Friday, October 03, 2008
Comic Book Levity To Distract You From Politics
Hah! That makes me laugh every time I read it.
What? You are a might confused? Allow me. Go and read 52, especially the World War III part. Don't miss the issue where Captain Marvel changes Black Adam's power word from Shazam to something mysterious, something an ancient Egyptian would never guess to utter. Unless he happens upon Fawcett City and gets a hankering for some local colour and cuisine.
I told you it was funny.
Not geeky enough? Okey dokey.
What? Alright then, I give you a DC/Marvel mashup. Set to "Tom Sawyer" by Rush. Now that is geeky.
I can feel my blood pressure dropping already.
And hey, Wondertrash, if you are out there, this is for you.
Nick Reynolds, Founding Member of the Kingston Trio Passes Away
From the Kingston Trio site:
Nick Reynolds, one of the founders of The Kingston Trio and one its most beloved members, passed away in San Diego on October 1, 2008. He was 75 years old.
At the height of their popularity, The Kingston Trio (comprised of Reynolds, Bob Shane, Dave Guard, and later John Stewart) was arguably the number one vocal group in the world, single-handedly ushering in the folk music boom of the late 50s and early 60s that spawned the likes of Bob Dylan, Joan Baez, Peter, Paul & Mary and many others. Their release of “Tom Dooley” in the fall of 1958 changed popular music forever, inspiring legions of young people to pick up guitars and banjos and sing folk music. “We got America up and singing,” Reynolds once modestly reflected.
Known affectionately within group as the “Budgie” and “The Runt Of The Litter,” Nick Reynolds embodied the best of the Trio’s wide and diverse talents. “He was clearly the best entertainer in the Trio,” said John Stewart, “and one of the best natural musicians I have ever worked with.” Bob Shane added, “Nobody could nail a harmony part like Nick. He could hit it immediately, exactly where it needed to be, absolutely note perfect – all on the natch. Pure genius.” Reynolds was also a gifted lead singer whose smooth tenor voice was featured on many Trio tunes.
On a personal note, the Trio were part of the soundtrack of my youth. A bit silly to be sure, but my dad would keep my brother and me entertained during our bath time by playing Kingston Trio songs on his ukelele. That turned into a love of simple, campfire style music that I have never lost.
So tonight, I will pour some wine, pull out the old acoustic, and play a few songs for the kids.
SeeqPod - Playable Search
Nick Reynolds, one of the founders of The Kingston Trio and one its most beloved members, passed away in San Diego on October 1, 2008. He was 75 years old.
At the height of their popularity, The Kingston Trio (comprised of Reynolds, Bob Shane, Dave Guard, and later John Stewart) was arguably the number one vocal group in the world, single-handedly ushering in the folk music boom of the late 50s and early 60s that spawned the likes of Bob Dylan, Joan Baez, Peter, Paul & Mary and many others. Their release of “Tom Dooley” in the fall of 1958 changed popular music forever, inspiring legions of young people to pick up guitars and banjos and sing folk music. “We got America up and singing,” Reynolds once modestly reflected.
Known affectionately within group as the “Budgie” and “The Runt Of The Litter,” Nick Reynolds embodied the best of the Trio’s wide and diverse talents. “He was clearly the best entertainer in the Trio,” said John Stewart, “and one of the best natural musicians I have ever worked with.” Bob Shane added, “Nobody could nail a harmony part like Nick. He could hit it immediately, exactly where it needed to be, absolutely note perfect – all on the natch. Pure genius.” Reynolds was also a gifted lead singer whose smooth tenor voice was featured on many Trio tunes.
On a personal note, the Trio were part of the soundtrack of my youth. A bit silly to be sure, but my dad would keep my brother and me entertained during our bath time by playing Kingston Trio songs on his ukelele. That turned into a love of simple, campfire style music that I have never lost.
So tonight, I will pour some wine, pull out the old acoustic, and play a few songs for the kids.
SeeqPod - Playable Search
Thursday, October 02, 2008
Bad As Losing a Bucket
I would have said "Oh Noes!" if it wasn't so passé, so this is how I responed to finding Wondertrash gone from the internet!
Hopefully this is a temporary hiccup and will be rectified soon. And I am leaving you on the blog roll until I see a body. Or a bucket.
