the long rain

happy valentine's day

2012-02-14T08:27:00.001-05:00

i miss you and the little guy too.

trying not to

2011-09-25T12:01:00.002-04:00

say i love you
say i miss you
say hello

we used to be friends

2011-06-06T15:10:00.003-04:00

the friend break up is a very interesting one

the stakes are lower, you'd think... not family, not romantic

yet it still feels like i lose a little big part of me everytime

CENSORED and CENSORED and CENSORED, my childhood bff's... im pretty sure things worked out for you guys, that's usually the case when you have an awesome mom. sorry i stopped calling you guys way back in the early days. i've always hated talking on the phone

CENSORED and CENSORED... you guys are siblings, but last i heard you aren't speaking to each other. i fucked this one up pretty bad. i was so focused on my new life, i forgot everything i left behind. you guys weren't the only ones, unfortunately. the hard times will get better, eventually. i should know

CENSORED, where are you? it's been nine years now. i miss you, man. i miss our little art and music project. sorry i never replied to that email or icq chat until you had already disappeared

CENSORED, i know you're still out there. thanks for being patient with me. i'm happy for you and your new family, it's all you ever wanted. i need your perspective every now and then, now more than ever. sorry i haven't made the best effort, like, ever

CENSORED, i know you're still out there, even if far away. i'm happy for you and i hate that i couldn't make it to the wedding. i need you closer, man. i will visit soon, i swear

CENSORED, i still see you every now and then, but we're not in the same area anymore. those were some good times; it's kind of too bad they ended, but i guess if i didn't take something for granted then it wouldn't be me living

and CENSORED, well.. it is what it is, i guess. i'm still a little confused about everything, but what i gather is you just don't wanna deal. i don't blame you. but i still definitely miss you

i am at a familiar place, but i have to get better. or who's next?

andyoumayandyoumayandyoumay

2011-05-11T16:03:00.000-04:00

are we alright? are you alright? am i alright?
hello, you. me. how have you been? you only talk to me when you're down. well, doesn't everybody? and you just ignore me otherwise
yeah that sounds like me

do you know how to talk?
how to communicate? no
i dont think i you do
i want to talk in a language i cant speak except with you
because the words ____ ______ just dont do it
i have a vision but only i can see it you see
i feel like billy pilgrim
on a good day when i'm feeling anything at all
i am just walking. wait i am?
i am standing still
everything races past me and i stand, still
not even standing, i am just holding on
to dear life as it is
dont ask me why but
picture a guy hanging on to a traffic pole in the middle of a hurricane, wind blowing him away
picture the weather channel guy giving a report and there is that guy in the background, just holding on

that is me. im the guy holding on to the pole

i dont want to deal
with this or that
and certainly not with the other

i want to live in a house in a mountain
with electricity, let's be realistic
maybe a cat or two or ten
and just go batshit crazy

talk to the plants and the trees
worship the mountain and the clouds
get to know god
just go fucking crazy

panda bear, "take pills"

2011-05-11T10:10:00.002-04:00

surely there is
no substitute
for company
my mom's ripping
off her hands
one flake at a time
all her children left the house
and left her all alone
but just like she'd tell me
things get better
just wait
and you'll see

take one day at a time
everything else you can leave behind
only one thing at a time
anything more really hurts your mind
i don't want for us to
take pills
anymore
not that it's bad
i don't want for us to take pills
because we're stronger
and we don't need them

two steps back

2011-05-09T13:30:00.000-04:00

now seems like a good time to start again
during the slow motion crumble
everything going down in flames

yesterday afternoon i was walking around and i noticed there were flowers everywhere i looked. i wondered, what's the occassion?

it was mother's day

it was like being punched in the face on a nice sunny day. my heart sank. i guess i don't think about mother's day anymore

one year anniversary

2011-03-23T10:46:00.003-04:00

the one year anniversary of my mom's death came and went. and i feel relatively ok. love you and miss you always.

2011-03-10T12:07:00.001-05:00

if i get old, i will not give in
but if i do, remind me of this
remind me that
once i was free
once i was cool
once i was me

and if i sit down and cross my arms
hold me up to this song

knock me out, smash out my brains
if i take a chair, start to talk shit...

if i get old, remind me of this
that night we kissed, and i really meant it

whatever happens, if we're still speaking
pick up the phone, play me this song

months

2011-02-02T15:52:00.005-05:00

i have gone to the brink and back and there and back again

like a light switch i go up and down. the downs are lasting a little longer and they're getting a little deeper. but the ups feel more significant, clearer, more hopeful - and i feel a path is forming in front of me.

i have no idea what a person, a soul, does after they're gone... do they hang around or do they travel the universe, getting lost in it, discovering all the secrets the universe has to offer?

i can imagine after a while, you'd start to think about home again. about the blue marble and all your loved ones left behind in it. or maybe you just randomly pass by it again on your way somewhere and think, huh, i've almost forgotten - i should visit home.

is this i feel simply her presence? coming back, a year later, to check in on us? i have this image of her ghost trying to touch us - and not being able to. but we can clearly feel her there. and we're trying, too.

maybe after a while we all learn to deal and the next time, the soul simply observes and the living just enjoy their presence once again. and there's no sadness anymore

i hope so,

having a bad case

2011-01-04T12:56:00.004-05:00

im having a bad case of "the grass is always greener"

and i cant believe i'll make the right decisions about my future
or your future
or our future
and when did i lose control of i, anyway? (when did you?)

and it's not a question of whether you're worth it (of course you're worth it)

i just don't know what i want (but i dont think it's what you want)

thankful

2010-12-02T14:30:00.001-05:00

i am not thankful that my mother died.
in such a prompt and fucking painful way. and i will be dealing with this for a long while.

but i am thankful for everything else that remains.

2010-10-06T14:43:00.002-04:00

you've got to enjoy your friendships while you got em

people move
people change
friendship politics

you might end up with nobody, but at least for a while you had somebody

personality matters

2010-09-23T13:40:00.002-04:00

there is such a thing as inspiration
and i feel it often
but my usual response to it is,
"oh what a great idea, i'll work on that later"
later when i'm not watching tv or playing a video game
later when i'm not being a lazy ass
later when ____CENSORED____

and this is basically my biggest problem in life
i am wasting away, for myself
a little bit less and less all of the time
i drift through life barely aware

i dunno

2010-07-28T09:51:00.002-04:00

i dont feel like i know anybody anymore
i feel so losti dont feel like i know anybody anymore
i feel so losti dont feel like i know anybody anymore
i feel so losti dont feel like i know anybody anymore
i feel so losti dont feel like i know anybody anymore
i feel so losti dont feel like i know anybody anymore
i feel so losti dont feel like i know anybody anymore
i feel so losti dont feel like i know anybody anymore
i feel so losti dont feel like i know anybody anymore
i feel so losti dont feel like i know anybody anymore
i feel so losti dont feel like i know anybody anymore
i feel so losti dont feel like i know anybody anymore
i feel so lost

too real

2010-03-20T23:50:00.005-04:00

this is all too real
she looks asleep - peacefully asleep. she almost has a smile on her face
but she's not breathing, her heart is not beating, her body is cold.

four weeks ago my mom was totally fine. just a little back pain and some abdominal pain
it had been going on for a few months, but nothing my mom hasn't deal with in the past. she's had back, spine and stomach issues all of her life.
but i guess the pain was enough to get her into a doctor's office, something she rarely had time for because all she does is take care of everybody else. for the past year she's been taking her sister to the doctor, staying with her in the hospital, helping and supporting her through all of her health issues. and today, she is gone and her sister is still with us. life is such a mystery.

my sister texted me the news four weeks ago at 10am. she had just landed after being in nyc for a few days. i opened my phone expecting to see a msg saying something along the lines of "hey the plane didn't crash". instead it was "mom has pancreatic cancer". i ignored it for like half an hour. no biggie, i thought. she is invincible, indestructible. this will all pass. so many people with cancer recover, so many people that i've known. she'll drink some playera and it'll be over, no big deal at all.

then i wikipedia'd pancreatic cancer. it was like a scene in a movie, key words just popping up big font size in my eyes.

