Sunday, July 29, 2007

short and sweet, like akshai...except the sweet part..so just short.

Did you know these interesting facts?

Chile claims about 1,250,000 square kilometers of Antarctica, or roughly 9% of its total size, as Chilean territory. They even show the weather forecast for it on the news.

Northern Chile is home to the world's driest desert: Atacama.

Almost half of the country's population lives in or around the capital city Santiago.

Chile's number one export is copper. The world's largest open pit mine is found at Chuquicamata in northern Chile.

A three-year-old Marxist government was overthrown in 1973 by a dictatorial military regime led by Augusto Pinochet, who ruled until a freely elected president was installed in 1990. Sound economic policies, maintained consistently since the 1980s, have contributed to steady growth and have helped secure the country's commitment to democratic and representative government. Chile has increasingly assumed regional and international leadership roles befitting its status as a stable, democratic nation.
 
 
FFAA: Akshai has an extreme tie fetish. And by "extreme" I mean chronic. And by "chronic" I mean dude's got a problem.
 
jbeaz

Saturday, July 28, 2007

two peas in a podcast...

Ok, topic for the Day: Podcasts.

Here are my top five:
1) LSAT logic in everyday life.....seriously, it has very little to do with the LSAT
-explores current events, the arguments on either side and the fallacies abound
2) Kyle Butler's "BrainFood"
-explores questions of banal scientific interest and serious academic pursuit. Amazing. Period.
3) Grammar Girl
-discusses basic and complex linguistic usage and style preferences. All the grammar questions you have thought about but were too afraid to ask. (prolly for fear of being berated by the likes of....oh...I dunno...AJP)
4) BBC News and World Report
-'Nough Said
5) YogAmazing
-free yoga video podcast weekly. Pretty awesome.

You can download podcasts from the people's various websites or you can just look them up on ITunes and click subscribe and they will download automatically. So you can put away your tired Ace Of Base playlist and get informed. Betta axe sumbudy.

FFAA: Akshai once had his "man purse" stolen, containing his laptop. For the first month or so afterwards he would see that his screenname was signed in, since, like all good compnerds, he has it automatically set to do so whenever he boots up. So he would badger the theif with bribes and please to return the computer. Sadly, to no avail. Really, don't bring it up, it's a touchy subje...DOUGH!!! (Said in a homer simpson voice, in honor of the awesome, but also sad, release of the long-awaited Simpson's movie. Sad b/c Matt Groening, the show's creator, has said forever that he would never make a movie unless he intended on cutting it.)

Thursday, July 26, 2007

52 flashlights and blue squares

Sent to me from TheTodd:
 
"These guys win everything.

Before you click on the link...

I want to emphasize how they made this.

They took a long exposure picture of a low-light scene, and then
walked around in the frame with a flash light.  The flash light comes
out looking bright, with the background dim.  Each of the frames in
the following animation was made by people walking around in a dark
room waving around flashlights.  This an EPIC WIN because doing an
animation involves drawing the same thing frame to frame, with only
minor variations -- and repeating the exact drawing waving around a
flashlight with no spatial reference points has got to be really
fucking hard.

http://tochka.jp/pikapika/2007/03/pika_pika_2007_release_1.html"
 
FFAA: Akshai may or may not be a notorious poker player. However I am neither in a position to confirm nor deny the aforementioned supposed fact (or falsehood, as the case may be). Here's what I can say: the law of opposites is in effect whilst poker and Akshai are together--the more he likes you off the field, the more annoyed he will be with you on the field. So next time you're tossin' around the 52 Bicycles with AJMFP and he slaps you on the back and asks if you want another beer with a smile, you can post-mark your self-esteem to the garbage disposal.
 
 
 

Tuesday, July 24, 2007

interesting facts about the world and ajp

  • No piece of normal-size paper can be folded in half more than 7 times.
  • The first product to have a bar code scanned was Wrigley's gum.  
  • Earth is the only planet not named after a pagan God. 

  • A Boeing 747s wingspan is longer than the Wright brother's first flight.

