Blog Mix #1

Here are some songs that I've discovered recently:

(Download the 63 MB zip File; it will take a few minutes.)

1) Rilo Kiley - The Good that Won't Come Out
I've never heard anything else by these guys, and I'm not sure I care to. Still, I've heard this song on the radio a bunch of times over the last year, and I really like it.

2) Lily Allen - LDN
Poppy goodness.

3) Boy Least Likely To - I See Spiders When I Close My Eyes
I first heard these guys last year, but it took a while for me to register how great their first album is. Well, it's great, and for some reason, this song never fails to make me smile.

4) Les Savy Fav - Yawn, Yawn, Yawn
I never realized how awesome this song was until I randomly heard it driving home from work one day. Also, great for exercise. I personally guarantee that it will make you run faster.

5) Arab Strap - Dream Sequence
I really like the piano in this song. I think it's a piano anyway. I'm really bad at identifying instruments.

6) Mrs. John Soda - Hands
This song is nice enough, but Notwist really needs to release something new. Neon Golden might be my favorite album this decade. It's definitely top 3.

7) Belle and Sebastian - The Blues Are Still Blue
I was absolutely shocked when I discovered that this is a Belle and Sebastian song.

8) The Polyphonic Spree - Light And Day
A little over the top, but catchy.

9) Andrew Bird - A Nervous Tic Motion of the Head to the Left
10) Andrew Bird - Fake Palindromes
Along with Bishop Allen, Andrew Bird is the best musician I've discovered this year. I've listened to "The Mysterious Production of Eggs" a dozen times since I got it 2 weeks ago.

11) Neutral Milk Hotel - Song Against Sex
Yeah, I'm like 8 years late to the party, but damn this band is great.

12) Bruce Sprinsteen - 41 Shots
I've always kind of avoided Springsteen because of the Hey-I'm-just-a-regular-guy image, but as soon as I started listening to him I realized that is a dumb reason to avoid music. This song is especially great.

X-Men: The Last Stand - 3.5

This summer is sucking compared to last year. Last year had War of the Worlds (pretty good) and Batman Begins (not too bad) . This one has MI:3 (Crappy) and X-Men 3 (even crappier). Now, I've never been as big on the X-men series as some, but I thought the first movie was pretty good and the second overrated, but not horrible. Well, the third one just sucked. Besides having horrible dialogue and no revealing shots of Halle Berry (downsides which all 3 X-men movies can claim), this installment had mediocre fights, and all of the new mutants sucked. To be blunt, it was boring. It gets a 3.5 mainly because it was short and we did get to see Rebecca Romjin semi-nude. At least better things* are on the horizon.


* - Best Movie Titles Ever

It's official, I'm Old.

This sound is supposed to hurt kids ears. I can't hear a thing.

(via)

Outfoxed

The other day I came across the documentary Outfoxed: Rupert Murdoch's War on Journalism. I just watched it in its entirely on the web thanks to this website.

Outfoxed is a Robert Greenwald documentary that attempts to examine how media empires, led by Rupert Murdoch's Fox News, have been running a "race to the bottom" in television news and the dangers of corporations taking control of the news industry. While this is fairly well-trod ground for Wildfiring's readers or any fan of the Daily Show, it's still worth watching when you have some time.

The film, while not perfect, does a commendable job of stripping away the fair and balanced veneer and exposing the rotten underside of Fox - laying bare their techniques for undermining the left, distorting/ignoring facts to don't support their agenda, and squelching any dissent within the organization. It's troubling to watch Fox's own anchors make a mockery of the "We Report. You Decide" slogan with their unbridled commentary on their guests and the issues of the day. O'Reily's exchanges with Jeremy Glick, the son of a NYC port authority worker who had the gall to point out that we are reaping what the Bush family has sown with the training of the mojahedin, is particularly disgusting to watch. (On a side note, check out this clip of the Daily Show which highlights the recent Fox News special Donald Rumsfeld: Why He Fights. What a joke.)

I also love the part which shows in cold hard terms how Fox News viewers have fundamental misunderstandings of very basic factual issues. You can find the complete results of the PIPA poll here (it starts to get good on page 15). Check it out:

"Has the US found links between Iraq and al-Qaeda?"

• PBS-NPR viewers who say yes - 16%
• Overall US population who say yes - 48%
  
• Fox viewers who say yes - 67%

Are you fucking kidding me? Watching the news is supposed to make you more informed than the general public, not less!

Where the documentary falls short is that it attempts to pin the problems with news overall on Fox - as if the creation of this network was single-handedly responsible for the current poor state of journalism. Grotesquely biased as they are, if anything Fox has increased the diversity in news - we now have 4 corporations spoon feeding us instead of 3 (and 10 times more stories about schools in Iraq). Fox cannot be blamed for the problems that come with 24-7 news availability, the decreased news cycle time, networks parroting each other, fear mongering, the advent of "infotainment", and cost-conscious/superficial journalism. These are issues larger than Fox and the documentary does a poor job of convincing me otherwise.

