Let's Party Like We're 61!

today israel turned 61 (i know the picture says 60 but i dig the glasses), and in order to celebrate, hillel uw put on an israel palooza event on the hub lawn. not only did i get to eat falafel and get a free bottle opener, but i also learned that the country has a soccer team! in any case, happy birthday to the middle east's lone democracy and hopefully some peace proposal with the palestinians is implemented soon.


today may have been israel's birthday, but it was also the 100 day marker of obama's presidency. he said we're off to a good start but that he's not content... good, cuz we'll be needing jobs in four years.

pandas can't use slides


blue-footed boobies


?? dunno, but it's funny-looking


can't we all just get along?

did you know that 60% of americans breath in bad air? that's what the american lung society reported today, and bad air pollution causes lung cancer, heart attacks, and premature deaths. the worst metro area is LA-long beach-riverside (a surprise?) and the best is fargo, nd (but who wants to live there anyway?).

by the way, listen to this song cuz i couldn't stop listening to it this morning, and the guy's from brazil: gui boratto-opus 17

Green Eggs and Swine

this woman needs to leave politics and go back to the boonies of minnesota asap. first she said that an investigation needed to be made to see which congressional representatives were anti-american. now she's says that it might not just be a coincidence that the swine flu has broken out under a democratic president. but the last one occurred under president ford. crazies are taking over the republican party!


speaking of republican politicians, senator arlen specter changed parties today and will give democrats the 60 votes needed to break a filibuster. although he's admitted it was because he knew he'd probably lose the republican primary in his native pennsylvania, i can't help but think that it could be a way for him to save his own ass from losing to a more liberal democrat. but hey, it's politics.


speaking of more republican conspiracy theories, michelle malkin, glenn beck, michael savage and the whole gang have begun spreading false lies that IMMIGRANTS ARE BRINGING SWINE FLU OVER THE BORDER!!! but they're not actually... it was brought here by teenagers at a catholic prep school in new york city who were vacationing in cancun. how about we actually solve the real problem and put more regulations on agribusiness so that we can actually keep people healthy?

by the way, i'm quite angry with the daily... does anyone fact-check there? their conservative columnist said that the jury's out on anthropogenic climate change (which it's not) and compared it to "global cooling" in the 1970s (which was never even scientifically proven). this newspaper is failing us huskies!

on a lighter note, nevadans are preparing to ward off mormon crickets by blasting led zeppelin and the rolling stones... apparently crickets have bad taste in music?

Flu and Non-News

AH i hope i don't get the swine flu anytime soon... but no one in the US has died from it yet and everyone has recovered without antivirals, so don't be too concerned yet


apparently rihanna wants $1.4 million worth of jewelry back from chris brown from the night of her beating. i guess there really is no important news right now to report on.


BUT jessica biel's movie where she plays a stripper is going straight to DVD in june. even though her movies have continually flopped (chuck & larry ring a bell), she's still hot so at least they'll be something to look at.

and this week, gavin newsom announced that he will run for governor of california in 2010. even though he's a standard politician, it should be interesting to see him pitted against jerry brown for the primary in a match-up that will pit an old-school politician against someone who's supposed to represent newer generations.

Perculator

^ compliments of kate lien.

anyway, making songs for friends' birthdays is always fun. http://profile.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=user.viewprofile&friendid=469606196
click the link to listen to some exclusives from synapse ft nothx. swear its legit.


mia farrow is going to start fasting monday for 21 days to raise awareness about the genocide in darfur and stand in solidarity. here's to american heroes.

happy earth day, hope you planted a tree or at least tried to do something eco-friendly. and hopefully a carbon tax gets implemented soon... call your congressional representative and press them to pass legislation to cap greenhouse gases and tax them so that we can at least soften our impression on the planet for our kids.


o and yesterday was holocaust remembrance day, speaking of genocides. we say never again, so let's stop the ones going on right now.

