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Spirit Squad

noreply@blogger.com (_) — Thu, 09 Jul 2009 15:31:07 PDT

"Spirit squad kiss le cul de hhh" via CRTL+W33D

NOW ON SALE: Pink Mince, "For the confirmed bachelor of exceptional taste"

noreply@blogger.com (_) — Tue, 07 Jul 2009 04:20:31 PDT

The latest project from adorable typenerd Sparky:

So, what are you waiting for? Xmas?

Ammonia clouds: conveniently located near you!

noreply@blogger.com (_) — Mon, 06 Jul 2009 11:05:36 PDT

Just as a tiny update to yesterday's post:

Jefferson authorities probing ammonia leak on West Bank.

So I guess containment of noxious chemical fumes really isn't a concern in these situations. Well, not for the Port, anyway.

Officials say ammonia leaks don�t cause deaths or evacuations THAT often. Um, yay?

noreply@blogger.com (_) — Sun, 05 Jul 2009 13:34:20 PDT

Dear Port of New Orleans:

As much as we love you, we feel obligated to point out that articles like this one from the Times-Picayune probably aren't the best way to inspire confidence in the public--especially when that public is already skeptical of your plan to sandwich an ammonia-filled industrial wonderland between two of Louisiana's most important historic neighborhoods, the French Quarter and the Faubourg Marigny. Skim the first couple of paragraphs, and let us know if you can see the problem here:

Faubourg Marigny and French Quarter residents are concerned that the ammonia used to refrigerate a proposed cold-storage warehouse on the Gov. Nicholls Street Wharf will pose a public health risk, but experts say the chance of a chemical leak is slim if proper safety measures are in place.

"You can stop most of these incidents before they have a chance to be a major challenge if you have the right equipment and personnel," said Gary Smith, president and founder of the Ammonia Safety Training Institute in Washington, D.C. "If it's just cold storage, the ammonia stays in the refrigeration if good prevention habits are in place." [Emphasis totally mine]

--plenty more ifs, ands, and buts in the full article at NOLA.com

Statements like that are kinda like saying, "No, hurricanes aren't a problem for New Orleans, if the levees hold, and if federal, state, and city governments are prepared, and if the city's evacuation strategy works like a charm. You know, if all that's good, then we should be fine. Probably." Do you see what I'm doing there? Right.

And a quick reminder: those of us who live here aren't opposed to your project, just its location. Heck, your puppet minion buddy Jindal just shaved bejillions of bucks from higher ed, mental hospitals, and the like--surely he can throw a few at the Cold Storage project so it can move downriver just a tad? That would be the right thing to do, karmically speaking. (NB: Confused by karma? Ask Bobby.)

Anyway, thanks for listening. You were listening, weren't you? ...Hello?

The Road

noreply@blogger.com (_) — Sat, 04 Jul 2009 07:17:35 PDT

I suppose we all knew this was coming. We'll see if they can improve McCarthy's ending. It can't get any worse.

[via Jennie]

R.I.P.: Budget Woes Spell Doom for Roadside Rest Stops

noreply@blogger.com (_) — Fri, 03 Jul 2009 10:51:03 PDT

As millions of Americans take to the road for the holiday weekend, a humble highway fixture is under attack.

Later this month, cash-strapped Virginia plans to barricade entrances and switch off the plumbing and electricity at nearly half its highway rest areas. Other states also are lowering budgetary axes on the public pit stops that have lined the interstate highway system since its creation in 1956.

But rest stops aren�t going quietly.

Truckers, blind merchants and a dogged historian are fighting to preserve them. If the battle is lost, every long-distance motorist will need �a strong rear end and a strong bladder� to hit the road, warns John Townsend, an official with the American Automobile Association in Washington....

--more at the Wall Street Journal [via MP]

Antony & The Johnsons & Metropole Orkest: "Crazy in Love"

noreply@blogger.com (_) — Fri, 03 Jul 2009 03:51:41 PDT

Genius. Via the Boyfriend.

Wow. Just...wow.

noreply@blogger.com (_) — Thu, 02 Jul 2009 18:53:24 PDT

New Orleans Mayor Ray Nagin today hurled criticism at technology experts who claim that City Hall's missing e-mail was intentionally removed by someone with top-drawer access to the computer system.

Assigning blame "is not their charge," Nagin said Thursday, a day after two computer experts hired by the city said that an unknown tech-savvy person apparently removed the mayor's e-mail inbox from the server.

In a WWL-TV interview, Nagin dismissively described the unknown individual as "some phantom employee."

Nagin also implied that the Louisiana Technology Council, the company hired to find the data, not only was eager for "15 minutes of fame" but also was in over its head.

