The New York Times > Sports > Baseball > Cheney Pays Visit to Stadium
"'I told him before the game I hope he brings us more good luck than he brings them,' Torre said. 'It's great any time a dignitary like that visits. It slaps you with pride.'
During the singing of 'God Bless America' in the seventh inning, an image of Cheney was shown on the scoreboard. It was greeted with booing, so the Yankees quickly removed the image."

The New York Times > Sports > Baseball > Cheney Pays Visit to Stadium:
- posted by liz @ 6/30/2004 02:19:00 PM 0 comments

 
This is effing ridiculous.
ArtsJournal: Modern Art Notes: $20 buys you...

"One ticket into the new MoMA.
No, really, I'm not kidding. When MoMA reopens, it will cost $20 to get in. Glenn Lowry told Carol Vogel (this was a few weeks back -- I'm slow) that this is in line with other entertainment expenses. If your idea of entertainment is a glass of 25-year old single malt scotch, then maybe. But if your idea of entertainment is a few beers while watching the Yankees game, well... no.
$20! If readers would like to email me over the next few days with what $20 will buy in entertainment where they live, I think I see a Monday post materializing..."

ArtsJournal: Modern Art Notes: $20 buys you...
- posted by liz @ 6/29/2004 04:44:00 PM 1 comments

 
How about going to Detroit? Eh?
"Hmph!
I'm sorry to say that the current state of Pixies overload prevents me from mentioning that the band announced a truckload of North American tour dates and New York City is not on the list. Hey, Pixies, if I can't get there on my subway pass, I'm not going. Camden, New Jersey? Two shows? What, are you opening for Bon Jovi or something?"

Coolfer: Hmph!
- posted by liz @ 6/29/2004 10:39:00 AM 0 comments

 
Come to NYC, dammit.
Modest Mouse Rebound from Lollapalooza Cancellation with Headlining Summer Tour

Orrin Hatch, John Edwards reconcile, weep after awe-inducing performance at the esteemed Senator Theater

John Herman reports:
So what do you do if you have a successful album out, a shit-hot video on MTV, and then all your summer plans fall through when your grand tour featuring Morrissey, The Flaming Lips, and Wilco is cancelled? Why, you take a page from all the losers that weren't on Lollapalooza, and you book your own damn tour.

Pitchfork: Daily Music News
- posted by liz @ 6/29/2004 10:35:00 AM 0 comments

 
Finally some good news.
"President Bush's job approval rating has fallen to the lowest level of his presidency, according to the latest New York Times/CBS News poll. The poll found Americans stiffening their opposition to the Iraq war, worried that the invasion could invite domestic terrorist attacks and skeptical about whether the White House has been fully truthful about the war or about abuses at the Abu Ghraib prison."

The New York Times > Washington > Campaign 2004 > Bush's Rating Falls to Its Lowest Point, New Survey Finds
- posted by liz @ 6/29/2004 10:00:00 AM 0 comments

 
THESE are CNN's "Top Stories" this morning. I'm confused.
-Iraq to get legal custody of Saddam tomorrow

-CNN/Money: Fed meets to consider interest rate hike

-Deaths of 2 women near train crash probed

-Missing Oregon girl found dead in shallow grave

-Judge scolds tardy, dazed-looking Courtney Love

-Antarctic ice station likely to float away

-CNN/Money: New Harry Potter title revealed

ok fine, those are all important. ok, maybe Courtney Love isn't important, but I understand the need for the current gossip hook. But then:

-Mira Sorvino marries 22-year-old beau

Is it me who's out of the loop here? When's the last time anyone heard the name Mira Sorvino. I'm guessing it was about the time she was with Quentin. A million years ago? Why is Mira Sorvino's marriage one of CNN's Top Stories? We've got Sadaam, Dead Women, Dead Child, Ice Station Floats Away, Courtney's Still Crazy and in Trouble with the Law, JK Rowling makes another 40 kazillion dollars, and Mira Sorvino. Perfect. Also, as far as I can see, there's not one mention on the CNN homepage about the US Marine who was potentially killed yesterday. Just a thought...

CNN.com
- posted by liz @ 6/29/2004 09:58:00 AM 0 comments

 
Salon.com Arts & Entertainment | The Fix
"Just how much did 'Fahrenheit 9/11' take in over the weekend? $21.8 million, though it opened on just 868 screens. What does that mean? It means it was the No. 1 movie in America this weekend, the first documentary ever not only to be a weekend top grosser but also to land in the weekend top five, the highest opening-weekend grosser of all Cannes Film Festival Palme d'Or winners, and the highest-grossing documentary of all time (excluding concert films and such). "

Salon.com Arts & Entertainment | The Fix
- posted by liz @ 6/28/2004 04:26:00 PM 0 comments

 
The Cure: The Cure: Pitchfork Review
"Today's crop of budding pop music critics is fucked to deal with The Cure. The tragically ignorant will repeat tired one-liners and make embarrassing second-hand observations (Laura Sinagra in The New York Times), or opt out with flippant nonchalance (see Rob Sheffield's Rolling Stone review), glossing over the fact that The Cure could be the most important pop act of the last 20 years. The far more troubling and likely scenario-- mine-- is that Robert Smith's songs scored our halcyon teenage romances, prompting us to say things like, 'The Cure could be the most important pop act of the last 20 years.'"

