knees knelt

2002-07-26T15:34:00.000-07:00

2002-07-09T16:54:00.000-07:00

Need a good laugh? Well, who doesn't. Here's where I got mine today:

Pitchfork does it again, and how- Andrew W.K. gets what he shoulda got long before his debut album was recorded. A teaser: W.K.= Def Leppard+Gary Glitter+The Baha Men.

For some ol' nostalgic humor, saunter on down to Lileks' Flotsam Cove, and laugh at what passed for clever advertising 50 years ago.

2002-07-03T00:54:00.000-07:00

slowly getting back into this...

todays goods:

our good friend N.Z. Bear has himself a new design, and a new location. and finally, a decent logo.

The coolest lego work I have seen in forever, probably. get your mathematic lego kick on here. Enjoy the guy's lego site as well, and see his many lego creations. You thought you were the biggest lego geek you knew until you found out there were guys running computer applications for optimum design plans. impressive, I say. (ps I'm not linking to the blog which directed me to this lego-topia, because said blog is currently displaying some unrelated nudity on its front page.)

that's it for now. good night, and I will return!

2002-06-24T14:04:00.000-07:00

I'm so sorry for the neglect- I know I've been gone a while. To the three readers who stuck around, clicking refresh in vain, I thank you for your loyalty. The reason I've been absent is I'm moving and changing jobs at the same time, which makes for long days and tired nights. I promise, I'll be back and blogging soon. Don't forget me! but it may be a few more days yet. In the meanwhile, patronize my good friends whom I've listed on the left.

2002-06-16T01:10:00.000-07:00

LIKE THE HIVES, MY WORLD DOMINATION is eminent: in e-pression's worst-lyrics-ever contest, I get three mentions. What did I submit, you ask? I'll tell you:
Ricky Martin- She Bangs

"Talk to me
Tell me your name
I'm just a link in your daisy chain
Your rap sounds like a diamond
Map to the stars
Yeah, Baby

a-ha- Take on me "Take on me, take me on, I'll be gone, In a day or two"

Smashmouth- All Star "Well, the years start comin' and they don't stop comin'..."

get all the sordid details at e-pression.

2002-06-16T01:01:00.000-07:00

ADD HIVES: some killer photos of their recent NYC show. Found this via Traveler's Diagram.

2002-06-14T08:34:00.000-07:00

So I saw both The Strokes on the Tonight Show and The Hives on Conan O'Brien. Which reminds me that I saw Alicia Keys on TV the other day, but I'll get to her in a second. There's a reason the Hives will become international superstars (or flame out dramatically; either is as likely as it is entertaining), while the Strokes will continue to get the critical raves, hollywood standard-issue girlfriends (see: Drew Barrymore, Winona the Anti-Muse, etc), and indiferent audiences. Actually there are many reasons. One of these is that the Hives know what they are, and know what they are not. They are entertainment, they are a rock band- they are peppy; they are not saving rock and roll, they are rock and roll. And they are Swedish. The Strokes seem confused about many things- are they entertainers or lecturers? Are they influencing the times or a product of the times? Are they important or misunderstood?
From the above descriptions, guess which band was more fun to watch.
Now, I have heard but two Strokes songs while I own the latest Hives release, but there is much to be said for a band's stage demeanor. The Strokes played tight, and they all looked very drunk and bored and a little tired of having to play their music for people. The only time I have seen them look reasonably happyis in photo shoots. Draw your own conclusions, but I think the Strokes take themselves a little too seriously.
The Hives, however, know that rock is a joke; the Hives are the punchline. rock stars all dress like they are trying too hard? The Hives have style, and they don't deny it. The Strokes sleepwalk through their set; the Hives command your attention. And not that it matters (but this is America, and this one thing is more important to us than most will admit), but the Strokes are pretty, while the Hives are ... less than pretty. The Hives are the Saturday Night Live cast to the Strokes' Friends cast. And that is as many cheeseball lines as I will write on these two bands today.

2002-06-12T12:25:00.000-07:00

Today's Feature: The Wisdom of Moby, Deflated

Pulse! magazine has a feature on Moby the Marketable in which he talks of his album, his methods, and his theory of independent versus mainstream music. Guess where I disagree.

That's right, his indy/mainstream theory. here it is, in his own words:

"If I think about my favorite music of the last 50 years, most of it was extremely successful mainstream music: the Beatles, the Rolling Stones, the Sex Pistols, the Clash, Public Enemy, Massive Attack, Nirvana, Roxy Music, David Bowie," he says. "There's this problem with underground music culture where people think that for music to be mainstream inherently renders it compromised. Most of the best music has been mainstream music, from my perspective at least."
"I mean, I think of someone like Prince. You know, Prince was about as mainstream as you can get, but also absolutely remarkable. The Rolling Stones, from 1963 until 1979, were unbelievable. Led Zeppelin, etc. You could go on and on and on. There's such a tradition of successful mainstream music also being amazing.

He makes a good point here, one that most indie snobs pretend doesn't exist. I go one step further to say that most of my favorite music, and most others', would remain unheard if not for their mainstream distribution, marketing, etc. You can see why this isn't a popular idea: the System, so evil and scabrous, is the same System that brought my favorite bands to me, and gave them the recognition they deserve, and gave them the means to grow and create artistically. Moving on...

I think one of the failings of the underground of the last six or seven years has been to abandon the mainstream. And as you've had underground musicians making willfully obscure underground records, it means that the mainstream has been left to charlatans.

One of my royal pet peeves (regarding music) is the assumption that 'the underground', or non-mainstream music and musicians, is/are inherently pure, righteous, and of better quality. This is such crapola. Have you ever been to a local show? I have. Some of the worst music I've ever heard was played live by local, small-label bands. By far the singular worst record I have ever heard- the worst record ever pressed, although I haven't perused the rest of this band's catalog- is U.S. Maple's Talker. Dissection of that hideous offense of nature will not occur now, but suffice to say it is unthinkably horrible. Surprisingly (or not), you will find no such opinion in any review of this album. My beloved Pitchfork gave it an 8.5 out of 10. The Onion called it engrosing and lovely. It was misleading reviews like these that pushed me to buy it in the first place. There's no accounting for taste, but I say with complete confidence that everyone who hears this album will dislike it; anyone who says otherwise is a liar. Not to wander too far from the path, but that is just one example of how the underground music scene is much, much worse in quality than its champions (see: Moby) want you to think.
And it's not just the sound that is offensive. Moby, et al, want you to think that independent bands are hardworking, talented boys and girls who deserve respect; conversely, all those mainstreamers are callow fools who would steal from their own mothers. This, of course, is wrong. It almost seems silly to explain: indie musicians are as shallow, self-serving, and greedy (as well as amoral) as the mainstream musicians they revile. The more famous musicians simply have more opportunity to act on these impulses, and they get more publicity when they do. But people are the same everywhere. I won't provide examples now because that's a waste of space, and needless; rather, I challenge you to show me an example of how this is not true.

Back to Moby.

And not to be a name-dropper, but I had a conversation about this with Bono, and he was complaining about Radiohead. And we both agreed that Radiohead are wonderful and they've made great records, but the fact that Radiohead have made two really willfully obscure records--it's interesting, and they're good records--but it means whereas Radiohead could have made willfully obscure records with one hit single on it, and that one hit single would have gotten played on the radio and that would have been one less time that people had to listen to, like, mercenary, commerce-driven music. If people in the underground want to have nothing to do with the mainstream, it just means that the mainstream's gonna suck."

