America

Woman Wearing Cow Suit Arrested

Police say 32 year old Michelle Allen was chasing children in the 3100 block of Wilbraham, while wearing the cow costume early Monday evening. Allen also reported urinated on a neighbor's front porch.

and

She reads ALL OF THEM. ALL THE ONES IN FRONT OF HER.

The latest Couric-Palin comedy, from an emailed CBS transcript:

Couric: And when it comes to establishing your world view, I was curious, what newspapers and magazines did you regularly read before you were tapped for this to stay informed and to understand the world?

Palin: I've read most of them, again with a great appreciation for the press, for the media.

Couric: What, specifically?

Palin: Um, all of them, any of them that have been in front of me all these years.

Couric: Can you name a few?

Palin: I have a vast variety of sources where we get our news, too. Alaska isn't a foreign country, where it's kind of suggested, "wow, how could you keep in touch with what the rest of Washington, D.C., may be thinking when you live up there in Alaska?" Believe me, Alaska is like a microcosm of America.

"All of them"? Not just Commentary but Dissent, too? Impressive!

--Michael Crowley

Palin Problem

I didn't think I'd ever want to repost something from the National Review, except perhaps for its ludicrousness.

Even Kathleen Parker is jaded.

so many frames per second

I've wanted one of these super-slo-mo Casio cameras for some time now. Here's another reason why.

Leighton Pierce, Agency of Time

Experimental filmmaker and professor at University of Iowa Leighton Pierce has a small but lovely exhibition of work at the Sheldon right now. Go see him speak Tuesday at 5:30.

Cash-Strapped NPR Launches 'A Couple Things Considered'

the Onion delivers, as always

enough?

from the fantastic poster set Poster Offensive 4 via The Match Factory

Omaha City Weekly/Shannon Hopp!

Check out this article in the City Weekly about Shannon's upcoming fashion show.

Spano Lang by Shannon Hopp

Shannon Hopp was given a task for this show – the task to make the most of gifts from the past. Hopp, who graduated from University of Nebraska-Lincoln with a degree in textile and apparel design in May, has long had an interest in the styles of the ‘30s and ‘40s. She was taught to sew by her grandmothers, and thus her Omaha Fashion Week collection is named Spano Lang, using her grandmothers’ maiden names.

Bellwether boutique owner Jessica Latham furthered Hopp’s mission when she contacted her about a trunk full of vintage fabrics. “A very sweet lady, named Ruth Ann, opened the trunk of her Buick and there were boxes and boxes of things. It was an eclectic collection, probably fabrics from the ‘60s and ‘70s – silk, wool, tweeds – and she passed it on to me to basically for free.”

Actually Hopp paid $20 for the haul, but a few days later she received a thank you letter from Ruth Ann with a $20 bill enclosed to help her with her new ventures.

Hopp will be showing 10 ensembles culled from these vintage sources. She says while she is using all vintage fabrics, she creates her own designs based on patterns and construction methods from the ‘30s. She says the Spano Lang line is comprised of fitted garments that rely on complex structure and seamlines, rather than volume of fabric Read: no mumus here ladies, you might actually be able to purchase a decent dress.

Roomie

This is my housemate having BBQ after a Royals game in KC. Apparently, some other folks decided to go there, too.

Yup, extremely so

What American accent do you have? Your Result: The Midland   "You have a Midland accent" is just another way of saying "you don't have an accent." You probably are from the Midland (Pennsylvania, southern Ohio, southern Indiana, southern Illinois, and Missouri) but then for all we know you could be from Florida or Charleston or one of those big southern cities like Atlanta or Dallas. You have a good voice for TV and radio.
The West
Boston
North Central
The Inland North
The South
Philadelphia
The Northeast
What American accent do you have? Quiz Created on GoToQuiz

Capital!

Shamelessly reposted from Good Problem, hat tip to Conrad.

Fendered Bike Fends Off Rain

In two nights of work in my living room, I put fenders on my old road bike. I am proud of the accomplishment of having put in the work, and it added a dose into my appreciation of the fantastic work my mechanic Eric and the whole crew at Monkey Wrench does for me. It needs to go in for some adjustments -- and some knobbier cross tires -- before it's totally ready for winter. But for now, at least, the rain is effectively kept off my backside.

Cousins! (and brother)

A Pair of Political Bits

Calculate your estimated tax cut under Barack Obama's plan at ObamaTaxCut.com

Minor Triumph

Using this tutorial from wikiHow, after a few tries, I was able to open an old combination lock I used in junior high. When the lock clicked open, it was the most satisfying of sounds.

How to Crack a "Master Lock" Combination Lock

Encounters at the End of the World

Werner Herzog dedicates his latest film, Encounters at the End of the World, to Roger Ebert -- a film about Antarctica that is not another film about penguins. At one point, however, the question of whether insanity might exist in the penguin world is raised of a long-time penguin researcher. The answer? Footage, accompanied by Herzog's voiceover, of a lone penguin heading not toward the sea nor the breeding grounds, but straight for the mountains and "to a certain death."


All researchers on Antarctica must go through a two-day survival training before being left off the American military base. To simulate white-out blizzard conditions, they wear buckets on their heads as they attempt to "rescue" their trainer, gone missing in a trip to the outhouse.



The underwater footage is stunning, as it is amazing to imagine anything living in water that measures -2℃. Recordings of seals provide the soundtrack, described by one researcher as reminiscent of Pink Floyd.


Encounters at the End of the World, full of the markers of Herzog's own cinematic code, gives a sense of besting David Attenborough at his own game. Herzog travels to a tremendous, alien place and examines its inhabitants with resplendent narration, twisting the trope of nature documentary, this time, by documenting the scientists.

Labor Day 2008 Hay Crew

Molly, I raise you one...

Alternative Fuels

Last night, I got in touch with Lou at FoxWear. He custom makes rain pants that, according to the IceBiker, are amazing. My e-mail correspondence with him gives me great confidence that he's a rad dude in Idaho who will keep my legs warm and dry for my second winter of commuting. In honor of that...





Shamelessly reposted from Good Problem

Spot ON

Molly's right....

silly women

Dinner

Mega-local pizza for dinner:

Crust from Le Quartier
Bed of fresh tomatoes from Mom's garden
Garlic from next-door neighbor Rich's garden
Basil from my front porch
Fresh Mozzarella from Branched Oak Farm

not-so-local:
Grated Romano
Oil-cured olives
Spinach
Olive oil

State Fair

I'm on This Recording today, with correspondence from the Nebraska State Fair.