shield your eyes

Vegan vs. Vegetarianism: Which is better for the environment?

Wed, 23 Jul 2008 13:46:20 -0400

Vegan vs. Vegetarianism: Which is better for the environment?: An old article from Slate.

Medical Care Reform: Forget the Candidates

Wed, 23 Jul 2008 13:38:37 -0400

Medical Care Reform: Forget the Candidates: It’s the interest groups we should be interested in.

NYC's Bike Rack Design Finalists

Wed, 23 Jul 2008 13:36:45 -0400

NYC's Bike Rack Design Finalists: Some of these are really pretty but you can only attach one bike per rack. Useless. Still cool that they are having a design contest though…

Entire Star Wars Series Coming in 3-D?

Wed, 23 Jul 2008 12:43:34 -0400

Entire Star Wars Series Coming in 3-D?: Hmm…

Great Unread Books: Respectable authors admit which classics...

Wed, 23 Jul 2008 12:42:00 -0400

Great Unread Books: Respectable authors admit which classics they are ashamed to admit they’ve never read.

The Aisle of Least Resistance

Tue, 22 Jul 2008 11:30:21 -0400

The Aisle of Least Resistance: Recent steps toward legalizing gay marriage have prompted Courtney Martin in American Prospect to reevaluate her own longstanding aversion to the institution. I relate to this.

K-Swift & Scottie B's Unruly Records Sampler

Mon, 21 Jul 2008 14:11:35 -0400

K-Swift & Scottie B's Unruly Records Sampler: For those unfamiliar with her work, here is a mix from K-Swift. I would do an audio post but I think they are lame and you can download the mix from Z-Share if you like it.

Too Weird for The Wire: How black Baltimore drug dealers are using white supremist legal theories to confound Feds

Mon, 21 Jul 2008 12:55:46 -0400

Too Weird for The Wire: How black Baltimore drug dealers are using white supremist legal theories to confound Feds:

I’ve read this article twice. I still can’t believe it.

In the previous year, nearly twenty defendants in other Baltimore cases had begun adopting what lawyers in the federal courthouse came to call “the flesh-and-blood defense.” The defense, such as it is, boils down to this: As officers of the court, all defense lawyers are really on the government’s side, having sworn an oath to uphold a vast, century-old conspiracy to conceal the fact that most aspects of the federal government are illegitimate, including the courts, which have no constitutional authority to bring people to trial. The defendants also believed that a legal distinction could be drawn between their name as written on their indictment and their true identity as a “flesh and blood man.”

…

Although Mitchell and his peers didn’t know it, they were inheriting the intellectual legacy of white supremacists who believe that America was irrevocably broken when the 14th Amendment provided equal rights to former slaves.

perpetua: Kevin Fanning strikes again! Do not stop to think or...

Mon, 21 Jul 2008 12:36:00 -0400

perpetua:

Kevin Fanning strikes again!

Do not stop to think or edit:
You must be the first who said it.

I’m especially fond of the “FAIL” couplet. Dear God, I fucking hate it when people write “FAIL.”

I like the bacon iPod.

Job perk

Mon, 21 Jul 2008 12:23:00 -0400

I keep getting all of this erotica. It’s probably because I wrote this review awhile ago.

Today’s free word porn: Spanked: Red Cheeked Erotica, edited by Rachel Kramer Bussel. The first sentence on the back cover: “Nothing delights the erotic connoisseur like a good spanking, delivered or received.”

Gooooooood morning!

The Lion and the Mouse: The battle that reshaped children's literature

Mon, 21 Jul 2008 11:07:18 -0400

The Lion and the Mouse: The battle that reshaped children's literature: Great read for the bus back from Massachusetts this weekend. I’ve never read Stuart Little, but now I plan on buying it and reading it to my niece.

