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Come for the politics, stay for the snark.

The next time the wall street journal editorial board speaks the truth will be the first.

Following reporting rules is only for the little people, apparently.

My years-long effort to drive family and friends away has really paid off this year.

… riddled with inexplicable and elementary errors of law and fact

But frankly mr. cole, I’ll be happier when you get back to telling us to go fuck ourselves.

I didn’t have alien invasion on my 2023 BINGO card.

fuckem (in honor of the late great efgoldman)

Whoever he was, that guy was nuts.

Proof that we need a blogger ethics panel.

Ah, the different things are different argument.

In my day, never was longer.

Second rate reporter says what?

Our job is not to persuade republicans but to defeat them.

This has so much WTF written all over it that it is hard to comprehend.

Republicans want to make it harder to vote and easier for them to cheat.

Technically true, but collectively nonsense

A consequence of cucumbers

T R E 4 5 O N

An unpunished coup is a training exercise.

Come for the politics, stay for the snark.

Let there be snark.

JFC, are there no editors left at that goddamn rag?

The cruelty is the point; the law be damned.

You can’t love your country only when you win.

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You are here: Home / Open Threads / Another Open Thread

Another Open Thread

by John Cole|  July 16, 201011:09 pm| 108 Comments

This post is in: Open Threads, Get off my grass you damned kids

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Brother and friends came over and I’m being forced to listen to the Gogol Bordello’s. Yeah. One song is neat. Two is ok. After that, there is a precipitous drop-off in my interest. This is a genre of music for people who like to black-out.

I’m going to make my move in a little bit and try to put on something with comprehensible lyrics and a beat that fat white guys can enjoy. I’ll distract them with rum.

That’s my plan, anyway, and I’m sticking to it.

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Reader Interactions

108Comments

  1. 1.

    beltane

    July 16, 2010 at 11:13 pm

    Speaking of fat white guys, I’ve decided to buy my husband a pair of Birkenstocks for his birthday. I’m sick of all the complaining about his Tevas not being comfortable enough.

    I’ll have to ask my son if he’s heard of the Gogol Bordellos. I’m out of the loop on these things.

  2. 2.

    Sirkowski

    July 16, 2010 at 11:14 pm

    Chris Gaines?

  3. 3.

    SIA

    July 16, 2010 at 11:15 pm

    Damn kids. This’ll teach ’em.

  4. 4.

    SIA

    July 16, 2010 at 11:16 pm

    And furthermore! (wow what a weird word).

  5. 5.

    Jason Bylinowski

    July 16, 2010 at 11:17 pm

    Gogol Bordellos. Not ringing any bells.

    Well I checked them out, and your call is correct, they are a total novelty act. Good to hear in the right circumstance but in no way could I get through a show unless they are just hilarious between songs.

  6. 6.

    demimondian

    July 16, 2010 at 11:17 pm

    Since Gogol wrote _Dead Souls_ — and not referring to the Grateful Dead — I have a really bad feeling about the whores at a Gogol Bordello.

  7. 7.

    beltane

    July 16, 2010 at 11:18 pm

    @SIA: Hey, my soon to be 15 year old son absolutely loves Led Zeppelin. He spends hours playing Stairway to Heaven on his drum set. Unfortunately, he also listens to a lot of crap.

  8. 8.

    demimondian

    July 16, 2010 at 11:19 pm

    @beltane: I was trying to convince FDDD to buy me another pair of Birkenstock sandals. They fit better over my socks.

  9. 9.

    kommrade reproductive vigor

    July 16, 2010 at 11:19 pm

    [Cue Mission Impossible theme song]

    Get the pets to run some sort of diversionary tactics.

    Edit: Is that … Demimondian? Nah. Must be imagining things.

  10. 10.

    Steeplejack

    July 16, 2010 at 11:20 pm

    After they black out you can play whatever you want.

    Just got home from work, and my dogs are barking, as my father used to say (read: my feet are sore). About to get into some rum myself, but first a beer to replace those vital electrolytes.

    Steep + ¼

  11. 11.

    Aaron

    July 16, 2010 at 11:21 pm

    Has anyone out there seen Inception yet? I just got back from the theater and I thought it was one of the best movies I have ever seen.

  12. 12.

    beltane

    July 16, 2010 at 11:22 pm

    @demimondian: For those of us with wide feet, they are the most comfortable thing there is. If someone wants to call me a lesbian that’s their own f**king problem.

  13. 13.

    demimondian

    July 16, 2010 at 11:23 pm

    @kommrade reproductive vigor: I’m just imagining myself, I think…

    How goes?

  14. 14.

    Omnes Omnibus

    July 16, 2010 at 11:24 pm

    Gypsy punk and rum … makes for an interesting night.

    Oh, and the group is Gogol Bordello not the Gogol Bordellos.

  15. 15.

    El Cid

    July 16, 2010 at 11:25 pm

    A highly competitive Native American lacrosse team can’t go to a tournament in the UK, because the UK won’t recognize their Iroquois Confederation passports. So they withdrew from the competition.

