MCDSPOT

Sunday, September 11, 2005

here they come

25 Mind-Numbingly Stupid Quotes About Hurricane Katrina And Its Aftermath:

"Considering the dire circumstances that we have in New Orleans, virtually a city that has been destroyed, things are going relatively well."
-–FEMA Director Michael Brown, Sept. 1, 2005

Emergency firefighters were stuck in Atlanta getting 'politcally correct' training

Breakdowns Marked Path From Hurricane to Anarchy.

The heart-rending pictures broadcast from the Gulf Coast drew offers of every possible kind of help. But FEMA found itself accused repeatedly of putting bureaucratic niceties ahead of getting aid to those who desperately needed it.
Hundreds of firefighters, who responded to a nationwide call for help in the disaster, were held by the federal agency in Atlanta for days of training on community relations and sexual harassment before being sent on to the devastated area. The delay, some volunteers complained, meant lives were being lost in New Orleans.
"On the news every night you hear, 'How come everybody forgot us?' " said Joseph Manning, a firefighter from Washington, Pa., told The Dallas Morning News. "We didn't forget. We're stuck in Atlanta drinking beer."

9-11-01
[huge]

intuitive but strapped for cash?

Has anyone tried Investopedia? It looks interesting--it's a stock market simulator, where you sign up and invest imaginary funds in real companies and track your investment decisions. Sounds ideal for those of us who, of course, tried to get in on Google's IPO but lacked the $150,000 deposit.

aaahhhhhhhhh

CRW_2541
Originally uploaded by t-lo.

Saturday, September 10, 2005

Hunter S. Thompson's last words

Rolling Stone has published the gonzo journalist's final written words. He left this note for his wife before committing suicide in February:

No More Games. No More Bombs. No More Walking. No More Fun. No More Swimming. 67. That is 17 years past 50. 17 more than I needed or wanted. Boring. I am always bitchy. No Fun - for anybody. 67. You are getting Greedy. Act your old age. Relax - This won't hurt.

It was titled "Football Season Is Over".

Friday, September 09, 2005

this is the first photograph ever taken

Info here.

Thursday, September 08, 2005

what about the book?

Forbes Magazine has determined the 20 most important tools of all time.
No. 1 The Knife
No. 2 The Abacus
No. 3 The Compass
No. 4: The Pencil
No. 5: The Harness
No. 6: The Scythe
No. 7: The Rifle
No. 8: The Sword
No. 9: Eyeglasses
No. 10: The Saw
No. 11: The Watch
No. 12: The Lathe
No. 13: The Needle
No. 14: The Candle
No. 15: The Scale
No. 16: The Pot
No. 17: The Telescope
No. 18: The Level
No. 19: The Fish Hook
No. 20: The Chisel

Finally, Katrina has been tamed

Just in the nick of time, help has come to the millions of people stricken by Hurricane Katrina. We can now recall the FEMA trucks and send everybody home, for Michael Jackson will soon record a hurricane relief song. It will have the strikingly original title "From the Bottom of My Heart". Thank god, we are saved.

get your feather fix here

So my Conflicts of Laws teacher, Professor Hill, was explaining the elements of personal jurisdiciton and he ended up using his brother's business as an example of how products end up moving across state lines. His brother sells feathers. Peacock feathers, pheasant, ostrich rooster--the whole gang. This is his site.

Go see them in concert

Want to know how much your favorite artist usually makes off of one CD sale?

Wednesday, September 07, 2005

amazing photo on front of New York Times today

the love that dare not speak its name

FEMA Timeline

Here's a timeline that outlines the fate of both FEMA and flood control projects in New Orleans under the Bush administration.

Tuesday, September 06, 2005

second quote of the day

"Once a fact emerges into consciousness it is already an interpretation."

--Stanislaw Lem

quote of the day

"One more word about it after this show airs and I might likely have to punch him. Literally."

