fed to you

this rabbit will eat you

2008-11-20T07:09:00.001-05:00

no, seriously.

Five Distinctly Unpresidential Hairstyles for the President-Elect

2008-11-10T02:27:00.001-05:00

http://www.theroot.com/id/48779?from=rss

FAIL!

2008-10-25T07:44:00.001-04:00

FAIL is perhaps my favorite internet meme.

Holy Nanny State, Batman!

2008-07-16T07:29:00.002-04:00

Next they will ban bowling pins, possession and sale of rocks and sticks, and advocate for feather-pillow bumpers on all cars and autobuses! And everything must be made of nerf--no exceptions!

Ethan--go to town. What was that you said about the island that is a kindergarten??

Where Does Your Faith Lie?

2008-07-16T07:13:00.001-04:00

Where Does Your Faith Lie?

Happy Place

2008-06-11T04:27:00.001-04:00

Happy Place

Chris Nafziger, Eat Your Heart Out

Happy Tree

Happy Man

New Life Ambition

Not Happy Car. Not Happy Driver Either.

Same Here, Also, Deer Is Not Happy, But Rather Proud of Self.

I caught a snake in my backyard

2008-06-10T23:51:00.001-04:00

but this was not it. which is too bad. this one eats sheep.

Craziness

2008-05-31T10:36:00.003-04:00

Culled from "imissiraq.blogspot.com", from an Iraqi expatriate doctor living the UK.

This song (and video) juxtaposed with "slice of life" posts about struggling as a new intern, being less experienced than her peers at work and trying to keep up, poetry about missing Baghdad, and, of course, long stories about friends who are maybe breaking up, but they staying together, and the touching music videos that this reminds her of.

If you're curious to the chorus to this jaunty tune, it's "Death to Israel," in Arabic of course. At first I was thinking, hey, this is pretty off the wall, this is a Western physician in the making, after all, this could be the lady treating you for whatever the next terror attack does to you...but then I realize we have songs about Bombing Baghdad and kicking Osama's arse, etc, etc, so the hate goes both ways.

Wierd. Catchy tune, though.

Slug Bug Red!

2008-04-25T11:36:00.001-04:00

http://www.myconfinedspace.com/2008/03/28/beetle-transportation-vehicle/

Wierd America

2008-04-12T13:45:00.001-04:00

Pictures of our country

And on the lighter side

2008-04-12T07:10:00.001-04:00

Thank you once more, Fox News...Where do I apply?

In the words of Monty Python

2008-04-12T07:03:00.001-04:00

"Isn't it awfully nice to [not be a woman]..."

seriously, it would suck to get hepatitis at the beauty salon. wayyyyyy suck.

What an awful mess...

2008-04-11T09:29:00.001-04:00

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/7337873.stm

Sundry Saturday (Again)

2008-03-29T16:45:00.001-04:00

New Word: "Doucheoisie" (on being the douchebag), humility, perspective.

Saints and Sellouts: On Getting A Job (Or Three) and Losing Your Idealism.

"Compared with our parents at the same age, we're working longer hours for less money, reduced job security, slashed benefits and fewer social services. Over the last four decades, as the income gap has exploded, opportunities for social mobility have declined -- dramatically. But Brook, more than the other authors, is concerned with the social implications of this transformation. Given these unpalatable truths, what's a youthful idealist to do?...

"That's how hegemony works," the reluctant broker tells Brook. "The system can contain all of the dissenters." The other option, to use Brook's terminology, is to be a saint. Let your student loans fall into default, rent a cheap, dingy room, go without healthcare, plan on staying childless; that's the price you pay for following your passion or adhering to your ethics....

The 1960s and 1970s were a high-water mark of social mobility in the United States, with education serving as the great equalizer. In those days a Pell Grant covered nearly three-quarters of a student's college tuition; today, the portion has fallen to one-third. It's difficult to fathom that many high-quality public schools like CUNY and Berkeley were once free, and private ones reasonably priced. Brook points out that Ronald Reagan instituted tuition at Berkeley -- reversing a 100-year-old tradition -- only after the Free Speech Movement of the early 1960s, a ploy to punish radicals. "In the end," Brook writes, "tuition and other conservative economic policies did more to undermine student activism than any CIA-style investigation ever could." "

Harold Bloom: It must be bad when someone calling both the Iraq War and Bush II's Presidency illegal roundly condemns the media rely on...read through to the third paragraph for an excellent point on the death of democracy.

