February 28, 2005
More (wine) tasting notes
Opolo Vineyards, Paso Robles, CA
These folks, who I had never heard of before, had quite a spread. At least one of the owners (moustache) was present at the show. I tasted late on Saturday and they were almost out of wines and concerned about what they would do Sunday. Anyway...
Summit Creek Zin, 2003, $18, Not to my taste, a touch of turpentine, along with earthy flavors.
Mountain Zin, 2003, $24, Wow! It's 16% alcohol, so you get a noseful of that, plus the aromas of a very intense Zinfindel. An impressive piece of work. What would you eat with it? Darned if I know. (There were some Elk dealers over in the Minnesota Foods section...)
Syrah, 2001, $24, Okay, that's more like it. A complex wine, very tasty, a little bit of fruit, the slightest touch of spice, and a leathery aftertaste. Maybe the Zins were tasted too young?
Pinot Noir, 2002, $24, Reminded me a lot of the "Blue Moon" Pinot Noir (see review below). Very good, but perhaps not the best bargain.
Rousanne and Viognier, 2003, $20 and $22 respectively, I can't mentally separate the two of them. Lots of fruit in both of them, but quite a bit of alcohol as well. I must be out of touch, I was remembering yeasts finishing up around 14-15% and now I'm seeing wines 1-2% higher than that in alcohol.
Bridgeview Vineyards
The "Blue Moon" folks. I've had their Cab/Merlot and Pinot Noir before.
Riesling, 2004, $9, A bit sweet, but with genuine fruit flavor. This summer I might be tempted.
Merlot, 2001, $9, Hmmm...might have been better a year or two ago? Not all that complex. Tastes like Merlot. I'd drink it, but it's nothing special.
Cab/Merlot, 2002, $10, This is better. A nice blend. A little bit of smoke, a little bit of fruit, and a fair amount of tannin.
Pinot Noir, 2002, $15, Must be the movie surcharge. Anyway, a very good wine, I liked it as much as a number of more expensive Pinots (though not as good as those fine Oregon Pinots at World Class Wines).
Random selections
Rosemount Diamond Label Chardonnay, 2004, $10, Everything that's good about chardonnay, dry yet fruity, subtle yet with aftertaste, but no killer dose of oak! Yay!
Minnestalgia Winery, Minnesota wines, I tried the honey wine and the loganberry wine. It's cool that there is wine made in Minnesota, but I found these to be non-essential. Sorry.
Little Penguin, missed their booth, but the Shiraz is drinkable and a good deal I think. Plus the label is most excellent.
Rancho Zabaco, Dancing Bull Zin 2003, Sonoma Heritage Zines Zin 2003, and Dry Creek Valley Reserve 2001, Sometimes I think the winemakers go too far in making different wines. How many wines does Chateau Margaux put out each year? (Okay, it's more than one, but I think they put out their name wine and second line, Pavillion Rouge, and that's it.) Anyway, the 2003s were great, huge Zins, fruit, tabacco, leather, and smoke. They did taste a bit different, but I don't remember the distinctions. The 2001, no surprise, was a bit mellower, but more complex in flavor. Good stuff!
Okay...that looks like all that I can piece together. Enjoy!
NASA exams
A funny story. You can picture people wanting to believe...
Tasting notes from the Twin Cities Food & Wine Experience (26 February 2005)
Well, I'd have to admit that the food part of the show exceeded my expectations, and the wine part was maybe a little disappointing. Not very disappointing mind you, but not thrilling. The wine and beer went to my head so I didn't write much down during the show, but did some writing when I got home. Here are the notes:
Mondavi Booth
Columbia Gewurztraminer, 2003, $10, Not as spicy as I'd like a 'traminer to be, but not appalling sweet either. Pretty good summer wine.
Columbia "Red Willow" Syrah, 2001, $25, Good, solid wine with a bit of tobacco aftertaste. I only saw the price after thinking that I would be willing to buy some. Maybe a bit too pricey for the taste.
Mondavi Napa Cab, 2001, $25, A big wine. Excellent wine but it doesn't really stand out as much as it should for the price.
Mondavi Napa Pinot Noir, 2001, $22, An excellent piece of work, long aftertaste, wonderful thick wine. More to my taste than the cab.
World Class Wines (Saturday they were doing Spain and Pacific NW)
Finca Antigua Tempranillo, La Mancha, 2002, $13, Vino of La Mancha I suppose. Tempranillo seems to be undergoing some hipness these days. This was an excellent, rustic wine. If tasted blind I would have said "typical Sicilian wine." Good stuff.
Conde de Valdemar Crianza, Rioja, 2000, $15, Good Rioja?!? Excellent wine and I'm not sure that I've had any well-aged Rioja before. A wine-type that I associate with sangria rather than with a good-drinking wine to go with, perhaps a tomato-based pasta dish? Reminds me of well-aged Sangiovese. I'd buy it.
