if only my life were that exciting

Someone just came to this site through a google search for the question: "What medications can cause a frequency in nightly ruination?" I believe that would be the narcotic family, sir.
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in case of rapture, car will be unmanned

Should saved Christians be allowed to drive?
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terror prevention pen

A pen filled with pig's blood has been developed to deter homicide bombers by splashing them with the defiling liquid to prevent their access to the 72 virgins.
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the city and the camera

There are two L.A.-centric exhibits on right now that are worth a look:

At Design Within Reach, German photographer Peter Loewy showcases LA icons and their favorite views of the city.

At the Gagosian Gallery, Ed Ruscha updates his documentation of Hollywood Boulevard and every building on it 31 years later.

Between 1962 and 1978, Ed Ruscha produced seventeen influential artist's books, usually self-published and in small print runs. Perhaps the most well known of these books is "Every Building on The Sunset Strip," published in 1966, which shows a famous stretch along Sunset Boulevard in Los Angeles. In 1973, Ruscha followed the same procedure, this time documenting Hollywood Boulevard, producing two continuous panoramic views of the north and south sides of the street. Loading a continuous strip of black & white 35mm film into his motor-drive Nikon F2 and then mounting it on a tripod in the bed of a pickup truck, Ruscha drove back and forth across the entire length of the street, shooting it frame-by-frame. The negatives were developed, but never published.

In 2004, the artist re-shot Hollywood Boulevard. The same type of camera equipment was used to re-photograph the street, but this time on 35mm color-negative film. In "THEN & NOW," the original 1973 panoramic images run parallel to their 2004 versions – documenting the changes that have occurred over three decades.

Via flavorpill

I didn't know they had lawyers in Canada

The Winnepeg-based group [The Wyrd Sisters] has conjured up a $40 million lawsuit seeking to block the release of Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire in North America all because the film features a performance with a same-named band fronted by Cocker and backed by members of Radiohead.
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where can I find a martini glass with a nib?

I had never heard of National Novel Writing Month until this year when a good friend actually subjected herself to the madness. Now this sounds like more fun...National Drunken Writing Night.

Via Pinky's Paperhaus

fighting only on port side

The Guardian profiles Dave Eggers and his new book chronicling the daily lives of teachers.

The book's theme is an old teachers' favourite: pay. It makes a compelling case for investment in education to be put in the pockets of the teachers. Pay them, it argues, and their wealth shall trickle down into the community, the economy and the future. It is hard to disagree.
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prussian blue

They may remind you another famous pair of singers, the Olsen Twins, and the girls say they like that. But unlike the Olsens, who built a media empire on their fun-loving, squeaky-clean image, Lamb and Lynx are cultivating a much darker personna. They are white nationalists and use their talents to preach a message of hate.
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preoccupation

Over the next week, I will be moving to a charming new apartment in Los Feliz and starting a brand-spanking new job, so if posting is on the minimal side, rest assured I will soon return with novel adventures and observations. Thank you for your patience.
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have no fear, look who's here

Daniel Craig is yummy enough to actually get me to see a Bond film. He was the only redeeming factor in Sylvia and Enduring Love.

enough to make a girl stick around

In his new book, former Clinton advisor Dick Morris argues that the 2008 presidential election will be all woman, all the time: Hillary Clinton vs. Condoleezza Rice. You can read more of the excerpt here.

If the thought of another Clinton presidency excites you, then the future indeed looks bright. Because, as of this moment, there is no doubt that Hillary Clinton is on a virtually uncontested trajectory to win the Democratic nomination and, very likely, the 2008 election. She has no serious opposition in her party. The order of presidential succession from 1992 through 2008, in other words, may well become Bush, Clinton, Bush, Clinton.

But her victory is not inevitable. There is one, and only one, figure in America who can stop Hillary Clinton: Secretary of State Condoleezza 'Condi' Rice. Among all of the possible Republican candidates for President, Condi alone could win the nomination, defeat Hillary and derail a third Clinton administration.

Via 3 Quarks Daily

the jam of life

John Dicker contemplates the complexity of Wal-Mart product marketing.

Wal-Mart’s purgative tendency emerged in the mid 80s when it heaved magazines as innocuous as Tiger Beat — lest a Simon LeBon centerfold enrage the base of Jimmy “I have sinned against you” Swaggart in his short lived jihad against rock and roll.

On the other side of the coin, Wal-Mart has hosted both Clintons to hawk their respective mea culpas. They even welcomed that wholesome heartland honey Paris Hilton to promote her masterpiece of ghostwriting, Confessions of an Heiress. More significantly, the country’s largest employer deemed gays and lesbians worthy of protection from discrimination, though they stopped short of springing for domestic partner benefits.

And yet… they still won’t sell the morning after pill.

And yet… they sold the hell out of Fahrenheit 911 on the eve of last year’s election.

Confused yet?

You should be.
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where was this kit during my oat-sowing days?

This kit from Urban Aid includes a mini-toothbrush & paste, a thong, 3 condoms, a phone card, painkillers, and a pre-written pillow note.

Via Daily Candy

the little pearl-encrusted scythe

The Names of the President and the Members of the Presidential Cabinet According to the Etymological Backgrounds of Their First and Last Names, and of Their Middle Names When Available
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rhapsody on the sea

The British Royal Navy lip-synchs to Queen's "Bohemian Rhapsody" in this video that is both very funny and very sad, considering the song's lyrics and the state of the world.
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