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.

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.

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.

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.

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

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.