"'Media-ocrity' is what I call it. It is awful what kind of media we have today. Nobody dared to stand up and criticize Bush when he unlawfully went to war on Iraq. It is depressing, and shows what direction this country has taken since he came to power - a power which did not rightfully belong to him. The media is not playing its role. The Bushites are bullies and for a long time nobody dared criticize them and just swallowed their propaganda and lies. People have become scared. In this kind of climate, nobody is interested in the critical voice. You ask about the role of the intellectual in America today and I have to say: What role? What intellectuals? There is no room for them in the simplified and dumbed down world of today's media. We used to play a role, and there are still a few left, but we are a dying breed. Nobody seems to be interested in nuance anymore."

This is where the real danger lies, he says.

"Democracy, whether in Sweden or the United States, depends on the voter's capacity to think. If you have read the best of what has been thought and said, then your cognition and understanding is on a much higher level than if you have read Harry Potter or Stephen King. So what this decline into half-literature and mediocre media really means is de facto a self-destruction of democracy."

"Political correctness is the death for the mind, for literature. I am terribly outspoken and don't try to hide it. I care passionately and I say so. I want quality when it comes to everything, and insist on it. I believe in the aesthetics, the beauty of good literature and I believe in wisdom. People get angry because of that and think it is an attack on them."

"Imagine stalking elk through the damp canyon forests around Rockefeller Center..." --Tyler Durden

2008-03-26T12:44:00.001-04:00

http://lukescommonplacebook.tumblr.com/post/11033005

worldwithoutus.com

Sundries Of Saturday--Women

2008-03-15T16:56:00.001-04:00

Must Read (Especially You, Katrina)
--Random Excellent Cullings--
     Indexed
     Stuff White People Like
     Romantic Love

"700 wives, 300 Concubines...Solomon was one righteous dude!"

"One of the things my ex-wife used to hate about me..."

I'm sorry, really, I apologize, but I laughed for thirty minutes straight. For me and my house, I choose "The Thunderdome." And "The Great White Tuba."

Simply Awesome

2008-01-16T04:25:00.001-05:00

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bggFBWn7YoI

Oddly enough, this article reminds me of our attitude towards charity...

2008-01-15T03:11:00.000-05:00

"When a man visits a prostitute, the mere act of handing over cash for services removes, in his mind, all emotional obligations to her."

Or when a society uses cash donations and somebody else's bureaucracies to remove any emotional, social or moral obligation to the poor and different. Please, just take the money and go away, so I can be safe and untouched and in control and comfortable...

I love Brit writing

2008-01-15T01:14:00.001-05:00

tongue in cheek

Soulja Boi is useful for endless entertainment

2008-01-04T04:21:00.000-05:00

Superman

Kenyan's speak out on the Kenyan Elections

2008-01-04T03:28:00.000-05:00

YouTube Channel: NTV Kenya

VW Polo: Germany's War On Terror

2007-12-24T15:10:00.001-05:00

VW Polo: Small but tough.

An Important (And Belated) Question

2007-08-17T12:32:00.000-04:00

What are the long-term consequences of American unilateralism--namely, the willingness of President W. Bush to employ American military force unrestrained by international consensus or the United Nations?

The answer is increased global insecurity--no one knows who the US will decide to strike next. Additionally, the status quo rules for the use of armed force have changed. If it's acceptable for the US to pursue its interests abroad, unilaterally, using diplomatic, economic and military force to strong-arm lesser countries into compliance, then there is no moral ground to condemn countries such as Russia and China for doing the same. In fact, it's in their interest to cooperate, because the world's sole superpower is being downright bully-ish in pursuing its interests. And they can even use "security" and "combatting terrorism" to justify expansion into other spheres of influence.

The President's actions abroad (the global war on terror, the iraq war, ignoring the UN and global cooperation) and at home (encroachments on civil liberties and the right of habeas corpus, the Patriot Act, labeling dissidents as unpatriotic, labeling criticism as aiding and abetting the enemy) may not be actually immoral, unjustified, and a threat to human rights and the stability of the international community.

But they belong to--and by similarity tacitly lend approval to--the international rulebook of totalitarian and imperialistic government. They have placed the United States squarely into a moral grey and structural area where totalitarian states exercise military force to achieve their own interests unrestrained by the necessity of membership within an international community. In undermining the authority of international institutions like the United Nations and in ignoring treaty obligations, the cowboy president has made the world a distinctly less orderly, and potentially less peaceful, place.