Well that is really and truly stupid. Bands now have an obligation to act for the good of the mainstream scene? I don't think so, Bono. How out of place and obviously contrived would a 'hit single' sound on Kid A? The worst thing we can do is encourage artists to work for that hit song. That kind of thinking brings us pop music at its most grating and unoriginal. What a crock; it is no surprise that Bono and Moby shared such a foolish conversation. They should be attacking bands like the Strokes who take big-time $$ to record an album with a lo-fi 'sound' to it to retain/gain credibility. Or, blame themselves: it's overexposed, spotlight-hugging monkeys like these two (coincidentally, each one has a one-word stage name...) who make big-label success look so unappetizing to small-time bands with talent, and thus denying a larger audience the chance to hear the next Nirvana, the next Rolling Stones, the next ... Radiohead?

2002-06-12T11:56:00.000-07:00

Over at Slate some moron makes this suggestion for how the Nets can win a game against the Lakers: Hack-a-Shaq. It seems obvious to me that he never checked any stats before vomiting up this tripe 5 minutes before his deadline. How do writers like this get paid, and I don't?

2002-06-12T11:11:00.000-07:00

Some absolutely stunning photos of the latest partial solar eclipse, and the shadows it created. found this via Photodude.

2002-06-11T16:57:00.000-07:00

Rapper or Toiletry? asks The Agitator, aka Radley Bilko.

2002-06-11T10:50:00.000-07:00

Most everything I've read on the web this morning has been boring or poorly written, or just plain dumb. In other words, no worth the time to link. But here's a bright spot: Splendid, a music zine that has good writing and lots of things to keep you interested. Check it out. In the meantime, I'll scan the usual blogs/sites to see if there's anything good out there today. until then...

2002-06-10T17:03:00.000-07:00

I promised serious material today and I didn't deliver. Until now.

the latest big news that you should not overlook:

Missionaries held hostage were rescued by US forces in Phillipines, but unfortunately one man died. The key word here is Missionaries. You'll find the best coverage at christianity Today, and at Martin Roth's site.

See you tomorrow

2002-06-10T16:26:00.000-07:00

Vegard finishes up his Captain Euro commentary series here. Highlights include the worst technobabble EVER, as well as the most tasteless scene EVER. be prepared to laugh out loud.

2002-06-10T15:06:00.000-07:00

I recently emailed Radley Bilko regarding his comments on Chris Robinson of Black Crowes fame. I gave him a few bits of info I've picked up, and he was kind enough to post my email on his blog. Thanks, Radley!

2002-06-10T12:26:00.000-07:00

Slate's Rob Walker gets Ecclesiastic about the latest X-Box commercial, which was banned in Britain, in today's Moneybox.

2002-06-10T10:35:00.000-07:00

Continuing the moronic super-hero theme, Juan Gato sent me to this fine comic: Action Item Man. It's like Dilbert and Captain Planet rolled into one.

p.s. I will get to some more serious and mature subject matter later today. Please be patient. Thanks!

2002-06-08T22:11:00.000-07:00

WEEKEND BLOG ALERT

The internet is abuzz with excitement over the latest media sensation, Captain Euro. I have no idea why he exists, but he does. And he is a super-hero of the European sort. I would offer commentary, but I must defer to my european (and non-EU member, thankfully) correspondent, Vegard Valberg.

2002-06-07T16:42:00.000-07:00

Blogger was politely blocking all publishing today, so sorry for the lack of content. Whilst I waited, here's what I was looking at:

Holy excellent ideas, Batman! Healyourchurchwebsite.com is ace in so many ways: nice design; frequent, blog-esque content, and a wonderful concept. The creator-Dean Peters, a Christian with obvious web skills- reviews church websites and critiques them- some say cruelly, i say fairly. For the uninitiate, church websites are quite possibly the worst websites, when taken as a whole. Not only is Dean (hopefully) making money, he seems to be having fun, and doing us all a HUGE service by cluing in the clueless. I love pastors, but they are not the Internet-accomplished sort. And those hideous websites won't heal themselves.

go here for his latest analysis of a church website in need.
Here is the church's current site; here is Dean's template suggestion. An improvement? Immense, I say.

2002-06-07T10:23:00.000-07:00

Lileks' Bleat is a delight today; he went and saw some Episode II, too. He liked it! read why, and heed his disclaimer: Let's Remember We Are Talking About Star Wars Here.

2002-06-06T14:17:00.000-07:00

Googled

I love google as much as the next guy. Here are some google searches that brought viewers to Knees Knelt:

pictures of rivers cuomo shoes
screensaver the amazing thor- Google Chile!
knut haugaland- #5. I'm honored.
steven seagals body- I don't know how, but I'm #1 here.
Norway Jew Boycott
HENRY DARGER WORLDS LONGEST BOOK

If one of these searchers was you, consider this your spooky, Big Brother-y moment of the day. And welcome back to the site!

2002-06-06T11:04:00.000-07:00

So you mastered Pong long ago, right? well let's see if you've got what it takes to play Pong at the world's smallest website. Not for the faint of eyesight.

my opinion: I haven't seen anything this simultaneously cool and useless on the web in a long, long time.

tip: click 'pong' to load pong, click the micro-arrow to cycle through other available games and features.

UPDATE:

more pong fun: Swedish 3-D Pong

the complete illustrated history of Pong

An Animated Pong Movie

Pong: text version

ghetto-ASCII Pong -- but it's more like Breakout! than Pong.

Presidential Pong-- absolutely hilarious Bush v. Gore election pong, but it's 2-player only. Includes a link to Elian Pong.

A version faithful to the orginal Pong, with easier controls.

And finally, the original pong. The controls are very hard to use, just like the original.

2002-06-06T08:15:00.000-07:00

ISRAEL AGAIN ATTACKS ARAFAT

... is printed in bold typeface across this morning's Seattle Post-Intelligencer. A more ignorant and blatantly spun headline I have not read all year. For those of you who missed it, a Palestinian suicide bomber blew up an Israeli bus and murdered 17. In response, Israel surrounded Arafat's home. In response. Yet what did the slack-jaws at the P-I decide to run? That Israel is on the attack again. Not that 17 people where blown to bits, or burnt to death trapped in a bus, no- just that those evil Jews are up to their old tricks. Don't be fooled.

ps- for some reason, the PI doesn't have this headline on their website, though it is plain as day on my lunchroom table. Their equally one-sided headline, with the same story, can be found here.

2002-06-05T09:08:00.000-07:00

I read about this yesterday, but it had me so angry I decided not to post about it, because it would come out poorly. Now I've got a cold rage burning inside me, primed for blogging fireworks. So here we go:

YOUR CHURCH IS SO GAY

Now, I'm not about to assume that my views are in line with everyone else's. I do consider my beliefs to be the correct beliefs- that's why I believe them. But even if you don't have the faith that I do, you can still see the absolutely amoral actions on display at Woodland Park United Methodist Church. Let me lay it on the table for you.

Last year, WPUMC's pastor Mark Williams anounced at a Methodist conference (clue #1 that this is a media event, not a question of right and wrong) that he is gay. To quote directly, he said

"I'm proudly as much a practicing gay man as I am a practicing United Methodist"

Lest there be any confusion, this is how the Methodist Church interprets Williams' statement:

On June 15, Williams told fellow clergy and lay members of the Pacific Northwest Annual Conference that he is a practicing gay man.

note the specific use of 'practicing', both in his own words and in the Church's summary. Now, the methodist church has a lawbook, known as the Book of Discipline. Therein, it forbids the ordination or appointment of "self-avowed practicing homosexuals." Williams seems to fit that to a tee. So why, yesterday, did the Methodist Church determine that "...there was not reasonable cause to forward this matter for a church trial"? Because Williams has pulled himself a Clinton, and blatantly at that.
As clearly stated above, one requirement of the job of ordained methodist pastor is that you cannot be a practicing homosexual. Williams clearly said he is a practicing homosexual. But see what happened next:

To ascertain whether Williams is a "self-avowed practicing homosexual," members of the investigative committee asked him a highly personal and intimate question, he said, which he refused to answer.

