the 941

Is it shameless self-promotion if you still feel a little ashamed for doing it? Of course not. So, with a little bit of shame, I’d like to direct you to a book that a friend and I self-published this spring.

Photographer Mike Patterson and I traveled through Thailand, Laos and southern China last fall. We eschewed tour groups, “trekking” trips, and all things insular. Our livin’ was mean, ugly and stupid.

Between his photos and my writing, we kept a carefully composed blog. When we got back, Mike transformed it into a book. He downloaded the book-making software from Blurb.com, then uploaded our product to the site, where an unlimited number of paperback copies can now be ordered.

I know that lots of 20-somethings travel through southeast Asia, but we did that shit right. It was the only real adventure I’ve ever had and I’ve dreamt about it every night since. The book is full of danger and sex and ecstasies both high and low.

Check out the blog (any heading on this post is a good place to start) if you want to gauge your interest in the print product. Mike is an excellent photographer, and the book has even better photos that are missing from the blog. Other travel books are boring.

Here are a couple excerpts: (more…)

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Most people who know who David Rees is know him from “Get Your War On,” his semi-serious comic strip mocking the War on Terror.

GYWO, which is published in many alternative-weekly newspapers but not ours, is not that funny. At least not after you’ve seen his earlier stuff. In My New Filing Technique is Unstoppable, he took the same clip-art characters that he now uses in GYWO, but to far more hilarious effect.

Adventures of Confessions of St. Augustine Bear, Relationshapes, and My New Fighting Technique is Unstoppable are also very funny. He certainly does absurdism better than he does socio-political commentary.

Recently, CL got a flier in the mail from one Carlos Montage, whose comics look like a ripoff of David Rees’s. Carlos Montage claims that his work is distinct, but that his and Rees’s shared style might be some sort of new wave in comic strips.

From an e-mail that Carlos Montage sent me: “The appeal of using clip art is that it establishes an authoritative foundation. These are the images used for informational brochures and marketing. To subvert this immediately establishes a line in the sand, a conflict, and thus a fertile place from which to launch. (Art Chantry is one of many poster designers who employs this tactic.)”

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The Devil wears Prada, but the Pope?

Devo to the Fast Food Man — Whip THIS, Mickey D’s.

The Uncomfortable Question of the Day.

The “Resistance” obviously doesn’t apply to everything in this vintage ad.

Score one for the “rumor that doesn’t die is not a rumor” contingent.

R.I.P., Kermit Love — better known as the man behind Big Bird.

News [Grandmaster] Flash: Hip-hop icon’s memoir out. We’re in [white] line for it now. No, seriously, don’t do it.

Slate provides an illustrated history of the bikini. Go ahead and just click now.

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- Barack Obama and Scarlett Johansson. She and he exchanged some mutually supportive e-mails about each other’s work, expressing admiration and encouragement etc. I guess some reporters decided to make a thing out of it, and Obama blew the whole thing off and jilted the poor superbabe.

I tend to agree with Slate’s Mickey Kaus that the candidate was unnecessarily dismissive. Their exchange didn’t sound improper.

But if it did, well, we know how damaging that could be. Wait, weren’t there rumors about another president and a blindingly sexy celeb? Don’t fight the Kennedy comparisons, Obama. That’s like dodging gumdrops.

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Scared to send your child out of the house for hours at a time to run off their summer vacation energy? Now you’ve got something else to fear.

According to a NYT article, kindergarten and 1st grade kids put on body mass two to three times faster during the summer, compared to the school year. Some of that has to do with the lack of scheduled eating and activity enforced by schools, some has to do with sitting around watching TV and playing video games. Sadly, kids who need to gain weight also did better during the school year, putting on more mass, likely thanks to the almost-guaranteed offer of two-to-three squares a day from the government.

School cafeteria food may not be ideal, but Sarasota has the right attitude to help kids with nutrition.