Hopefully this is a temporary hiccup and will be rectified soon. And I am leaving you on the blog roll until I see a body. Or a bucket.
Wednesday, October 01, 2008
Brain Enema
I have to stop reading the news, and I have to stop reading political blogs. The nonsense filling my head is not only harshing my mellow, it is putting my humeurs in a state of agitation.
So, best to blog about happy things. Things like cute kittens.
Well, that didn't work. Kenny G and John Tesh really get my dander up. More coffee it is then. I'm hoping for a Ritalin-like counter effect. I just have to drink enough for it to happen.
So, best to blog about happy things. Things like cute kittens.
Star Wars. But only the original and Empire.
Fat bikers eating ice cream. What's not to love?
Hot cosplay chicks.
And Thor.
Wait, not that Thor. This Thor:
Much better.
Honestly, it is such an effort to keep on an even keel somedays. What with the coffee, the anger, the crazy dog, Geometry Wars 2, and all those drivers who insist on being near my car. I may have to resort to some soothing music to drown out the screaming in my head.
Something like this perhaps:
Honestly, it is such an effort to keep on an even keel somedays. What with the coffee, the anger, the crazy dog, Geometry Wars 2, and all those drivers who insist on being near my car. I may have to resort to some soothing music to drown out the screaming in my head.
Something like this perhaps:
Well, that didn't work. Kenny G and John Tesh really get my dander up. More coffee it is then. I'm hoping for a Ritalin-like counter effect. I just have to drink enough for it to happen.
Tuesday, September 30, 2008
Burning, Fractal Stupid
I really was trying to avoid blogging about politics, especially U.S. politics. But the current video snippet from the Palin-Couric series is too much to bear. Watch it here.
Sarah Palin cannot name a newspaper, magazine, or book she has read recently. Most of you could tell me the title of almost every book on your shelves. And you could quote from at least two newspapers or magazines you have read in the last two weeks.
This woman is stupid.
I don't care if you are conservative, rhino, or communist; all I care is that you be well read. People like KD, honshui, Sonny, and The Rev, have a lot of pull here because they read. And in meatspace, KD and honshui continually astound me with their knowledge. We don't always agree, but their ability to consume the written word, and use it in arguments that render me useless, make them worthy of respect. Because reading requires quiet contemplation. It requires sitting still and thinking. Reading makes you smart.
But you know that. And that is why you should be offended by Sarah Palin.
Some of you who read this crap blog are true wordsmiths. Some of you can pull strands of thought together in the most wondrous ways. I stand in awe at your skill with the written word. So to see this person, devoid of intellect, incapable of snatching a rational thought from the ether, thrust upon the national stage, well it just makes a body want to bust.
Oh yeah, and that last comment, the one where Palin says that "Alaska is a microcosm of the United States"?. Don't send your women to the United States.
In honour of Sarah Plain and being bugfuck dumb, this is a one-off, no-edit post. Why try harder when idealism counts for so much more?
Sarah Palin cannot name a newspaper, magazine, or book she has read recently. Most of you could tell me the title of almost every book on your shelves. And you could quote from at least two newspapers or magazines you have read in the last two weeks.
This woman is stupid.
I don't care if you are conservative, rhino, or communist; all I care is that you be well read. People like KD, honshui, Sonny, and The Rev, have a lot of pull here because they read. And in meatspace, KD and honshui continually astound me with their knowledge. We don't always agree, but their ability to consume the written word, and use it in arguments that render me useless, make them worthy of respect. Because reading requires quiet contemplation. It requires sitting still and thinking. Reading makes you smart.
But you know that. And that is why you should be offended by Sarah Palin.
Some of you who read this crap blog are true wordsmiths. Some of you can pull strands of thought together in the most wondrous ways. I stand in awe at your skill with the written word. So to see this person, devoid of intellect, incapable of snatching a rational thought from the ether, thrust upon the national stage, well it just makes a body want to bust.
Oh yeah, and that last comment, the one where Palin says that "Alaska is a microcosm of the United States"?. Don't send your women to the United States.
In honour of Sarah Plain and being bugfuck dumb, this is a one-off, no-edit post. Why try harder when idealism counts for so much more?
It's Because Cows Are Skrulls
First they asked Ben and Jerry to put breast milk in their ice cream. Now they have a billboard in Newark linking cow's milk to autism.
