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Remember those hypercolor t-shirts that were so popular during the Nineties? The shirt's color would change when heat was applied. Like slap bracelets, it had a brilliant, but brief lifespan. A supernova of t-shirts. Well, now there is a new paint that reacts with heat and will change color. Just imagine the possibilities.
I 'm sure this stuff will appear in the next season of Cribs.
Reuters is reporting that Materazzi called Zidane a "dirty terrorist" prior to Zidane's infamous headbutt. If this is substantiated, this incident makes me like Zidane even more.
Using NYC's hip hop radio station "Hot 97" as the focal point, the always awesome New Yorker examines the current state of hip hop in New York City. It's a very fascinating, engrossing and entertaining read. Here's an excerpt from the article:
A recent edition features a scene shot last year, before Gravy’s feud with Hot 97, and shortly after he and Fendi had negotiated to take their private label, Dirty Money Records, to Warner Bros., for a reported three million dollars. It is night, and Gravy and Ice-T are standing on Eighth Street, in the Village—a young rapper on the cusp of success, basking in the attention of an elder statesman. “We just chilling,” Ice-T says. “I bumped into Gravy. Say, ‘What’s happening?’ We talking.”“We gone got the official Gangsta Man,” Gravy says. “You can’t get more gangsta than this man right here, you know?. . . Tell me, what you got going on, Ice-T?”
“Right now, I’m on TV—niggas watching me on ‘Law and Order: Special Victims Unit,’ cause I’m the real mothafuckin’ pimp,” Ice-T says. “Playing the police. Imagine that. That’s real pimpin’ for a street nigga like me.”
Ice-T mentions that he’s got a new album coming out (“Gangsta Rap”), along with a clothing line (310 Motoring) and an energy drink (Liquid Ice) to promote: “I’m just trying to get it all, man. I’m trying to stay in the game.”
Gravy, nodding along, is wearing three huge silver necklaces, with crosses dangling in front of his stomach. “My man, shit, let me check out how you roll,” he says, turning and pointing behind Ice-T to a silver luxury car.
“Yeah, this the Bentley,” Ice-T says, before directing the camera to the front seat, where he shows off a customized steering wheel. “Got a lot of wood up in there. You go check niggas’ Bentleys out, you ain’t even going to see the wood steering wheel, ’cause that’s extra. That cost five thousand. . . . But I got it from hard work.”
Ice-T turns serious. “The hardest thing in the world to get is street respect, where niggas really are happy to see you with this type of stuff, you dig? That’s the hardest thing to obtain, is to get it, and have the hood feel like you deserve it, you dig? ’Cause you can go out there, get a budget, and get a whole bunch of money—niggas will run right up in your crib and repossess that bullshit, real quick. Look, look, look— ”
A double-decker sightseeing bus has pulled to a stop behind the Bentley (“Ladies and gentlemen, Ice-T!”), and tourists on the upper level begin snapping pictures. “What’s up, Ice-T?”
“What’s happening?” he shouts back.
“There he is!”
Turning to face the camera again, Ice-T smirks, and says, “That’s all white people—trip. That’s all white people. So you got to be good in the hood, and gets respect from the top deck, you dig? World renowned, internationally known, and locally respected. That’s me and Saucy”—Gravy—“we do it like that.”
The cameraman asks, “Ice-T, how’s the rap game changed since you’ve come up?”
“I mean, the rap game’s changed a lot, but I’m not mad at it,” he says. “It’s more raw. . . . Now every rap crew is made of real mothafuckin’ dangerous individuals, you dig what I’m saying? You got to understand, I got in the rap game to get out of the streets. . . . Now the streets is in the rap game.” Ice-T, as if in a time warp, appears to be counselling his protégé Gravy from some vantage point in the future. “Now niggas idolize the shot, not the shooter,” he says. “You brag how many times you got shot. I’m supposed to be impressed? . . . I’m down with the niggas who staying on the streets, who ain’t getting shot, ’cause nobody wants to shoot ’em. . . . I’m down with the niggas who come from the gutter but are trying to do it right, so they can feed they kids. Them is my crew. . . . Like this, ya heard?” He tugs Gravy back into the frame. “If you motivate niggas to do low, you hustling sideways.”
