Tonight we roll

Its Halloween, this is all I have to say...

Nuestro Website Favorito Hoy

Today it's YouTube. Where we consistently find awesome videos like this

Gnarls Barkley does Radiohead.

Oh, Bama!

The Obama machine chugged into The 'Burgh on Monday and this dude was there. I went at 1:30 for the 5:00 speech to volunteer. I was special; only one of hundreds of volunteers, and over 15,000 people. It was a Penguins game, without the ice and only Georges Laraque playing.  I ended up right in front, not more than 15 feet away. To be honest, I'm a junky and had heard most of the speech beforehand, but it was powerful the energy and enthusiasm in the room was sick. The organization of it was amazing- the security, the stage, the press set-up (I got googly-eyed when I saw Richard Wolff from Countdown... I'm a dork). As I was telling Maze, it was not like seeing Jesus, since I feel like Obama is a very normal guy. I would be more fascinated seeing McCain or his little bitch because they are just so cartoony and un-real. Enjoy the pics. Oh, also notice the CLASSIC Pittsburgh gray hair waterfall of the dude in front of me... ultimate mullet.

Justice coming to DVD

Pic of the day 10.26.08

Moon jellies at the CA Academy of Sciences.

Global Warming

350 is the number in parts per million that we need to bring our carbon dioxide down to in order to not die a catastrophic death. Its currently been hovering in the 380s and growing at 1-3 ppm per year. Not good, considering that prior to the industrial revolution and coal burning/car driving growth, it was at 270. An observation lab in Hawaii has been tracking it since the 60s. More at 350.org.

I Walked Into a Nation-Wide Hoopla About The B Girl

Perhaps you have heard of the famous, now infamous B-Girl? 

Well, as of yesterday afternoon, I hadn't. I had just finished canvassing in Pittsburgh's Bloomfield neighborhood and was making a twilight trek back to the office when I saw Ralph Iannatti on the street. You know how some local newscaster that you grow up watching sort of become fixtures in your life? Ralph was one of them. I'm not exactly sure if you can be a star-fucker for a local talking head, but so be it. The guys was nice as hell.

   "Hey, Ralph! Ryan Kushner. I'm a volunteer for the Obama campaign. You guys should do a story about all the hard-working Obama supporters here." After a second he said, "Do you know why I'm here? Across the street? The ATM?"

    Now, it is true that Pittsburgh is somewhat behind the times, but certainly not even in Steel Town is an ATM a news item. "Huh?" "Yes, there was a McCain supporter attacked and mugged and had a B carved in her cheek." This immediately struck me as strange. "Ralph, that sounds like bullshit to me. First of all, I've been in Pittsburgh for 6 weeks. There is no such thing as a McCain supporter!" 

   And, indeed, it has come to pass. Buuuulllllshhhiiiiit. I am, if you didn't notice, loving this.

Yes We Carve

Can you say commitment? I'm hardcore in my BamaLove, but even I am not going here. There are few things more sacred than Hallows Eve. 

Full site here. 

Robert Johnson

In 1938 Robert Johnson was murdered at the age of 27. For years there were only two known photos of Johnson, one of the best known blues musicians in history, also rumored to have sold his soul to the devil to play guitar. That may have recently changed, thanks to an unexpected source - eBay. There's an amazing story at Vanity Fair that talks about Robert Johnson, his legend and how the below photo came to be found. The rumored Johnson is on the left.
You may also remember a bit of Robert Johnson's story from "O' Brother Where Art Thou?" one of my all time favorites. You can see the original two photos on SuperTouch but let the intro by writer Frank DiGiacomo reel you in to the Vanity Fair piece...

In the seven decades since his mysterious death, bluesman Robert Johnson’s legend has grown—the tragically short life, the “crossroads” tale of supernatural talent, the genuine gift that inspired Dylan, Clapton, and other greats—but his image remains elusive: only two photos of Johnson have ever been seen by the public. In 2005, on eBay, guitar maven Zeke Schein thought he’d found a third. Schein’s quest to authenticate the picture only led to more questions, both about Johnson himself and about who controls his valuable legacy.

Huffpo on Palin on SNL

Excellent excerpt from Robert Kubey's story on huffpo about Palin's appearance on SNL.

After all, this is Saturday Night Live who've skewered her week after week. Were they going to be nice? And now, by appearing on the program, it certainly drew its biggest audience of the season. Maybe the biggest audience in years, but I fail to see how the GOP was helped.