5% survival rate.

3-6 months life expectancy.

silent killer.

my eyes wider with every word. no way, i thought.. no way this is real. a couple tears came out.

after about an hour, i called her up. she was running around driving somewhere, running another errand. my dad and my sister were with her. this is how she is. she finds out she has cancer, and she goes to do errands. life goes on. i started bawling outside a building between 8th and 9th ave. i actually made the call in a somewhat secluded place. i knew i was gonna break down. she sounded so happy, so cheery. as always. always looking at the bright side of life, looking for the positive in everything. it'll be ok she said. i was starting to think that it wasn't gonna be.

three weeks ago i went and visited.

[to be continued if i can ever relive this again]

what is life

2010-01-19T16:29:00.007-05:00

dear diary.

what is life, anyway, except for good friends, good music, good conversation, occasional sex, and weed and alcohol like every single or other day. any combination of those is about as good as life can get and there is not much else to it

maintaining a good karma level is stressful. plus then keeping track of your karma is a whole other issue, especially if you are good at lying to yourself. working out is hard and tiring. work itself is torture. learning something new is difficult and time consuming. changing the world is impossible and so is helping anybody besides yourself and those around you. and even that is a hassle sometimes.

patience, motivation, drive, ambition, dedication. the leading causes of unhappiness, depression, fail. too many distractions to get anything done. complaining about stuff is so simple. with a cold beer in hand, woe is me, i've never tried but at least never failed. if everything you wanna do you can do in a video game or in your dreams, then what? it never lives up to the hype in real life

best way to live is the billy pilgrim way, in the here and now, whatever it may be, eyes wide opened, like a true republican, be the center of the universe, always right always first

continued

2009-11-20T03:24:00.001-05:00

late night

2009-11-20T03:14:00.003-05:00

2009-10-15T20:00:00.002-04:00

this is worth watching. i promise.

it seems a little too much like someone looking for acceptance... how come it's ok to be gay, but not to fuck dead people? it's just NOT FAIR

Obama Admin

2009-10-15T19:32:00.002-04:00

on my bad days, when i'm all pessimistic, this is how i feel about the obama administration:

Since arriving at Harvard in June last year, he has been consultant to several members of Barack Obama’s administration, including Hillary Clinton, and is a member of Richard Holbrooke’s special committee for Afghanistan and Pakistan policy. “I do a lot of work with policymakers, but how much effect am I having?” he asks, pronging a mussel out of its shell.

“It’s like they’re coming in and saying to you, ‘I’m going to drive my car off a cliff. Should I or should I not wear a seatbelt?’ And you say, ‘I don’t think you should drive your car off the cliff.’ And they say, ‘No, no, that bit’s already been decided – the question is whether to wear a seatbelt.’ And you say, ‘Well, you might as well wear a seatbelt.’ And then they say, ‘We’ve consulted with policy expert Rory Stewart and he says ...’”

that's rory stewart, a guy that walked across iran and afghanistan after september 11. which is a rather absurd thing to do, but obviously it looks good on your middle east expert resume. and obama loves to surround himself with experts - good, actual experts, people with the right opinions - say he heard all sides and decided to take the stupid, wrong, bushian course of action.

and i am feeling pessimistic today.

productive

2009-09-17T15:39:00.002-04:00

i will do work tomorrow. it makes sense.. i'm not going to get a job today, and no application i send in will get a call back tomorrow. so why not play final fantasy?

this is the same thing i said yesterday. and the day before.

why.
why why why
why am i like this
it's like someone from is pulling the strings
refusing to pull the strings
i WANT to do work
but i seem unable to
i am immobile
paralyzed
someone cast a spell on me
i am a defeated man
i am acting like one
against my own best interests
the story of my fucking life

scotch_mist

2009-07-23T20:44:00.003-04:00

i been thinking about about when unpopular bands become popular, and then all the previous fans of the band start hating on them. they say it's because the music "isn't as good", but really it's all about them becoming popular. the music isn't as good because there's more ears listening to it. it's like dsl, the more people in the neighborhood with it, the slower the speed. like when modest mouse came out with float on and "the hardcore" pretended it wasn't awesome. whatevah.

anyway, i'm thinking about this because i kinda feel this way about radiohead's in rainbows. it's a great album, no doubt. but i feel like the scotch_mist performance is so much better. It is just fucking genius. but no one seems to know about it. i feel like i should spread the word so i don't feel so possessive about it

and mp3 here: http://www.megaupload.com/?d=PFITNB5P

cover letter

2009-07-14T09:44:00.003-04:00

why are you necessary? you are the bane of my current existence. torn between being myself and presenting myself in a more professional way. form letters, fill in the blanks. maybe that's the problem? should i loosen up? is anyone even reading these things? how hard is it to send an e-mail saying you don't want me. you found someone else. i'm not qualified. i just want some feedback, any

job searching is truly one of the most depressing endeavors a person can pursue.

13 days till i'm unemployed in nyc. frustration, excitement

Royksopp - I miss it so much Ft. Kylie Li

2009-06-29T10:59:00.001-04:00

Pretty song

Jealousy

2009-06-29T10:03:00.004-04:00

Washington Post "reporter" Dana Milbank is like soooo super jealous that some "blogger" can do his job better than him. waaaaah waaaaah presi Obama didn't call on me big time reporter waaaaah.