    NEW YORK – Time ran out on Friday for a team of Iroquois lacrosse players who have been blocked from traveling to a tournament in England because of a passport dispute.
    __
    The 23 members of the Iroquois Nationals — whose ancestors helped invent the sport as much as 1,000 years ago — refuse to use U.S. or Canadian passports, and the United Kingdom won’t recognize their passports issued by the Iroquois confederacy.
    __
    After a week of appeals to British officials, the answer was still “no.” The team is planning to bow out of the tournament because there is no longer time to get to the games, manager Ansley Jemison said. The Nationals already missed their first scheduled game of the World Lacrosse Championships and were bumped to a lower division.
    __
    “There comes a time when we finally have to pull the plug,” Jemison said.

  16. 16.

    Kristine

    July 16, 2010 at 11:28 pm

    @Aaron: Roger Ebert gave it 4 stars, and he doesn’t do that very often.

  17. 17.

    SiubhanDuinne

    July 16, 2010 at 11:30 pm

    @Aaron #11: I’m seeing it tomorrow. Sounds really good from the reviews I’ve read.

  18. 18.

    demimondian

    July 16, 2010 at 11:31 pm

    @El Cid: The Iroquois case is complicated. It’s not that the UK won’t recognize their passports, but rather that the US argues that the members of the team are free of our ports only because they are citizens of the United States on top of being citizens of the Iroquois Nation — which is true — and the team members refuse to travel on US passports, even though they’re all entitled to them. (Not all members of the Nation are US citizens; some are Canadian.)

    It’s bad PR — but it’s good law, in this case.

  19. 19.

    jomo

    July 16, 2010 at 11:32 pm

    I’m with you on Gogol Bordello. Feel the same about Beiruit and Man Man as well. One song and you’ve heard them all.

  20. 20.

    demimondian

    July 16, 2010 at 11:33 pm

    @beltane: They’re also heaven for those of us with dreadfully high arches.

    If they call me geeky for wearing them with socks…well, screw ’em. They’d call me geeky anyway.

  21. 21.

    burnspbesq

    July 16, 2010 at 11:34 pm

    @El Cid:

    Very unfortunate. They were probably the third-best team in the competition (after the US and Canada), and play a highly entertaining style of lax.

    As I said a few nights ago, I was amazed to learn that there are 30 countries that could put together a national team to play at the world championships. Way cool.

  22. 22.

    maus

    July 16, 2010 at 11:35 pm

    This is a genre of music for people who like to black-out.

    I’VE FOUGHT PEOPLE FOR LESS

    Wait, they really are a good band :(

  23. 23.

    demimondian

    July 16, 2010 at 11:35 pm

    @burnspbesq: More than that, they had some of the best individual players in the whole Cup. It really cheapens the championship to not have them present.

  24. 24.

    burnspbesq

    July 16, 2010 at 11:37 pm

    The best origin story for a lacrosse-playing country has to be Finland.

    http://insidelacrosse.com/news/2010/07/12/fil-world-championships-yellow-division-breakdown

  25. 25.

    burnspbesq

    July 16, 2010 at 11:41 pm

    Just curious: can one spend a Vampire Weekend at the Gogol Bordello?

  26. 26.

    SIA

    July 16, 2010 at 11:41 pm

    @beltane: Well, he likes LZ, so there’s hope. :)

  27. 27.

    burnspbesq

    July 16, 2010 at 11:44 pm

    I caught my 16-year-old kid listening to John Coltrane a couple of weeks ago. Was shocked.

  28. 28.

    mclaren

    July 16, 2010 at 11:47 pm

    something with comprehensible lyrics and a beat that fat white guys can enjoy…

    The Residents: Third Reich ‘N Roll.

    The Cocteau Twins: Bluebell Knoll.

    The Kingsmen: Louie Louie.

    Little Richard: Tutti Fruiti.

    Beck: Loser.

    The complete lyrics for Loser are worth quoting:

    In the time of chimpanzees I was a monkey
    butane in my veins so i’m out to cut the junkie
    with the plastic eyeballs
    spray paint the vegetables
    dog food stalls with the beefcake pantyhose
    kill the headlights and put it in neutral
    stock car flamin’ with a loser and the cruise control
    baby’s in Reno with the vitamin D
    got a couple of couches sleep on the love seat
    someone keeps sayin’ I’m insane to complain about
    a shotgun wedding and a stain on my shirt
    don’t believe everything that you breathe
    you get a parking violation and a maggot on your sleeve
    so shave your face with some mace in the dark
    savin’ all your food stamps and burnin’ down the trailer park
    (yo cut it)
    Soy un perdido I’m a loser baby so why don’t you kill me?
    (double-barrel buckshot)
    Soy un perdido i’m a loser baby,so why don’t you kill me?
    Forces of evil in a bozo nightmare
    banned all the music with a phony gas chamber
    ‘cuz one’s got a weasel and the other’s got a flag
    one’s got on the pole shove the other in a bag
    with the rerun shows and the cocaine nose job
    the daytime crap with the folksinger slop
    he hung himself with a guitar string
    slap the turkey neck and it’s hangin’ on a pigeon wing
    you can’t write if you can’t relate
    trade the cash for the beef for the body for the hate
    and my time is a piece of wax
    fallin’ on a termite who’s chokin’ on the splinters
    Soy un perdido I’m a loser baby so why don’t you kill me?
    (get crazy with the cheeze whiz)
    Soy un perdido I’m a loser baby so why don’t you kill me?
    (drive-by body pierce)
    (yo bring it on down)
    soooooooyy….
    (I’m a driver I’m a winner things are gonna change I can feel it)
    Soy un perdedor I’m a loser baby so why don’t you kill me?
    (I can’t believe you)
    Soy un perdido I’m a loser baby so why don’t you kill me?
    Soy un perdido I’m a loser baby so why don’t you kill me?
    [repeat]
    (Sprechen sie Deutches, baby)
    Soy un perdido I’m a loser baby so why don’t you kill me?
    (Know what I’m sayin’?)

