Mark Sultan News

SHOWS AND OTHER SHIT!
OK So, you can see some confirmed King Khan & BBQ Show dates this coming summer... lots of strange festivals in a few countries... might even be adding some South American dates - maybe even some extra Mexico treats in some weird format... the confirmed dates (so far) can be seen on their myspace page: http:​/​/​www.​myspace.​com/​thekingkhanbbqs​how also, Mark Sultan will be on tour with King Khan & The Shrines late April thru early June, both with his three-piece band imcarnation (featuring Choyce from Les Sexareenos/CPC Gangbangs/Red Mass and Simon Wojan from Cloudland Canyon/King Khan & The Shrines) as well as 'BBQ', the one man band. check his myspace and check the show details out: http:​/​/​www.​myspace.​com/​marksultan and... there is at least one Almighty Defenders show this summer. a myspace page will be up soon with songs as well as details. Almighty Defenders = Black Lips + The King Khan & BBQ Show See ya!!

Posted on 27 Apr 2009 by marksultan

- http://www.marksultan.com/news.html

Better dodge the swine flu fellas! Also, Almighty Defenders? The two garage giants will probably release their gospel album under this moniker. I'd love to see all of them in concert!

Sweet!

Three of Pitchfork's favorite artists are headed out on tour this summer. And while the idea of Cali punx No Age, ATL dream-poppers Deerhunter, and Baltimore mad scientist Dan Deacon hitting the road together is pretty cool under normal circumstances, this tour is going to be extra special. All three acts will be set up at once, and they will alternate songs. Just like Dan Deacon's wacky Baltimore Round Robin tour last fall. And it won't just be Deacon solo on this tour-- he's bringing along his full ensemble, as featured on his most recent trek. So look out, folks: this tour is gonna take up a LOT of room.

The dates/venues for the epic round robin should be announced in the coming weeks.

Source: Pitchfork

This is great news. They better hit Boston.

CD Review: Face Control

Band: Handsome Furs
Release: 2009

1. "Legal Tender" - Grade: 9.6
2. "Evangeline" - Grade: 9.7
3. "Talking Hotel Arbat Blues" - Grade: 9.4
4. "(Passport Kontrol)" - Grade: 9.2
5. "All We Want, Baby, Is Everything" - Grade: 9.7
6. "I'm Confused" - Grade: 10.0
7. "(White City)" - Grade: 9.5
8. "Nyet Spasiba" - Grade: 9.5
9. "Officer of Hearts" - Grade: 9.3
10. "Thy Will Be Done" - Grade: 9.2
11. "Radio Kalingrad" - Grade: 9.3

Final Grade: 9.5 - A surefire candidate for catchiest album of the year. A lot of the sounds are specific to the electronica genre and this is a positive direction for the Handsome Furs to go in.

CD Review: Veckatimest

Band: Grizzly Bear
Release: 2009

1. "Southern Point" - Grade: 8.2 - Boring, yet slightly addicting because of its baroque pop/jangle elements.

2. "While You Wait For The Others" - Grade: 8.4 - Again, a very non-exciting track, but at the end it picks up significantly and finishes well.

3. "I Live With You" - Grade: 6.8 - Plain and maybe even cheesy. Sorry that I can't give any musical terms to describe how average this is.

4. "Foreground" - Grade: 8.7 - Good usage of the piano in the context of the song. Also, a strong vocal performance that screams "Bon Iver."

5. "Two Weeks" - Grade: 9.2 - Finally an end to slowness; more like the Grizzly Bear that I know and love.

6. "All We Ask" - Grade: 8.2 - Very lackluster.

7. "Fine For Now" - Grade: 7.9 - It takes four minutes for the song to actually get decent. Far...too...long.

8. "Cheerleader" - Grade: 9.4 - Nice little Vampire Weekend-esque beginning and a particularly listenable middle and ending.

9. "Dory" - Grade: 7.5 - Two minutes. TWO minutes. Far too long. And even after the two minute mark this doesn't impress me.

10. "Ready, Able" - Grade: 8.4 - Reminds me of a down-tempo, far from experimental High Places jungle tune.

11. "About Face" - Grade: 9.1 - Pretty cool guitar licks/percussion play.

12."Hold Still" - Grade: 7.7 - Thank God it's all over. Another slow song means I'm having trouble differentiating them.

Final Grade: 8.3 - Grizzly Bear played it safe this time around. With no particularly outstanding songs, the band certainly did not fail to disappoint in the "slightly above average" category. I wish the band lived up (or at the very least try to) to its previous "experimental" reputation.

An Epidemic In Mexico

April 25 (Bloomberg) -- Mexican President Felipe Calderon declared an emergency in his country’s swine flu outbreak, giving him powers to order quarantines and suspend public events.

Authorities have canceled school at all levels in Mexico City and the state of Mexico until further notice, and the government has shut most public and government activities in the area. The emergency decree, published today in the state gazette, gives the president authority to take more action.

“The federal government under my charge will not hesitate a moment to take all, all the measures necessary to respond with efficiency and opportunity to this respiratory epidemic,” Calderon said today during a speech to inaugurate a hospital in the southern state of Oaxaca.

At least 20 deaths in Mexico from the disease are confirmed, Health Minister Jose Cordova said yesterday. The strain is a variant of H1N1 swine influenza that has also sickened at least eight people in California and Texas. As many as 68 deaths may be attributed to the virus in Mexico, and about 1,000 people in the Mexico City area are showing symptoms of the illness, Cordoba said.

A huge drug war in Mexico and now this.

Black Lips Record A Mexican Track

Si! Si!

Amanda Palmer's "Creep"

Good rendition.

MINOTAUR!

GUARDIAN - Eighteen years after their last album, Pixies are to release a gigantic new box set, including five discs, a DVD – and not a single new song. The box set, called Minotaur, repackages their albums and EPs together with new artwork by the people responsible for the original cover photos.