Iran

2009-06-25T12:45:00.003-04:00

things are finally happening in iran. i've studied iran closely and it always seemed to me to be the most "advanced" shall we say in terms of democratic issues, human rights, etc. the younger generations have high levels of education, iran has historically had strong cultural ties to the west, people there are hungry for change, for a voice, for democracy. the 1979 revolution was a response to this, but it was hijacked by the more conservative elements. but people have become more and more educated since then, technology has had a big impact there, and this was only a matter of time. bush's policies reversed progress in iran, aiding the hardliners. now there is an opportunity. we are seeing the strength of the reformist and feminist movements in iran. and they have learned the historical lessons of non-violence and that is why they will win - because non-violence, when committed to it, is so much more powerful than war. ask ghandi and ask mlk. the moral ark of the universe bends towards justice, and iran is a lot closer to that because of the events of the past few weeks than it ever has been before.

just because it might not happen today or tomorrow doesn't mean that we or anybody should go in and start bombing the very people they would claim to be fighting for. let history run its course, this is up to them to fight. fucking republicans are pure scum to suggest that bombing would help the oppressed in iran, when those bombs would be raining down on these same people, their houses and schools and roads. that would only serve to give the hardliners justification to continue in power and their aggressive stance towards the rest of the world, to say look, the americans are bombing us because they hate us and only we can oppose them. this is what bush's idiocy brought to iran - his hateful words made the hardliner's equally hateful rhetoric sound comforting, justified their ways and helped them solidify power and mute a reformist movement that had previously elected a president for consecutive terms. this is how dictators stay in power - thru conflict. look at our own experience the past 8 years with bush and cheney and their reign of fear. it is no different than what is going on here, only our system was stronger and they were unable to destroy it. but they were just as evil as ahmenijadad and khomeini are, and if they had the basjil and revolutionary guard to work with they wouldn't have hesitated.

if you want to follow the news, follow the links below.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2009/06/25/iran-uprising-live-bloggi_n_220598.html
http://andrewsullivan.theatlantic.com/the_daily_dish/

hot chip; ready for the floor

2009-05-26T11:31:00.003-04:00

fun song, fun video.

Sim City Republicans

2009-03-10T11:38:00.003-04:00

I used to play Sim City all the time growing up. I really just played the game to destroy what I created. It was amusing, what can I say. Here was my formula:

- low low taxes to keep the population happy and everything "normal", bwahaha
- high spending to build things up and keep people happy
- total lack of knowledge and understanding of what I was doing

And then at the end, willful destruction.

Does this sound like a familiar governing philosophy to anybody?

Proposal

2009-03-06T12:38:00.003-05:00

If Mr. Rush Limbaugh doesn't want to pay taxes, why should he have to? This is America, after all... even taxes should be voluntary, otherwise its just Stalinism.

Of course, those that don't pay taxes should also not be able to use what taxes pay for. No more walking on the sidewalk. No more driving on the road. No more parking the private jet at the local airport. No more voting rights. Sounds fair to me.

Can't stand people like these

2009-02-25T12:34:00.003-05:00

NYTimes article on the usage of me vs I

Seriously, I just can’t stand people who obsess over language rules. Imaginary language rules. If so many people use I instead of me even though we are taught otherwise, then there’s something wrong with the rule. Maybe it’s perfectly ok to use both. Have none of these people taken linguistics 101? I mean, look at the length of this article.. two people worked on it! And their whole argument seems to be that some people long ago got together and decided that you shouldn't use "I" like that, that you should use "me" instead and that's that and so it is. Forever and ever. It must never change!

volcano monitoring

2009-02-25T00:18:00.002-05:00

what is that? what is the purpose of volcano monitoring? the governor of louisiana knows best.

Since I last spoke here

2009-02-06T23:34:00.003-05:00

Hillary was finally defeated, capitalism collapsed, and Obama became President...

and Republicans are still trying to fuck up the country and Democrats are still letting them. Some things never change.

music

2009-02-06T23:31:00.002-05:00

animal collective; my girls

oh hillary

2008-04-13T14:29:00.002-04:00

if hillary clinton somehow ends up winning this nomination, she will have done it running on a republican platform.

democratic politicians, still lacking any sort of courage, are just gonna let it happen.

four great songs, some new some old

2008-03-19T10:15:00.004-04:00

portishead; machine gun

los campesinos!; you! me! dancing!

theo nguyen; bag of hammers

mogwai; stanley kubrick

Impeach Bush

2008-03-18T13:48:00.010-04:00

Fucking George W. Bush. This man haunts me, my dreams, and my thoughts. In some ways, everything that goes wrong in this country, in this world, and definitely in my life can be directly attributed to him. Kinda like how all Jewish people can trace themselves back to Abraham.

More proof Bush has lost it

"I must say, I'm a little envious," Bush said. "If I were slightly younger and not employed here, I think it would be a fantastic experience to be on the front lines of helping this young democracy succeed." "It must be exciting for you ... in some ways romantic, in some ways, you know, confronting danger. You're really making history, and thanks," Bush said.

That sounds like someone who has completely, absolutely lost it in the head. He is not fit to do his job, period. These words are little different from those uttered by history's other unfortunate leaders when they're facing their end. His refusal and inability to see things as they truly are and to adapt to that reality has been more disastrous than anything else, including the original decision to start the war. Impeachment absolutely should be on the table because he still has 10 months left in office, and with the deepening economic and foreign policy crises we should not take the risk. At best, Bush can do nothing right now; at worst, he could do something, but with his record of incompetence, we should not ask that of him. But the truth is we can't afford to have such a weak, innefective, mentaly unfit President for another ten months. Keeping him from doing any more damage is not the only option we have and it is not a wise one when we desperately need to start fixing things; we should drag him out! 10 more months is 8 years too many for this man

Here is the WebMD entry for delusional disorder:

Delusional disorder, previously called paranoid disorder, is a type of serious mental illness called a "psychosis" in which a person cannot tell what is real from what is imagined. The main feature of this disorder is the presence of delusions, which are unshakable beliefs in something untrue. People with delusional disorder experience non-bizarre delusions, which involve situations that could occur in real life, such as being followed, poisoned, deceived, conspired against, or loved from a distance. These delusions usually involve the misinterpretation of perceptions or experiences. In reality, however, the
situations are either not true at all or highly exaggerated.

Sounds like Bush to me! Either he has a serious mental illness and is not fit for the job, or he's a chronic liar. Impeachable offense, as well! For all he has done, the first step towards healing this country and its relationship with the world should be to impeach him and make it clear that Bush did not represent American's interests but his own.

Obama says we can't wait 4 or 8 more years for change.. but the reality is that we can't wait for 2009, either.

Netflix

2008-03-15T11:53:00.005-04:00

Yojimbo

I've been in a real movie mood ever since i signed back up for netflix, and somehow I've ended up going through Akira Kurosawa's catalog. First up was Throne of Blood, an adaptation of Shakespeare's Macbeth, which is a million times more enjoyable than Macbeth. My main problem with Shakespeare has always been the setting; I could care less about England or Scotland, and I find the stories and history of its monarchy to be absolutely deathly boring. I've never seen a people so obsessed with themselves and their status in the world; it is obnoxious, and it's always been a struggle for me reading Shakespeare, especially considering his God status amongst people who study literature. Akira Kurosawa takes Shakespeare's stories, strips them of the glorious monarchy bullshit, transplants them into feudal Japan (yet another over-compensating tiny island) and makes the stories infinitely cooler than the original. Maybe it's all the years of Japanese anime and videogames, but these films are just really fucking cool. The acting is incredible, the direction is impeccable, the music is so good and so different.