In part, because he wouldn't answer that question, the committee didn't have evidence that he was a "self-avowed practicing homosexual."

A classic politcian's dodge. Or was it?

"For me (not answering the question) was not a dodge," Williams said. "It's just a matter of good taste and dignity. I would find the question reprehensible to be asked of anybody."

Why? The Bible talks about sex all the time. It is very specific. Furthermore, God (remember we are dealing with a group of people who have committed their lives to serving Him) knows already, so why are you swindling your own church, you liar?

Where is the victory in falsehood? Everybody knows that Williams is a practicing gay. Everybody knows that the Methodist Church doesn't allow practicing gays to be ministers. So why is Williams still preaching? Because he got out on a technicality. He has reduced the Methodist church to the moral level of the American legal system: it's not what's true that counts, it's what you can prove.

Here's the kicker: A Reverend Beeman of Washington explains the ramifications of the church's decision:

This gives tremendous encouragement to lesbians, gays, bisexuals, transsexuals in the ministry who realize that if they won't testify against themselves, it will be very hard to make charges against them stick," Beeman said.

As long as you don't tell the truth, you can't be convicted! Holy men around the world, rejoice!

Why should you care about this? Why do I care? I'm a Christian but I don't belong to the Methodist Church. Don't think I've ever been to a Methodist church service. But It is important to notice when the third largest denomination in the US (8.4 million members) allows its leaders to blatantly lie to avoid punishment, and continue to preach the gospel of truth. I would never be a part of a religion whose leaders consider rules and moral absolutes as obstacles to get around, not guidelines to follow. And neither should you. If your faith is not your foundation of truth and life, then it's a waste of time.

2002-06-04T14:35:00.000-07:00

This Is Only a Test...

2002-06-04T10:59:00.000-07:00

I Went and Saw Me Some Episode II

is the best rundown of the new Star Wars I have read. Enjoy the following excerpts:

The Jedis seem to be coming down with mono, moving as slow as Walker, Texas Ranger. I know these guys are supposed to be asexual wizard-monk-ninja-green-berets, but they look like librarians on their way to a Rusted Root concert...

Anakin Timberlake continues to be the weak link in his own frigging trilogy...

The scenes between Timberlake and Portman, reprising her role as Princess Cuecard, are as romantic as watching two horses being forced to breed...

Obi-Wan's excellent scenes of mystery-snooping around are classic detective-fun; I expect him to sport a fedora in Episode 3: Weekend at Lando's...

A great plot summary is also found in the article:

Our heroes are initially trapped in a G-rated junior-high production of Blade Runner. Then some scenes from Spaceballs happen, but they're funnier. Then Obi-Wan goes to an oil rig on Waterworld, except now it's named El Camino and is controlled by compulsively sanitary anorexics doing stem cell research to create an entire demographic of Steven Seagals out of jazz guitarist Django Reinhardt. Then Jar Jar Binks gives the withering dad from "Alf" control over the pressboxes at Alltel Stadium. Somehow, tanning-addict Anakin Timberlake ends up on "Fraggle Rock" helping Natalie Portman get a jogbra, but they run into the Lord of the Rings sorcerer fresh from a CEO haircut. Then all hell breaks loose in the Temple of Doom for about a half hour: imagine the battle of Gettysburg staged by Gaudi and Dali, with people slinging energy-dongs that negate all matter except other energy-dongs. The film ends on Thanksgiving Day just as some larval stormtroopers are lining up for the best Macy's Parade ever.

And the first thing I've read that give a decent excuse for this movie to be seen:

I'm only scraping the surface of what is suddenly an irony-rich, layered myth-spectacle that was supposed to be popcorn-stupid.

Read the whole review; it's a hoot.

2002-06-04T10:07:00.000-07:00

Dangerous Meta has some good insight into the latest rash of backward thinking. Concerning the latest headlines about a warning issued by Egypt to the US, prior to sept. 11. As DM says, this is not news. Yesterday, he cites two articles, one dated 12/01 and another dated 9/12/01, that mention the warnings. I find it a little odd that, after Egypt's 'prediction' came true, they simply stated "We expected that something was going to happen and informed the Americans." But now that it has become more internally political, Egypt is changing its story, claiming that "Egyptian intelligence warned American officials about a week before Sept. 11 that Osama bin Laden's network was in the advance stages of executing a significant operation against an American target, President Hosni Mubarak said in an interview on Sunday"[from nytimes]. Seems Mubarak is adding a few details to his story.

2002-06-03T16:26:00.000-07:00

This is an excellent essay by Steven Den Beste on the Kyoto Treaty; specifically, why the US will never support it, and why it's good that we don't. It's long, but well written, and I learned a lot.

2002-06-03T15:19:00.000-07:00

This is pretty pathetic as far as conspiracies go, but the question must be asked: Does anybody else think it odd that a Simpsons episode bearing the title

Oh Brother, Where Art Thou?

aired on 2/21/91, a decade before the move of the same name was released?

2002-06-03T12:50:00.000-07:00

So you're terribly interested in lists and links and blogs and such, right? Then you've got to seeall the trouble mr. Bear went to to create his own list. He actually did a fine job, I think. And then you'll want to go here for more info, and a snazzy little map of the so-called blogosphere.

In the same vein, InstaPundit has also revamped his list. The only question that remains is why, Oh Why is Knees Knelt nowhere to be found on these lists? I'm as shocked as you are.

2002-06-03T12:31:00.000-07:00

Tim Blair has some news about Silverchair and the scary disease that is plaguing lead singer Daniel Johns.

Silverchair's official site. WARNING- this page has an elaborate Flash intro that temporarily takes over your desktop.

2002-06-03T11:51:00.000-07:00

Updates to the site:

It's not much, but it's something. I've finally put up a list of my favorite/most frequented weblogs, which you will find on the left, handsomely titled WEBLOGS. I'll probably be adding to the list, and maybe reorganizing it. RIght now it is in a vaguely quantitative order; that is, the blogs I visit most frequently are at the top of the list. But all the blogs there are ace; I recommend each one. It's that kneesknelt Seal Of Approval that is so coveted among the blogging community. er... yeah. Anyway, I changed the Daily Special too, and there'll be more to come on The Bear blog. Also, I put the READ links at the top, because those are the blogs/sites most dear to my heart... they are my friends and acquaintances, both in person and online, and I recommend them above all other links. I'll try to update and clean up my links department today; there's some dead weight over there. Stay tuned!

2002-05-31T17:05:00.000-07:00
happy weekend! Watch the world cup in person or on TV if you can; hope that it is better than Tim Blair (sarcastically) recalls. Or, be like me and play some soccer/football yourself!

2002-05-31T13:01:00.000-07:00
THis article (especially the photographs) is the most disturbing thing I have seen in a while. It's X-rays of suicide-bomb victims. If nails embedded in flesh bothers you... then you really ought to look, and see exactly why the Palestinians are terrorists, not 'freedom fighters'.

found on Best of the Web.

2002-05-31T10:08:00.000-07:00

The Pitch Drop Experiment

This is absolutely fascinating. To me, at least. Thanks to a like-minded monkey, I am sharing it with you.

2002-05-31T09:34:00.000-07:00
John Hawkins has a list of his top 10 politcal blogs. It's kinda interesting. Maybe I'll follow suit with some list or something... stay tuned.

2002-05-30T16:32:00.000-07:00
There's an interesting writing collection I've stumbled across called Manual. It's a (surprise!) manual of sorts, how-to essays from 17 authors. Dean Allen has apretty good description of the project; he should, he designed the thing.

I must confess I've only read one essay so far, but it was good: "How to Organize Your Record Collection" by Morning News editor Andrew Womack.

p.s. 'Manual' is in PDF format, so you should print it out. It's about 49 pages total.