Overall, I had a very similar reaction to this film as I did to Greenwald's other famous work, Wal-Mart: The High Cost of Low Price. He points out some big problems and generally reaffirms what I already know (Fox News and Wal-Mart suck a lot) while giving some great concrete examples of these things. The problem is he over-generalizes the role these organizations play in perpetuating the problem rather than taking the more nuanced approach I prefer of examining the problems facing journalism in the age of mass media or retail in the age of globalization and only then discussing specific companies as a subset of that. In that way Greenwald makes one of the same mistakes that he accuses Fox of making - going for the easy, one-sided story that panders to his base and not going deep enough.

Gorilla Vs Bear

Who would win?

Found while looking for an rss feed for this pretty good mp3 blog, which apparently, does not exist. Who doesn't have a damn rss feed? sheesh.

Hammer Time

Holy Crap, that is a big shark.

Good Pop

Well, I was going to break my hiatus by posting a little mix I'd put together, but unfortunately I don't have anywhere to put the files just yet. Maybe I'll work that out this weekend. Until then, here is a great article with a bunch of good songs attached. They kept me occupied for like 2 days at work last week. Pretty much all of the songs are worth a listen, but I especially recommend this, this and this.

Sasha's First Time

Sasha has finally broken his Prom Promise. Watch in horror.

Disclaimer: This video is rated TV-14 for highly suggestive dialogue and may not be suitable for younger viewers.

If Gore were President

First Lazy Sunday, now this? Two funny skits in as many years... amazing. Ladies and gentlemen, I present your (past and) future president. I admit it, I miss having a president with a sense of humor that's more developed that a twelve year old's.

Bush Is Right ... For Once

I like the President's immigration policy. Well, most of it. Sending the National Guard to the border is dumb, but other than that he has the right idea. Going after the employers over the immigrants is smart. Amnesty is smart. Strengthening the border is smart. Of course, all of this ignores the root causes of immigration, but for the here and now, I must say it's a good plan and, even more suprisingly, a good compromise.

That said, I've got 5 bucks that says it never gets passed. The man is a lame duck.

Ooooh Baby

Rove Indicted? I guess we'll find out if this is true soon enough.

Clinton > Bush

Well, Duh. And the best part:

When asked which man was more honest as president, poll respondents were more evenly divided, with the numbers -- 46 percent Clinton to 41 percent Bush -- falling within the poll's margin of error.

Now, that is funny. Straight shootin' W is down to "That-depends-on-your-definition-of-defintion" Bill's level of honesty.

Graduation Gift

Hey Kids, I'm officially graduating again this weekend ... well, technically, I'm skipping graduation this weekend, but I still get the degree. At any rate, I found the perfect gift that you, dear blog readers, can give me. There are probably somewhere between 20 and 30 of you fools (no shit!) so this'll run ya'll somewhere around 50 cents each. Get on it people, I need me some leather.

They Spy on Everyone

Jesus, where does this shit end?

Here is the link to the original USA Today article. Apparently 3 out of 4 major US phone companies (AT&T, Verison and BellSouth) complied with the NSA's request for thier call records, with Qwest being the only hold-out. I bet they gets some new subscribers; buy stock now. This line is buried at the bottom of the article:

Unable to get comfortable with what NSA was proposing, Qwest's lawyers asked NSA to take its proposal to the FISA court. According to the sources, the agency refused.

Well, gee, I wonder why ... hmmm, maybe because it is illegal and would've been rejected. This crap is seriously ridiculous.

Python vs. Dog (and a Golf Club)

There's no video here, but court records show that the Snake won (the dog's owner came in a close second). So far the snakes are 2-1 on Celebrity Death Animal Planet.

Mission Impossible III - 4.5

Is it just me, or do the summer blockbusters keep coming earlier and earlier. This was a pretty fun movie. Phillip Seymour Hoffman makes a formidable villain, and Tom Cruise runs around a lot. Really there is nothing here that we haven't seen done, and done better, a dozen times before. I'd recommend postponing your popcorn fare until X-men comes out in a month or so.

Pants-Off Dance-Off

Sasha, after your last post, I think this is the logical next step for you. Hey, at least, no one will turn off your mic. (via)

Hillary?

While, I am rambling on about politics, what do you, oh liberal readership, think about Hillary? I personally kind of like her and would have no problem voting for her, mainly because a female president would be good for this country, but also because she seems like a reasonable person, and a reasonable president would damn well be good for this country right now too. I'm curious to hear what other people think though.

70% Approval. 100% Crazy.

Yeah, Bush's approval rating is at a record low, but I still have to wonder how 70% of any group of people (Republicans in this case) can think he's doing a good job. Pretty amazing.