Yojimbo is an even better film. Like Throne of Blood, it has top-notch acting and an amazing soundtrack, and although it was not adapted from a Shakespeare story, it is obviously influenced by American Westerns. What really makes Kurosawa's films is his vision and direction. It is really easy to say "well, let me take this story and place it in this setting" and run with that idea and make a shitty movie. But Kurosawa takes the time to develop these ideas, he makes these stories Japanese, he makes them his, and that is why they succeed. He abandons everything from the original idea except for its very basic plot, or its very basic premise, and builds around it. He takes the time to set every scene, and every shot looks perfect. There is an eeries and mysterious atmosphere as well, and some downright freaky scenes and situations, which no doubt explains why I like these movies so much. Yojimbo is downright hilarious too, in-between its tense moments.

Essential viewing, in my opinion.

Clinton

2008-03-12T11:50:00.008-04:00

No thanks

I don't think I'm opened to the possibility of voting for Hillary in November anymore. I think she ultimately would be an alright president, but her campaign has been disastrous. Personality-wise, there doesn't seem to be much difference between Hillary and George W. Bush. They are both arrogant, self-serving pricks, to put it nicely. They care about themselves and their friends and about them being right - no matter how wrong they might be. It is dirty politics, and I believe that decades of dirty politics by both parties is the real reason this country is in as bad shape as it is. There should be no place for this kind of politics anymore after the Bush Years. That Hillary is a liberal makes no difference if her leadership style is going to be the same as Bush's - blind loyalty, destruction of enemies and differing ideas, saying anything that needs to be said for personal gain today and no regard whatsoever for tomorrow. That style of leadership does not work, and we will end up with the same results.

She has run a campaign of division, and it gets worse every week. There is no logic or reason to her campaign, just rabid attacks. It is, in fact, a mirror image of the Bush Administration and his electoral campaigns. The lies get bigger and bigger and they cannot and will not shake them. It's gotten to the point where they've implied that Sinbad is more qualified than Obama!

She just might win this nomination - but at what cost? How does she pretend to win in November when she continues these personal attacks against the black electorate and sucks all the ideology and optimism out of the youth by affirming what we've known all along - that politics is hopeless.

It's simple - she won't.

Donation Part II

2008-02-22T09:48:00.004-05:00

Or maybe Obama won’t be a great president. You never know… but I think it’s unrealistic to expect him to shove aside all the promises he’s made and do the exact opposite of it, ala W., because his entire campaign depends on small donations from a large amount of people. Simply put, if he wants to get re-elected again, he HAS to keep his word and work towards enacting those changes.

The reality is that there is money in politics, and it makes the whole system go. The question is who should get to bribe politicians to do their bidding. Corporations, lobbying groups, foreign governments, or regular people as in Obama’s campaign? That is the difference. We are “buying” Obama. He is the OUR candidate.

And if he doesn’t end the war, make college more affordable, work towards universal healthcare, protect the constitution, reform the education system, and legalize marijuana, well, then we just won’t give him money again and find someone else to do it for us.

Giving money

2008-02-20T19:11:00.005-05:00

I just gave my first ever political donation. $51.37 for Obama (duh!)

It's nice not to have to settle for the lesser of two evils. It's nice to see my political fantasy of running an ultra-liberal, no-bullshit campaign DOES work.

It's nice to be FOR someone, for a change, rather than being AGAINST someone or something.

And it is extremely nice to see the birth of a third party in American politics.... The Republicans.

May they never haunt us again.

2008-01-28T23:13:00.000-05:00

did someone say something?

music videos

2008-01-26T15:10:00.000-05:00

radiohead; faust arp (scotch_mist version)

the arcade fire; black mirror

st. vincent; jesus saves, i s pend

feist; i feel it all (i'm personally sick of feist, but this song is lovely)

fear

2008-01-24T10:37:00.000-05:00

The past seven years should've inspired us to move forward into the future, not go further into the past.

There is no hope in this country, only fear.

I am eternally free.. whether i'm behind bars or outside, it makes no difference for me at all

2008-01-04T02:42:00.000-05:00

Best Albums of 2007

2007-12-31T09:41:00.000-05:00

It's that time again........... time for the top 10 most absolute greatest albums of the year. I haven't been doing these lists lately because it's been a strain to find top 10 albums, really, that aren't just good to listen to but that become a part of my life, for like, ever. Essential music. Well, no such problems this year as every single album on this list is a classic. Here's the list, without any comentary:

Animal Collective, Strawberry Jam

This has become one of my top 3 favorite albums ever, period. It is so amazing from beginning to end, every song so different, yet just as exciting as the one before it. Unsolved Mysteries and For Reverend Green are absolute classics; I get the urge to listen to those gems a lot, and most of the time I end up listening to the rest of the album as well because it is so impossible to skip or turn off. It's that good.

Animal Collective has been a slow climb for me, I've gone from absolutely hating them to liking a few songs to thinking this album is the best music ever recorded, right up there with Kid A. It's certainly a lot easier and more satisfying to go through their big back catalog now, and it's no surprise that my opinion of the band is correlated to their sound's evolution from experimental noise towards weird carnival pop music. Their live show is phenomenal as well, and judging by the new songs they've played on tour, their next album looks to be just as amazing.

Everyone must check out this band.

Radiohead, In Rainbows

Avey Tare & Kría Brekkan, Pullhair Rubeye /// Panda Bear, Person Pitch

M.I.A., Kala

Liars, Liars

Battles, Mirrored

Deerhoof, Friend Opportunity

Los Campesinos!, Sticking Fingers Into Sockets EP

No Age, Weirdo Rippers

music videos

2007-12-12T14:16:00.000-05:00

here's some cool videos from recent times. i'm gonna be linking to videos like crazy in the next couple of weeks, so get used to it

super furry animals; the gift that keeps on giving

a place to bury strangers; to fix that gash in your head

a place to bury strangers; i know i'll see you

bjork; declare independence

sharon jones & the dap kings; 100 days, 100 nights

hot chip; ready for the floor

the pipettes; abc

spank rock & benny cash; b.o.o.t.a.y.

It's been a while

2007-12-06T18:21:00.000-05:00

Hello blog,

I am sorry for neglecting all my loyal readers for the past few months. Since my last entry I've gotten sick a couple times, developed a case of recurring migraines, gotten kidney stones, and gotten a new 160 gig ipod for free.

So all is sort of ok in my world, the free brand new ipod sort of balances out all the bad. I got it because my old one bit the dust but I had warranty at Best Buy and they just gave me a brand new ipod. I know, it's insane. I'm gonna somehow try to do this every three years.

Basketball season started since we last talked. That's been a lot of fun, especially thanks to a new addidion to my life, the DVR. What a wonderful invention, lots of movies, Simpsons, and X-Files episodes for me to watch at all times. And I can just record the game, wait till the girl falls asleep, and watch a whole basketball game in like an hour. I can fast-forward through time outs, and free throw shooting rituals, and everything else that kind of sucks about basketball - which isn't much, because it fucking rules, but anyways.

There's lots more to come. I got a lot more to say, but I'll leave it for the future.

