OSIS (the ATL)

LD sez:

I saw John Smoltz, Bobby Cox, Mark Lemke, Dan Kolb, and Ryan Langerhans today at the Braves "Power Lunch" (guy I work with is on the Braves Advisory Board and had free tickets). Also seen was Stu Klitenic (the host of the festivities) and John Kincade of 680 the Fan.

Remarks: Cox was kind of thin skinned at one question from the fans. Smoltz was the most talkative and told the lamest jokes (one was about Jeff Blauser and a pig...). Most of the luncheon was spent talking about Mark Lemke. One weird thing - Just before they went "On the Air", Klitenic said something about how the players and Lemke won't answer any questions about their personal lives or relationships. Klitenic then said that HE didn't mind responding, but definitely no personal questions to LEMKE or the other players (his emphasis). Anything to do with the longtime rumors about the Lemmer? Kincade had the single worst seat in the entire room (far corner, facing away from the panel), which is kind of appropriate, and I wonder if the rival station hosting the luncheon put him there on purpose.

I want to know more about this Jeff Blauser/pig joke. And how much shit did Kolb get?

Hobbyhorse

1) Yeah, just give the fuck up already, Foundation! I mean, why bother to fight the power at all. Bend over and take it like the men you (mostly) are.

Operating often more like a private club than a public agency, the UGA Foundation also fought compliance with the state's open meetings and open records laws.

By this rationale, I believe we can act the Regents to disband as well, can we not? Robert Miller in particular does not like the idea of a new Foundation entirely beholden to Adams spending his money. Comme ca:

Miller said his concerns about the endowment stem from a Deloitte & Touche audit of Adams' spending the foundation commissioned in fall 2003. The audit accused Adams of using donors' money for personal expenses and possibly misappropriating funds.

But give it up, dude. I mean, there's nothing you can do about the fact that Adams is the king of the damn universe. (He's the litigation that was presented as the reason for a closed meeting.) GT and MCG Foundations also didn't meet the deadline set by the Regents, but weren't dissolved.

2) Nelms acquitted.

Jury forewoman Brenda Crumley said fellow panelists voted to acquit mainly because the prosecution presented no physical evidence connecting Nelms to the July 23, 2003, fire

Does UGA still get their arson money? Or did he have to be convicted for that? Even Mauldin doesn't seem pissed about results. Investigation into the fire will not be reopened.

3) If we call him a coot again, can we make some kind of avian flu joke?

4) Despite my not liking the decision to hire Giese and fire Simpson, she does still have to rule according to the law, and I don't think there's any way these lawyers are going to win their case, which they probably expect, given that they're prepared for such.

5) Mourning, but so hottt. That is, this is kind of a chest-emphasizing shot to use for a memorial ceremony.

6) Economic development plan for Oconee County includes 316, strip malls, drankin'.

7) Jim Crow laws symbolically removed from the books.

8) I do agree with this fella that public transportation is much more important to invest in than bike lanes. Again, bikes are a totally valid method of transportation, but the dollars would affect more people if directed to public transit.

9) Dude. Someone stole Conrad Fink's car. Maybe it was Yarbrough?

Fink said he had a good day Wednesday when he spoke at the Honors Day convocation, but his day wasn't so good Thursday after the theft of his car.

"There is an eternal balance in life," Fink said, regarding the events of the two days.

10) The guy trying to reduce freshman car use is named Wheeler. Oh the irony. At least it's not Terry Hummer.

10) Puff piece on Uga VI. But who can resist?

[bugmenot ABH; bugmenot AJC]

Average It Up (U.S. edition)

1) Mudvayne, "Happy?" -- Once you've heard Mortiis, Mudvayne is a like a dream. It's not all that hard, and it's got pop in it. But that doesn't exactly make it interesting. Not hating life while listening to it combined with the genre in which it's working adds up to a 3. [streaming on their site]

2) Nelly feat. Snoop, "Errtime" -- Eh, I really don't think it's hooky enough, and I thought the same about "Goodies," so the amount to which it steals the beat from that is incidental. Must acknowledge Sandler cameo at end of video, which I am amused by. Nelly can do better than this; it's sort of middle-of-the-road ass-shaking and hot cars and a rhythm you can probably dance to, but it's not more than that. 4. [video streaming here]

3) The Used and My Chemical Romance, "Under Pressure" -- Note: You, my friend, are not David Bowie. And you are not Freddie Mercury. And none of you are really up to doing this song. Imagine the original, only less well done, with much thinner vocals and no real sense of excitement. Plus, the bass is scaled considerably back, which, if you're going to do a fairly faithful cover, why? The song itself is still good, but bleh. 2, at least partially out of annoyance. [no linky for free; iTunes has it, if you want to pay to hear this]

4) Mariah Carey, "We Belong Together" -- Aw. This is more typical Mariah than "It's Like That" was, and it's not really very exciting. I know the Stylus folks seem to like it more than I do. The way she delivers the titular line is good, but the rest of it is not very focused (aside from the piano; the piano is good too). Not really my kind of R&B, I think. 4. (video on her site)

5) Squeak E. Clean feat. Karen O., "Hello Tomorrow" -- A little piece of fluffy nothing, tailored to indie sensibilities, but damn if it doesn't work. I like it quite a bit, and I sort of don't want to. The Mariah song, previously, is an example of something not quite tailored to someone's voice, but this uses Karen O's hoarse girlishness really nicely. It also holds up without the neat visual accompaniment and is short. Plus, me lieben der glockenspiel. 7. [do I need to link it? You've seen the Adidas ad. No doubt you know the song.]

6) Kanye West, "Diamonds" -- Covered but not rated. For all the general hating on the "for evah evah" bit, that remains my favorite part of the song. 7.

Sweet Jesus, spare me

You know what would be more worthwhile than this article? A full-page ad for the Remington beard trimmer. That, at least, would not use the word "clippety." Quite honestly, I'm not sure how much more I can take of the NYT culture coverage. Does this top the "man date"? That would be difficult. It is comparably nausea-inducing, tho. [bugmenot]

Throwback

Elizabeth Kolbert's first in a three-part series of articles on global warming for The New Yorker is much like the massive stuff they used to run once upon a time and don't often anymore. It is serious, but lightly written and packed with interesting details, not to mention the specter of the author trudging over ice in remote regions of the world, wearing long underwear and two pairs of gloves. Check this, for example:

Sea ice in the Arctic comes in two varieties. There is seasonal ice, which forms in the winter and then melts in the summer, and perennial ice, which persists year-round. To the untrained eye, all sea ice looks pretty much the same, but by licking it you can get a good idea of how long a particular piece has been floating around. When ice begins to form in seawater, it forces out the salt, which has no place in the crystal structure. As the ice gets thicker, the rejected salt collects in tiny pockets of brine too highly concentrated to freeze. If you suck on a piece of first-year ice, it will taste salty. Eventually, if the ice survives, these pockets of brine drain out through fine, vein-like channels, and the ice becomes fresher. Multiyear ice is so fresh that if you melt it you can drink it.

Even if you are lazy or anti-science, I would suggest you read. She is not dogmatic, but she creates a picture that needed to be put before us, even if the Simpsons, as usual did it first and more concisely.

"I'm sinking in the lake!"
"You mean, you're walking on the glacier."

Bluck

So, you know how I don't really like to pull a Jon Stewart all that often and say that things are "hurting America"? Well, Fire Mountain Grill is. Or is just symptomatic of the hurt that already exists. What does it profit a man if he pay $5.99 for all-you-can-eat at lunch only to gorge himself on cheap, chewy, horrible steak and ribs? I am not opposed to cheap food. I ate a hamburger from Wendy's last night, and it was good. But this? Chris pointed out that its location across from the Walmart was about the most appropriate thing ever. The Texas toast is good. That is it. And, brothers and sisters, it is hard to fuck up toast grilled with a shitload of butter on it.

Here is a newsflash

You are nerds.

What is worse than bringing a towel to a screening of Hitchhiker's Guide? Holding a debate about whether doing so is too nerdy. What? Are the other people in line gonna give you a wedgie if they think you're uncool? Bring your towel if you want to bring your fucking towel.

Hobbyhorse

1) Foundation didn't agree on a response yesterday. And ooh!