Firesteed Pinot Noir, Oregon, 2002, $14
Benton Lane Pinot Noir, Oregon, 2001, $22
Domaine Serene Evenstad Reserve Pinot Noir, Willamette Valley, Oregon, $50, A nice parallel tasting of these Oregon Pinots. Pinot seems to be pretty hot these days (am told that it's partly to do with the Sideways movie) and Oregon Pinots have been doing very well over the last few years. Maybe too well in that prices have been allowed to run high without any controls. The Firesteed nicely showed the fruit, but not a lot of complexity. The Benton Lane was more complex but had a little bit of a cardboard aftertaste. Not thrilling to me. The Domaine...blah...blah...blah was quite complex, a little bit of fruit, a little oak, a little tobacco, a little fruit (maybe peach?). A great wine. Not sure exactly what I'd eat with it. Maybe a cheese course or similar. But $50?
More to come later...
Fossett's latest adventure
Around the world in 80 hours, unrefueled, by jet.
February 25, 2005
Engrish: Continued weirdness in graduate admission essays
"I hate girls when I was in crotch-less panties."
"I was a hardcore fan of AL PACINO."
"Nothing filled my hollow chest ever."
"Before the suffer-more year, it was recorded as the DARK AGE in my life."
All from the same essay even!
Annoying facts
Taken from the (oddly) rather tepid "No. 1?" article in the Minneapolis City Pages. As in, the US is #1 in which ways? Some of the items are so apalling as to demand repeating though. (Many of the others in the article reflect more on the author than the status of the US, in my opinion.)
- Lack of health insurance coverage causes 18,000 unnecessary American deaths a year. (That's six times the number of people killed on 9/11.) (NYT, Jan. 12, 2005.)
- Twelve million American families--more than 10 percent of all U.S. households--"continue to struggle, and not always successfully, to feed themselves." Families that "had members who actually went hungry at some point last year" numbered 3.9 million (NYT, Nov. 22, 2004).
- Women are 70 percent more likely to die in childbirth in America than in Europe (NYT, Jan. 12, 2005).
- The leading cause of death of pregnant women in this country is murder (CNN, Dec. 14, 2004).
- Japan, China, Taiwan, and South Korea hold 40 percent of our government debt. "By helping keep mortgage rates from rising, China has come to play an enormous and little-noticed role in sustaining the American housing boom" (NYT, Dec. 4, 2004). Read that twice. We owe our housing boom to China, because they want us to keep buying all that stuff they manufacture.
- As of last June, the U.S. imported more food than it exported (NYT, Dec. 12, 2004).
- "Americans are now spending more money on gambling than on movies, videos, DVDs, music, and books combined" (Rifkin, The European Dream, p.28).
February 24, 2005
Hunter S. Thompson Appreciation Day
Shotgun Golf! The final article...
And the archive of his ESPN work.
"There he goes. One of God's own prototypes. Some kind of high powered mutant never even considered for mass production. Too weird to live, and too rare to die" — HST
They might just shot his (cremated) remains from a cannon. Fireworks!
Although HST's work is done, others take up the slack. Jewish journalist infiltrating a neo-nazi hate group? That meets at Applebee's? Yup, hilarity ensues. Gonzo continues. Film at 11.
Will Duke pass away now? Go not quietly into the night unless you have a huge wad of case, night-vision goggles, and a drug-filled date with a pair of Madonna look-alikes.
Nixon always brought out the best in HST. Especially the RN Obit.
From the Doonesbury FAQ:Q: What kind of relationship, if any, does Mr. Trudeau have with Hunter S. Thompson? --H. Delano R., Long Beach, CA
A: Non-existent. The two have never met, although there was a brief but acrimonious exchange of letters in the mid-70s. Since that time, Thompson has uttered numerous public threats against Trudeau's person, threats Trudeau takes seriously.
Bill Murray met Hunter S. Thompson in the late 70's, prior to portraying him in "Where the Buffalo Roam." He was driving a car back from the coast for Lorne Michaels (I believe) and met Thompson in Las Vegas.They were sitting around a pool. Murray got tied to a chair (horsing around) and was thrown in the pool. He figured, no sweat, he could stand to his full height (6'1") and extricate himself from the socks that tied him to the chair. One thing though, when you are strapped in a chair, you are in a seated position and not able to extend to your full height. After momentary panic by the ever cool Bill, Thompson saw that Mr. Murray was floundering and hauled him out.
(This story was broadcast on "Focus with Bill Murray" hosted by critic Elvis Mitchell, and repeated last year by Bill Murray at the Brooklyn Academy of Music Film Festival devoted to him, 4/13/04). On the GettyWire Image page if you type in Bill Murray and scroll to all images within 12 months, and go back to April 13, 2004, you will see the photographs of the re-creation.
MsGeek.org thoughts on HST's death.
Longer quotes and stuff below...
"Some people will say that words like scum and rotten are wrong for Objective Journalism--which is true, but they miss the point. It was the built-in blind spots of the Objective rules and dogma that allowed Nixon to slither into the White House in the first place. He looked so good on paper that you could almost vote for him sight unseen. He seemed so all-American, so much like Horatio Alger, that he was able to slip through the cracks of Objective Journalism. You had to get Subjective to see Nixon clearly, and the shock of recognition was often painful." - HST, Nixon Obit
No relevance whatsoever for America. In 2005. Under the Dubya-crowd.