  • The new 787 Boeing was revealed on 7/8/07 or July 8th, 07.

  • Every day is about 55 billionths of a second longer than the day before it

  • Venus is the only planet that rotates clockwise.

  • The Himalayan gogi berry contains, weight for weight, more iron than steak, more beta carotene than carrots, more vitamin C than oranges.  

  • Fingerprints of koala bears are similar (in pattern, shape and size) to the fingerprints of humans

  • Apples, not caffeine, are more efficient at waking you up in the morning.

  • SCUBA divers cannot pass gas at depths of 33 feet or below

  • Pele has always hated his nickname, which he says sounds like "baby-talk in Portuguese".

  • As of 2006, 200 million blogs were left without updates
  • Urban birds have developed a short, fast "rap style" of singing, different from their rural counterparts.
  • The lion costume in the film Wizard of Oz was made from real lions.
  • Fathers tend to determine the height of their child, mothers their weight.
  • The Pope's been known to wear red Prada shoes.
  • Donald Rumsfeld was both the youngest and the oldest defense secretary in US history.
  • Coco Chanel started the trend for sun tans in 1923 when she got accidentally burnt on a cruise.
  • Up to 25% of hospital keyboards carry the MRSA infection.
  • In ancient Greece, children of wealthy families were dipped in olive oil at birth to keep them hairless throughout their lives.
  • Sex workers (Prostitutes) in Roman times charged the equivalent price of eight glasses of red wine.
  • As of 2006, more than one in eight people in the United States show signs of addiction to the internet.

FFAA: Akshai, the ever-glib, quick-tongued, fast talker, once made the mistake of trying to talk to an angry parent while he was sick and was without his ever melodic voice. This gave her free-reign over him and I'll leave it to your imagination to picture the hilarity that ensued.

Just thought I would put these back into the public discourse...

 
 
Akshai's favortie plant.
 

Akshai's favorite bootcher-outer on mexico trips.

 

 

Akshai's favorite student.

 

Akshai's favorite Motto.

 

 

Akshai's favorite Birthday.

 
 
Akshai's favorite narcassit....and his many transmutations...
 
 
 
 
 
 
playing rambo...
 
 
with his kid...
 
 
 
the narcassits favorite food.
 
hahaha.
 
Ok, ok. and Just for the sake of humility....
 
I'm an idiot.
 
FFAA: Akshai's favorite month is March, with Februrary as a close second. March for one simple reason, Februrary for two. Three points to anyone who writes in with the correct reasons.
 
jsbeazforjssheaz
 

Sunday, July 22, 2007

GoogleWatch yourself before you get GoogleSpied upon

Two Gems from Fark.com, one with particular import for AJP (hint: AJP doesn't have Amp'd cellular service)

"Dear Amp'd customer. As of 12:01 a.m. July 24th Amp'd mobile will terminate service with all subscribers. We apologize and thank you for your patronage. P.S. we apologize for telling you this via a text message."

Take heed, lil' gangster wannabes: if you go around flashing goofy fake gang signs, make sure it's not around undercover gang officers or you might find yourself facing very real criminal charges

http://www.nysun.com/article/56475
- An article covering a recent uproar over Google's newest feature--GoogleView--where a GoogleVan rolls through major American cities with a 360-degree camera that allows people on the internet to take virtual tours of said cities. People captured on the watchful eye of the GoogleLens began filing complaints when they were shown doing something embarrassing--picking their nose, coming out of strip clubs, wearing U of A clothing, etc. Pretty interesting story from a serious viewpoint, and just great pictures for everything else.

Note on "Ocean's 13":
Ok, look. I feel morally compelled to preface any movie review with a note about the inherent subjectivity of the process. We all have our opinions and they are all equal, though some are more equal than others. In this case, mine is more equal. I have a repertoire and the credentials that fully and completely support the following claim: I know more about movies than you, therefore what I think is right. Okay, so I don't really think that is true, but I thought since I am writing on AJP's blog, I ought to employ a little AJP logic-----OH!!!! SNAP!!!!! PWNd. What!? (cough, cough, clears throat) hmm. Sorry.

