the 941

Tonight, at Digital Three Studios, a bunch of kids are going to eat acid, paint their skin and watch Alice in Wonderland at half-speed while they rub each other’s nude bodies under a liquid-light show.

That’s not exactly what it says on the bill. Officially, it’s a psychedelic music and art party, Alice in Wonderland-themed, with no drugs. But there will be a light show, ass-kicking bands and possibly trippy video projections. Local up-and-comer Villanova Junction is headlining. Dress up in your interpretation of the ’60s, psychedelia, or Alice in Wonderland.

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— To those of you who think that western hegemony is humorless and boring, just wait until China takes over the world. May the reign of weird be long and far-reaching.

– Hilarious (no, really) feminist commentary from Kristen Schaal on The Daily Show. She takes on the term “cougar,” a label bandied about pretty freely in Sarasota-town.

– Is it possible to be not in love with Feist? This video makes us want to have kids just so she can mold their supple young minds. One two three four/Monsters walkin’ ‘cross the floor/I love counting/Counting to the number four

– Remember the Bush-Kerry “This Land” video from 2004? Well, the folks from Jib Jab are back for Obama and McCain.

“Melting-words” by Kotama Bouabane

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This Web site, even if it sounds like an invention of the Stuff White People Like blogger, is pretty brilliant. Every time you correctly answer a vocabulary question, the site’s creators donate 20 grains of rice through the UN World Food Program. Your vocab level increases as you get more words right, as does the amount of rice you donate.

The concept hits all the right white-people buttons (the subculture, not the race). Wanting to be the smartest, making a difference, and a fixation on vocabulary/grammar. It perfectly manipulates that psychology to make something real happen.

In its first five months, FreeRice.com says it generated enough rice to feed more than one million people. To put the 20-grain earnings in perspective, in countries where rice is a staple, the UN World Food Program will give a person about 19,200 grains of rice a day. The game is pretty addictive, and it doesn’t take long to rack up a few hundred grains.

From FreeRice’s FAQ:

If FreeRice has the rice to give, why not give it all away right now?

FreeRice is not sitting on a pile of rice. You are earning it 20 grains at a time. Here is how it works. When you play the game, sponsor banners appear on the bottom of your screen. The money generated by these banners is then used to buy the rice. So by playing, you generate the money that pays for the rice donated to hungry people.

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Just a little friendly reminder to all you happenin’ kids out there in Squara– oops, we mean Sorryscrot — jeez, what are we saying. Ahem.

Don’t anybody forget to go to Burns Court tomorrow night for Cinema Sounds. Here’s the see and do that CL arts writer Amanda, currently on “vacay” in Portland, wrote for the event.

Burns Court is taking the edge off a muggy July eve with the second installment of its Cinema Sounds series. Saturday’s lineup features a handful of bands providing live musical accompaniment to film excerpts of their choosing. Among the acts: Miami’s Rat Bastard and Curious Hair, and locals Resi Noth, Syd and I and HoverKraft. The latter band, a minimalist/prog rock trio, will furnish the score to Dutch filmmaker Peter Delpeut’s 1991 silent era collage, Lyrical Nitrate. It’s a compilation of found footage shot between 1905 and 1915, the title a nod to the rotting, potentially explosive chemical stock discovered in storage at an Amsterdam cinema. This sort of ephemeral edit job, complete with an in-the-flesh, avant-garde soundtrack, sounds right up our trippy alley. Hell, it’s gotta beat The Love Guru. Sat., July 12, doors at 10 p.m., Burns Court Cinema, 506 Burns Lane, Sarasota, $5, 955-3456 or filmsociety.org

All the cool kids will be there, and so will we.

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We stumbled across this New York Times story, written by a blessedly restrained Rick Bragg, about the fate of Florida’s more extroverted alligators. The story features the standalone line “Numerous dogs have been consumed.”

Let me sum up the article for you: Florida has a state agency that executes alligators for being themselves.

Then again, I guess alligators execute river turtles and egrets for being themselves. But at least they don’t trick them with marshmallows.

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The benefits of a broad leafy tree canopy shading your city are numerous. Lower A/C costs, fresher air, and big tough tree friends who will prop up your tired back or cradle you high up in a dark heart of branches.

Hopefully, the “nimby” sentiment doesn’t apply to beautiful native trees. The city of Sarasota is looking for participants in its Green Canopy Partnership program, whereby the city plants trees along the right-of-way of residents’ homes. In turn, the residents sign a pledge to water and care for the saplings until they take root. It’s free.