    Bloodhound Gang: Foxtrot Uniform Charlie Kilo.

    The lyrics are definitely something that stick in your mind:

    Vulcanize the whoopee stick
    In the ham wallet

    Cattle prod the oyster ditch
    With the lap rocket

    Batter dip the cranny ax
    In the gut locker

    Retrofit the pudding hatch
    Ooh la la
    With the boink swatter

    If i get you in the loop when I make a point to be straight with you then
    In lieu of the innuendo in the end know my intent though
    I brazillian wax poetic so hypothetically
    I don’t wanna beat around the bush

    Foxtrot Unifrom Charlie Kilo
    Foxtrot Uniform Charlie Kilo

    Marinate the nether rod
    In the squish mitten

    Power drill the yippee bog
    With the dude piston

    Pressure wash the quiver bone
    In the bitch wrinkle

    Cannonball the fiddle cove
    Ooh la la
    With the pork steeple

    If i get you in the loop when I make a point to be straight with you then
    In lieu of the innuendo in the end know my intent though
    I brazillian wax poetic so hypothetically
    I don’t wanna beat around the bush

    Foxtrot Unifrom Charlie Kilo
    Foxtrot Uniform Charlie Kilo

    Put the you know what in the you know where
    Put the you know what in the you know where
    Put the you know what in the you know where
    Put the you know what in the you know where pronto

    Wire: Kidney bongos.

    Natural splits sunburn jets price marks smart bets
    Strikers luck pitch backs heap tips pit slacks
    Dressed pints demon shrinks bread drunk dead drinks
    Stretch clubs models box draw skin black shocks

    Money spines paper lung kidney bongos organ fun

    Flag stunt rock stone dole axe crash dive
    Breathe thrift take speed double take weekends
    Skull row drugs hall colour bars sex calls
    Sparkle finds rented rings pretty things clipped wings

    Money spines paper lung kidney bongos organ fun

    Gold street spy fleet scandal food poor treat
    Fire run club gun rule mob burn some
    Bomb time pop crime stock frame steady climb
    Fresh name donor game fair meat all the same

    Money spines paper lung kidney bongos organ fun

    By the time you get through that set, it won’t matter whether you’re drunk or not.

  29. 29.

    demimondian

    July 16, 2010 at 11:49 pm

    @burnspbesq: Probably, I think it’d suck.

  30. 30.

    eric

    July 16, 2010 at 11:51 pm

    practiced for a few hours and now to put on this to make myself practice harder and slit my wrists simultaneously….

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XpV2erLHULc

    and in case blood is left in my veins…

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SITHNhvnRo0.

    peace

  31. 31.

    demimondian

    July 16, 2010 at 11:52 pm

    @mclaren: He didn’t say “reprehensible” lyrics, he said “comprehensible” lyrics.

    And you missed “Anything sung by the Pogues”.

  32. 32.

    The Dangerman

    July 16, 2010 at 11:54 pm

    This is a genre of music for people who like to black-out.

    Don’t know shit about Gogol Bordello, but black out reminds me it is time to cue up some Living Colour (saw them in a small bar after they got back together – ok, got back together except for the bassist – and they rocked the place, perhaps one of the best concerts I’ve ever had the pleasure of witnessing).

  33. 33.

    Anne Laurie

    July 16, 2010 at 11:55 pm

    @beltane:

    For those of us with wide feet, they are the most comfortable thing there is.

    Not all of “us”. I have fat little paws with high insteps (not arches, just extra-wide from top to bottom as well as sideways) and I can’t even buckle the Birkenstocks (or fit into Dansko clogs). My go-to brands are Rockport, Propet, Naturalizer, Life Strides… and in the summer, Grasshoppers. I know they don’t have much support, but Grasshopper sandals are my perfect fit.

  34. 34.

    PTirebiter

    July 16, 2010 at 11:55 pm

    Today, in a fit of self love, I made the effort to bookmark just Tbogg and bypass FDL altogether. Sure enough the mono-polar depressive-depressives invaded his comments section.
    With the possible exceptions of Jesus Christ and Randy Newman, I swear, no one has ever suffered the way some of these poor firebaggers suffer. It’s just sad.

  35. 35.

    Omnes Omnibus

    July 16, 2010 at 11:56 pm

    @burnspbesq: Sure, but everything will be Rancid by morning

  36. 36.

    Jeffro

    July 16, 2010 at 11:57 pm

    Put on some Against Me!, pronto.

    If they flee, Mission Accomplished!
    If they stay, so much the better.

  37. 37.