Anyway, I saw "Ocean's 12+1" last night with the lovely, long-legged, luscious, Liz (I hate it when an attempt at solid alliteration brings you dangerously close to sexual harrassment, don't you?). I intentionally call it "12+1" because that is, in effect, what it is/was. I know most of you have probably seen it by now and are over it, but my stay abroad and the exuberant prices at movie theatres in China both put a hold on my ability to be as cool as you, so get over it. The film was worth seeing, I should start there. It is amazing to see the craftsmanship of someone who has perfected the art of whoring himself once every few years in order to make several projects near and dear to his heart. Steven Soderbergh, is like a hooker who pays her way through college with one month's worth of work in summer. But that's not all. Soderbergh has also found a way to do the BlockBuster-style film that is his proverbial meal-ticket on his own terms and with his own flare. Perhaps the convoluted plot lines aren't as complex as a Guy Ritchie's pieces (think "Snatch") and his heist style pictures may not be quite as noteworthy as Redford's "The Sting", but Soderbergh's  films are unique. He has his own style, candor, cadence, editing, and narration technique that have all contributed to his status as a great writer/director. What's more, he has been able to bring those tools with him when he goes to do battle with the major studios, who are notorious for robbing any one individual vision to make it past the filters of uniformity and bland alignment with past successes (Think "Anything by Michael Bay"). So I applaud him there, but I have to say that this latest installment to the Ocean's series fell short of the usual punch carried in a Soderbergh project. In short, this film never got off the ground. The plot line was short and as a result the plot and plan was a bit too straight-forward and thereby predictable. There was less character-oriented points and other than the expected, usual, funny dialog between Clooney and Pitt.  In sum, the whole film simply felt the ending of another film--rather than a complete film unto itself.

And just because I know I'll have to hear about it if I don't mention it: the one reason to definitely see this film involves Casey Afflect's character and the exchange: "Are you in yet?" "I hate that question." (happy liz?) haha

FFAA: Akshai....Drum roll please.....was homecoming king at the largest university in the nation (depending on how you count). Just thought I'd throw that out there. Bring it back into the mix. Google it.

peace, beazley

Saturday, July 21, 2007

sheer/shear oblivion

The funniest thing said last night came when I met my friend's father for the first time and he learned of my vegetarianism: "Well your body may be a temple, but mine is a dorm room." Bear in mind that I had said nothing about why I was a vegetarian. Later that night, when someone offered him a shot of tequila, he said: "Can't. Won't. Tequila is bad chicken, because when I drink tequila I become invisible and when I am invisible I do things that AMAZE people."

Additionally:

There are various theories about the origin of the word Chile. According to one theory the Incas of Peru, who had failed to conquer the Araucanians, called the valley of the Aconcagua "Chili" by corruption of the name of a tribal chief ("cacique") called Tili, who ruled the area at the time of the Incan conquest. [1] Another theory points to the similarity of the valley of the Aconcagua with that of the Casma Valley in Peru, where there was a town and valley named Chili.[1] Other theories say Chile may derive its name from the indigenous Mapuche word chilli, which may mean "where the land ends,"[2] "the deepest point of the Earth," [3], or "sea gulls;" [4] or from the Quechua chin, "cold", or the Aymara tchili, meaning "snow." [5][6] Another meaning attributed to chilli is the onomatopoeic cheele-cheele—the Mapuche imitation of a bird call.[2] The Spanish conquistadors heard about this name from the Incas and the few survivors of Diego de Almagro's first Spanish expedition south from Peru in 1535-36 called themselves the "men of Chilli." [2]

(from wiki)

FFAA: While Akshai will prominently display his middle initial, he refuses to say it aloud to most people, for fear of how badly butchered their attempt at repeating it will surely be. Even if you promise not to repeat it, he will still refuse since you will still surely botch it up in your head.

