Sarah Silverman offering the Jewish community stellar advice

Funny and true. Get on it my Semite siblings! 

It's the Fonz, bro

I wish I had known earlier about Alfonso's blog, though it makes me wish I had my own office, with a door, and the option of watching these at work. La Vie en YouTube: filled with goodies.

Debates and Music

I already have VP debate plans (yes, I am that nerdy), but if you don't and you want to be like "cool" and stuff, Sweat Records is hosting a debate watch party at Vagabond. I'll probably swing by and see the bands after the show... I mean after the debates.

Honestly, I'm scared to see what comes out of Palin's mouth. I feel like these debates are going to give me that same shameful sensation I used to get when I was little and I'd see other little kids singing vibrato on stage with frills and bells on. It's a sinking in my stomach, and can be described as embarrassed to be alive.

Sometimes I feel a lot like Rambo, bro - alone and angry

A. O. Scott takes a look back at "Rambo: First Blood Part II" and its relationship to American foreign policy.

Lebs

Lebanese people are everywhere (most of you Hispanics in Miami have at least a touch of Lebo in you) and I want to celebrate us and our culture. My cousin, Farrah, sent me this and I like it. Learn a bit about the homeland. Can't verify all the facts down there, but sounds good enough. 

FRIENDS: Never ask for food. 
LEBANESE FRIENDS: Always bring the food. 

FRIENDS: Will say "hello." 
LEBANESE FRIENDS: Will give you a big hug and a kiss. 

FRIENDS: Call your parents Mr. and Mrs. 
LEBANESE FRIENDS: Call your parents Uncle/Dad and Aunt/Mum. 

FRIENDS: Have never seen you cry. 
LEBANESE FRIENDS: Cry with you. 

FRIENDS: Will eat at your dinner table and leave. 
LEBANESE FRIENDS: Will spend hours there, talking, laughing and just being together. 

FRIENDS: know a few things about you. 
LEBANESE FRIENDS: Could write a book with direct quotes from you. 

FRIENDS: Will leave you behind if that's what the crowd is doing. 
LEBANESE FRIENDS: Will kick the whole crowds' ass that left you. 

FRIENDS: Would knock on your door. 
LEBANESE FRIENDS: Walk right in and say, "I'm home!" 

FRIENDS: Are for a while. 
LEBANESE FRIENDS: Are for life. 

STATISTICS ABOUT LEBANON: Lebanon has 18 religious communities.  It has 40 daily newspapers. It has 42 universities. It has over 100 banks (that is banks and not branches of a bank). 70% of the students are in private schools. There's 1 doctor per 10 people in Lebanon (In Europe & America, there's 1 doctor Per 100 people). The name LEBANON appears 75 times in the Old Testament. The name CEDAR ( Lebanon 's tree) appears 75 times too in the Old Testament. Beirut was destroyed and rebuilt 7 times (this is why it's compared to the Phoenix ). There are 3.5 Million Lebanese in Lebanon. There are around 10 Million Lebanese outside Lebanon. Lebanon has been occupied by over 16 countries.  Byblos, Lebanon is the oldest, continuously living city in the world. Lebanon 's name has been around for 4,000 yrs (it's the oldest country/nation name in the world). Lebanon is the only Asian/African country that doesn't have a desert. There are 15 rivers in Lebanon (all of them coming from its own mountains). Lebanon is one of the most populated countries in its archaeological sites, in the world. The first alphabet was created in Byblos. The only remaining Roman temple of Jupiter is in Baalbek, Lebanon (The City of the Sun). Lebanon is the only non-dictatorial country in the Arab world (yes, we do have a president!). The 1st law school in the world was built in Lebanon, in Downtown Beirut. People say that the cedars were planted by God's own hands, this is why they're called ' The Cedars of God', and this is why Lebanon is called ' God's Country on Earth.'

How cool is this shit, bro?

These are being shown at NYC at the Museum of Arts and Design. Awesome. 

Here's a NYT article about what a drag the opening was. 

They are: Sound Wave (2007) by Jean Shin, a chandelier made with glasses (!!!) by Stewart Haygarth, and "My Back Pages" (2006-8) by Paul Villinski.