Goodnight

ipod

2007-10-14T14:28:00.001-04:00

my ipod crapped out on me again. all the music gone. all 30 gigs, lost forever... i kind of hate apple. they get so much hype, and even though they do make a real quality product, it tends to crap out every now and then. I've had two ipods in my lifetime, starting in 2003. guess its time for a third because there's no better alternative yet.

way fucking sad though

In Rainbows

2007-10-11T00:06:00.001-04:00

I don't know what i was expecting...

this album is fucking incredible. It's not really dark... it's kind of an optimistic album.. and upbeat radiohead album. it's a crazy thought, and there is still something eerie about it, but it just seems a bit cheery overall. the songs just kick ass though. 15 steps, bodysnatchers, nude, arpeggi, all i need, faust arp, i mean, really, the whole thing is fucking incredible. i hate to say this after every radiohead album, but this is pretty close to perfect. it's just so well done.. everything just sounds right. it's the highest form of ear candy. this makes **five** straight 10.0 albums for radiohead, dating back 10 years. they fucking rule.

it's only 43 minutes too. that's the perfect album lenght. kid a was less than 50 minutes, strawberry jam is only 40, etc etc. 40-50 minutes is just perfect, leaves you wanting more instead of wishing it ended already.

anyways... having a job sucks. not the job itself, just the whole going to bed early and having to wake up early and being asleep exhausted during the day... not cool.

IN RAINBOWS

2007-09-30T22:46:00.000-04:00

HOLY SHIT

Radiohead are giving the record companies a big fuck you afterall! It comes out next week!! my heroes

2007-09-25T02:25:00.001-04:00

Blogging is hard.. you gotta remember to do it, you gotta log in, you gotta type, then think about what you've typed..

I've gone to a few shows lately here in boston. let me tell you about them:

sept 5th Animal Collective - This is one of my new favorite bands. Their new album, STRAWBERRY JAM, is fucking amazing. Right up there with Kid A, Homogenic, 13, all those albums kind of amazing. Flows perfect from beginning to end, no songs you want to skip, catchy yet weird pop music like it all should be.

And their live show is even better. I'm a sucker for any band that makes their show into a light show. It helped that Animal Collective only addressed the crowd once and every song flowed into each other thanks to a torrent of electronic distortion that would make most people cover their ears in horror... But to me it was eye candy, happy to lose some of my hearing to be hypnotized by the band. They didn't play my favorite songs at the time which pissed me off.... but the songs they played at the show are now my favorite so in retrospect nothing pissed me off! they are that good. They played a bunch of new songs from their NEXT album, and let me tell you, it sounds even better.

I used to hate Animal Collective with a passion. I remember running into an Avey Tare & Panda Bear mp3 back in the old napster days and I remember being horrified at what I heard.. And it happened again and again until I liked a couple of songs off Sung Tongs, and their two albums after that have been simply incredible. They've just continually polished their sound and its become something amazing. This is one special, amazing band, with an incredible live show. SEE THEM if you can.

Sept 12 LIARS - Another great show; they were opening for Interpol, most of the crowd was uninterested. The guy sitting next to me asked me what they were like... I told them, kinda drony, atmospheric, tribal beats, kinda strange. I was half right; that only really describes drum not dead. Their new self titled is guitar driven, dark, rock n roll. Everyone seemed freaked out by them, the lead singer didn't help with his awkward yet fitting stage antics. They're fucking awesome, though. They played stuff only from their past two albums, which is great for me, cos they're the only ones i've obsessed about. The progression was just great.. Quiet songs, loud tribal beats, lots of repetition into fast as hell, screaming, deafening songs. This is another one of those special bands too. These guys keep making different, better music every time out,. It's not really weird or difficult. Like Animal Collective, Liars are just a pop band. They just have fun with it. Tip for seeing these guys in their current tour: check ebay day before the show. Grabbed a ticket for $15 at the last second..

I did not stay for Interpol

Sept. 7th Peter Bjorn and John - Honestly I bought these tickets way back when i was obsessed with young folks. The girl isn't even part of the band! I thought she was Bjorn at the time. Anyway, these guys were pretty good. Can't complain, but nothing mind blowing. It was fun to see them be such rock stars, because that's not how i thought of the music at all. But they like to rock out, no doubt. Lots of jumping, lead singer antics, etc.

Sept 23 Gruff Rhys - Ah, gruff rhys, frontman of The Most Underrated Band Ever Super Furry Animals. He was doing his solo show with that girl he tours with, Lisa Jen i believe. Amazing show. Gruff Rhys is a funny guy; of course, it's obvious in the songs. He was very talkative and making the cheesiest jokes all throughout. It kind of reminded me a little bit of Demitri Martin of the Daily Show, except with less graphs and charts and much better music.

If you watch this video for his hit song Candylion you'll have an excellent idea of what the show is like. It's them two sitting in that table, Gruff playing his guitar, and both of them using various toys and other random objects scattered across the table to make music with. I believe the official word to describe the show is "Adorable". There really isn't a better way to describe it. He'd translate the gist of all the welsh songs, he had names for his music toys, some designer velcro strapped onto his guitar to give him more confidence... at one point he was trying to play a song that in the album had an orchestra, so since he couldn't recreate that, he would stop and describe how the part of the song he couldn't recreate went, and then keep playing.. It was crazy.

2007-09-11T17:19:00.000-04:00

Happy September 11th!!

Oh, wait..... right, it's NOT a holiday. It's getting really hard to tell when even Osama is celebrating it.

2007-09-03T02:37:00.000-04:00

I'm hooked on ebay.

Someone stop me. I don't even have a job yet.

crazy videos

2007-08-30T20:12:00.000-04:00

A couple of amazing videos for you today. Amazing in a weird, maybe kinda awkward sort of way. First, Grizzly Bear's crazy visual sci fi take on their song; starts off really awkward what with all the band members seemingly static, but it ends up having that otherworldly feeling that makes sci fi so damn good.

Then, a couple of Knife videos from their first album. Pass This On is amazing, funny and ridiculous but really high quality. The other one is just ridiculous.. but really good!

Grizzly Bear; Knife

The Knife; Pass This On

The Knife; You Take my Breath Away

2007-08-29T23:59:00.000-04:00

UConn has decided to forward the RIAA's "settlement letters" to students being harassed by the cartel. Spineless idiots, i'm glad i'm finally out of that place. They don't give a shit about the student's rights. This is extortion, plain and simple. Don't they have a law school there?

TO: The University Community

FROM: Elaine David, Assistant Vice President for Information Services Director of Information Technology Security, Policy & Quality Assurance

Denielle M. Burl, Director of Risk Management Division of Student Affairs

RE: Recording Industry Association of America Settlement Letters

DATE: August 30, 2007

SUBJECT: NOTICE TO STUDENTS ENROLLED AT THE UNIVERSITY OF CONNECTICUT CONCERNING RIAA

As you may be aware, the Recording Industry Association of America (the “RIAA”), on behalf of its member labels, has recently announced plans to commence a new wave of legal action against individuals who engage in allegedly illegal peer-to-peer file sharing of copyrighted materials. The RIAA intends to send “settlement letters,” containing the Internet Protocol addresses of alleged offenders to various colleges and universities, requesting that the college or university forward the letters to those offenders. In addition, the RIAA intends to issue “preservation notices” to those colleges and universities, requesting that they maintain log files pertaining to the alleged offender. The purpose of this notice is to advise you of the actions the University intends to take upon receipt of a “settlement letter” or “preservation notice” from the RIAA.