Minotaur will be available in two formats. The standard version is sumptuously titled the "deluxe edition", and includes 1987's Come On Pilgrim EP, 1988's Surfer Rosa, 1989's Doolittle, 1990's Bossanova and 1991's Trompe Le Monde on CD and Blu-ray. The discs come in a slipcase, including a 54-page book and a DVD of music videos plus a 1991 gig at London's Brixton Academy.

Whereas the deluxe edition costs $175 (£119), for just $275 (£187) more, fans can purchase the limited-edition Minotaur. This box set, housed in an oversized clamshell cover, adds five vinyl records, a 72-page hardcover book and a giclée art print by designer Vaughan Oliver. Giclée is a fancy term for "inkjet".

Sickkk!

Audit Ben Bernanke

Daily News Video (4/22/09)

Libertarianism: Anarchy For The Rich

Go Charlie Go!

I found this pretty hilarious, almost as funny as the engaging Manson interviews.

My Thoughts on Naz Academy

It's too bad that Our Lady of Nazareth Academy is closing in June. But actually it's not bad at all considering it will be locating to a more prestigious, "yards from... Lake Q" location. The new school, under the name Nazareth Academy, is sanctioned by the Department of Education and has all the necessary credentials. It will be operating as an independent school under the Catholic tradition, as opposed to a diocesan parochial secondary school. I appreciate all the effort that has gone into saving Nazareth. But $12,500 to learn in a former elementary school? Also, are all students grades 9-11 (this school year) going to be coming back? What about incoming freshmen? I'm not sure if the school will get the numbers. Good luck.

A Bad Estimate

HOTAIR - Many congressional Republicans, including members of the GOP leadership, have claimed that the plan to limit carbon emissions through cap and trade would cost the average household more than $3,100 per year. According to an MIT study, between 2015 and 2050 cap and trade would annually raise an average of $366 billion in revenues (divided by 117 million households equals $3,128 per household, the Republicans reckon).

But on March 24, after interviewing one of the MIT professors who conducted the study on which the GOP relied to produce its estimate, the St. Petersburg Times fact-check unit, Politifact, declared the GOP figure of $3,100 per household was a “Pants on Fire” falsehood. The GOP claim is “just wrong,” MIT professor John Reilly told Politifact. “It’s wrong in so many ways it’s hard to begin.” …

During a lengthy email exchange last week with THE WEEKLY STANDARD, MIT professor John Reilly admitted that his original estimate of cap and trade’s cost was inaccurate. The annual cost would be “$800 per household”, he wrote. “I made a boneheaded mistake in an excel spread sheet. I have sent a new letter to Republicans correcting my error (and to others).”

Wrong! Wrong! Wrong!

FBI Spied on Tea-Party Americans

(Homelandsecurityus) - 19 April 2009: Even as average Americans were planning to get out in towns and cities to demonstrate against Big Government and Big Taxes, Federal Bureau of Intelligence Investigation (FBI) surveillance was being unleashed upon them. In fact, unsuspecting Tax Day TEA Party participants were being closely watched during the demonstration planning stages in a covert operation that began on or about March 23, 2009.

If you one of the estimated 750,000 Americans who attended one of about 600 TEA parties last week, you might have seen media cameras covering the event. Media cameras, however, were not the only cameras taking video at these events, something that has at least one current FBI agent concerned over the future of America. According to this agent - the same agent who provided the Northeast Intelligence Network (NEIN) exclusively the unreleased photographs of the 11 missing Egyptian students who were the subject of a FBI BOLO in August 2006–placed his concerns for true patriots of the U.S. over his own career when he confided that covert surveillance was “planned and performed” at each of the TEA parties that took place last Tuesday.

“Listen to what I am saying,” stated the source during an interview with Doug Hagmann, founder (NEIN). “The Department of Homeland Security Intelligence Assessment that is receiving so much attention is just the tip of the proverbial iceberg, and the true patriotic citizens of this country are on the Titanic. This is what bothers me. But is goes far beyond that assessment. There have been very significant changes made over the last few years that redirect the focus and assets of the intelligence community internally. These changes have greatly accelerated under this administration, and the threats have been redefined to include those who used to be patriots. It’s not only chilling but absolutely insulting to God-fearing Americans.”

Be wary of big government.

A New Look Again

I think this one is pretty cool. Probably not permanent. Hope you like it.

- Étudiant

CD Review: You and Me

Band: The Walkmen
Release: 2008

Comments: One of the top 3 albums of 2008, You and Me is a departure from the up-tempo jams from Everyone Who Pretended To Like Me Is Gone and the vocally sensible tune of A Hundred Miles. You and Me is a lyrically brilliant and instrumentally fascinating take on minimalism. The post-punk is gone and in is a wider range of orchestral pieces -- pianos, horns, strings, and percussion. The lyricism -- in the form of a second person self-reflection in "The Blue Route" and first person lament about a one night stand in "Donde Esta La Playa" is a small sampling of the variety The Walkmen cover in this album. The imagery is nothing short of spectacular either. "Sun goes down/Moon comes up/Sky is black and blue/Here I stand/Honey, with you," makes up the last few lines of "Four Provinces," a highlight of the record speaking about never leaving a much-loved girlfriend. One of the most critically receptive tracks is "In The New Year." A man and a woman. Always together. The man's family is concerned if he and his girlfriend will get married or not. "If Only It Were True" answers their concerns. With less instrumentation and more voice, the man (Hamilton Leithouser) acknowledges it's a dream for them to be married. An unrealistic dream. In "Postcards From Tiny Islands," the thought of suicide is brought up, perhaps after an incredibly drunken night. The tempo of the song shifts with the thoughts of the singer. "Seven Years of Holidays" represent the "wild nights" of early adulthood, age 18-25. The Holidays are over; the singer must move on and start concentrating on more important, less "wild," things in life like getting married and building a home and family. In conclusion, the concept of this album -- but more so the execution in recording -- is one consisting of a path of ambiance not ever taken before. And sometimes that's just what is needed for the perfect album.