Ice-T’s wife, Coco, who is white, enters the picture, and his mood lightens. “She representing—just got her mothafuckin’ nails done,” he says. “I love her to death. . . . All the black women that got problems with Ice-T with a white girl? Kiss my fucking ass.” Then he puts his arm around Coco and starts singing “We Are the World,” swaying from side to side.
People are asking me why I'm switching from my old blog to this new one. If they use the points made in this article as a metaphor, they'll understand my motivations. I'm just trying to step up my game, ya heard?
This shouldn't come off as a shock to any of you who have been reading my blog or know me personally, but I pretty much hate Ann Coulter. I think she is a terrible human being. So I personally really enjoyed this moment in radio history when Ann Coulter calls into Adam Carolla's radio show to pitch her latest fatuous polemic. She tells him that she's short on time to which Adam responds by hanging up on her. His finals words:
Listen bitch, don't call in an hour and a half late and then complain you're tight on time.
To read more...Click Here.
To listen to an mp3 recording of this interview--an interview I consider the best Ann Coulter interview ever--Click Here.
Update on Head Butt-Gate The blogger for Guardian Unlimited writes the following about what set Zidane off. The frat boy nipple tweak.
115 mins Replays show that Materazzi's crime was to, erm, tweak Zidane's nipple. I kid you not. Tyldesley, the Zidane lover, is now launching into the darker spots of Materazzi's CV, but he's a fool: Zidane is slap bang out of order, kinky nipple tweak or no nipple tweak.
I disagree. Both Materazzi and Zidane should have been sent off. I'd knock the fucker out too if he pinched my ol' nips. Some on the blogosphere are arguing that Zidane's action against Materazzi was an egregious over-reaction. It may be, but I have so much less respect for players who commit sneaky fouls. If you're going to foul, foul, but don't try to tweak nips. Maybe soccer should adopt a few more rules from hockey such as the penalty box that would give teams a man or more advantage for five or ten minutes as well as letting the players fight it out until one of the fighter's knees hit the ground. I'm kidding about the last point, but I think the penalty box is a workable idea that could address some of international soccer's problems.
There is also an unsubstantiated rumor also going around that Zidane was called a terrorist or something similiary offensive by Materazzi.
But back to the nipple tweaking and some evidence via the requisite youtube links to the offense. Look closely at the very beginning of the clips at Materazzi's hands.
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j1i_l0OeeMc]
And here's a better angle:
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NBV52GPhNjw]
And just for kicks, I'll say it again one last time: NIPPLE TWEAK.
Wow. Except for French and Italian fans (who I presume are more concerned with the final outcome of the game), the true stunner of the game was that head butt to the chest that Zidane dropped on that Italian player (see photo and gif below). It was quite magnificant, except that sort of action is quite frowned upon in soccer. That said, I won't judge Zidane until the full scope of what happened is revealed.
(If image does not play, click here to view)
The replays show Zidane and the Italian talking before Zidane jogs forward a bit before turning around and dropping that vicious header on the Italian player. My conjecture is that the Italian might have said something racially offensive, if which that is the case, more power to Zidane. That said, the guy could have just said something about how fat Zidane's mama is. And if that's what happened, then good riddance to Zidane.
The Italians dominated the first half (penaly kick scored by Zidane notwithstanding), while the French owned the second and most of the overtimes. All in all, it was quite an entertaining game. It is just too bad that Zidane and the other player had to tarnish this final with their behavior.