"This talk of sincerity, I confess, fatigues me. If the fellow was sincere, then so was P. T. Barnum. The word is disgraced and degraded by such uses. He was, in fact, a charlatan, a mountebank, a zany without sense or dignity. His career brought him into contact with the first men of his time; he preferred the company of rustic ignoramuses. It was hard to believe, watching him in Dayton, that he had traveled, that he had been received in civilized societies, that he had been a high officer of state. He seemed only a poor clod like those around him, deluded by a childish theology, full of an almost pathological hatred of all learning, all human dignity, all beauty, all fine and noble things. He was a peasant come home to the barnyard. Imagine a gentleman, and you have imagined everything that he was not. What animated him from end to end of his grotesque career was simply ambition — the ambition of a common man to get his hand upon the collar of his superiors, or failing that, to get his thumb into their eyes. He was born with a roaring voice, and it had the trick of inflaming half-wits. His whole career was devoted to raising those half-wits against their betters, that he himself might shine." - H. L. Mencken, on William Jennings Bryon (not Dubya believe it or not)
Anything into oil...
"If a 175-pound man fell into one end , he would come out the other end as 38 pounds of oil, 7 pounds of gas, and 7 pounds of minerals, as well as 123 pounds of sterilized water. While no one plans to put people into a thermal depolymerization machine, an intimate human creation could become a prime feedstock." Read all about it here.
Keeping in mind Negroponte's work with the Central American death squads and his new promotion, let's not mention the person into oil business again, okay?
While we once again ignore the horror: Genocide in the Sudan
East Timor? Nope, the Indonesians were our friends. Cambodia? Bad commies, but what could we do? Rwanda? Just Africans killing each other. Bosnia? A European problem. The Congo? Which one? Good thing that we've been preventing genocides since learning the whole "never forget" lesson.
When the rapture comes...
...wouldn't it be good if you could send email from heaven and let the doomed sinners know what you are thinking? Email with a dead-man switch.
Names of children
A very cool little web toy which plots name popularity as a function of decade this past century in the US. There must be a bunch of stories in there...the fall of anne and annette, the fall and resurrection of Annabel (and various spellings), the rise of elena and z names!
Call on God, but row away from the rocks. -- Hunter S. Thompson
February 23, 2005
Here a galaxy, there a galaxy, where a galaxy?
Looks like a dark-matter only galaxy! Pretty cool.
February 21, 2005
Hunter S. Thompson pulls a Hemingway
I had sort of figured that Dr. Thompson would go more quietly, and follow William S. Burroughs into aged crankiness. Nope, shot himself instead. NYTs obit. The Guardian notes his oncoming beatification and links to proto-blogs. And then the comments degenerate from there. A bland AFB obit. The SF Chronicle has a bit better one.
Guess he didn't want to see the rest of Dubya's IInd.
February 20, 2005
Strip club artwork
Make a silly law, and someone will figure out a silly way around it. Still, the novelty of making a strip club into an art class is quite profound. Or something like it.
February 18, 2005
George Orwell on nuclear terror
The newspapers have published numerous diagrams, not very helpful to the average man, of protons and neutrons doing their stuff, and there has been much reiteration of the useless statement that the bomb 'ought to be put under international control.' But curiously little has been said, at any rate in print, about the question that is of most urgent interest to all of us namely: 'How difficult are these things to manufacture?...
Had the atomic bomb turned out to be something as cheap and easily manufactured as a bicycle or an alarm clock, it might well have plunged us back into barbarism, but it might, on the other hand, have meant the end of national sovereignty and of the highly-centralized police state. If, as seems to be the case, it is a rare and costly object as difficult to produce as a battleship, it is likelier to put an end to large-scale wars at the cost of prolonging indefinitely a 'peace that is no peace.'
-- George Orwell, "You and the Atomic Bomb," October 19, 1945
February 17, 2005
CNN nuclear plant pictures...was that Iran or North Korea?
Turns out that the photos of the Iranian and North Korean reactors are the same picture. Seems the government sources of the pictures aren't sure where this reactor is. The replacement picture has snow, so that probably is from Idaho or North Korea.
Do the math
A Bush-plan Social Security calculator. Figure out how much better you'll make out once the Bushites spend an extra $4.5 trillion on SS. Oh, you'll lose money? What a surprise!
Free republic of Duluth!
Looks like a fun project, but we'll see if when the weather warms, they're still interested. Coverage in mnartists.org as well.
February 16, 2005
Mercury isn't as dangerous as people say says the power industry, I mean Congress
Bush's EPA will be raising limits on mercury in the environment. To pave the way, industry lobbyists had Congress read their theories into the Congressional Record.
Emo? Emo Philips?
I was walking across a bridge one day, and I saw a man standing on the edge, about to jump off. So I ran over and said "Stop! Don't do it!" "Why shouldn't I?" he said. "Well, there's so much to live for!" "Like what?" "Well... are you religious?" He said yes. I said, "Me too! Are you Christian or Buddhist?" "Christian." "Me too! Are you Catholic or Protestant ? "Protestant." "Me too! Are you Episcopalian or Baptist?" "Baptist" "Wow! Me too! Are you Baptist Church of God or Baptist Church of the Lord?" "Baptist Church of God!" "Me too! Are you original Baptist Church of God, or are you reformed Baptist Church of God?" "Reformed Baptist Church of God!" "Me too! Are you Reformed Baptist Church of God, reformation of 1879, or Reformed Baptist Church of God, reformation of 1915?" He said, "Reformed Baptist Church of God, reformation of 1915!" I said, "Die, heretic scum", and pushed him off. (Emo Philips)
Grad admission files (Engrish and other disasters)
Having been on the graduate admissions committee in Physics for, oh I guess it's been four year or maybe five now, I've come across a good collection of Engrish submissions and other unfortunate occurances. Fortunately, I have written some of them down, so I can share the warmth, share the love, with all. (Actually, technically some of these, including the first one, are not Engrish, but rather are bizarre turns of phrase which probably are due to lack of familarity with English, or lack of familarity with writing in English.) Obviously these are totally anonymized and no small furry animals were harmed in the making of this post.