    Corner Stone

    July 17, 2010 at 12:07 am

    @The Dangerman:

    and they rocked the place, perhaps one of the best concerts I’ve ever had the pleasure of witnessing).

    Sevendust.
    All that needs to be said.

  38. 38.

    El Cid

    July 17, 2010 at 12:09 am

    @demimondian: I don’t know whether it’s good law or not. It depends on the degree of sovereignty accorded the various Indian nations within the US. If they are functionally sovereign, then their passports should be acceptable. If their sovereignty is functionally limited, then this is another matter.

  39. 39.

    John Cole

    July 17, 2010 at 12:11 am

    OK. Everyone took off and I can safely go back to Little Feat and the Dead and jazz. I may rock some RL Burnside.

    BTW- I used to sell Birkenstocks years ago. Great sandals, but they really are not for everyone. If you have Fred Flintstone feet like me with a super high arch, they are great. People with narrow or flat feet will be fucking miserable.

  40. 40.

    demimondian

    July 17, 2010 at 12:12 am

    @El Cid: The question posed by the UK was whether we would accept their passports for reentry into the US. Whether the Indian Nations are fully sovereign is irrelevant to *that* question; the answer, of course, is no.

  41. 41.

    General Stuck

    July 17, 2010 at 12:13 am

    nightbird

  42. 42.

    Corner Stone

    July 17, 2010 at 12:13 am

    @John Cole:

    OK. Everyone took off and I can safely go back to Little Feat and the Dead and jazz. I may rock some RL Burnside.

    Given the choice, do you rock out, or mellow out?

  43. 43.

    The Dangerman

    July 17, 2010 at 12:16 am

    I’ll have to check out Sevendust.

    For something completely different, and after you ply your guests with rum, play them this video…

    …and tell them it was done in one continuous shot. That should blow some minds (check the story on how it was done on the Great Google).

  44. 44.

    asdf

    July 17, 2010 at 12:21 am

    Got a better one. My girl took me to the ballet in NYC last week. You have never seen a guy go to sleep so fast.

  45. 45.

    fucen tarmal

    July 17, 2010 at 12:22 am

    good on them john cole, make their no taste having asses drink the rum, brown liquor is for closers.

  46. 46.

    John Cole

    July 17, 2010 at 12:26 am

    @Corner Stone: Went with Little Feat. I know we’ve talked about them before, but I pretty much think they are the perfect band. I know I listen to them at least every day, if not more. I really like to cook while listening to them.

  47. 47.

    Something Fabulous

    July 17, 2010 at 12:29 am

    @John Cole: Wait: were you SELLING BIRKENSTOCKS WHILE REPUBLICAN??? Is that even allowed? In either direction? [see: treaties, passports, above]

  48. 48.

    The Main Gauche of Mild Reason

    July 17, 2010 at 12:31 am

    @El Cid:

    If they are functionally sovereign, then their passports should be acceptable. If their sovereignty is functionally limited, then this is another matter.

    As far as I can tell, the issue is that the Iroquois confederation has no international presence. Which is true.

  49. 49.

    Ken J.

    July 17, 2010 at 12:34 am

    For classical music fans: The BBC Proms concert festival starts today. Two months of classical music concerts, all available for on-demand net streaming for one week after the performance date. About 90 concerts, I think, counting the subsidiary series.

    Google will find you the BBC Proms home page.

    If your interest is show tunes, there is one evening of Rodgers & Hammerstein and one evening of Sondheim.

    In slightly rockier stuff, did anyone — esp. Anne Laurie — see my mention of Smoke Fairies a few weeks ago? Are you all in love with them yet? I don’t want to be too pushy, but… two British women singing, both playing interlocking electric guitar lines influenced a bit by Southern melancholy. I’ve been obsessed for three months. Jack White played drums on their recent single “Gastown.”

  50. 50.

    Cacti

    July 17, 2010 at 12:35 am

    Just listened to Lady Gaga’s “Pokerface” for the first time.

    I want those 3:30 of my life back.

  51. 51.

    Corner Stone

    July 17, 2010 at 12:35 am

    I really love the anti-Barney Frank ad that’s onsite sometimes.
    That fat turkey neck and credulous face really sells it for me.

  52. 52.

    Belvoir

    July 17, 2010 at 12:36 am

    Hey y’all! Apparently the Obamas’ vacationing in Maine doesn’t sit well with the NYTimes’ Sheryl Gay Stolberg. Why can’t the Obamas summer down on those oil-slicked beaches?, SOME ARE ASKING.

    “Shifting Politics of a Presidential Vacation
    By SHERYL GAY STOLBERG
    A first family’s leisure time — including trips like the Obamas’ to Maine and not the Gulf Coast — is increasingly seen as fraught with meaning and ripe for critique.”

    Yes, fraught with meaning and ripe for critique- by bitches like Sheryl Gay Stolberg! Pretty much inventing some “controversy” here, pulled from her ass. Incredibly class based and snobbish. WHY must the Obamas take vacation in Maine? Why not some stinking tar-beach down by the Gulf? OH, it’s “fraught” all right that this dumb bitch writes things like this.