But the foundation meeting was less collegial, with trustees often raising their voices loudly enough to be heard from the hallway outside. At one point someone in the room yelled, "Give it up. You are not going to get rid of Mike Adams. Just give it up."

Meeting again on Tuesday. ABH article on same fronts and centers Otis Brumby's comments that they are once again violating open meetings laws ("in letter and in spirit"). R&B has editorial against this practice. AJC letter writer (last one) proposes all trying for position of public trust (e.g., foundation members) take a polygraph wrt their aims. ABH editorial suggests having multiple foundations would make us a laughingstock, goes for reality TV jokes (we'd watch it). Major props to Anne Slocumb, who asks what in the hell Adams has really done for UGA anyway? Could we maybe get one damn editorial or article that suggests this? Clearly a lot of people feel similarly, and for many, it's not based on the Dooley thing at all. How about a poll of UGA staff, for example? R&B sort of explains, from the Foundation's perspective, why they didn't sign the memo the Regents wanted them to (i.e., they were receiving conflicting information).

2) No verdict yet for Nelms.

During the trial, attorneys did not much dispute whether Nelms set the fire that caused about $17 million in damages to the library on July 23, 2003, but in closing arguments Tuesday, prosecuting and defense attorneys described entirely different reasons for the blaze.

Ahem. Isn't whether or not he really set the fire pretty crucial? And here we go. Finally.

Though UGA is self-insured for up to $3 million for fire damages, Brown suggested that the arson charge was contrived because that was the only way the university could recoup from insurance companies the balance of the $17 million in losses.

We were wondering why? This is why, contrived or not.

3) Reed says he plans to reach out to Democrats and independents in his Lieut. Gov. race.

However, not all of the 200 people who turned out to hear Reed were Republicans who support his 2006 bid for lieutenant governor.

"We wanted to see if he emanated evil," Ashley Beebe, a freshman from Snellville, said before Reed's speech. Afterwards, she added: "I don't necessarily agree with what he said, but he came across in a very well-educated manner."

So is that a yes or a no on the emanating?

4) Note: ABH takes a much better photo.

5) Mauldin plans to seek death penalty in trailer slaying case. What? So he can say he's the one who broke the streak? ACC is 0 for 9.

6) Historic district building and renovations fees went up last year; people are starting to notice, and they're annoyed (it was a big jump). If I'd been allowing people to tear down historic buildings all over the damn place, ACC, I might try to be a little more careful about my image.

7) Your gas bill's base charge won't be going up.

Instead of recognizing the company's estimates that its revenue is $24 million less than what it needs from bill payers, the PSC instead decided the company is actually making $21.9 million more than what the board feels customers should pay for.

8) Johnathan's got a letter re: the Heidi-judge controversy, but dude, even though Quick didn't phrase her objections all that well, isn't the problem that Simpson was in fact enforcing the laws as written (which is not all that clearly), and what Heidi wanted was a judge who would go beyond them?

[bugmenot ABH; bugmenot AJC]

Police Blotter (more technical terms)

The Oconee Blotter was surprisingly lackluster this week, but we missed this little report in the regular section:

A "ruckus" ensued when a Jefferson woman told a man who came to her Lebanon Church Road home Friday that he couldn't stay there, Jackson County sheriff's deputies reported.

After the woman declined the man's request to stay, he protested, went into a bedroom and attacked a man who was sleeping, according to an incident report. After the attack, the suspect stepped outside and told the man to do the same, and he obliged - with a baseball bat in hand, deputies said.

However, the suspect struck the man in the arm with an iron rod and the victim went inside the residence, deputies said. The suspect then threw the rod and struck a glass sliding door, according to the report.

A second woman dialed 911, but the suspect pulled the telephone chord and the phone struck her in the mouth, deputies said. The suspect left the scene in a 2002 silver Acura.

Nope, not a documentary about mess cooks in Iraq

PBS's attempt at a competitive reality show, Cooking Under Fire, ain't bad. Sure, it looks like my grandma shot it with a video camera that cost about $20, but the cooking is kind of interesting and the judges are looking to reward innovation. First competition was "do something with an egg in ten minutes." This dude made a custard. Everyone else scrambled or poached or omeletted. I would say he's already got a good shot at going all the way because he has skills and creativity. A lot of the competitors think they have the latter, but haven't shown it yet. Bitching about how limited an egg is? Not the way to start off.

Hulagu

Could he defeat Galchenkos in a fight? Discuss.

You may do your research here, in Ian Frazier's NYer article about this fella, responsible for a great sack of Baghdad and Ghengis Khan's grandson. Here is a small excerpt that may pique your interest:

In battle, a historian wrote, “the Mongols made the fullest use of the terror inspired by their physique, their ugliness, and their stench.” Mongols were narrow-waisted and small-footed, with big heads. They shaved their hair short on the backs and tops of their heads and left it long at the sides. Custom forbade them from ever washing their clothes. Also contributing to their smell might have been their diet, which at certain times of the year was mainly mare’s milk. On marches when there wasn’t time to milk, Mongol riders would open a vein in their horses’ necks and drink the blood, either straight or from a pouch. Mongols were especially fond of fermented mare’s milk, called kumis. Many Mongol nobles died young from drunkenness. After victories, Mongols sometimes celebrated by drinking kumis while sitting on benches made of planks tied to the backs of their prisoners.

They also had a great postal service.

Possible explanations

1. Katie Holmes is gay as all get out. Ladies who like ladies, add another notch to your belt.

2. Scientology demands procreation. Katie's womb is young and welcoming.

3. Batman Begins opens June 15. War of the Worlds opens June 29. Together, they plan on ruling that two-week stretch like the monarchs of old.

Movie Diary (so the drama)

Epidemic: Early Von Trier, more in the vein of The Element of Crime and Zentropa than some of his more recent films and very, very slow at times, like those other two films. Howevs, ultimately worth watching, especially if you like him to begin with. You will, as usual, feel toyed with like a little mousie. And you will probably both enjoy this feeling and hate it; also, you can never tell when he's up to what. There are things you can pick out as trademarks that will show up later, most especially resemblances to The Kingdom, The Five Obstructions, and Dogville (this last pointed out by Mr. Brown, who noted that both films make you feel like an asshole for wanting what you want, but then they also give it to you). But there are also long stretches where nothing happens and it is an effort to get through. And there are bits that are quite funny (Danes apparently do that "you talkin' to me?" thing in the mirror too). I also like Von Trier himself as a personality, and he seems to be playing himself (or close enough) in this. Another thing that's perennially interesting about his work is that, despite its complexity, he often doesn't seem to think things out all that carefully, leading to impulsive decisions and weird for the sake of weird (the title of the movie remains onscreen in the upper left corner, in red--the movie itself is black and white--almost the entire time). This shouldn't work, but it often does because it leads to a playful feel; he's not being strange to impress you, but rather to amuse himself.

Know this

I have a relatively irrational hatred of Alicia Keys, but (or and?) I am directing you to Copy, Right?'s posting of this vocoder-mad cover of "Falling," which is so way better than the original to me and possibly is even if you don't dislike that song. Y'all will have to let me know on that count.

Hobbyhorse

1) Foundation meets today, basically to decide whether to turn over control of the endowment to UGA or not. i.e., Will they roll over completely, or will displeasure of some members be heard? Question is proportion of folks on either side. There are 55 members on the board, and some of them are happier than others.

"We had a good discussion about the issues that are before us," Courts said. "We are all firmly in agreement that we want to do what's best for the University of Georgia. We will take these ideas we discussed (Tuesday) to the board (today)."

Yes, but people think different things are best for the university, and some of them think the ouster of Adams would be one of those things, inclining them to make trouble. None of this is to say, of course, that the Foundation isn't equally as dildo-ish as the Regents, as Shipp makes clear. R&B has editorial telling students to care, which a) who says they don't? and b) why should they? Writing an anti-apathy editorial is about as hard as Kirstie Alley's ass, kids. Pick a new concern. AJC has an article about how there can be only one board to have real credibility, but R&B article says UVA has more than 20. Cynthia Tucker says the whole thing is hurting UGA's reputation.

2) Sometimes you do not want to be referred to as a "regular."