Grade: 9.8

Pirates Buy 10X More Than Non-Pirates

GIZMODO - A study from the BI Norwegian School of Management has found that those who download free music from services like BitTorrent are also the biggest legitimate consumers of downloadable music.

In fact, among all 1,901 Norway-based study participants (all of whom were over the age of 15), it was found that those who downloaded "free" music were 10x more likely to download pay music. In other words, music pirates are the music industry's largest online consumers.

Note: "Free" music obviously implies pirated music, but it also encompasses legitimate free music download services.

The findings also included that, in the 15-20 age range, 50% of participants had bought a CD in the last six months. So that trusty format isn't dead quite yet.

Who would have thought!

4/21 Daily News Video

We Didn't Start The Flame War

One of the better videos I've seen in a recent while.

This Day in History: April 21

From the New York Times:
1649	The Maryland Toleration Act, which provided for freedom of worship for all Christians, was passed by the Maryland assembly.
1789	John Adams was sworn in as the first vice president of the United States.
1816	Charlotte Bronte, author of "Jane Eyre," was born in Thornton, England.
1836	Texans led by Sam Houston defeated the Mexicans at San Jacinto, assuring Texas' independence.
1918	Baron Manfred von Richthofen, the German ace known as the "Red Baron," was killed in action during World War I.
1960	Brazil inaugurated its new capital, Brasilia, transferring the seat of national government from Rio de Janeiro.
1975	South Vietnamese President Nguyen Van Thieu resigned after 10 years in office.
1977	The musical "Annie" opened on Broadway.
1980	Rosie Ruiz, the first woman to cross the finish line at the Boston Marathon, was disqualified when officials discovered she had jumped into the race about a mile from the finish.
1986	A vault in Chicago's Lexington Hotel that was linked to Al Capone was opened during a live TV special hosted by Geraldo Rivera. Except for a few bottles and a sign, the vault was empty.
1992	Robert Alton Harris became the first person executed by the state of California in 25 years as he was put to death in the gas chamber for the 1978 murder of two teenage boys.
2004	Five suicide attackers detonated car bombs against police buildings in Basra, Iraq, killing at least 74 people.

You Tell 'Em Ms. California

FOXNEWS - Miss North Carolina Kristen Dalton was crowned Miss USA on Sunday, but the big story to come out of the normally politics-free telecast was Miss California's comments regarding gay marriage.

When asked by judge Perez Hilton, an openly gay gossip blogger, whether she believed in gay marriage, Miss California, Carrie Prejean, said "We live in a land where you can choose same-sex marriage or opposite. And you know what, I think in my country, in my family, I think that I believe that a marriage should be between a man and a woman. No offense to anybody out there, but that's how I was raised."

Keith Lewis, who runs the Miss California competition, tells FOXNews.com that he was "saddened" by Prejean's statement.

Those who promote "tolerance" like Hilton and Lewis are "saddened" by those who disagree with them. That's what is sad.

Yes We Can Legalize

One day too late. Haha

Nardwuar Interviews Tom Morello

Old Butthole Surfers Short Film

Wow, that was fucking gonzo to say the least! Nothing like some good old fashion Cannibalism.

SC Let Mumia Conviction Stand

WASHINGTON (CNN) -- The Supreme Court has let stand the conviction of former Black Panther Mumia Abu-Jamal, who was sent to death row for gunning down a Philadelphia police officer 28 years ago.

Muimia Abu-Jamal was convicted of the 1981 murder of Philadelphia police Officer Daniel Faulkner. He contends blacks were unfairly excluded from the jury, and has been an outspoken activist from behind bars. The justices made their announcement Monday. A separate appeal over whether Abu-Jamal deserves a new sentencing hearing has not been taken up by the high court. Prosecutors are appealing a federal appeals court ruling in Abu-Jamal's favor last year on the sentencing issue. The case has attracted international attention amid charges of prosecutorial misconduct and the inmate's outspoken personality. Abu-Jamal, a former radio reporter and cab driver has been a divisive figure, with many prominent supporters arguing that racism pervaded his trial. Others countered Abu-Jamal is using his skin color to escape responsibility for his actions. They say he has divided the community for years with his provocative writing and activism.

He was convicted for the December 9, 1981, murder of Officer Daniel Faulkner, 25, in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Faulkner had pulled over Abu-Jamal's brother in a late-night traffic stop. Witnesses said Abu-Jamal, who was nearby, ran over and shot the policeman in the back and in the head. Abu-Jamal, once known as Wesley Cook, was also wounded in the encounter and later confessed to the killing, according to other witnesses testimony.

Abu-Jamal is black and the police officer was white. Incarcerated for nearly three decades, Abu-Jamal has been an active critic of the criminal justice system.

Don't Miss
* Daniel Faulkner site
* Free Mumia Abu-Jamal site

On a Web site created by friends to promote the release this month of his new book, the prisoner-turned-author writes about his fight. "This is the story of law learned, not in the ivory towers of multi-billion dollar endowed universities but in the bowels of the slave-ship, in the hidden, dank dungeons of America."

His chief defense attorney, Robert Bryan, had urged the justices to grant a new criminal trial, but the high court offered no explanation for its refusal to intervene. "The central issue in this case is racism in jury selection," Bryan wrote to supporters last month. Ten whites and two blacks made up the original jury panel that sentenced Abu-Jamal to death.

A three-judge panel of the 3rd Circuit U.S. Court of Appeals a year ago kept the murder conviction in place, but ordered a new capital sentencing hearing. That court ultimately concluded the jury was improperly instructed on how to weigh "mitigating factors" offered by the defense that might have kept Abu-Jamal off death row.

Pennsylvania law at the time said jurors did not have to unanimously agree on a mitigating circumstance, such as the fact that Abu-Jamal had no prior criminal record.

Months before that ruling, oral arguments on the issue were contentious. Faulkner's widow and Abu-Jamal's brother attended, and demonstrations on both sides were held outside the courtroom in downtown Philadelphia.

