Browsing archives for February, 2009

Friday Night Fluff: Dead Snow

Fluff Stuff, Friday Night Fluff 27 February 2009 | 0 Comments

Dead Snow, a foreign language film from Norway, was the hot ticket at Sundance this year. It was bought by IFC for a U.S. distribution this year (IMDB isn’t listing a release date yet).

Oh, did I forget to mention it is about zombie Nazis? It is about zombie Nazis. It really sells itself.

Picture of the Week: Tea Bag

General Politics, Politics, Random 27 February 2009 | 0 Comments

This picture was taken by David Weigel of The Washington Independent, who braved an anti-stimulus “New American Tea Party” near the White House. I’m thinking the people holding those signs had to have known what they meant because they wouldn’t make much sense otherwise (not that “sense” usually holds much weight at these events). A hundred points to them, then, for being fairly funny while they’re being obnoxious.

Dispatches from CPAC

General Politics, Politics, Uncategorized 27 February 2009 | 3 Comments

The Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) is currently underway. The nation’s, err, brightest (using that term really loosely) conservatives have gathered together to forge a new path for their party. That new path looks a lot like the old one- light on the introspection, heavy on the hate mongering, paranoia and the intellectually incurious.

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And the CDOs Went “Boom!”

Economy 27 February 2009 | 0 Comments

It is impossible to name one culprit behind the current economic crisis because there were so many correlated pieces that went into this disastrous puzzle. But collateralized debt obligations (CDOs) -specifically, those of asset-backed securities (ABS)-were, continuing the puzzle metaphor, a large corner piece.

MMusic Ones to Watch: Choo Choo

Headline, Moue Music, Ones to Watch 26 February 2009 | 2 Comments

Reminiscent of the Strokes’ early days, Spoon, or even Weezer, Swiss band Choo Choo harnesses the raw power of 60’s pop rock and turns it into what they call “steam powered garage rock.” The extra steam billows from their organist, Lili, cutting through the distorted guitar crunching to bring out melodic lines that are easy to hum along with. When the organ lines aren’t catchy, they outline chords to add that extra flare. Lead guitarist and vocalist, Dan, embodies the typical power-chord pounding and slacked singing one can expect from a garage rock band. Yan and Sam, bass and drums/backup vocals, keep things nice and tight, shoveling in the coal that keeps this stream train rolling.

Indie Retailer of the Day: Sweetie Pies Delights

Food and Drink, Indie Retailers 26 February 2009 | 0 Comments

I was hungry when I started looking for today’s Indie Retailer and was drawn into the Etsy shop of Sweetie Pie Delights by the Red Velvet Sandwich Cookies. The shop’s main items are various flavors of sandwich cookies and fancy marshmallow concoctions that I wish I could eat, but I can’t handle large marshmallows because I ate half a bag of them- when I was eleven and at summer camp- just before going on a Merry Go Round.

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Republican Economics

Economy, General Politics 26 February 2009 | 0 Comments

It is ridiculous to expect every politician to have an in depth knowledge of economics. There are experts for that, people who can (and should) be consulted before said politician goes on television and makes a statement regarding the economy. Or the politician can refrain from making an economic statement in front of reporters. Either method wil help prevent looking like an idiot.

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McArdle Rides the Blame-Go-Round

Economy, Society & World 26 February 2009 | 0 Comments

Megan McArdle’s blog posts remind me of the earthworms they gave us in 8th-grade biology: dissection is intuitively easy, even without helpful diagrams.

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Family Values

General Politics, Politics, Society 26 February 2009 | 2 Comments

Shorter Dave Schultheis: “I’d rather babies get AIDS than have women think they control their sexuality”.

The Eightfold Path of Health Care Reform

General Politics, Politics 26 February 2009 | 0 Comments

Ezra Klein had a look at the budget document and found the healthcare section worthy of optimism. The language is light on specifics for the time being, reading rather as “partial funding paired with detailed principles”. The money marked for this endeavor is $634 billion spread over 10 years. The funding will come not from the deficit but from some tax manuevering and regulation of private insurance companies overcharging Medicare.