The Cure: The Cure: Pitchfork Review
- posted by liz @ 6/28/2004 03:53:00 PM 0 comments

 
From a Gauche:
"In Defense of These Deflated Meta-Narratives

The thing to avoid, I don't know why, is the spirit of the system. -Samuel Beckett, The Unnamable

Beckett does not say: the thing to avoid is the system. The comic force of his work often derives from the realization that 'the system' is unavoidable. So what is the 'spirit' of the system? Is it the initial creative urge, the desire to systematize in the first place? Or is it a hardening that happens sometime later on? I believe the crucial moment is not when a thoery begins to take shape, when fuzzy lines are made straight and implications are drawn out upon the vast terrain of human experience: this is not the construction of tyranny but the only claim a human subject can ever make to uniqueness. The crucial moment is when a thought, having properly extended itself across the breadth of the world, chooses not to ossify but to continue."

a Gauche
- posted by liz @ 6/28/2004 03:49:00 PM 0 comments

 
christ. this is unbelievable:
[Via j i b b l o g]

Hitler Reappears in '04 Campaign, This Time in Bush Ad

GeorgeWBush.com :: The Official Re-Election Site for President George W. Bush
- posted by liz @ 6/28/2004 02:51:00 PM 0 comments

 
The New York Times > New York Region > Know Neighborhoods by Their Book Buying
"Sometimes, the sales reveal secrets. One of the most popular genres at Borders's Wall Street store, after business? Books on gambling. The only Shakespeare store in Manhattan where sex books simply do not sell? The Upper East Side.

The Barnes & Noble store on Broadway and 82nd Street sells more psychology and psychiatry books than any other Barnes & Noble in the country, a fact that depending on your interpretation, could be either a sign of robust mental health or serious instability among Upper West Siders.

In other cases, the sales figures show neighborhood change. Does the Barnes & Noble in Greenwich Village sell the most gay and lesbian literature? No, that would be its store in Chelsea, with a newer gay population. "

The New York Times > New York Region > Know Neighborhoods by Their Book Buying [via Curbed]
- posted by liz @ 6/28/2004 11:14:00 AM 0 comments

 
Gothamist: Fahrenheit 9/11 Boils Box Office and Conservatives
"Of course, the most brilliant thing about the conservative opposition to the film (much of it based on not seeing the film) is that it just makes people more curious - Michael Moore is loving the free publicity and even told reporters outside one of the many NYC movie theaters he visited this weekend that he wanted to send conservatives thank you cards. "

Gothamist: Fahrenheit 9/11 Boils Box Office and Conservatives
- posted by liz @ 6/28/2004 11:07:00 AM 0 comments

 
Gawker is particularly sassy today...
"Mayor Bloomberg's Republican Convention Checklist #
-Prepare to shut down midtown, claim no one will be inconvenienced: check.
-Attempt to eliminate ice cream: check.
-Assist feds with installing climate of fear: check.
-Get more whores: check!"

Gawker:
- posted by liz @ 6/28/2004 11:02:00 AM 0 comments

 
Framing Michael Moore -- In These Times
"Fahrenheit 9/11 is an amazingly powerful documentary. Moore collects skeins of archival footage-a young George W. driving across country, Paul Wolfowitz slicking his hair back with spit as he readies for the cameras, Bush addressing a fundraising dinner: 'This is an impressive crowd, the haves and the have mores. Some people call you the elite. I call you my base.'

Moore weaves historic documents together with his signature vignettes-two Air Force recruiters bamboozling youth into the military, the mourning mother whose soldier son was killed in Iraq, and members of Congress running away as he asks them to sign up and enlist their children in the war.
Through these, Moore constructs a penitential sackcloth for a president who has no clothes, and who, come November, will, electorate willing, be out of office. Thanks, significantly, to Michael Moore.

Yes, Fahrenheit 9/11 is propaganda, in the same way the nightly news is, or the front page of your daily paper. It's just that Moore is more upfront with the point he is trying to make. Critics contend that Moore is framing the president. Not quite. He builds his case with the president's own words, numerous damning facts and the testimony of those most affected by the war. "

Framing Michael Moore -- In These Times
- posted by liz @ 6/25/2004 01:40:00 PM 0 comments

 
Perhaps my dislike of Republicans stems from a particular source...
See Citi Accounts
Checking
Overdrawn $ 67.78
Available Now $ 0.00

Citibank Online Banking [via my checking account, or lack thereof]


- posted by liz @ 6/25/2004 10:43:00 AM 1 comments

 
An apology...er, or clarification at least.
So, a couple of days ago, I was more than usually pissed off at the usual suspects and I said something really stupid. In the midst of a (near-hysterical? ha..) tirade, I flipped out and proclaimed that "I hate Republicans." Today, for whatever reason, I thought about that statement during my entire 45 minute walk to work. And I thought about why it was wrong and I knew that I had to change it, or alter it somehow. I could, theoretically, go back and edit that post. But that wouldn't seem right either. I said it. It's out there, and I think that I'd rather admit that I was wrong and submit a new statement that I would prefer represent my general opinion on the topic.

