i genuinely want you to weigh in on this.

in the comments.

New Train #cptm #trem #train #new #subway #metro #gangway #open #opengangway #linha8 #L8 #railway #rail #metropole #S8000 #CAF

A photo posted by João Luis Oliveira (@jotaeleh) on Feb 6, 2012 at 3:36am PST

i was just reading about this futuristic "human centipede" style subway train that the MTA is threatening to test out. do you think it will be an improvement or nah? use your imaginations.

CHERRY PICKIN' POLL

i'm going to try to frame this as objectively as possible:

a person enters a grocery store, heads to the produce section, and decides (s)he would like some cherries and/or grapes. the cherries/grapes are set out on a table, grouped into unsealed plastic bags (you know the kind, open w/ top handles and drainage holes all over). so (s)he takes a produce bag off the roll nearby, and takes the preferred amount grapes/cherries from several batches, based on his/her preferred quality, and proceeds to the register to pay by weight.

in your opinion....IZ THAT OKAY?!

tell us in the comments.

starla's dozen

starla: boring
it's no party in the usa
and that is not a compliment
unfortunately (depending who you ask) i follow miley on twitter
and she wouldnt stop talking about this song like she was the next beyonce.
color me underwhelmed

this has been an episode of "starla's dozen".

starla's dozen

first up, kendrick lamar's "swimming pools (drank)":

me: ok starla

starla: what

me: tell me
what do you think of this
i think you're gonna like this one

starla: yeah i don't hate it
i like bitches and the dranks!

next is one from starla's favorite celebrity couple, "nobody's business" by rihanna, featuring chris brown:

me: well here's something youre sure to love
this is a preview of the new ri-ri breezy collabo

starla: ughhhh
i hate him
but let me listen

starla: nope
negative
i don't even like her anymore
have some self respect
he beat your ass!
move on for christ sake

me: i like the song though!
you have to admit, it's catchy

starla: nope
i am over him
and her

me: fair enough

there you have it! this has been the second edition of starla's dozen.

and here's a question.

remember when cee-lo was awesome? 15 years ago when he was in one of the best southern rap groups of all time, goodie mob?

i do.


"beautiful skin"

"forget you" sucks. and so does gnarls barkley.

there, i said it.

opinionz

have you heard of him? he's this really good rapper that says really scary / terrible things. his album came out today, and according to his twitter, is currently number three on itunes.

i've given it a couple of listens, and i can't decide if i can take the F-bombs (the homophobic kind) and the rape glorification. throughout the album, he repeatedly ridicules anyone who would take him seriously, stating simply "im not homophobic", and i want to be laidback about it, but i've never really understood the artistic appeal / gain of using the word "faggot". i find myself agreeing with this sentiment:

Tyler's combination of dubious fantasies, anti-gay slurs and emo whining about his upbringing recalls Eminem which doesn't leave much room for shock. In 2011, this feels impotent and tedious. Odd Future's defenders in the media emphasise Tyler's technical skills – and it's true that his gift for assonance and internal rhymes is impressive. But his talent is only half the story: the shtick they use it for is played out. And it undermines the rest of his aesthetic: he demands our empathy at every turn for his own tough life, but is too limited an artist to show empathy for people who, with all due respect, suffer much more on a daily basis than growing up in a single-parent household. Tyler's model of male anger ends up feeling a lot more like male privilege – and as conservative and regressive as that implies. (via)

 that "yonkers" video is pretty good, though. do you have any thoughts?

a review of beyonce's new single

(via)

jicyc what jon stewart thinks.

here's his speech from that little dog and pony show he put on down in washington over the weekend.

question for you...

what was your reaction to glee's new cast member, sam (played by "chord overstreet")?

opinionz

if you'd like to discuss the glee episode that we're polling about (look up there!), just put your opinions in these comments!

let's try this on for size.

the new MGMT album is streaming at NPR. y'all take a listen and let me know what you think, oc.

UPDATE:
ugh! that was terrible. 0 biscuits ;(

UPDATE, UPDATE: (from joel)

i LOVE it!! 11 biscuits :)

new timbaland + justin song

starla thinks its really good. i think it's a snoozefest. what do you think?

ladies are just like fast food. that's true.

ykwgmg : healthcare stuff

remember when the stimulus bill was passed back in march? it was full of lots of helpful solutions intended to assist the growing number of unemployed. included in the bill was a healthcare subsidy, in which the government covered roughly 65% of monthly COBRA costs. unfortunately, as many are finding out the hard way, the subsidy was only scheduled to last for 9 months, ending in a couple of weeks.

From March through November, the federal government picked up 65 percent of the cost. But the subsidy lasts for only nine months and will not be available to people who lose their jobs after Dec. 31, unless Congress extends it. On Wednesday, the House approved a six-month extension, and the bill now goes to the Senate.

The end of the subsidy can be particularly hard on families that are covered by a single health-insurance policy. Families USA, a nonprofit organization that lobbies for affordable health care, said the average monthly premium for a family covered by Cobra was $1,111, meaning that the subsidy was saving the typical family more than $700 a month.

In some states, the average unemployment benefit is smaller than the average cost of Cobra benefits, said Ron Pollack, the executive director of Families USA.