More on K-Swift

Mon, 21 Jul 2008 10:39:00 -0400

From DSJ on the Hollerboard:

It’s with the deepest regret, the heaviest heart, and in a state of an almost paralyzing shock that we’re to report that the Queen of Baltimore Club Music died last night due to a drowning accident in the swimming pool at her home. This information is coming directly from our family at Unruly, and as soon as a more detailed explanation is available, we’ll be sure to pass that info along.
Quote:Will, heart and faith, are all of the traits that this female, Baltimore native, ascertained, in order to excel in a male dominated, hustle-minded, fast paced industry. Khia Edgerton a.k.a the “Club Queen K-Swift” was born and raised in Baltimore, Maryland on October 19,1980. Growing up, she had many influences to help drive her into what some might say is a successful music career and others her destiny. Her influences were Cocoa Channel and Jazzy Joyce along with her father who had an immense passion for music. K-Swift began DJing at the age of 11; now 14 years later, she’s not only Baltimore’s only female DJ, but she’s also the only female Mix Show Coordinator in the country! Her desires to become a professional, well-known DJ were met with numerous obstacles. She received a lot of skepticism from males however; she never let that phase her. Her formula for brushing off all the haters was to just do her own thing and stay focused. Long hours spent working to enhance her DJ skills paid off.

At the age of 18, she was offered an internship at Radio One of Baltimore; 92Q Jams. From this point on, her will, faith, and formula quickly began to turn her yesterday’s dream into a reality. That same year she began producing shows for the station, the first being the Mark Young Show, followed by the Neke @ Night Show. Two years later, her impressive and consistent performance as an intern landed her a job with 92Q, where she officially became the first female DJ on the “Q”. She began DJing for a show that she and an on-air personality, Neke produced, which was called Ladies Night. That show was a big hit, therefore her new offer to be an on air personality was inevitable. After becoming an on-air personality, she then was presented with an opportunity to mix for the “Big Phat Morning Show”. Benefiting from that opportunity and growing as a DJ, she held this position for two years. She then decided to continue to expand her horizons, as she switched from part time to full time. Once she became a full time DJ she began taking over the night show from 6-10 on the Q with her co-host Reggie Reg. Not a surprise that this show became the number one night show in Baltimore. Oh, and it doesn’t stop there, she just doesn’t stop. As changes were being made at the station she remained as the late night DJ, now with co-host Squirrel Wyde, which is currently the number one night show in Baltimore.

K-Swift plays at all the hottest clubs & parties in Baltimore; her fan base is beyond celebrity status. She mixes for all the high school parties as well as in the mall for Downtown Locker Room a popular urban retailer of footwear, apparel, and music. Working at the Q opened numerous doors for K-Swift; she’s done big shows with HOT artist like Paula Campbell and Lil Mo. She‘s a member of the hottest DJ’s in the country known as the Violator All Star DJ’s, as well as the all female squad MURDA MAMIS. Her expertise as a DJ, and her career as an on air personality aren’t the limits of her capabilities. She is also the proud owner of her own Graphics Company, and Production and Management Company (Club Queen Entertainment), while simultaneously selling her own mix Cd’s on her website and in stores across the United States. In addition to all those hats that she wears, she’s also the ONLY female Record Pool Director in Baltimore for Direct Drive Record Pool. K-Swift is just unstoppable. She’s unique and unpredictable. She always bringing the hottest and latest music, not only does she bring hype to the party through her mixing skills, but her aggressive voice on the mike boosts the entire experience. Her love for what she does along with her caring and outgoing personality has taken her to the top, but she’s never going to settle. There’s so much more out there that she would like to pursue. Her goal right now is to go on tour with a major artist, and excel at being an entrepreneur. K-Swift is definitely a woman that the music industry doesn’t want to sleep on, she conquers any and all obstacles that come her way, and her drive should let you know that she can’t stop, and won’t stop, until she’s done it all.