When his approval rating gets this low, what does Bush do? He picks a fight, of course. This time by nominating Michael Hayden to head the CIA. His confirmation should be interesting. In his plus column: by all accounts he's a smart guy and a good boss. Minuses: Championed the domestic spying program (this is why I'd vote against him); career Military man heading the CIA (like every other agency); Democrats should be looking to deal Bush a death blow, and Republicans might be looking to distance themselves. If I had to guess, I'd say he gets approved ... Barely.

YATTA!

Uhm, wow.

(via No Schwags)

To Alexa: Love, Jeremy

A friend of mine at work shared this with me. Ladies, I urge you to heed the advice in these simple World Cup rules. Alexa/Tomoko - Consider yourself warned.

1. From 9 June to 9 July 2006, you should read the sports section of the newspaper so that you are aware of what is going on regarding the World Cup, and that way you will be able to join in the conversations. If you fail to do this, then you will be looked at in a bad way, or you will be totally ignored. DO NOT complain about not receiving any attention.

2. During the World Cup, the television is mine, at all times, without any exceptions. If you even take a glimpse of the remote control, you will lose it (your eye).

3. If you have to pass by in front of the TV during a game, I don't mind, as long as you do it crawling on the floor and without distracting me. If you decide to stand nude in front of the TV, make sure you put clothes on right after because if you catch a cold, I wont have time to take you to the doctor or look after you during the World Cup month.

4. During the games I will be blind, deaf and mute, unless I require a refill of my drink or something to eat. You are out of your mind if you expect me to listen to you, open the door, answer the telephone, or pick up the baby that just fell from the second floor....it won't happen.

5. It would be a good idea for you to keep at least 2 six packs in the fridge at all times, as well as plenty of things to nibble on, and please do not make any funny faces to my friends when they come over to watch the games. In return, you will be allowed to use the TV between 12am and 6am, unless they replay a good game that I missed during the day.

6. Please, please, please!! if you see me upset because one of my teams is losing, DO NOT say "get over it, it's only a game", or "don't worry, they'll win next time". If you say these things, you will only make me angrier and I will love you less. Remember, you will never ever know more about football than me and your so called "words of encouragement" will only lead to a break up or divorce.

7. You are welcome to sit with me to watch one game and you can talk to me during halftime but only when the commercials are on, and only if the halftime score is pleasing me. In addition, please note I am saying "one" game, hence do not use the World Cup as a nice cheesy excuse to "spend time together".

8. The replays of the goals are very important. I don't care if I have seen them or I haven't seen them, I want to see them again. Many times.

9. Tell your friends NOT to have any babies, or any other child related parties or gatherings that requires my attendance because:
a) I will not go,
b) I will not go, and
c) I will not go.

But, if a friend of mine invites us to his house on a Sunday to watch a game, we will be there in a flash.

10. The daily World Cup highlights show on TV every night is just as important as the games themselves. Do not even think about saying "but you have already seen this...why don't you change the channel to something we can all watch??", the reply will be: "Refer to Rule #2 of this list".

11. And finally, please save your expressions such as "Thank God the World Cup is only every 4 years". I am immune to these words, because after this comes the Champions League, Italian League, Spanish League, Premier League, etc etc.

Thank you for your cooperation.

Regards,

Men of the World

Allen Can Sing

Although Trafton will probably make fun of me and say the song is like late-period Ahanti mixed with a British Jewel or something, the first Lily Allen song ("LDN") on her home page is catchy as all get out. Coincidentally, the rest of the songs kind of suck. Go figure.

Speaking of Allen-themed musical groups, Bishop Allen is releasing an EP every month this year. I just bought (yes, like purchased using money) the first 3 from their web site, and they are pretty great. The songs on their site aren't the best ones, but are still worth checking out. Bishop Allen are starting to fill the eccentric-pop void in my life that formed when my beloved Dismemberment Plan broke up a few years ago. As such, I fully plan to blow $6*12=$72 (damn, that adds up) and get all of the EPs.

You're with me, leather

Trafton just pointed to this post over at Deadspin in comments. It's funny, but it's got nothing on this Chris Berman-themed post from a few months ago. Five bucks and my eternal worship to anyone who tries this line in my presence.

Just Sad

This article is filled with statistics that makes Americans look pathetic. When the "positive side" of a survey is that 70% of our school-aged population can (i.e. 30% can't) find China, the freakin' big red country that takes up half of Asia, you know you're screwed. Still, I think this statistic is the worst of all:

Inside the United States, "half or fewer of young men and women 18-24 can identify the states of New York or Ohio on a map [50 percent and 43 percent, respectively]," the study said.

Colbert

Watching Stephen Colbert at the White House Coorespondent dinner almost makes up for the fact that I am awake at 3:30 a.m. Almost.