No Bailout. Sorry, bros.

House Republicans voted against the bailout because they didn't like Pelosi's pre-vote speech. 

They thought it was too partisan. 

The market is down over 600 points. Read here.

My Hero vs. the Marshmallow Man

I completely agree with South Florida Daily Blog's impressions of the debate (above). 

I also added a few comments of my own (below).

In general and real broad because I don't have the time or the motivation to go into deep analysis...
Both candidates looked and sounded real nervous at the beginning but quickly got over it and settled into a rhythm.
Both candidates made some good points but Obama's delivery was much smoother and articulate, in my opinion.
One of the stranger things I noticed is that McCain was not able to even look at Obama. And speaking of strange...McCain. Unhinged. Not presidential and very creepy.
While Obama more than once agreed with McCain and actually complimented him on several occasions, McCain didn't return the favor once. Not a single time. Does nothing but reaffirm my belief that the only game in town with Republicans is hardball. It's a total waste of time time to try to create rational and even discourse with them. They don't want it and I don't think we need to try to give it to them. 

-South Florida Daily Blog

Here's my comment:

Exactly. Amen. 
I noted other things about Obama's debate style that I liked. One thing is that he always phrases things in the positive, like: if you make less than $200k, you won't be taxed - focusing on who's safe, not who's threatened. 
He also didn't smirk constantly while his opponent was talking, like McCain did. Instead he looked thoughtful and emotionally aware. He stuck to topics better and didn't point fingers. He didn't constantly make the campaign about his experiences, like McCain talking about visits to Georgia/Iraq and such, not just because he hasn't been around, but also because that's not what the election is about. It's about either being aggressive in the world (McCain) or using diplomacy (Obama). It's fighting vs. talking. Exhausting resources (not changing) vs. finding new ways to handle old situations (renewable resources). 
Of course, McCain's no dummy. I mean, he's not as likable, but he's well informed and well traveled. I have always seen him as a huge threat to the Democratic party, but now, with Obama, I really think we might have a chance. Obama's so eloquent and he has class. I wore my pin out last night and I'm psyched to see us win in Nov.

Hey, John, can I give you a ride to the airport?

Don't mess with Letterman---John McCain did, and this was his hell to pay:

Thursday night out with a real bro

Last Night
Lost and Found Saloon: My lovely friend Nico and I left work, after a stimulating and enriching work experience, and headed over for din din at Lost and Found. This was her first time there, and she liked it: good beer, tasty tofu, and cute waitress. The reason I like it is they actually have pulled pork, and I also think that they've done a lot with the place. It looks wonderful inside. I love the mural near the john, and the wagon wheel chandeliers hit that soft spot in my heart for Oregon Trail furniture. My one true complaint (there's gotta be one) is that I HATE that they harass you about eating with drinking and won't let you sit down if you just want a freaking beer. I get it, you don't want people like me coming in for a drink and turning your pretty place into a dumpy bar, but it's just slightly offensive. That's all.

MOCA: Went to the Dark Continents opening at MOCA, but I couldn't function because I was so hot and seriously sweating all over - my pits, thighs, upper lip - uncute. I liked the room with Naomi Fisher's videos (stimulating), but I would need to go back to really give an opinion on anything.

Sweat Records: Then we went by the fundraiser for Sweat at Churchill's. Nico bought me the Talking Heads record above. If ya look real close, you will see that that is David Byrne in Atlas pose, and he has a huge package in those tighty-whities! Many people turned out for the cause, and the music was generally laudable. I thought the inside sound system could have been turned up a bit, but outside was pretty rocking. Overall, good time. At the beginning of the night, I was all awkward and sweaty, but by the end, I felt like I was inside a giant friend hug, filled with loving criticism and even more hugs.


Tonight
First thing's first: watch the presidential debates, they start at 8.


At Vagabond: $1 drinks before midnight and the band Vivalevox is playing. I have never heard them, or of them, and I can't get on My Space now, but here's a New Times rundown.

Headlines- more fun, less politics?