3) Nelms's attorney rests without a defense. I'm not sure this is such a hot idea, even if the prosecution didn't prove their case. Any legal perspectives on why he might choose not to other than "in yo face" equivalent, esp after testimony from fire expert that sounds pretty convincing (as far as fire being intentionally set, not as far as who set it)?

4) Commission and school board apparently not mad at each other any more. I kind of doubt this. Tensions will flare up again at some point.

5) ABH gives props re youth crime bill.

6) Community Protection Division and quality-of-life ordinances are part of the American Dream? Also, this dude doesn't want ACC raising water rates.

[bugmenot ABH; bugmenot AJC]

Thought that counts?

The thought is really nice, and the execution ain't bad either. But the photo from the AJC? Oy vey. You might not want to make it look like the dude on the left is groping Dooley's genitals, leading to an expression of sweet, transcendent joy on Vince's face. [bugmenot]

Dude!

1) This would be a valuable addition to my life and household.

2) But what does it bode? Has a replacement one been made? Is this one cracked or developing glaucoma? Has a member departed us? I see that Hasil Adkins has died. Perhaps it was his.

[Link found at Teaching the Indie Kids to Dance Again, which has a song from the new Sufjan Stevens up in the same post. It's got "Close to Me" all over it, which is unexpected.]

Note

There is some new stuff in the sidebar. New columns, new record reviews, my expression of mad love for Of Montreal, things like that.

Uck

I try not to fear change. And yet, sometimes change is bad. And other times, some things about it are good (or at least acceptable) and other things are bad. Which is the case with The New Yorker mucking with its format again. This is specifically in regard to the front matter, the listings of art exhibits and music acts and such. First, the movies have been moved to the middle. This is not so bad. Second, the events of interest picked out in various categories that recently started appearing at the beginning of the section have been expanded and there is a section at the end with more that will be coming up. This leaves less space for actually listing events. I know I'm not there, and I'm not going to go to any of this stuff, but I still like to read it. I've been annoyed enough with the encroachment of the "photography" section of the art listings on the "gallery" section, which includes lots of painting and sculpture, which I care more about. Third and worst, the design of these sections and also of the new highlighted bits (e.g., SFJ's popnote) is ugly. The leading is huge, leading one to think they've been stretched to fill space, space that could be used for more listings. Also, not all the highlighted bits are done the same way. There are ones on classical music and food that retain their original format (run in with the rest of the text, separated from it by bars). So it's also not consistent. It makes it messier, not sleeker, and it makes it look like your less literary magazines that screw with font sizes and layout all over the place (like Jane or something, which is not to say that Jane is bad; it's pretty good for a chick mag; it's just that it's not about the writing so much as the content and that pictures are much more important).

Movie Diary (delight)

I Heart Huckabees: Honestly, I didn't expect to like this tons, what with seriously mixed reviews and people slinging the word "pretentious" around and my mixed feelings about Russell as a director (Spanking the Monkey is dated by now, Flirting with Disaster a touch overrated, Three Kings absolutely incredible) and his whole "I'm insane" behavior surrounding the release of the film and profiles about him. There was much swirling around it. But I did; like it tons, that is. I think it's one of the best films that came out last year. I think it's beautiful and interesting and well-acted and (nervous pause) profound. I think it expresses a philosophy of life that is a good one, and it does so with a very light touch. Not everything works. I think the Naomi Watts subplot doesn't quite, and I find Jude Law not quite up to par sometimes (though at others, grimly striding through the office, his face falling, he's great). Mr. Brown thinks it's more on the level of Napoleon Dynamite, being kind of fun and funny, but unsuccessful at doing much more. And I'm not sure entirely why I disagree, but I have to. I feel it somehow deep in my heart that it does do what it sets out to and should even provide comfort to its viewers. I think the absurdist humor snaps right into discussions of being and essence and fits with the view espoused by the end that everything is connected through it all meaning nothing and that this very lack of inherent meaning requires an effort to create such in the world. I also think I could watch Jason Schwartzman in anything and that he might be the actor of his generation. He's a bit like Hoffman, really, and it's funny to watch them playing around. I don't know what else to say. Anyone?

Galchenkos!

That translates as "awesome." Not literally, but metaphorically.

Rather as with the monster truck freestyle experience, Team Brown caught ESPN's broadcast of the WJF (that's World Juggling Federation) competition on ESPN2 last night and initially mocked it before being completely sucked into the events. It helped that Penn Jillette was one of the commentators; he should be recruited into such for other (I hesitate to say) sports. Most announcers are so damn reverential, but he drops snark like it's rice at a wedding. So, partially there was much entertainment from listening to him (and his partner in analysis, whose name I don't know because he's some kind of juggling dude) rag on everyone who was not a Galchenko. And this because they are ay-maaazing. The profile linked just there contains a good bit of humor, but it is humor with grains of truth in it. This does make it sound like they're juggling robots though, and while they are perfect (they didn't drop a single club in their incredibly difficult routine), they also seem to enjoy themselves much more than robots would. Unless they were really intelligent, emotively enabled robots, which maybe they are.

They also have a webpage. Please, please, please go and click on "About Us" and then look for the link in the bottom righthand corner of the photo. I reiterate: Galchenkos = awesome.

Hobbyhorse

1) ABH catches up, headlining the story "UGA Donors Steadily Dropping."

"I have supported and worked with every (UGA) president," from Omer Aderhold to Fred Davison, Henry Stanford and Charles Knapp, Knox said. "I do not have confidence in the leadership of Michael Adams."

Giving money to UGA, Knox said, is like investing. "You want to invest with organizations that are well-led," he said.

See? Foundation will maintain what little control it has over the $475 million endowment, making things collar-tuggingly awkward. But don't worry; Adams says we'll have no problem reaching that $500 million goal from the capital campaign, and:

Adams said he still supports the Regents' decision instructing the University to cut ties with the Foundation, and even if enough donors withdrew their support, he said he would not consider resigning.

"I think when I decide to leave, it will be my decision," he said

Or, cough, your bosses'? R&B opinions editor says boot them all!

2) Bla bla. Reiteration of the fact that Meredith's not fired. We reiterate, "yet." (R&B says he should be allowed to keep his job.)

3) Rev. Jackson to organize big-ass protest in Atlanta if Voting Rights Act of '65 not renewed.

4) Perdue signed Youth Crime Bill in Athens and made bad jokes on the courthouse steps. Title of bill is worrisome, but actual legislation (Kempified, too) seems sensible and, dare I say, compassionate.

5) ABH sees moving of nonpartisan elections date as having some drawbacks, but so did the original July date.

6) Oh, snap.

7) AJC letter says Perdue and Adams both suck:

Gov. Sonny Perdue's condoning of University of Georgia President Michael Adams' strong-arm tactics and his arrogant, puppetlike Board of Regents will be an albatross around the governor's neck when re-election time rolls around.

Perdue has refused to hear the staff, alumni (60,000 strong signed a petition delivered last year to the Capitol) and the UGA Foundation regarding Adams and the board, and he continues to be a strong supporter of both. Frankly, we've had enough of Perdue, Adams, Board of Regents member Donald Leebern Jr. and Chancellor Thomas Meredith.

More of this, please.

8) Polls show public has mixed feelings on general assembly's session.

9) Article is interesting on its own, but incredibly full beard on a 17-year-old is distracting.

10) This photo essay on university employees is valuable. Maybe it should be sent out to every state representative who would oppose that measly 2 percent raise.

[bugmenot ABH; bugmenot AJC]

This is just right

Your Linguistic Profile:

50% General American English

30% Dixie

20% Yankee

0% Midwestern

0% Upper Midwestern

What Kind of American English Do You Speak?

Considering my origins. French mom, Yankee dad, born and raised in Atlanta (which is Southern, but not all that Southern compared to the areas outside it). (from Chris, who is 80% general, 10% Dixie, and 10% Yankee)

Average It Up (U.K. edition)

Holy Christ. 15 singles?