What I think I meant to say, is that I have a really hard time understanding people who prescribe to any established system of beliefs with a fundamentalist mentality. In particular, I find the Republican Party/the Right/"conservatives" to be very much in opposition to rights/freedoms/beliefs/morals/values that I depend on and feel very strongly about. I also, in general, have a very hard time understanding the actions and statements of Republican U.S. Government officials. And when these people, who have SO much power and influence say or do things that I really believe are hurtful (to myself/Americans/the rest of the world?), I get really upset and occasionally have a hard time putting my anger or dissatisfaction into the appropriate, intelligent language.

I don't hate Republicans. One of my best friends in the world is a Republican. She believes that the Republican Party better represents her Christian beliefs. Fortunately, this gives me good fodder with which to practice putting my expressions of disagreement into "the appropriate, intelligent language." (And realizing that sometimes others can do an even better job, I asked her if she would please read Kurt Vonnegut's recent article from In These Times--I think it's pretty brilliant and she even agreed.)

So basically, I guess this is just an assuagement of my own guilt over having said something stupid and without thinking first. And if I can recognize that this doesn't make me a bad person, just a person prone to irrational human behavior (action without thought) it seems that I should give others the benefit of the doubt as well. Or at least give them a couple of days to mull over what they said and have a chance to realize that it was wrong.


- posted by liz @ 6/25/2004 08:46:00 AM 0 comments

 
Class action.
"According to aides, Leahy said hello to Cheney following the taking of the Senate group photo on the floor of the chamber.
Cheney, who as vice president is president of the Senate, then ripped into Leahy for the Democratic senator's criticism this week of alleged war profiteering in Iraq by Halliburton, the oil services company that Cheney once ran.
Leahy and other Democrats have called for congressional hearings into whether the vice president helped the firm win lucrative contracts in Iraq after the U.S.-led war that toppled Saddam Hussein.
During their exchange, Leahy noted that Republicans had accused Democrats of being anti-Catholic because they are opposed to some of President Bush's anti-abortion judges, the aides said.
Cheney then responded, 'f--- off' or 'f--- you,' two aides said, both speaking on condition of anonymity.
Leahy, D-Vt., confirmed that the confrontation took place but would not provide details.
'I think he was just having a bad day,' Leahy said. 'I was kind of shocked to hear that kind of language on the floor.'"

MSNBC - Cheney curses Leahy on Senate floor
- posted by liz @ 6/25/2004 08:46:00 AM 0 comments

 
I'm eating it too.
QuettaML: Yes, I could send cake to you.
notevenher: for real?
notevenher: in the mail?
notevenher: or via fedex?
QuettaML: Well, not today.
QuettaML: If you came to live with me I'd make you cake everyday.
notevenher: no, but i mean, it's possible?
QuettaML: Yes. Quite so.
notevenher: how?
QuettaML: Pack it in a box.
QuettaML: Put a label that says: To my friend LIz in NYC.
notevenher: send it overnight?
QuettaML: And pay the postage.
notevenher: it won't get squished?
QuettaML: Overnight.
QuettaML: Acutally, it could proably go even for a few days.
QuettaML: Bubble Wrap.
QuettaML: The frosting probably wouldn't be perfect.
notevenher: it would still taste good.
notevenher: can it have pink frosting?
notevenher: can it be yellow cake with pink frosting?
QuettaML: Yes. It would still taste good.
QuettaML: And it could be yellow cake with pink frosting.

Quetta
- posted by liz @ 6/24/2004 04:55:00 PM 0 comments

 
More Clinton:
From the second part of Bill Clinton's Today Show interview:

"Couric: 'What do you think about this connection that Vice-President Cheney continues to assert between Saddam Hussein and al-Qaida?'

Clinton: 'All I can tell you is I never saw it. I never believed it, based on the evidence I had. Now, he may have some evidence I don't have. But there's no question in my mind that the bigger threat to the world from terror comes from al-Qaida and Bin Laden and [Bin Laden lieutenant] Zawahiri and his crowd. Therefore, I think that it is more important to make sure that the government in Afghanistan succeeds and that we continue to work to get rid of al-Qaida....'"

MSNBC - Clinton: My book is not a Hillary launch pad
- posted by liz @ 6/24/2004 02:17:00 PM 0 comments

 
When bad things happen to good (?) people.
"The dickheadification of Dennis Miller is complete and you may now guiltlessly wish for his death, or imminent cancellation."

via KRUCOFF'S TOP

So true. Exhibit A:

"I don't think of myself as a classic conservative," says Miller. "I think of myself as a pragmatist. And these days, pragmatism falls into the conservative camp. We have to depend on ourselves in this country right now because we can't depend on anyone else. We are simultaneously the most loved, hated, feared, and respected nation on this planet. In short, we're Frank Sinatra. And Sinatra didn't become Sinatra playing down for punks outside the Fontainebleau [Hotel]."

Dennis Miller: Conservative [Outside the Beltway]

See? Dickhead.

And while I'm on the topic, look at this crap. It's frigging ridiculous. "Bush: Liberal Kryptonite"?!! HA. That's so witty. My favorite however, has to go to "Backhanding the Left into submission." Priceless. Oh, you crazy pacifist conservatives! Jesus loves you!

- posted by liz @ 6/24/2004 12:14:00 PM 0 comments

 
MSNBC - The Battle for America's Soul
"In Cincinnati earlier this week, Bush showcased several of his favorite religious programs-one designed to promote marriage, one to treat drug addicts and another to train ex-prisoners. His attitude to those programs showed not just how much he cares for such religious policies, but how little he cares for those who quibble over the separation of church and state."