2002-05-30T13:23:00.000-07:00
This happens to me, too. I suspect that Scott Cunningham and I are not alone.

2002-05-30T12:54:00.000-07:00
Thanks to traveler's diagram, I present to you a hilarious list of the best store names ever. Only a precious few have pictures, but they are all funny. A few favorites:

May Pop Tire Shop
Git-Yo Chicken Fish and Burger
Helpee Selfee Chinese Laundry

2002-05-30T12:01:00.000-07:00
first I say I'm gonna be scarce, then I'm all over the place. Oh well.

Billboard has some lousy, if unsurprising, news for fans of decent music: Behold, the latest top 10 selling albums:

1. The Eminem Show, Eminem
2. P. Diddy & Bad Boy Records Present... We Invented The Remix, Various Artists
3. Mended, Marc Anthony
4. Come Home With Me, Cam'ron
5. Ashanti, Ashanti
6. A New Day Has Come, Celine Dion
7. Juslisen (Just Listen), Musiq
8. Now 9, Various Artists
9. No Shoes, No Shirt, No Problems, Kenny Chesney
10. 18, Moby

Ouch. Since this is my blog, full 'o my opinions, I will tell you that I consider each of those 10 albums to be crocks of crap. And that's that.

2002-05-30T11:16:00.000-07:00
Rolling Stone has more dish/dirt on Rivers Cuomo. It's got a lot of interesting tidbits about America's oddest rockstar (he mathematically analyzes every Nirvana song), but I still get creeped out when I read stuff like this:

His newest obsession, he says, is goth. He holds up his hands to show off black fingernail polish, silver rings and leather wrist cuffs. "I never noticed goth before," he says. "But then I got really fascinated with this one girl. A music style just gets wrapped up with the vision of the girl, and it overtakes your consciousness."

2002-05-30T10:45:00.000-07:00
So I'm going to see Insomnia this weekend, because I am a huge fan of Al Pacino, and I really liked Memento, the director of which is Christopher Nolan, director of Insomnia. It's been gathering fine reviews across the board, and I imagine I will like it as well. However, I am also interested in the 1997 Norwegian original, so I'll try and find that one soon.

Oh, and Pitchfork has a list of 5 excellent, international (read: not American) modern films noir. Insomnia is in there, and they have some unkind words for this year's remake. Unkind words for Memento too, the jerks.

2002-05-30T10:00:00.000-07:00
In case you were wondering why I've been so stagnant of late, there are many reasons. The main reason is that my currrent employer is an evil, life-sucking nemesis who delights in turning the screws. You know your job is the pits when Dilbertand Office Space are no longer funny, just painfully accurate. Anyway, I'm trying to remedy this situation, which unfortunately takes time away from blogging. I'm not forsaking this site, though; it's just a temporary quietness. I'll still be posting, just not as often as I (and you?) would like.

2002-05-29T16:51:00.000-07:00
Sorry for the lack of bloggage today. Here's a few interesting articles at Tech Central Station which I enjoyed reading today:
Glenn Reynolds on visiting Mars

Radley Balko on HOV Lanes

Speaking of Balko, he's got a pretty good blog.

2002-05-28T15:49:00.000-07:00
get prepped for the world cup.

2002-05-28T13:41:00.000-07:00

Moore-Watch: The American's American strikes at the heart of America

I've been reading the latest scoop on Michael 'What is Truth?' Moore, and it has left me with a nagging supsicion. There's something amiss here, I kept thinking. Something must be screwey with all this, I pondered. AHA! I've got it! But wait, I'll start at the beginning.

As you may know, I've been recording the misdeeds and idiocies of M. Moore, esq. in this fair blog for the past two months. [sincerest apologies! can't seem to find my archive links! If you Google 'knees knelt michael moore' and click on the 'Cached' link of the first listing, then scroll down to Tuesday, April 16th... I'm really sorry about this. How embarrasing!] Most news on Mr. Moore of late has been about his recent book and subsequent book tour. Well, Mr. Moore got his start as a snazzy documentary director, and he's returned to that medium with his new documentary, too stupidly titled for me to type out with my own fingers. Nevertheless, it's about Guns and Americans, and it name-drops Columbine High School like a '99 soccer mom. This quality documentary debuted at the Cannes (France) film festival to much brouha ha. If you want to know what some americans think of the French, look here and here. Schwartz also links to this NY Times article that gushes in step. If that's not enough, Moore is kind enough to create his own special page devoted to his new film's Cannes opening. Of course, Michael 'Tells It Like It Is' Moore can't exist without controversy, and since his film was unanimously accepted and lauded over in Francophonia, he has to start the mixin-up on his own.

Within hours, dozens of countries from around the world bought the distribution rights to the film from the Canadian conglomerate which "owns" our movie, breaking the previous record for a documentary set by "Roger & Me" (yes, the producers get all the money and we get... well, we get nada plus a plane ticket home!)

Down with The Man, Mike! Filmakers around the world feel your pain, you pompous windbag. It must suck to have your film, fully funded by someone else, be entered into competition at the Cannes Film Festival, receive a standing ovation and special award, and all you got was a two-week vacation in France! Oh, and world-wide distribution of your schlocky filmstock. Note the subversive quotes around "owns", as though a corporation who pay for film rights are somehow screwing you over. If you wanna be that way, why don't you pay Charlton Heston for his role in your film?
But of course this is all for The Cause; you would never do anything for $$, would you Mike?
Contrast that whiney, greedy attitude with this delicious quote from Newsday:

The revelations about the Sept. 11 warnings would seem to make it an opportune time for a film like "Colmbine," not just commercially ("I wouldn't ever want to say that," Moore said), but politically.

Anyway, Mikey 'He Likes It!" Moore includes links to news articles and reviews about how great the movie is, and how brilliant its creator, and attractive to boot!

Ok, so they don't call him attractive. Still, I have the suspicion that this film is being misrepresented. I haven't seen it (my Conglomerate didn't see fit to send me to Cannes), but there are some reviews...

And oh, the dirt I found. Check this out:

The Guardian provides this nice quote, presumably of Moore, to sum up its review:

Ultimately this film isn't about Columbine or even about guns. It's about our culture of fear and how that fear leads us to acts of violence, domestically and internationally.

So Moore is showing that America and moste Americans have a culture of fear and violence, and guns aren't really a part of that, they are just a tool in expressions of said violence. SO WHY ARE YOU ATTACKING THE SECOND AMENDMENT AND AMERICAN GUN CULTURE? He clearly states that, too be blunt (and funny, hopefully), guns don't kill people, people kill people. I believe this too. Those naughty boys who became murderers at Columbine High would have found another way to kill, had not the guns been available. That is Moore's point, yet he attacks the idea (and many argue, the right) of gun ownership throughout the film. Some examples, lest you think I didn't do my homework:
From the same Guardian article:

At the start of the picture, he opens a bank account and receives a free gun. He discloses that the bullets used to kill 12 students and a teacher at the Columbine high school in Littleton, Colorado, in 1999 were bought for 17 cents each from a Wal-Mart supermarket and encourages two teenage boys who still have bullets lodged in their spines after the Columbine attack to return bullets to the chain. After meeting them, Wal-Mart announced it would no longer sell such guns and bullets.

If the problem is not gun availability (he argues that Canada has few violence problems), then why address such phenomena at all? America is full of quirky behavior, most of it a testament to the individuality of our respective states. Why showcase in a film that is blatantly politcal, and thus portray such homespun anectdotes (I would bet the family shotgun that the gun-giving bank was a locally owned outfit in a laid-back, non-metropolized community) as pictures of America's violence bent? It's manipulative and exploitive, and would be marginally acceptable in a feature film. This is supposed to be a DOCUMENTARY, which ought to seek the truth.
But wait, there's more.