1) Rooster, "You're So Right for Me" -- The clip is more than enough to judge by. Not interesting. Weak white-boy rock that doesn't even steal properly from the Stones and the like. 2. (clips on their site)

2) Battle, "Isabelle" -- Can only hear a clip of this one as well, but this is a case where I'd like to hear more. On the other hand, I'm being told it gets worse after the first 30 seconds. But I don't know where the clip is from. I think it's kind of cute in its vaguely post-punk way, since it's pretty singy (more than chanty). Hazarding a guess at a 5. (XFM will let you hear the clip)

3) Mortiis, "Decadent and Desperate" -- The extra "i" is for "incredibly and hilariously lame." The video is kind of worth watching for amusement value (they're both singing? really? is that why the troll/doppelganger tied him up? so they could perform a duet?). The song itself is boring as hell, and this is with a dance beat, mind you. 1. (video link on their site)

4) Black Rock feat. Debra Andrews, "Bluewater" -- Meh. Generic club stuff. Not hating life while listening, but not interested at all in listening to again. 2. (video)

5) Athlete, "Half Light" -- The only thing I actually like about this is the bendy keyboard tone that isn't a very big part of the song, but I'm not sure there's anything I specifically hate about it. Not worthy of hatred. Just very sensitive and English. 3. (video here)

6) Destiny's Child, "Girl" -- covered.

7) Raw Bud vs. Roni Size ft. Sweetie Irie, "Rise Up!" -- Bleh. Mixing genres can be interesting, but is not automatically so. I don't think this works. Also, punk songs have got to be fucking unbelievably good for me to wait around for almost 4 minutes. This is not. 2. (video here)

8) The Tears, "Refugees" -- Melodrama indeed, but well done. Too much kissy-kissy in the video and an overly romantic attitude on the whole, but pretty vocals and a solid melody will take you a long way. 5. (video here)

9) Ludacris, "Number One Spot" -- Dude. I could've sworn I'd already covered this, but Blogger search finds nothing. I'm not crazy about it. Too slow. Something rubs me the wrong way about it. Luda's slipped a lot of late. 3. (video on his site)

10) Lindsay Lohan, "Over" -- Also thought I'd mentioned this. Much better than "Rumors." Great chorus and kickoff. Verse bit is a little lacking, but still it's pretty thoroughly hook-filled. I also like the way she says "ho-ver" instead of "over" occasionally. Props, LinLo. I am inclined to give this a 7, but it might only be a 6. (listen and watch here)

11) Bloc Party, "Banquet" -- So, uh, the more I hear this, the more I like it. I may still be underwhelmed on the whole, but will admit this is a fine song. Maybe the rest of their stuff is too. Fast-paced, doesn't wuss on the drums, vocals don't try to soar too much but also aren't wound too tight and inward. 8, motherfuckers. (video at NME in real)

12) Le Tigre, "After Dark" -- Have only managed to access the NDB disco remix, and have no idea how different it is from the song unvarnished. I dunno. Le Tigre never quite click with me, though they should. I think her voice just bothers me too much. They are too sharp-edged. I'm sure Chris has things to say in favor, but I think it mostly sounds like someone yelling at me over a retrelectro beat. 3. (listen to the remix here)

13) Clor, "Love + Pain" -- Covered, but not rated. 6.

14) Helen Love, "Debbie Loves Joey" -- It took some effort to locate, but is absolutely worth it. Most classic song structure, jam-packed with sounds. It moves. Too cute for some, but name-dropping might cut that a little. I can deal with cute. 7 with glimpses of higher; the instrumental bits are slightly preferred to the singing bits, but not for the fault of the singer. (mp3 here)

15) Snoop/Justin, "Signs" -- Covered, but not rated. Another 6.

He's not a calculating kind of guy

Should have linked this yesterday, when the Red & Black ran their draft day special, but I did particularly enjoy the article on Odell Thurman, specifically this bit:

He said it was the second biggest day of his life. The first: a combination of the two days when each of his two sons were born.

Dude. Fractal geometry is not required, but counting to two might come in handy sometimes.

Hobbyhorse

1) Board of Regents has not fired Meredith? Yet? AJC op-ed expresses surprise that Adams is still around ("uncanny political skills" indeed; what would lead you to believe otherwise?) and pins it all on Perdue. We also learn that Meredith is "huggable." Opposing side provided by no less than Wooten, chair of Regents:

I respectfully request that the Board of Regents be allowed to follow its policies and procedures and also adhere to state statutes protecting personnel rights. For the job he's done for Georgia, the chancellor deserves at least that, if not much more.

Ooh! That is some framing of the issue.

2) Perdue still not saying where he is on signing statewide smoking ban. Methinks he'll let the time expire and pass it automatically. He had no problem signing the Voter ID bill.

3) Ugh. We hate to say good things about Barrow and are suspicious of anything with bipartisan support, but on first look, this seems like a good bill. Ha! But he doesn't contribute to the tip jar (last item). Aw, but he does show up for jury duty.

4) Looky here. There's no evidence aside from Nelms's semi-coerced confession? No insanity defense planned.

5) Possible mayoral candidates. Also, commission acting bored, admitting it's not an election year. Signs popping up all over saying "Dump Heidi."

6) We are assured that the Regents aren't kidding wrt the Foundation this time. ABH thinks Adams shouldn't keep any old members with new Foundation, but, of course, he will. And what will be the result of all this? Chances are, funds will be lost. How much? Take a looksee. Oh, did that other headline say two? Make it six. R&B doesn't like Foundation thinking it has any clout either, points the way straight to hell in handbasket. John Knox suggests some modifications to the new version.

7) So that's, uh, two people so far who don't like festivals downtown because they lose retail money (because their shoppers can't use their feet rather than their wheels).

8) Non-partisan elections will have to be in November, rather than July, due to hidden provision in Voter ID bill.

9) Good luck filling that position.

10) Props! Thompson. Money. Mouth.

11) Shipp thinks teachers are entirely won over by sweet talk rather than results and will stick with Perdue.

[bugmenot ABH; bugmenot AJC]

Those eye clamps totally hurt too

I think the real question here isn't whether there's going to be a few vigilantes who switch off TV sets. The question is, what right do airports and bank managers have to force us to watch TV in public places?

That should be all you need to read. If you must must must see what else Adbusters editor-in-chief has to say, you can go here. I'm totally not encouraging you to throw a pie at him either, but I might point out that civil disobedience can work both ways.

Look, you douches

Progressive Democrats for America is now arguing that Dean has changed his stance on the war or something because he admits we're stuck in Iraq and hopes things go well. Does this sound like a dude who loves war?

"The president has created an enormous security problem for the United States where none existed before. But I hope the president is incredibly successful with his policy now that he's there."

This is the same argument he made throughout the campaign. This Q&A from 2004 shows that pretty clearly. e.g.,

DEAN: We can't do that. We cannot lose the peace in Iraq. This situation was created by Bush, who ignored the greater danger in Iran and North Korea and Al Qaida at home to do it. This was a mistake, this war. And the president's gotten into it, now we're going to have to get out of it. But if we leave Iraq to chaos, Al Qaida may move in, if we leave Iraq to a fundamentalist Shiite regime with Iranian influence, we will be in both circumstances worse off than we were when Saddam Hussein was president.

On the other, other hand, a quick look around PDA's website shows no accusations of flip-flopping. Am I missing it? Or did the copywriter insert that?

Average It Up (U.S. edition)

1) Howie Day, "Collide" -- Have been hearing it and mildly hating it for some weeks now, catching it, e.g., on VH1 while staying home to wait for a package and doing ironing. But should I? It's not a totally awful little nugget of calculatedly swoony cutie boy sincerity. But it's also not adventurous. If he cut a minute out (4:08? Are you kidding me?), he might reach a 4, but it goes on too long to pull more than a 3, albeit a relatively solid one. [Howiefan.com has media player with video]

2) Gorillaz, "Feel Good Inc." -- It is not a "Clint Eastwood," but it has nice bass and is generally appealing. The video has got a touch of Murakami (or possibly Katsuhiro Ôtomo). It will most likely grow on me for a while, but not as much as if I had a video game system on which it streamed constantly. Um, 5? [video here]

3) Backstreet Boys, "Incomplete" -- Note to Kmart: you might want to move those seriously outdated B-Boys 8.5 x 11" framed pix back up to the front of the store and mark up again. This is huge, kind of like it could be over the credits of a Spiderman movie, but better because of their non-gravelly voices. It is a bit power ballady for me, but I lurve the piano, and the largeness is cool. I can't say for sure whether it's a bonafide comeback or not, but I can say that it should be. 6. And that is saying a lot. I may ramp it back down to a 5 tomorrow, but now I'm impressed. (launch the jukebox on their site)