Many prominent groups and individuals, including singer Harry Belafonte, the NAACP and the European Parliament, are cited on his Web site as supporters. Prosecutors have insisted Abu-Jamal pay the price for his crimes, and have aggressively resisted efforts to take him of death row for Faulkner's murder.

"This assassination has been made a circus by those people in the world and this city who believe falsely that Mumia Abu-Jamal is some kind of a folk hero," said Philadelphia District Attorney Lynne Abraham last year, when the federal appeals court upheld the conviction. "He is nothing short of an assassin.

Eh, one sided business once again. CNN, an entity of the corporate propaganda machine, has left out key detail in Mumia's defense. Chiefly the fact that Mumia's alleged confession was falsely corroborated by a witness. The Supreme Court could stir up some judicial activism, it's the least they can do. FREE MUMIA!

The Biggest Threats To Our Liberty!

1. Regulation of the Internet
2. Wiretapping and Tracking
3. Conscription
4. The War on Terrorism
5. Police State
6. The War on Drugs
7. All Wars
8. Welfare/Social Assistance Programs
9. The Postal Service
10. Taxation
11. Foreign Aid
12. Social Security
13. Religious freedom double-standards
14. Population Control
15. Jingoism
16. Cronyism
17. Abortion
18. The National ID
19. "Free" Health Care
20. Government Funded Environmental Protection

U.S Not Going To Race Conference

YAHOO! - GENEVA – The United Nations opens its first global racism conference in eight years on Monday with the U.S. and at least six other countries boycotting the event out of concern that Islamic countries will demand that it denounce Israel and ban criticism of Islam.

The administration of President Barack Obama, America's first black head of state, announced Saturday that it would boycott "with regret" the weeklong meeting in Geneva, which already is experiencing much of the bickering and political infighting that marred the 2001 conference in Durban, South Africa.

The Netherlands and Germany announced their boycotts Sunday, while Australia, Canada, Israel and Italy already had said they would not attend.

"I would love to be involved in a useful conference that addressed continuing issues of racism and discrimination around the globe," Obama said in Trinidad on Sunday after attending the Summit of the Americas.

My boy Benedict knows what's up though:

At the Vatican, Pope Benedict XVI said the conference is needed to eliminate racial intolerance around the world. Asia News, a Catholic news agency that is part of the missionary arm of the Vatican, said of the pope's comment: "The Holy See is distancing itself from the criticisms of some Western countries."

The Taxes on Products

IMG SRC: fiscalaccountability.org

U.S Gov't Wants Hackers

YAHOO! - WASHINGTON – Wanted: Computer hackers.

Federal authorities aren't looking to prosecute them, but to pay them to secure the nation's networks.

General Dynamics Information Technology put out an ad last month on behalf of the Homeland Security Department seeking someone who could "think like the bad guy." Applicants, it said, must understand hackers' tools and tactics and be able to analyze Internet traffic and identify vulnerabilities in the federal systems.

In the Pentagon's budget request submitted last week, Defense Secretary Robert Gates said the Pentagon will increase the number of cyberexperts it can train each year from 80 to 250 by 2011.

With warnings that the U.S. is ill-prepared for a cyberattack, the White House conducted a 60-day study of how the government can better manage and use technology to protect everything from the electrical grid and stock markets to tax data, airline flight systems, and nuclear launch codes.

Interesting.

Musical Review: Calculus: The Musical

See that PEAK sign? Justin Maio volunteered to hold it up. [img src: calculusthemusical.com]

Venue: Lynnfield High School
Grade: 5.5

Comments: What do you get when you add mathematical pun and parody? Calculus: The Musical. Okay so C:TM was a no-doubt well-intentioned performance; it combined 'entertainment' and education. Given its nature, though, it was really quite boring and cheesy. Hats off to the two performers who put on a good show in terms of acting, but they got really annoying, really quickly. The history of calculus segments (divided into chapters just like a textbook) were awful. Hey look they can make calculus jokes, which make... only the teachers laugh. Good job. The parodies of pop songs reminded me of a mixture of Bo Burnham and Weird Al, but they still sucked. The only highlight was when the male performer rapped about integration in the style of Eminem. I'm shocked that people bought the C:TM DVD after it was over. Seriously.

Song of the Day (4/17)

Cryan' Shames - Sugar and Spice

Funny Pic of the Day (4/17/09)

Classic Garage Rock Songs

The Kinks - Louie Louie
Paul Revere & The Raiders - Orbit
Electric Prunes - Too Much To Dream Last Night
Strangeloves - Night Time
Knickerbockers - Lies
Vagrants - Respect
Mouse - Public Execution
Blues Project - No Time Like the Right Time
The Barbarians - Moulty
Remains - Don't Look Back
Castaways - Liar, Liar
13th Floor Elevators - You're Gonna Miss Me
Leaves - Hey Joe
Michael & Messengers - Romeo & Juliet
Cryan Shames - Sugar & Spice
Amboy Dukes - Baby Please Don't Go
Blues Magoos - Tobacco Road
Chocolate Watchband - Let's Talk About Girls
Third Rail - Run, Run, Run
Captain Beefheart - Diddy Wah Diddy

NY Gov. Introduces Gay Marriage Bill

MSNBC - NEW YORK - Gov. David Paterson introduced a bill Thursday to legalize same-sex marriage in New York, comparing the effort to the fight for the abolition of slavery.

Paterson, whose job approval rating has plunged below 30 percent, is making a political gamble that he can ride the momentum of other states that have recently allowed the practice, and it's unclear how the legislation will play in New York.

The proposal is the same bill the Democratic-controlled state Assembly passed in 2007 before it died in the Senate, where the Republican majority kept it from going to a vote. Democrats now control the Senate, but opponents are vowing to make sure this one fails, as well.

A political gamble in a liberal state?

Watch Out For...

http://www.foxnews.com/projects/pdf/Leftwing_Extremist_Threat.pdf

I previously (in error) thought the Obama Administration was a one-sided offender, but I guess not.