I was talking to my white, middle class, misogynist, NURSE brother yesterday, who informed me that no white, middle class men want to hear anyone side with the obvious - like me, a female liberal. Apparently that's boring, to stand up for your own kind. If I become a self-hating, gay, black Republican, then white men will give a shit about what I have to say. Well bravo lame-os. So, fine. I'll stop being vaginally political. I'll try and stop at least. I'll just say less.

Here are a few headliners worth mentioning (sorry 2 are party-centric)

*Cows kill in Spain.

*McCain says he's not going to the debates! He doesn't wanna to go! Feel his forehead. It feels warm, doesn't it? I think the bailout (us bailing out big business) is giving him a tummy-ache.

Obama don't give a heehaw. He's going to be there, telling it like it is, debating his own goddamn self. And certainly winning.

*Hey you Pagans, Sarah Palin wants you outta her hair.

Fundraiser for Sweat Records

I'm sure you all heard what happened at Sweat Records, and you know how much it sucks to get robbed or when someone kills your fish, so come out to the fundraiser tomorrow.

It's only $7 to get in, or free if you buy a CD or LP.

See you at Churchill's!

After the Traffic: A Beautiful Block Island Wedding

Liza and I met when we were both freshmen at Coral Gables High School. We were awkward, nerdy, never-been-kissed, and (shamefully) in the band. We were flutists, not the skin kind, but the musical kind, except that neither of us were particularly talented, well, I wasn't particularly talented at all, I barely could play. Liza was introduced to the band one afternoon as having just moved here from New York. The overt nerdliness that I so readily display forced me run up to her and tell her that I was born in White Plains. I think Liza thought I was a gigantic dork, but whatever, so was she, and we became best friends.

After only one year of obsessively hanging out and listening to the Beatles non-stop for months on end, and doing jumping jacks as punishment for talking as we rode over the railroad tracks on the band-bus, Liza found out that she was moving back to NY and leaving me behind. This has always been a trend in my life, making friends and then moving away, either they or I, so needless to say, I was devastated. After she left, we were like two pervs in love, writing long funny letters and spending hundreds of dollars on monthly phone bills. After about three months of $300 phone bills (this was the mid-90s mind you), I started to fear my mother would smother me in my sleep, or cut my tongue out of my head to prevent me from talking to Liza so goddamn much. We managed to stay friends for --- here's where I age myself and I don't care --- fifteen years by visiting often and just being mentally well connected. Admittedly, we had a few off years in college, but hey, we both finally got much needed attention from men, much, much needed, much needed. Even through some off years, we still managed to pick up the phone and call each other without awkwardness. When I moved up to Manhattan three years ago, Liza and her now husband, Kevin, took care of me and allowed me to be their rowdy third-wheel.

So, as it happened, earlier this year, Liza called me to tell me to reserve a flight up to Block Island for her wedding. It was unsurprising, as Kevin is a wonderful person and I am sure they will live a long happy life together, cliche as it sounds. It's funny though, how I didn't realize how well matched they were until experiencing their wedding. I must say, it was the best wedding I've ever been to; there was no huge ceremony and there was an open bar, great music, people and food. The whole event went so smoothly that you could see their vision is shared.

I'm going to write a little run down of my trip to Block Island here, as it might one day help you decide whether you ever want to make the trek up there in September for any reason at all. Block Island is a tiny island (11 sq miles), 12 miles off the coast of Rhode Island. First off, it is expensive. Secondly, it is hard to get to, especially off-season - i.e. non summer months. Because of these 2 factors, my other bff, Eddie (who flew in from London) and I (in from Miami) asked my cousin to drive up from DC, as my date, in order to transport us to New England. You can see pictures from our time in NYC, but you will not see pictures from the 5 hour car ride we took to go about 200 miles, because they are ugly. The intense traffic caused us to miss every ferry out to the Island, which was lucky for us, because apparently there was barf in abundance on the boats. Instead, the nice people at New England Airlines in Westerly held their 9-seater flight for us, and we made it out to the celebrations. The flight is the only way to go. I HATE flying, but 10 minutes in these tiny planes is far superior to anytime on a rocking ferry. If you go, take the plane.