4) Black-Eyed Peas, "Don't Phunk with My Heart" -- The beat, which totally has a Beatles tone to it, is good, but the melody hardly exists and the vocals are mixed way too low. I also think I may hate the video, which I usually would not; the narrative is interfering with the song. On the other hand, I'm a fan of "Where Is the Love?" so you can pretty much disregard my opinion. 4 because I like the syncopation. (linked on their site)

5) 50 Cent, "Just a Lil' Bit" -- "Big Pimpin'" meets Pete Townshend's "A Little Is Enough" should result in best evs, but you can't discount the deadening effect of Fitty. Can't you get excited about anything, dude? Has anyone written the inevitable article yet propounding that 50 Cent is the anti-Lil' Jon? Not catchy. Not interesting. Not entirely hatable either. Video is same old, same old: bikinis, ass, diamonds, drugs, narrative involving all the above. 3. (launchable from his site)

6) Ashanti, "Don't Let Them" -- Purty and bassy. Not revolutionary, but nice to listen to. Compared to Tweet, I think this is better, since Ashanti's voice has more range and depth, even when they're both doing kind of breathy and high-pitched. T-storm stuff is strange and startling. Hard to rate, as I probably wouldn't seek it out, but it's still well done. 5, to ride the middle. (watchable on Def Jam's site)

Translation, in brief

I have recently actually seen an episode again. [bugmenot]

Watch Me

Heather Havrilesky has been telling you to watch this for weeks. I am only now complying. It is, in fact, amazingly compelling. Not quite the TV parallel to Infinite Jest,* but its illustration of addiction is comparable at times. It will both make your heart hurt for these people and be incredibly good TV. This is really hard to pull off. I tend to shy away from things I think will be depressing art, but I could not flip away from this, despite the amount of pain and loneliness that is shown. It's not about gloating. It is a little about voyeurism. But it is just as much about human connection, about the real need that exists to reach out to people. And it does all this without coming off as preachy. I do not know if it's exploiting its subjects (probably) or if that exploitation is a bad thing or justified by the ends (of which there are more than one). I do know you should probably watch it. [official site here]

*What I mean here is that it's parallel in its focus on addiction, not in its own addictive quality, though both are valid readings.

Movie Diary (a warning you don't need)

Taxi: Look, I know you don't want to see this and, therefore, there's not a ton of point to warning you away from it. But in case you did, you probably don't. This is not to say it didn't contain some amusing moments, occasionally courtesy of Mr. Jimmy Fallon, who I wouldn't call myself a fan of (not that I irrationally hate him either; I'm just sort of indifferent and don't really think he's cute), but more that these amusing moments, even when combined with pretty good car chase stuff, do not make the mess of the film worth your time. I might be wanting to say here that, if this is the fella directing Fantastic Four, you might want to glance at reviews before buying your ticket. Then again, it is probably more the script at fault, since most of those moments of brief enjoyableness seem either visual or improvised. Latifah is refreshing as usual and does the best she can with her character. There is also a semi-random Jeff Gordon cameo and GQ (I've expressed my love before) has a teeny role.

Her nickname was minivan?

In case you didn't notice yesterday, there is noise about the new Kanye and a date and a song floating around that's based off "Diamonds Are Forever." It has a funny example of the bad-singing trope that is so one of the things going on in hip hop right now. And a pretty hot beat. I am not the person to ask about this really because I'm such a fan. PF might jerkily call him "completely humble," but I maintain the cocky little fuck can back it up. For evah evah.

Hobbyhorse

1) Meredith outie! And not of his own doing. Summary:

The development caps a tumultuous 12 months for Meredith, in which he clashed with Gov. Sonny Perdue over University System funding and angered some regents by seeking other employment because they were tardy with his supplemental pay. For months, regents have privately expressed concerns about Meredith's leadership and ability to move the system forward.

Seems more about the looking elsewhere and pay disputes, but importance of his suggestion to raise tuition when Perdue didn't like it probably can't be overlooked. You know what's more embarrassing than your university system head looking around for a new job? Firing a dude who's still getting over injuries from a really serious car crash. Round of applause. Also:

Should Meredith leave he would still be eligible to receive 90 percent of his current $294,000 state salary for one year and 60 percent the second year, under a University System policy that allows chancellors and presidents to stay on the payroll as consultants. Portch has received about $450,000 from the system since he left in 2001. State legislators were outraged when they learned of the policy last year, but it has not been changed.

I think that last sentence could sum up a lot of state government.

2) So that dissolving the Foundation and forming a new one thing? Already paying off big-time. Howevs, this time the Regents made sure to get the UGA trademark. ABH says Regents are taking a step in the right direction but not going far enough, refers to the Foundation "kick[ing]" Adams around. Well, who's still on the scene and who's not? That might provide a clue as to whose foot was doing the kicking. R&B has reactions from administrators and faculty members, who sound pretty clueless. New foundation to be more streamlined and aggressive about development, according to Adams.

Earlier in the day, Adams held a closed meeting in the Georgia Center for Continuing Education with about 90 University administrators, academic heads, development officers and student leaders.

The meeting was closed because it was not a policy making body, said Steve Bell, a University spokesman.

And, uh, "because we can. Nanny nanny boo boo."

3) Judge in Nelms trial denies request for mistrial. This sucks though:

In testimony Wednesday, Williamson admitted he used deception while interviewing Nelms because everything pointed toward him as the likely suspect, and the law allows officers to lie to exact confessions during questioning.

Reason for mistrial makes one understand why it was denied, though. Supposedly requested on basis of new evidence, but to my mind, it's evidence that could very well help the defense.

4) No plans to honor Dooley with ridiculous legislation in 06. Yet.

5) Haines trial coming up. Why is Gwinnett County Solicitor involved?

6) Water and sewer rates indeed to go up, by 5%. No further specifics on what exactly funds will go to. Jordan not happy with speedy pace bc public doesn't understand what they're doing.

7) Drop/add officially back to four days for most students.

Some council members said the new policy was necessitated by student abuses of the system and claimed some students use the drop/add period to "shop for classes."

How dare they be allowed to get some idea of what a course is like before having to be committed to it!

8) This headline is really striking me funny. Ah, the sweet breeze of diversity.

9) Adams doesn't dirty himself with talking to a student-run newspaper.

10) Out-of-state student points out that R&B does not generally give much credence to the woes her kind suffers from tuition increases, since theirs are not covered by HOPE.

[bugmenot ABH; bugmenot AJC]

Meme

5 things I hate that everyone else loves (passed on via email from JD, who hates Led Zeppelin, roses, golden retrievers, the novels of Barbara Kingsolver, and Easter):

1. Bananas, except when mentioned in songs by Gwen Stefani. Nature can keep its so-called "perfect food."

2. Birds.

3. The movie of The Neverending Story.

4. The Patriots (sooo tired of it)

5. Milk. Icky!

It would be much easier, though, for me to make a list of a million things I love that everyone else hates.

Excuses, excuses + OSIS (NYC)

Kids, I am busy and tired and only got into work a little while ago. I have things that need doing. Therefore, posting will be light to nonexistent. Here is this sighting to comfort you in your hour of need:

will oldham outside the bowery ballroom last night--i didn't go to the show, but was walking past with a friend as the first set was letting out. he was hanging out on the sidewalk, so we went up and shook his hand. he seemed frazzled and has gained some weight.

Dressed (upon further inquiry), not in short shorts, but in snug clamdiggers. And I quote, "ew."

This is the part you want to read

The rest of RS's Weezer article can be ignored.

He started to volunteer six days a week at Project Angel Food, a meal-distribution service for people who are HIV-positive. He made apologies, either in letters, in person or over the phone, to about thirty people he felt he had wronged. He fasted. He was sickened by his previous sexual behavior, the meaningless relationships, the visits to massage parlors, the casual sex with groupies, thirty or forty of them, and sometimes more than one at a time. He had been in love only twice, the last time at age twenty -- what had he been doing for the past fifteen years? One day he knelt on the floor, put his hands together at his chest and said three times, "I will not engage in sexual activity for the next two years." He had some nighttime accidents, but he got used to it. Fantasies occurred less frequently and "that part of my mind and body was shriveling from lack of use," he wrote.