    And she never mentions- there are and have been summer enclaves for educated, affluent African Americans for over a century, up and down the east coast. Maine, Martha’s Vineyard, Sag Harbor. I just find it so egregious that she’s pretending that there’s any controversy that our elected President should have a summer break with his family in a pleasant place. I do not understand jerks like Stolberg, at all. I’m sure she was on top of W’s 800 days of vacation, you betcha.

    http://www.nytimes.com/2010/07/17/us/politics/17memo.html?hp

  53. 53.

    Corner Stone

    July 17, 2010 at 12:37 am

    @John Cole: Ok. Now let’s suppose you want to go up tempo. Release your pudgy white guy aggro side and just wail.
    Who would that be on the player?

  54. 54.

    Fenster

    July 17, 2010 at 12:44 am

    Anyone catch that wretched sociopath Michael Lohan on Fox News? Brutal.

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QOAZGw5gWuU

    Also, I just realized that Shep looks like a discontinued version of Gigolo Joe.

  55. 55.

    kommrade reproductive vigor

    July 17, 2010 at 12:45 am

    demi – good to know you’re still amongst us.

    People with narrow or flat feet ^or fashion sense^ will be fucking miserable.

    Fxd.

    Pretty much inventing some “controversy” here, pulled from her ass.

    Plus, you know what people trying to clean up a massive ecological disaster really do not want, for more than the length of a photo op and a speech (maybe)? The disruption of a long-term visit by a POTUS and family.

  56. 56.

    Comrade Mary

    July 17, 2010 at 12:49 am

    I have froggy feet — narrow heels, wide forefeet, but, thank God, unwebbed toes — and I can’t wear Birkies, but Naots are awfully comfy and even, sometimes, if you squint and are slightly drunk, somewhat attractive.

  57. 57.

    Corner Stone

    July 17, 2010 at 12:49 am

    @kommrade reproductive vigor:

    demi – good to know you’re still amongst us

    Why is everyone saying WB to demi?
    It’s been like 4 days.

  58. 58.

    CJ

    July 17, 2010 at 12:50 am

    I somewhat heard those Gogol people while at a festival. All the DFH’s were wandering over to the main stage shoeless.

    Of course I was there to see Tool, so clearly I couldn’t appreciate gypsy punk or whatever the hell they call what they play.

  59. 59.

    Kristine

    July 17, 2010 at 12:55 am

    @kommrade reproductive vigor: Birks are no uglier than other utilitarian brands, and some of the styles are actually pretty nice, in a clunky-casual way. During my first really serious bout of tendonitis, they were the only shoes I could wear.

    Another high arch person here. Learned the hard way that many shoes that are supposed to be supportive really aren’t. Last summer, I finally had to break down and visit an actual foot doctor and be fitted for orthotics. I wish I had done it 15 years ago.

  60. 60.

    John Cole

    July 17, 2010 at 12:57 am

    @Corner Stone: Dunno if it is up tempo or not, but I’m listening to Les Claypool, Highball for the Devil now.

  61. 61.

    Morbo

    July 17, 2010 at 1:02 am

    @CJ: There is absolutely no rule that states that one cannot enjoy both Tool and Gogol Bordello.

  62. 62.

    Comrade Mary

    July 17, 2010 at 1:03 am

    I liked Gogol Bordello better when they were called the Leningrad Cowboys.

    Stairway to Heaven

    Happy Together

  63. 63.

    kommrade reproductive vigor

    July 17, 2010 at 1:04 am

    @Corner Stone: Apparently I missed the second coming. Hopefully I can still get good seats for the apocalypse.

    (I don’t know, it’s 1 am and the thunderstorm has been circling our roof for about an hour.)

  64. 64.

    protected static

    July 17, 2010 at 1:04 am

    Gogol Bordello? Feh. The Ukrainians are much better.

  65. 65.

    victory

    July 17, 2010 at 1:09 am

    A thought on the whole deficit reduction/recession spending issue of the day.

    I’d like to think I thought of a good analogy…

    (You want your front lawn to be green and lush. Looks nice. Impresses the neighbors. You water it to keep it looking nice, but, it rains at least once a week, so, you don’t really have to turn on the sprinklers too often. Every now and again..once a week, maybe even every 2- 2 1/2 weeks because some weeks it rains more.

    But, when a drought hits and you don’t see rain for weeks on end. What do you do? You water more. You aren’t getting the rain you need to keep your lawn green and plush. You go from once a week/2 weeks to 3 times a week, sometimes 4.

    If you want to keep your lawn green and plush, how smart would it be to decide, in the middle of a drought, “Gee, I think now would be a good time to cut down on my water consumption.” ?)

    ….although….it could just be the alcohol talking…

  66. 66.

    Comrade Mary

    July 17, 2010 at 1:11 am

    Oh, hell. Oh, damn.

    Kodi, the awesome Akita belonging to John Scalzi and his family, has died. He’s written beautifully about it here.

  67. 67.

    Ecks

    July 17, 2010 at 1:13 am

    Tweet from yardi:

    BP tries to buy entire marine dept faculty at U of Alabama on condition they don’t publish about it for 3 years. Hmm. http://bit.ly/cfZlEM

  68. 68.

    eco2geek

    July 17, 2010 at 1:16 am

    @SIA: Mmm, Led Zeppelin.
    You can deliver me, Lord…I only wanted to have some fun
    So the world is spinning faster – are you dizzy when you’re stoned?