"I just hope that this is not a case where . . . we did not get the company with the expertise that we needed," he said.

--NOLA.com

Poppies, Poppies

noreply@blogger.com (_) — Wed, 01 Jul 2009 15:38:32 PDT

In case you hadn't heard--and why would you, since no one but NPR seems to be covering it?--the US launched a major offensive against the Taliban and their poppy fields in Afghanistan today. Which brought to mind the opening scene from Cleopatra Jones:

FYI, you only need to watch the first three minutes, but ZZOOOOOMGGG DO NOT MISS THE SHELLEY WINTERS FREAKOUT.

Heritage Foundation & Solar Energy?

noreply@blogger.com (_) — Tue, 30 Jun 2009 14:10:06 PDT

Weirdest email I've received all week (and I've already gotten some doozies):

Greetings and salutations!

I would like to let everyone know of our upcoming Permaculture Courses.

RiverSolar in cooperation with the Heritage Foundation is offering weekly courses in Permaculature and Design concepts. Core concepts will be provided in block format on Fridays from 12 - 2 PM beginning July 10, 2009 at the ArtEgg Building.

Students can choose to take one class or all leading to a Permaculture Design Certificate. Please contact Doris for enrollment information.

RiverSolar
riversolar@gmail.com
1001 So. Broad St. New Orleans, LA
504-729-8226

Which sounds great except for the part about the HERITAGE FOUNDATION.

Seriously: THE Heritage Foundation? The same ultra-conservative Heritage Foundation that worshiped at the feet of Ronald Reagan? The same war-mongering Heritage Foundation that pushed heavily for the invasion of Iraq (and, less successfully, Iran)? The same Heritage Foundation that looked at the devastation wrought by Hurricane Katrina and found it a perfect example of the need for relaxed environmental regulations? That Heritage Foundation?

UPDATE: Of course it's not that Heritage Foundation. As commenter Alex just pointed out:

It's actually the Heritage Foundation for Arts and Cultural Sustainability, which shares a space in the ArtEgg building, along with RiverSolar.

Which is great, but also a really unfortunate choice of names. Oh well: at least the world makes sense again.

Persepolis 2.0

noreply@blogger.com (_) — Mon, 29 Jun 2009 04:56:14 PDT

Five minutes of gayness

noreply@blogger.com (_) — Sun, 28 Jun 2009 07:21:23 PDT

Speaking of Judy Garland: I just realized that I'd forgotten to post anything really gay for Pride weekend. This ought to fix things:

Michael Jackson/Judy Garland: The Mind Reels

noreply@blogger.com (_) — Fri, 26 Jun 2009 11:15:18 PDT

So yesterday, I had some thoughts, a series of thoughts, and they started like this: Michael Jackson was an object of fascination, speculation, derision, adoration, right? His luster had long since worn off here in the states, but he was HUGE in other parts of the world, like the Middle East. Somehow, and for some reason, people there "got" him. Or at least they liked him. They laughed at him less than we did.

Then another thought crossed my mind: what kind of news will be sacrificed so that CNN and MSNBC and FOX and everyone else can cover the final moments of Michael Jackson and Farrah Fawcett? It's great news for Mark Sanford. Not so great for Ed McMahon. And really not so great for the protesters in Iran. I mean, how are they supposed to stay above the fold when the King of Pop has been deposed?

Then, the third thought: what if Jackson's death is the last straw? What if, six days from now, the Iranian police or the Basij militia approach the wrong group of people in just the wrong way, and that's it: firestorm. Like Judy Garland's death allegedly spawning the Stonewall Riots. Would that be enough? And if so, should we institute some kind of lottery for aging stars so that every so often, one is plucked out and killed, just to keep democracy and civil rights on track?

There's a lot wrong with that train of thought--a lot. But there's some meat on those bones, too. Maybe.

Anyway, given all that, I thought this clip--posted to YouTube via a Hungarian user who may or may not have Iranian roots--was particularly apt for today:

via TheAwl

Photo FAIL

noreply@blogger.com (_) — Fri, 26 Jun 2009 07:07:10 PDT

via The Examiner

Can You Feel It?

noreply@blogger.com (_) — Thu, 25 Jun 2009 18:20:03 PDT

Stock photography FAIL LOL

noreply@blogger.com (_) — Thu, 25 Jun 2009 13:33:35 PDT

Seriously? Seriously. That's...that's just awful.