MSNBC - The Battle for America's Soul
- posted by liz @ 6/24/2004 11:43:00 AM 0 comments

 
Yahoo! News - Kerry Accuses Bush, Republicans of Dividing Nation
"SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) -Democrat John Kerry (news - web sites), angry he was denied a chance to cast a Senate vote on veterans' benefits, lashed out at Republicans on Wednesday and condemned President Bush (news - web sites) as the most divisive president in modern history.

Kerry had interrupted a Western campaign swing for an expected vote on Tuesday on a proposal to increase health care funding for veterans, one of his signature issues, but Republican Senate leaders refused to hold the vote while Kerry was in town.
'These people are so petty, so sad, so political, all they could do was spend the whole day finding a way not to let John Kerry vote,' the Massachusetts senator told the annual convention of the Service Employees International Union. "

Yahoo! News - Kerry Accuses Bush, Republicans of Dividing Nation
- posted by liz @ 6/23/2004 04:11:00 PM 0 comments

 
After the Show: Bill Clinton and Oprah: The Interview
Quote of the Day

'Humanity is not going to be destroyed by terror. We will figure out how to defend ourselves against it. And what we have to figure out is: Let's do it as quickly as we can with as little loss of life as possible. And then let's figure out how to build a world where children don't want to be terrorists. That's what I think is important.'
--Former President Bill Clinton

After the Show: Bill Clinton and Oprah: The Interview:
- posted by liz @ 6/23/2004 03:19:00 PM 0 comments

 
Yahoo! News - U.S. Offers Carrot, N.Korea Says Drop the Stick
"'We are prepared for serious discussion and we have a proposal to offer,' U.S. Assistant Secretary of State James Kelly said in an opening statement.
'A focus on the common objective, and practical and effective means to attain it, will lead in a very positive direction with new political, economic and diplomatic possibilities,' he said.
Kelly gave no details. "

uhhuh...

Yahoo! News - U.S. Offers Carrot, N.Korea Says Drop the Stick:
- posted by liz @ 6/23/2004 09:13:00 AM 0 comments

 
The New York Times > International > Middle East > Arab TV Reports on Tape of South Korean's Beheading
This is my favorite part:

The New York Times > International > Middle East > Arab TV Reports on Tape of South Korean's Beheading: "Kim, 33, worked for a South Korean company supplying the U.S. military in Iraq and was abducted last week, according to the South Korean government. "

god, I am nauseous.
- posted by liz @ 6/22/2004 01:22:00 PM 0 comments

 
MSNBC - Report: S. Korean hostage beheaded
MSNBC - Report: S. Korean hostage beheaded: "On the tape, Kim is heard screaming in English: 'Korean soldiers, please get out of here. I don't want to die. I don't want to die. I know that your life is important, but my life is important.'"
- posted by liz @ 6/22/2004 01:14:00 PM 0 comments

 
MSNBC - Kerry: Looking to Clinton for a Helping Hand
MSNBC - Kerry: Looking to Clinton for a Helping Hand: "It's a far cry from the pyschodrama of four years ago, when Al Gore wrestled with Clinton's presence and was lampooned by George W. Bush for calling on Clinton's help in the final days of the election. 'John Kerry wasn't Bill Clinton's vice-anything,' says Ron Klain, Gore's former chief of staff. 'He doesn't have to prove how he got here.' Kerry may also be helped by some nostalgia for the Clinton era-at least according to Hillary. 'People are more and more remembering the positive aspects of the 1990s,' she told NEWSWEEK. 'It can only benefit John Kerry, who is talking about the issues that elected my husband president.' Kerry hasn't forgotten what he last week described as Clinton's 'terrible mistake.' He just prefers to talk about the mistakes of the president he's running against."
- posted by liz @ 6/22/2004 12:34:00 PM 0 comments

 
MSNBC - Politics: A Gay-Marriage Wedge
MSNBC - Politics: A Gay-Marriage Wedge: "Politics: A Gay-Marriage WedgeNewsweekJune 28 issue - He hadn't used the phrase 'sanctity of marriage' since March, but at the Southern Baptist conference last week, President Bush reiterated his call for a no-gay-marriage amendment. Then Senate GOP leaders said they'd bring the issue to a vote in July. Why the sudden heat? It's a wedge issue for Democrats, peeling off traditional constituencies like African-American clergy. It also boosts Bush with the right, which has grumbled that he's been too quiet on gay marriage. The Senate vote is set just weeks before John Kerry accepts the nomination in his home state of Massachusetts�the one state that currently allows gays to marry. Though Kerry doesn't support gay marriage, he's against a federal amendment. A vote means that senators 'won't be able to waffle back and forth,' says Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist. Few believe amendment backers have the two-thirds majority needed to change the Constitution�and probably not even the 60 votes needed to cut off a filibuster. Still, GOPers want to get Dems on the record�especially those such as South Dakotan Tom Daschle, who face tight re-election bids. One Hill Dem says: 'This is pure, raw, unadulterated politics.'
�Debra Rosenberg "
- posted by liz @ 6/22/2004 12:26:00 PM 0 comments