    Meanwhile, my progressive city is seriously considering a ban on plastic single-use grocery bags. (Upside: less plastic trash. Downside: no more free doggy poop bags.) They’re also considering a 5 cent deposit on paper bags. (Upside: will make people consider bringing their own bags to stores. Downside: most people will just pay the five cents – and where’s that tuppence five cents a bag fee going, anyway? The city’s general fund?)

  69. 69.

    Jager

    July 17, 2010 at 1:17 am

    @Belvoir:

    Yes, affluent and educated African Americans have always flocked to the Gulf Coast beaches. (oil soaked or not) That’s why its called the Red Neck Riviera….isn’t it, also!

  70. 70.

    General Stuck

    July 17, 2010 at 1:23 am

    Johnny Git Yer Gun

    You butter watch out Barracky.

    via Political Wire

  71. 71.

    Jager

    July 17, 2010 at 1:25 am

    Since you mentioned fat White Guys, I was going to make a snarky remark about putting on some country, like Toby Keith. Then I thought about the Brad Paisley CD I heard a couple of weeks ago at a party…that dude can play guitar! Our host told me, young Brad is a progressive dem.

  72. 72.

    some other guy

    July 17, 2010 at 1:39 am

    We can’t extend unemployment benefits for the living, breathing jobless because OMG TEH DEFICIT!!! But, hey, that doesn’t mean we can’t afford to cut taxes for dead rich people. Assholes.

  73. 73.

    moe99

    July 17, 2010 at 1:39 am

    Grace Potter and the Nocturnals. She is hot.

  74. 74.

    Viva BrisVegas

    July 17, 2010 at 1:43 am

    Sorry to intrude with politics, even worse with unAmerican politics, but just to let you know here in Oz we are now officially in election mode with an election due August 21.

    Now don’t immediately nod off, it may be instructive to follow.

    We have a brand new single female atheist leftist (ostensibly) Prime Minister up against a hard right Catholic anti-warming anti-labour reactionary Opposition leader.

    The economy is running well, probably the best or second best in the OECD. Unemployment is low. Participation in Afghanistan is unpopular but tolerated.

    The (leftish) Labor government seems intent to run on the economy.

    Surprisingly, the (rightish) conservatives seem also to intend to run on the economy. With themes like, inflation around the corner, ruinous deficit, and out of control spending, with some spicy social issues like illegal immigration thrown in.

    The Overton window being to the left in Oz as compared to the US, the left/right labels have somewhat different meanings. That said, Tony Abbott, the leader of the Opposition conservative Liberal party would probably find a happy home in the Republican Party of Bachmann, Boehner and DeMint.

    So it will be interesting to see if the conservatives can play on voter anxieties and spin a well performing economy enough to hurt the government in the ballot box.

    Very few pundits are expecting a Labor loss, but the Murdoch press which is overwhelmingly dominant in the country, has come out squarely behind the conservatives.

  75. 75.

    maus

    July 17, 2010 at 1:50 am

    @Cacti:

    Just listened to Lady Gaga’s “Pokerface” for the first time. I want those 3:30 of my life back.

    There is no shame in thinking Gaga was overrated from day one. None at all. She’s cute, she’s hardworking, she can play the piano, she has interesting fashion.

    Aside from that, dulllllllllllllllllllllllllll top 40 “techno”.

  76. 76.

    asiangrrlMN

    July 17, 2010 at 1:53 am

    Right now, I am listening to the soundtrack from Once. After that, who knows?

    By the way, I saw half of Up tonight (don’t ask), and I am not displeased that I will not be watching the second half. I could not get into the movie at all (and yes, I know that makes me a freak yet again. I’ll live).

    @Viva BrisVegas: So, she may actually win for real? That would be so fucking cool. And, surprise surprise about Murdoch. Not.

  77. 77.

    Anne Laurie

    July 17, 2010 at 2:06 am

    @asiangrrlMN: The first 15 minutes and the last 10 of Up were pretty good, if undemanding. The rest was overblown, hectic, repetitive, and emotionally pithed like a laboratory frog. And I’m a big animation fan, as is the Spousal Unit, so we were doubly disappointed.

  78. 78.

    Yutsano

    July 17, 2010 at 2:10 am

    @Viva BrisVegas: She’d be even more awesome if she was a lesbyterian. Of course Australia wouldn’t be the first in that regard, that honor goes to Iceland. I think it was about the only positive to come out of that whole situation for them.

    @maus: Lady Gaga breaks my heart. She has some really good pipes but she feels the need to become the next Madonna so badly she allows her music to get massively overproduced. It’s as inoffensive as Disney and hardly wild enough to write home about.

  79. 79.

    asiangrrlMN

    July 17, 2010 at 2:12 am

    @Anne Laurie: I’m glad I’m not the only one. I wanted to KILL Russell two minutes after he showed up. Sigh. I just feel like there’s something wrong with me because it got so many rave reviews.

    @Yutsano: Hiya, hon. How you be?

  80. 80.

    Mark S.