February 15, 2005
Sometimes I miss Chicago
Kasmir S. Pulaski Day - Big Black
Saw something go wrong today when along, when a car went by
Grey car blew up today when along, when a car went by
Never thought it really happened that way
Never thought it really happened that way
Never thought it really happened that way
Drew a rod and they blew him away
Down on the south side, out on Pulaski
There were pieces of a man all over the skyway
Well I suffered real bad today, just like in the movies
Why did mm get an mm mm like that?
I even felt a little sick
I never thought it really happened that way
I never thought it really happened that way
I wouldn't want to check out in that way
Drew a rod and they blew him away
There were pieces of a man all over the skyway
There were pieces of a man
mm mm in the ashtray
What are you trying to prove now, Benny?
What are you trying to call me, Benny?
Better stay out of it, Benny
Stay out of my wayski
Mayor Daley Observes Pulaski
by City News Writer Tiffani Helberg
CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, March 7, 2000 (CN)--While Chicago city offices were closed Monday Mayor Richard Daley took time to officially celebrate a polish leader. Daley visited the Polish Museum of America in honor of Kasmir Pulaski. Pulaski died in the revolution while fighting as a military officer.
Daley spoke about the importance of remembering diversity. He said, “We have to teach our children and grandchildren, not only about Kasmir Pulaski, but about the other heroes that really have made this country.”
Celebrity gossip, sounds true!
Swinging Mick Jagger
New York--He's a legend, he's got big lips, and he likes to swing in Central Park. No, we don't mean something of a sexual nature, we mean he actually likes to swing back and forth on a kid's swingset.
Our Big Apple source, Suzi Cannarozzi, says she's seen Mick Jagger "Hogging the children's swings for over an hour, just going back and forth, singing at the top of his lungs." Suzi says the kids seem to enjoy watching Mr. Rolling Stone frolicking in his satin red bellbottoms, but they wish he'd move over to the merry-go-round so they could have a shot at the swings.
One little five-year-old became so impatient he dumped a rainbow snowcone right on top of Mr. Jagger's head. Mick merely smiled and licked off the dribbling juice with his very handy tongue.
Scott Ritter on NMD
Scott Ritter on NMD. Though he is approaching it mostly from a Russian-watching perspective, commenting on the SS-27 which is laser-hardened, solid-fueled, and carries decoys. The North Korean rocket might be very different.
The "missile defense" system, which has mostly been a corporate welfare system, has any number of other problems. Including not working. Not making a whole lot of sense, and fueling an arms race. Take a look at the APS report on boost intercept missile defense as well.
Russia vs. Soros
I haven't linked MosNews lately, but Soros's statements on the loss of Russian democracy are pretty strong. He's advocating removing Russian from the G-8 and supporting the new Serbian, Georgian, and Ukrainian "revolutionary" governments.
February 14, 2005
The changing taste of American men, as revealed by Playboy
Centerfolds, averaged together by decade. 1960s, 1970s, 1980s, and 1990s. Thanks to Ryan for bringing this to my attention.
No dirty gold
For Valentine's Day, a campaign to remind folks of how dirty the whole gold mining enterprise is. The focus was mostly on the environment, but a lot of the arguments about the social and economic impacts of mining in the 3rd world could also be made. Of course, it's nowhere near as dirty politically as the bloody African diamond enterprise.
P.S. The article notes that Wal-Mart is one of the three largest (maybe largest?) gold dealers in the U.S. Kinda scary!
Light and dark for Valentine's Day
The "parents" of the Tsunami survivor "baby 81" are the parents.
"Already the foreboding sky grows dark and silent!" -Renzo Novatore Arcola
"...this time however I come as the victorious Dionysus, who will turn the world into a holiday...Not that I have much time..." -Nietzsche (from his last "insane" letter to Cosima Wagner)
(It came from research, I swear!)
Happy Valentine's Day
It's the 75th anniversary of the publishing of The Maltese Falcon. No more would detectives have to merely cope with curare, dinner parties, and socialites with antisocial tendancies. "She tried to sit on my lap while I was standing up."
February 13, 2005
Southern Poverty Law Center on the Washington Times
Favored by Republican presidents, that good old mix of Sun Myung Moon and white supremacists. Mix in a hatred of immigrants (kinda weird considering), worship of the British National Alliance, Protocols of the Elders of Zion, Holocaust Revisionists, and generally dodgy characters.
Not to mention the fnords.
Plame Leak Timeline
Follow the twists of turns of Karl Rove and his legion of paid hacks. All because someone told the truth about one of the Bush lies about the war with Iraq...
Cabinet magazine
I thought I was the only person who had heard of them! Anyway, there's a New York Times article that just came out. Very positive. Makes me realize that I might just have missed my calling... You can check the magazine out online as well.