Nardwuar Interviews Black Lips

Good stuff.

Spain Plans To Prosecute Bush Officials

(AP) A Spanish court has agreed to consider opening a criminal case against six former Bush administration officials, including former Attorney General Alberto Gonzales, over allegations they gave legal cover for torture at Guantanamo Bay, a lawyer in the case said Saturday.

Human rights lawyers brought the case before leading anti-terror judge Baltasar Garzon, who agreed to send it on to prosecutors to decide whether it had merit, Gonzalo Boye, one of the lawyers who brought the charges, told The Associated Press.

The ex-Bush officials are Gonzales; former undersecretary of defense for policy Douglas Feith; former Vice President Dick Cheney's chief of staff David Addington; Justice Department officials John Yoo and Jay S. Bybee; and Pentagon lawyer William Haynes.

Prosecute them!

Watch Out For...

Right Wing Extremism

KGC - Kentucky Grilled Chicken

(YAHOO!) LOUISVILLE, Ky. – Would KGC ever have the same ring?

In a culinary gambit backed by buckets of big money, KFC is hoping to replicate its founder's recipe for success with the national introduction of Kentucky Grilled Chicken.

This week's rollout is KFC's most ambitious attempt to win over health-conscious customers as the chain known worldwide for fried chicken tries to reinvigorate lackluster U.S. sales.

"It's going to get people who haven't eaten KFC for a long time to come back into our restaurants," said KFC President Roger Eaton. "It's going to get people who have never eaten KFC to come into our restaurants."

Eaton says he spent years as part of the team tinkering with a grilled alternative, and the rollout follows KFC's longest market test ever. It will be backed by a marketing blitz.

You can't make yourself something you aren't.

A Whimper End To Riots

Scotsman.com - LEADERS of demonstrations that plunged the Thai capital, Bangkok, into chaos called off their protests yesterday after rioting killed two and injured more than 120.

The swift and unexpected resolution came with a crowd of 2,000 die-hard protesters dutifully lining up for waiting government buses to take them home. There were no confrontations with the troops ringing the anti-government demonstrators' last strong hold, nor any visible anger. Many looked broken, tired and almost in shock.

Four of the protest leaders surrendered, said the country's deputy police commissioner.

"This is not a victory or a loss of any particular group," said prime minister Abhisit Vejjajiva in a televised address. "If it is victory, it is victory of society that peace and order has returned."

I would say its a loss for the anti-government demonstrators. I mean they did end up taking government buses home. That's fail.

CD Review: Eating Us (BMSR)

Band: Black Moth Super Rainbow
Release: 2009

Comments: A more electronic Dandy Warhols. Certainly like DW, BMSR relies on psychedelia and atmosphere as its principle recording components. On a track like "Twin Of Myself," I'm not even afraid to make a comparison to Fuck Buttons, a musically harsher/heavier inferior. But to say that they are similar to the likes of Animal Collective -- that's a stress. The experimental component hardly shines through on this album. The vocoder never gets old on this album. Its presence creates a spacey, abundantly ambient environment -- not exactly like a High Places jungle nor a Galaxie 500 cloud. I got a little bored with "Iron Lemonade," but that's kind of expected when the same words are repeated ad nauseum. The cleanliness of the beats is impressive all-around on this album. Call it flawless musical engineering or just a flat out awesome recording process. A change-up comes in the form of "Smile The Day After Today." The band decided it was time to cut the synths (at least for one minute) in exchange for a more folksy/dream-pop overlay. The whole no vocals for once is cool. I like the sound engineering in the next track, "The Sticky". There is some left-right speaker craziness. "Bubblegum Animals" is just kind of meh. It's not really anything new or earth-shattering that separates it from the previous nine songs. "American Face Dust," now we are talking! A lot of great instruments going playing at once. If done well, a song becomes just that much better. This one is done superbly well. Perfect for an indie/low budget high school film. WHS TV 15 take note. The album finishes off with "Untitled," a mellow instrumental. Overall, I'm impressed by what Black Moth Super Rainbow has done! I can't really reference any of their prior work because I'm a neophyte listener, but for this one I was stimulated.

Grade: 8.7 out of 10

CD Review: Sun Gangs (The Veils)

Band: The Veils
Release: April 2009

Comment: Finn Andrews and crew get the job done after nearly three years of no new releases. Mixing slow core, see "Sun Gangs," with heavier post-punk, as heard in "The Letter," The Veils reveal that variety is not covered up, but embraced. With delivery eerily similar to Editors, there is more atmosphere than concrete rhythmic pattern on this album than say Nux Vomica, the group's pre-Sun Gangs 2006 masterpiece. Yet, it's still Finn Andrews. Finn's voice makes one innately curious to continue listening to see if there are any musical twists and turns in the song. In some instances, like in "It Hits Deep," there are no sudden build-ups of energy. And that's good because I expected there to be. A pleasant surprise you could say. "The House She Lived In" is a great memory of what was so good about Nux Vomica. Then there's "Larkspur," an 8:33 track about...a plant? Okay, so maybe not. It's kind of like the "Nux Vomica" of 2009, except ten times lighter but just as epic. Nice drumming at the end. In conclusion, this is a great album that doesn't quite have the same catchiness or immediate long-lasting appeal as Nux Vomica, but still holds it own as one of 2009's finer releases.

Grade: 8.8

Soundtrack Review: MLB 09 The Show

Baseball video game soundtracks are usually selected in great taste. MLB 09 The Show proves to be no exception. There is quite a bit of variety on this soundtrack -- from faux-metal to garage rock and pop-punk.