One of my co-workers is from RI, and she said that during peak season Block Island is blanketed by spring breaker types, a booze fest, if you will - I cannot possibly imagine such a scene. I mean, I've been all over New England, and this was the most under-stimulating Main Street around. The shopping sucked, except for the Glass Onion (which was my account when I worked for Putumayo), and even that was ridiculously overpriced. We stayed at The Water Street Inn, which was cute, spacious, clean, ya know, ok. But it was the first frigid day of fall, and they hadn't put the heat on yet, so we woke up shivering and hoarse. We ate at the restaurant downstairs, Mohegan Cafe, which had great service, really creamy, tasty clam chowder and homemade beer. We only tried one of the wheat beers, and it was okay, sort of watery. Not great, but I give 'em a high five for trying. We had some drinks with the bride and then took those mental retard pictures in the last post.

The next day we did what there is to do on Block Island: ate breakfast, biked, drank, ate seafood. If you're not familiar with the New England vacation spots, you don't know what an integral role breakfast places play in your day. You basically wake up before 10am and then wait for an hour to be seated at a place that closes at noon for the most un-fun meal of the day: breakfast. We went to Ernie's. The food was acceptable and forgettable: blueberry pancakes and crappy bagels. The one funny event was the pouring of our coffee by an incredibly humourless, zombie waitress. That's it. Then we biked UPHILL through what is admittedly, a beautiful landscape. My gigantic Miami thighs cannot handle uphill biking with a 10 pound purse strapped to the handlebars. We stopped off at a beautiful beach with warm volcanic looking sand where Farrah pretended to do yoga, I got sand all in my hair and in my camera, and Eddie stood around looking bored. Then we washed and headed to get those 2 married. The festivities took place at the 1661 Inn, which was lovely, and right on the water. The food was really tasty: bacon wrapped scallops, huge shrimp, clam chowder (of course), lobster rolls, burgers, green beans, salad, etc. The judge married them, but one of Kevin's friends came forward before they were pronounced man and wife and sang "The Book of Love" by Magnetic Fields, which caused me to scrunch up my face in very ugly, hideous ways to keep from crying, but of course, once it was all over and Liza and I hugged, I looked like a big baby, crying away. I mean, I remember when she had her first kiss! I remember Liza when our boobs were still the same size-- that's a LONG time ago. I remember talking to her about thinking about dating Kevin and now they're married! So, I had to cry, at least a little. Congratulations Liza and Kevin. Although I don't love Block Island the way you two do, I do love you both very much. XO

I don't have to explain this; it was just very funny thanks to Eddie and my psychic fashion moment

My few hours in the City last weekend

Manitobas- my favorite NYC bar. Emily, I took a shot of Jameson and had a cider in memory of times spent there with you!

de la vega- this was my favorite

Farrah is a rat magnet.

Little Giant in the Lower East side actually had yummy food, especially the appetizers. However, the lady server had a nasty mug on her the whole time.

Guss Pickles were next door- 2 for $1. They were scrumptious. Pickle MANIA!

And thank you Mondo, for that good lovin'.

HOLY SHIT! Clay Aiken is GAYYYY!!!

WTF? I, for one, had NO idea.

Reassuring?

This NYT image amused me as it was paired with this headline: At U.N., Bush Reassures Leaders on Economy

Too little, too late, buddy.

Thanks for spending all that dough in Iraq and making us pay doubly for it.

This is such a great quote from the article: Amen, bro.

President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva of Brazil... seemed to criticize the American bailout proposal, saying: “The great Brazilian economist Celso Furtado said we must not allow speculators’ profits always to be privatized, while their losses are invariably socialized. We must not allow the burden of the boundless greed of a few to be shouldered by all. The economy is too serious an undertaking to be left in the hands of speculators. Ethics must also apply to the economy.”

On Pit Bulls and Rape Victims

I keep forgetting to mention this lil' feminist nightmare I heard about this weekend, which you may know.

Picture it: Alaska, 2000. Gov. Knowles ensures that state law enforcement will pay for forensic (or "rape") kits for victims of sexual crimes. These kits allow police to gather evidence to convict the evil rapists.

Now picture this: Wasilla, Alaska, 2000. The mayor is our little pit bull Palin. Hers is the only town in the state which objects to this new law and actually makes their rape victims fork over around $1,000 to gather evidence on their own rape. This was decided on by the police chief she appointed. It's horrible, and I know you don't want to, but you have to believe it, because it's true: click here.