Some of their great links include:
The infinite regression of cats.
The Hand Up Project: Helping hermit crabs.
Computer paradigms by Ted. Expressed as one liners.
February 12, 2005
Five people hospitalized...
...at the opening of a new Ikea in England. People were almost killed, for cheap sofas.
The missing Los Alamos hard drives
Never existed. A $5.8 million fine. People fired. Disciplined. A witch hunt. Turns out that the "missing" hard drives never existed so they probably weren't actually missing. And let's not even talk about the Wen Ho Lee debacle.
February 11, 2005
Library in a town with a population of one
She runs the tavern/restaurant and manages the five thousand volume library. Sometimes I can be a sucker for the human interest story. Especially late on a Friday afternoon/evening at work. Maybe I should go home soon, or go out.
Weird tsunami aid to Sri Lanka
Thong underwear, old winter coats, bottled water, Viagra, and expired cans of fish?
The science-humanities divide, carefully described, by The Onion
Snow's two cultures, for Valentine's Day.
Arthur Miller Obit
Arthur Miller is more important than just his best known plays "Death of a Salesman" (which I never cared a whole lot for...not sure why) and "The Crucible" (that mandatory early high school play, how obvious can we be in comparing the witch hunts of Salem to the witch hunts of McCarthy?). It seems to me that he represents in many ways a canonical 1900s man---put himself through college working as a loader and shipping clerk, his first play failed on Broadway, he was married to Marilyn Monroe ("To have survived, she would have had to be either more cynical or even further from reality than she was," he wrote. "Instead, she was a poet on a street corner trying to recite to a crowd pulling at her clothes.") for five years, never stopped writing, and traveled the world seeing his plays performed and meeting people. What more could one ask for? Marilyn, though she was a self-destructive nut, success with art, a long life, humble upbringing, everything that we're told is part of an American success story. AFP announcement. BBC Obit.
February 10, 2005
Japanese sex manual
Taken from a blog, so I'd exercise caution... Ah, heck, it's just funny.
See also his Weird Tokyo Guide. The esperanto shop, noise cds, punk venues, 20000Volts... Man, I miss Tokyo sometimes!
Fake reporter, with a fake name, reporting for a fake new organization outed
In more than one way... Gay-porn purveyor by night, conservative "reporter" for "Talon News" by day. And maybe even involved in the Plame Affair.
Will this news even last a week? Note that he had white house passes with his fake name on it even though there's a Secret Service background check. Looks like just another paid shill for the White House. Even the NY Daily News coverage is pretty funny.
Just remember, the Republican leadership have no moral sensibilities at all. They killed a hundred thousand Iraqis just so their cronies could profit. Your life and death mean less to them than the setting on their office thermostat.
They will do anything they think they can get away with, and at the moment, they own the government. The only hope we have is that they have managed to alienate the military to the point where they can't get support for a coup. - Jimmy Havok
February 9, 2005
Deep Throat speculation renewed
You can check out the discussions on plastic.com or look at some news stories pointing to Bush Senior as the Deep Throat. More speculation can be found on Wikipedia along with the mention that Deep Throat is sick. William Rehnquist is an interesting possibility as well---very sick, assistant attorney general under Mitchell and then put up for the SCOTUS by Dick in 1971. That would make for a complicated story...
89.3 FM
Minnesota Public Radio's newest station, 89.3FM "The Current" (huh? why does it have to have a lame name?), seems to have addressed the need of a particular demographic. That would be white, both male & female, in their mid-30s.
Off of the webpages there are discussion forums on the radio station, on the music, and general bitching. This demographic does like to criticize! But this town used to be a Clear Channel town, though Radio K is for ever, and this is a huge step in the right direction. Will public radio listeners support it? Will the Morning Show play less polka? Will our demographic accept advertising-free music?
Jim Walsh asks us to not nit-pick about the deatils. At the radio station, and maybe other places as well. Still, bringing up Leonard Cohen's Hallelujah is like bringing a knife to a pillow fight.
A couple of sample playlists from the last couple of days are in the extended entry if you're interested.
Six hours of 89.3FM on the afternoon of the 8th of February.
6:00 pm - 7:00 pm
Von Bondies - Poison Ivy
Beastie Boys - Jimmy James
Earth, Wind & Fire - Serpentine Fire
Sonic Youth - Dirty Boots
!!! - Hello, Is This Thing On?
