Saturday, August 6, 2011

Standing by the ocean's roar

I admit, I did not take this in
Ontario. This is Clearwater Beach,
 in Florida. Le sigh.
Hello and good morning, ladies and germs and little surfer girls. I hope you're having a great summer so far, wherever you may be. My summer is going well so far, and I pretty much have one thing on my mind: Beach, beach, beach, beach, beach, beach, beach, beach, beach, beach, beach.

-   For the politically minded, here's a rant for you. Keith Olbermann gives a special comment on the debt deal, and calls on citizens to take back governance from politicians. I'm not crazy about linking to angry rants, but I'm doing it this time because the anger is directed at all sides, without favouring the left or right wing. Equal opportunity for blame, and therefore for redemption.


Giving credit for this one to Reddit and the commenters over there. (Some comments are actually smart and insightful.)

If I have one question, it's this: "Sometimes you have to get mad to get things done." That's a familiar axiom, I'm sure. Is it true? Does getting mad help to get things done, or can cooler heads prevail anyway?

-   On a similar topic, how does one become a tycoon? Who do I have to speak to about that? I don't remember it being among the list of degree specializations at university, but I was an arts-minded individual back then, so I may have missed it. Let it be known that I'm going to try and add "Tycoon" to my list of titles on my CV.

-   What got me thinking this way? Tycoons laughing all the way to the bank. (Commenters on this one are from a very different crowd, it seems.)

-   Has anyone heard of Van Halen's request on their rider to get rid of all the brown M&Ms in their dressing room? It's noted for being a ridiculous request, and has been spoofed since, as anyone who has seen Wayne's World 2 can attest. (What I'm talkin' about, Willis.) Anyway, what you probably didn't know is that there is a very, very good reason for that request. Like saving lives, for one.

-   Pottermore is limiting the number of early users. Today is the last day to try and get in early. You need to find the Magical Quill by solving a clue. I registered, and once the site lets me in I'll report on what's going on inside.

-   In related news, this is the best detention card I've seen. It's better than any I ever got. (That's zero. I got zero detention cards. Except for being late. I was late a lot. Especially in grade 9. I got sucker-punched in the face after one of those detentions. That used to happen a lot, too. I'll tell you about it someday.)

-   For all you librarians out there, and for the people who have fond memories of them, Huffington Post has assembled a few nice notes for you from your fans.

-   Superhero set photos that fail to inspire anything resembling excitement: Henry Cavill as Superman looks like he's supposed to. (Is he robbing a bank?) From the set of The Dark Knight Rises: Anne Hathaway as Catwoman. I find it lacklustre. Better than some previous catwomen, but too bland.

-   Here's a new feature on the weekly posts that I hope gets some traction. I check out a lot of visual artists every week. I love finding new art and seeing what other people are up to. I hope some of you are interested in that as well. Without further ado, the new category.

Artist of the Week: Ken Garduno. I first noticed him a year or so ago with his cover for Lightboxes, and the rest of his work has a similar feel. It's a little creepy, but I like that. Check out his author picture in his bio, although the weirdest thing that I noticed on his site is that he publicly uses a Yahoo email account. Dude...

-   Song of the Week: Video Games by Lana Del Ray. Think of a cross between Nancy Sinatra and Cat Power. A good companion for those who liked Lykke Li's I Follow Rivers, although Lana Del Ray's voice is deeper.

Enough with the comparisons. Judge her for herself, and enjoy.


Bonus song: Jay-Z and Kanye are collaborating as part of a rap supergroup called The Throne, and their first single is called Otis. It's fine, I suppose. Not surprisingly for Hova and the Louis Vuitton Don, it's got a good beat and plenty of swagger. However, they're sampling one of the best songs ever, and I keep wanting to hear the rest of the Otis Redding song instead of them. For anyone else who feels that way, Try A Little Tenderness:


That's all you gentlemen gotta do.

***

BEACH, BEACH, BEACH, BEACH, BEACH, BEACH, BEACH, BEACH, BEACH, BEACH, BEACH, BEACH, BEACH, BEACH, BEACH, BEACH, BEACH, BEACH!!!

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