my january 2008 hero of the month

this is the most awesome beatboxer in the world, maybe better than Rahzel of the Roots. this is a clip of him performing on the French "Idol" show. he was one of the finalists.

crabbtown blog 1-25-08

Whole Foods/Plastic Bags

This is what you get for shopping at the Wal-mart "bakery."

Read the cake first:


Customer: "On the cake I would like written: "Best Wishes Suzanne." And underneath that "We will miss you".

Wal-Mart store by Ruskin, FL

Sad but true. This actually happened.

Goldfrapp, my favorite kinda Dingbat

This new Goldfrapp video is bonkers and lovely. To quote my friend Seth at his blog http://www.sparrowhall.com/blog/ someone's been watching "Legend" again.

crabbtown blog 1-20-08

i wanna...

In the early 90's a lot of really wonderfully awful dance music was written and produced. it was silly and trite and vapid, but in ways that were way more inspired than any of the craptastic-ly boring dancepop that gets cranked out nowadays. Whenever i talk about this era of music and my foggy memories of it, I always mention a song that was literally called "I Wanna F*ck You In the A**." Whenever I mention it, people say "Oh, David... You're such a kidder!" I laugh and insist I'm telling the truth and no one believes me.
Who knew that one day this very song would be used... in a commercial! So here, thanks to some brilliant Dutch advertisers, is that wonderful song reborn!

Bush Administration Rejects California’s Global Warming Clean Cars Rules

At what point did our politicians STOP supporting state's rights? And who is employed by the EPA these days? I'm reposting this from www.itsyournature.org

Here's the NRDC Press Release:

EPA Sticks Thumb in Eyes of Governors Representing Half of All Americans, Says NRDC

WASHINGTON (Dec. 19, 2007) – The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) today denied California's request for routine permission to implement its clean cars law (AB 1493). This rejection represents bald-faced political interference with California's decades-long authority to enforce its own clean air rules, according to the Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC).
Following is a statement by David Doniger, NRDC Climate Center Policy Director:
"The California standards are the single most effective step yet taken in the United States to curb global warming. By blocking the California standards, the administration has stuck a thumb in the eye of 18 governors from both red and blue states who have led the way on global warming by adopting these landmark rules.
"California and the 17 other states have led the way to cut global warming pollution from new automobiles. Their right to do so has been affirmed by three federal court decisions this year, including the Supreme Court's landmark ruling that carbon dioxide is an air pollutant, just like any other. The new energy law signed by the president today explicitly preserves this Clean Air Act authority.
"The EPA administrator claimed the new energy law sets a standard of 35 miles per gallon and thereby precludes California's more effective standards. That is just plain wrong. The energy law only sets a fuel economy floor. It requires the administration to set standards of 'at least 35 miles per gallon,' expressly giving the administration the power to go farther. And the law expressly preserves California's authority under the Clean Air Act to set independent, stronger standards to meet the challenge of global warming. Let's be clear: the California standard is stronger and more effective than the 35-mile-per-gallon floor established in the new energy law.
"EPA Administrator Steven Johnson's claim that California lacks 'compelling and extraordinary conditions' is completely indefensible. California is suffering severe impacts from global warming. Mr. Johnson's 'policy preference' for a different approach is exactly the kind of illegal free-lancing the Supreme Court rejected in its landmark April decision on global warming."

She Blows.

This clip just kills me. It seems like the laughs are over after the first minute, but they return again and again in waves. Did this woman have a pageant coach or a music instructor? Are all the beauty pageants in Arizona this bootleg? What happened? How did it all go so wrong?
Ah... but it's so right.



An interview and more info about the poor girl (now a grown mother of two) can be found here:

http://blogs.pitch.com/plog/2007/10/stacy_hedger_revealed.php

It's kind of amusing.

Recharge That S*#t!

For Christmas I got an Energizer rechargeable AA battery pack. Now that I have it, I'm like "Why the hell aren't rechargeable batteries the only kinds that are sold?" It's so obvious when you think about it... Why wouldn't you spend 25 bucks on a charger and 4 double-A batteries that you would NEVER HAVE TO REPLACE?!?!
It goes without saying that it's the ecologically responsible thing to do (dead batteries take up space in landfills and leak mercury into the ground that contaminates the earth's water supply), but what about the savings? It's so much cheaper than buying battery after battery and just throwing them away. So buy yourself rechargeable batteries and save some cash... and a little landfill space.

green thom

I've always loved Thom Yorke as an artist, but I'm appreciating him more lately as he becomes increasingly involved with environmental action groups, most recently "The Big Ask"- an ever-expanding British organization fighting for better climate change legislation. In this interview Thom talks about global warming and his son as his eyes blink endlessly out of synch with each other. I love this guy.



The new Radiohead album "In Rainbows" is out now. It contains what might be my favorite song of their career, "All I Need." Here's the first video from the album- "Jigsaw Falling Into Place."



