Archive for December 2007

Monday 31 December 2007

ride on

excerpt:

ow.
it’s good to learn new things, but snowboarding may not be one of them.
i’m a pretty good skier…but just a brutal snowboarder.
today was my second lesson. i hit the mountain about as many ways as you can, and i’m sorry to report the mountain hit back.
this evening i’ve washed down ibuprofen with good wine. it’s […]

more spaceneedl | more

Friday 28 December 2007

boom or bust

By spaceneedl |

excerpt:

White House confident Pakistan nuclear arsenal is secure
“At this time, as far as I know, it is the assessment of the intelligence community that Pakistan’s weapons arsenal is secure.” — some white house source
oh. well, that’s reassuring.
don’t worry everyone, the white house is on the case. what could possibly go wrong?

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terror-tested, terror tough

By spaceneedl |

excerpt:

it’s like the iron-fisted version of “quien es mas macho?”
following the assassination of benazir bhutto, u.s. presidential candidates are falling over themselves to convince us that they’re toughest on terror. if it weren’t so godawful absurd and terror-porn obscene, it’d be funny.
at the next debate, some chirpy moderator should offer up the following:
“a complicit […]

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Thursday 27 December 2007

not for the faint of heart

By spaceneedl |

excerpt:

growing old is not for sissies.
it’s hard work, getting all knurled and surly and grizzly.
it’s harder still if you weigh, you know, 350 pounds.
flashback: except for benjamin franklin, which heroes of american history were morbidly obese? none of them, right? daniel boone, george washington, teddy roosevelt, charles lindbergh, rudy giuliani…
why is that, do you suppose? […]

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Wednesday 26 December 2007

go ahead, taze him

By spaceneedl |

excerpt:

some guy at yale has put out a list of the “top ten” quotes of 2007.
the list has some interesting and valid entries, such as…
“don’t taze me, bro.” — a university of florida student who got tazed anyway
“i don’t recall.” — alberto gonzales, who apparently has the worst memory in the history of u.s. attorneys […]

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Tuesday 25 December 2007

dec. 25, 2007

By spaceneedl |

excerpt:

mrs. spaceneedl is frantically rushing about, attempting to re-create her childhood holidays.
i’m content to let her, as my family’s christmases were filled with this kind of sincere sentiment…

poor, emaciated karen carpenter. would that she had, at some point, planted a stake in the family ground and said, “this far, no further.”
maybe she’d be crooning […]

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Saturday 22 December 2007

give a listen

By spaceneedl |

excerpt:

How’s Your House by Ian Hunter (Song at NOMRF.org)Add to My Profile | More Videos
ian hunter, feeling it…
(thanks to nonl…)

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Friday 21 December 2007

christmas time in new orleans

By spaceneedl |

excerpt:

a barefoot choir in prayer
fills the air
mississippi moon’s caroling there
’cause it’s christmas time in new orleans
–louis armstrong
it’s almost christmas, but you wouldn’t know it by the poor folks in new orleans.
seems a bunch of them are all up in arms because the government is fittin’ to demolish their pre-katrina homes.
these people actually insisted on […]

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Divining a nominee: Iowa

By Gonzo | Law & Politics

excerpt:

With the Iowa caucuses around the corner on January 3rd, here’s another article picking up on my prediction that Edwards could do an end run around Obama & Clinton.

Democrat Edwards looks to pull a surprise in Iowa
Fri Dec 21, 2007 9:07am EST
By John Whitesides, Political Correspondent - Analysis
DES MOINES, Iowa (Reuters) - While all eyes […]

more Gonzo | more Law & Politics

FlossQuotes

And where we are met with cynicism and doubt and fear and those who tell us that we can't, we will respond with that timeless creed that sums up the spirit of the American people in three simple words - yes, we can.

Barack Obama

Wilco - Sky Blue Sky
What can I say? I'm a diehard Wilco fan. One of my earliest posts here at Transcendental Floss was in response to their previous record, and their latest, Sky Blue Sky, has captivated me just like everything they've ever done. Of course, it's been out for awhile and everyone's digested it and reviewed it to death, but still I can't keep my mouth shut about it. At this point, with their six albums sandwiching two Mermaid Avenue volumes of collaboration with Billy Bragg, I'd go so far as to compare their run of recordings to pretty much any of the great bands in history. Seriously, it's been one revelation, one evolution, one highly listenable album after another spanning twelve years! This latest offering continues to be drenched in references to their musical influences, and here the 1970s reign supreme. With nods ranging from Steely Dan to Led Zeppelin, this is a record that has that classic vinyl sound all over it.
— Gonzo

Loudon Wainwright III - A Live One
Here's a likely obscure one for many of you. Loudon, father of Rufus, was one of many post-Dylan singer-songwriters whom, if they didn't intentionally try to follow in Dylan's footsteps, ended up labeled as having done so during a surge of public interest in people who could simply sing songs and play an acoustic guitar. Loudon is a quirky writer and performer, and his songs range from very funny to shockingly raw and personal. I'm particularly fond of Clockwork Chartreuse, which plays around with a little of the old ultra-violence. If you watched as much M*A*S*H as I did when it was on, you might remember Loudon, who appeared as Captain Spalding, the singing surgeon, in three episodes in its third season.
— gonzo

Once
This low budget "musical" (I'll explain the quotes in a second) knocked me out and inspired me to quit my job, take off for Europe with my guitar, and spend the rest of my days busking, but then I remembered that I'm married and have a 10-year old son, both of whom I like an awful lot. Sigh. Anyway, Once has been labeled a musical only because songs are performed in the film from start to finish. But, the songs aren't obviously contextual, the actors don't just break into song to backing music coming from nowhere, and there are no dance numbers through the Dublin streets where it was filmed. The chemistry between the two leads is wonderfully sweet and funny, the music is at times lovely and tender, other times deliciously melodramatic and passionate.
— gonzo

Ode Magazine
Here's a twist, our first ever magazine recommendation in the Brain Candy department. With the tagline "To People - To Passion - To Possibilities", Ode is a breath of fresh air, good news for a change and lots of it. Articles are easily digestible without being dumbed down, and they regularly highlight ideas and people I later hear about via other media sources. Co-produced in The Netherlands and the U.S., there's a decidedly European feeling to the zine that I enjoy immensely. From science to spirituality, sustainability to the arts, I love getting my hit of optimism every issue. If you aren't a magazine reader, the Ode website offers a lot of the content from the magazine, as well as reader blogs and social networking interactivity.
— gonzo

Lick your chops and chip through the nuggets of past Floss Aid recommendations.
— floss aid

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Archive for December 2007

Monday 31 December 2007

ride on

Friday 28 December 2007

boom or bust

terror-tested, terror tough

Thursday 27 December 2007

not for the faint of heart

Wednesday 26 December 2007

go ahead, taze him

Tuesday 25 December 2007

dec. 25, 2007

Saturday 22 December 2007

give a listen

Friday 21 December 2007

christmas time in new orleans

Divining a nominee: Iowa

Floss Endorsement

Cascadian Links

Circle of Blog

FlossQuotes

Barack Obama

ear candy

eye candy

brain candy

Hard Candy

The (Candy) Man