Rock and fuckin' roll, man.

Hobbyhorse

1) Regents direct Adams to sever ties with Foundation.

Though Adams said he supports the regents, he also said he regrets that such drastic action had to be taken.

Regents instructed Adams to begin work to create a new private organization that will serve the same purpose as the UGA Foundation, he said.

Foundation, hilariously, says they will comply. You mean y'all'll allow yourselves to be made irrelevant? How noble of you. Wyck Knox, a Foundation board member, doesn't understand. Lemme explain it you, Wyck: anyone who questions the power of Adams or the Board of Regents gets taken out. R&B thinks the squabbling is embarrassing.

2) In other news, nothing happened at Clarke Central the other day. Good thing they didn't have to break out the useless eleventy-billion-dollar bomb fighting robot.

School administrators said they hadn't heard the version of the rumor that included a racial dispute. There had been a rumor that someone wrote a message in one of the boys' bathrooms that he would be "coming after everybody" on a certain date, but school officials checked every bathroom in the building, both boys' and girls', and found no message nor any indication that one was written and erased, Wooten said.

ABH thinks the school did a pretty good job handling it.

3) Gas prices also affect school buses.

4) Nelms update: UGA police chief talking about God an awful lot. Also ass. R&B covers too, but less extensively.

5) Commission so busy it can't prepare a sentence or two summary of issues to be discussed.

6) SAT officially no longer required for 2-year colleges. The change also could boost Georgia's standings nationally because fewer future junior college attendees will be taking it.

7) Dude, I have a feeling the sentiments expressed by Stephanie Matthews in this R&B article on how the lottery's doing well are representative of a lot of campus:

"I'm tired of giving people money; they need to give me some," said Matthews, a freshman from Griffin, who said she spent $500 on textbooks last semester.

You mean like that HOPE scholarship you apparently have?

8) Op-ed on Sharpton says his speech was just an angry rant. You were expecting?

9) Richt suspends White for two games, Golston for one. There will be "internal discipline" as well.

[bugmenot ABH; bugmenot AJC]

Not even Eva Braun's? 

Smiley smile

Woo! Season 3 of Dallas out August 9. I appear to be stuck in that early stage of infant development, where if someone smiles at me, I smile right back, reflecting their expression. J.R. is a particularly smiley dude, and this might be one reason I am such a fan of his. Did I mention I totally dig this show? I totally do. It's not just camp appreciation, because the acting is often excellent.

Reasons I might not love America

This is the first of many, no doubt. Now, it does demonstrate ingenuity on the cheap, but I will be damned if I ever have one of these in my house. My hypothetical child will eat the crusts of its sandwich rather than throwing the most nutritious part of the bread away. And if it doesn't want to, it can cleverly remove them itself in a more labor-intensive way that teaches it something. Do other countries cut the crusts off?

What is "rapidly approaching psychosis," Alex?

The state I (and my officemates) are in right now due to only occasionally interrupted whine of what could be a saw but is more likely some kind of power sander going right over our heads, like a giant, angry stingy thing of some sort. For a building as unbelievably dated as it is in many ways, we sure undergo a lot of renovation that doesn't seem to lead to much. At least I don't have a mysterious substance drifting out of my air-conditioning vent. Yet...

Update: It's a planer. So they say.

No Ann Coulter? I am outraged

Discovery decides to annoy everyone in the country with its special on the 100 greatest Americans (nominees at the link). In some ways, it's lovely that both Steve Jobs and Bill Gates can make the list, both Ellen DeGeneres and Rush Limbaugh, both JFK and Richard Nixon (!!!). But dollars to donuts Reagan beats Mark Twain in the final rankings.

My favorite sentence in the press release? "Tide Coldwater is a proud partner of GREATEST AMERICAN." Nothing says America like carefully washing your clothes in cold water so the colors don't fade and the fabric doesn't shrink. Take that, other countries! [via]

No, there are a million of you

Yelladog is talking about patriotism and being a leftist and how they can be combined. I direct eyes to my previous post on the subject, slightly incoherent as it may be, and answer this now:

What keeps us here? What's so great about America?

The mistake here is equating staying put with choosing something actively because it's awesome. There are lots of people who move to America, and I'm sure they can provide you with reasons they did. But don't ask me why I choose to stay. Why do I choose to do things in the easy way rather than the best way most of the time? Why do most of us? Because I'm fucking lazy and I don't make a lot of money. This is much closer to the truth than me saying wonderful things about democracy, which is, of course, great, but exists in a lot of places these days.

Hobbyhorse

1) In addition to your gas and electric bills going up and the new stormwater utility fee, the commission is also discussing hiking water bills:

Duck recommended the lowest increase, an average of 4.9 percent a year over the next six years. That plan would raise the average residential bill of about $36 by $1.80 a month, he said.

Needed in order to build new sewer lines. Like the ones that got voted down just a week or so ago? I don't mind paying a little more (my water bill's never been more than $15 a month), but I'd like to know if these are new sewer lines to replace old ones (more necessary) or new ones to accommodate development.

2) Tuition increase of 8 percent for research institutions (including UGA), 5 percent for other state colleges and universities approved. New Tate fees also approved. Other fees have gone up a bit as well. AJC mentions that some students might feel squeezed. Note crucial last sentence:

Mandy Chamblee, a freshman at Armstrong Atlantic State University in Savannah, said the additional $116 a year could strain her budget. Chamblee, from Pooler, has some scholarship money and works 19 hours a week on campus to help pay for her education and living expenses. She said the books required for four classes last semester cost more than $500.

"Even though the prices go up, grants and scholarships don't go up," she said.

HOPE scholarships, however, will rise to cover the tuition increases.

3) Nelms's lawyer contends his videotaped confession was coerced.

While cross-examining Williamson's predecessor on Tuesday, Brown hammered his contention that Nelms' alleged admissions were made under duress because he believed he was in custody. "Of course, he was free to leave?" Brown asked Horton.

"I don't believe he was under arrest," he relied. "But he wasn't free to leave?" the defense attorney said. "He was not under arrest," the retired chief said.

I don't believe? Lots of interesting details. R&B also covers.

4) Anti-spam and anti-meth ingredients bills signed into law. The time you save deleting penis emails can now be diverted to waiting for the pharmacist to get your Sudafed from behind the counter.

5) ABH encourages you to doublecheck those stormwater sample bills.

6) Shipp points to unsettling signs in Georgia economy. Also this bit:

Georgia has the least influential congressional delegation in its modern history. Georgia ranks 49th among the states in per-capita federal funding of local projects. It once ranked near the top.

7) Important correction. Heard voted against Voter ID bill.

8) R&B reminds you not to be an idiot wrt walking alone and drunk at night. Good timing, what with "Take Back the Night" coming up. Here's guessing they get at least one letter defending the rights of students to live in what they wish the world was like rather than what it is.

[bugmenot ABH; bugmenot AJC]

HHBTM

One year as of yesterday. The obligatory thing to say is that one can't believe it's been a year, but I feel rather the opposite. I have always been here, haven't I? Would provide total # of words and posts, but Blogger stopped counting at some point in November, when I hit 110K and 613 posts. Would estimate maybe 200K words by now? I am large. I contain multitudes. Not only omniscient, but omnipresent and existing outside of time.

Police Blotter (speed and amazement edition)

This is remarkable for one thing only:

Arrest: On April 17, Deputy Laura Teet was running radar on Ga. Highway 316 when she clocked a Volkswagen Beetle going 81 mph. The driver, Jessica Nicole Duncan, 22, at first denied drinking, despite the smell of alcohol, then said she had had a few drinks. Duncan, of Cherokee Avenue, Athens, was charged with DUI and speeding.

We didn't know a Beetle could go 81 mph.

This is some weird vandalism:

Damage: On April 17, a Farmington man reported he left his Ford pickup parked in front of Pappa John's off Experiment Station Road and someone put pine straw on the hood and took the tailgate off.

And so is this:

Damage: On April 11, a resident of Overlook Ridge reported he went outside his home and his American flag was lying on the ground. A piece was cut off and some profanities were written on it.