1300 Miles From Denver

i went and saw yonder mountain string band last night at the showbox market, and it was definitely worth the $25. although not a devoted bluegrass fan, i would say that it has been my favorite show of the year thus far. the energy in the crowd was great and drinks + dancing make for a great time any night.

by the way, anyone else forget that today was the anniversary of the columbine shootings? thought so. an interesting article in the chronicle talked about how kids these days don't even know what columbine is.... mandatory searches and bullying programs are just thought to be the norm in schools now. can't believe it's already been 10 years and hopefully it never happens again.



anyone else read about the cia report that details how much waterboarding actually went on under w's watch? scary shit! forcing people to be nude, depriving people of sleep, holding them in dark small rooms? it's not just archaic and against the law, but it doesn't actually work either. and these men who argued for its legality are sick and should be put behind bars. terrorism is the use of violence and threats to intimidate or coerce, especially for political purposes... kinda like torturing prisoners?


on a lighter note, the ban comic sans movement is gaining momentum. THANK GOD. this font should never have been created, and shame on the microsoft software designer who created it. now you can buy pins and shirts with this logo. and comic sans is becoming "retro chic" according to the wall street journal because it's so goddamned cheesy.

ban comic sans... putting the sans back into comic sans

Lawsuits

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in case you didn't know, american apparel has been sued by woody allen for using his picture on billboards in LA and New York because it wrongly associates him with the company. but in their defense, american apparel has said that:

"Woody Allen expects $10 million for use of his image on billboards that were up and down in less than one week... Woody Allen overestimates the value of his image."

"...after the various sex scandals that Woody Allen has been associated with, corporate America's desire to have Woody Allen endorse their product is not what he may believe it is."

Damn good argument! who the fuck doesn't think that breaking up with mia farrow for your adopted korean daughter isn't a little fucked up? the affair didn't start until the daughter was 22 but def did a lot of damage to his rep. they'll probably settle out of court for a lower settlement ammount, especially since woody's creepy stories are coming out again. leave it up to american apparel to bring this as their defense!

in case you were missing updates on hulk hogan's life via his VH1 show hogan knows best, he recently had the following to say about his divorce with his wife:

"I could have turned everything into a crime scene, like OJ, cutting everybody's throat," he told the magazine (The New York Post). "You live half a mile from the 20,000-square-foot home you can't go to anymore, you're driving through downtown Clearwater and see a 19-year-old boy driving your Escalade, and you know that a 19-year-old boy is sleeping in your bed, with your wife . . . I totally understand OJ. I get it."

if i were in a divorce court, def would not be making references to OJ and saying that you "totally understand" him. fuck your old escalade, go buy a new one with the money you made from that shitty reality show

Rocks and Teabagging

stonehenge may be of little importance to us college students, but as long as you know what it is, you too can pass appreciation of architecture! hella easy: 4 quizzes, 2 classes a week and a professor who has never taught before. perfect combo to make up for math in mah gpa

yesterday i went rock climbing for the first time. so fucking difficult, it's like solving math puzzles to make sure you stay on your tape color and make sure your ass doesn't fall off the route and make you look like a dumbass who's never actually tried it before. like me. but the work paid off.. i'm hella sore today and found out that i still have some strength left since i can't remember the last time i went to the gym. new life goal: climb a mountain

by the way, anyone else been following the so-called conservative "tea party" protests taking place all over the nation? do any of these people protesting realize that they probably are receiving tax cuts this year? plus the original intent of the Boston tea party was to fight taxation without representation, not the idea of taxation. whatev, that obama-as-erkel poster is amusing and teabagging references can only provide us with more humor and entertainment, so i say CONTINUE THE TEABAGGING!

New Superstar

She's 47 years old and from a small town, but that's only one side of her! Susan Boyle is the new Idol pop star from britain and way more entertaining (and talented) than William Hung. But seriously, don't think she's the same old who shows up to these auditions.... she can hold a note and even simon approves
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9lp0IWv8QZY

Sex, Drugs, Miley

in pop news, Padma posed nude for allure mag this month. not only is she hot, but i bet she makes some dank food too... anyone else think she should be top chef?

wanna know Jamie Fox's opinion of Hannah Montana?

"she needs to 'make a sex tape and grow up... get like Britney Spears and do some heroin... get some crack in your pipe... catch chlamydia on a bicycle seat'"

just bein miley...

Deep Breaths

don't worry michael, one week until 4-20

Tomorrow, I'll be joining my great friends living on 52nd in arts and crafts! i missed propaganda painting today but CANNOT wait for origami disco ball-making, feltscape and even tie-dyeing, mah favorite. Being sober can be fun, even when you're in college.



more childish news: I went for a bike ride today all the way to 52nd and 18th. treacherous hills and asshole motorists did not stop me from making it up there AND i got exercise in the process. maybe now i'll start biking to parties?


I'm glad to know that I will see Modest Mouse TWICE in one summer! (fingers crossed) Both Outside Lands and Bumbershoot lineups have Modest Mouse, and both happen to be my favorite cities on the west coast (sorry Los Altos). Should make up for missing them multiple times already.