She carried a mysterious, almost mythic quality about herself and her craft to some of us club music fanatics outside of Baltimore. We’ve always known that she had the ability to make and break artists in her city, and that she held it down on 92Q radio, but until this past weekend, I don’t think we knew the first thing about her. Her Dj sets at the My Crew Be Unruly party at the Paradox, and at the Artscape festival the next day (with DJ Class) were nothing short of incredible. Friday night at the Dox was so devastating in fact, that her jaw dropping set actually had Diplo nervous about following her, and I’ve NEVER heard him admit anything similar of the sort before then. He and I literally talked about her all day yesterday. The conversation was something to the effect of “Isn’t K Swift the most awesome person in the history of awesomeness?!” and then we’d compare notes about how effortlessly cool, and what an immensely talented dj she was. Shawn Caesar says she couldn’t stop talking about how excited she was to have been spinning with Diplo, and how much she was looking forward to working with all of us in the nearest future…WTF? THIS ISN’T FAIR!

Shawn, Scottie and the rest of the Unruly fam, I have no idea what yall are going through…especially Shawn because I know you were as close as family to each other. Your loss is our loss, and what this beautiful and talented woman brought to the table can not ever be replaced. She was a pioneer in her field and she expanded that vista almost every day to include more and more successes. I’m so sorry, Baltimore. We love you!

R.I.P. Baltimore club queen K-Swift. One of the best DJs (not...

Mon, 21 Jul 2008 10:09:41 -0400

R.I.P. Baltimore club queen K-Swift. One of the best DJs (not just female DJs, btw) in the business. We will miss you.

Ten things you need to know about Haruki Murakami

Mon, 21 Jul 2008 09:47:00 -0400

Ten things you need to know about Haruki Murakami: I know it’s boring to like Murakami (I admit: he’s probably overrated) but I’m still fascinated with his writing and his influence.

Real Talk About the Economy From the NYT

Mon, 21 Jul 2008 09:45:05 -0400

Real Talk About the Economy From the NYT:

Answers to the essential questions: Is this a recession? Is my job safe? Who’s to blame? Etc.

Something has clearly gone wrong with the economy. But how bad are things, really? And how bad might they get before better days return? Even to many economists who recently thought the gloom was overblown, the situation looks grim. The economy is in the midst of a very rough patch. The worst is probably still ahead.

the brain on love

Mon, 21 Jul 2008 09:40:57 -0400

the brain on love

Race in two and a half weeks. Nervous nervous nervous.

Fri, 18 Jul 2008 12:00:08 -0400

Race in two and a half weeks. Nervous nervous nervous.

My co-worker Sara Vilkomerson wrote a great story on the Dark...

Thu, 17 Jul 2008 17:21:07 -0400

My co-worker Sara Vilkomerson wrote a great story on the Dark and Stormy Knight (/Batman movie).

Here is a quote from film critic and historian David Thomson:

“The cinema has always been a machine that allows us that kind of fantasy play that we don’t normally have,” echoed Mr. Thomson. “It’s a persuasive, lifelike dream form, and it coincides historically with both the breakdown of formal religions and the clear demonstration of a wonderful world where people do terrible, terrible things. When you put all these things together, it’s not really terribly surprising that there’s something that is interested in saying, I wonder if I could do something as bad as that? As dark as that? When movies began it was, can I be as brave as that? Can I be as virtuous as that? True as that? That’s still there—there are still characters like that,” he said. “But the dark has come in.”

This week, I wrote about mustaches. Reporting and writing this...

Wed, 16 Jul 2008 13:29:00 -0400

This week, I wrote about mustaches. Reporting and writing this story was so much fun. Each guy I talked to had hilarious things to say and all of them were willing to chat. That is so rare. Ian and Jolene might recognize one of the interviewees…

Nelson Mandela's Rules of Leadership

Mon, 14 Jul 2008 15:23:55 -0400

1) Courage is not the absence of fear — it’s inspiring others to move beyond it

2) Lead from the front — but don’t leave your base behind

3) Lead from the back — and let others believe they are in front

4) Know your enemy — and learn about his favorite sport

5) Keep your friends close — and your rivals even closer

6) Appearances matter — and remember to smile

7) Nothing is black or white

8) Quitting is leading too

- From his biographer’s article commencing Mandela’s 90th birthday in Time