June 21, 2002
The Garden of Allah, at times, does not reflect the first images that come to mind. It is the title of an amazing 1904 Robert Smythe Hichens book that spawned not one, or two, but three movies, including a 1936 Marlene Dietrich classic; and inspired a 1918 Maxfield Parrish painting. In a seemingly unrelated coincidence a famous contemporary Hollywood hangout spot was also called The Garden of Allah; razing of which prompted Joni Mitchell to sing: "They paved paradise and put up a parking lot." [Gossip] Journalist Sheilah Graham wrote a book on this Hollywood landmark where once her love interest F. Scott Fitzgerald lived. I don't think Don Henley drew from any of these two for one of the two original songs in his 1995 Actual Miles album or its controvertial video.
[ In order: I heard the Joni Mitchell song, without knowing of its inspiration, and then in the span of a few months saw the replica of the Hollywood landmark and came in contact with the original Parrish painting. I eventually read the Hichens book. I have yet to see the movies or read the Graham book.]
[ In order: I heard the Joni Mitchell song, without knowing of its inspiration, and then in the span of a few months saw the replica of the Hollywood landmark and came in contact with the original Parrish painting. I eventually read the Hichens book. I have yet to see the movies or read the Graham book.]
Take the Chicken Challenge...
Take the Chicken Challenge... win $10,000 by playing Tic-Tac-Toe against a live chicken at the Tropicana casino in Las Vegas. (Or join the PETA protest against it.) I think being exposed to Phyllis Diller is worse for the chicken than playing Tic-Tac-Toe, and besides, the chicken is winning.
Presenting the Hero Machine!
Presenting the Hero Machine! Admit it, you've always wanted to be a superhero. Well, you can't be a superhero without first having a really rad costume to protect your secret civilian identity. Here's the first step on the way to becoming a shining beacon for truth and justice ... or heck, world domination. Either way, this fun little toy has kept me occupied most of this week. I just can't get the right combination of helmet and undershirt. Soon, though. (Flash required)
VHS on its last legs?
VHS on its last legs? According to source, Circuit City is already phasing out sales of VHS tapes and players in favor of DVDs. Sure, it's an ancient format, but again, not everyone has a TiVo (yet)...
The Oscar Maier Weinermobile, an icon of American consumer culture, was pulled over for driving on a restricted road near the Pentagon today. I would have to wonder if riding inside of a faux sausage during a jihad meets Muslim dietary codes? Sigh. It's a dark day when even the Weinermobile is a suspect...
Wal-Mart Ships PCs with Lindows
Wal-Mart Ships PCs with Lindows Wal-Mart has stood up to MicroSoft's monopoly with its latest computer offerings, being sold sans Windows. The retailer is selling its super cheap boxes either without an OS or with the upstart LindowsOS. I guess I'll have to start shopping at WalMart to show my support!
Precrime
Precrime: Now that the movie is out, and given the similarity of the movie's pretext to our current situation, the phrase Minority Report is rapidly becoming a cliché. But those vividly aware of the implications of current policy seem hesitant to condemn it — Spielberg himself is "on the president's side in this instance" and Dahlia Lithwick concludes her article with the declaration that "We need a Bureau of Precrime." Are the merits of precrime more weighty than the drawbacks? Is "innocent until proven guilty" becoming an outdated concept?
Apropos of nothing,
Apropos of nothing, here's some art for yinz. Too many do not know Arthur Dove's work, the earliest American abstract art.
INXS launches first U.S. tour after death of Michael Hutchence.
INXS launches first U.S. tour after death of Michael Hutchence. Doesn't the death of a band's charismatic lead singer and frontman necessarily spell The End for the band? Can the remaining members ever really come Back (in Black)?
Friday Fun.
Friday Fun. This reminds me of the great comics of Heavy Metal magazine
Just a warning you better be on a broadband connection and even then give it time to load.
Given the vitriolic mood in here the last couple days, I thought I would toss out the most unpolitically correct item I could find.
I present: Cat Boxing
I present: Cat Boxing
Happy Friday.
Bigger than Enron.
Bigger than Enron. Why the largest business scandal in American history is just the tip of the iceberg--and why investors should care. PBS Frontline aired this expose of the Enron/Anderson scandal last night. Included in the report were details of how deregulatory fervor in Congress enabled these sheisters to invent profits out of thin air.
College Students Speak Out, and just 14% can identify the president of Pakistan, 37% would likely try to evade the draft, and 71% "do not believe American values are superior to the values of other nations." Is your local college breeding ignorant anti-Americanists?