Intact America Launches Campaign to Change How America Thinks About Male Circumcision

noreply@blogger.com (_) — Thu, 25 Jun 2009 13:07:15 PDT

NEW YORK, June 25 -- Parents, pediatricians and health and human rights activists today announced the launch of INTACT AMERICA and its website -- www.intactamerica.org -- to change how America thinks about male circumcision. The national campaign argues that painful and medically unnecessary surgery to remove healthy genital tissue from non-consenting baby boys violates medical ethics and human rights.

They were joined by Soraya Mire, the Somali filmmaker who is a global leader in the fight against forced female circumcision.

"The same universal human right to an intact body that I have fought for on behalf of women and girls must apply to boys as well, especially those too young to make an informed decision about the integrity of their bodies," said Mire. "How can it be wrong to surgically alter the genitals of a baby girl without her consent but okay to surgically alter the genitals of a baby boy?"

--PRNewswire

Amen, sister.

Crossdressing stoner finds lust amongst the freeweights

noreply@blogger.com (_) — Thu, 25 Jun 2009 11:06:10 PDT

Tustin, Calif -- Police say a California man donning a bustier and watching porn on a computer in an apartment complex gym was arrested after officers found drugs in his backpack.

Sgt. Todd Bullock says 45-year-old Stephen Murdoch of Tustin was arrested early Tuesday after a security guard spotted him in a workout room that was supposed to be closed and locked.

When police peered inside, they saw Murdoch � also in a miniskirt, fishnet stockings and heels � hiding behind exercise equipment and watching an adult film on a laptop.

Officers noticed Murdoch was sweating profusely and talking quickly. They arrested him on suspicion of drug possession after allegedly finding marijuana, methamphetamine and pipes in his bag.

Murdoch did not return a call seeking comment Wednesday.

-- SFGate

Quick Question

noreply@blogger.com (_) — Wed, 24 Jun 2009 11:11:45 PDT

What kind of hot is it when your air-conditioner keeps going out because it can't keep both you and itself cool?

Also: what kind of hot is is when you can't leave bananas on the kitchen counter because they rot in their peels?

Those aren't riddles or knock-knock jokes or weak Match Game references: they are serious questions. Is there a word for that kind of heat--perhaps a scientific term? Because otherwise, I'm just left saying that it's just damn hot, y'all.*

* Yes, I am reduced to talking about the weather. BECAUSE IT IS THAT HOT.

As the risk of becoming a non-Tumblr Tumblelog...

noreply@blogger.com (_) — Tue, 23 Jun 2009 20:05:34 PDT

Paper Cups, 2008 (detail)
Depicts 410,000 paper cups, equal to the number of disposable hot-beverage paper cups
used in the US every fifteen minutes.

by Chris Jordan

Tramp-Meter

noreply@blogger.com (_) — Tue, 23 Jun 2009 19:17:46 PDT

What will they think of next?

CAPTION THIS

noreply@blogger.com (_) — Tue, 23 Jun 2009 09:23:57 PDT

Graphical Overview of Same Sex Marriage Debate, v. 1.3

noreply@blogger.com (_) — Tue, 23 Jun 2009 03:51:10 PDT

Patrick Farley via BoingBoing

John Hodgman on Iran, Jocks, and Nerds

noreply@blogger.com (_) — Mon, 22 Jun 2009 12:02:46 PDT

I SAID ON FRIDAY HOW CURIOUS it was that the fate of the protesters in Iran is so strangely entwined with the sleep schedule of the geeks maintaining the servers at twitter and YouTube.

THAT THE PROTESTORS� STRUGGLE IS VISIBLE, on a granular, person by person level, gives them optimism, and it gives us a new window upon a remote land and culture.

WHAT WE SEE: similarity.

YOUNG PEOPLE, CLOSER TO US in wardrobe, vision, and optimism, than we might have thought. And though great divides may yet separate us, the protestors are similar in at least one way: they all use the internet. And not in the insidious, demonizing way we were warned of, to recruit terrorists and plan attacks on civilians. But in the most geekish way: to subvert authority with an idea.

And he goes on.

Damn, I love John Hodgman. For that piece, for his speech at the Radio & TV Correspondents' Dinner, for his impeccable comic timing--oh, what? You missed his speech at the Radio & TV Correspondents' Dinner? Please stop now and watch:

BEATING WITH GOLD LAME BOOT BRINGS FIVE-YEAR TERM

noreply@blogger.com (_) — Sat, 20 Jun 2009 22:07:25 PDT

From the Times-Picayune:

The weapon was one gold lame boot.

The victim: An early-morning patron at a French Quarter bar known for welcoming drag queens and their paramours.

The perpetrator: Walter Black, 41, of Belle Chasse, who had already racked up convictions for robbery and extorting some $10,000 from a priest he was having sex with and blackmailing in 2001.

And it goes on.