm really conflicted aabout her, but nonetheless it is definitely enlightening to hear her insight considering she is coming from a very informed point of view.
‘Yes, I am at war with Islam,’ she says, as she gets up to leave, ‘but I am not at war with Muslims.’ It’s a crucial difference.
Oh my God. I don't think the Qu'ran is tripping off teddy bears and if it is, too bad. There are people dying in Sudan and we are wasting our time on teddy bears called Muhammad? Ugh, when will the world just tell these nitpicky people to fuck off?
I'll be the first.....
Fuck off with this crap.
Don't get it twisted. I don't give a crap about this fat English lady teacher. She can go to hell. I just don't want us to keep bowing to the illogic of all this crap. The worldwide response to this kinda stuff should be a big fat NO and a laugh in the face. Believe what you want but do not expect us to happily go along with it because we are trying to have a functioning sensible world, OK?
In the most epic year of Kanye's life he loses a woman who was not only his mother, but his manager, protector, and closest confidante. It's incredibly sad.
With all this writer's strike business I can only hope that the writer's of Weeds are out for a very very long time, or--better yet--that they try to break the picket line and are all beaten to within an inch of their lives by the strikers.
That is how much I hate that show now. Season 3 is like waking up one morning to find your partner cheating on you in your own bed, while you're still lying there. It hurts...real bad.
*
on the other hand, I wish the writers of LOST and Dexter a speedy resolution.
Genesis Breyer P-Orridge and her reactivated Psychic TV aka PTV3 are terribly sad to announce the cancellation of their November North American tour dates. This decision is entirely due to the unexpected passing of band member Lady Jaye Breyer P-Orridge.
Lady Jaye died suddenly on Tuesday 9th October 2007 at home in Brooklyn, New York from a previously undiagnosed heart condition which is thought to have been connected with her long-term battle with stomach cancer. Lady Jaye collapsed and died in the arms of her heartbroken "other half" Genesis Breyer P-Orridge.
Being overwhelmed by the enormity of their loss, Lady Jaye's significant other, Genesis Breyer P-Orridge, and the other surviving band members of Psychic TV/PTV3 are not able to properly meet the demands of touring and performance. Obviously, her absence onstage , the conspicuous loss of her unique charisma, music and humor would be an unbearable emotional reality to confront night after night.
The group, who have been touring to promote their first studio album in 12 years, will announce future plans after an appropriate period of mourning. [Genesis Breyer P-Orridge]
Through Analysis, Gut Reaction Gains Credibility By CLAUDIA DREIFUS (from NY Times)
Two years ago, when Malcolm Gladwell published his best-selling “Blink: The Power of Thinking Without Thinking,” readers throughout the world were introduced to the ideas of Gerd Gigerenzer, a German social psychologist.
Dr. Gigerenzer, the director of the Max Planck Institute for Human Development in Berlin, is known in social science circles for his breakthrough studies on the nature of intuitive thinking. Before his research, this was a topic often dismissed as crazed superstition. Dr. Gigerenzer, 59, was able to show how aspects of intuition work and how ordinary people successfully use it in modern life.
And now he has written his own book, “Gut Feelings: The Intelligence of the Unconscious,” which he hopes will sell as well as “Blink.” “I liked Gladwell’s book,” Dr. Gigerenzer said during a visit to New York City last month. “He’s popularized the issue, including my research.”
Q: O.K., let’s start with basics: what is a gut feeling?
A: It’s a judgment that is fast. It comes quickly into a person’s consciousness. The person doesn’t know why they have this feeling. Yet, this is strong enough to make an individual act on it. What a gut instinct is not is a calculation. You do not fully know where it comes from.
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