Want to know more about your favorite song? Try SongFacts:
Want to know more about your favorite song? Try SongFacts: sample entry: Song: "The Things That I Used To Do" by Guitar Slim Date: 1953 Songfacts:
Slim claimed he was offered a song from God and a song from The Devil. He chose this one, the song from The Devil.
Covered by many guitar greats, including Jimi Hendrix, Stevie Ray Vaughn, and Chuck Berry. Slim's innovative playing, including the use of distortion, became widely copied.
A rare R&B song that was popular in the North and South. Most hits at the time were specific to a certain region.
Proceeds from this allowed Slim to feed his liquor habit. He died of pneumonia at 32.
Slim often played guitar with his teeth or behind his back when he performed this, theatrics that would be copied often in the years to come.
Adventures in new music discovery.
Adventures in new music discovery. [nyt reg req] Not only in taxi cabs, but playlists while you fly, playlists while you sip coffee, playlists on demand, playlists while you surf, playlists on swap . Where else can we find new music picks? Who needs commercial radio any more.
China thrown off balance as boys outnumber girls
China thrown off balance as boys outnumber girls Poor young men here complain that modern women are too picky. ''Before, it was men choosing women,'' says Liu Xicheng, 21, a migrant worker who came to Beijing from nearby Hebei Province. ''Now it is women choosing men. Some have high quality standards. It is hard to marry them.'' I checked and this isn't from the Onion.
Arafat ready to accept Clinton's 2000 peace plan.
Arafat ready to accept Clinton's 2000 peace plan. "Clinton's plan had offered Palestinians control of most, but not all of the territory taken by Israel in the 1967 Six-Day War, and called for Palestinians to scale back their demand for the right of return of refugees, a move Palestinian officials said earlier this week they were willing to make."
We wuz robbed.
We wuz robbed. I know, it wasn't really a handball. USA loses to Germany and their amazing goalkeeper. Good run, guys.
Toxic sludge is good for fish! Who says so?
The EPA.
It makes them flee the polluted area and escape fishermen.
That is the basis for the permit issued to the Army Corps of Engineers to dump 200,000 tonnes of sludge in the Potomac. Link from WSJ's Best of the Web.
Less than one hour away:
Less than one hour away: It's summer!!!! What are your plans for the longest "day" of the year?
Interviews of failed suicide bombers,
Interviews of failed suicide bombers, by Israeli defense minister Benjamin Ben-Eliezer. Both Ben-Eliezer and two Palestinians, who (1) failed to and (2) opted not to detonate their bombs, talk about the motivations behind the current wave of attacks. Should prove interesting no matter which side of the Isreali-Palestinian conflict you stand on.
The Underground Publishing Conference
The Underground Publishing Conference. June 22-23, Bowling Green, OH, is for Zinesters, Activists, Comic Artists, Hackers, Low Power FM Broadcasters, Librarians, Web Designers, Filmmakers, Musicians, Artists, Academics, Street Theorists, Readers and Writers. In other words, YOU! - (via Clamor Magazine and the crew at Counterpoise)
Kicked Out Of The World Cup? Kick The Blues Away Now!
Kicked Out Of The World Cup? Kick The Blues Away Now! Friday fun and consolation with a kicking little game under the expert supervision of kicked-out Italian striker Roberto Baggio. Fire away, losers!
The Art of M. Wartella.
The Art of M. Wartella. His work has been featured on magazine covers and other indie zines. Follow the adventures of Dinky Dog (QT recommended) created by "November Jones, the poor Hungarian surplus lard salesman who invented the "Dinky Dog" character in 1914." Or "Make a hacker out of a slacker".
Well they certainly weren't there yesterday!
At the top of the Canary Wharf escalators are three strangely decorated cows. They've been dotted around other parts of London in the past, but its the first time I've seen of them.
An interesting way to start a Friday none the less! - anyone else seen these cows or been invaded by travelling art such as the eyestorm snowballs in summer project (which was a little while ago, but still fun)
At the top of the Canary Wharf escalators are three strangely decorated cows. They've been dotted around other parts of London in the past, but its the first time I've seen of them.
An interesting way to start a Friday none the less! - anyone else seen these cows or been invaded by travelling art such as the eyestorm snowballs in summer project (which was a little while ago, but still fun)
England blew it.
England blew it. Enlgand got off to a 1-0 lead before it was tied by Brazil. Even after Brazil was a man down they managed to score a goal and hold the lead for a victory. I really thought England was going to go all the way.
Sure, we've all heard the classic old time radio dramas, but what about more recent classics, like the wonderful Jack Flanders series from ZBS Media? And what is being produced today? Bonus points if it's broadcast free online.
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