“Settlement Letter”

If the University receives a “settlement letter” from the RIAA, the University will internally identify the allegedly offending user and will forward the settlement letter, along with a copy of the University’s Individual Responsibility with Respect to Appropriate Use of Information Technology Resources policy, to that user. Unless served with a proper subpoena, the University will not disclose the name of, or other identifying information pertaining to, the user to the RIAA or the holder of the copyright.

Please be aware that the University will not be a party to any legal action instituted by the copyright holder against the user, and will not provide legal assistance to that user. If you receive a settlement letter from the RIAA, it is your responsibility alone to determine the manner in which you will respond. You may wish to consult with legal counsel of your choosing before responding to the settlement letter.

If you do not respond to the settlement letter, the holder of the copyright may commence suit against you as a “John Doe” or “Jane Doe,” then serve the university with a subpoena to obtain information revealing your identity. If served with a legally issued subpoena, the University may have no option but to comply with the subpoena and supply the information requested therein, which will undoubtedly include the identity of the user of the infringing IP address. The Family and Education Rights and Privacy Act (“FERPA”) affords you limited protection with regard to a subpoena. FERPA provides that an institution served with a lawfully issued subpoena must notify the student of its receipt of the subpoena in advance of compliance, so that the student may seek a protective court order. If the student does not seek a protective order, or is unsuccessful in obtaining such an order, the institution must
respond to the subpoena.

“Preservation Notice”

If the University receives a “preservation notice” from the RIAA, the University will forward a copy of the notice to the allegedly offending user, so that he or she may know that the copyright holder has identified his or her network activity as otentially infringing of the copyright. Again, you may wish to consult with legal counsel of your choosing upon receiving a copy of a preservation notice.

You should be aware that it is not only the music industry which is concerned about copyright infringement. Owners of copyrights in movies, videos, software, and games monitor peer-to-peer activity as well, and many universities have received notices pursuant to the Digital Millennium Copyright Act, requesting that they remove or disable access to the infringing files. If you engage in peer-to-peer file sharing activity which infringes the copyright in any of these media, the University strongly urges you to discontinue that activity immediately.

this week's awesome music videos

2007-08-28T08:45:00.000-04:00

Liars; Plaster Casts of Everything

Kanye West; Stronger

The Go! Team; Doing it Right

Fujiya & Miyagi; Ankle Injuries

2007-08-27T08:34:00.001-04:00

Alberto Gonzales is gone

The official said that the decision was Mr. Gonzales's and that the president accepted it grudgingly. At the same time, the official acknowledged that the turmoil over his tenure as Attorney General had made continuing difficult.

"The unfair treatment that he's been on the receiving end of has been a distraction for the department," the official said.

hehe.

Sunshine

2007-08-26T00:27:00.000-04:00

Finally went and saw Sunshine after it opened here in Puerto Rico.

It's fucking awesome. Imagine a cross between 2001 and 28 Days Later and you're kinda getting an idea of how awesome it is. This movie's gotta be seen in the theater too, the music and sound effects are incredible and the visuals are just downright awesome. It's not special effects like Star Wars or whatever, though; it's, again, in the 2001 vein... simple effects, but powerful. The kind of thing you wish Michael Bay would learn to do.

I had read a lot of reviews complaining about how the science in the movie doesn't really fit with reality... but god, do i hate it when people complain about the plausibility of any given movie's plot. Yea, it's probably not very realistic. But when the movie is that amazing, does it matter?

Pirates!

2007-08-24T06:30:00.000-04:00

The Pirate Bay people are hilarious. A long time ago, suprnova.org, then the most popular bittorrent website, closed down due to legal threats from the two-headed *PAA monster. This week, the owners of the domain name donated it to The Pirate Bay, and now it's back up. They wrote up this little welcome message:

Suprnova has been down for some years due to some heavy pressure from the copyright lobby. The former owner sloncek donated suprnova to The Pirate Bay - and as you know, we like to kick ass and bow for noone!
[...]
Finally, some words for non-internet loving companies: This is how it works. Whatever you sink, we build back up. Whomever you sue, ten new pirates are recruited. Wherever you go, we are already ahead of you. You are the past and the forgotten, we are the internet and the future.
y'arr!

Seems taken right out of al-Qaeda's a/v messages. But, I guess, in the eyes of politicians and media corporations, pirates and terrorists are no different.

I highly recommend visiting The Pirate Bay's legal page, where they post threats they've received from various media companies, and the responses they've sent back. Especially worth reading, of course, are their responses. Here's one replying to SEGA, who had threatened to sue them in the UK, even though they are based in Sweden:

Dear Prokaryote(s),

Please sue me in Japan instead. I've always wanted to visit Tokyo. Also, I'm running out of toilet paper, so please send lots of legal documents to our ISP - preferably printed on soft paper.
No, but seriously. That's simply not how international law enforcement works. Using the same logic, a country where web sites are forbidden could press charges against you for having one.

Just genius.

2007-08-18T00:17:00.000-04:00

This is fucking hilarious... and look who it is! It's the local news guy from Arrested Development!

Karl Rove

2007-08-14T04:20:00.000-04:00

So Karl Rove has left the White House. Big deal. Honestly, this is so completely irrelevant. Its funny to see the media and all these "analysts" and pundits attest to Karl Rove's genius. Karl Rove is no genius. It doesn't take a genius to get Bush elected twice against a clueless opposition party that to this day seems to have no idea on how to run effective electoral campaigns, how to run Congress, or even how to check the power of an incredibly unpopular President. Actually, I think Karl Rove has proved to be quite the idiot, just like everyone else in this administration. His idea was that you can run the country as if there was a permanent political campaign going on. Every single policy implemented by this administration has been designed to cater to the Republican party's base: a hate-based social agenda to please the conservative Christian wing, irresponsible economic policies to please the business people, and of course, a disastrous war to please the neocons. But there is a world of difference between campaigning and governing, and the fact that Rove either did not see this difference, or willingly ignored it, is a testament to his idiocy.

There is no reason, no intelligence, definitely no genius, to anything this administration has done. Rove's policies have, six years later, put the United States in a position it has never found itself before: The country's international standing and reputation, over 200 years in the works, completely destroyed; a tanking economy, record levels of debt, falling dollar, and a decrease in the quality of life; a full-blown military occupation, which has not only incensed the whole Middle East, but also bogged down the military while Al-qaeda and the Taliban regroup and threaten to overtake not just Afghanistan, but also nuclear powered Pakistan, as well as destabilized every government in the region; and of course, through the policies of detainee torture, secret detentions, suspending habeas corpus, illegal domestic surveillance, election fraud, and their illegal and deceptive war, they have torn this country apart, dividing the nation by promoting hate amongst the citizenry and actively attacking the Constitution and the very idea of democracy.