Darker My Love - Two Ways Out - 8.8
Eagles of Death Metal - Downtown - 8.5
Hockey - Work, Work, Work - 8.6
Kaiser Chiefs - Never Miss A Beat - 8.7
Ming - El Barrio Baricua - 8.5
Night Horse - Shine On Me - 8.0
Rise Against - Collapse - 7.3
Spoon - Don't You Evah - 9.0
The Blue Van - Man Up - 8.6
The Budos Band - Budos Rising - 8.7
The Parlor Mob - Everything You're Breathing For - 8.5
The Stills - Rooibos - 9.2
TV on the Radio - Golden Age - 8.4
Valencia - Safe to Say - 7.8
Zodiac Death Valley - M. Mambo - 8.7

Total: 8.5 - Éwesome

How The Fed Works

Yes, this was made in the 1990s. Interesting stuff, though.

News Briefs (April 10)

De-Baptisms

Breitbart.com - More than 100,000 Britons have recently downloaded "certificates of de-baptism" from the Internet to renounce their Christian faith.

The initiative launched by a group called the National Secular Society (NSS) follows atheist campaigns here and elsewhere, including a London bus poster which triggered protests by proclaiming "There's probably no God."

"We now produce a certificate on parchment and we have sold 1,500 units at three pounds (4.35 dollars, 3.20 euros) a pop," said NSS president Terry Sanderson, 58.

John Hunt, a 58-year-old from London and one of the first to try to be "de-baptised," held that he was too young to make any decision when he was christened at five months old.

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Foreign Aid Hurting Africa

Wall Street Journal - Over the past 60 years at least $1 trillion of development-related aid has been transferred from rich countries to Africa. Yet real per-capita income today is lower than it was in the 1970s, and more than 50% of the population -- over 350 million people -- live on less than a dollar a day, a figure that has nearly doubled in two decades.

Even after the very aggressive debt-relief campaigns in the 1990s, African countries still pay close to $20 billion in debt repayments per annum, a stark reminder that aid is not free. In order to keep the system going, debt is repaid at the expense of African education and health care. Well-meaning calls to cancel debt mean little when the cancellation is met with the fresh infusion of aid, and the vicious cycle starts up once again.

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Electricity Grid Penetrated By Spies

Wall Street Journal - WASHINGTON -- Cyberspies have penetrated the U.S. electrical grid and left behind software programs that could be used to disrupt the system, according to current and former national-security officials.

The spies came from China, Russia and other countries, these officials said, and were believed to be on a mission to navigate the U.S. electrical system and its controls. The intruders haven't sought to damage the power grid or other key infrastructure, but officials warned they could try during a crisis or war.

"The Chinese have attempted to map our infrastructure, such as the electrical grid," said a senior intelligence official. "So have the Russians."

No Age Subliminal Messages?

Poll on Gun Control

Shepard Fairey Interview

"The internet is almost a punk medium." - Shepard Fairey

News Briefs (April 7)

Wall Street Journal - China on Tuesday repeated its call for calm after North Korea's latest test of a multistage rocket, attempting to defuse anger in the U.S. and elsewhere at a time when its own economic interest in the neighboring state is soaring.

Since North Korea's test of a rocket similar to a long-range missile on Sunday, Chinese diplomats have refused to criticize Pyongyang and forestalled penalties against it in the U.N. Security Council, where China is a permanent member with veto power.

In Tuesday's daily briefing at the China Foreign Ministry in Beijing, spokeswoman Jiang Yu advised calm and caution over the rocket launch. While other countries that tracked the launch say North Korea's rocket fell into the Pacific Ocean, Ms. Yu appeared to suggest that China accepts North Korea's story that it succeeded in its stated goal of putting a satellite in space.

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L'AQUILA, Italy (CNN) -- An emergency worker fought back tears amid the rubble of Italy's deadliest earthquake in decades. Helicopters buzzed overhead, and sirens echoed across the region.

"It's my people. It's really hard to deal with," said Dr. Emanuela Troiani Sevi, who has been working around the clock at makeshift hospitals in her hometown of L'Aquila ever since the quake struck.

"There are a lot of dead and seriously wounded."

Across town, parents anxiously awaited any word on their children buried amid a mountain of twisted concrete at a student dormitory.

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CARACAS, Venezuela (AP) — President Hugo Chavez railed against Venezuela's Roman Catholic leaders on Tuesday for condemning a law that has weakened his political opponents.

Chavez took issue with the Venezuelan Bishops' Conference for accusing him of sidelining adversaries with a new law that let him take control of airports and seaports previously under the administration of opposition politicians.

"This group of bishops is shameless," Chavez told state television from China, where he is wrapping up a tour that also included visits to Japan, Iran and Qatar. "They side with all those who attack the government."

Quoting the Bible, Chavez added: "Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do."

Get to Know King Khan & The BBQ Show

Mmmm delicious.....

Get to Know King Khan & The Shrines

Mayhem at its finest!

Concert Review: No Age (Wellesley)

Picture Credit: Pitchfork Media

Bands: Lemonade, The Beets, and No Age
Venue: Wellesley College
Date: April 2, 2009

Introduction: When the three amigos and Paul arrived at Wellesley College we searched for nearly a half hour for the music center. Slowly, but surely we reached the place we were seeking (I had to run, not cool). So, we asked to step inside, but of course we have penises and it was an all girl school, clearly not our turf. We were instructed that entrance could only be granted, if we knew someone that attended the college. Well, we did not, but with our impeccable boyish charm we were able to coax the sweet girl at the door to let us in. The show cost a mere five singles. An excellent deal by any standard.

Act One: Lemonade
Excellent dance rock meets hard rocking noise pop. This trio rocked out for sure. All three members were highly energetic, especially the drummer; it appeared as though he would smash his entire set at any second. Now, with all that being said, I don't want to confuse readers, they are extremely poppy, but in a very endearing way. I hope to hear more of them in the future.

Act Two: The Beets
Not the Beets that Doug and Skeeter adored, but rather an early Black Lips meets Beat Happening kinda group. They meshed garage rocky, bluesy, noisy sounds (Black Lips) with 60s pop and somewhat callow musicianship (Beat Happening, but perhaps better musicianship than Beat Happening). They weren't as good as the first act and certainly nowhere near the next act lol, but they were overall entertaining and clearly talented. I heard some hooks beneath the noise. Some flaws were the start stop thing that occurred at the beginning of the first number and most of the songs sounding alike.