This strikes one as excess:

Drugs: On April 12, a man developing some property on a frontage road near the Athens Perimeter called deputies to report he had found some buckets containing marijuana plants while he was surveying the land. Deputy Brad Williams arrived and counted 12 plants. A helicopter was called in to check the area from air, but no more plants were found. The marijuana was destroyed.

All the rest here.

WNEG, we are so in a fight

Short story made really short: We have a choice of two CBSes. I chose the wrong one to tape The Amazing Race and discovered, on arriving home, that it cut out completely about 15 minutes into last night's episode. I see, however, that it mostly would have just pissed me off. I have one team left. They have proved 1) that they are decent people, but also 2) that they are not pussies when it comes to head-shaving (apparently). Chances are I will end up annoyed as Uchenna & Joyce most likely will end up in third place on the final mat, while Ron & Kelly squeak it out over Ramber in the last leg, due to some strange turn of luck. That is my realistic but not worst-case prediction.

This too shall pass

But for now, I am kinda freaked by Cowboy Troy and his single. Do I mention enough how that rumored ancient Chinese curse "May you live in interesting times" is not only true of the now but kind of mixed as a curse, in that they are at least interesting? He does kind of suck. But then. My neurons are exploding. I honestly can't tell whether I like this in a "Hollaback Girl" kind of way or in an "America We Stand as One" way. It is at least worth listening to. (Al ahead of the curve as usual.)

Damn you, Brendan Benson

I should like you. I should have things to say about your record. And all I can do is keep going back to the Of Montreal Polyvinyl site and listening to their songs instead. One could say this is their fault or mine, but I prefer to blame it on you for now.

Let me check my calendar

Oh, wait. I have some free time May 24 to devote to two solid hours of vomiting after all.

Hobbyhorse

1) Good luck next time, future of the Catholic Church and non-white dudes. If there is one.

2) Homeless dude liked fires. Again, what is the point of all this? Make him write "I love libraries" 100 times on a whiteboard, put him on probation, and find him a job.

3) Everybody. Slow the fuck down.

4) Oh, snap! Sharpton dropped Mary J. Blige/Osama jokes.

5) Georgia Power wants to raise your bills.

6) ABH is sorta skeptical about raising tuition or at least understands why others are. I mean, students shouldn't have to pay for college, right? It gets its money from the leprechauns who live at the end of the rainbow. Regents voting today. R&B editorial asks them to think about some things, also addresses Louis Williams.

7) Letters page of ABH has been crammed with pro-bike screeds. Possible interesting development to result about which no further for now.

8) Suggestions for upping attendance at "Open Mic with Mike."

9) R&B continues to harrass Richt about a public response to arrests.

[bugmenot ABH]

I can't (can I?)

Please, Lord. Don't make me go to Dragon*Con. Why must you tempt me with such?

Um...

That and the Lard Lad's still after him.

Questions answered, wonder provoked

Two things from Ian Parker's article on photographer Sebastiao Salgado in the travel issue of the New Yorker (not online):

1) His (Salgado's) project is called "Genesis," and yet Parker professes not to know why Salgado aims to show the earth as it was 4,000 years ago rather than 40,000 years ago. A quick google shows that 4,000 is a lot closer to the Biblical presentation of Genesis than 40,000 would be. It is strange that he wouldn't know this.

2) On the other hand, it contains this marvelous sentence, the likes of which I have never seen before (nor imagined to exist): "Salgado inched among them, as infant albatrosses spilled orange vomit onto his new boots." Bravo, English language. You win again.

Average It Up (U.K. edition)

1) The Rakes, "Retreat" -- Normally am crankier about such, but must be cheerful this a.m., as this little post-punk by-the-numbers number isn't bugging me at all. The beat is pretty good, and while it's not melodic, it's not aggressively anti-so. Would be better if it were less than two minutes, but manages to pull a good-natured 4. (video streaming here)

2) Ja Rule feat. Lloyd and Alexus, "Caught Up" -- I'm sure it was unavoidable, but it's really not a good idea to release a song called "Caught Up" when there's already one out there, and one that's considerably better. I like the sound of Ja's voice, and it's not that it couldn't go with a soft soul-inflected backing track, but there's something that's not working here. The pieces aren't clicking and they're not interestingly not clicking either. Video is full of pool, pools, bikinis, and making out. Meh. 2. (watchable at Teen UK with registration)

3) Bodyrockers, "I Like the Way" -- See. I so do not like every dancy club song. Because I don't like this one. For one thing, it has the same problem as the previous, in that there's already a good song called such. For another, the vocals are mixed way too high in relation to the beat. Let me hear the damn bass. I do not want to dance. I just want it to be over. 1. (Register to watch here)

4) NIN, "Hand That Feeds" -- Already covered in U.S. edition.

5) Hard-Fi, "Tied up Too Tight" -- Mike's kinda right. It does take way too long to get going, but I think the chorus is not horrible. I mean, it's full of "na na na na"s. I think they're disaffected, but, dude, Avril does it so much better. It also has no ending; it just does. 2. (viddy here on their site)

6) Editors, "Munich" -- Again, Mike hates this. I don't, but I'll admit it's not very interesting. At least his voice is nice. I generally couldn't care less about who can "sing" and who can't, but sometimes it's pleasant to listen to someone who can a bit. And the guitar almost turns into a keyboard. 3. (video here if you click on "latest videos")

7) Chemical Brothers feat. Kele Okereke, "Believe" -- Song is mediocre. Video is incredible. Former merely a vehicle for latter, which is sorta 28 Days Later meets Maximum Overdrive. Song = 2; video = 8. (watchable at their site; click "music + video")

8) Kim-Lian, "Teenage Superstar" -- I think I really can't judge, since I haven't been able to find more than 30 seconds of the song, and that intermittently streaming on her site. Arr. If you want to be a huge international pop star, you might want to let people hear your hit single. Anyway. Sounds pretty good in very shiny pop way; perhaps a bit Disney Channel and well-scrubbed, like the Duff sistas cover of "Our Lips Are Sealed." Hard to tell. No rating. (here's her site, if you're curious) Update: Kindly emailed to me so I could hear the whole thing. And it is a bit better than I thought, but still a lil' Radio Disney. Sort of early Lohan. Good production, but not good enough to win my heart completely. I think a 5 is pretty fair.

9) Tegan & Sara, "Walking with a Ghost" -- Ooh. Weird. Everyone is right in that it doesn't go anywhere, but turns around in an autistic circle, but it's oddly hooky and I like the vocals a lot. Too cute? Nah. We call this faux minimalist, and we like it. 6. (available on Launch)

10) The Caesars, "Jerk It Out" -- Ah, the iPod song that's so "Can't Get Enough of You Baby." Maybe vibrates back and forth much too much between bits I like and bits I don't. Tailormade for the ads. Cannot help being slightly biased against those damn silhouettes. 3. (video here)

Mix

Mezzy directed me to Scenestars for the new White Stripes single, and I hereby direct you. Interesting, indeed, though not as much of a shocker as "There's No Home for You Here" was when that leaked out. I'm not crazy about this particular vocal range, because I think he's pushing it a little, but that's more personal taste than thinking it's bad. Drums are big and thumpy, and Meg does her cymbal thing (which I really like). Guitar riff is simple but good. Could go more places, but I think is not bad and provokes curiosity as to what's next. Much buzzing about what the whooshing noises are and suggestions of digital sounds being involved. I would doubt it. I'd think rather it's something carefully recreated through analog means to sound digital, the same way the guitar on "Seven Nation Army" was lowered to sound like bass. The man is pretty good about sticking to his rules and amusing himself at the same time. [Sidebar: This is a marvelous lead-in to "Blah Blah Blah," which happened to follow it in my computer's queue.]

I am sure not literally. Nonetheless, I like this combo of hypothetical apron and rifle.

Chipper Jones Trades in Atlanta Braves Uniform for Apron on Turner South's Original Series OFF THE MENU

Turner South, Turner Broadcasting System, Inc.'s regional entertainment network, takes renowned Atlanta Braves player Chipper Jones on an outdoor and cooking adventure during a special episode of its original series OFF THE MENU, airing Tuesday, May 10, at 8 p.m. ET. Jones removes his cleats and puts on an apron and camouflage to literally "catch it and cook it" with Turner South.