Friday, July 20, 2007

two letters, one hilarious, one amazing

Over the past few months, as always, there have been numerous public letters written by various figureheads of our society. However, two such letters I found to be particularly noteworthy. One is from comedian and actor David Cross, and the other from writer (and activist?) Howard Zinn. The David Cross letter is a response to some comments made about him by famed "hick" comedian, Larry the Cable Guy--think: GIT-R-DUN! The Zinn letter is addressed to the American people, providing an all-to-needed reminder. Other than the fact that akshai likes both these people, I thought these would be worthy of your time:

David Cross: http://www.bobanddavid.com/david.asp?artID=183

Howard Zinn: http://www.commondreams.org/views06/0703-29.htm

Hope all is well.

FFAA: This one is a bit obvious for those of you who have known the Shai-Master for a while, but for those of you that don't, I think this is a vital Fun Fact About Akshai: He, his dad, and his sister, all drive the exact same car, in the same color too. White honda accords. All three of them. So when they are all at home getting whooped by their grandma in cards (she cheats, quite notoriously so, I might add), it looks as if honda is having a small convention or parade on the west side of phoenix. Ha.

From Fark.com, for Yesterday

Jon Bon Jovi wants the owner of the Mijovi energy drink to change its name, arguing it is too similar to his famous moniker

Canada's crime rate is at a 25-year low, but this has nothing to do with last week's revelation that Canadians smoke more weed than any other country. "Dude, let's break into.... nah, let's twist another one"

German police spring into action after report from woman of a dangerous masked criminal trying to steal van. Turns out the criminal was a large toy beaver

Turns out Chinese news reporter faked that story about replacing meat with cardboard in buns. Will have different kind of meat in his buns when he goes to Chinese PMITA prison. Also, "Bangkok," huh, huh

Using hairspray, (like in Charlie's Angels) to detect the infra-red doesn't work. In fact, it will set off the alarm as these two teens found out

Stay classy, Dodge: New Nitro ad shows dog being electrocuted

Today's "man stabs wife with sword while shouting 'Show me the money'" story brought to you by Hudson, Florida

FFAA: the name, "Da Roostah" is actually lifted from  David Sedaris Story out of, "Me Talk Pretty One Day" about his brother being a straight-up gangster from North Carolina, who goes by the moniker "Tha Roostah."

Wednesday, July 18, 2007

How Dis Be Goin Down

 

 

 

Alright you little braniacs on the nerd patrol. Here's how we are going to do this: I agreed to "Build Lesbian Ogre Grenades" for akshizy, and that's what we're going to do. He may have been under the impression that "Blog" was simply a slang-term and not an acronym, but then he never has been very quick on the uptake. And, as everyone knows, the proper method of construction of a lesbian ogre grenade involves a medley of linguistic and literary hoola-hooping.

 

I will make an effort to post here everyday--if for nothing else, then to succeed where good ol' AJP hath failed. Each day, I will either post something from the internets (intentionally plural, btw) that I found particularly interesting, a random story from China, or a movie review. Additionally, each of my posts will conclude with a FFAA (pronounced ffffffffff-Ahhhhhh!!, with wild hand motions. Come on, do it with me now: ffffffff-Ahhhhhhh!! Lauren, that was terrible. And Liz? You're not even trying. :::::Shakes head disapprovingly::::) FFAA = Fun Fact About Akshai. Yes, that's right, I'm going there. If you have one in mind that you would like to see posted, or if you have an embarrassing or amazing picture of the Shai-Master himself, please send them to me at jbeazfosheaz@gmail.com so that I may post them all.

 

Last but not least, we will be having a competition since making this an interactive endeavor is probably the only way I can make this even half as interesting as our illustrious brown friend. Here's how it works: take AJP's initials and try to come up with the best three-worded phrase. For instance: "A Joke Professor" or "Asian Jello Pride" or "Anti-Jason Parade." You get the idea. You can also submit your own intial phrases, and when Shai gets back we will let him pick the winner of each category. Werd.