I can't blame girls for wanting to date investment bankers. Hell, I want to date an i-banker. I would love to eat at Masa and be taken on vacation to the islands. So the attraction the ladies have for Mr. Goldman Sachs is understandable, but some of you are probably thinking: I have a pair of breasts, a vagina and and a degree from Penn--How come I'm not dating an i-banker? The answer may lie in where you work, how you dress, and who you roll with.
Well, like anything else, there are rules to becoming a banker girlfriend. If you commit to these 5 simple yet indispensible guidelines, you are well on your way to having a loving, fulfilling relationship with the banker of your dreams, (and possibly a three-story in Greenwich, with unlimited access to brawny pool boys and the latest in pharmaceuticals)
1. Work at Sotheby's.
This is first for a reason. I simply can not stress enough the importance of working at Sotheby's. Sotheby's is what we call a "feeder workplace". Each year, a high percentage of Sotheby's women go on to date bankers from all the "bulge brackets".
If, for some reason, you can not get a job at Sotheby's, there are a few other acceptable professions, including: development at the MOMA or Natural History Museum, PR, and book publishing (anywhere but HarperCollins, for obvious reasons).
To read more...Click Here.
Based on this ad on Craigslist, apparently enough time has passed for Osama to be a punchline.
The ONION is casting for an Arab-speaking male actor (roughly 30 to 50 years old) to play Osama Bin Laden in an upcoming video segment. We’re hoping that you’ll have strong comedy chops, be comfortable with improv, and can be absolutely fearless in your performance. If you’re interested, please send headshot/resume to onionwebvideo@gmail.com.
Osama + comedy chops = Emmy.
As of today, Saturday, July 8, 2006, the New York Times essay "What Shamu Taught Me About a Happy Marriage" is still the number one e-mailed article. It was first published in the Fashion and Style (love it!) section on June 25, 2006.
This essay's got legs baby!! Since the Times first started tracking this, I wonder what article has been the number one e-mailed for the longest. Author Amy Sutherland must be crazy stoked. She should be. It's a fantastic article that marriage and relationship counselors ought to incorporate into their counseling.
To read the article...Click Here. And e-mail it to your friends, family members, coworkers, and even enemies. Let's keep it number one!
In a 1942 educational pamphlet published by the US Army, entitled "A Pocket Guide to China," there is a section in there pointedly called "How to Spot a Jap." In this section, the reader is helpfully guided with illustrations on how to distinguish between "the Japs and our Oriental allies."
I'm sure there are similar guides produced by the military today that helps its soldiers and contractors discriminate between "the peaceful Iraqi and the insurgent."
To view more...Click Here.
P.S. To those of you reading this today and you don't know: Nowadays, it is NOT cool to call people "Japs" or "Orientals." FYI.
Stuyvesant students are so spoiled. Not only do they attend a fantastic high school (from what I've heard), but then they get always hilarious Conan O'Brian to speak at their graduation. I don't even know who spoke at mine. It was probably the Lieutenant Secretary of State or someone equally obscure. Although Conan's words were directed at 18-year-old kids about to make the momentous step from one chapter of their life to another (college), his message resonated with me as well. I think no matter how removed one is from their high school or college past, it's always good to hear a commencent speech as a form of reassurance and needed inspiration to those of us who are still attempting to find an onramp onto the highway of our dream career.
Anyhoo. Here is Conan's speech (broken up into two parts):
Part 1 of 2
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wi4-1d9DB9Q]
Part 2 of 2
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0bLeVKGSJWE]
Slate tempers the media hysteria over the North Korea (failed) missile launch.
Kim Jong-il, these past few years, has adroitly played his otherwise miserable hand because of two cards that everyone believes he holds—nuclear weapons and long-range missiles. Yesterday's dud raises the possibility that the missile card's a bluff, that there may be (as Gertrude Stein once said of Oakland) "no there there." The next tempting step is to wonder about the nukes. We know that he has enough plutonium to build some bombs, but has he built them? Can he build them?