This information officially makes Palin kin to Mephistopheles, and I am removing the title WOMAN from her list of qualities. Someone needs to take away her vagina, because she doesn't deserve it. Victimizing the victim. Ungodly.

High Cost of Living: You're Outta Gas.

Inspiring news for Floridians from The Miami Herald: Housing costs eat up Floridians' wages. Figures from the 2007 Census are showing that we spend more on housing and utilities than 47 other states.
Awesomely enough, they quoted my well-informed former boss, "Daniella Levine, chief executive of the Human Services Coalition, said about half the residents in Miami-Dade shelters are working people who cannot afford rent or a mortgage." Basically, you're going to end up in a shelter, because you spend too much on your rent/mortgage/electricity. It's a scary thing.

Also, I'm sure you've noticed that there's no gas anywhere in So FL, well, they say it's because refineries and ports and stuff were shut down due to the Texas hurricane. I feel like I need to stake out my plot of land on which I will grow seasonal veggies and pets I will one day devour.

If you're voting, I'm not letting you drink clean water or drive on public roads.

Hey guys, it's election time again. It's about that time when I become completely obsessed with the civic process (as evidenced in recent blogs).

If you're not clued in, we vote on November 4, 2008, and the last day to register to be part of this important election is OCTOBER 6. If you're registered and voting, then I say, right on, sista, brotha, trangenda, whateva. If you're not registered, you need to get on the ball.

I know I mentioned Hobbes in a former post; brought up the social contract. If that didn't compute, basically, if you don't vote, you are not controlling where tax money goes, and we pay taxes so that we have drivable roads, and clean drinking water, garbage pick-up, and infrastructure, among a slew of other things. Voting also allows us control over those who control our nation. Good leadership is integral in running a nation - this seems like common sense, and yet we continue to elect those with weak leadership skills. We need educated, intelligent people to run this country, people better than us (yes all of us), people with more policy knowledge, people who speak more languages, who understand gigantic budgets and offer better diplomatic appeal to foreign leaders (for more on my perspective on this, check out the comment I left Alesh recently; scroll down to Liz).

For instructions on voting, click here. Click here for the actual registration application, or go to your local library. It's easy enough that ANY American can do it. If you need help, leave me a comment here, and I'll contact you and drive you myself to get registered.

Awesomness in Art (LA and LA)

If you live in LA, swing by Echo Park Film Center (in conjunction with LA Filmforum). October 5 from 7-10 pm - 1200 N. Alvarado Street.

About it: established filmmakers and visual artists will use stop-motion techniques to tell stories, examine visual phenomena, and make political statements in a collection of short videos. The line-up of videos includes both local and international artists and is curated by artist and animator Sarah Klein.

Also, if you're an artist or animator, and you'll be in New Orleans for the Southeastern College Art Conference on September 27, from 2-5, come see the amazing Stephanie Hutin speak at the New Orleans Marriott. Chairs: Rachele Riley and Stephanie Hutin; featuring: John Jota Leaños, California College of the Arts: Subaltern Animations; Yam Lau, York University: Image-Animation-Life, Pamela Taylor Turner, Virginia Commonwealth University: Everyday Ephemera, Rachele Riley, University of North Carolina at Charlotte and Stephanie Hutin, Independent Artist/Educator and Director of The New School for Post-Animative Thought will discuss their ongoing collaborative work: The Unbearable Slightness of Being.

getting back into the swing 'a things, bra.

IMPORTANT FUNDRAISER:

Jesse​ Jacks​on and Animals of the Arctic are putting on a benef​it show for Sweat Records to help them recover after being robbed recently. Definitely go, and for once, don't be cheap; it's $10 and all the money goes to support Sweat Records. It's this Thursday, Sept. 25th at Churchill's. The lineup is like this: 

Anima​ls of the Arcti​c, Jesse​ Jacks​on, Dino Felip​e, Elect​ric Bunni​es, Ha Ha Help, Down Home 

South​ernai​res, Raffa​ & Raine​r, Rache​l Goodr​ich, Littl​e Beard​, Tee Pee (​​​both ex-​​​Mutin​y)​​​,​​​ Tom Gorri​o (ex- Baby Calen​dar)​​​.