    July 17, 2010 at 2:15 am

    @asiangrrlMN:

    I only got through half of it as well. I don’t really like Pixar movies. I think I’d rather watch a cartoon than those computer animated puppets. There’s something about the writing that annoys me, too. It’s like half of it is silly action to keep the kids awake, and the other half are jokes that are meant to go over kids’ heads so the parents don’t fall asleep.

  81. 81.

    Yutsano

    July 17, 2010 at 2:18 am

    @asiangrrlMN: Not everything can be everyones’ taste. It’s what makes us all individuals and adds to the excitement of our existences.

    I handed in my letter of resignation today. My boss reacted…not well. I anticipated he’d shit a brick over it, but he wasn’t totally shocked. I told him if a few cards had been played differently this wouldn’t be happening. He wants to discuss it with me when he gets back from a business trip next week. I highly doubt he could offer me anything at this point that could get me to change my mind.

  82. 82.

    asiangrrlMN

    July 17, 2010 at 2:22 am

    @Mark S.: Whee! I feel better already. Thanks for chiming in.

    @Yutsano: Taste: Yeah, well, the fact that I don’t like anything mainstream just bums me out at times.

    Your boss: He can give it the good college try, but I think you’re out of there. Still, doesn’t hurt to listen.

  83. 83.

    Yutsano

    July 17, 2010 at 2:26 am

    @asiangrrlMN:

    Yeah, well, the fact that I don’t like anything mainstream just bums me out at times.

    Get back to me when this is exactly a bad thing. You have your preferences, the fact that they don’t fit into what is considered “mainstream” is honestly irrelevant. You are who you are, and you like who you like. That’s about all there is to it.

    He can give it the good college try, but I think you’re out of there.

    Oh no, I’m gone. There is zero reason for me to keep treading water where I am and get promises dangled in front of me like dangling a steak bit in front of a dog begging at the table. The mere increase in salary alone EVEN IF MY RESPONSIBILITIES DON’T CHANGE makes this worth it to me. Plus the benefits are the best you can get in this country period.

    BTW Mom is on a kick: she wants me to BUY a condo.

  84. 84.

    asiangrrlMN

    July 17, 2010 at 2:30 am

    @Yutsano: Why a condo?

    Tastes: You are right, of course. I just sometimes wish I could be a bit more conventional.

  85. 85.

    Yutsano

    July 17, 2010 at 2:31 am

    @asiangrrlMN: There are condos available that are only blocks from my work. So I know what she’s going for here and it’s not a bad idea.

    Where is FH #1? Watching a show about Sydney on TV right now.

  86. 86.

    Anne Laurie

    July 17, 2010 at 2:36 am

    @Yutsano:

    I handed in my letter of resignation today. My boss reacted…not well. I anticipated he’d shit a brick over it, but he wasn’t totally shocked. I told him if a few cards had been played differently this wouldn’t be happening. He wants to discuss it with me when he gets back from a business trip next week. I highly doubt he could offer me anything at this point that could get me to change my mind.

    You’re smart enough not to need my advice, but DON’T fall for whatever ice cream & marshmallows old boss may offer you. He’ll never forget (or allow you to forget) your treachery in doing exactly what every MBA believes is the true path, and he’ll delight in coming up with what he considers creative ways to punish you. Besides, you’re so obviously delighted with the new job and the new move, it’d be a shame to let it go to waste!

  87. 87.

    Yutsano

    July 17, 2010 at 2:40 am

    @Anne Laurie: I told him what my new salary was (which he can’t match) and the location (where I could theoretically transfer to but he doesn’t have the authority to set that up) and he pretty much just folded there. Plus I have to admit the amount of money I could be making in two years is insane. Plus I HATE marshmallows. I’m not changing my mind now.

  88. 88.

    Viva BrisVegas

    July 17, 2010 at 2:54 am

    @asiangrrlMN:

    So, she may actually win for real? That would be so fucking cool. And, surprise surprise about Murdoch. Not.

    She’s currently ahead in the polls. So as the cliche goes, it’s her’s to lose.

    As for the Murdoch papers, they ran a campaign against Kevin Rudd, the previous PM, for the first six months of this year which basically crippled him within his own party, resulting in the elevation of Julia Gillard.

    Hopefully a quick election will not give them enough time to run down Gillard. But it won’t be from want of effort.

  89. 89.

    Yutsano

    July 17, 2010 at 3:01 am

    @Viva BrisVegas: I’m not as familiar with how snap elections work in Australia as opposed to say Canada. One caveat though: a snap election got them Stephen Harper, so there’s possibly a warning there.

  90. 90.

    asiangrrlMN

    July 17, 2010 at 3:09 am

    @Yutsano: I am NOT my hubby’s keeper!

    @Viva BrisVegas: That is most excellent. I am really pulling for her.

  91. 91.

    GeoX

    July 17, 2010 at 3:15 am

    Feh. I love the shit out of Gogol Bordello, and I’ve never blacked out in my life. I’m not even totally sure what that’s meant to be implying. But their music is consistently thrilling, and you can only call them a “novelty band” if you’re using the phrase so broadly that it means essentially nothing.

  92. 92.

    Ecks

    July 17, 2010 at 4:37 am

    @maus:

    Just listened to Lady Gaga’s “Pokerface” for the first time. I want those 3:30 of my life back.