Apparently this missile building stuff is more difficult than it appears. The only thing that Slate ignores in this article is that wee sibling to the south of North Korea. Even with this long range missile failure, the denizens of South Korea are still very much a hostage to their madman brother. Who needs missiles when some good ol' fashion shells with the assistance of gunpowder and gravity can do the job? While the Shrub can relax knowing the borders of the US are safe from a sneak attack by North Korea, that assurance doesn't mean much to South Koreans.
I was speaking with a friend who was recently in South Korea visiting relatives and he said that more South Koreans fear the US than North Korea, which is understandable if you realize that the Shrub administration's antagonistic "lone cowboy with guns drawn and negotiation is for pussies" foreign policy could have a very real side effect of thousands of thousands of shells raining down on Seoul. But then again, the problem with a nutso like Kim Jong Il, the great leader and pervert of North Korea, is that he may decide to do this for no reason other than the fact that his nuts itched that day.
My friend also said that along with their fear of the US, Koreans are also suspicious that North Korea's saber rattling will provide (the second closest and most obvious target for North Korea) Japan an excuse to attack Korea (again). And as we all know, the Koreans hate the Japanese.
I'm convinced that the only person who could resolve this whole zero-sum fiasco is...Michael Jackson. Seriously! Everyone in Asia fuckin' love him (They never got the Jackson Five memo that Michael didn't always look like Whitey McWhite) and once he starts singing that "We are the World" shit, it's all over. The soldiers facing one another across the DMZ line would walk over (carefully avoiding the mines) and hug. Japan would send a bouquet of flowers to Korea with "xoxo." Scene End. .
(Via)
The photo above is of a billboard in Holland advertising the new "white" PSP (that is, a PSP that is colored white as oppose to its original black color). I've always been troubled by European (and South Americans) tendencies to deny racism and lines drawn by race and color. This billboard underscores that quality at an insidious level.
While to a certain degree European and American culture is incommensurable, I'm surprised that in today's climate of globalism where borders are no longer so neatly delineated that such a clearly offensive ad like this can emerge from a company that has such a presence on the international stage. How on earth did this see the light of day, let alone a major billboard, without someone in the advertising company or at Sony stepping and say, "Hold on people--This is a pretty offensive."
This example yet reinforces my idea for a particular sort of consulting company.
Forget everything you thought you knew about the shooters at Columbine High School.
Five years ago today, Eric Harris and Dylan Klebold murdered their classmates and teachers at Columbine High School. Most Americans have reached one of two wrong conclusions about why they did it. The first conclusion is that the pair of supposed "Trench Coat Mafia outcasts" were taking revenge against the bullies who had made school miserable for them. The second conclusion is that the massacre was inexplicable: We can never understand what drove them to such horrific violence.But the FBI and its team of psychiatrists and psychologists have reached an entirely different conclusion. They believe they know why Harris and Klebold killed, and their explanation is both more reassuring and more troubling than our misguided conclusions. Three months after the massacre, the FBI convened a summit in Leesburg, Va., that included world-renowned mental health experts, including Michigan State University psychiatrist Dr. Frank Ochberg, as well as Supervisory Special Agent Dwayne Fuselier, the FBI's lead Columbine investigator and a clinical psychologist. Fuselier and Ochberg share their conclusions publicly here for the first time.
This article nearly made my brain explode (no pun intended) and I'm curious as to see what the rest of the media will do with this report that basically trashes everything they've declared about that terrifying incident. The clinical diagnosis that Harris was actually a psychopath makes a lot of sense to me. The scary thing about people with a psychopathic personality is that it appears that they can't be caught until they've committed their crime.
To read more...Click Here.
(Via) If you've got an hour to kill--if not now, then bookmark the link below for viewing at a later date--you must watch this documentary that exposes the manipulation by and of the news media.
Artist Brian Springer spent a year scouring the airwaves with a satellite dish grabbing back channel news feeds not intended for public consumption. The result of his research is SPIN, one of the most insightful films ever made about the mechanics of how television is used as a tool of social control to distort and limit the American public's perception of reality.