The Postal Service - We Will Become Silhouettes
Depeche Mode - Stripped
The Futureheads - Hounds Of Love
Tegan & Sara - I Won't Be Left
Mojave 3 - Love Songs on the Radio
5:00 pm - 6:00 pm
Robyn Hitchcock 'N' The Egyptians - Madonna And The Wasps
DeVotchKa - viens avec moi
Bonnie 'Prince' Billy - Hard Life
Robert Johnson - Kindhearted Woman Blues
The Black Keys - All Hands Against His Own
Gomez - Silence
The Cure - Boys Don't Cry
Sam Cooke - For Sentimental Reasons
Atmosphere - @ It Again
Run Westy Run - Dungarees
The Good Life - Lovers Need Lawyers
R.E.M. - Shaking Through
Rilo Kiley - Love and War (11/11/46)
Lemon Jelly - '88 aka Come Down On Me
Goldfrapp - Lovely Head
4:00 pm - 5:00 pm
Built To Spill - Center Of The Universe
Balloon Guy - Incidentally
Magnet - Nothing Hurts Now
New York Dolls - Personality Crisis
Arcade Fire - Neighborhood 1 Tunnels
Flogging Molly - Screaming At The Wailing Wall
Frank Black - Men In Black
Little Walter - Juke
Radiohead - No Surprises
The Wonsers - Mess
The Good Life - Album Of The Year
The Cardigans - Lovefool
Ted Leo & The Pharmacists - Heart Problems
Kings of Convenience - Homesick
Yo la tengo - From a motel 6
3:00 pm - 4:00 pm
Old 97's - Murder Or A Heart Attack
Pete Yorn - I Feel Good Again
Soul Coughing - Rolling
Otis Rush - So Many Roads
Louis XIV - Finding Out True Love Is Blind
Devendra Banhart - Water May Walk
The Jayhawks - Blue
Leonard Cohen - Famous Blue Raincoat
The Twilight Singers - Please Stay (Once You Go Away)
The Hangups - Jump Start
Morrissey - First Of The Gang To Die
PJ Harvey - Rid of Me
Hem - Redwing
Jolie Holland - Goodbye California
Elliott Smith - Ballad of Big Nothing
2:00 pm - 3:00 pm
Tom Waits - How's It Gonna End
The Specials - Gangsters
Olympic Hopefuls - Holiday
The Shins - Caring Is Creepy
Air - All I Need
The Penguins - Earth Angel
Blur - Tender
Sondre Lerche - The More I See You
Magnetic Fields - I Looked All Over Town
Moby - Honey
Joseph Arthur - Wasted
Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds - Easy Money
Cake - Daria
1:00 pm - 2:00 pm
Nico - All Tomorrow's Parties
Autolux - Here Comes Everybody
Cat Power - Free
Low - California
The Dismemberment Plan - Spider_in_the_Snow
Hank Williams - Jambalaya On The Bayou
Guided By Voices - Chasing Heather Crazy
Dan Israel - Brings you Back
Martin Devaney - Nobody Writes Letters Anymore
The Smiths - Shoplifters Of The World
Interpol - Slow Hands
Andrew Bird - Tables and Chairs
Idlewild - Little Discourage
12:00 pm - 1:00 pm
Ray LaMontagne - Jolene
The Walkmen - The Rat
Bob Marley & The Wailers - Exodus
Jason Moran - Aubade
And the morning of the 9th.
12:00 pm - 1:00 pm
Trip Shakespeare - Two Wheeler
Chuck Berry - Maybellene
Eleni Mandell - Can't You See I'm Soulful
Sufjan Stevens - To Be Alone with You
Joy Division - Love Will Tear Us Apart
Portishead - Sour Sour Times
Mission Of Burma - That's When I Reach For My Revolver
Visqueen - Manhattan
Martina Topley-Bird - Anything
Depeche Mode - Policy of Truth
Arcade Fire - Neighborhood 3 Power Out
M83 - Farewell / Goodbye
Kate Bush - Running Up That Hill
Jen Trynin - Getaway February
11:00 am - 12:00 pm
Baby Fox - Rain
Tom Waits - Make It Rain
The Twilight Singers - Please Stay (Once You Go Away)
Robert Johnson - Stop Breakin' Down Blues
The Black Keys - Act Nice and Gentle
Longwave - Tidal Wave
Bauhaus - She's in Parties
Barry White - You're The First, The Last, My Everything
Belle & Sebastian - Asleep On A Sunbeam
Elliott Smith - Let's Get Lost
R.E.M. - Finest Worksong
Old 97's - Murder Or a Heart Attack
Drive-By Truckers - Where the Devil Don't Stay
The Jayhawks - Poor Little Fish
Doves - Catch The Sun
10:00 am - 11:00 am
Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds - Hiding All Away
Sinead O'Connor - Bewitched, Bothered And Bewildered
Kings of Convenience - Misread
American Music Club - Love Is
Pixies - La La Love You
Sam Cooke - Wonderful World
Air - Kelly Watch The Stars
Low - Broadway So Many People
Juana Molina - El cristal
Yo La Tengo - What Comes Next
Matt Wilson - Raking Service
Luna - Speedbumps
9:00 am - 10:00 am
The Hangups - Sleepy
Delays - Wanderlust
Verve - Dizzy Gillespie , Manteca Funky Lowlives Remix
Chet Baker - Time After Time
Ulrich Schnauss - On My Own
Nick Drake - Black Eyed Dog
Styrofoam - Misguided (feat. Valerie Trebeljahr + alias)
Guided By Voices - Twilight Campfighter
The Glenrustles - Last Hurrah
Halloween, Alaska - State Trooper
Peter Gabriel - I Have The Touch
Olympic Hopefuls - Shy
Neko Case & Her Boyfriends - Guided By Wire
More democratic success!
The winners of the Iraqi elections will be...Iran! Sistani's folks. The next PM of Iraq will be someone who wants Islam to be the official religion of Iraq, who wants the Koran to be the main basis for writing a Constitution, who will take directives from Grand Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani when writing the nation's laws, and who will be very close to Iran.