 

FFAA: Akshai's first piece of investigative reporting came at quite an early age. Early indeed. Woodward and Bernstein were only in their 30's when they cracked what could be called the most significant political corruption case of the last 200 years (With Ken Star and the Lewinski-Debacle a close second, haha). But our dear Akshai was only in Kindergarten when he cracked the legendary case of the mysteriously appearing saw-dust. One morning after a refreshing post-recess apple juice with the boys, as Akshai meandered back over to his desk he noticed the oddest of oddities: a large pile of saw dust had somehow accumulated beneath a fellow classmates desk. Surely, he assumed, this must just be some sort of freak of nature and it would be cleaned up tomorrow, but no. When he came back to class the next day it was still there. Akshai was smart enough not to ask the student himself, since if this other boy was involved in some intercontinental tunneling operation to liberate the Chinese, surely he wouldn't be at liberty to discuss such sensitive matters. But Akshai was persistent and intrepid enough to ask just about everyone else. And, by Jove, once he had thoroughly interrogated the teacher and the janitor who eventually came to clean it up, the first of many a light bulb popped over Akshai's head, he realized what sort of abomination had taken place, and instantly his innocence was gone. That, ladies and gentlemen, is how the Akshai we know today got to be such a jaded cynic of the worst sort. Sad, just sad.

 

 

jbeazfosheaz

Tuesday, July 17, 2007

Introducing: The Killer Beez


Dear Loyal Readers,

I'll be touring Buenos Aires, for pleasure and a Quartdim Conference, for the next 2 weeks. My good friend, Jason "The Killer Beez" Beazley, will be blogging in my stead.

While DR hosts his authorship, enjoy the linguistic stylings!

Attentamente,


Akshai J. Patel

Monday, July 16, 2007

Two Helpings of Cynicism


After sore disappointment from the Democratic debate, I expected the Republicans to make me ill. Indeed, it's take me this long to recover and finally post about the maelstrom. Indeed, it was contentious, but any free-willed person with even a dash of common sense would recognize that some of the GOP riff-raff on stage were beyond simply debatable options, and would better be described as ridiculous. And a special thanks goes out to CNN for broadcasting the nonsense worldwide, so everyone can think we've learned nothing from the last 8 years and half of our '08 choice is going to come from a crop of disappointing conservative politicos. Just the way we like it.

But the highlights were worthy of any political version of Sportscenter (read: CSPAN-the Ocho). Tancredo wants new Americans to cut ties with the past and assimilate until we no longer "have to press 'one' for English and 'two' for any other language." Because apparently a diverse population of speakers is a sign that WASPs are losing something. You know, because they don't occupy the top tier of socio-economic positions in the U.S., at the moment. That extra two seconds it takes Tancredo to choose his preferred language could have been saved, not allowing the market to do its job adapting to a changing population. If you don't build it, my friend, they won't come, right?

Huckabee, after admitting to only 'like kinda' believing in evolution, supports Tancredo, calling English the one element that holds us together, thereby requiring its preservation.

McCain, currently in the midst of an implosion that threatens to end it all, promised to "veto any bill with pork." And I promise everyone all the parties they want, no more homework, and teachers who make easy tests. Whooooooo! McCain for 6th grade class president. And he 'only kinda' wants to make English an official language.

Ron Paul makes a reference to the American Empire, as a good thing. A foreign policy genius will he make. He further informs us that "Roe v. Wade ruined it for the whole country."

Romney tells us he isn't anti-immigration, he loves immigration, but he says he hates it because he's just trying to get votes.

Giuliani takes credit for turning around all of New York City and believes that is proof that he can turn around Washington--invoking the age old mantra that will result in votes from conservatives because they only need to hear to believe. Seeing a plan is overrated.

Brownback does "not remember that document," the NIE (National Intelligence Estimate), that describes the intelligence we had about Iraq before going. The word choice and sentence fluency made it a very forgettable read, guys. After delivering his plan to cut into Iraq into 3 states, he only has to let us know that he's "been around the issue" of immigration. No actual ideas regarding it are needed. He's been around it, people. Chillax.

Thompson will use Bush to lecture youth on public service. Because he's very popular among youth. And Thompson hopes to reduce the number of youth who choose public service--gotta avoid those historical highs.