Often these cameos on SNL humanize a candidate in some helpful way. A candidate will often seem like a good sport by going on. Al Gore was wonderful after the debacle of 2000, but he appeared after finally conceding and when it was all too late. He was funny and very human. But we already know Sarah Palin can sometimes display humor and be human. But tonight, SNL gave us another piece of evidence that Gov. Palin's judgment, and that of her running mate, may not be what we want guiding the nation and the world for the next four years.

See SNL's opening and more of the videos, including Amy Pohler's rap.

UPDATE: The NYT is a little more forgiving.

Video on new Banksy exhibit

NOTCOT: Banksy's Village Petstore & Charcoal Grill from Jean Aw on Vimeo.

On your left: San Diego. On your right: Mexico

Drudge Is Dead To Me

I posted last week that after years of dedicated readership, I had officially broken up with Matt Drudge's "Drudge Report". Apparently the geniuses at FiveThirtyEight.com agree. They have posted two articles in the last few days tearing the site apart. Essentially, Drudge is cherry-picking from shady, sometimes even old polling data to give his mindless sheep something nefarious not to cry about.

Read and weep.

Attack of the lizard!!!

Joe the Plumber Is Bullshit. He Doesn't Even Pay His Current Taxes

How the mighty have fallen again. This dude got more than his 15 minutes of fame.

But, it appears there are a few issues with Joe, according to the NYT:

1. He is not, and has never been licenced as a plumber

2. He has two tax liens on him at the moment, indicating he doesn't even pay his current taxes in full

3. He said he was independent, but he voted in the Republican primary

4. Tax analysts say that Joe would actually benefit greatly from Obama's tax plan, by qualifying for a tax cut.

So.... so long, Joe.

UPDATE: More on Joe the Plumber here. Turns out he may not know about the tax liens, he works for a licensed plumbing company and, yes, he would still benefit from Obama's tax plan.

Nuestro Website Favorito Hoy pt. 2

I'm piling on to Nuestro Website Favorito Hoy with This is Sand. A devil of a time waster where I produced this while eating a burrito this afternoon.

Nuestro Webite Favorito Hoy: FiveThirtyEight.com

Maze and I are introducing a new feature on the blog: Website Wednesday. Every week we will pick a website that we are in awe of and think ya'll should check out.

This week's pick is FiveThirtyEight.com.

Found only this past March, it is the new wunderkind of the web. The site draws from founder Nate Silver's practice with baseball stats to take an inclusive, balanced and sophisticated look at all the polls. The site "balances out the polls with comparative demographic data and weights each poll based on the pollster's historical track record, sample size, and recentness of the poll." Whatever that means, it works.

The site gained notoriety for predicting more accurately than anyone else the outcomes of the North Carolina and Indiana primaries. Since then, it has come to dominate the world of polling like I dominate Maze in ping pong.

And, if you need a bit of a lift, this ridonculously accurate, massively respected site currently shows a 4.2% of McCain winning. Yeeaaw!

My First Article On Huffington Post

   In the past few months as I've become a rabid political dog, I've started reading the Huffington Post. It's actually become my portal- the first website I turn to. In the darker days of the campaign I overheard someone ask, "What political websites should I read?" "Read the Huffington Post if you want to feel good," came the reply. 

   Indeed. I used to read the Drudge Report for political and general interest stuff, but in the last few months Matt Drudge (no link there, as an intentional f*** you) has apparently gone off the deep end and is vying for Bill O'Reilly as the biggest douche on the Right. A month ago, I sent Matt a goodbye email, filled with sorrow and longing for our good times together, abruptly took it off my Bookmarks, and haven't been back since. Ok, maybe once. But, if you think I'm off the mark here, look after the next debate. If it's like the last two and Obama cleans house and all the post polling agrees, Drudge's own poll of his loyal brethren will again represent a massive departure from our collective reality. Also notice the complete lack of Troopergate coverage. Sad.

I digress. So, I saw on Huff Post a call for entries for "voices of the campaign". I submitted and my first post went up today. Sweet!

   Read it's called "Riding the "Enthusiasm Gap" Home To Pittsburgh" and you can read it here. 

The Big Picture

I've found myself back on the Boston Globe website time and time again checking out photo stories that run on this page called "The Big Picture." Most likely it's because they fit into my bite-sized news gathering routine (mostly done while at the office between emails), maybe some of it is my fascination with photograph and visual mediums, maybe its just the nerd in me. But I found myself there again today looking at a couple of features; one on the Sun, the other on the photographer Yann Arthus-Bertrand. I've seen Arthus-Bertrand's coffee table book before, but it's been a while and the photos remain breathtakingly interesting. Looks like he's added to his collection and will be opening an exhibit of 150 4'x6' prints in NYC. Us Californians will have to wait until 2010 when it comes here (probably in Santa Monica, they get all the good outdoor installations).

