Emeryville, Ca. to Chicago

California Zephyr from Manan Desai on Vimeo.


Hey, look. Blog reader Manan -- who may or may not comment on this blog under an alias which I will decline to reveal -- did a neat-o video of his train trip from Emeryville, Ca. to Chicago. He was out here visiting 'Pockets and me for a couple of months, scouring Berkeley archives, crushing it on Wii, and eating all my fruit snacks. Now he's back in A2. Sad. 

The Doodie Family

In reference to the whole murderous, diapered astronaut story that blogger E brought to my attention, our friend Nadine noted the journalistic predilection for strange euphemisms ("maximum-absorbency garments," sayeth CNN). That being the case, what gives, BBC? Has your well run dry? This article--which sister of cold4thestreets brought to light--uses a COMMON AND DEEPLY OFFENSIVE SLUR rather gratuitously, and pretty obviously for laughs. Apparently, said slur, in addition to being a term for a bundle of sticks, is also in Britain the name of a disgusting fruit-of-the-swine-based dish.

I share the article not because I find the repeated use of the term funny. Far from it. This isn't one of those unfortunate examples of earnest journalism turned to putty in this reader's dirty mind. It's evidence that the western world's most revered news institution can be very cheeky in an uncomfortable sort of way, is totally oblivious to how its readers will interpret what it offers as news, or is totally lacking in propriety. I mean, we can't chalk up my qualms to just cultural differences--there is something seriously weird going on here, right? The article is meant to be funny not just because the Doodie family is totally batshit, but because of the word itself and its myriad of meanings. Or am I being too sensitive?

A Peter Bjorn and John Video I Really Like

There is something in the Scandinavian ice water: Annie, Sally Shapiro, Jose Gonzalez, and the Knife are like fruit Mentos for my ears. Now, add to that group current Pitchfork darlings Peter Bjorn and John, whose very catchy and very cute video is below:

Grand Ole Party

So, with the field of GOP hopefuls looking about as presidential as a fresh turd with a "Support the Troops" bumper sticker on it, now comes word of a new movement afoot. A brigade of lobotomized zombies hopes to draft Fred Thompson--former Senator from Tennessee, and, more important, Jack McCoy's boss over at Law and Order (jobs, by the way, which at one point he held simultaneously)--into making a quixotic stab at Bush's LaZBoy. The actor-cum- statesman-cum-irrelevant-lunatic fled Washington a couple of years back, frustrated by all the pork barrel spending, which, it should be noted, inspires no argument here. My feelings about the fruit of the swine are well-documented in these pages, but seriously, a grassroots movement for the guy from Aces: Iron Eagle III? This must be the hubris born of winning a fictional election for Manhattan District Attorney in spite of a Tennesse drawl.

So, now, let's recap. Here're your other hopefuls:

• There's the guy who fought terrorism by looking at the burning embers of the World Trade Center in front of television cameras on September 11th;
  
• The decrepit guy whose face looks like its melting off in slow motion--the same one who's hoping that primary voters in South Carolina have forgotten he adopted a brown baby;
• The gay-loving Mormon: fabulous and decaffeinated;
  
• The dude who wants to be President because he thinks the guy mowing his lawn's plotting to kill his grandchildren;
  
• The Ferris Bueller of the United States Senate;
  
• The guy who fought a savage war against Bill Clinton for favors received from Monica Lewinsky while cotemporaneously receiving the very same favors from his own mistress;
• And the dude who refuses to pay $667 in back taxes on a house some lobbyist bought him in exchange for his soul.
  
• Oh, and probably Chuck Hagel, but Cheney'll off him soon--a little scattershot to the face maybe because, you know, Hagel hasn't had enough of that.

So, that's it, Mr. Gore. Go get 'em.