Hunter assures us that people want the jobs that illegals take, and we'd only have to pay them $18/hr. Plus, his plan has "got a big fence," so we can rest assured that it's something to be supported, because it can fix all the problems of undocumented immigration. Duh.

At least, after all the bickering over nothing, we came to some unanimity--allowing gays to serve openly in the military. Zero in favor. No need for discussion there.

The debate was very entertaining, if you aren't thinking about your civic duty and the fact that these people are running for serious office.

Of Questionable Merit


To mirror the global vote on a new set of "7 Wonders of the World," the Arizona Republic conducted their own poll of readers to determine the "7 Wonders of Arizona." No doubt its heresy to try to limit oneself to only 7 wonders, but such is the nature of this silly game. The real error that is deserving of our most intense vituperations is what this vote actually came up with:

1. Ancient ruins of Canyon de Chelly
2. Hoover Dam
3. Montezuma Castle National Monument
4. Lowell Observatory
5. University of Phoenix Stadium
6. Chapel of the Holy Cross
7. London Bridge

Now don't get me wrong, I like a lot of things about Arizona (as if you didn't know that), and I even agree some of the things on this list--Canyon de Chelly (above) is on top of my list of things to do when I get home. But as much as I enjoy Pink Taco Stadium (and particularly that the initials are UPS--it has me regularly asking myself what brown can do for you), how can we really say it "reflect[s] the culture and history of the state." The London Bridge is a good story and all, but come on, people. Look what they seem to have beat out:

Chapel of the Holy Cross, Sedona: 2,064
Canyon de Chelly ruins, Navajo Nation: 1,543
London Bridge, Lake Havasu City: 1,457
Hoover Dam, 1,281
Lowell Observatory, Flagstaff: 1,275
Montezuma Castle National Monument, Camp Verde: 1,213
University of Phoenix Stadium, Glendale: 1064
Mission San Xavier del Bac, Tucson: 1,045.
Switchbacks up Oak Creek Canyon (Arizona 89A): 873
Grand Canyon skywalk,Hualapai Nation: 545
Route 66: 449
Hohokam irrigation canal system: 358
Cliff dwellings at Walnut Canyon National Monument, Flagstaff: 333
Glen Canyon Dam, Lake Powell: 297
Wupatki National Monument,Flagstaff: 287
Desert Botanical Garden, Phoenix: 199
Tovrea Castle, Phoenix: 184
Biosphere 2, Tucson: 159
Casa Grande Ruins National Monument, Coolidge: 131
Hohokam ruins, Pueblo Grande Museum and Archaeological Park, Phoenix: 65

And there's a number of other wonders in Arizona that weren't even up for a vote. But before I get started on that, I'm asking readers to comment here on what they think should have been called a Wonder of Arizona and why. We aren't limiting ourselves to 7 here at DR.

Sunday, July 15, 2007

Flaite

I used to tell people, in complete jest, that I'd grow up to be a gangsta. To deny the cultural significance of gangstaism in the United States is to ignore an American U.S. reality. In Chile, my experience has been revitalized by my exposure to, and growing interest in, flaite culture. It arrived on my radar, almost providentially, when I needed it most. Urban Dictionary, the most relevant reference source in the modern world, defines the term thusly:

Flaite: a young male from the outskirts of big cities, like Santiago de Chile, dressed provocatively, aggresively and always "a la mode" (only that his fashion is van Diesel, Cromagnon-inspired) and whose language is always pre-cognitive and inherently obscene even when he tries to camouflage it like that of a normal human being.

His trousers are usually in imitation of the addidas - or other well-known brand - tracksuit, and with slippers imitation-nike and every single piece of clothing of highly doubtful legal origin (except perhaps, for the greasy, "elephant's condom" wollen cap,

The haircut is in the "small chamber pot" style and everything about him looks unenviably proto- (or post) delinquent.

Flaites are born-breeders and almost always end up by siring some poor baby that soon would become the substance which the malnutrition units in public hospitals are made of.

Indubitably humorous.