The Greatest Virtual Community: CHAOS... Citizens Hanging Around the Obama Sign

I completely love this story from, of all places, the Wall Street Journal.

This 16 year-old-kid lives in Washington with his mom, and they put an Obama yard sign in from of their house. Poof- it's gone! They get another one (not an easy task if Pittsburgh is any indication; they go like hotcakes), and again... Poof! At this point, an older person would go with the classic technique and hide behind the tree with gun, but young Preston is an innovator and uses a bit of technology to his advantage.

So he can keep a watch on his sign when he's not at home, he points a web cam at the front yard and continues to monitor remotely. He tells some friends about it. They tell people, who tell people.... so on and so on. Pretty soon there are over 40,000 people all taking shifts to stare at the front yard of this kid's house. When the US goes to sleep, the Euro's pick up the slack. When they finish their shift, the Aussies take over.

But this global community is not just watching, they are participating in Preston's life. If he posts a message during the day, he gets questions about why he's not in school. Chatters make sure Preston isn't talking to any internet weirdos until his mother gets home from school (they know her schedule). I have seen the sign when there is a piece of tape on the window, blocking the sidewalk and reading "Tape is intended to protect the privacy of children walking to school. Will be removed at 3:30."

As I am watching now, there is a bird walking on the lawn, and people are discussing shopping at Costco. It is boring, and yet not. In our word where things can become so de-humanized, this dada-ist webcam sitting and staring through a window is about as real and genuine as anything I've seen.

Marky Mark talks to Animals

Sorry, I don't know how to trim the video from Hulu, damn widescreen.

Canvassing for Obama in the 'Burgh

I have so many incredible stories to tell about the last month I've spent working for the Obama campaign. It's been a ridiculous, random and incredibly rewarding experience. The people I work with are truly driven. The paid Obama staffers bust their ass for basically no money: at least 12 hour days, 7 days a week... for months. The hundreds of volunteers here bust their ass for literally no money, doing any and everything asked of them. My first day here I mopped a basement. Why? People are frikkin' pissed, and fired up. I started here shortly after Palin was picked. Every single day someone would walk in the door and say, "That woman scares me. What can I do? Put me to work. I'll do anything."

I work in that 'enthusiasm gap' you hear about.

But, beyond the vibe and the people... the places. Places I never knew existed or intentionally avoided when I lived at home in high school and was a less worldly/more fearful version of myself. Canvassing for Obama (and perhaps a touch of naivete) is like having a forcefield around you. I have walked through the most fucked up urban ghettos, knocked on the most bizarre doors and injected myself right into hundreds of people's private lives, all without fear. It's about being on a mission and fighting the good fight.

So, above are some photos from my adventure in Pittsburgh. More to come.

Here's to Friday and falling asleep to a DVD this weekend.

Problem is, I cannot fall asleep while watching a movie, it's a curse. But for all those who don't have that problem, this view sets up a familiar scene. Click the image to get the full effect of "You Fell Asleep Watching a DVD." If I had to choose based on this alone, I think I'd choose Reservoir Dogs, because at that point it's as much about waking up as it is falling asleep and that's just a good bit to get out off the couch to.

Via fimoculous.com

In these tough economic times...

The LA Times is here to help! In one of the flimsiest segues I've seen in recent memory, the food section capitalizes on today's woes to provide advice on saving money in the kitchen. In the opening of the article, the writers move from Lehman Brothers to enthusiastic home cooks.

Value is a relative concept. Just ask the folks at Lehman Brothers. But when it comes to ingredients and kitchen tools that beckon to the enthusiastic home cook, it's important to the bottom line -- in this case, a great meal -- to take a look at what's really worth your hard-earned cash -- and what isn't.

Sounds sort of reasonable to start, "what are the ways to cut costs in your kitchen?" To bad it immediately breaks down from there as two totally self indulgent egotistical food writers go on to dispense sage advice such as:

Worth it...

Good corkscrew

Don't laugh. I can't tell you how frustrating it is to take a good bottle of wine to someone's house and find that the only corkscrew they've got is one of those $1.99 drugstore ones with solid screws that are good only for splitting corks. Come on, spend an extra couple of bucks and get one with a hollow auger (it will look like a corkscrew rather than a sheet metal screw). You can find them for around $10 and you won't believe the difference.--R.P.