    I’m sure this thread is long dead, but I also was bored to tears by Pokerface, but I do really like “bad romance.” That one has an actual melody, and the video is messed up, but visually arresting. Tried a couple other of her songs but they all seemed boring.

  93. 93.

    Nethead Jay

    July 17, 2010 at 5:48 am

    @moe99: Wow, yes she is, both musically and otherwise. Just spent too much time going from one video to another on Youtube :)

  94. 94.

    El Cid

    July 17, 2010 at 6:05 am

    @demimondian: I take it that the UK didn’t respect the State Department’s waiver of this re-entry restriction?

  95. 95.

    vaux-rien

    July 17, 2010 at 6:52 am

    @El Cid:

    I take it that the UK didn’t respect the State Department’s waiver of this re-entry restriction?

    It seems that they changed their minds. First they asked for assurances from the State Department and then after they got them insisted that they need US or Canadian passports. Apparently the Haudenosaunee passports don’t meet the security criteria.

    Indian Country Today

    Anyway the courts here seem to be demolishing Native sovereignty so I guess you could call it “good law” by that standard. I say it’s completely fucked-up.

  96. 96.

    MMM

    July 17, 2010 at 6:59 am

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LYE8Vjih2cs

  97. 97.

    burnspbesq

    July 17, 2010 at 8:08 am

    @Jager:

    One of the best country records of the last decade was a duet between Paisley and Alison Krauss.

  98. 98.

    dan

    July 17, 2010 at 8:33 am

    Head here for free, straight-up rock & roll. I wasn’t a fan, but as a Petty, Springsteen, Allmans fan, I really like this. 20 songs for FREE!

    http://www.amazon.com/20-10-Digital-Collection-Exclusive/dp/B00367PYKK/ref=dm_ap_alb1

  99. 99.

    Dan

    July 17, 2010 at 8:56 am

    Gogol Bordello is a hit or miss group. I had “Wanderlust King” at #12 on my Best of 2007 list, but earlier this year checked out “Pala Tute” and it didn’t do a thing for me.

    They’re one of those groups (Primus is another one) that has such a distinctive sound even their best songs aren’t immediately accessible. Giving the good stuff a listen a day for several days is probably the best way to ease in. I can see how starting with a full album might cause an overdose.

  100. 100.

    russell

    July 17, 2010 at 9:34 am

    As far as I can tell, the issue is that the Iroquois confederation has no international presence. Which is true.

    Yeah, but they f**king INVENTED LACROSSE. A tiny bit of respect would be cool.

    OK, screw Gogol Bordello and get yer gypsy on.

    Used to play some Kale songs with a Czech buddy of mine. Gypsy music, tangos, and his own cynical weltschmerzy pop tunes, which were actually quite good.

    Vera Bila rocks.

  101. 101.

    New Yorker

    July 17, 2010 at 9:34 am

    the Gogol Bordello’s

    It’s Gogol Bordello. Get it right if you’re going to knock a really cool, innovative band that puts on maybe the best live show I’ve ever seen.

  102. 102.

    frosty

    July 17, 2010 at 9:53 am

    @some other guy: This. I’ll have to remember this one.

  103. 103.

    Steeplejack

    July 17, 2010 at 10:49 am

    @Anne Laurie:

    Agreed. Even if both parties have the best of intentions, there’s way too much potential for (a) “You extorted all these ‘extra’ benefits out of me to get you to stay” and/or (b) “You promised to make it better if I stayed, and it’s not better.” Best to do a Noonan and keep on walking.

  104. 104.

    Corner Stone

    July 17, 2010 at 11:05 am

    @Yutsano: If you’ll take a little advice from me, I’d suggest that once you’ve made up your mind then it should no longer be about the company you’re leaving.
    If you’re leaving for the right reasons, whatever they are, then there’s no point in being anything but gracious on the way out.
    I can’t tell you how many people have been burned by the question, “Would you hire him again?”

    Offers and counteroffers only work if you have equity in the company/firm. If you’re a hired hand then it’s as others have said, nothing more than extortion and betrayal (in their eyes).
    And the worse the boss you have, the worse the betrayal will be to them.

  105. 105.

    dj spellchecka

    July 17, 2010 at 1:59 pm

    honestly not trolling, but as a 61 year white guy who recently listened to the new rick rubin produced gogol bordello album, i can’t fathom the idea of their lyrics being “uncomprehensible”…they made sense to me…

    ps: alcohol might enhance enjoyment, just not sure that rum is the way to go with them

  106. 106.

    Palolo lolo

    July 17, 2010 at 4:15 pm

    It’s like reggae to me- can’t tell where one ends and the next starts. Actually,soap operas do that to me also

  107. 107.

    JGabriel

    July 17, 2010 at 5:23 pm

    John Cole:

    I’m going to make my move in a little bit and try to put on something with … a beat that fat white guys can enjoy.

    Polka?

    .

  108. 108.

    Sheila

    July 18, 2010 at 12:45 am

    I love Gogol Bordello, though I admit I’ve only heard them one song at a time. They sound like Andrei Kudrescu (sp.?) set to music, and that is endearing.

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