The state of Washington has
filed suit against Arlene's Flowers, whose owner, Barronelle Stutzman, refused to provide flowers for the wedding of regular customers Robert Ingersoll and Curt Freed.
[more inside]
posted by roomthreeseventeen
on Apr 11, 2013 -
232 comments
On September 24th Radiolab posted a new episode,
The Fact of the Matter. It included a segment titled
Yellow Rain. Radiolab's website says that it's "a detective story from the Cold War, about a mysterious substance that fell from the sky in Southeast Asia at the end of the Vietnam war." Robert Krulwich's interview with two of the segment's guests has prompted outrage at his treatment of them. One of the guests, writer
Kao Kalia Yang, talked with
Hyphen Magazine.
posted by FatRabbit
on Oct 23, 2012 -
136 comments
"It was hot as blazes as we tore through the south side, pulling up at lights all the people laughing at the white kids doing their little dance in the car." John Darnielle of the Mountain Goats performs '
The Sign,' by Ace of Base, interspersed with a story about the song and hand-signal dancing.
posted by kaibutsu
on Mar 17, 2012 -
29 comments
The Rhythm of Life is one of those songs that sort of embeds itself in your brain. Originally from
Sweet Charity, it's a powerful beat that is able to transcend meaning, transformed by the medium... The original intent was a bit of a
bohemian/hippie chant.
The song sometimes was voiced by
a congregation that appeared somewhat more innocent.
Yin and yang, backwards.... it's meaning became something different
altogether.
Or, there's
this...
posted by HuronBob
on Nov 7, 2011 -
19 comments
The Pervocracy is a kinky, feminist sexblog. Holly writes about her experiences as an active member of the BDSM community, a partner in a polyamorous relationship, and an all-around completely horny slut. She also writes editorials from a sex-positive feminist perspective, advice on sexuality and kink, and humorous critiques of sexism online and in the media. [more inside]
posted by Blasdelb
on Oct 12, 2011 -
86 comments
For your listening pleasure, I present to you the
Zelda Rag, performed (with no prior practice) by Tom Brier. When that gets old, there's also a ragtime adaptation of the
horse race theme from the Ocarina of Time that is not to be missed. And if Zelda's too easy, you can try the theme from
Ghosts and Goblins. And, finally, an actual rag from Final Fantasy VI:
the Spinach Rag.
[more inside]
posted by kaibutsu
on Dec 26, 2010 -
22 comments
"The Declaration of Independence in American," by H.L. Mencken. "When things get so balled up that the people of a country got to cut loose from some other country, and go it on their own hook, without asking no permission from nobody, excepting maybe God Almighty, then they ought to let everybody know why they done it, so that everybody can see they are not trying to put nothing over on nobody." Why we did what we did. In American, so everyone can understand.
posted by John of Michigan
on Jul 4, 2010 -
26 comments
David Levine, beloved caricaturist for several publications, but most notably for the
New York Review of Books,
died last Tuesday at age 83 due to complications of prostate cancer. Since 1963, he contributed over 3,800 caricatures for the magazine, which prominently featured his drawings in promotional material. You can look at over 2,500 of his drawings
here, review his website featuring his painting
here, and see him interviewed
here.
Toward the end of his life, his vision failed due to macular degeneration and his relationship with the magazine became
somewhat strained. Upon his death, the magazine noted that he was, simply, "the greatest caricaturist of his time."
[more inside]
posted by pasici
on Jan 1, 2010 -
24 comments
Have you ever dreamed of moving an object with the power of your mind? Mindflex, the new mental acuity game from Mattel, makes that dream a reality. A lightweight headset containing sensors for the forehead and earlobes measures your brainwave activity. When you focus your concentration, a small foam ball will rise on a gentle stream of air. Relax your thoughts and the ball will descend. By using a combination of physical and mental coordination, you must then guide the ball through a customizable obstacle course, the various obstacles can be repositioned into many different configurations. [more inside]
posted by litterateur
on Jun 27, 2009 -
39 comments
As jazz fans know, fifty years ago on March 2, 1959,
Miles Davis, Bill Evans,
John Coltrane,
Cannonball Adderley, Paul Chambers and Jimmy Cobb met at the Columbia 30th Street Studios in NYC for the first session of Miles new album,
Kind of Blue. (Link goes to the 50th anniversary collector's box set edition page at amazon.) It was the touchstone for many other future recordings bearing its mighty influence and it fostered several high profile careers, and a new modal sound for jazz.
Kind of Blue went on to be
certified platinum, selling 4 million records, the most ever for a jazz album. Bill Evans had left the band in late 1958, but was called back by Miles for the sessions, which included his new pianist Wynton Kelly on one track only,
Freddie Freeloader. The tunes they did that day,
"So What",
"Blue in Green" (written by Evans, though credited to Miles) and "Freeloader" all became standards as did "All Blues" from the April session. Documentaries and entire books have been written on this one album alone. The phenomenon lives on. (
previously on AskMeFi, but just on Trane and Miles.)
posted by Seekerofsplendor
on Mar 3, 2009 -
71 comments
The economic mess is squeezing everyone but many college students are really feeling it.
Syracuse University has made an emergency appeal for aid for 400 current students who may not be able to return for the spring semester without an infusion of cash;
Harvard University lost an incredible 22 percent of its very fat endowment but is trying to raise money through a
$600 million bond issue.
[more inside]
posted by etaoin
on Dec 7, 2008 -
39 comments
Gee, boss, I'm feeling a cold coming on. I definitely won't be in to work tomorrow. What's that? You saw me at
Gamestop and/or Best Buy at midnight? I, er, well, I was dealing with a nasty bug. No, not
that one, the
other one (no worries, I'll be
compensated!). I'm quite
talented, you see. If I was in Europe, they'd already be
showing me the way to Northrend. Alas, I'm not, and I have to wait until 9pm PST. In the meantime, there are those who've been where I'm going, and have nicely
posted a review already.
posted by thanotopsis
on Nov 12, 2008 -
68 comments
Drummer and vocalist
Jimmy Carl Black, "the Indian of the group", who appeared on more Mothers of Invention
records than you could shake a stick at, has passed away. Here's Jimmy drumming with The Mothers of Invention
live on French TV 1968,
live on BBC TV 1968, singing with
The Muffin Men, 2002, and on one of his last gigs, singing Capt. Beefheart's
Dropout Boogie in June 2008, in his duo with mad banjo wizard Eugene Chadbourne which they called
The Jack and Jim Show.
[more inside]
posted by flapjax at midnite
on Nov 3, 2008 -
49 comments
Universal Algorithm of Experience: Rev. Luke Anthony Murphy has produced four books of graphs over the past five years: Relationships, Spiritual Matters, Money, and Problems. These graphs are attempts to give shape to the conditions that produce the internal environment of anxiety. Recently a group of these were presented in a show called Wilderness at Bernadette Salvage Fine Arts in conjunction with 7hours in Brooklyn.
Rev. Luke Anthony Murphy is a painter and shows this work as well as his digitally produced drawings and photos in New York, Toronto, and Berlin. He currently lives in East Harlem, New York, and works for CBS.com.
posted by Fizz
on Sep 19, 2008 -
16 comments
