Nostalgia Tuesday

Throwing Muses, Live 1991

Runners-Up:
Lush - Sweetness and Light
Sinead O’Connor - Mandinka (Grammy Awards, 1989)
XTC - Dear God
Medicine - Aruca

June 20th, 2006 3 Comments

Faking It

In response to a recent Wall Street Journal article criticizing New Urbanism, Governing.com asks, “What’s so bad about faux downtowns?” You know, these are the trendy developments that incorporate grids, a mix of retail, condo, and apartments, and occasional Disney-esque sense of urbanism. lifestyle center Governing gets it right: “By creating pedestrian environments, these places offer suburbanites a place to mingle and get to know their neighbors. And by mixing uses and creating greater densities, they open the door to transit service…” Even more on point is the dean of the University of Michigan

June 14th, 2006 1 Comment

Banned in Baghdad

Now banned in Baghdad:

  • falafel
  • goatees
  • mayonnaise (made in Israel after all)
  • smokes
  • shorts (a tennis coach and two of his players were murdered for wearing shorts)
  • T-shirts with English writing
  • ice (no, really)

So what is the takeaway here? Is it

  1. Islamist extremism has grown so fanatical and resistant to the modern world that it is not remotely compatible with any other system of belief or governance. Like to wear shorts? You die.
  2. Or… The war in Iraq has done nothing to stop terrorism and now we’re seeing muderous, Taliban-style fascism in Baghdad.
June 13th, 2006 1 Comment

I Used to Love It

A few cuts from hip-hop’s Golden Age. Tribe leads the tour…

Del Tha Funkee Homosapien - Catch a Bad One
Jeru Tha Damaja - Come Clean
Souls of Mischief - That’s When Ya Lost
De La Soul - Stakes is High
Common - I Used to Love H.E.R.
The D.O.C. - Mind Blowin’
Fu Schnickens - la schmoove

June 11th, 2006 1 Comment

New Voice

It’s been nothin’ but crickets around here for the past few weeks. But that should change soon. I’ve talked my friend Marty into helping out. He’s a member of Sarah’s Biology lab at UNC so you know he’ll be dropping the science.

A few facts about Marty:

  • He’s from Rochester, NY
  • He’s getting married soon
  • He’s a believing Catholic in an evolution lab
  • He’s known as the Mad Dog

Marty’s first post is about the burgeoning Unity ‘08 movement. As for future topics, we really haven’t discussed any. Is he stoked about World Cup Soccer? Is he a Canianc? Cat’s Cradle show reviews? I’m looking forward to what he has to say…

June 9th, 2006 Post your $.02

Earlier Posts »