Under the tutelage of a few good men and women (linked picture to come), I've learned some puro flaite. Truthfully, insulting a person in Chile is a far more aesthetic endeavor than in the U.S. Check out my Facebook [nsfw] wall for a few examples of the grosería that are redound to show you the kind of verve you can find in Chilean flaitismo.

Friday, July 13, 2007

Paraiso


I was recently reminded of one of my favorite poems. Published by the New Times, it starts:
You say Phoenix and Eden don’t mix,
That the PHX is more like the sticks.
But there are five million strong
To prove you wrong,
And if you don’t believe us, just listen to this:

In our Valley the sun never dies,
And winter, we think that’s a lie.
The cactus grow tall
The rain hardly falls
And though summer sucks, that’s no reason to cry.
(See, the gods made AC, so when it’s 100 degrees,
The cool air will make your blues go bye-bye.)

Now, Adam and Eve had it good
But did they eat Mexican food
Like that at Rosita’s?
Not even Mrs. Rita
Could predict tacos like those that we’ve chewed.

Ends on a particularly strong note:

Our Steve Nash is MVP for a reason,
Plus the Cards have a new home this season.
New arrivals come this way,
Sometimes hundreds a day,
There’s something about Phoenix that reels ’em.

The Zona is the new Promised Land,
Albeit one surrounded by sand.
It’s where the wise reside,
You might fault us our pride,
But whether for nice or for vice,
You don’t have to ask twice,

It’s the reason we call Phoenix “Paradise.”

Late, but Better Than Never

I'm willing to overlook a serious (and seriously JV) grammatical mistake in band Peter Björn and John's name because the pop is infectious. If NPR says it, it must be true. After Ani g-chatted (that's right, I'm using 'to g-chat' as a verb here) me the link to the video for last year's hit, Young Folks, I realized I had heard these cats before. I'd even had the fortune of seeing the video here in Chile, back in the long gone days of TV (I now roll without). In addition, I heard it on an episode of Grey's Anatomy, since arriving.

Am I really that late, considering how long it took before The Funeral was on my playlist? This time around I'm only a year behind. And NPR only picked up the story at the end of April. Surely, that justifies the tardiness. And they performed Leno in mid-May, yo. Da me un bre-ak (give me a break; break read with a Spanish pronunciation--seriously, it's key here).

I say check it out. The most recent album, Writer's Block, earns A- honors from Stylus, and the biggest music snob I know was willing to admit that they there was at least one song she "really liked."

To justify the post, I'll offer up the fact that Stylus gives the most recent album, Write Off, an A-, a tough mark to earn from these very readable and high quality writers. Further, I'll direct you to Pitchforks rave review. And finally, I'll devastate you with the damning reality that even the harshest critic I know, EA Sports herself, is stamping a semi-mark of approval.

Thursday, July 12, 2007

Fly in Any Weather


Have you listened to enough Andrew Bird, lately? I think not, but I'll recommend so. Why enjoy "Imitosis," above, and other Birdman hits? Well, first introduced to me by a tried and true source of things de la ultima moda--including traveling the world, curing the sick, and listening to exceptional music--you'll find Bird's tunes can be described best as "farm boy folk rock." He earns a sought-after stamp of approval (B+) from my argotic idols over at Stylus Magazine, that boasts such descriptions as "prolific, long obscured folk-pop hybrid," "lyrical rhymes," "superior elegance," and one song in particular has an "ecstatic, achingly melodic finale."

If that's not enough, Pitchfork bestows the gift of truth: that his new album, "Armchair Apocrypha is ultimately another object of strange and unique beauty from this inventive songwriter and performer." And you'll forgive the fact that he's from the Second City, when you see they report that he's on Janet Reno's Song of America compilation, a patriotic lineup of songs that, in Reno's words are "focusing on key periods in American history, in order to tell our story to young people who might find joy in learning history through music."

Can I get two 'whats' for Birdman? One more for Janet proving the GOP doesn't have a monopoly on patriotism? And one more for good measure?

Why thank you; we appreciate it.

