Springing back from the break
by Wangari Kebuchi on March 30, 2008 in Blog, Kenya Crisis
Before I get to responding to Peter, a few things: I went to Kenya over spring break and it is business as usual. I felt safe and I felt like things were as back to normal - as much as can be felt in a one week sojourn in Nairobi. Read more
Of marsupials and (soy) flesh for fantasy
by Jamie Snashall on March 29, 2008 in Befuddled Foreigner
I start with these words from the newspapers this week: ‘vegan strippers’ and ‘wombat rape’.
OK, now that you’ve recovered from laughter/astonishment/head-shaking (strike out whichever doesn’t apply), take a look at this article which has all the ingredients to be a proud member of the ‘Only in America’ club. I love the idea that you can simultaneously engage in activities both politically correct (not eating meat) and incorrect (visiting a strip club).
But lest you think I only want to poke fun at strange behavior in the US, here’s the next best thing for Australians: making fun of New Zealanders, our neighbors across the ditch (as the Tasman Sea is called). The arresting police officer told the court that alcohol played a large part in the accused’s life and, to use an Australianism, you’d have to speculate whether he was a stubby (beer bottle) short of a six-pack …
Guns n’ Weather - Appetite for Refrigeration (and Destruction)
by Jamie Snashall on March 27, 2008 in Befuddled Foreigner
Lord Tennyson famously said in his poem ‘Locksley Hall’ that:
In the spring a young man’s fancy lightly turns to thoughts of love
It’s almost the end of March, spring has officially sprung and, while today it’s double figures (in Celsius) outside, a cold change with snow is forecast for Friday …
People talk of a beautiful winter wonderland when the snow falls and silence descends on the outside world. That’s true – up to a point, that point being when the snow blower operates at midnight as it clears paths and the reversing noise of the plow truck adds its chorus to the cacophony.
Winter brings different fashion here, especially for women. Ugg boots are worn in public, while colored and patterned wellington boots (gumboots in Australia) are common. I referred in an earlier posting to the Aussie tendency to abbreviate everything, so gumboots become ‘gummies’, not on any account to be confused with the gummy shark (otherwise known as ‘flake’ and a very popular ingredient in fish and chips).
Sacred and secular - Easter AND spring break
by Jamie Snashall on March 24, 2008 in Befuddled Foreigner
Never let it be said that I lack courage. This entry was originally going to cover religion, politics, sex, alcohol, guns, sport and many other controversial topics. But hey – do I really need to run the risk of incurring multiple death threats all in one day … why not stagger them over the full week to live on the edge (it reminds me of ‘The Bachelor Home Companion’ where PJ O’Rourke encourages the liberal use of salt in all foods, taking time to remind us that “Salt keeps your blood pressure up to the pitch of modern life”).
We’re always hearing about the religiosity of the American population and of the influence (for better or worse) of religion in politics here, making the country something of an outlier when compared with other advanced industrial democracies around the globe. When I compare my country with the US, I see a common heritage as ‘settler societies’, English as the dominant or only language spoken and Protestants historically as the major Christian denomination. Despite these similar traits, the two countries are very different on secularization and religiosity.
Citay
by Ben Lambert, Culture Editor on March 24, 2008 in Eight-Track's Revenge
Last night I checked out San Francisco-based rock band Citay, who are a group of incredibly tight musicians seemingly dedicated to exploring the musical possibilities suggested by a single Led Zeppelin song, that song being “Battle of Evermore”. Wonder what “Battle of Evermore” would sound like slower? Or a little bit faster? Howabout with a xylophone? This may or may not strike you as a promising concept, but the show actually rocked. Check out Citay here, and make sure to listen to the standout track “Nice Cuffs”.
Onkyo
by Ben Lambert, Culture Editor on March 23, 2008 in Eight-Track's Revenge
Onkyo is a Japanese genre of music that focuses on the texture of sound rather than the melody or harmony created by any particular combination of notes. Read more
Dean Wareham: Booked & Back in Cambridge
by Bina Venkataraman on March 23, 2008 in Eight-Track's Revenge
When I asked Dean Wareham (the former frontman of indie bands Galaxie 500 and Luna, and the masculine half of Dean & Britta, if one can affix the label ‘masculine’ to someone who croons so sentimentally and effeminately) why he wrote a memoir, he said that most books he’d read about musicians’ lives on the road were “puff pieces” penned by outsiders, seldom true to experience.
Hi
by Ben Lambert, Culture Editor on March 22, 2008 in Eight-Track's Revenge
I thought I’d write a quick note just to describe what kind of posts I hope to put on this blog.
Welcome to the Blogging Week
by Ben Lambert and Naseem Khuri on March 21, 2008 in Eight-Track's Revenge
Well, this is our first blog. We’re new to this whole world, so we don’t really know what we’re doing. For example, Naseem just discovered that if you hold the FN button on your Mac and then hit ‘delete’, it actually deletes forward. Can you believe it?! And Ben still has 8 tracks, a Beta VCR, a cotton gin and knickers.
But we like music, and we assume some of you do too.
Re:Re:Re: Man or Mouse?
by Peter Ajak on March 20, 2008 in Kenya Crisis
I have to concur with Wangari. This is much more exciting than I have original thought! Hahaha….
I have to admit that her comeback almost did the job intended, “take Peter down.” However, my argument still remains as stated previously. But before we get into why I still maintain the same position after Wangari offers such a compelling comeback, let’s look at the substance of her argument.