Act Three: NO AGE!!!
Simply said, one of the top five greatest bands out there today. Glen, Ben, and I had the magnificent pleasure of chatting with the dynamic duo at various junctures throughout the show. We stood right between Dean's drum set and Randy's amps and hopped up and down, raising our arms straight in the air relentlessly as soon as they opened with "Teen Creeps," a tune I personally requested to Randy Randal. I hopped back and forth between the mosh pit and the front where it was a bit tamer. The crowd (30 , give or take) shared in our enthusiasm and loved each song. Along with TC, they played such classics as "Neck Escaper," "Every Artist Needs A Tragedy," "Eraser" "Miner," "Keechie," "Cappo," "Here Should Be My Home," "Ripped Knees," "Sleeper Hold," "Brain Burner," and two new songs. Unfortunately, the band did not play their triumphant anthem, "Everybody's Down," but what are you going to do? There was no stage and perhaps Randy thought it would be too much of hassle to find some way to do his signature crowd surfing at the end of the song. Oh well, it was still a fabulous show. Can't complain.

Conclusion: Small Venues make the best shows! Not an absolute, but an experienced truth. As I said before, fabulous. My second favorite concert ever! and I'm sure it ranks fairly high for Glen and Ben. Grade: 10/10. I strongly recommend No Age to those who have not seen them, fan or non fan.

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Editors Note: Definitely the second best show I've seen. The up-close and personal nature of the show contributed to its awesomeness. The fact that the group traveled out of their way to put on a show for a relatively small number of college students is simply impressive. The showmanship of Randy Randall and Dean Allen Spunt is second to none. - Glen

My View of 1st Amendment Cases

Case 1: A city passes an ordinance prohibiting drive-in movies from showing films containing nudity if the screen was visible to passerby on the street. A movie theater manager protested, claiming that he had a First Amendment right to show such films, even if they could be seen from the street.

My View: The key words are "visible to passerby on the street." Since the films are being shown in public, the city does have a right to legislate against the showing of nudity since it affects the community.

Case 2: A man wants to enter a military reservation to pass out campaign literature and discuss issues with service personnel. The military denied him access on grounds that regulations prohibit partisan campaigning on military bases.

My View: The military does not have the right to deny the man access to the reservation. Since his money in part funds the reservation, his speech is protected.

Case 3: A town passed an ordinance forbidding the placing of "For Sale" or "Sold" signs in front of homes in racially changing neighborhoods. The purpose was to reduce "white flight" and panic selling. A realty firm protested, claiming that its freedom of speech was being abridged.

My View: The town can't legislate on matters dealing with private property.

Case 4: A girl was raped and died. A local television station broadcast the name of the girl, having obtained it from court records. Her father sued, claiming that his family's right to privacy had been violated. The television station claimed that it had a right under the 1st Amendment to broadcast the name.

My View: As long as the television station did not steal the record, it has the right to publish the name of the girl as part of its freedom of speech.

Case 5: Florida passed a law giving a political candidate the right to equal space in a newspaper that had published attacks on him. A newspaper claimed that this violated the freedom of the press to publish what it wants.

My View: The newspaper can publish whatever it wants because it does not have to adhere to the 1st Amendment.

Case 6: Zacchini is a "human cannonball" whose entire act was filmed and broadcast by a television station. Zacchini sued the station, claiming that his earning power had been reduced. The station replied that it had a 1st Amendment right to broadcast such events.

My View: If Zacchini allows people to videotape his act, he can not regulate what they do with the footage.

*These cases were adopted from American Government Tenth Edition by James Q. Wilson and John Dululio Jr. The exact text as it appears in the book has been shortened/abbreviated.

Upcoming Sonic Youth Release!

The new album, The Eternal, will hit stores on June 9, 2009. It is their first album on Matador Records, marking their return to independent record labels after eighteen years on major label, Geffen Records.

My Favorite Concerts

Note: no local shows

1)Black Lips, Gentlemen Jesse and His Men, and Mean Creek- Middle East,March 2009. Grade:10

2)No Age, The Beets, and Lemonade- Wellsley College, April 2009. Grade:10

3)Built To Spill, Dinosaur Jr, and the Meat Puppets- Orpheum Theater, September 2008. Grade:9.5

4)Radiohead and Grizzly Bear(missed them though)- Comcast Center, August 2008. Grade:9.5

5)No Age, Silk Flowers, and Sound Circles- Middle East, November 2008. Grade:9.5

6)Editors, Hot Hot Heat, and Louis XIV- Orpheum Theater, January 2008. Grade:9

7)Morrissey and I never caught the opening act's name, but they were a decent all female band - Orpheum Theater, October 2007. Grade:9

8)Taste of Chaos: Deftones, Drum Corpse,Thrice, Atreyu, Story of the Year, Funeral For A Friend, and others- Tsongas Arena, March 2006. Grade:8

9)The Used, Fall Out Boy(they weren't as bad then, but I still didn't like them, The Bronx, and possibly others)- Can't remember!, November 2004. Grade:8

10)Mission of Burma, The Neighborhoods, and Faces On Film- Summerville Theater, January 2009. Grade:8

11)No Age, High Places, Abe Vigoda, and Palms- Middle East, July 2008. Grade:8

12)Bob Dylan, Elvis Costello, and I never caught the opening band's name, but they were ok- University of Rhode Island, September 2007. Grade:7.5/8

13)The Psychedelic Furs (great), The Fixx (didn't like), The Alarm (ok)- Avalon, July 2007. Grade:7.5

14)Paul Weller and the Rifles- Berkley College, September 2008. Grade:7.5

15)The War on Drugs, The Drones, and Tsui- TT Bears, March 2009. Grade:7

16)Daphne Loves Derby, two terrible opening acts- some church in Boston, I forget where, February 2007. Grade:7

All great shows!

