Category Archives: Uncategorized

Controlling The Weather

Of course Rubio's statement was a dog-whistle.

Google 'Obama controls weather'. This has been a right wing chew toy for many months now. And comments about 'controlling the weather' are usually paired with something about Obama also being unable to hold back the tides.

The numbskulls who make up the 'conservative' base have been having a lot of fun pretending that their context-free paraphrases of things Obama and Pelosi have said in speeches were real quotes. This is third-rate AM talkshow fodder. But it's pretty widespread.

What's interesting is that Rubio is willing to give this kind stuff prime-time attention. This is the kind of nonsense that usually stays down in the muck: the stuff respectable a politician would be ashamed to associate with. But that's not Rubio, apparently.

Maker's Markup

Distillers of a world famous bourbon has cut its alcohol content so it can meet increasing demand for the drink.

The owners of Maker's Mark, which is distilled Loretto, Kentucky, said they are unable to produce the bourbon fast enough.

The plans became public after an email from Maker's Mark executives Rob Samuels and Bill Samuels Jr, son of the company's founder, emerged.

It announced that the bourbon - which used the slogan 'It tastes expensive... and is' - will drop its alcohol content by there per cent.

It will now be reduced to 42 per cent ABV from 45 per cent.

But it won't be any cheaper, I'm sure. And I doubt most could taste the difference between 45% and 42% without knowing to pay attention. So maybe they should've just made the change quietly.

But, why not just raise the price? If they can't make enough, then they aren't charging enough. Or, is there something in play here that trumps supply/demand?

Start Your iPods

Five randomly selected, described:

  1. Ali Farke Toura - Mahini Me. A mellow, hypnotic Afro-blues thing. Perfect way to start a Monday.
  2. Dino Jr - Why. SKIP. Five minutes of Lou screaming "WHY? WHY DON'T YOU LIKE ME?" over feedback and pedal noise? Fuckka that shit.
  3. Elliott Smith - Coast To Coast. From the posthumous release, cobbled together from demos and unfinished tracks, "From a Basement On The Hill". I can't listen to these things without trying to figure out what state the song was in when he died. Like, why is the vocal on this buried so deep in the mix? Was the original recorded on some crappy cassette and the only way they could make it work was to fuzz it, bury it, and harmonize it? And why are people talking in the background?
  4. Wye Oak - Tattoo. I wish I knew the name of the tune their main melody so resembles. It is, or is very close to, something ancient and probably churchy. Oh well. Nice song anyway.
  5. Artie Shaw - Moonglow. A little 30's style big band clarinet jazz. Pretty.

What does your music shuffling device have to say?