This worries me in a world where basic democratic freedoms and institutions are disappearing under strongmen such as Hugo Chavez (yes, Steve, it does pain me to say it) and Vladimir Putin.

Something Good Comes of Westboro Baptist Church's World Renowned Asininity

2007-08-07T00:37:00.001-04:00

http://godhatesfigs.com/

Download Four of My Brightest Diamonds

2007-06-30T14:19:00.001-04:00

trippty My Brightest Diamond video

2007-06-30T08:55:00.000-04:00

there's an awesome moment parsed throughout of some very poetic ballet on the beach...wait for sort of a stunning moment of silence about a third of the way in

for more, see Asthmatic Kitty records (Sufjan Stevens' label) or mybrightestdiamond.com

music for your morning

2007-06-30T06:59:00.001-04:00

Yankee Bayonet by The Decemberists w/Shara Worden of My Brightest Diamond.

When we saw this in concert, the introduction went along the lines of...

"This is a song song by a rebel soldier to his wife. He was stabbed by a yankee bayonet and is now a ghost, of course, because if he had survived and made his way home to his wife it would have a happy ending and thus not be a Decemberist song."

Always, always, always, always, always make sure you're on the correct side of the road

2007-06-25T21:14:00.001-04:00

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VoHOtB1TaUQ&mode=related&search=

here's a heart-restarted. for another sobering thought, next time you see what seems like an overly harsh, brusque, demanding, unmerciful or physical police officer, <a href=" http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M3TDhgdwUeQ">this is why they can't be nice</a>. Not for young eyes and ears.

Eastern European Polka-Funk (Or, Music to Go Mad To)

2007-06-14T04:44:00.001-04:00

wierdly awesome--scroll down and click on the song by "Gogol Bordello".

Climbing the World's Tallest Tree

2007-06-09T09:11:00.001-04:00

http://img.youtube.com/vi/sIoZ0J7x1Cg/2.jpg

wow.

Random Thought Day

2007-06-02T07:34:00.000-04:00

1. Ben Folds is the man.

2. The Aviator is a bad movie to miss the first half hour of.

3. I wish I had a shotgun.

4. Just when you think you have one reliable, fun, open, and honest relationship in your life, your motorcycle goes and voids an entire tank of gas all over the porch for no apparent reason and [Newsies moment] "we're off/to the workbench again!"

5. Except I have no workbench. And no screwdrivers. And no can opener or spatula...I do really miss my housemates.

7. It's a beautiful day.

8. I'm watching "Brick" tonight.

Size Matters

2007-05-28T04:38:00.001-04:00

Why European Cars shouldn't pull American Trailers.

http://youtube.com/watch?v=xCf9rWQen6k

Bible Wars!

2007-05-20T12:47:00.001-04:00

Here come the fundies! God, I love my brothers and sisters! Load another verse into the artillery, baby! Weeeeoooh!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zFMdQTpPKc4&mode=related&search=

DISCOVERY! You can listen to the best radio show ever online

2007-05-03T00:28:00.001-04:00

<a href="http://fancymonkey.faithsite.com/content.asp?CID=15531"> awesomeness here</a>

This is the job I wish I was qualified for...

2007-04-29T11:27:00.001-04:00

http://www.samaritanspurse.org/EmploymentListings_DisplayFP.asp?FPID=77

awesome!!

2007-04-17T20:15:00.001-04:00

Go to google.com.
Click on Maps.
Click on Get Directions.
From: New York, New York.
To: Paris, France.
Then, read line #23.

Sweet! I'm goin'!

The Architect of Light (TM) (but not...)

2007-03-11T10:27:00.000-04:00

http://dir.salon.com/story/mwt/style/2002/03/18/kinkade_village/index.html?pn=1

Interesting: suburbia and Kinkade, two "paralell universes."

dlh

Botswana's New Approach to Safe Sex

2007-03-10T09:23:00.001-05:00

goes right up there with those pictures of the amorous lions at Kilimanjaro International Airport...

http://vituvingisana.blogspot.com/2006/11/botswanas-answer-to-unsafe-sex.html

How Do We Get Steve Tyler To Sing At Our Church?

