American Culture

The following flash animation from Michael Jackson's website is for real... Reader, I dare you. Take a quick plunge into the world of his faithful fans. [requires flash]

Note: this post is the one and only that will ever discuss Michael Jackson.

Via CNN

Kerry had a cumulative average of 76 and got four Ds his freshman year -- in geology, two history courses and political science, The Boston Globe reported Tuesday.

In other news, some elitist fratboy C-students are hopeful about their future. America shudders.

Enter the Online Gallery of Tim Slowinski.

Update: Pandagon also shares her thoughts on this master piece of 'Christian' literature

Found an 'interesting' article on Dating from the love-experts at the Bible Study. The writer starts the article off by wistfully looking back at the good old days:

Dating was invented within the last 200 years. Prior to that time, marriage always involved much more input from the parents, and "trial relationships" leading up to marriage (what we now call "dating") were not conducted at all.

Heh... I got a new pickup line "Hey baby, you wanna go out on a trial relationship with me?" ::sigh:: Why don't people talk like that anymore? Am I the only one who longs for the good old days when we had "trial relationships", much like today's free 30 day trials for house hold applainces, and weight loss pills? And am I mistaken, or does "much more input from the parents" sound suspiciously similiar to "Men using daughters as marry-away currency to strengthen their own business relations?" Anyhow, there's more:

"The trial transcript quotes Ms. Hayden as saying Murphy called her a snitch bitch “hoe.” A “hoe,” of course, is a tool used for weeding and gardening. We think the court reporter, unfamiliar with rap music (perhaps thankfully so), misunderstood Hayden’s response. We have taken the liberty of changing “hoe” to “ho,” a staple of rap music vernacular as, for example, when Ludacris raps “You doin’ ho activities with ho tendencies.”

-footnote one from the offical trial records of United States v. Miller

Coming from Wired? You'll probably want to read my original article on CNN comment spam. In addition, all of my posts relating to this story have been classified under Guerrilla Spam.

We now return to blogging with the regular and conspicious lack of planning, foresight, or purpose.

Ejovi Nuwere proposes a new blogosphere project called American Voices. Ejovi describes the concept as thus:

The primary mission of American Voices is twofold: 1) To call attention to the most interesting conversations and perspectives emerging from citizens throughout America by linking to text, audio and video blogs and other forms of grassroots citizens media being produced by people living in America. 2) To facilitate the emergence of ethnic leaders of the digital era and provide a means of mentorship for minorities in America.

 At a time when minorities in America increasingly look towards the Internet and technology for answers now more then ever a resource that connects minority leaders in technology with aspiring youth and adults is necessary. Who are the digital voices for Philippine Americans, Mexican Americans, and African Americans in our country? What are these groups saying and who’s listening? American Voices will function as a clearing house of Bloggers and Internet visionaries that will act as pseudo voices for their respective ethnic communities. By utilizing a mix of open source blog and Wiki software it will be a community built by its community.

"Abercrombie & Fitch and its subsidiary Hollister have shown an unusual degree of antagonism to the name of Christ and an unusual display of wickedness in their promotions. In protest, we will not allow articles displaying their logos to be worn, carried, or displayed (even if covered or masked in some way)." - From Bob Jonen's University Men's Dresscode*

*The Women's Dresscode simply states at the bottom, "Please note the statement concerning Abercrombie & Fitch under Men's General Dress."

There are times, however, and this is one of them, when even being right feels wrong. What do you say, for instance, about a generation that has been taught that rain is poison and sex is death? If making love might be fatal and if a cool spring breeze on any summer afternoon can turn a crystal blue lake into a puddle of black poison right in front of your eyes, there is not much left except TV and relentless masturbation. It's a strange world. Some people get rich and others eat shit and die. Who knows? If there is in fact, a heaven and a hell, all we know for sure is that hell will be a visciously overcrowded version of Phoenix— a clean well lighted place full of sunshine and bromides and fast cars where almost everybody seems vaguely happy, except those who know in their hearts what is missing... And being driven slowly and quietly into the kind of terminal craziness that comes with finally understanding that the one thing you want is not there. Missing. Back-ordered. No tengo. Vaya con dios. Grow up! Small is better. Take what you can get....

-Hunter S. Thompson | Gonzo Papers, Vol. 2: Generation of Swine: Tales of Shame and Degradation in the '80s (1988)

If you want an example of blogging at its finest, go visit Billmon's absolutely stunning post on America's cultural revolution.