It is a topical and, for Cannes, explicitly radical political film linking what Moore calls the "paranoid mentality" of Americans who love guns to the violent nature of postwar US foreign policy. [Guardian]

He draws a correlation between the American obsession with guns and its violent past -- the Native American genocide, the revolt against the British, slavery and the Civil War (not to mention the Vietnam war and adventures in Iran, Chile and Panama) -- that shaped the nation and continues to inform U.S. domestic and foreign policy. [Shift.com]

As successful as his book is, he's worried for his country. In fact, Moore doesn't think that getting rid of guns is necessarily the solution to the rampant violence in U.S. society. He thinks that they would kill each other, guns or no guns. [shift.com]

Firearms and mayhem are ingrained parts of the American scene, often traced to a legacy of violence predating the Revolutionary War, and to a love affair with weapons going back just as far. Yet countries like Germany and Britain have equally violent histories, and Canada couples a low murder rate with gun-ownership figures similar to those of the United States. [IndieWire]

Since Mr. Moore never researches anything, I won't either. I won't even offer all the instances of violence in the world, totally unrelated to American Culture, that completely invalidate his argument and prove his film to be nothing more than sensationalist, opportunist schlock ("Local news media also came in for criticism, and Moore said it was sensationalist, following the "if it bleeds it leads" school of journalism...") not unlike the evening news. Ok, I will mention a few: Rwanda, the Middle East, Czarist Russia, Emperialist Japan, Communist China, Scandinavian Vikings, Apartheid, The Crusades, The Holocaust- so what exactly is this American-born culture of violence?

There is one point that must be made, lest anyone thinks Moore has any truth in him (or in his film, which is apparently too much Moore [see the last two paragraphs of this article]): If America is a culture of violence, and we have created this paranoia and fear within our own borders, then how do you explain this?

UPDATE:
This whole screeding rant was sparked by this piece from Robert Schwartz, as found via InstaPundit. And i added the links I neglected to include, within the above text.

2002-05-28T10:12:00.000-07:00
Fascinating Update:

For you legions of loyal readers, you may recall that I recently returned from Oslo, Norway. Well, I just the pictures developed, and there's a few I'd like to share. No telling on when that will occur, except that it won't be "soon". Wondering what I snappedshot? People, buildings, events, posters, and food mostly. Something like James Lileks' gallery of his trip to New York, but, you know, scandinavian. And i don't have his grasp of architecture. or Photoshop.

2002-05-28T09:37:00.000-07:00
Back after a nice 3-day weekend, at what do I find?

RollingStone.com has three news headlines that have piqued my interest:

Korn Sick of New Metal
Hole Call It Quits
Durst Wants Borland Back

The Korn thing is old news, though I wish all the grunt-lovin' KopyKats would learn to read what their hero is saying. But the Fred Durst/ Courtney Love white flags are interesting. Quite possibly the two most egotistical, powerful, clout-touting stars in the music industry (and I use the word 'industry' quite intentionally here) are, essentially, backing down. A sign of things to come, I hope, but probably not. I doubt those two could ever crack the relevance barrier, despite their cash and legal power.

2002-05-24T17:02:00.000-07:00
Sorry for the lack of material today. It's a holiday weekend here in the US; maybe even a sunny one here in SEattle. Enjoy the weekend and, if you look to me for advice or entertainment, I say do as I intend to do: spend time with family, spend time outdoors, spend time reading a good book.

Happy Friday!

2002-05-24T15:37:00.000-07:00
Anders is all lovey-dovey over Norwegian princess Martha Louise's marriage to Ari something or other. It's all in norwegian, but check out that gaudy new design!

2002-05-24T14:09:00.000-07:00
America needs more guys like Pat Tillman.

Tipped off by InstaPundit.

2002-05-24T09:23:00.000-07:00
InstaPundit shared his opinion this morning on the joys of teen sex. At least, why he thinks teen-aged sex is historically acceptable. In his own words:

In the same way, what we now call "teen sex" and treat as somehow aberrant or frightening was known for nearly all of human history simply as "sex." Most people were married -- and more were having sex -- in their teens, and often their early teens.

He's reacting to this cover story from US News and World Report.

Instapundit is right, but his point misses the mark, as does US News. This debate stems from a recent initiative backed by the Bush administration to promote abstinence-teaching community programs. Here's a stupid analogy used by both sides of the debate which illustrates what kind of grasp they have on this issue:

{pro-abstinence, anti-'safe sex'}
For his part, Allen at Health and Human Services considers discussion of contraceptives to be "inappropriate." It amounts to "mixing messages, of not giving a clear direction of what's expected behavior," he says. "It's like telling your child, 'Don't use the car,' but then leaving the keys in the Lamborghini and saying, 'But if you do, buckle up.' "

{pro-'safe sex', anti-abstinence}
But Tamara Kreinin, president of the Sexuality Information and Education Council of the United States, regularly uses the same analogy–to make the opposite point. "I mean, wouldn't you want your kids to wear a seat belt?" she asks.

What nobody seems to grasp- though Instapundit is close- is that negative reinforcement will never ever work with something as desirable and pleasurable (and worshipped, in our culture) as sex. I think abstinence as a 'cause' is a self-defeating cause because it offers nothing in return for a lot of struggle and stress. On the other hand, 'safe sex' is never really safe, and it tells people that the only drawback to sex outside of marriage is the diseases and the occaisional unwanted baby. The damage here is as tremendous as it is obvious: an unexpected child is on the same level as a venereal disease. Instead of childbirth being honorable and something requiring responsibility, it is an annoyance that can be fixed at a doctor's office. With the lack of responsibility, there is really no reason other than 'morals' for a teenager to avoid sex. Especially if the parents have no control of their children, never tell them about sex, and set a poor example themselves.
Sex is wonderful, and should never be downplayed as anything less. To tell kids that it is despicable, nasty, painful- until you get married, when it is great- that is just plain foolhardy. Tell them the truth: sex was designed for marriage; the two are inseparable. Don't settle for an embarrasing episode in the locker room with some girl/guy you don't really care about. We ought to reinforce the joys and beauty of marital sex. Anything less is selling our kids short.

2002-05-23T14:51:00.000-07:00
Sorry for a shortage of posts today. I haven't been slacking (more than normal, that is); I read an intriguing short story by Albert Haley, found at the wonderful Mars Hill Review. I reccomend the story, if you've got a spare 20 minutes.

2002-05-23T14:49:00.000-07:00
Juan Gato, the cynic with the heart of gold, has some great insight into the US public education system. His tales of childhood bliss in a one-room school house are here, and his addendum to it is here. This addendum is notable includes a brilliant exposition on the dreaded Group Project Assignment so common in American colleges.

2002-05-22T16:43:00.000-07:00
Googled:

Some intrepid viewer found Knees Knelt by Googling "Greenpeace Terror Tactics". This site was 8th. How interesting. Welcome, all enemies of Greenpeace!

2002-05-22T16:23:00.000-07:00
More from Seattle Weekly:

-- SW reviews the new Memento Limited Edition DVD released today. I am one of those people who bought the first one, only to be really, really disappointed. Is there any reasonable excuse for not putting the chapter markers at the beginning of each shift between black-and-white and color? NO! There isn't! According to SW, the Limited Edition isn't much more satisfying.
UPDATE: The always readable CDNow has the goods on how to watch the movie chronologically, only on the Limited Edition, here.

-- A review of Insomnia, directed by Memento director Christopher Nolan. I hope to see it in the next week.

-- Days Of Our Nights is always fun and informative, and this week is no exception. The Bumbershoot lineup has been announced, and includes some intersting acts such as:

Pop poet Jewel
Fugees frontman Wyclef Jean
Legendary noise rock experimenters Sonic Youth
Funk founding father Maceo Parker
Pop rockers Lifehouse
Jazz pianist Ramsey Lewis Trio
Righteous babe Ani DiFranco
Bluesman Coco Montoya

2002-05-22T16:05:00.000-07:00
Seattle Weekly reviews Seattle's own Pedro the Lion. Until now, I didn't know it was possible for Seattle media to discuss faith in Jesus Christ without mocking it. Is this town changing?