2007-03-08T18:59:00.001-05:00

---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: Eileen Frawley <Eileen.Frawley@houghton.edu>
Date: 08-Mar-2007 15:09
Subject: Amazing Grace
To: Dan the Holcomb <reifiedbeans@gmail.com>, BEN LAST <benlast@hotmail.com>

How do we get Steven Tyler to sing Amazing Grace at our church? J

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AdS7RS5lTpU

I'm on Facebook!

2007-02-28T03:38:00.001-05:00

Oh, I feel like a sellout plebian. But it's really well constructed!

I don't think you can link in from the outside, but you can search for me pretty simply: dan dot holcomb at houghton dot edu.

Relevant, as usual rocks out.

2007-02-28T03:25:00.000-05:00

Grace and Mercy

"Jesus, ruin my life."

See also:

Relevant TV's awesome selection of secular and "Christian" music videos. Click the On Demand tab and check it out! Tracks to watch: anything by Death Cab for Cutie, Iron & Wine, Coldplay, Damien Rice, the Postal Service, the Gorillaz, Johnny Cash, Snow Patrol, Switchfoot, and U2.

six epic drummers. sweetness!

2007-02-28T03:23:00.001-05:00

watch these six drummers having a blast with basic household items.

Sundry Valentinage, Courtesy of NPR

2007-02-28T00:16:00.001-05:00

All Songs Considered...Valentines Edition!

See Also...

Valentine, Schmalentine: Songs for the Dumped

Songs for Valentine's Day

Woulda done this earlier--like on Val's Day--but, hey, I had a hot date!

:)

Conservapedia, the Unbiased Pro-American Pro-Christian Online Encyclopedia!

2007-02-28T00:08:00.001-05:00

[sigh]

www.conservapedia.com

"Read a list of many Examples of Bias in Wikipedia.

Conservapedia is an online resource and meeting place where we favor Christianity and America."

No editing, I swear--these sentences follow each other. Let me elaborate the obvious. Wikipedia is biased, whereas we are pro-Christian and pro-American...

I'm sad.

(thanks, Perrine for the link.)

Oh, and courtesy of Ethan...

http://www.balaams-ass.com

/journal/homemake/cslewis.

htm

CS Lewis is Satan's tool.

ahh. good times. good stoney...

2006-07-20T09:23:00.000-04:00

I drank ginger beer tonight that singed my nostrils. Reminded me of olden days.

Dan Moves On

2005-06-02T15:10:00.000-04:00

waybread was designed, almost two years ago, as a sort of intellectual clearinghouse for ideas, quotes, thoughts, and profound stuff: bread for the college journey. it also served as a foray into the heady world of literary people i admired and felt isolated from. i leave to posterity to determine how well it served its purpose--in my mind, it has failed in a spectacularly beautiful fashion, devolving from lofty intent to mundane chatter with occasional breaks for soliloquy. posting has become second-nature and irreducibly a part of my literary growth, and i now cheerfully accept the inevitably self-centered cast of regular, non-profound blogging.

at any rate, that journey is done and this journey has begun. life is less complicated...and more. i think for the first time in twenty-two years, i haven't the foggist idea of what comes next. i'm standing on the brink of careers in emergency medicine/firefighting, wilderness adventure education, international politics/relations/development, and further education, and i don't know which path to take.

so i sit here in the blissful Houghton summer, living cheaply and thinking deeply, at the bus stop of new adventures, and a new journey begins.

the story of that journey will be told in full in another life. but for enigmatic glimpses, brief pictures, anecdotes and confused minute-by-minute analysis and commentary, i have founded a new blog site:

www.reified-beans.blogspot.com

cheers!

itchy feet

2005-05-30T15:51:00.000-04:00

hello world. this is me. it's time to set out again, and i have no idea where i'm going. yet. by my feet are itchin' to get there.

here i'll post notes from the road, pictures (soon'z i get a camera--i'm hoping to do a picture a week to help keep in touch), and ideas.

in the meantime, here's a good idea: watch Garden State (not with children or those with weak consciences, please, even though it's an amazing movie) and ponder a few salient quotes--

Large: "Hey Albert? Good luck exploring the infinite abyss."
Albert: "Thanks. Hey--you too."

and

Large: "This is my life, Dad. This is it. I spent 26 years waiting for something else to start. So no, I don't think it's too risky because it's everything there is. I see now it's all there is."