OTHER EVENTS:

Miami weekend, bro

As you might know, I'm outta here in 2 hours for about 30 minutes in NYC and 2 days at the lovely Liza's wedding on Block Island. I know I've been playing politico lately, but I'm taking a break right now, right here, just to tell you that this weekend Afrobeta will be doing the Friday night concert at Vagabond with the cheap beer (get there early and make a night of it), Modernage will be playing Poplife and Hercules and Love Affair will be at Vagabond-Back Door Bamby on Saturday (should go).

I have no non-party things I know of going on. I wish I did. If I hear of anything, I'll let you know.

Reflections on the expense of a Bush in the Oval Office

Miami, bro is pissed off. The stalwart genius that is GW Bush is up to his usual ways: waiting forever to speak out during a US crisis. Finally he's opened the empty abyss that is his head to talk about the crashing stock market. Listen to what he had to say:

“The American people can be sure we will continue to act to strengthen and stabilize our financial markets and improve investor confidence,” the president said at the White House, after canceling a trip to Alabama and Florida. He reiterated the events of the last week in a statement that lasted less than two minutes.

It sucks that the global economy affected his vacation to the South, ya know? I mean, it's such a drag to have to run a country instead of hanging out on Sanibel Island. But, I have to say, he really addresses the issues and concerns of the American people in his TWO minute speech. Hey, we can be confident in him and his administration, they're "taking care of things." Cool. Whoa.

This market situation reminds me of all the disasters that have happened during his residency in the White House: 9-11, Katrina, the end of Capitalism as we know it. The only thing he's been quick to do is drop bombs on Arabs and Afghanis. Bush's interest in the presidency has been all in self-interest. I'm making this claim without support here, which I shouldn't do, but I'll just say one thing: oilmoney.

The one kind of terrible-great and interesting thing that has arisen from this last eight years of actual nightmare is that the GOP, preaching "less government is good government," has ended up having a whole hell of a lot of influence over the private sector. Especially over the past month. I mean, again, whoa. This administration has offered impressive amounts of federal funds to aid the private sector in order to save the asse(t)s of friends and foes alike.

Truly an administration totally successful at proving their opponents right.

Bravo "old boys," you've really proven that less government will equate to MORE government and an unstable economy. I have never understood offering incentives to big business to stimulate the economy. However, I do understand that we need to stay signed up to that social contract and to create a sustainable society that isn't focused on how much money we spend on plastics that end up crowding the trash and then choking endangered birds (dramatics are necessary).

Think back on Hobbes (yes, I was too lazy and busy to get into this myself, and I took from Wikipedia, whatever. Deal with it.):

According to Thomas Hobbes and canonical theory, the essence is as follows: Without society, we would live in a state of nature, where we each have unlimited natural freedoms. The downside of this general autonomy is that it includes the "right to all things" and thus the freedom to harm all who threaten one's own self-preservation; there are no positive rights, only laws of nature and an endless "war of all against all" (Bellum omnium contra omnes, Hobbes 1651).

I have an uncanny intuition about the financial market. I believe it comes from actually reading what's going on and thinking about things in a logical manner. That and a little bit of genius. Ten years ago when Clinton's market was booming, I told Eddie and my mom (obsessives) NOT to invest in El Sitio (google it), but to buy stock in high fashion... LVMH, I said. When I bought an apartment with my parents, I said, real estate's not looking good, a year later I called home and said, "mom, sell it now." She believed in the real estate market, wrongly; months later for the first time in her life, these words were directed my way, "you were right." So, listen hard, and listen strong, bros, buy a plot of land in the country, at least an acre, and buy it this week. That's all I'll say. Good luck, bros, to me and to you.

I feel like I'm documenting the end of the world.

Morgan Stanley will begin official merger negotiations with Wachovia imminently-- click here for more.

Farewell, Capitalist Security!