I can't imagine that the neocons will be too happy with this. Or maybe they were closet Islamists all along? Bringing fundamentalist Islamic governments to Afghanistan and Iraq, and bringing up a new generation of Islamists from the Netherlands to Indonesia.
"I don't see why we need to stand by and watch a country go communist due to the irresponsibility of its people. The issues are much too important for the Chilean voters to be left to decide for themselves." -- Henry Kissinger, Secretary of State under Richard Nixon, about Chile prior to the CIA overthrow of the democratically elected government of socialist President Salvador Allende in 1973
Another reason why it's hard to take the UN seriously
The UN Human Rights Commission's membership includes Saudi Arabia (though Bush isn't complaining about that), Cuba (the country that probably has most gotten the administration's knickers twisted), and Zimbabwe. The Sudan was a recent previous member.
Bushism
Okay, some of these have appeared here before. Some are just funny word lapses, but there are so truly bizarre thoughts buried in here.
"It's very interesting when you think about it, the slaves who left here to go to America, because of their steadfast and their religion and their belief in freedom, helped change America." - Dakar, Senegal, July 8, 2003
"Security is the essential roadblock to achieving the road map to peace." - Washington, D.C., July 25, 2003
"I glance at the headlines just to kind of get a flavor for what's moving. I rarely read the stories, and get briefed by people who are probably read the news themselves." - Washington, D.C., Sept. 21, 2003
"See, free nations are peaceful nations. Free nations don't attack each other. Free nations don't develop weapons of mass destruction." - Milwaukee, Wis., Oct. 3, 2003
"[W]hether they be Christian, Jew, or Muslim, or Hindu, people have heard the universal call to love a neighbor just like they'd like to be called themselves." - Washington, Oct. 8, 2003
"The ambassador and the general were briefing me on the - the vast majority of Iraqis want to live in a peaceful, free world. And we will find these people and we will bring them to justice." - Washington, D.C., Oct. 27, 2003
"So thank you for reminding me about the importance of being a good mom and a great volunteer as well." - St. Louis, Jan. 5, 2004
"And if you're interested in the quality of education and you're paying attention to what you hear at Laclede, why don't you volunteer? Why don't you mentor a child how to read?" - St. Louis, Mo., Jan. 5, 2004
"[T]he illiteracy level of our children are appalling." - Washington, D.C., Jan. 23, 2004
"I was a prisoner too, but for bad reasons." - To Argentine President Nestor Kirchner, on being told that all but one of the Argentine delegates to a summit meeting were imprisoned during the military dictatorship, Monterrey, Mexico, Jan. 13, 2004
"More Muslims have died at the hands of killers than - I say more Muslims - a lot of Muslims have died - I don't know the exact count - at Istanbul. Look at these different places around the world where there's been tremendous death and destruction because killers kill." - Washington, D.C., Jan. 29, 2004
"See, one of the interesting things in the Oval Office - I love to bring people into the Oval Office - right around the corner from here - and say, this is where I office, but I want you to know the office is always bigger than the person." - Washington, D.C., Jan. 29, 2004
"God loves you, and I love you. And you can count on both of us as a powerful message that people who wonder about their future can hear." - Los Angeles, Calif., March 3, 2004
"Recession means that people's incomes, at the employer level, are going down, basically, relative to costs, people are getting laid off." - Washington, D.C., Feb. 19, 2004
"This is historic times." - New York, N.Y., April 20, 2004
"My job is to, like, think beyond the immediate." - Washington, D.C., April 21, 2004
"I'm honored to shake the hand of a brave Iraqi citizen who had his hand cut off by Saddam Hussein." - Washington, D.C., May 25, 2004
"I want to thank my friend, Sen. Bill Frist, for joining us today. ... He married a Texas girl, I want you to know. (Laughter.) Karyn is with us. A West Texas girl, just like me." - Nashville, Tenn., May 27, 2004
"I mean, if you've ever been a governor of a state, you understand the vast potential of broadband technology, you understand how hard it is to make sure that physics, for example, is taught in every classroom in the state. It's difficult to do. It's, like, cost-prohibitive." - Washington, D.C., June 24, 2004
"Our enemies are innovative and resourceful, and so are we. They never stop thinking about new ways to harm our country and our people, and neither do we." - Washington, D.C., August 5, 2004
"Secondly, the tactics of our-as you know, we don't have relationships with Iran. I mean, that's-ever since the late '70s, we have no contacts with them, and we've totally sanctioned them. In other words, there's no sanctions-you can't-we're out of sanctions." - Annandale, Va., Aug. 9, 2004
"Too many good docs are getting out of the business. Too many OB/GYN's aren't able to practice their love with women all across the country." - Sept. 6, 2004, Poplar Bluff, Mo.
February 8, 2005
Ward Churchill
You might as well read the original documents, instead of the op-ed pieces from both sides. This site collects the Dean's statement, the very bizarre letter from the Co Gov. Evans (to the College Republicans), and the controversial essay. The Wikipedia also has good coverage.
My take on it? It hurts to be compared to Eichmann and, therefore, the banal evil of the aggressive US government. Maybe I'm becoming a softie, but I have trouble equating even those investment bankers on the 90th floor with the murder of Iraqi children, or with child labor in China. Maybe it's my failure to follow the money, or follow the chain of command, but it's too tentative for me to wholehearted latch onto.