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Who’d have thought that Arnold Schwartzenegger’s cult classic, Predator, would spawn yet another political hopeful? This time it’s Sonny Landham, who played Billy in the film. Now, he’s running, as a libertarian, for Senate in Kentucky, where he will try to unseat current majority leader Mitch McConnell.

A classic momment from the film:

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In other, less important political news, Congress, for a reason I’m at a loss to come up with, approved a White House backed plan to update the Foreign Intelligence Service Act, a plan that will give retroactive immunity to telecommunications companies who help the government spy on Americans.Oh wait, here’s the reason: money.  Democratic presidential hopeful Barack Obama supports the plan, a move that has devastated many of his most loyal, netroots backers.

• Today in conspiracy theories: The destruction of World Trader Center 7 is looking more and more like an inside job.

• And, are the neocon nutjobs planning another Pearl Harbor, this time in the Persian Gulf?

•  The truth about the cannabis cure for cancer.

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The Orange County Register, a newspaper in California, annouced it is outsourcing some of its copy-editing and design to workers in India. Management claims no jobs will be lost. Yet.
This blog, for now, will continue to be produced in Sarasota.

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Nothing more to say here. [giggle]

Oh, yes, he did. Sing it now… Freeeeeeee, Na-o-mi Camp-bell — doesn’t have quite the same urgency to it, no?

First, Faith, and now Tim — Do NOT mess with the McGraws.

Quaid’s infant twins love Obama: But what about Randy, Dennis? What about Randy?

Okay, this is just weird. Where’s Dick Dawson when you need him? Oh, riiiight.

Damn it. If you read The 941 last week, you know… If not, too late. Thanks a lot, Lucas.

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This just in: Old record night at Canvas Cafe has been canceled for the rest of the summer. Bummer. It was just two weeks ago we were grooving on their front porch to Ravi Shankar, The Count Five, and other forgotten goodies.

They tell us that the Wednesday-night routine will start up again in September. Until then, Canvas DJ Miranda Zimmer will be spinning the oldies at Sarasota Olive Oil Company every Thursday night. Tomorrow night’s in question since Miranda’s out of town, but next week fo’ sho’.

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Barack Obama is hosting a pow-wow, and you’re invited. Or rather, he’s asking the American people to host pow-wows in his honor. But you’re still invited.

The nationwide Unite for Change house meetings will take place this Saturday, if all goes according to Obama’s plan. He’s even written up an agenda for the party hosts.

The Sarasota shindig will be hosted by Diana McKay, at Lois Norman’s home on Sawyer Road. It looks like she’s asking for RSVPs.

In conclusion, here are some comments on Obama (Obamments?) from author Noah Cicero. He is being interviewed by the occasionally obnoxious but self-redeeming enough Tao Lin, a very hip writer.

1. What would Barack Obama say about Treatise?

Barack Obama would go up to the podium with that strange smile on his face. Like he just farted and tell everyone, “Last night I read a book by a person named Noah Cicero. A fine American. A good American. An American. (Applause) He says some very discouraging things about Americans. He is typical of those who have lost hope. But with my health care program that will provide health care to like five people thoughts like his will end. (applause) (Barack Obama smiles) America will regain its once superpower status and Jesus loves you. (applause) (Barack Obama gets a drink of water.) Noah Cicero’s problem is that he doesn’t believe in change one can believe in because he knows that is a tautology and doesn’t mean anything. Now I went to Harvard and I know what a tautology is. And I know it doesn’t make any sense. But you don’t. I’m tricking you. You’re stupid. (applause.) Often I have thought about leaving everything and becoming blue collar, doing some work with my hands, being a normal person. (Barack Obama smiles at the union delegates in the audience.) But I have decided to go higher, to become president so I can help all these little sad people get things like, and because I’ve never actually worked a day in my life just like Hillary and McCain. Hmm, I don’t know. I love America and Noah Cicero sucks and should be shot, and I don’t understand why freedom of speech allows for this. (applause.)

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