DNC road blocks

Denver DNC: hope in the police state

I did some wondering around and attended some events. Tent city, which is where groups such as Amnesty International and Iraq War Veterans for Peace are housed are a good 40 minute walk from the Convention Center--a warm walk hidden by highways, hills and vegetation. Yesterday I saw a small protest of about 10 people with only 3 signs on the 16th Street Mall. There were at least 8 police in riot gear with the protesters and 4-5 more across the street. Enjoy the future of hope and change my friends!

I went to an AFL-CIO speech-fest. It was a speech-fest for working families and Obama.

The women's caucus sponsored by Lifetime networks felt like a very corporate Obamarama. I got a free tamborine!!

I attended some Jewish-related events. Many focused on emphasizing over and over again that Obama is Israel's friend in that sort of emotional 'we gotta let Israel do whatever it wants' kind of tone. However, I went to a J-Street event last night, which was encouraging. J-Street is a pro-Israel, pro-peace and one could even say pro-Palestinian lobby group that recently started up and is getting a lot of attention and works with an organization I work with called Brit Tzedek v'Shalom (Jewish Alliance for Justice and Peace). Hurrah!

However, the highlight of the entire week for those who don't know was at the Skylark Lounge (namesake of Kerouac's Denver dive) where I stood for at least 1 hour only 3 feet away from Dennis Kucinich. It was awesome. Video is to come in the next week or so.

A German dude and 70,200 samples

This German artist has made a song using 70,200 samples from 70,200 different sources, and he is trying to get permission to have it played. (Well, he's using it as an excuse to get some attention. But it is attention deserved.)

Ulleungdo, Dokdo Museum

For my 3 day vacation I went to Ulleungdo, an island on the east side of Korea. From Ulleungdo, it is possible to go to the disputed (with Japan) island of Dokdo. It was not possible for me to go to Dokdo. In fact, it was not possible to go back to the mainland because the weather turned bad and the ferry service was cancelled. I went to Ulleungdo on Monday, and I only wanted to stay on Ulleungdo for 1 or 2 days, but there was no return ferry until Friday morning, 5:00 am.

I had a chair, but others had better ideas for the rocky ride to Ulleungdo.

Look how happy Ulleungdo immediately made me. This was before I realized that my minbak had no hot water.










Do you know Dokdo?


Their t-shirts read, in English, "Do you know? Dok-do is a part of Korean territory."


This place will tell you how Dokdo is part of Korea, and not Japan.


This tells you how Dokdo is part of Korea, not Japan.

This map is among many, many maps that show you how Dokdo is part of Korea, not Japan.

This car was parked right outside the Dokdo museum. Hello Kitty is a Japanese cartoon character.


Ulleungdo is land of the squid. Or island of squid, I guess.




I made some friends on Ulleungdo. The blurry guy seated next to me is Lee. He ordered us these gigantic mussels. He told me to eat the hairy part along with the meat. I was drunk, so I obliged.


These concrete breakers posed for me. I think they are in love.

WFMU

It's awesome. Check out this blog entry featuring classic, painful, vintage interviews with Johnny Lydon and John Cassavettes.

I have spoken of my fanship for The Dusty Show with Clay Pigeon. It's sort of a This American Life for pallid pseudo-troglodytes. The latest one was quite amusing. It is a podcast I recommend. Someday I hope to be listening live when he does a call-in show so I can call from Korea!

And make sure to check out the 365 project. Erogodyte introduced me to this great resource of novelty records and outsider curios for free download. Here's one of my favorites as of the moment.

Georgia Conflict is

"death and ruin for multitudes who have nothing to do with the violent aggression of corrupt elites on every side." From here.

via cursor.

Meltmaster on the Radio

Little Fyodor's Under the Floorboards keeps on playing my stuff! Here's the playlist. Awesome. Every other Saturday night on KGNU, Boulder.

It is so nice to know that my awful singing has been broadcast to the deepest recesses of space. (Via the tune The Canadian Dollar.)

Here's the link to the podcast feed.

PBR supplant BUD as the great American Beer [sic]

Even though PBR is made in Miller factories, which is owned by a South African company?


Who cares!

The Elephant Song

The Retail Implosion

I think all this news about retail stores going under shows that the middle class is dipping into the lower-class. Pretty soon the malls will just be luxury outlets; it'll be like China (or how China used to be): everyone will either be rich and go to the mall, or buy all their stuff at the open market. We'll all be going to the market in second-hand, stripped-down Hyundai buses we get from Canada or Europe. I'll be the road warrior.

People are eating their iPods...

That's a nice little morsel. Pretty soon they'll start listening to music on them too.

Au Contraire, Mr. Gervais! One word: Craig Charles

J'Accuse! In season 2 of Extras Ricky Gervais and Stephen Merchent insinuate into their script the idea that there be no black Britons who can make funny. I love the work of Mr. Gervais, and Extras season two was a real beauty. But this notion of theirs seriously bothered me. Granted, I'm not hugely familiar with every nook and cranny of the comic scene in the UK, but it dawned on me that I do know of one very, very funny man who happens to be black and British. CHECK-MATE, MR. GERVAIS.

Exhibit A:

Ajossi naps and other Seoul phenomena. Updated with notes

Let me explain for those who don't know Korea. (I'm sure this happens in other countries as well, but...) in Korea often the soju is swizzled until you stagger, stupor, and, well, you have to take a little nap. And you can just do it anywhere. Especially if you are ajossi (which means "married man," or "older man--to be respected," or simply "sir.")



This is one of my favorite bars. It's one of two Woodstock bars in Gangnam, but by far the superior. It is close to where I used to live, and I stopped by Friday night. That's Mr. Kim and Heather. Mr. Kim is very particular about his classic rock. He usually let's me listen to David Bowie, and if it's a slow night, Velvet Underground.




I know this is tasteless, shades of Abu-Ghraib. But what can I say. It's standard operating procedure in Seoul.