Mor info about "The Big Ask" can be found here:
http://www.thebigask.com/

Green in the New Year

Kate Finklea, my awesome cohort at ITSYOURNATURE.ORG, reposted this great blog entry from http://www.simplesteps.org about going green in the new year. If you haven't yet checked out our page and blog, find us here:

http://www.itsyournature.org

and here on myspace:

http://myspace.com/itsyournature

It's Resolution time again, and as we all struggle to reform and renew our personal pledges, take a moment to think about how your individual improvements can create a greater worldwide impact. Thanks to our friends at simplesteps.org we have some help for those looking to act a little greener in the new year.

"Resolutions for a Greener New Year"

This year make a few resolutions that are easy to keep. Pledge to take a couple simple steps, one at a time, to live healthier, reduce waste and tread a little more lightly. Do one or do them all but each is a beginning, a small step to a more balanced life. Start by eating well, then take a couple steps to simplify your life and cut down on clutter.

Eat well!

Buy organic <http://www.simplesteps.org/content/view/1/103/37/> when you can particularly peaches, apples, bell peppers, celery, nectarines and strawberries, which commonly contain the most pesticides.

Eat more locally grown food <http://www.simplesteps.org/content/view/1/192/37/> . In season produce that hasn't flown half-way around the world will be fresher, tastier and cuts down on pollution.

Stop buying tomato-based canned food and drink less soda. The linings of the cans leach BPA into your food and drink.

Avoid fish high in mercury and choose fish that are sustainably caught to ensure a steady supply for years to come.

Simplify!

Grab that stack of holiday catalogs and log onto Catalog Choice <http://www.catalogchoice.org/> to put a stop to unwanted catalogs <http://www.simplesteps.org/content/view/1/195/37/> .

Don't spray pesticides to control pest in your home. Safer alternatives are more effective and longer lasting.

Carry a reusable bag and refuse plastic bags -- no more breaking, tearing or blowing in the wind.

Save!

If you're leaving a trail of 12 oz. plastic water bottles in your wake, buy an aluminum reusable bottle instead.

Take a couple simple steps to save a lot of energy. Start by disabling your computer's screensaver and setting it to 'sleep' after 5 minutes of activity. Shut it off when you're done.

Don't buy clothes that need to be dry cleaned. Many fabrics can be safely washed or spot cleaned at home, even if the label says 'dry clean only'. Almost all dry cleaning uses toxic chemicals that linger on your clothes and in the air <http://www.simplesteps.org/content/view/1/198/41/> .

Clean your home with natural products, just about anything can be cleaned with vinegar, lemon juice, baking soda or Borax.

Reuse and Recycle!

Every piece of paper, bottle and jar counts. Every TV, answering machine and old computer really counts by keeping toxic chemicals out of our air and water.

Before tossing something, donate it or offer it to others.

I've been Overpowered by Roisin.

But please don't save me.
I discovered this awesome singer recently named Roisin Murphy. (It's an Irish name pronounced rosh'-een.) She was with a band called Moloko that had a hit in the 90's called "Fun For Me." Her new album is called "Overpowered" and is the kind of disc Madonna would cut if she wrote deeper lyrics and had a sense of humor. While "Confessions On A Dancefloor" wants to get in your pants and pass out, "Overpowered" wants to seduce you over a martini and cook you an exotic breakfast. I love this chic's phenomenal voice and her wacked out asthetic.

Her newest videos are kind of the beginning of a longer story about a popstar who never stops being a popstar. From the club and on the way home in "Overpowered:"



In a common little diner on an otherwise boring day in "Let Me Know:"


The best two tracks on the album are "Primitive" and "Dear Miami." This live performance of "Primitive" is killer- seductive, intelligent, a blisterig guitar workout at the end. Roisin's my new girlfriend. She just doesn't know it yet.

Oh, Christmas Tree...

I'm allergic to just about everything that grows. So when I enter a warm, cozy, Holiday dinner party and get that first whiff of a 6-foot Pine, I want to run for the hills. Preferably, Pine-free hills.
Not only am I allergic, but one time when I was 8, I was attacked by a Christmas tree. I was asleep on our sofa bed waiting for Santa Claus, when I woke up with a sharp pain in my legs. Our cat, Maggie, had climbed to the top of our tree, sending it falling on it's side and smack down onto my legs. My mom picked about 30 needles out of my legs as I sneezed and puffed up like a Christmas turkey.
I...
don't...
like...
Christmas trees.

But if you have a real tree, there are some environmentally-minded ways to dispose of it come the new year. I found a great resource at:

http://earth911.org/green-your-holidays/treecycling/

There, you can find out why and how it's good to recycle as many of the 35 million real Christmas trees sold in North America this year. The onetime symbol of your holiday joy gets smashed up and the remains of it get used for:

1. Chipping (chippings are used for various things from mulch to hiking trails)
2. Beachfront erosion prevention
3. Lake and river shoreline stabilization
4. Fish habitat
5. River delta sedimentation management

You can also check out http://www.christmastree.org for more info.