Starstruck, For “Sures”

In their EP, Stars, the Sures channel the Pains of Being Pure at Heart and capricious rhythms that remind us of how we felt at the ripe age of sixteen.

You Are Free

Repeat after me: you are free.

The Last Of The Occupy Movement?

The Article: Oakland, the Last Refuge of Radical America by Jonathan Mahler in The New York Times.

The Text: The Anti-Capitalist Brigade started gathering early on May Day at Oakland’s Snow Park. There was free coffee, oatmeal, doughnuts, fliers with the day’s agenda and plenty of pot. A “street medic” — “I just finished a wilderness first-aid course,” he told me when I asked about his training — tended to his first case of the day, a man in his 20s whose leg had been beaten to a purple hue with a metal rod in an overnight fight in the park. Nearby, an organizer reminded protesters to take down the toll-free number for the National Lawyers Guild: “This is important. Do not put it in your cellphones, because if you get arrested, the cops will take those away. Write it on your bodies. In indelible ink. There are Sharpies on the table.”

Mayor Jean Quan has feuded with her own police department, complicating the response to Occupy Oakland.

No central action was planned. A coalition of labor unions had asked Occupy Oakland, with its proven ability to turn out large numbers of militant activists, to blockade the Golden Gate Bridge, but then withdrew the request at the last minute. Instead, thousands of Occupy protesters met at various “strike stations” and fanned out into the streets with shields and gas masks (or the homemade alternative: bandannas soaked in vinegar), transforming downtown Oakland into a roving carnival of keyed-up militants of every shape and size: graduate students, tenured professors, professional revolutionaries, members of the Black Bloc, dressed like ninjas, their faces obscured.

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What’s Best Around the Web This Week

5. Top 20 Companies by Solar Capacity

Well done, Wal-Mart! Harness the sun’s power! Mother Jones makes a good point, though…they ARE the largest company on the planet, so it only makes sense that their numbers are the highest.

4. What Does a U.S. Ambassador Do?

In light of recent events, a Mental Floss reader asked the question “Just what does a U.S. Ambassador do, and how do they get the job?” What mentalfloss.com gives us is a short, easy to understand summary of the job position.

3. How To Argue On The Internet Without Becoming A Troll

This article is essential for your bookmarks. Arguing online is often a vicious spiral into a very sad, dark place – but with these tips from Life Hacker you can save yourself from sounding like every other asshole internet troll and perhaps even winning an argument or two!

2. How to Suck at Your Religion

This is a very long, but well worth reading, web-comic by The Oatmeal (of course). It’s honest, funny, and covers quite a bit of ground. Well done.

1. Bill Clinton Finally Just Shows America His Penis

Man… finally. At this rate we were starting to think it would 4 more years. (Disclaimer: This in an article from The Onion. That means it’s not real, in case you were not aware.)

The xx’s “Angelic” Minimalism

Following an overwhelmingly successful premiere album, the xx has entered its sophomore year in “Angels,” a soft love song featuring their characteristic melodic sparseness. Not that we mind.