“This makes it clear that the people subsisting on unemployment benefits are very unlikely to be able to afford their Cobra premium,” Mr. Pollack said. (via)

i'll tell you what, that really gobbles my goop. COBRA is a failing system as it is. it's defined as 'continued coverage', making individuals eligible for the 'discounted group rate' that employers recieve. when i was unemployed, i couldn't afford it, even after the subsidy went into effect. i was uninsured for a year, and most of my unemployed friends are in the same position. and now, millions of americans who are taking advantage of the subsidy are about to have their monthly payments tripled. so, fingers crossed for that 6-month subsidy extension.



and while i'm at it...
speaking of failing systems, the increasingly disappointing healthcare bill getting pushed through congress is looking more and more like governement-subsidized-COBRA-for-all than medicare-for-all. in an interesting new development, howard dean and many other democratic leaders are calling for the abandonment of the current senate healthcare bill altogether, saying it does not represent real reform. i pretty much agree.

so those are some of my opinionz. you're welcome! ;(

the kan-troversy : official 2Pz statement

go on and watch that if you haven't already.

1) america got it wrong.
taylor swift's song and video fall well short of the best female performance this year, and are in fact a sad indicator of what is valued in pop music today. it was absolutely laughable that she beat out beyonce, britney, AND lady gaga in the year 2009.

2) kanye got it right.
everyone knows kanye's a self-absorbed a-hole, but what the man lacks in tact, he makes up for with a sophisticated taste when it comes to music, fashion, design, and music videos. beyonce's video for 'single ladies' is absolutely one of the best of all-time, and i am excited for any defense against mtv's attempts to ruin music as we know it.

3) taylor swift had it coming.
you don't walk around gathering up piles of shit, scooping it up off the ground, spreading it around on your hands, and shoving it all up in folks' eyes and ears. you just don't. people would get upset. they would be disgusted. they might even feel compelled to say something on a nationally televised awards show. how did you think this was going to play out?

4) beyonce is perfect.
how cute is her reaction to kanye's crazy town stunt?!? she's all "oh kanye! ctm!" all was set right in the world when beyonce won 'video of the year' at the end of the night, at which point she showed an unfathomable amount of class by inviting that shit-shoveler taylor swift out on stage to finish up her attempt at public speaking. of course, taylor thanked every nashville record exec who worked to put us all in this uncomfortable position, and failed to thank beyonce for being an inspirational beacon of hope and light for the world. talk about selfish and arrogant!

11 biscuits to kanye for being a crazy freakshow, and just happening to attack my least favorite pop artist in support of my most favorite!

bonus links:
kanye's (alleged) apology (his blog is down, so hard to verify)
reaction tweets from katy perry, pink, and personal fave lo bosworth

weekend movie round-up

last week, i went to see (500) days of summer with g.animalz. i'm not really sure how i feel about this movie. i didn't enjoy it as much as everyone else i've talked to. it was perfectly pleasant with some really interesting moments, 3rd-rock-from-the-sun-guy was fantastic, but every now and then some horribly cheesy dialogue would come along and ruin the moment. what did you guys think?

also, a note to screenwriters: no more architect characters, unless you yourself have been one, please. we haven't used t-squares in over a decade. k thx.

anyway... movie = 8-ish biscuits, soundtrack = 11 biscuits!



next up, joel, g.animalz, and i watched a documentary i netflix'd called moving midway. this film depicts the story of an old-timey plantation in raleigh, north carolina. as the surrounding land becomes developed into strip malls and big box stores, the family decides that it is best to move the house to a more serene location.

this raises all kinds of issues about the history and memory of the plantation, including familial nostalgia and painful ties to slavery. the relocation of the house attracts the attention of folks all over the country who trace their ancestry back to the civil-war era structure.

we all loved it, and i just have to give it 11 biscuits!!!!



and lastly, john (aka thomas wilhelm aka telula bankhead) joined us in the 2Pz movie train to go see the highly anticipated district 9. what a horrible disappointment. this movie was one long string of barely veiled references to recent historical issues like apartheid, population relocation, racism, etc. the characters and plot were shockingly underdeveloped and inconsistent, the dialogue was simplistic, and in many cases things just didn't make a lick of sense.

that was our collective opinion, anyway. most critics seem to like it. but as for 2Pz....0 biscuits!!!!! ;(

my 2 cents.

so, you guys may or may not have been hearing about bing.com, microsoft's new search engine. in general, i believe that google is the best at everything. and microsoft is completely inept, and incapable of innovation. but then i accidentally ended up on bing's search page, and started playing. of course, i was skeptical at first, but it turns out bing is kind of cool.

2 reviews:
Microsoft Bing: Much better than expected
Hands On With Microsoft’s New Search Engine: Bing, But No Boom

a few notable features:
. the bird's eye view maps are just way too much. you can kill hours playing with this.
. if you hover over search results, a text excerpt pops up
. travel searches integrate farecast.com, a multi-airline search with price predictor, advising whether you should buy or wait
. in video searches, bing results just look better, and play when you hover over them
. you get to play fun games with photos on the homepage!

n-e-wayz, it's probably not quite google-replacement-worthy, but it's definitely interesting to check out.

me and john having opinions on gchat

john: peta actually makes me angry

i don't know why

me: i know

theyre ridic

john: they're just so narrow minded

there are PEOPLE dying all over the world right now. PEOPLE!

me: they have really unfocused energy
john: yes. unfocused

sporadic and misguided

me: im all for helping animals and letting people die....but its not going to happen by changing fish to sea kittens

john: i love animals too. i've tried vegetarianism, and i nearly starved to death. i eat less meat. but i'm not going to dedicate my life to something like that when i look homeless people in the eye on my own street and keep walking.

just seems like disproportionate concern to me

me: ctm