OFF THE MENU travels to Jones' Double Dime Ranch in Carrizo Springs, Texas, for a glimpse of the athlete out of his element, with a shooting rifle and wooden spoon in hand rather than a baseball bat. The episode begins with a hunting segment for white tail deer, with Jones; Tory McPhail, host of OFF THE MENU and executive chef at Commander's Palace in New Orleans, La.; and Danny Trace, sous chef at Commander's Palace.

After a day in the wilderness, McPhail teaches Jones how to transform what they've caught into a five-star -quality meal, Texas venison chili. Next, it's into the kitchen with McPhail as he shows viewers how to prepare additional game dishes, such as a seared venison salad and venison bourguignon, a warm hearty dish to make at home or at the camp.

Hobbyhorse

1) Library arson trial on the verge of beginning. Seems like it will drag the fuck on and end in what? An aquittal? Are they going to make this homeless guy pay damages? Because I don't think he has the funds.

2) Eastside to get some sidewalks? Holla.

3) State health benefit plan to penalize smokers, spouses. You want some ire? I'll give you some ire. How about the fact that this further penalizes staff, who have endured ridiculous increases in premiums already, often not covered by pitiful cost-of-living increases in salary? How about the fact that fat people aren't being penalized? How about I call bullshit on this rinky-dink cost-cutting crap that will affect the poor disproportionately, as usual, when the state is reporting strong increases in tax collection?

4) Giese on bench. No difference yet.

In trials Thursday, Giese was no stricter than Simpson had been. She approved two plea bargains and found a local man not guilty of violating a junk-car ordinance.

Well, that was clearly worth pissing everyone off over. Commission is considering creating a special court for ordinance violations, one even more under their collective thumb. You mean one that has no standard of proof?

5) "Impact of State Smoking Ban Unclear" reads headline. Might that be because it hasn't been signed into law yet, much less taken effect?

6) Un. Believable. State legislators no comprende university budget necessities. This bit isn't even a quote, just part of the article: "Ironically, the more taxpayers put into college spending, the more tuition goes up." Percentage-wise, bitch? "Fully funded" does not mean "put back all the money they stripped out, leaving many parts of the university crippled." It mostly means they didn't cut more. In other news, Regents to meet on just such.

7) Don tells the douches complaining about Twilight Criterium to shove it. In a manner of speaking.

8) ABH: likes stoplight cameras, Athens as a place to live. Jason sez surprise (esp pleasant such) is hard to fake.

9) Shipp says 06 will be a referendum on Perdue more than anything.

10) Dang. It really doesn't look good all summarized like that.

11) Drop/add period to be shortened again. For god's sake, aren't there more important things the University Council could be discussing? R&B opposes (so does SGA).

12) Look, it's bad enough to have Flagpole and the ABH snipping at each other. Is it also necessary to have the R&B get in on the act? Everything mentioned is an editorial, written by locals. Just because you disagree with it (and I often do) doesn't mean it's Morris-dictated or anti-Athens.

13) Sharpton speech sold out.

[bugmenot ABH]

Separated at birth?

Or, at least, similar enough to feel creepy to me.

Numero uno.

Numero dos.

We might need to have a talk

Hi. Danny? I am normally the most forgiving person ever when it comes to fellas who wear the tomahawk across their chests. Really, you can ask anyone. And I know people have strings of bad luck. But you have to do a little something to earn my goodwill. And, frankly, it really hasn't happened yet. For a non-strikeout pitcher, you do appear to be too concerned with not letting people hit the ball at all, and this has been leading to walks. We don't like those. Listen to Leo. Fix what's wrong.

Yeah you know me

 So, thankfully, the OTC show ended up not being a disaster or (mostly) boring. Am confirmed in opinion of Elf Power (big meh), though am told it was not one of their better appearances of late. As far as OTC themselves are concerned, they were good, but overstayed their welcome. By the time it was 2 a.m. and they were finally going off stage, I was hoping an encore would not happen. It did, of course. But let this be said, disagreement no doubt forthcoming from everyone who was there: The Of Montreal show was better by millions of whatever units one measures greatness and enjoyment in. Kevin Barnes is a rock star. These guys are merely interesting musicians. And they've maintained that. They just happen to be more of a studio band. On a recording, you can hear all the little tweaks and hisses and cuteness. Live, you merely get irritated when they take five minutes between songs to retune every instrument on the stage. And again, it's not that they weren't good. It's just that their one-time little sibling has blown past them.

Movie Diary

Have really been so caught up in Dallas that movies have been less a priority, but at long last made time for Infernal Affairs this weekend (it had been sitting on top of the TV, borrowed from a friend and not gotten to) and can confirm it was worth it. Consider brain thoroughly exercised. It only about an hour and 40 minutes long, but when one has to pause it every ten minutes and have a discussion about "that's that guy again, and he's pretending to be this but really he's this pretending to be this, and this is what he really meant by that" it does tend to take a bit longer. Looks gorgeous (tip of the hat to Mr. Chris Doyle). Fine acting. Tony Leung and Andy Lau manage to prowl around one another like big cats without hardly even being in the same room together. Love stuff with layers of double-crossing and conflicting loyalties. End maybe goes a teeny bit long, but am enthusiastic about seeing the two sequels.

Like this, except when not

Maximalist fiction. It consists of books that are really big. Except when they're not. Or really strange and postmodern. Except when they're not. Or full of typographical trickery. Except, you know. Maximalist fiction--fiction to the extreme of whatever we want it to be. [bugmenot NYT]

Million dollar idea

As I was walking on campus a couple of days ago, I noticed this girl with a sweatshirt on that said "Property of Pope" and then, underneath that, presumably, something like "High School Athletic Department," but dude, if I went there, I'd be getting my hands on as much gear to ebay as possible. "Property of Pope" is second only to the inevitable "I fucked the Pope" t-shirts in terms of slogan popularity. I'm giving this one away.

Hobbyhorse

1) Red light cameras catching violators in Athens. I am a defender of civil liberties in most cases, but much less so when it comes to traffic. They seem to be enforcing it fairly enough.

2) If Public Works is allowed to hire two more erosion inspectors, the state EPD will back off its threats to take away enforcement privileges. Source of funding unclear.

3) HOPE healthy. Automatic cuts may not go into effect. Taylor points out that tuition may yet go up.

4) More on repaving, with details on how counties decide what gets repaved and when.

5) Block scheduling doesn't affect test scores positively, which we all know means those children aren't getting edumacated.

6) University Council considering extending "soft benefits" to domestic partners, i.e., use of university facilities. Less actually useful (doesn't include health benefits); more symbolic. Howevs,

Once the council approves the proposal, UGA President Michael Adams said he would seek state guidance about the issue.

Adams sought state guidance three years ago when the University Council approved a proposal to allow full benefits for domestic partners and add sexual orientation to the university's non-discrimination policy, and again sought guidance last year when the council reapproved the amendment to the non-discrimination policy. He said he has not received feedback.

"The university's position has always been that we don't want to get ahead of state law" on any issue, said Tom Jackson, associate vice president for public affairs.

i.e., It'll probably die once the Council passes it. Pathetic.

7) Cancer, cancer, bla bla. Relay for Life all well and good, but the paperclip story has a disturbing detail.

8) ABH just hates bicycles. Clearly. I'm not a huge fan of them myself, but acting like you can't ride one when it's hot, cold, or raining is a bit ridiculous. Ever hear of rain pants, yo? Impossibly uncomfortable? You know, it's pretty cold or hot or rainy waiting at my bus stop too. Nor does it have a shelter. But I'm not a whiny little bitch spoiled by the wonders of automobile traffic. Bicycles are a valid form of alternative transportation. They're just less valid than public transit because fewer people use them. Therefore, less public moneys.

9) Where your taxes are going, hour by hour.

10) Guest forum thingie from Farmers Hardware owner arguing that the bond subsidy for Lowe's in particular is a waste of money and harmful to local businesses.

11) Letter writer makes the case that, although Athens apparently meets EPA air requirements, particulate matter data have not decreased from 2003 to 2004. Implying that it's the regulations that have decreased, presumably.

12) UGA baseball team's theme songs, player by player. Props to Bo Lanier for weirdness.

13) R&B rightfully creeped out by National Education Database.

14) Can I get a hoo? How about a ha?

[bugmenot ABH; bugmenot AJC]