Six years later, Rove's Republican party, and the base he aimed to please at every opportunity, has no influence left. Bush is the most unpopular President ever, and probably one of the most hated human beings to have ever lived; in fact, Bush has been a lame duck President since late 2005. For three years of his second four year term, this administration will have been unable to do anything but watch the ship sink. That the Democrats have not been clever enough to take control of it from them only shows how incompetent they really are. Of course, like always in American politics, the Republicans are just a little bit more so (evil, crazy, incompetent, corrupt, power-hungry, etc). The Democrats won in 2006 not because of anything they did, and yet the Republicans were still soundly defeated. That is the real mark of Karl Rove. His legacy, and the whole administration's, is failed policy after failed policy and nothing more.

So, please, do not confuse Karl Rove as a genius of any kind. No genius would defeat himself, his President, his party, and his ideas by their own doing.

summertime, cartoons, music, and selfish artists

2007-08-13T02:51:00.000-04:00

man, its hard not having any responsibilities. the no-responsibilities schedules are out of control, the biggest dilemma is figuring out what to do at 3 in the am. should i play videogames? nba 2k7, ratchet, or final fantasy? should i read.... i have about seven tabs opened on firefox to articles i really want to read, but they're just so long.. should i watch a movie? which one? a documentary? eh, i really need good sound for that and i don't have that in my room... how about i just sit here thinking about what to do till i get sleepy.

i saw the simpsons movie twice last week. it is really damn good. i remember now why i loved the simpsons so much... like, what, eight years ago? if only they could keep that quality up, but i doubt it.

new futurama comes out in november. very excited about that, especially because it'll probably be on the internet as early as september.

the new animal collective album, "strawberry jam", is amazing. been listening to it all night. can't wait to see them live next month, although i'm troubled by reports that the band isn't playing anything off the album, or anything from "feels", their previous album, on this tour. apparently they're playing songs from their NEXT, yet-unrecorded album.... did i mention strawberry jam hasn't even been officially released yet? i saw cat power a month back in boston, and the show was good, no doubt... her voice is absolutely beautiful. but she played one song that i could recognize. everything else was from her upcoming covers record... she didn't even play a single song of hers! and yea, i get it, you guys are cool as shit and you're not bound by expectations you do what you want this and that whatever. but you should strive to make your fans happy, if only out of kindness. people paid good money to see you. play all the new songs you want, but shit, at least play the hits!

interesting articles

2007-08-11T22:21:00.000-04:00

This story is about China and the 2008 Olympics. And what a disaster it is for the Chinese, and the world. I will personally be boycotting these Olympics. Actually, I haven't watched any Olympic coverage since the Dream Team II, but regardless, this time it's political.

Speaking of China, here's another story about how the Yangtze River dolphin has gone extinct. As in, there are no more Yangtze River dolphins. In the whole world. A whole species gone extinct. Can you imagine that? Like, just try to think about that for a second, realize the immensity of that statement. No more Yangtze River dolphins, totally extinct. We humans sure are horrible beings. Now I'm totally stealing this from boing boing, but it's an amazing read. It's from Last Chance To See by the late, great Douglas Adams, and it's about these very dolphins:

`Well, it's worse than that, isn't it? Mark said. 'Dolphins rely on sound to see with.'

'All right, so it would be like a deaf man living in a discotheque.'

'Why?'

'All the stroboscopic lights and flares and mirrors and lasers and things. Constantly confusing information. After a day or two you'd become completely bewildered and disoriented and start to fall over the furniture.'

`Well, that's exactly what's happening, in fact. The dolphins are continually being hit by boats or mangled in their propellers or tangled in fishermen's nets. A dolphin's echolocation is usually good enough for it to find a small ring on the sea bed, so things must be pretty serious if it can't tell that it's about to be brained by a boat.

`Then, of course, there's all the sewage, the chemical and industrial waste and artificial fertiliser that's being washed into the Yangtze, poisoning the water and poisoning the fish.'

`So,' I said, 'what do you do if you are either half-blind, or half-deaf, living in a discotheque with a stroboscopic light show, where the sewers are overflowing, the ceiling and the fans keep crashing on your head and the food is bad?'

'I think I'd complain to the management.'

'They can't.'

Just insane thinking that an entire species can go extinct. I suppose it's an entirely natural thing for this planet, but still.

This other story is about the war in Afghanistan, a just war even in Osama bin Laden's opinion, and what a disaster the Bush administration made of it. It's the same old story, but it has a little more details and it's a great, depressing read. Personally, I never get tired of reading about how Bush is fucking up. It's like watching your favorite movie, or listening to your favorite songs again and again.

Interesting reads. I'd break them down and analyze like every other "blogger" likes to do, but I know my audience, I know you guys are smart enough to do that on your own. All three of you.

By the way, I have added google adsense to this blog. I don't know that I can tell you readers to click on those ads so that I'll get some money... I didn't really read the terms of service when i signed up. So I won't.

duh

2007-08-09T21:32:00.000-04:00

The paradox of American policy in the Middle East — promoting democracy on the assumption it will bring countries closer to the West — is that almost everywhere there are free elections, the American-backed side tends to lose.

music videos edit #3

2007-08-08T21:59:00.000-04:00

the go! team; grip like a vice

the knife; silent shout

the good the bad and the queen; "the good the bad and the queen"

m.i.a.; jimmy

Battles

2007-07-22T01:52:00.000-04:00

Saw Battles at the Paradise in Boston this past Wednesday. Mindblowing show. Loudest show i've been to in a long time. You know that painful feeling in your chest like your heart is gonna burst because the drums and the bass are just too loud? That is what Battles' live show is all about. Loud, loud, really loud music, really loud drums. In fact, the drummer takes front and center stage. He's the star, the rest of the band just feeds off his energy. They have all sorts of cool shit on the stage.. laptops, keyboards, cables everywhere, always on the floor playing with pedals, vocal effects, etc etc. The one constant in the music is the loud drums and the intensity. Check this band out, it is worth it.

This is a live performance of "Atlas" from a Chicago show earlier this year. It's fucking awesome.

2007-07-17T21:45:00.000-04:00

Regardless of your opinion of Robert Fisk, this is an amazing read.

--

Robert Fisk: TE Lawrence had it right about Iraq

'Rebellions can be made by 2 per cent active and 98 per cent passively sympathetic'

Published: 14 July 2007

Back in 1929, Lawrence of Arabia wrote the entry for "Guerrilla" in the 14th edition of the Encyclopaedia Britannica. It is a chilling read - and here I thank one of my favourite readers, Peter Metcalfe of Stevenage, for sending me TE's remarkable article - because it contains so ghastly a message to the American armies in Iraq.

Writing of the Arab resistance to Turkish occupation in the 1914-18 war, he asks of the insurgents (in Iraq and elsewhere): "... suppose they were an influence, a thing invulnerable, intangible, without front or back, drifting about like a gas? Armies were like plants, immobile as a whole, firm-rooted, nourished through long stems to the head. The Arabs might be a vapour..."

How typical of Lawrence to use the horror of gas warfare as a metaphor for insurgency. To control the land they occupied, he continued, the Turks "would have need of a fortified post every four square miles, and a post could not be less than 20 men. The Turks would need 600,000 men to meet the combined ill wills of all the local Arab people. They had 100,000 men available."

