Keeping it real since 2000

Sorry for the absence of bloggery. In the meantime, here’s a picture of me keeping it real at the 2000 Bush inauguration in DC (consider me an original gangster in this respect):

Fox News Is Insane

“Little did I know, Mr. Rogers was an evil man. By telling children they’re special just for being who they are, he helped create this generation of worthless, lazy socialists who think they’re entitled to rewards without working… at least according to Fox News.

Watch the video. The Fox News anchors are completely serious when they attribute the differences in academic performance between Asian and American kids to the fact that Asian children didn’t grow up with Mr. Rogers telling them they were unique and special. It’s not that we have a failing education system or that parents aren’t instilling the proper work ethic in their children. American children under perform because Mr. Rogers taught them to expect everything in life to be handed to them on a silver platter.

They actually use the word “evil” to describe Mr. Rogers and criticize him for his “optimistic message.” Then one of them starts babbling about how children should go back to churning butter and making their own sweaters. I didn’t make it all the way to the end, but I wouldn’t be surprised if they blamed him for 9/11.”

Dick Cheney Will Steal Your Kid and Boil It

Why one should never, ever cross Dick Cheney:

A man walked up to Dick Cheney, calmly told him he thought his Iraq policy was reprehensible, and walked away. A few minutes later he was arrested by the Secret Service, in front of his 8-year-old son, for “assault”. When he asked what would happen to his child, the Secret Service said, “He can be sent to Child Services.” Luckily, the boy found his mother and was safe.

Atlantic Review has an excellent post on Germany’s Role in Operation Enduring Freedom, which I will hopefully chime in about if they ever have another BLOG carnival (I’m looking at you, Joerg!). In other news, Publius has a post on Britain declaring the Litvinenko Killing as State-Sponsored Terrorism, and Coming Anarchy reports on Britain saying goodbye to bumper sticker sloganeering.

In domestic reads, Bush continues to confuse people about who we’re fighting in Iraq, On the Other Hand explores feminist blogging and Amanda Marcotte’s vagina (weird), the Takoma Park city council has unanimously approved a resolution urging Congress to go forward with impeachment proceedings against President Bush and Vice President Dick Cheney, TSA To Screeners: Beware Of Cheese With Wires, and Pandagon on the real face of class warfare, Bobo edition.

Other interesting reads:

Goatse on CNN?

How much better is local food for the environment?

News Stations Believe Ron Paul Supporters Are Only a Myth

Bush Bashing Advertising

Could You Afford to be Poor?

Girls and Boys can’t be friends

The Stars

Stars is a Canadian indie pop band. Originally formed in Toronto by vocalist Torquil Campbell and keyboardist Chris Seligman, the band relocated to New York City and then subsequently to Montreal.

Their music has been described as “beautiful, eloquent indie pop”, characterized by lush instrumentation, nimble production and mixing, narrative lyrics, and soft but nuanced vocals. The band’s style has evolved from an electronic-pop sound as heard on Nightsongs (released on the Le Grand Magistery record label) to more rock-based instrumentation on their last two full-length albums, reflecting the permanent additions of singer-guitarist Amy Millan and bassist Evan Cranley on Heart (released on Paper Bag Records), and eventually drummer Pat McGee on Set Yourself on Fire.

The band’s breakthrough single was “Ageless Beauty”, from their 2004 album Set Yourself on Fire. While released to minimal fanfare in Canada in October 2004, Set Yourself on Fire slowly gained a strong following and critical praise soon after its March 8, 2005 U.S. release. Millan, Cranley and Campbell are also members of the indie band Broken Social Scene, with whom they currently share a record label, Arts & Crafts.

The song that will start it all, Your Ex-Lover Is Dead from the album Set Yourself on Fire:

Also from Set Yourself on Fire, Ageless Beauty:

Elevator Love Letter from the album Heart:

There new album coming out in August (available online now however at iTunes after being leaked on the internet) is titled In Our Bedrooms After the War. The first song is an ambient track with a timely poem at the end:

Oh the blood and the treasure
And then losing it all
The time that we wasted
And the place where we fall
Will we wake in the morning
And know what it was for
Up in our bedroom
After the war

Some tracks like The Night Stars Here are available to stream online.

Homoerotic Necessities

From Kids in the Hall – Brain Candy:

Drill sergeant: You… are… scum! Do you hear me soldier?
Wally: Yes, sir!
Drill sergeant: Do you know what we are going to be doing today?
Wally: No, sir!
Drill sergeant: We are going to be doing push-ups all day, you and me, all day!
[Wally smiles]
Drill sergeant: Do you think that’s funny soldier?
Wally: No, sir!
Drill sergeant: Well, just for that, you are going to be doing those push-ups with me lying on your back! You are going to discover muscles, you never knew you had! Big… muscles, hard… muscles!
Wally: Oh, yesss, sir!

Quickly followed by:

[Wally’s squad is watching naked men shower]
Drill sergeant: [to Wally] You go over there and Fuck ’em. We’ll stay here and Masturbate. Go, go, go!