 
The Morning News - The Non-Expert: Zodiac
"Cancer (Jun 22-Jul 22)
Water Sign
Symbol: the Crab

Those born under the sign of Cancer are known for their razor-sharp intellect and natural leadership ability. They should consider the following employment positions: president of a large corporation, buccaneer, publishing magnate, software/hardware entrepreneur, sports-team manager, film director, illusionist, curio-shop owner. They should avoid starchy foods on an empty stomach. "

"Scorpio (Oct 24–Nov 22)
Water Sign
Symbol: the Scorpion
Scorpios are the only people who talk incessantly about their zodiac sign. It is, after all, a scorpion, which looks wicked as the abdominal tattoo most Scorpios get in their twenties. Their general snobbishness toward the other signs means nobody likes Scorpios—even astrologers hate them. An everyday newspaper horoscope for a Scorpio, in fact, will predict bladder malfunctions or lengthy bouts of unemployment.

Sometimes the horoscope will cut straight to out-and-out name-calling. “Ham-juggler" is popular."

The Morning News - The Non-Expert: Zodiac:
- posted by liz @ 6/22/2004 10:55:00 AM 0 comments

 
Someone else who needs to get his head out of the sand and be responsible.
In a November ballot test, Kerry leads Bush 48 percent to 44 percent among registered voters, with 6 percent supporting Nader. Last month, Kerry and Bush were tied. With Nader out of the race, Kerry's advantage swells to 8 points, evidence of the continuing threat that Nader's candidacy poses to the Democrat.

MSNBC - Bush loses advantage in war on terrorism:
- posted by liz @ 6/22/2004 09:05:00 AM 0 comments

 
A woman scorned?
Oh boy, this is a good one. I'm keeping this for posterity or something...

Tell her that although she's beautiful, funny, clever, sexy, adorable, loving, kind etc etc, she's just not 'THE ONE'. Ah yes, that old chestnut 'THE ONE'. That'll be 'THE ONE' that exists only when you're going out with someone and you get a bit bored and you want to fuck someone else. That old 'THE ONE'. We know all about that. And when you come back later, having failed to fuck the latest object of your affections because she just laughed at you and suddenly you realise we're the best you're going to get you miserable piece of shit, we'll just laugh and kick our Manolo-clad heels up at you.

You missed us the first time round, moron - you don't get another chance. There is no 'THE ONE', there never has been and there never will be. There's only who you're fucking at the moment, sweetheart and if you don't realise what you've let go, then you're probably not clever enough to recognise 'THE ONE', even if she did actually exist and stood in front of you and whacked you around the head with a shovel, while screaming, 'I'm your fucking ''THE ONE'', dickhead!'

"Closure" is not necessarily a bad thing just because it's American. [via Eurotrash via Lindsayism]
- posted by liz @ 6/21/2004 03:48:00 PM 0 comments

 
I'd love to help but...
These things never cease to amaze me. And this one is particularly good, I think... Also, this is only about one sixth of the entire email I just received. They're getting a bit wordy, if you ask me...

May I use this medium opportunity to introduce myself
to you? I am a Sierra Leone National. and my name is
Andrew . The son of Sabartha mensah my father have a
Diamond and mining Corporation in Sierra Leone before
the war finally broke out. Things have never been the
same and presently, I am seeking refugee in Ghana. I
pray that my decision to contact you will be
given a genuine approval considering the facts that we
have not known each other before.
Before my father was killed he deposited some huge
amount of money in Ghana with a security company in
save box, which was deposited as described to be
containing precious items and personal effects I have
Worked out arrangements to get this box containing the
fund to be taken out of Africa. Now I need your
assistance to receive the box in your country as
soon as it arrives and the safe keeping of it.
- posted by liz @ 6/21/2004 11:21:00 AM 0 comments

 
The New York Times > Washington > Clinton Book Puts Familiar Foe Back in Conservatives' Sights
The New York Times > Washington > Clinton Book Puts Familiar Foe Back in Conservatives' Sights: "'I have found that the best way to get a rousing response from a crowd is to say that whatever disagreements you may have with President Bush on one issue or another, nobody can argue that he hasn't restored honor to the White house,' said Gary L. Bauer, chairman of the organization American Values."

OH MY GOD, I HATE REPUBLICANS SO MUCH. I am so full of hate and frustration right now I could scream, pull all my hair out, get physically violent...I'm not a violent person, really, but this makes me more angry than...well, ok, so it's still early in the day. I'm pissed off. Totally pissed off and I don't even know what to do with myself. HOW can you say that "nobody can argue that [Bush] hasn't restored honor to the White House"??!?!?!?!! PLEASE, SOMEBODY, define "honor" for me!!? Honor, right, definitely. "Restoring honor" is apparently something akin to making the United States look like the land of complete jackasses in the eyes of the rest of the world. That must be it! Fuck me, I'm going to go give some more money to MoveOn.org right this second. They seem to have their shit together a little better than I do.
- posted by liz @ 6/21/2004 10:36:00 AM 0 comments

 
yikes, this sucks.
Bedbugs are biting on the Lower East Side and may soon be gnawing on the rest of the Big Apple, a Manhattan judge is warning. (via NY Post)

HA. This is terrible. MF told me he had bedbugs, but I never believed it...