Seems as if this week might be the beginning of the end. The Fed bailed out insurance giants, AIG, offering them an $85 billion loan. It has been speculated that if AIG went under, the capitalist economy would totally collapse- since it's worth trillions. People are pulling $ out of AIG around the world. It looks as if Barclays is buying out most of Lehman Brothers, though not any of their real estate assets.
The Dow Jones dropped another 450 points today, and investors and bankers are pooping their pants worldwide. The London, Frankfurt and Parisian markets are down too, though not comparatively speaking. I guess the real questions are: when are we going to stop dumping billions into the useless invasion of Iraq? and why would anyone vote another Republican into office after this nightmare?

Art Misprint

I thought that the Perrotin opening was last week, but I think it's this Saturday. Click here for more info. Sorry about that!

Things to do because you care, bro. You do, I can see it in your eyes.

Hurricane Help
Thanks to an angry God, pissed off Mother Earth and global warming (God just hugging us closer), a few hurricanes have ripped through our region recently. Luckily we were spared, despite some Capitain Negativos trying to force me to buy batteries - I will not.
However, Ike (appropriately named) punched the crap out of Houston and Galveston and wedged some fish into fences and dug up some graves. Surprisingly, Set Nightclub on Miami Beach is hosting a fundraiser to get some dough for charities in support of these poor bastards. It's on 9/19 from 10-12am. There will be booze and food and stuff. They want a $20 donation, but if you want a table, ya gotta fork over $250.00. RSVP to: diana@theopiumgroup.com. You can also drop of food and clothing at Opium Garden (136 Collins Avenue) 9-15 to 9-19 from 10 am to 8 pm, 9-20 and 9-21 from 12 pm to 8 pm, which is also the former home of many foam parties.

OBAMA ALERT!
Also on Friday, my main man Barack Obama will be in my neighborhood, Coral Gables! He's speaking at Women's Rally for the Change We Need at the BankUnited Center at University of Miami, 1245 Dauer Dr. at 9:30 a.m.; program begins at 11:45 a.m.

I saw him speak last time he was in town, and he was a true pleasure to witness (and not just because of that dirty picture from the NYT). You gotta see him live. He's great live. Watch him work it.

things that happen when I'm out of town

Notice anything interesting about Obama? Note: it's not on his face or arms or torso...

Thanks to a special bro, whose name I'm not sure she wants mentioned. Clue: it's on his leg. Hello! HELLO!

The dawn of new beginnings, bro

A guy who had a seizure was saved by his own dog's 911 phone call.

sorry so many blogs, but I think this may be the end of the world as we know it

From the NYT, click to read the article.

“I could walk from here to Lansing and I wouldn’t run into a single person who thought our economy was doing well, unless I ran into John McCain,” Senator Joseph R. Biden Jr. said during a campaign stop in St. Clair Shores, Mich...

Bill Burton, a spokesman for the Obama campaign, responded to the ad in a statement, saying: “John McCain has been in Washington for twenty-six years and hasn’t lifted a finger to reform the regulations that could’ve prevented this crisis. In fact, his campaign is run by some of the very same lobbyists who fought against these regulations and worked to put special interest giveaways in our federal budget. Now he’s proposing $200 billion in tax breaks for the biggest corporations in America but not one penny of relief to more than 100 million Americans who are worried about their life savings and their ability to make their mortgage payments.”

Say Bye Bye to Your Retirement

On Florida and the Lehman Brothers. Frightening. This is from The Miami Herald:

The State Board of Administration holds $322 million in Lehman stock and bonds. The SBA manages the state's employee fund and more than two dozen other funds, including assets for the Florida Hurricane Catastrophe Fund and the Florida Prepaid College Plan. Dennis McKee, a spokesman for the SBA, said the agency has an $84 million unrealized loss on its holdings.
About two-thirds of the securities are held by the Florida Retirement System, which includes the pension funds for local counties such as Miami-Dade and Broward. The rest is spread out in the catastrophe fund and the Lawton Chiles Endowment Fund, which helps fund Medicare.

Whomever did this is clearly a terrible person and should be destroyed

Wow. Sweat got robbed, and on top of that, I heard that Churchill's is going on the market. Will somebody awesome buy it, please?

Dear Sweat friends and family,

We are writing you today with some very sad news.

