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24 Apr 2010 19:12

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Music: Saturday Mixtape: Delorean, Dom or Dum Dum?

  • 1. Dan Snaith’s Caribou has consistently pleased the critics with the variety of ideas it brings with each album. Last time, it was ’60s sunshine pop. This time? Disco. In a good (though somber) way. “Odessa” is definitely a catchy, danceable song, but it feels like a bit more dejected than your average dance record.
  • 2. Feel like MGMT blew it with their second album? Consider switching to Dom, who’s a little more low-rent in their overall sound but hit all of the same pleasure spots on “Living in America” as “Time To Pretend” did three years ago.
  • 3. Delorean sounds like it was pulled out of Ibiza on “Real Love,” and with good reason – they’ve gone a long way to embrace the sound, but not the parts that made the Spanish island the subject of jokes around 2005 or so.
  • 4. Thought Vivian Girls had a good idea but thought the music sucked? Good thing we have Dum Dum Girls as a solid alternative. Like that band, the angle is poorly-recorded twee pop from an all-girl group. The band even has Vivian Girls’ former drummer. Unlike that band, it’s led by singer Dee Dee, who shines brightly on “I Will Be.”
  • 5. Hunx and His Punx seems to be the other side of the coin from Dum Dum Girls. A girl-group approach to gay-themed pop songs, complete with overly sweaty album cover. It’s a dynamic twist that works surprisingly well, actually.
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

24 Apr 2010 16:44

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Offbeat: Will “Boobquake” cause the earth to shake on Monday?

  • With the power of our scandalous bodies combined, we should surely produce an earthquake. If not, I’m sure [Sadeghi] can come up with a rational explanation for why the ground didn’t rumble.
  • Blogger Jen McCreight • Regarding her attempt to test out an Iranian cleric’s bizarre theory that promiscuous women cause earthquakes. The Indiana atheist’s suggestion? She wants to encourage female bloggers to take part in a “Boobquake,” where they dress as provocatively as possible and see whether or not it actually causes a quake. This is hilarious, plus it’s picking up steam. While McCreight backed off from her original stance slightly (she’s encouraging donations to Islamic womens’ rights organizations and earthquake recovery groups, and plans to add some scientific data to make it worthwhile), it should be fun to watch on Monday. As long as the cleric is actually wrong, that is. source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

24 Apr 2010 16:27

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Offbeat: MacGyver or The Dude? Who’s more awesome? Let’s compare


  • MacGyver, for reals Richard Dean Anderson finds himself in crazy situations which he solves using random everyday objects because he’s MacGyver and he’s awesome or something.

  • The Dude, for reals The Dude, or His Dudeness, or uh, Duder, or El Duderino if you’re not into the whole brevity thing, is kind of the same thing, except with more stoner and more Lebowski.
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

24 Apr 2010 15:56

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Culture: Archie’s got a new friend, and he’s (*gasp* spoiler alert) gay

  • *GASP* What will Archie and the gang think? The most conservative of daily comics, Archie, is getting a bit of a shake-up later this year, when a new character, Kevin Keller, steps onto the scene is. Thing is, though, he’s gay. And that might throw the sensibilities of the entire comic out of whack. Or not. Either way, on the cultural scale, Archie is now officially twelve years behind the sitcom’s acceptance of gay characters in the form of “Will and Grace.” source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

24 Apr 2010 15:54

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U.S., World: Obama on Armenian massacre: “Atrocities,” not “genocide”

  • On this solemn day of remembrance, we pause to recall that 95 years ago one of the worst atrocities of the 20th century began. In that dark moment of history, 1.5 million Armenians were massacred or marched to their death in the final days of the Ottoman Empire.
  • President Barack Obama • In a statement regarding the 95th anniversary of the 1915 slayings of many Armenians at the hands of the Ottoman Empire (now Turkey). There’s a lot of controversy around this because Armenians want this labeled as a genocide, but Turkey has pushed very hard against calling it that. It’s a huge diplomatic spat. Obama got around the issue by calling the deaths “atrocities.” It’s surprising how much language can affect the perception of an entire group of people. source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 2 Comments • Permalink

24 Apr 2010 14:30

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Offbeat: Face transplant dude gets a little extra out of the bargain

We don’t have photos of the man who underwent the world’s first facial transplant five years ago, but we know the new face gave him a beard that he shaves. Wow. source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

24 Apr 2010 14:01

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Offbeat: The KFC Double Down + Krispy Kreme = Luther Double Down

  • Some mad scientists decided to combine the most fattening KFC item in history with the concept behind the most fattening burger in history (one reportedly named for Luther Vandross), and Jesus Christ, we think we might pass out from the contact buzz the calories are giving us. source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 1 Comment • Permalink
 

24 Apr 2010 12:45

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Offbeat: Man jokingly puts kids on Craiglist; police don’t get the joke

  • Joshua Stagnitto must be regretting his sense of humor. The Brockport, N.Y. resident, 24, put his two children up on Craigslist as a joke. Unfortunately for him, someone who saw the posting called child protective services, which turned the case into something of a criminal nature. He could face a $1,000 fine or a year in jail. This is despite the fact that, well, the kids are staying with their mom and aren’t in any danger of getting taken away. source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

24 Apr 2010 12:36

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Offbeat: Clam factory gets a lot more explosives than it bargained for

  • 126 old WWII grenades just hangin’ with the clams source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

24 Apr 2010 12:29

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Culture: Elton John redefines heartfelt with open letter to Ryan White

  • Twenty years ago this month, you died of AIDS. I would gladly give my fame and fortune if only I could have one more conversation with you, the friend who changed my life as well as the lives of millions living with HIV. Instead, I have written you this letter.
  • Elton John • In an open letter to Ryan White, the child with AIDS he befriended in the ’80s. He died 20 years ago this month, at age 18. White’s life and death brought significant attention to the disease, in part because he was vilified for having it (he got it through an accidental blood transfusion). Much has changed since White died – many people with AIDS live productive lives with the disease thanks to improved medication. Medication which, in part, was paid for in his name. Four months after he died, the Ryan White Care Act, which set aside $2 billion yearly for AIDS medication, passed. His life helped take a stigma away from a disease which was initially loaded with one. It’s too bad he couldn’t live to see that. source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 2 Comments • Permalink
 
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