2002-05-22T15:48:00.000-07:00
Here's pretty good discussion on arming airline pilots, as initiated by lgf.

2002-05-22T14:11:00.000-07:00
Millions of Unusual Small Creatures Lurking Everywhere!

I remember when you could find these creatures lurking in the supermarket checkout line with the tic-tacs and batteries.

2002-05-22T13:59:00.000-07:00
If you glance left, you'll see my latest feature: the Daily Special. Each day, around this time, I'll put up the site I've enjoyed the most that day. Today is disarmrocketboy, because it's new, it's funny, it's smart, and it's my good friend's blog. Who, by the way, doesn't like that word. 'Blog', I mean.

2002-05-22T13:17:00.000-07:00

My New Favorite Blog

My good friend and partner in mayhem has started his own darn blog, thank you very much. He's a hoot. If you were here yesterday, you may remember the review of Star Wars Episode II that was posted here. That was him. The Disarmament Has Begun!

2002-05-22T13:04:00.000-07:00
A pretty good article on Slate today, giving a rundown of what the author calls pastoral music. Specifically, its appearance today in a modern 'electonica'-type groups.

Pastoral music, be it Beethoven's Symphony No. 6 or The Basement Tapes made by Bob Dylan and the Band, holds up an idealized bucolic realm to which the listener escapes—escapes not only cacophonous civilization, generally speaking, but other music, music thought to have grown too loud or labored: decadent music. The pastoral exists to provide a balm for the ear and a calibrated back-to-basics corrective for music itself.

The whole article is found here.
The author didn't bother, so I'll try to find links for the bands mentioned in the article. Here's one:Boards of Canada.

2002-05-21T15:08:00.000-07:00

Hardware Wars

... is a fading yet fond childhood memory for me, but for others it's a special-edition DVD. An article in today's Salon documents this very odd, very endearing little film.

2002-05-21T11:58:00.000-07:00
lately, there has been an unabashed call to cry foul on the newest star wars film. I recently cried foul to my friend buying me tickets to go see the show. I expected the worst piece of cinematography ever put on the cine. What I had read and held to be true:
1-A film cannot rely solely on vivid special effects due to poor acting and a sorry plot line.
2-George Lucas can't connect with his actors.

3-The plot was hopelessly disjointed and deffubled with cumbersome cries of false wisdom.
well my friends, let's start with a few of these, I'll give you the headsup from a leveled headed fan of film, namely: me. "The plot was hopelessly disjointed...blah blah blah" 3 plot lines aren't that hard to follow in 2 1/2 hours. If you tell me you can't follow more than one, I'll tell you you have a slight problem with your brain functions. Nevertheless, 2 plot lines that suck, and one that is good, might be a bit hard to follow. Classic case of, "Hurry up with this romance crap so we can get back to the good stuff". Basically, the romance and anakin plot lines blow, the obi wan plot line is enjoyable.
"George Lucas can't connect with his actors." This conclusion follows from the premise that the acting sucks. Which it does. Does this mean he can't connect? Or does it mean that he has poor actors. You don't realize how bad it is until that cool old dude that plays bad muthas in scary movies shows up as count Dooku (stupidest name of all time, you'd think he'd be short and fat), then you realize, "This guy can act...everyone else is a chump compared to him."

And don't kid yourself by thinking that the original star wars relied on good acting. It didn't. Try acting next to a giant stuffed animal and see if you can pull off anything believable.
Finally, "...cannot rely solely on vivid special effects..." As much as I wish to agree...It can when the special effects involve light sabers, guns, wars and especially...frickin' yoda having a duel with a human! HA! Picture sonic the hedgehog meets crouching tiger, and then you can begin to see what I'm amazed about. As poorly as the acting is, as groan inducing as the romance scenes are, as bad a little punk as anakin is, it all comes down to the last 30 minutes of the movie. And that half hour makes it all worth it. You'll pay your 7 dollars and be glad you did, because you got to see a lot of things explode and or die in cool and exciting ways. And that's what star wars is all about.

2002-05-21T10:17:00.000-07:00
I was going to mention the NY Times article about Christians around the world- but Martin Roth beat me to it and he says it so much better. I have friends and acquaitances who literally risk their lives every day in foreign lands, all for the Glory of God; that is what makes it so beautiful.

2002-05-21T09:56:00.000-07:00
On Slate today, a cancer patientreviews a selection of cancer-related movies.

For some really good information on how to deal with cancer (beyond "Take control of your illness" and "Ask questions"), visit this site. Why do I mention it? Because my brother works for the company that runs the site.

2002-05-21T09:19:00.000-07:00
hello, good morning.

2002-05-20T15:15:00.000-07:00
James Lileks is funny, there's no doubt of that. But he writes for more than just his own amusement; he's on staff at the Minneapolis Star Tribune. He recently gave George Lucas a good beating for his abhorrent Star Wars films; to wit, episodes 1 and 2. As expected, the complaints rolled in, and Lileks, as expected, did not back down. The results: hilarious. Here's an excerpt (the complaint letter is reprinted in italics):

For someone whom seems to have the intelligence to anable himself on to this paper, it's totally like amazing that you cannot distingquish between FANTASY / REALTY.

But I can. Fantasy means sitting around dreaming, imagining bold new worlds full of mysterious people using strange languages with words like "anable."

So my addtional Question to you is what planet are you from? Planet Moron?

Yes, and proud of it. We can leave our homeworld and travel the trackless expanse of space, land on Earth, learn your language and infiltrate ourselves seamlessly into the population. Much better than you Earthlings can manage. Of course, once we're here, we all get jobs in insurance agencies, financial service offices or newspapers, which is why the name isn't as inaccurate as we'd like to think.

FYI: Our planet is named after an element, Moronium. We are immune to its effects, but it causes catastrophic IQ loss in humans. Liquefied, it looks and tastes just like movie-theater popcorn butter.

2002-05-20T12:28:00.000-07:00
This is hilarious, thanks to remco.

I apologize for the lack of content so far today; I am in a foul sort of the-monday-after mood. After what, you ask? The weekend, of course. So happy monday to you all, and my advice is to put on your favorite record- no, not your 'best' record; this is not a time for Eric Dolphy, I'm talking OK Computer or Kind of Blue or Back in Black or Far East Suite or Siamese Dream or Nevermind or - and enjoy those things that never forsake you on a monday: God, loved ones, and your Favorite Record.

I'll be back when the clouds part.

2002-05-17T17:03:00.000-07:00
Accusations like this are shameful, regardless of from whom they come. Now I have start the weekend with this ugly finger-pointing in my head.

At least it's sunny out.

Congratulations, Norway! Gratulerer med dagen!

2002-05-17T15:36:00.000-07:00
I just skipped over to Ain't It Cool to read a rare positive review of the new Star Wars film-like product, and for crying out loud! How did that guy get so famous with such a tacky, ugly site? It looks like a homepage some student made in Computers Made Easy 101. Throw in some overlarge print and Knowles' ridiculous prose, and you have a big pile of overhyped garbage. nevertheless, I tried to read his whole review. I really tried. But I just couldn't. Look at what I had to wade through:

I was convinced that agents of Lucasfilm were going to knock down the doors and I knew I was being set up for a fall. I mean, it isn’t possible to see STAR WARS early. I know that, but there I was watching it.

the obligatory "I'm an insider, can'tcha tell?" line, with some Big Brother-type drivel to show that he ain't down with the Man.

I must say that I feel that this is by far the most entertaining Star Wars film to date.