PETA, sit down. And shut up. The grown ups are talking. If you need to say something, have a naked starlet prance around decrying fur. Hey, why not have Jenny McCarthy dance naked while spraying people with milk from a Mother Warrior squirt gun as she sings an anti-fur lullaby favoured by autistic children. It's a twofer.
Besides, we love Skrull milk.
You Must Be Vewwy, Vewwy Kwiet
Forget the bullshit about "gotcha journalism", and how asking question is, like, so totally unfair. Dumb and Dumber here put forth the idea that you never let the enemy know you are coming. You never tip your hand when planning to attack another country. Nope. Never. So whatever Caribou Barbie said, she, like, totally didn't mean, cause you weren't even there, pizza, and like, nu-unh.
Never let them know that you are coming to attack them. It just makes sense.
Monday, September 29, 2008
To all you spenders who didn't save a dime, you are looking pretty good...
With the failure of the Bush regime's "No banker left behind" policy, stock markets dropped precipitously. It's hard to fathom how far things have fallen since it seems so abstract, these paper losses. Well to put it in concrete terms, today the TSX composite index sits at a level last seen in 2005. Whatever was gained over the last three years in prudent investment is gone. That means that you might as well have spent, consumed and had a good time since those responsible savers haven't made much headway in the end.
As for market advice, let the market fall for another couple of days and then buy some stocks from the most desparate folks that you can find. Hold them for a few years and you will make out pretty good. Heck, even Ben Stein (he of the creationist support camp but for weird reasons) recommends buying index funds.
Oh yeah, if you think that Canada is immune to all this stuff, give it a few more weeks and see what happens. Apparently a lot of credit card bills are going unpaid and credit card companies are looking to do something with the bad debts.
As for market advice, let the market fall for another couple of days and then buy some stocks from the most desparate folks that you can find. Hold them for a few years and you will make out pretty good. Heck, even Ben Stein (he of the creationist support camp but for weird reasons) recommends buying index funds.
Oh yeah, if you think that Canada is immune to all this stuff, give it a few more weeks and see what happens. Apparently a lot of credit card bills are going unpaid and credit card companies are looking to do something with the bad debts.
Sunday, September 28, 2008
Snark Too Good To Keep To Myself
Mad Dog Palin | Election 2008 | AlterNet:
"Here's the thing about Americans. You can send their kids off by the thousands to get their balls blown off in foreign lands for no reason at all, saddle them with billions in debt year after congressional year while they spend their winters cheerfully watching game shows and football, pull the rug out from under their mortgages, and leave them living off their credit cards and their Wal-Mart salaries while you move their jobs to China and Bangalore.
And none of it matters, so long as you remember a few months before Election Day to offer them a two-bit caricature culled from some cutting-room-floor episode of Roseanne as part of your presidential ticket. And if she's a good enough likeness of a loudmouthed middle-American archetype, as Sarah Palin is, John Q. Public will drop his giant-size bag of Doritos in gratitude, wipe the Sizzlin' Picante dust from his lips and rush to the booth to vote for her. Not because it makes sense, or because it has a chance of improving his life or anyone else's, but simply because it appeals to the low-humming narcissism that substitutes for his personality, because the image on TV reminds him of the mean, brainless slob he sees in the mirror every morning."
That cleanses my soul like a coffee enema does my colon.
"Here's the thing about Americans. You can send their kids off by the thousands to get their balls blown off in foreign lands for no reason at all, saddle them with billions in debt year after congressional year while they spend their winters cheerfully watching game shows and football, pull the rug out from under their mortgages, and leave them living off their credit cards and their Wal-Mart salaries while you move their jobs to China and Bangalore.
And none of it matters, so long as you remember a few months before Election Day to offer them a two-bit caricature culled from some cutting-room-floor episode of Roseanne as part of your presidential ticket. And if she's a good enough likeness of a loudmouthed middle-American archetype, as Sarah Palin is, John Q. Public will drop his giant-size bag of Doritos in gratitude, wipe the Sizzlin' Picante dust from his lips and rush to the booth to vote for her. Not because it makes sense, or because it has a chance of improving his life or anyone else's, but simply because it appeals to the low-humming narcissism that substitutes for his personality, because the image on TV reminds him of the mean, brainless slob he sees in the mirror every morning."
That cleanses my soul like a coffee enema does my colon.
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