news and notes from friday afternoon
(see, a subject header like that makes it seem like i am an actual news outlet reporting actual news.)
i decided to go back and re-read obama's speech, as at the time it didn't blow me away. i know i wasn't the only one who thought this - we all thought one of the greatest orators of our day would rise to the occasion (and soar above it, metaphorically speaking). turns out that we should have been paying more attention to what he said, and not how he said it. it's a speech for reading - go back and take a look.
not only was it great to see him first and foremost brining up science as one of his first "what i'm gonna do" points, and for him to give a shout-out to (us?) non-believers, but check this:
As for our common defense, we reject as false the choice between our safety and our ideals. Our Founding Fathers, faced with perils that we can scarcely imagine, drafted a charter to assure the rule of law and the rights of man -- a charter expanded by the blood of generations. Those ideals still light the world, and we will not give them up for expedience sake.
you see what that says? read ever-so-slightly between the lines and it says "we have been asked to give up freedoms to be safe. the men who founded this country did no such thing. they believed these ideals were more powerful than anything else, and only bravery can preserve them". motherfuckingAyes. the bush regime was a regime of fear, and our ideals are worth more than safety. be brave, my peoples. etc.
(sorry, got a little worked up there.)
in other wordy news, here's a funny book review. it's by keith law, who writes for ESPN as one of their baseball gurus. turns out his personal blog focuses on a lot of his bookitry, which i can totally get behind. points to him. as to the review...wow, check that second para. would you enjoy reading a book with a line like "the head of his penis weeping semen tears"? yeah, i didn't think so.
more on books...this biography on ODB is supposed to be awesome. i bet it is - it'd be hard to screw up an autobiography about that guy.
last week i saw seabound and de/vision in toronto (did i already mention this?). i think i'm getting obsessed with seabound...ahem. i can't help it! they might be the best live synthpop band i've ever seen. ok, scratch that, the consistently best live synthpop band i've ever seen (i saw covenant play a bad show once, and iris were only good the first time i saw them, back in 2000). the other main factor would be the lyrics. i've realised that they're actually as coy as martin gore's best lyrics are - frank (vocalist/lyricist for seabound) also leaves out the main point of his songs as well as martin used to. we all know that the scariest things are the ones where your imagination fills in the blanks, right? same goes for lyrics - if there's space for your life and history and dreams and fears to fit in, then the song speaks to you soooo much more.
now, sometimes frank can be a little direct and corny with the songs live (see "domination", which he introed in toronto by saying "ok, who here likes kinky sex?!" - i think we figured that out already, frank), but he's still an excellent performer. so let me give you some lyrics. these are not actually from a seabound song - they're by edge of dawn, frank's side-project with a guy i know from the haujobb list. his edge of dawn lyrics tend to get a bit more direct than his seabound lyrics, as you shall see.
actually...i reconsider. these lyrics don't read very well. the performance/song is excellent. hmmm...tell you what, here's the song. i'll put the lyrics after the fold, if you want to see them while you listen to the track.
burn the message
break the prophet on the wheel
time's a currency
make a choice and trade or steal
eleven-digit
conjure up a major flood
love is liquid
what has been can leave me not
i'm not asking you to give
i want you to take
a moment of truth
fountain of youth
princess of elegance
i'm not asking you to give
i want you to take
your grace and your voice
weapons of choice
mistress of innocence
like to touch fluffy things?
distort the message
tie a poet to the wheel
if you lose your asset
make a choice and trick or steal
seven-digit
conjure up a major fire
love to lava
raze the virtues and the lies
on the floor - from behind
on the balcony - full frontal
in the grass - into your face
like summer rain
on my floor - from behind
on the balcony - full frontal
on the street - back on our feet
drunk with passion
Originally published at this is.
i decided to go back and re-read obama's speech, as at the time it didn't blow me away. i know i wasn't the only one who thought this - we all thought one of the greatest orators of our day would rise to the occasion (and soar above it, metaphorically speaking). turns out that we should have been paying more attention to what he said, and not how he said it. it's a speech for reading - go back and take a look.
not only was it great to see him first and foremost brining up science as one of his first "what i'm gonna do" points, and for him to give a shout-out to (us?) non-believers, but check this:
As for our common defense, we reject as false the choice between our safety and our ideals. Our Founding Fathers, faced with perils that we can scarcely imagine, drafted a charter to assure the rule of law and the rights of man -- a charter expanded by the blood of generations. Those ideals still light the world, and we will not give them up for expedience sake.
you see what that says? read ever-so-slightly between the lines and it says "we have been asked to give up freedoms to be safe. the men who founded this country did no such thing. they believed these ideals were more powerful than anything else, and only bravery can preserve them". motherfuckingAyes. the bush regime was a regime of fear, and our ideals are worth more than safety. be brave, my peoples. etc.
(sorry, got a little worked up there.)
in other wordy news, here's a funny book review. it's by keith law, who writes for ESPN as one of their baseball gurus. turns out his personal blog focuses on a lot of his bookitry, which i can totally get behind. points to him. as to the review...wow, check that second para. would you enjoy reading a book with a line like "the head of his penis weeping semen tears"? yeah, i didn't think so.
more on books...this biography on ODB is supposed to be awesome. i bet it is - it'd be hard to screw up an autobiography about that guy.
last week i saw seabound and de/vision in toronto (did i already mention this?). i think i'm getting obsessed with seabound...ahem. i can't help it! they might be the best live synthpop band i've ever seen. ok, scratch that, the consistently best live synthpop band i've ever seen (i saw covenant play a bad show once, and iris were only good the first time i saw them, back in 2000). the other main factor would be the lyrics. i've realised that they're actually as coy as martin gore's best lyrics are - frank (vocalist/lyricist for seabound) also leaves out the main point of his songs as well as martin used to. we all know that the scariest things are the ones where your imagination fills in the blanks, right? same goes for lyrics - if there's space for your life and history and dreams and fears to fit in, then the song speaks to you soooo much more.
now, sometimes frank can be a little direct and corny with the songs live (see "domination", which he introed in toronto by saying "ok, who here likes kinky sex?!" - i think we figured that out already, frank), but he's still an excellent performer. so let me give you some lyrics. these are not actually from a seabound song - they're by edge of dawn, frank's side-project with a guy i know from the haujobb list. his edge of dawn lyrics tend to get a bit more direct than his seabound lyrics, as you shall see.
actually...i reconsider. these lyrics don't read very well. the performance/song is excellent. hmmm...tell you what, here's the song. i'll put the lyrics after the fold, if you want to see them while you listen to the track.
burn the message
break the prophet on the wheel
time's a currency
make a choice and trade or steal
eleven-digit
conjure up a major flood
love is liquid
what has been can leave me not
i'm not asking you to give
i want you to take
a moment of truth
fountain of youth
princess of elegance
i'm not asking you to give
i want you to take
your grace and your voice
weapons of choice
mistress of innocence
like to touch fluffy things?
distort the message
tie a poet to the wheel
if you lose your asset
make a choice and trick or steal
seven-digit
conjure up a major fire
love to lava
raze the virtues and the lies
on the floor - from behind
on the balcony - full frontal
in the grass - into your face
like summer rain
on my floor - from behind
on the balcony - full frontal
on the street - back on our feet
drunk with passion
Originally published at this is.