'to date'. Nice to see that he's holding out until Episode III to make his final judgement.

I love this film desperately. I want to continually watch it for about a week with my best friends. I want to see it digitally projected with sternum shaking sound. I want to watch as friends discover the twists that Palpatine/Sidious/Dooku have in store for us. I want to have the conversations about what this all means, the speculative conversations about how these elements will play out in the final chapter of the prequels.

Then again, maybe he's already made up his mind. "I want to have conversations about what this all means..." This guy is so pompous and pretentious, he could be the next Michael Moore.

When faced with certain doom, they realize that life is too short to worry about the ifs and buts… And when it happens… John Williams’ love theme kicks in. This really kicks in just as Anakin and Padme kiss before being taken out and strung up in the arena (you know the sequence when they are chained against the pillars.) It actually starts from the shot (which we see in the trailer - of the arena with all the Geonosis creatures seated and cheering - the long shot looking from high to low). It consists of maybe three instruments playing at first, classic violin, very sorrowful and warm. It almost sounds a little bit like the theme for the Incredible Hulk TV series with Lou Ferrigno. The intros are similar before other instruments join in. It also

That's as far as I got before I gave up, about halfway through the morass. What a terrible, terrible review. I wouldn't be criticizing if he was an unknown web site like me, but he's famous! He has sponsors! He has a book! He has his face in magazines! And yet he has no discernable talent whatsoever, other than being incredibly annoying. Maybe he really is Michael Moore.

I would rant some more, but aintitcool is so janky that it won't even load! avoid that pathetic site, please.

2002-05-17T12:32:00.000-07:00
It's a day for music news.

This sounds pretty cool:
Public radio host Christopher O'Riley has performed several Radiohead songs on piano, and greenplastic has them available for your listening pleasure. Alas, I have no sound card here at work, so I can't tell you what to expect.

Also, O'Riley will perform more Radiohead songs on NPR on May 28th.

All this is from greenplastic.com.

UPDATE: here's a link to O'Riley's five favorite cds, circa may 2000. Very eclectic, and he includes Radiohead!

2002-05-17T12:13:00.000-07:00
More new album news: Beck has a new album due this fall; it's produced by Nigel Godrich, who also worked on Beck's laid-back Mutations album back in 1998.

Beck's website reports that the album is due September 24th.

2002-05-17T12:00:00.000-07:00
Breaking news:

Yesterday I linked that Rolling Stone Cover Story on the legal battles over Nirvana's post-Kurt legacy. You may recall that I mentioned Spin Magazine's article on the same topic. What I failed to notice until now is that Spin's article, which came out first, bears the same title: The Nirvana Wars.
The identical title, similar release date, and identical subject matter (in fairness, both reporters have different quotes and different takes on the subject) leads me to believe something is afoot. What do you think?

2002-05-17T11:28:00.000-07:00
I tried the new Vanilla Coke just now. The verdict: not bad. It tastes at lot like Cream Soda, but it sticks to your tongue like Coke. Still, I'll probably get it again. Nevertheless, Coke missed big time with the label- it's so ugly! They just modified the current red-and-white emblem with some beige-y swooshes and dots. And the cola itself looks the same. Oh well.

2002-05-17T10:09:00.000-07:00
enough politics! pitchfork reports in their endearing style that Sigur Ros will bring forth a new album in the fall. Of 2002, even!

UPDATE:
the website from which pitchfork got its info, Bad Taste, is actually pretty cool. you can read the whole interview with Sigur Ros on the fron page, and the site even sells LPs and CDs of Icelandics artists. Special note: you can get Mum's new album (not yet released) in either english or icelandic!

2002-05-17T08:23:00.000-07:00
Charlie Rose was excellent as usual last night; he spent the first 15 minutes clearing the chaff away from the current 'flap' in D.C.; to wit, the "political uproar over its disclosure that President Bush was cautioned last August that Osama bin Laden might be planning a hijacking". Watch this show, folks, it's great. As Charlie quickly established via conversations with Senators Bob Graham and Fred Thompson, it is quite absurd to expect anyone to predict the events on Sept 11 based on the information provided. The real tragedy is that, if the FBI and the CIA had shared information, we could have. As Sen. Thompson pointed out, however, the FBI is very good at finding people who have already done something; stopping a crime before it happens isn't their forte, as it is the CIA's. Anyway, sharing of information between the two agencies has long been discussed and has never really been established. No surprise there. So don't belive the hype- Fark.com put it best when it said this: "Bush not psychic. Congress demands to know why."

2002-05-16T14:29:00.000-07:00

There are a lot of great guitar players out there, but not many of them have what it takes to be truly great. You have to have rhythm, which you can't purchase in a store. You have to have an ear for music, which you can't buy. You have to have soul, which you can't buy. These are things that you're gifted with. Another is perseverance, and another is a sense of humor.

From an interview with Les Paul, on PopMatters.

2002-05-16T13:41:00.000-07:00
Rolling Stone's next cover story is Nirvana Wars, regarding the Cobain/Nirvana legal battles between rock heroes Krist Novoselic and Dave Grohl, and fame-grubbing wacko Courtney Love (can you tell who's side I'm on?). This story, in a slightly different form, is already in the latest Spin magazine. read Rolling Stone for free online and buy Spin in print- it's a far, far better publication.

2002-05-16T09:58:00.000-07:00
Good Morning!

Here's Glenn Reynolds' article on the SFSU demonstration/riot.

2002-05-15T16:20:00.000-07:00
Have you heard about this? It's pretty offensive and ignorant, if you ask me. If you ask Salon, it's "breathtakingly naive". If you ask O'Reilly, it's classism. And if you ask my brother Bob, it's ridiculous, demeaning, humiliating nonsense.

2002-05-15T14:28:00.000-07:00
Remember this letter? It's causing noise all over the web, or blogosphere as some call it. This guy has a timeline of sorts, with links to all the heavyweights (not me, surprisingly) who mentioned the story, and some other thoughts and sundry links.
I found this via Instapundit, who says he is addressing the whole mess in a column tomorrow in FoxNews. I'll keep you posted, of course.

2002-05-15T14:18:00.000-07:00
Juan Gato has a good point about marriage and the United States Constitution. I'm not quite sure what I think, yet.

2002-05-15T13:41:00.000-07:00
David Edelstein says that Attack of the Clones is better than you've heard. His finishing note:

With all the screaming Lucasoids on one side and all the hand-wringing critics on the other, it might be hard to remember that Attack of the Clones is more or less OK. And not especially important.

2002-05-15T08:49:00.000-07:00
I've got a boring meeting this morning, but before I go, here's a few issues that warrant notice:
--Patio Pundit provides some insight into the recording industry, singling the Tony Appelo review of Wilco which I mentioned yesterday.

--There's much flap about the GOP selling picures of President Bush, circa 9/11/02, but it's all hooey. I'll tell you why later. read about it here, read Maureen Dowd's dopey Op-Ed, then read Andrew Sullivan's response to all this silliness, titled 'GORE LOSES IT'. Actually, I won't tell you why later; Sullivan says it better than I could.

--Courtney Love's unending idiocy.

-- uh, not sure what else, but Coleman Hawkins sure sounds good in the morning. See you in a couple hours.

2002-05-14T17:05:00.000-07:00
Gotta run, but please take the time to read this fine article, found in the Mars Hill Review. It's an in-depth look at Radiohead's albums, emphasis on the lyrical content. consider this excerpt, but please read the whole article, it's worth it:

But in the middle of an exhausted, clichéd, and commodified culture, W.A.S.T.E. also offers the assurance that subtle, mysterious, and ecstatic human communications are nonetheless still possible. This, in the end, is also the promise of Radiohead.

ps- my busride soundtrack today: Stone Temple Pilots' 3rd Album, Tiny Music...

good day!

