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Thomas Frank (the Baffler) has a funny op-ed on John Walker in the NYT today. In reply to all the conservative scolding about Walker being a product of "liberal values," Frank argues that "born in the 1980's, John Walker grew up in a time when American conformity was the lamentation not of pampered professors but of Madison Avenue and the cutting-edge management gurus."

Frank continues: "It is from TV commercials for sneakers and S.U.V.'s that we learn of the horror of American sameness, and the freedom and personal authenticity that await us when we fire up a Macintosh or zoom away in a Honda CR-V. Extremism in the pursuit of intensity, the ad men tell us, is no vice. John Walker's generation was encouraged to use 'extreme' cordless drills, buy its Dodges from an extreme used car dealer and catch its trout with an extreme fishing rod. Just for them did ecstatic TV hipsters steer their sedans up Himalayan peaks in search of the phattest possible brand experience. Maybe the boy Talib is simply an attentive consumer, his ill-fated affair with extreme Islam merely a twisted continuation of his search for the weapons-grade authenticity promised him so many times by manufacturers of bell-bottom jeans and lemon-lime soda."

- tom moody 12-22-2001 6:34 pm [link] [add a comment]

a tree grows...



- bill 12-21-2001 1:36 pm [link] [3 comments]

Recounted Out




- bill 12-19-2001 8:10 pm [link] [add a comment]

It is with the saddest heart that we must pass on the
following news.

Please join us in remembering a great icon of the
entertainment community. The Pillsbury Doughboy died
yesterday of a yeast infection and complications from
repeated pokes in the belly. He was 71. Doughboy was
buried in a lightly greased coffin. Dozens of
celebrities turned out to pay their respects,
including Mrs. Butterworth, Hungry Jack, the
California Raisins, Betty Crocker, the Hostess
Twinkies, and Captain Crunch. The gravesite was piled
high with flours. Aunt Jemima delivered the eulogy
and lovingly described Doughboy as a man who never
knew how much he was kneaded. Doughboy rose quickly
in show business, but his later life was filled with
turnovers. He was not considered a very "smart"
cookie, wasting much of his dough on half-baked
schemes. Despite being a little flaky at times, he
still, as a crusty old man, was considered a roll
model for millions. Doughboy is survived by his wife,
Play Dough; two children, John Dough and Jane Dough;
plus they had one in the oven. He is also survived by
his elderly father, Pop Tart.

The funeral was held at 3:50 for about 20 Minutes.

- Skinny 12-19-2001 7:18 pm [link] [add a comment]

pornado report : digitalmediatree make-over


- bill 12-19-2001 6:31 pm [link] [1 ref] [2 comments]

Dangerous Dancing
- julie 12-19-2001 6:07 pm [link] [1 ref] [add a comment]

"what would Baudrillard say ?" 9/27/01



- bill 12-19-2001 5:45 pm [link] [2 comments]

the first list of British IFAs, or Important Fungus Areas
- linda 12-17-2001 3:08 pm [link] [add a comment]

5 wtc 360 cams




- bill 12-17-2001 12:57 pm [link] [1 comment]

post-martha



- bill 12-16-2001 4:07 pm [link] [add a comment]

megway sales soar!
- dave 12-16-2001 3:22 pm [link] [2 comments]

The Work Dogs : 8:00 pm, Friday December 21 st. @ Max Fish on Ludlow st / new album release party and proformance.



- bill 12-16-2001 1:44 pm [link] [7 comments]

Feedmymeter.com is a New Orleans project that sells advertising to raise money to feed expired parking meters. A flyer is left on the saved car explaining what was done. Included on the flyer are the ads, of course. Genius. Take that Rita.

A usually reliable on such matters friend of mine swears there was a court case in New York City which outlawed feeding a meter for someone else. Can anyone confirm that?
- jim 12-15-2001 2:04 am [link] [1 comment]

Could this be true?

Michael Moore was the keynote speaker at the convention of NJ Citizen Action which I attended this past Saturday. He told the assembled audience of 100+ people that his publisher HarperCollins had informed him that they will not be selling/distributing his new book "Stupid White Men and Other Excuses for the State of the Nation" --already printed -- because the content is offensive. He reported that the publisher also told him that he (Moore) is being "intellectually dishonest" not to state that GW Bush has done a good job in the last few months. Moore said that he has been told that the book will NOT be distributed as is, will be destroyed, and that if he will rewrite AND pay for the repinting of the book Harpercollins will publish the new version!!.
I know he's been accused of embellishing the facts before, but this sounds like it might have happened.
- jim 12-14-2001 3:30 pm [link] [2 comments]

"what, its not free? but im a celebrity."
- dave 12-14-2001 12:31 am [link] [8 comments]

Counting birds online from the Times.
- alex 12-13-2001 4:13 pm [link] [2 comments]

My horrorscope advises me to "think out[side] of the box". No shit. Last week I was trying to remember the first time I had heard the phrase. Tom mentioned first hearing it in a movie (which one again ?) from two years back. Now it's every where. Can any one else help pin this down ?


- bill 12-11-2001 2:14 pm [link] [18 comments]

alt.fan.emo - advised by musicologist Brian that rich kid John Walker was big fan of emo band Race-Trader (traitor?) but I cant find anything to back it up.


- bill 12-09-2001 8:42 pm [link] [6 comments]

tonight is Santarchy in NYC, but the big national meeting is in Austin in honor of GW
- Skinny 12-08-2001 4:07 pm [link] [3 refs] [add a comment]

Roll another number

Neil Young inspired by Flight 93.
Take that, you cynics.

- alex 12-08-2001 1:37 am [link] [1 ref] [2 comments]

afghan war rugs



- bill 12-07-2001 5:02 pm [link] [1 ref] [6 comments]

Hey, I'm finally getting some Google searches coming in. And they're not all porn, though I'm not sure whether "sex pistles" is a misspelling or not.
Edits from the log include:
skirting+pussy
lullabies++%22in+the+meadow%22+baby++butterflies+birds+alone
Songbirds+and+Hallucinogenic+Plants
the+sex+pistles
BELLADONNA+POEM+EYE+RED+FIRE+NIGHTSHADE+ATROPA
22bitter+withy%22+apocrypha
mute+swan+cygnets+pictures
tutti+frutti+fairy+%2Bchristmas+%2Bornaments
(Say, there could be a hot product idea in that last one.)

- alex 12-06-2001 6:44 pm [link] [1 comment]

good dr W
i didnt think there were ostridge in argentina
it was a rheas

Rheas are the true inhabitants of the South American grasslands or pampas. Distribution in the wild is from north-eastern Brazil to central Argentina. Although conspicuous to our eyes, on the pampas, crouched, immobile, amongst the tussocky grass, they are almost invisible. Then, when something alarms them, off they go, in typical, high-stepping ostrich style, reaching speeds of 30 m.p.h., and zig-zagging this way and that, often with wings outstretched and bending to one side, then the other, at acute angles
- Skinny 12-06-2001 5:33 am [link] [82 comments]

Minor league baseball's Daytona Cubs are offering a lifetime seasons pass to anyone who gets a tattoo of their logo anywhere on thier body. They'll bring you into their office, you show them the tat and they'll take your photo and make the pass right there on the spot. Once you have the pass there is no need to show your tattoo at the gate.
- steve 12-05-2001 11:02 pm [link] [add a comment]

Bill Moyers is bitter.......
- steve 12-05-2001 5:23 pm [link] [9 comments]