A scalping in Idaho
16 year old gal scalped! Thanks Kelley for sending me this! Remember, if you're tied up and someone comes after you with a knife...hair pretty much grows back, but most other body parts do not.
February 7, 2005
Soldier who took the cyanide to Goering
One of the historical oddities of WWII---where did the poison come from? A former soldier reveals what probably did happen.
I hope my 5 year old twin girls don't get any ideas!
Four year old boy drives mom's car to the video store, and returns home. Hitting a couple of parked cars and a police cruiser along the way. New rule, stick-shifts only if there are little ones in the household.
My girls have really enjoyed the times when they have been able to "drive the car" sitting in my lap...up the dirt driveway in Idaho, or doing donuts in the empty parking lot after the ice storm... And they're going to try cart racing in the Spring.
Should we worry when the American Conservative warns us of the Fascist threat in America today?
Another reminder that political labels are just labels. The American Conservative is antiwar. The map is not the territory.
More on the Presidential Bulge
Though the most interesting parts are on the limitations imposed on the press, mostly by themselves, to not stir up trouble. A good article from the FAIR (Fairness and Accuracy In Reporting) folks. It could have been a huge story, the President, unable to do a debate without a cueing device.
Or maybe it's just bad blood at this point, so far after the election?
February 6, 2005
(Slightly) offensive links
Tsunami: Oriental for "God's Wrath." From the good folks at Land Over Baptist.
As someone famous once said, comedy = tragedy plus time.
Maybe only offensive to those who think that the press does any sort of thinking. Who was that Iraqi woman that Bush had at his speech? Interesting story, yes?
If you haven't looked at the Abu Ghraib story all in one place.
Don't do it Donald! Help is only an intervention away...
Rumsfeld uneasy about visiting GErmany
For fear of being prosecuted as a war criminal. Has Henry Kissinger been able to leave the country in the last few years?
February 5, 2005
The most expensive Super Bowl advertisement
The Defense Department's overflight with an F/A-22. The program is in cost trouble, since the Soviet Union did disappear a few years back, and is explicitly using the Super Bowl publicity to try to convince the public/congress to give it more money. Like $15.5 billion. Or so.
Remember that giving your neighbors cookies can get you fined by the courts!
In Durango, CO. Nice place actually. Lesson? I can't come up with a good one.
From the Auger Project Management
So, the Pierre Auger Project is under construction in Malargue, Mendoza Province in Argentina. Construction started back in 2000 or so. The project management just noticed the spiders...
People working in the field are reporting a real infestation of spiders at the Surface Detectors. A popular place seems to be the area between the battery box plus cable tube and the tank. Some have also been seen inside the tank.
Black Widows spiders are the most common. These are poisonous, although not the worst in the Malargue area. We have color charts, to be carried in the vehicles, describing the different types of spiders and a description of the effect of their bites.
Please use caution when visiting tanks, especially when opening covers. Next week we will have a visit/lecture from a local veterinary and we will discuss the implementation of some safety procedures.
Safety procedure?
[From Anne]
Hmmm...lessee.
Eight legs? Check.
Two body parts? Check.
Yup, it's a spider.
Hmmm...Badass attitude? Check.
Coming after me? Uh, check.
Er... Toubleshooting and precautions, see "Spidey Manual Vol. 2."
(flip, flip, flip...)
Hey, guys...it sez here to run away.
Guys?
Hey, guys...?
Something in the "never thought of that before category"
A sherry enema? And death? And a burned will?
February 4, 2005
The Weekly Standard strongly advocates totalitarianism here in the States
Yuck, yuck, yuck! "(Senate Democrats) could undermine the president's entire second term agenda. Stronger countermeasures will be needed, including an unequivocal White House response to obstructionism, curbs on filibusters, and a clear delineation of what's permissible and what's out of bounds in dissent on Iraq." No questioning of Dear Leader will be allowed?
February 3, 2005
West Antarctic ice might be in worse shape than we thought
When it collapses we're looking at a 16 foot sea level rise. That will be fun.
Iraq and Vietnam and deja vu
The news seems very similar. The election in Vietnam had higher voter turnout...
Totally weird amazon, revisited
A tank? Sort of a tank, anyway.
Or you could buy a 2002 penny?
February 1, 2005
CREAM press coverage (we're (semi-)famous
CREAM coverage:
SpaceRef.com -- "NASA Research Balloon Makes Record Breaking Flight Over Antarctica"
SpaceFlight Now -- "NASA Research Balloon Makes Record Flight"
Live Science -- "Huge Helium Balloon Sets High-Flying Record"
New Scientist -- "Antarctic Balloon Breaks Endurance Record"
ANANOVA LTD, United Kingdom --
"NASA Balloon's Record Breaking Flight"
Space Daily --
"NASA Balloon Makes Record Breaking Flight"
PhysOrg.com (The latest physics and technology news) --
"NASA Research Balloon Makes Record Breaking Flight"
Unexplainable.net --
"Balloon Makes It to the Edge of Space"
Technocrat.net --
"NASA Balloon Breaks Endurance and Distance Records"
WESR Radio
Inquires from:
New Scientist - London
National Balloon Museum, Iowa
Oxford Scientific Films - London