Another! Scary! Story! In! The! NYP!
[via E Broadway]

- posted by liz @ 6/21/2004 10:25:00 AM 0 comments

 
CNN.com - Japanese boy writes apology in blood - Jun 21, 2004
CNN.com - Japanese boy writes apology in blood - Jun 21, 2004: "TOKYO, Japan (Reuters) -- A Japanese teenager was forced by his teacher to write an apology in blood after dozing in the classroom, the school's principal said on Monday."
- posted by liz @ 6/21/2004 10:21:00 AM 0 comments

 
MSNBC - S. Korea won't meet kidnappers' demands
MSNBC - S. Korea won't meet kidnappers' demands: "On Sunday, the Arab satellite TV network Al-Jazeera aired a videotape purportedly from al-Qaida-linked militants showing a South Korean hostage begging for his life and pleading with his government to withdraw troops from Iraq.
In Seoul, hundreds of protesters attended a candlelight vigil Monday night to demand the release of the man, Kim Sun-il, and a reversal to the troop dispatch. Some held placards reading "Sending the troops kills, kills, kills."
- posted by liz @ 6/21/2004 10:18:00 AM 0 comments

 
Seriously? No, Seriously?
Good move, John McCain, you complete freaking moron. Way to be. We're all so goddamn proud. It's such a GREAT idea to endorse Bush. And you know, I actually sort of liked the guy before this. ARRRGHH. Sorry. Blind rage again. Oh yeah, and EXCELLENT freaking timing as well. I am so sick of the usa.

McCain gives Bush a strong endorsement [via MSNBC]


- posted by liz @ 6/18/2004 04:52:00 PM 0 comments

 
there used to be a sexy picture here. I took it off. I just couldn't do it. I mean, it definitely wasn't a sexy picture of me , but still.
OK, so apparently, I've gone off the deep end. It's national mindless trash and gossip day! I think that's fine.

[note: It is no longer mindless trash and gossip day. It is once again "be mad at the people who run the country day" (ie. every day).]
- posted by liz @ 6/18/2004 11:17:00 AM 0 comments

 
Completely pointless, slightly shallow. bitchy female commentary for the day:
UUUGH christ. I know, I know, this is completely ridiculous that I'm even concerning myself with this total crap, but I can't help it. Maybe I'll take the critical feminist ("p.s. I can't help it, I went to Smith") approach? Nah. Today I'm going with blind rage.

Ahem: What is wrong with the world today, by LG. Part 1 of 12,967:
Jive, Spears' label, is said to be concerned that she might be facing a dramatic weight gain.
'She is a big girl anyway,' said one record industry executive. 'She is prone to gaining weight and likes her junk food. Being on the tour with all of the dancing was keeping a lot of the weight off, but now that she's going to be on crutches for a while, people are worried she will balloon up.

If Britney Spears is a "big girl" then I'm a fucking hippopotomus. Ah, right, but then, I'm not so good at working the "I live in Manhattan and am single, female and under the age of 70, thus I must have perfected my eating disorder/gym obsession in my requisite attempt to look like some slightly less-well proportioned Sarah Jessica Parker clone."

Jesus, I sound like an idiot. I had a point here somewhere...

Britney Wedding Bells Buzz [via NYP]
- posted by liz @ 6/18/2004 10:29:00 AM 0 comments

 
Donations Make the Convention Happen
In the immortal words of Napoleon Dynamite, "GOD! You guys are IDIOTS!"

The shock of all shockers: Republicans can attract lots of big donations from corporations! The G.O.P. has apparently raised near the record amount for a convention, from contributors like Pfizer, AT&T, and Microsoft, as well an Indian tribe that runs a casino and our own Mayor Bloomberg, who put up a cool $5 million. While the goal is for $64 million, the article states the RNC's number is in the tens of millions and that this will usher in an era of privately-financed conventions, according to campaign experts.

Donations Make the Convention Happen [via Gothamist]

- posted by liz @ 6/17/2004 02:29:00 PM 0 comments

 
The Plain Truth
It's hard to imagine how the commission investigating the 2001 terrorist attacks could have put it more clearly yesterday: there was never any evidence of a link between Iraq and Al Qaeda, between Saddam Hussein and Sept. 11.

Now President Bush should apologize to the American people, who were led to believe something different.

The Plain Truth [via NYT]


- posted by liz @ 6/17/2004 02:19:00 PM 0 comments

 
Quetta's at it again. I had to...
That's right! 1000 MB of Storage.
I promise not to get in the habit of abruptly interrupting my story, but I feel compelled to share. Dear Liz, both blogger and friend, assisted me today in getting my very own gmail account. Goodbye hotmail. Goodbye novell. Gmail, here I come. I don't know what the hell a megabyte is but I hear it's big, and you know what they say about girls with big megabytes.

Quetta
- posted by liz @ 6/17/2004 11:28:00 AM 0 comments

 
MSNBC - Gay marriage challenges loom in Mass.
I need to stop reading the news. This shit is really pissing me off.

BOSTON - For a month now, hundreds of gay couples have gotten married in Massachusetts with remarkably little fanfare or protest. But the honeymoon is about to end.

Gay-marriage opponents are targeting the Legislature this fall, when all 200 seats are up for election. They want to see passage of a constitutional amendment to ban gay marriage.

