NOISE!

We went all the way to BALTIMORE!

Video Montage by Brian Danin

The show was actually quite fantastic. Ideally I would have written this 2 weeks ago after we went, but sometimes this is just the way it rolls. I still plan on writing reviews for a few other shows I’ve been to since coming to DC, but don’t often have a spare moment to write these days.

There was also a second room in the back, sort of out of sight, that had more bands playing simultaneously. I really should have taken better advantage of that (if only I’d known) during Black Dice. I do actually quite like the novelty of noise bands, but I must admit that it gets quite tiring after about 15 minutes.

Finally, Dan Deacon came on. However, his choice to stand with the crowd instead of using the more obvious and conventional stage would haunt him the entire show. He called security by name over the microphone more than once and said things like, “Now I know what the stage is for!” A bit strange really. He also kept having the house lights turned on and trying to distract everyone to move to the back of the venue.

In the end, it was a fun show, and very interactive with Dan Deacon.

Look out for more post-dated reviews from BZD

Asleep at the Wheel?

We may never know exactly what happened, but let’s just say it was a strange end to another depressing story: “Cat on a Hot Tin Roof” starring Elizabeth Taylor. The first screening of the year for National Theatre Summer Cinema was last night. It ended with the host announcing this terrible incident.

As such, I was lucky to be in China Town, away from the collision, but I couldn’t help but remember the odd conversation I over-heard in the tunnel on Sunday, waiting for the red line, about to head north, to transfer at Fort Totten.

The trains run on the same track. In rush-hour it’s intensely complicated. San Fransisco’s BART is even worse…

the traveler had said, holding a paper map of the WMATA. Merely a strange coincidence I’m sure, but sometimes, especially in hindsight where we can easily edit our experience, it starts to feel like there is order in an otherwise chaotic world. I’m always saddened by train crashes, because I think we should be doing everything we possibly can at this moment to build a national train system to serve as a nation-wide transportation plan.
That’s right, I’m talking about

Magnetic Speed Trains

which according to WikiPedia have the ability to reach speeds up to 4,000mph. Furthermore, this technology has been around since 1907 and has been terribly underutilized in the U.S. Honestly, trains are way better than air-transit for most people.

Some photos from the Washington Post:

I like the idea of filming very nearly still images, so it follows that I should like this:

Sixty seconds in the life of windows reminds me of a puppet show. I think this may be the most adorable thing I have seen all day, which is significant because I caught up on a few days worth of lolcats this afternoon.

There are many more at the Ironic Sans blog:
http://www.ironicsans.com/60_seconds/

c@

Food Inc.

An amazing looking film that details a depressing truth about the world food distribution system.

This isn’t just about what we’re eating. This is about what we’re allowed to say, what we’re allowed to know. This isn’t just our health that’s at risk…

A Must See!

I was very heartened to see this article on the Huffington post. http://www.huffingtonpost.com/dr-chris-mccoy/dear-ama-i-quit_b_214318.html

As a member of the legal profession I have always felt that the stereotype of lawyers being a profession full of the money grubbing professionals disinterested in actual good of the client was too weightily placed only our heads, its nice to see that the AMA is helping the rest of america realize that Doctors are even worse. I am baffled that a group of people whose entire profession is premised on the idea of doing no harm can so willingly oppose a plan that would give millions of people access to preventative and necessary care. I applaud Dr. Chris McCoy for distancing himself from the organization and recognizing that “the AMA represents a physician-centered and self-interested perspective rather than honoring the altruistic nature of my profession.”As Dr. McCoy (damn it Jim, I’m a Doctor not a blogger) so clearly and rightly points out, “instead of advocating for patients, the AMA is supporting the private insurance industry, which has been a driving force in creating the dysfunction health care system we have today.” Its a shame that President Obama cannot do the same and instead panders to the very people who brought us to this crisis.

AMA’s response to the Senate Finance Commitee proposal on healthcare reform:
http://www.ama-assn.org/ama1/pub/upload/mm/399/hsr-senate-finance-part2-comments-11may2009.pdf