deepseacatfish

Teh sweet!

That spongebob outfit is terrifying.

Edit: Beaten to it. Still scary though.

Happy birthday to one of VC's finest

I do like quite a bit of Fela Kuti's stuff too.

Definitely not what I'd call tropicalia, but one of my favorites as well.

Gilberto Gil and Caetano Veloso are about all I'm familiar with.

it's stupid to think it's stupid.

Agreed, there are some grand moments on it.

I definitely still listen to In Rainbows, and often. It's exactly the album I hoped they would make.

My choices:

1. OK Computer

2. In Rainbows

3. Kid A

4. The Bends

5. Amnesiac

6. Pablo Honey

7. Hail to the Thief

I thought Hail to the Thief, despite some ecstatic moments, wore off really quickly and seemed unfocused and sprawling and not in a good way. A lot of the songs just fell short of their possibility. OK Computer definitely wins for its cohesion and layering. The Bends and Kid A I like with about equal measure but for entirely different reasons. Amnesiac is spotty, same with Pablo Honey, but I listen to both of them more frequently than the majority of Hail to the Thief.

For the record I started with Pablo Honey.

I have that poster, and it's pretty neat

Whenever I get dragged to karaoke, I threaten to sing "Wuthering Heights." It's an empty threat - I have calculated that I would die of alcohol poisoning long before I would get drunk enough to actually sing it.

Huh, well it's news to me. Good to know though, in case I ever get a bill.

Seems like that should be something that you write into law (and define very, very specifically what kind of rescue operations it applies to) and then proceed with it in future cases.

I think that's pretty reasonable.

I would agree that in cases where reasonable safety measures were ignored the state shouldn't have to foot the bill...but I think those terms need to be defined in advance and the state has to decide what a reasonable amount of money/time/people for a given search is...and then provide that, and charge if extra is requested.

Wacky. I mean I believe it, but in a situation like this it seems a little morally dodgy to me.

I'd rather pay taxes and call it a day. Some people couldn't afford to pay for searches or even that fire call.

Last I saw $3.45/gallon. I don't have to drive anywhere (luckily) so I actually can't remember the last time I spent any of my money on gas. However, my partner has to drive an hour to work everyday...and it's definitely getting expensive for her. Substitute teaching pay doesn't change with gas prices...nor is it particularly extravagant.

I don't really think they ought to do this, though I don't know the legal ground for/against it.

To me it doesn't matter whether they spent more money than they should have, or if she has money, or whatever. If it gets approved it sets the precedent that they could "bill" you for any state provided services. Like if you had a family member who went missing, or if a relative was a criminal and they mounted an expensive man-hunt or whatever. I just think it's not something I'd want to set, regardless of the fiscal issues.

30 year old! Happy birthday, dude!

Happy birthday, man, have a great one

For an extra fee, of their own accord.

That about sums it up right there.

I wouldn't get those plates, and I find plenty of those "specialized" plates to be stupid and a waste of money...but whatever. It doesn't particularly seem like a slippery slope to me, just another way for Americans to express a consumer choice.

Now if it was mandated that you had to have a religious identification on your plates that would be a clear issue.

I checked out the world-class artists and innovators and ummmm, i really must be living under a rock. I'm an artist, have a career as a designer for art museums, and well heavily involved in the arts. I really have no clue who half those people are. Chihuly, Koons, and Coldplay (how coldplay=anything visual has me puzzled as well).

I had heard of both Koons and Chihuly, but the vast majority of those "theme" artists are not people I'm familiar with (or not people I'd really consider to be artists)...ie. Coldplay, Lance Armstrong, Jackie Chan.

I'm not really sure what the deal is with that...and while I'm sure google is trying to cash in on the whole personalization trend I don't know how appealing this is to people...and the choices seem rather limited.

Whatever.

Emily has his Gretsch bass guitar in her room - his mom gave it to her tonight, they took it from his apartment.

I have a tea-pot of my grandmothers sitting on the stove that reminds me of her every day. Sometimes its little things that can hold the most of someone for you.

There's really nothing that can be said to ease this at all, but we're all behind you and here to support you. Emily will do fine, she's got wonderful and caring people supporting her. Just give yourself whatever time and space you need alone or with the ones you love. That's all you can do. My thoughts are with you.

My thoughts go out to you and your family.

1. Damage

2. Moby Octopad

3. Pass the Hatchet I think I'm Good

4. Sugarcube

5. Tom Courtenay

Oblique Strategies, online!!!

I just may be using this in producing my next record.

So cool.

Although I do want the actual physical deck, I do.

I've seen that before, and definitely used it.

Definitely a different approach to composition, though not one I would use exclusively.

Gotta stand by the hometown team.

Didn't feel it here, though I would've been too asleep to really notice anything.

Kinda neat and a little scary at the same time.

Big get well vibes!

Leni Riefenstahl's Triumph of the Will is probably the height of her career. The imagery and symbolism she uses is iconic, disturbing (to us), and utterly seamless. There's a reason the Nazis so highly regarded her.

I don't know if people have mentioned these (as I'm lazy), but for books Gunther Grass is great (though again, now he's a slightly controversial figure since he lied about his involvement in wartime Germany and then later admitted to it). Thomas Mann was one of the better respected early 20th century German writers.

As for modern films, these are fantastic: The Experiment, Good Bye Lenin, The Princess and the Warrior, Run Lola Run. In July. There are plenty of others that I'm forgetting, but Germany has definitely seen a large revival in film. Obviously Wim Wenders and Werner Herzog (already mentioned) are great directors too.

Another interesting one to check out is Baron von Munchhausen (the original German version with Hans Albers). It was made in 1943 as a German extravaganza to keep people's minds off of the war. It's in color and amazing in its scope.

Edit: Also Gerhard Richter, as mentioned is great.