Gay marriage challenges loom in Mass. [via MSNBC]
- posted by liz @ 6/17/2004 11:09:00 AM 0 comments

 
MSNBC - Pentagon confirms secret detention in Iraq
MSNBC - Pentagon confirms secret detention in Iraq: "WASHINGTON - At the request of CIA Director George Tenet, Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld ordered the military to secretly hold a suspected terrorist in Iraq, a Pentagon spokesman said.
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The suspected terrorist has been held since October without being given an identification number and without the International Committee of the Red Cross being notified, Pentagon spokesman Bryan Whitman said. Both conditions violate the Geneva Accords on treatment of prisoners of war."
- posted by liz @ 6/17/2004 10:50:00 AM 0 comments

 
CyberSex Logs are awesome.
This is freaking hillarious.

Cool CyberSex Logs
"bloodninja: Wanna cyber?
Katie_007: Sure, you into vegetables?
bloodninja: What like gardening an shit?
Katie_007: Yeah, something like that.
bloodninja: Nothing turns me on more, check this out:
bloodninja: You bend over to harvest your radishes.
(pause)
Katie_007: is that it?
bloodninja: You water your tomato patch.
bloodninja: Are you ready for my fresh produce?
Katie_007: I was thinking of like, sexual acts INVOLVING vegetables... Can you make it a little more sexy for me?
(pause)
bloodninja: I touch you on your lettuce, you massage my spinach... sexily.
bloodninja: I ride your buttocks like they were amber waves of grains."
- posted by liz @ 6/17/2004 09:43:00 AM 0 comments

 
And my new obsession is....me! Well, via Quetta, in The Valley. She's cute too.
What's the deal with Larry?
One day a friend was planning to visit me from New York City with the mistaken belief that I live in San Francisco. When I told her the truth, she was quite disappointed. To convince her that the Silicon Valley is fun too, I told her about all of the places we could visit just down the street from my house. Would you like latte with a vanilla shot from the animated coffee bar at Yahoo? Perhaps smoked trout for lunch at Oracle?

Quetta
- posted by liz @ 6/16/2004 04:59:00 PM 0 comments

 
Holy freaking gratuitous...
JENNIFER Lopez's new hubby Marc Anthony has bought his new bride gold feathered flip-flops, costing a staggering [$23,757.86].
Actor Marc, 34, chose the 18-carat sandals to show off what he reckons are 'the most beautiful feet in the world'.

WHY is it that when I read about these obscenely expensive freaking FLIP FLOPS a month ago, I just KNEW that they'd be on the feet of someone like freaking JLO in about 10 minutes. SERIOUSLY? Jesus Christ. This makes me sick. More than the fact that they even exist...That alone I can probably even rationalize as some sort of crazy fashion/art (sculpture??) experiment...eh...maybe...but someone actually buying them?? [side note: I'm totally aware of my egregious use of caps/italics/punctuation. Read: really pissed off.]

AHHHHHRRGHGH. I'm sorry, I think I need to go throw up now. This is seriously, seriously fucking insane. It sort of brings me back to last week, when I was so fortunate to partake in the ridiculously expensive/grotesque overture that is Madonna's summer "Re-Invention" tour. At one point, the old hag actually stands in the middle of the stage and sings John Lennon's 'Imagine.' But here's the best part!! OBVIOUSLY, while she's up there singing, there is a gigantic video screen behind her, projecting 50 ft images of...what else? Starving African children. So in a moment of pure genius, my friend leaned over to me and muttered something to the effect of "what percentage of the ticket sales did she say is going to feed the children?" Ha. Exactly. No, I'm pretty sure that Madonna's priorities are more in line with "spreading the Kabbalahist lifestyle" or some equally vital shit. Ech. I loathe rich people.

New hubby buys J-Lo £13,000 flip-flops [via The Sun]


- posted by liz @ 6/16/2004 09:43:00 AM 0 comments

 
SuicideGirls: Napoleon Dynamite star Jon Heder
(My new bf, if he wasn't already married. Then again, he's mormon, so I guess I still have a chance?)

DRE: As Napoleon Dynamite could you tell us what its like to be interviewed?
JH: [in Napoleon Dynamite voice] Um. I don't really know a lot about doing this. It's pretty weird but it's pretty sweet I guess. New York is pretty sweet I guess. They've got that Natural Museum with the history of those sweet dinosaurs. I especially like the T-Rex cause he kills smaller weaker animals. It's pretty sweet.

SuicideGirls > Words > Napoleon Dynamite star Jon Heder

Napoleon Dynamite Official Website



- posted by liz @ 6/15/2004 05:04:00 PM 0 comments

 
From this week's Black List. And Dammit, YES I had to copy the entire thing. This shit is uneditable.
THE BLACK LIST: BODY BY BUD, LIFE BY HAMMER.: "BILL CLINTON'S IMPENDING RETURN TO DOMINANCE: Don't lie: You have missed him. Even if you can't stand him, you've missed him. While the world has been going to shit over the past three years, Clinton has been hunkered down in Chappaqua, N.Y., finishing his memoirs and preparing for his reemergence. Well, the book is finally done, and now it's time. You're not going to be able to hide from Clinton in the next month; he's going to be everywhere. And you're going to love it. Anybody else wish we could, just once, see Clinton and Bush debate each other? There'd be nothing left of Dubya but some 20-year-old cocaine residue and a pair of spurs. With John Kerry boring us to sleep and Michael Moore -- however good his intentions -- pounding the pavement with the intellectual honesty of Stephen Glass, someone needs to step in, start clearing house and cracking some skulls. And now here he is. Bill Clinton. He might not save the day, he might not be a saint, but you won't be able to take your eyes off him. In a dull campaign season -- it remains astounding how an election as important as this one can remain so dull -- Clinton is a lightning bolt, shock treatment. Tell us Monica anecdotes! Chuckle about pinning 'Dork' stickers on Kenneth Starr's back! Give us something! It's T-minus a week until it's all Bill, all the time, and I, for one, cannot freaking wait. A -- Will Leitch"