--United States Senator Mary Landrieu of Louisiana, on ABC's 'This Week', about President Bush, after repeatedly hearing White House officials disparage the local response to Hurricane Katrina

from Vancouver to Moscow

2 Canadians,
1 Russian,
18,000 kilometers.
ZERO EMISSIONS.

just in case

This free tool makes you anonymous on the Web.

Welcome Winnie

joke?

Christopher Walken is apparently running for President in 2008.

CrystalXP

You can download this program and make your computer function like the new Windows Vista. I use it on both my computers, basically for the Apple-esque toolbar that comes with it.

hitler redux

This may be a repost, but these are amazing color pictures from World War II.

sepia

Interesting story about a fellow who makes a living taking old tintype photos.

Sunday, September 04, 2005

You go, Jim

Big props go out to Jim's band "All the Saints," who got a positive write-up in an Atlanta webzine called KissAtlanta last week. If you can survive the critics, you can survive the world.

Show Preview: All The Saints

This article was submitted by a new addition to the kissatlanta.com staff, Ben Underwood. I'll be giving Ben his own formal login once I get caught up... but for now this post is being posted by me for him.

I promise I'm not one of those observers of the music scene who will waste your time claiming that every band that pops up is going to be the next big thing; however, I do think that one of the bands to watch in Atlanta right now is All the Saints. I saw them at a party over the weekend. They didn't play until 3am, and there were a ton of people there, many of them to see AtS specifically. While I don't think these guys have (nor do they seem to want) much top-40/MTV potential, they have the kind of potential that counts, the kind that leads to intense and interesting performances and very (hopefully, eventually) listenable records.

Admittedly, I may have been lost in a haze of happy pop music for the last few years, but I was under the impression that the days of the 3-piece rock outfit ended in the 90s with the N-word. All the Saints and a few other acts in town, Kill Gordon among them, are changing my mind.

Hard rock, or whatever you want to call it this week, isn't typically my bag. (My bag contains Of Montreal, The Flaming Lips, They Might Be Giants, Apollo Sunshine, and many others.) But I watched All the Saints' set, and I felt like I was mesmerized. What makes this even more amazing is that the songs were almost vocal-free. I got the impression that they often do more singing, but there was something funny with the PA that night. Even without the standard crutch of rock music (lyrics), the band was great.

Okay, so if these're the guys to watch, where are you going to watch them? They're playing The Drunken Unicorn on Thursday Sept 1 with Kill Gordon and a new band call HalfMOON. Also check them out with Tuju Belle (no www presence) and, once again, Kill Gordon on Friday Sept 2 at the Ten High. That's two chances, folks. Don't blow them both. Hope to see you there.

- Ben

Friday, September 02, 2005

David "Basho" Gilmour?

Someone has noticed numerous allusions to classical chinese poetry in Pink Floyd's music. More convincing than you'd think.

Thursday, September 01, 2005

descending further into the abyss

Well, the governor of Louisiana wasn't joking yesterday when she said that Katrina has brought out both the best and worst in people. We can officially add to the "worst" the people who are submitting personal ads offering shelter to single young women from New Orleans in exchange for "occasional intimate contact." While this isn't as depraved as the looting, raping, random violence and shots fired at evacuated patients, I sincerely hope it is a joke.

Reply to: anon-94695591@craigslist.org
Date: 2005-08-31, 10:10PM CDT

Are you a "working gal", that is, a professional, self-employed woman who deals in "intimate physical contact," who has been displaced by the hurricane? Are you STD free, and non-smoking, and friendly? Have you lost clothes and a place to stay? Perhaps we can help each other. I am a retired guy, 6' 1', 220 lbs and STD and drug and smoking free in Northern Virginia with a nice big, comfortable town house. If you are around 25, tall, well built and attractive, and need a place to stay for a couple of months to get yourself "together," you could stay with me, rent and cost-free! All I ask in return is some "intimate physical contact" occasionally." If you can respond to this posting, and do not have any money to get to Northern Virginia, I can help with that as well! Hope to hear from you and good luck.