Saffron

Tagged as the world's most expensive spice -- you can buy a 2 1/2 -pound case of saffron on amazon.com for $4,410 -- saffron is the key ingredient in many regional dishes, such as paella and bouillabaisse as well as certain pilafs and tagines. They depend on its unique grassy flavor and startling yellow color. Authenticity has its price, of course, but it's not so bad when you consider how little you need of the stuff. It's also another one of those wacky ingredients that make you think, wow, who comes up with this stuff? Dried crocus stigmas. What demented gardener thought of putting that in the stew?--A.S.

Good dried pasta

Cheaping out on spaghetti, rigatoni and penne is false economy when you can find terrific brands such as Latini, Rustichella d'Abruzzo and Maestri selling for only a couple of bucks a box more than the industrial stuff. The differences between brands may be hard to appreciate when you're tasting the noodles by themselves, but taste them with a sauce and you'll be blown away by how much clearer and more defined the flavor is. --R.P.

and NOT worth it...

Expensive knives

My wife is going to howl with laughter when she reads this because I've got two knife blocks jammed full, and more in a drawer. But 98% of all the cutting I do is with a chef's knife or a paring knife. The rest of it, I confess, is nothing more than a cutting-edge indulgence. So let's agree never again to mention that 12-inch antique French carbon steel ham slicer, OK?--R.P.

White truffles

There is no one who loves white truffles more than I do. But I can count on one hand the number of times I've had white truffles in this country that approach the quality of the ones you get in Italy. There, you can smell the truffles being sliced from across the room. Here, most of the time you practically have to bury your nose in a dish before you get any of their perfume. Luxury ingredients are wonderful when there is a payoff; otherwise they're the culinary equivalent of gold-plating bathroom fixtures.--R.P.

Crème brûlée torch

These dainty, prissy little tools, sold in kitchen supply stores for upward of $50, take all the fun out of burning sugar in the first place. You want a good caramelized top on your crème brûlée? Use a blow torch. They cost about a quarter of the price, work a lot better -- and you can solder pipes with them too.--A.S.

OK, so I just lost my house in a f'ed up mortgage and have moved my family into an apt. I'm thinking to myself. Hmmm, whats for dinner? Oh, I can save some money by cutting out my imported flavored salts and forgoing that creme brule torch. Whew! Saved some bucks there! Now I just have to make sure I save further by picking up some Saffron. It may be the world's most expensive spice, but hey! You don't use that much. I'll stop here before I enter Criagslist best of rant territory.

Full ridiculousness here.

I will continue to blast Baracuda - but with renewed enthusaism

Click on the image to enlarge the text. Thanks SA!

UPDATE: Turns out the letter is a hoax, but sounds like Heart is still donating some proceeds to Obama, so I feel comfy singing, da nah nanana nah nah!

Fall Colors

Was just sent some stunning photos from MN that capture the beauty of the fall season. Something I definitely miss after 8 years in SoCal.
Thanks Dad- real subtle.

Keating scandal

A fifteen minute documentary on the Keating Scandal released by the Obama campaign is worth the watch ahead of the debates tonight.

More Choe

I posted about David Choe before. But today added his blog to my links (I'm very discerning - he should feel proud). Actually, when I read his blog today, it struck me as a little more promotional than when I first started reading. I haven't been there in a while and recent posts seems to be about his shows and his prints for sale, less about working and life, less thoughtful. But he also had this picture of a recent piece in NYC and that made it worth it.

The Debates

Too good not to repost this one, the best 10 minutes of my day.

Pic of the Day 10.6.08

Hopefully this is something to look forward to, it being a Monday and all. (that's "The Beer Store")

Saturday Soul

Its overcast and cool in LA today. A melancholy mist hangs over the Hollywood Hills. Its a perfect day for songs like this.

I Got The - Labi Siffre

Some of you may recognize a familiar sample from the middle of the song. If so, kudos.

Evenings activities - Razorback

When I started at my new job almost a year ago, I shared a teeny tiny office with a guy who was temping as he continued to act and write. We would sit back-to-back, elbow-to-elbow all day, talking about random stuff - his freelance gig for sumo wrestlers, my trials with certain work challenges, the housing market. You know where this is going. We became friends, he finished his gig and I moved offices, but we continued to stay in touch. Well, it turns out he finally finished his play and initial reports are that its really good. So I'm heading down for a evening of culture to laugh, cry and cheer at the precise moments that will subliminally imbue a 5-star rating into the LA Weekly theater critic who is also attending.

Ego boosting in the wild

Positive reinforcement is everywhere if you know where to look.
Today's comes courtesy of Baja Fresh.