December 2008
114 posts
Racism is Over. →
“Keep Yourself Warm” by Frightened...
My Favorite Albums of 2008 (finally!)
That I have left this post to the very last day of 2008 says as much about my tendency to procrastinate as it does about my reluctance to codify my favorites. Note that I say “my favorites” rather than “the best” because this list is nothing if not personal. I am not arrogant nor narcissistic enough to suggest to you that these are the best albums that have been released...
“The Butcher” - Final Fantasy
“Ultimately, the new “Dollhouse” is the last thing you’d expect from Joss Whedon...”
– The Futon’s First Look: “Dollhouse: Ghost”
Uh oh.
“Oh, I’m actually really disappointed. I think Zooey is cool but this is the...”
– Commenter on Zooey Deschanel and Ben Gibbard’s engagement, Us Magazine
(via tarts)
Johann Hari: The true story behind this war is not... →
“There will now be a war over the story of this war. The Israeli government says, “We withdrew from Gaza in 2005 and in return we got Hamas and Qassam rockets being rained on our cities. Sixteen civilians have been murdered. How many more are we supposed to sacrifice?” It is a plausible narrative, and there are shards of truth in it, but it is also filled with holes. If we want...
“Mistaken for Strangers” - The...
Israel's shock and awe →
“Since before the founding of the state in 1948, Israel’s military doctrine has been about deterrence, about striking fear in the hearts of its enemies whenever possible. Israel’s weekend attacks were as much about instilling awe in future enemies as they were about shocking the country’s current nemesis. Now, that power of deterrence is in doubt.”
“Furr” - Blitzen Trapper
You’re Likable Enough, Gay People →
“It is over the top to assert, as a gay writer at Time did, that the president-elect is “a very tolerant, very rational-sounding sort of bigot.” Much more to the point is the astute criticism leveled by the gay Democratic congressman Barney Frank, who, in dissenting from the Warren choice, said of Obama, “I think he overestimates his ability to get people to put aside fundamental...
“As of now, “the American Century,” birthed by Time/Life publisher Henry Luce in...”
– Tom Englehardt, The US Has 761 Military Bases Across the Planet, and We Simply Never Talk About It
“Jòga” - Björk
“Sister Winter” - Sufjan Stevens
“One Song Glory” from Rent.
Yes, I...
“Santa Baby” - Eartha Kitt
Rest in...
Ground Zero: Google Maps and Nuclear Weapons →
Check to see if you would survive a nuclear attack on your city. It’s a relief to know that should the worst happen and Calgary is wiped off the face of the planet this Christmas, spending the holidays in Didsbury will have been worth it.
“Depression is merely anger without enthusiasm.”
– Stephen Wright
Pope: Dear gays, you are just as much a threat as...
michaeljanz:
“The Pope warned against the manipulation that takes place in national and international forums when the term “gender” is altered. “The rain forests certainly deserve our protection, but man as creature indeed deserves no less,” he added.” http://zenit.org/article-24652?l=english
Two ladies scissoring and two men taking turns being bottom apparently are this years threat to...
“This is just an orgy of obscenity. This business of stuffing the Senate...”
– MP David Christopherson, on Stephen Harper’s senate appointments
“Heartbeats” - The Knife
Top-court appointment bypasses review process →
“Prime Minister Stephen Harper surprised the legal community Monday by filling a long-standing vacancy on the Supreme Court of Canada and in doing so bypassed a parliamentary review process that his own party had fought hard to institute.”
Duffy, Wallin, Greene among 18 new Senators →
“Mr. Harper’s timing, just before Christmas when most Canadians are preoccupied with holiday cheer rather than politics, suggests the government isn’t anxious to showcase the appointments.”
I’m not sure who disgusts me more: the hypocritical, lying Stephen Harper or the amoral, greedy leaches who pursued and accepted Senate appointments. I wonder if any of them will...
“I Want You” - Kings of Leon
“I Don’t Want to Live on the Moon” -...
Twitter flash mob helps the homeless →
U.S. balks at backing condemnation of anti-gay... →
“Alone among major Western nations, the United States has refused to sign a declaration presented Thursday at the United Nations calling for worldwide decriminalization of homosexuality.”
Pitchfork: The 50 Best Albums of 2008 →
Either Pitchfork is getting less pretentious or my tastes are getting more so…
“Against All Odds” (Phil Collins...
“I operate under the twin delusions that no one talks about me when I’m not...”
– Vin. Poésie. Vertu.