Wage Controls To Be Instituted

It was nearly two weeks ago that the House of Representatives, acting in a near-frenzy after the disclosure of bonuses paid to executives of AIG, passed a bill that would impose a 90 percent retroactive tax on those bonuses. Despite the overwhelming 328-93 vote, support for the measure began to collapse almost immediately. Within days, the Obama White House backed away from it, as did the Senate Democratic leadership. The bill stalled, and the populist storm that spawned it seemed to pass.

But now, in a little-noticed move, the House Financial Services Committee, led by chairman Barney Frank, has approved a measure that would, in some key ways, go beyond the most draconian features of the original AIG bill. The new legislation, the "Pay for Performance Act of 2009," would impose government controls on the pay of all employees -- not just top executives -- of companies that have received a capital investment from the U.S. government. It would, like the tax measure, be retroactive, changing the terms of compensation agreements already in place. And it would give Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner extraordinary power to determine the pay of thousands of employees of American companies. - Washington Examiner

Geithner really is not afraid to express his "planner" views on the economy.

Jokes Over!

On April 1, 2008, the Étudiant was transformed into a celebrity news blog. This year, the Étudiant featured an "I Love Obama" banner and news snippets, which showed the blogger's admiration for the President. If by any chance you didn't come on here yesterday, the great website April Fools Day on the Web logged a snapshot of the site.

You'll notice that the Étudiant will be rocking a spring green theme for the month of April. Hopefully, you'll like that.

My 30 Favorite Black Lips Songs

By Chris DeCarlo

Black Lips (2003):
1)Throw It Away
2)Fad
3)Everybody Loves a Cocksucker

We Did Not Know the Forest Spirit Made the Flowers Grow (2004):
4)MIA
5)Nothing At All/100 New Fears
6)Juvenile
7)Stranger

Let It Bloom (2005):
8)Sea of Blasphemy
9)Hippie, Hippie, Hoorah
10)Not A Problem
11)Fairy Stories
12)Dirty Hands
13)Empassant
Note: 8-12 also appear on Los Valientes Del Mundo Nuevo (2007)

Los Valientes Del Mundo Nuevo (2007):
14)Buried Alive

Good, Bad, Not Evil (2007):
15)I Saw A Ghost (Lean)
16) O Katrina!
17)Veni Vidi Vici
18)Navajo
19)It Feels Alright
20)Lock and Key
21)How Do You Tell A Child That Someone Has Died
22)Bad Kids

200 Million Thousand (2009):
23)Drugs
24)Starting Over
25)Let It Grow
26)Short Fuse
27)I'll Be With You
28)Big Black Baby Jesus of Today
29)Old Man
30)I Saw God

Our Man Obama To Run For UN Seat

WASHINGTON, (AFP) – US President Barack Obama's administration announced it will run in May for a seat on the UN Human Rights Council -- a body the Bush administration had shunned.

Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and the US ambassador to the United Nations, Susan Rice, said the United States wanted a seat to help reform the body from within, according to the State Department.

Speaking to reporters later, Rice echoed criticism from those in Congress and the administration of former president George W. Bush who said the Geneva-based body routinely demonized Israel but ignored human rights abuses in other parts of the globe.

Bush sucks! Bush sucks! Go-Obama!

"Don't Fear" - We Won't Barry!

LONDON – President Barack Obama is telling people worried about the economy not to "shortchange the future because of fear of the present."

Obama said Wednesday he feels the best advice he could give to people everywhere would be to say that "despite the current hardships, we are going to get through this." He said people should plan "sensibly" for the future, no matter how difficult times are presently.

The president told a London news conference that "fear is not the way to go." He also took issue with comparisons of the current economic turmoil with the Great Depression in the United States in the 1930s, saying "this is not what happened to our grandparents generation." - Yahoo! News

Plan sensibly. You heard the man.

Obama Will Reduce Nuclear Arms

LONDON (Reuters) – President Barack Obama and President Dmitry Medvedev began their first face-to-face talks Wednesday, hitting the restart button on U.S.-Russian ties by trying to move forward on nuclear arms-reduction efforts.

Obama acknowledged before the meeting, on the eve of a G20 economic crisis summit in London, that the two former Cold War foes had some genuine differences but insisted they could still find common ground.

One major concrete achievement widely expected from the Obama-Medvedev encounter was an agreement to start talks on a new treaty limiting long-range nuclear missiles, to replace a pact that expires this year.

I trust fully that Barack will be able to not only limit nuclear arms, but will totally outlaw them. Himself. He's strong.

Obama Meets W/ A Silly Brit

LONDON (AP) -- As President Barack Obama sought to rally the world's powers to fix a lifeless global economy, the White House announced Wednesday that Obama and Russia's president were ready to negotiate on reducing both nations' nuclear arsenals.

The flurry of diplomacy came as Obama stepped on the world stage for the first time as president, aiming to shore up both America's economy and its reputation across the globe. The White House confirmed that Obama and Russian President Dmitry Medvedev would announce new talks to limit the number of nuclear warheads, the first major negotiations in years over what Obama called the gravest threat to humanity.

Ahead of the G-20 summit of the world's richest and emerging economies, Obama said he came to listen, not lecture -- but also to lead. Pushing for unity, he said, "We can only meet this challenge together."

The world's greatest diplomat sure will teach that redcoat a lesson! <3>

Obama Book About Election!!!

NEW YORK - Obama campaign manager David Plouffe has agreed to a seven-figure deal to write a book about last year's presidential election.

“The Audacity to Win: The Inside Story and Lessons of Barack Obama's Historic Victory” will be published by Viking next fall.

According to a statement issued Wednesday by Viking, the book will offer a unique, high-level account, including "the deliberations about whether to run against long odds, the epic primary battle with Hillary Clinton, the drama of the general election campaign against John McCain and the strategic roads taken — and not taken ... The book will also detail the business lessons to be learned from the formation and the functioning of an unprecedented $1 billion start-up — use of technology, crisis management, grass roots and personnel management."- MSNBC

I can't wait to be the first one at Barnes and Noble!!! <3