The Black List [via The Black Table]
- posted by liz @ 6/15/2004 04:51:00 PM 0 comments

 
Notes from God via LowCulture
low culture: 4. Insurgents, Terrorists, Fedayeen et al: I've said this before, chumps, but cut this shit out, and I mean it this time. You're not just taking out contractors and soldiers who are a part of the Occupying Powers, you're harming innocent civilians, too, which doesn't make you any better than the American armed forces who drop bombs on wedding parties or whatnot and then try to justify it post-haste. Regardless, I'm going to have to force the whole lot of you to consort for time immemorial with my boy Richard, mentioned above.
- posted by liz @ 6/15/2004 04:44:00 PM 0 comments

 
Yeah, I'm still the only one awake...
Doesn't it suck to be the only one awake when there's a million people staying in the same house? Yes it does. I can't make any goddamn noise, I have to be careful not to step on the scores of semi-naked people still sprawled all over from last night's bacchanale...I was going to try and clean up, but then there's that noise aspect. And the stepping on people thing...So I'm going to entertain myself, dammit.

Later today, we're going to Napa. Apparently, in Napa, they let you drink a lot of wine, and if you have a friend who works at a winery, it is both cost-effective and abundant...Though I am sort of concerned that I'm going to be hungover before I even make it to my American Airlines redeye (back to the land of normal, mean spirited people).

OK. Free association time, then I'm going to go make coffee.

Camus.

Morocco.

Baba Ghanouj.

The gay penguins at the Central Park Zoo.
- posted by liz @ 6/13/2004 01:35:00 PM 0 comments

 
This is what I do when I leave the city.
Is this a sickness? Seriously? Why am I sitting at a computer at 10AM after a very long night, throughout which I steadily consumed bloody marys (extra horseradish) and tums (peppermint flavor)...and reading about NY Restaurants. I am a sick human being. I need to be stopped. But first, I need someone to take me to Blue Smoke. Because it's so so good, and it would probably be my choice for last-meal-before-death.

Summer Restaurant Weeks 2004
For ten days this summer, you can take advantage of three-course lunches for $20.12 and three-course dinners for $30.12, not including tax and gratuity, at some of the city's best restaurants. Got a reservation yet?

June 21 to 25 and June 28 to July 2

Restaurant Weeks in 2004 [via NYMetro]

Blue Smoke [via NYMetro]
- posted by liz @ 6/13/2004 01:10:00 PM 0 comments

 
I'm in SF for the week. huh.

- posted by liz @ 6/11/2004 11:30:00 PM 0 comments

 
Maccers' advice to men:
"Sometimes when she may express displeasure with your attitude or behavior, she may just need you to hold her and act like you love her. That's all. If that doesn't work you are up crap creek without a paddle for which a wedgewood-blue box with an ivory ribbon may be the only safe exit.

Tell her she looks hot, not cute. She is beautiful, not pretty. Pretty is for up to the age of 12 only.

If she feels that you desire her and obviously only her, she may forgive you all sins with the exception of stealing money from her bank account."

This is sort of like the She Loves NY guide to dating etiquette. Also highly amusing, though thoroughly unrealistic...

"the gentleman will read this guide and with haste commit it to memory. he knows that in his doing so the lady will take great pleasure, and may even decide to see him again"


Maccers
SLNY
- posted by liz @ 6/04/2004 09:53:00 AM 0 comments

 
Quel Scandale!
The details: Kamm sues Dan Cameron, New Museum

If you're the New Museum and you're finishing up a capital campaign that will pay for your new building in the Bowery, this can't be good. As Page Six reported yesterday, senior curator Dan Cameron and the New Museum are being sued for not less than $1 million by Chelsea gallerist Oliver Kamm.

Lord almighty, the art world is sooo scandalous. And everyone is just SO hungry for the latest gossip. I'm sure this is all we're going to hear about all summer long.

ArtsJournal: Modern Art Notes
- posted by liz @ 6/03/2004 09:19:00 AM 0 comments

 
Yet another reason why I still love Bill Clinton.
U.S. District Judge Phyllis Hamilton, ruling in one of three lawsuits challenging the legislation President Bush signed last year, said the first substantial law limiting a woman's right to choose was an unconstitutional infringement of three decades of Supreme Court precedent.

"The act poses an undue burden on a woman's right to choose an abortion," Hamilton wrote in her 120-page opinion.

Clinton appointed this judge, obviously. Today is a day for celebration and giant applause for Planned Parenthood Federation of America, an amazing organization.


MSNBC - U.S. judge blocks partial-birth abortion ban
- posted by liz @ 6/01/2004 04:12:00 PM 0 comments