For most of you, the general thesis is well known, but despite the slight out-datedness of the documentary, it's still amazing to see for example, Larry King unctuously kissing the asses of Bush, Clinton, Gore and Perot in order to land a spot moderating their first presidential debate. This is a must see for both the media expert and the novice as a reminder that what you see isn't exactly the whole picture.
To view...Click Here (Google Videos)
World Cup revelers have been injured kicking soccer balls with "Can you kick it?" spray painted on them. These "balls" were filled by some pranksters with concrete.
World Cup pranksters in Berlin injured at least two soccer fans by inviting them to kick soccer balls that they had secretly filled with concrete, authorities said Tuesday.At least six concrete filled soccer balls were found chained to lampposts, trees and handrails across the city next to the spray-painted message "Can you kick it?," Berlin police said.
"Two young men kicked the balls and suffered bad bruising on their feet," a police spokeswoman said. "We still don't have any leads in the case."
Berlin is due to host the World Cup final Sunday.
Ouch.
This sucks for the injured kickers, but a part of me admires the brilliancy of the prank. It's an evil version of the glue-quarters-to-the-floor-and-watch-people-try-to-pick-them-up trick.
In the same way that a sibling (and only a sibling) can relish their sister or brother getting caught with their fingers in the proverbial cookie jar. And in that spirit, as a Bruno, I'm slightly amused by the latest news that the Feds have subpoenaed Yale's records, specifically that pertaining to how it uses grants.
The subpoenas cover 47 grants valued at about $45 million, the school said. The university received about $2 billion in grants during the past decade. [...]"Regardless of the outcome of the current investigation, we must get all our processes right and make sure that we are good stewards of the funds entrusted to us by the federal government," Levin said in a statement released Monday.
Like most large research universities, Yale relies heavily on government grants to pay for scientific research. The grants come with stringent accounting rules that in one recent case Yale did not follow, federal officials said.
I know it's tough, but I'm sure Yale will somehow come out of this okay.
To read more...Click Here
The California Supreme Court recently ruled that a person with AIDS can sue the sexual partner who transmitted it to them, even if they did so unknowingly. Previously, courts in other states allow lawsuits over the transmission of STDs, but H.I.V., the nuclear bomb of sexually transmitted diseases, is one that hasn't been particularly addressed by the courts, until now. Sexual responsibility and safe sex isn't just a health issue. It's also a fiscal one, too.
To read more...Click Here
(Via) Hui Ping Wang, a New Jersey woman, was returning from a trip to China with her husband when feds at JFK airport, thinking her a fugitive, arrested Ms. Wang. She was held at Rikers Island for eight days. The catch?
Hui Ping Wang and her husband, Jiang Hong, pointed out that the fugitive had a different middle name, a different address, date of birth and Social Security number, according to a lawsuit filed in Brooklyn Federal Court.Also, a photo attached to the warrant did not resemble Wang, the suit brought by Wang and Hong states.
So yea, it was a case of mistaken identity and now the Wangs are suing every government agency involved. I say, sue on girlfriend!
To read more...Click Here.
Nicole sent me this and it amused me. Rush Limbaugh was detained at the airport for possessing some Viagra without a prescription.
U.S. Customs and Border Protection examined the 55-year-old radio commentator’s luggage after his private plane landed at the airport from the Dominican Republic, said Miller. The matter was referred to the sheriff’s office, whose investigators interviewed Limbaugh. According to Miller, Limbaugh said that the Viagra was for his use, and that he obtained it from his doctors.Investigators confiscated the drugs, which treats erectile dysfunction, and Limbaugh was released without being charged.
The sheriff’s office plans to file a report with the state attorney’s office. Miller said it could be a second-degree misdemeanor violation.
His source is probably Bill Clinton.
To read more...Click Here--although you probably don't want to read more about this at all.