Now who does that remind you of? The "fortified post every four square miles" is the ghostly future echo of George W Bush's absurd "surge". The Americans need 600,000 men to meet the combined ill will of the Iraqi people, and they have only 150,000 available. Donald Rumsfeld, the architect of "war lite" is responsible for that. Yet still these rascals get away with it.

Hands up those readers who know that Canada's Defence Minister, Gordon O'Connor, actually sent a letter to Rumsfeld two days before his departure in disgrace from the Pentagon, praising this disreputable man's "leadership". Yes, O'Connor wanted "to take this opportunity to congratulate you on your many achievements (sic) as Secretary of Defence, and to recognise the significant contribution you have made in the fight against terrorism". The world, gushed the ridiculous O'Connor, had benefited from Rumsfeld's "leadership in addressing the complex issues in play".

O'Connor tried to shrug off this grovelling note, acquired through the Canadian Access to Information Act, by claiming he merely wanted to thank Rumsfeld for the use of US medical facilities in Germany to ferry wounded Canadian soldiers home from Afghanistan. But he made no mention of this in his preposterous letter. O'Connor, it seems, is just another of the world's illusionists who believe they can ignore the facts - and laud fools - by stating the opposite of the truth. Bush, of course, is among the worst of these meretricious creatures. So is the late Tony Blair.

Oh, how we miss Lawrence. "The printing press is the greatest weapon in the armoury of the modern (guerrilla) commander," he wrote 78 years ago, accurately predicting al-Qa'ida's modern-day use of the internet. For insurgents, "battles were a mistake ... Napoleon had spoken in angry reaction against the excessive finesse of the 18th century, when men almost forgot that war gave licence to murder".

True, the First World War Arab Revolt was not identical to today's Iraqi insurgency. In 1917, the Turks had manpower but insufficient weapons. Today the Americans have the weapons but insufficient men. But listen to Lawrence again.

"Rebellion must have an unassailable base ...

In the minds of men converted to its creed. It must have a sophisticated alien enemy, in the form of a disciplined army of occupation too small to fulfil the doctrine of acreage: too few to adjust number to space, in order to dominate the whole area effectively from fortified posts.

"It must have a friendly population, not actively friendly, but sympathetic to the point of not betraying rebel movements to the enemy. Rebellions can be made by 2 per cent active in a striking force, and 98 per cent passively sympathetic ... Granted mobility, security ... time, and doctrine ... victory will rest with the insurgents, for the algebraical factors are in the end decisive, and against them perfections of means and spirit struggle quite in vain."

Has the US General David Petraeus read this? Has Bush? Have any of the tired American columnists whose anti-Arab bias is wobbling close to racism, bothered to study this wisdom? I remember how Daniel Pipes - one of the great illusionists of modern American journalism - announced in the summer of 2003 that what the Iraqis needed was (no smirking here, please), a "democratically minded strongman".

They had already had one, of course, our old chum Saddam Hussein, whom we did indeed call a "strongman" when he was our friend and when he was busy using our gas against Iran. And I do wonder whether Bush - defeated, as he is, in Iraq - may not soon sanction an Iraqi military coup d'état to overthrow the ridiculous Maliki "Green Zone" government in Baghdad. Well, as one of my favourite expressions goes, we'll see.

But wait, Pipes is at it again. The director of the "Middle East Forum" has been writing in Canada's National Post about "Palestine". His piece is filled with the usual bile. Palestinian anarchy had "spewed forth" warlords. Arafat was an "evil" figure. Israeli withdrawal from Gaza had deprived Palestinians of the one "stabilising element" in the region. Phew! "Palestinianism" (whatever that is) is "superficial". Palestinian "victimisation" is a "supreme myth of modern politics". Gaza is now an "[Islamist] beachhead at the heart of the Middle East from which to infiltrate Egypt, Israel and the West Bank".

One of these days, Pipes concludes, "maybe the idiot savant 'peace processors' will note the trail of disasters their handiwork has achieved". He notes with approval that "Ehud Barak, Israel's brand new Defence Minister, reportedly plans to attack Hamas within weeks" and condemns the Prime Minister, Ehud Olmert, for buoying Mahmoud Abbas' "corrupt and irredentist Fatah".

So we are going to have yet another war in the Middle East, this time against Hamas - democratically elected, of course, but only as a result of what Pipes calls "the Bush administration's heedless rush to Palestinian elections"? It's good to see that the late Tony Blair is already being dubbed a "savant". But shouldn't Pipes, too, read Lawrence? For insurgency is a more powerful "vapour" than that which comes from the mouths of illusionists.

2007-06-30T22:42:00.000-04:00

"i don't like this job anymore"

useful greasemonkey script

2007-06-25T00:28:00.000-04:00

this script removes about.com from google search results.

about.com is of course the most useless site on the internet. if you've ever asked google anything and clicked on a result that had just a paragraph's worth of whatever topic you were researching, and not a word of useful information, then you've been to about.com.

and if not for adblock+ i'm sure i'd be complaining about ads, cos that's apparently all they're about.

2007-06-11T15:56:00.000-04:00

Hello sunshine
Come into my life

In honesty it's been a while
Since we had reason left to smile
Hello sunshine
Come into my life

I'm a minger
You're a minger too
So come on minger
I want to ming with you

In honesty it's been a while
Since we had reason left to smile
Hello sunshine
Come into my life

You're not so innocent
You're a disgrace to your country
If you fled a million miles
I'd chase you for a day
(If I could be bothered)

Hello sunshine
Come into my life

Little rant about politics

2007-06-08T11:27:00.000-04:00

if Hillary Clinton wins the democratic nomination i am quiting the democratic party. I am all for Obama or Gore; Edwards is alright, but if its gotta be a white man president, i'd like it to be Gore.

It's strange to me that after 7 years of Bush, after four years in Iraq, after failed policy after failed policy and record low support for both Bush and his Republicans, most Democrats still don't have the guts to speak up against them. They still let Republicans set the tone on social issues like immigration, gay rights, birth control, and even the war.

Bush wants to veto the war funding bill because there's a timeline? That's on him. It's on him. Don't turn around and give in to his demands and pass the same bill without the timeline. All you got to say is "we've provided the money, it is up to Bush now whether he wants to fund the war effort." Instead they let a lame-duck president with a 29% approval rating bully them into going back and taking the timeline provision out of the bill. There's a word for that...

Now, Obama is complicit in that as well, and I like him a little less for it, but he's made up for it by saying the right things otherwise. Democrats don't understand that people want them to be more aggressive and more confrontational. People are fed up, and unless these politicians start acting like they're fed up as well, they're gonna lose support and lose yet another election.

2006-08-14T01:17:00.000-04:00

http://www.ahmadinejad.ir/

for future reference

mix, 35 minutes

2006-08-12T02:54:00.000-04:00

cibelle - london, london
white stripes - the hardest button to button
why? - women eye, "no"
polmo polpo - rottura
nelly furtado - promiscuous
squarepusher - beep street
sonic youth - sunday
white stripes - seven nation army