Wednesday, July 11, 2007

Ditat Musĭca

That is, music enriches. And has enriched, especially lately. Expect a fair number of posts in the near future on music. To start with, here's a little tune I've been belting out for the last month and a half. Andando pato (literally, walking duck; colloquially, being poor), I didn't go to the Argentinian's concert when he came to Concepción, and I'm kicking myself for it now. But one of my students shared some Gustavo Cerati music with me anyway (I really like the two albums I have), and in the first few days of seeing this Viña Del Mar performance of my favorite Cerati hit, I was playing it on repeat, as you might have expected. Every time I hear old Cerati, or his former band, Soda Stereo, my ears perk up. Good stuff.

I had to post it. ¿Que otra cosa puedo hacer?

Sunday, July 8, 2007

Updated: More Than Meets the Eye

I thought I was excited to see the new Transformers movie, which I'm still dying to catch at a theater. Then I found out someone changed his middle name to Megatron. Seriously. Still, there's no doubt this theme song is hot. As good as the Limp Bizkit version of the Mission Impossible theme, no?

Update: The change, in case you didn't catch it, was that I added the link for the guy who changed his name to Megatron. Seriously. You should check it out. There are also Nike Transformers, now.

Friday, July 6, 2007

Last night I dreamt of San Pedro...


...well, not exactly. More correct: my roommate was playing his Madonna CD (no this is not deja vu) and along came "La Isla Bonita." Of course, she isn't talking about San Pedro de Atacama, the oasis of the South American desert, but it made me think of my late April trip there and how much the landscape reminded me of Arizona. I've mentioned this before in conversations, but I realized I still hadn't shown anyone. That is, none of the 500 odd pictures I took there had been loaded to the internet. So this picture-updating bonanza continues with Days 1, 2, and 3 of my trip to northern Chile. Additionally, the much anticipated pictures of mountain biker and sand boarder Akshai are also finally available. Lastly, if you want to see more, the landscape and I make appearances in the San Pedro section of my friend, Meredith's public gallery.

Thursday, July 5, 2007

Call It Macaroni


You know what Yankoo Doodle did when he went to town. Well in Latin America, los yanqi didn't put a feather in their hat, but whatever they did, they called it imperialism. But when los yanqi get together on the Fourth at home, we celebrate. Here are some children of Apollo (extra-credit for anyone that catches the reference) celebrating by watching over Town Lake, finest body of water in all the land.

Some of us here tried to do the same at the Instituto Chileno Norteamericano de Cultura, and were sorely disappointed. However, we did manage to go out for pizza and beer. Still the Instituto wasn't their usual disappointing self because I managed to meet an Arizonan, reminisce about the great places my state offers visitors, and listen to a Chilean talk about the Declaration of Independence. The words sound just as beautiful and inspiring in Spanish:

Nosotros creemos ser evidente en sí mismo, que todos los hombres [las personas] nacen iguales y dotados por su Criador de ciertos derechos inagenables: que entre estos son los principales la seguridad de la libertad y la vida, que constituyen la humana felicidad: que para asegurar estos derechos se instituyeron entre los hombres los gobiernos, derivando sus justos poderes del consentimiento de los pueblos: que siempre que cualquiera forma de gobierno se haga destructiva de estos fines, toca al derecho imprescriptible de la sociedad alterarla, ó abolirla y escablecer otra nueva, zanjando sus fundamentos sobre aquellos principios, y organizando sus poderes de la manera que juzgue mas conducente para el efecto de su seguridad y felicidad.

Wednesday, July 4, 2007

More Pictures


Haven't been blogging or uploading pictures, but in this one post I'll be satisfying your need for a Akshai-updates. In case you didn't notice, there's a sidebar link to my picture gallery on Picasaweb. Most recently, I've added pictures of an April trip to Viña del Mar and Valparaiso (Central Chile), including a visit to the beach, the casino, and a concert venue called "El Huevo" (The Egg). The highlight of the trip was the Pablo Neruda house in nearby Isla Negra, which is where I am while looking in a window here, popped collar, of course. Check them out.