For more information, contact Neighborhood Services at 954-2612, or download a Green Canopy Partnership Program pledge form.

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Not to incriminate folks and say for sure that any of this actually happened, but let’s consider for a minute a hypothetical situation that would be pretty funny if it was true.

Let’s say that there was this man staying at my house for a night, vaguely connected to one of my roommates, and let’s say he’s a fugitive. A stocky, muscular guy with an easy grin on his roughly handsome face. Maybe he reminds you of the shirtless uncle that your parents tried to keep you away from. The one who chain-smoked and made dirty jokes about your mother.

Anyway, supposing he wants to buy a dime bag that night (even though he’s loaded down with pharmaceuticals), but he doesn’t have any money. So let’s say he swaggers down to the North Trail and starts offering oral sex to passing male drivers. One hundred and fifty dollars a pop, to be paid in advance, and then he books it before ever bending a knee.

I remember when I first looked into a rental in Sarasota, it was just last February, and a local landlord and rather well-known community figure who will go unnamed was courting me to move into one of his properties. He said he was building a community of young professionals and artists, a vibrant social setting in which all of his tenants would network and share ideas. Here’s another anecdote from my little household.

It’s not that I mind living in a place like this. (Except when my laptop is stolen by another houseguest.) Let’s face it, life in Sarasota can be pretty milquetoast, and I feel lucky that my home life keeps things interesting. On the night we had our jailbound guest in the house, I think there was some kind of boat parade downtown.

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“Blessed are the meth drinkers, pot sellers, illuuusion dwellers.”

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The Herald-Tribune had a surprisingly good story in yesterday about the ban on yard parking in Gillespie Park that was passed by the City Commission. A group of residents in that neighborhood had been complaining about cars parked on front lawns, saying that it was a blight on their neighborhood.

I was at the city planning board meeting a few weeks ago, when board members heard testimony from various residents. Sadly, all the residents testifying against yard parking were white, and all those defending it were black or Hispanic residents with large families. It seems to be a battle between one group’s aesthetic sensibility and another group’s desire to function comfortably. Team Pretty Sidewalks won, and a bunch of drivers will have to find something to do with their cars.

Here’s a quote from the one dissenting commissioner, who ultimately didn’t cast a vote: “Every one of these people that came up here supporting this idea is in this one little group, and they have constantly been badgering this City Commission how best to make the neighborhood better so the rest can leave.”

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Cover: Food for naught

Food writer Brian Ries takes a close look at All-Faiths Food Bank, which, although its capacity to feed is staggering, is struggling in the soft economy.

UrbEx: Real ultimate power

A group of Sarasotans have become involved in something called the Society of Secrets. Even if it is a multi-level marketing scheme, it’s a bizarre and intriguing one for sure.

The City: Stars in their eyes

A couple movie producers are giving locals the chance to record video auditions for cheap, with a green screen set up at the Royal Palm movie theater.

Townie: Riches and wonders

Kent Gulley with the Sarasota Rare Coin Gallery describes the ins and outs of coin collecting.

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Before some friends and I tried flavor tripping for the first time, I’ll admit I had some unrealistic expectations. I thought the newly popularized miracle fruit would make my palate go temporarily insane; olives would taste like licorice, rice would taste like pudding, soap would taste like marmalade. We’d lick the cinnamon sweat from each other’s armpits!

This past weekend, a friend from Ft. Lauderdale bought berries (at $3 each) from a local horticulturist, and seven of us prepared a smorgasbord. We each chewed a berry, swished it around in our mouths for a minute, then began to taste.

First, we did lemons and limes. Some said they tasted like tangerines, but there was more to the flavor than that: essence-of-lime without the sourness. We sliced them up and squeezed them one after another into our mouths.

“It has buttery notes!” said the person next to me.

Heineken became very drinkable on the miracle fruit. Some of the tasters thought it evoked cream soda. One friend suggested writing a letter to the brewer: “Dear Heineken, we had to pay $3 to enjoy your beer.”

Ranch dressing tasted like custard.

Bordeau tasted like Riesling.

Goat cheese tasted like cream cheese.

Dubliner cheese tasted like a milder cheese.

Tequila tasted like tequila. (Tequila will not be moved.)

As you can see, the flavor conversions weren’t as wild as I’d thought they’d be. (more…)

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