Last night Sweat was broken into, robbed and vandalized. The unknown assailants stole everything worth stealing and needlessly trashed this place that we've put so much into. Our store computer, credit card terminal, video projector, entire DJ/sound setup, cash drawer and more are gone.

Most of these items can be replaced, however the truly worst part of all is that our beloved saltwater reef tank was found destroyed - smashed and knocked to the ground. Colin and Jared at Coralmorphologic who maintained and gave life to the tank came by to salvage what they could, but it was not pretty. Also on the irreplaceable list are about 8 pieces of art from the store's personal
collection. No one was hurt though and for that we are truly thankful.

It has been a heartbreaking 24 hours for us over here but if you know one thing about Sweat Records, it's that we don't give up. Hurricanes can't keep us down, so we'll get through this too. Of course it sucks, but it's just going to make us work harder to make Miami even better and worthy of all the awesome people who live here.

We've already had offers of donations and are so extremely thankful. If you do wanna chip in toward the recovery (and future improvement of our security system, among other things) we have a paypal account under this address - info@sweatrecordsmiami.com and we've put a button for it on our myspace and website.

Since we are currently projector-less, this week's Music Movie Monday is postponed. We'll show MOOG another night and hopefully by the time next week's movie rolls around we'll have a temp projector or replacement. We'll keep you posted.

However, TUESDAY night's show will go on!! We're borrowing a mic and an amp and our brand-new comedy night - CASA DE HA-HA - will debut as planned. Daniel's got a great variety of local and working comedians lined up so come out for the start of this new monthly happening. The thieves left the espresso machine and the microwave so we'll have drinks, popcorn and treats. Starts at 9pm!!

Besides that the store will have sporadic hours this week so if you're going to stop by please call first - 305.758.5862 extension 5.

Much love as always,
Lolo, Jsin, Dan, Jeff, Deuce and the whole Sweat familia

no likey bad men

Thanks GW Bush and co, for totally shitting on my homeland.

Dude, what is that sound? I'll tell ya what it is, it's the sound of markets crashing!

This morning, the very terrible news was announced that Lehman filed for bankruptcy and Merrill Lynch will be sold to Bank of America. Wall Street is looking pretty rough, as well. The Feds bailed out Bear Sterns, Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac recently, saving them from collapse, but decided against helping the 158 year old bank, Lehman Brothers.

Eddie T., my best bud and financial insider, works in Canary Wharf, London's financial district. When I spoke with him this morning, he informed me that all Lehman employees were given one day to gather their belongings, as they would have no access to the building after today. Currently, there are swarms of cameras around the building where the investment bank was once housed, focusing their lenses on the recently fired employees, who are exiting with boxes in hand.

That's right guys, it's the beginning of the end for the good old US of A, and mostly thanks to the Bush administration and the ridiculously self-serving rich-man behaviour it has exerted over this good nation. I wonder, when they hear about billions of private funds in peril, does this make them want to dump billions more in their failed Iraqi war? Do they need a little weapon retail therapy? I suppose the actual sounds of bombs and injured Iraqis are louder than that of the falling dollar. They will do anything to distract the American people from the deprivation of our civil rights and destruction of our financial security. Please do not vote another pair of murders and egomaniacal vampires into office.

Fight the upcoming depression by fighting McCain!

From the Dems:

PROTEST JOHN MCCAIN'S VISIT TO MIAMI
John McCain will be in Miami this afternoon for a HIGH dollar fundraiser. We will be demonstrating in front of the event and are asking for any interested people to come with homemade signs. The theme is that a McCain administration would be a continuation of the Bush administration. (Please no signs about Palin, let's refocus attention on McCain).
Where: Downtown, in front of the Miami Intercontinental Hotel - On the east side of Biscayne Blvd. between SE 1st and SE 2nd Sts
When: 4:30 pm, Monday
Who: Miami-Dade Democratic Party & AFL-CIO & YOU!

Even her friends don't want to vote for her.

Karl Rove, talking some trash 'bout everyone.

ROVE: Well, McCain has gone in some of his ads —
similarly gone one step too far, and sort of attributing to Obama things that are, you know, beyond the 100 percent truth test.

Click here for full article.