2002-05-14T16:35:00.000-07:00
Christian McBride has compiled a list of all his recording gigs since 1990. 168 total, not counting his own 5 albums since 1995, or his many many live gigs. And just who wants him to play on their records? Here's a small sample:

Diana Krall
Cyrus Chestnut
Natalie Cole
Ray Brown
Sting
Chick Corea
McCoy Tyner
Milt Jackson
Jimmy Smith
Roy Hargrove
Freddy Hubbard

2002-05-14T15:54:00.000-07:00
Tony Pierce has a nice photo montage/review of Weezer's latest disc, Maladroit. The pictures are nice.

2002-05-14T14:28:00.000-07:00
Tim Appelo at Slate has written a nice piece about Wilco's infamous new record. He even finds fault with it, though ends up at this conclusion:

Yankee Hotel Foxtrot is electronic worlds away from the stripped-down sound of classic alt-country. But what makes it good is—it has plenty of barn.

I really gotta get around to listening to that album.

UPDATE:
Norway-dwellers, take note: Wilco is coming to Oslo tomorrow night (may 15). check their tour page, here, for more info.

2002-05-14T13:24:00.000-07:00

Follow-Up

... to this issue, which I mentioned yesterday.

Here is a page on SFSU's website titled 'SFSU's Response to Pro-Israel--Pro-Palestine Tensions on Campus', including a letter from University President Robert Corrigan, which confirms what happened.

And here is Joseph Katzman's lengthy and well-thought-out response to the incident and the President's letter.

2002-05-14T12:28:00.000-07:00

Ever wondered how some people can spin their pen around their thumb so casually during classroom lecture? Only to try it out and become even more frustrated?

Yes, and I have always desired that skill. Now, I can have it!

Anders brought this pen-spinning site to my attention, but I'm not adept enough to do any of the tricks.

2002-05-13T17:01:00.000-07:00
In my ears for the bus ride home:

Louis Armstrong and His All-Stars (Jack Teagarden, Earl Fatha Hines, et al)

Good day!

2002-05-13T16:54:00.000-07:00
This letter has been around the web, but it needs to be read. It is a harrowing account of the attack against a Peace In The Middle East Rally held at San Francisco State University. Here is a short excerpt:

As the counter demonstrators poured into the plaza, screaming at the Jews to "Get out or we will kill you" and "Hitler did not finish the job," I turned to the police and to every administrator I could find and asked them to remove the counter demonstrators from the Plaza, to maintain the separation of 100 feet that we had been promised.

The police told me that they had been told not to arrest anyone, and that if they did, "it would start a riot." I told them that it already was a riot.

"Hitler did not finish the job" is quite possibly the most vile and terrifying refrain I have heard in quite some time.

2002-05-13T15:06:00.000-07:00
referring to this article, Bo Cowgill says:

When someone tells me how a weblog will pay for an American correspondant to fly to Afghanistan to cover a story, then we can start talking about how "weblogs" are somehow going to compete with "big media."

I posit: on what would you rather spend 30 minutes of your time-

a) Geraldo Rivera talking about how hard it was to leave his family;

b) links to Afghani firsthand accounts, news articles from around the world, with commentary, quotes and commentary on the politcal actions of various world leaders, related book, magazine, and newspaper recommendations, as well as unprecedented access to past news items, photos, videos, facts sources, opinions, discussion boards, etc.

Eye witness reporting is important. But when I choose how I receive that information, I choose the internet.

2002-05-13T11:30:00.000-07:00
Fredrik K.R. Norman reveals the secret to Fanta's success! Yet I must ask, why not Solo?

2002-05-13T09:08:00.000-07:00
Wondering if the new Star Wars movie will be any good? here's one review that makes it sound good ("...[the film] will be a welcome respite for fans who loathed The Phantom Menace for its saccharine story line."); here's another that makes it sound awful ("Attack of the Clones,"...like "The Phantom Menace," lumbers along in the confining armor of bogus wisdom").

2002-05-13T08:15:00.000-07:00
Good Morning!

Radiohead's Thom Yorke popped up on the radiohead message board and answered a few questions saturday night. At Ease has the goods, but here are a few highlights:
On the new album:

yes we are working bloody hard on it now. we are trying to be a bit more err focused, less neurotic. itll be sooner than you think. some old songs may appear yup

On upcoming shows in Europe:

virtually all new. virtually all under rehearsed. lots of scratching heads and shrugging shoulders. maybe flashes of inspiration. hmm.. bet you cant wait.

What Thom listens to:

me i listen to the news then GO PLastic by Squarepusher in my car. everything else is uphill..
bob marley and the wailers early recording on TROJAN, released this year 2cd.. or Uprising by said same

2002-05-10T16:50:00.000-07:00

Warning!

RollingStone.com has a new feature up, the 50 uncoolest records of all time (that we love)!
I'm warning you- don't read that feature! I did, and I wish I hadn't. It sucks in so many ways- uninteresting, uncontroversial, unfamiliar, and quite frankly, uncool. In what passes for cleverness over there, Rolling Stone is publishing this as a follow-up to their recent list of the 50 coolest records. That list, while wildly erratic, foolish, and confused about what 'cool' is [The Velvet Underground and The Rolling Stones are cooler than James Brown and Chuck Berry?], still manages to be entertaining. So avoid the UNcool, and stick with the cool. Better yet, put on a record and enjoy the sunshine; that's what I'm gonna do. [Today's soundtrack: Jeff Buckley and Aaron Sprinkle]
Happy Weekend!

2002-05-10T10:14:00.000-07:00
I have seen no better sign of the decay of the american Christian church than this article in the NY Times. It describes ultra-large churches building small towns in order to attract people. Weight rooms, apartments, pools, McDonald's, and more.
Too bad there was not one mention of Jesus in the article. Apparently these church leaders have no faith in the message they (supposedly) preach, and therefore try to get warm bodies another way. I am stunned at the disgusting behavior displayed by the churches described in this article. People, please- if you want to attend a Christian church, pick one that preaches the Word of God and talks about Jesus, not their youth activity schedule. Otherwise, you are just wasting your time. And please do not ever attend these horrendous church-like mini-malls:

Southeast Christian Church, Louisville, Kentucky
--Dave Stone, the associate minister of Southeast, calls his church, which is open daily from 5:30 a.m. to 11 p.m., "a refueling station."

Community Church of Joy, Glendale, Arizona
-- ...has embarked on a $100 million campaign to build a housing development, a hotel, convention center, skate park, and water-slide park, transforming itself into what Dr. Walt Kallestad, the senior pastor, calls a "destination center."

Brentwood Baptist Church, Houston, Texas
-- ...offer[s] relief from stresses on American family life, including suburban sprawl, with its vast commutes, and "drugs, crime and other youthful temptations," said Dr. Joe Samuel Ratliff, pastor of Brentwood Baptist. It was he who advocated the McDonald's at Brentwood as a way to "create a controlled, protective setting for our kids."

Fellowship Church, Grapevine, Texas
-- ...offers a 40,000-square-foot youth center with a climbing wall and video arcade and is creating a lake to encourage father-son bass fishing.

Prestonwood Baptist Church, Plano, Texas
--"We're not a large church," said Mike Basta, the executive pastor. "We're a small town."

And lastly, a voice of reason:
Dr. Wade Clark Roof, a professor of religion and society at the University of California at Santa Barbara, said he worried that full-service churches are "the religious version of the gated community. It's an attempt to create a world where you're dealing with like-minded people," he said. "You lose the dialogue with the larger culture."

2002-05-10T09:22:00.000-07:00
Have you seen the suggested new flag of the European Union? It's visually repulsive, and conceptually on an 8th-grade social studies report level. If that were the flag of the EU, I would never join (Norway, wink, nudge). Would you want that flapping over you nation's capitol?

Vegard Valberg has something to say on this, of course.