Peter Gordon and the Love of Life Orchestra – Another Heartbreak 8.4

I guess the name is what happens when there’s too much democracy in a group. You end up with something unruly like that title. No worries though, the music is definitely pretty excellent.

DFA did everyone a favor by reissuing this gem from the far-overlooked Peter Gordon. He worked with people as renowned as Laurie Anderson and Rhys Chatham. Parts of the late 70s/early 80s burst through each piece, especially the saxophone playing which reminds me of Pere Ubu for some reason. 

The first track is a much easier one to wrap your mind around. Even though it is a medley of various bits and pieces (going from lounge to funk to dance) it works as a whole. A few things have been touched up, adding a synthesizer is pretty much expected for any DFA release. Listening to this, and the orchestral underpinnings of what is basically a dance track, I’m pretty glad that DFA gives credit where credit is due for all those bands that have influenced them.

“That Hat” is much stranger. Never before released which is a same. This one has a much harsher vibe to it, kind of like a “No Wave” jam session going on. Of course having Arto Lindsay contributing to the track tends to do that. Out of almost nowhere, from all these random shouts and skronk, comes a reassuring voice about that hat. Worth exploring.

Vivek Oberoi wore 25 Lakh Shoes !

Although most of Bollywood didn’t venture into Bengaluru, Vivek Oberoi’s wedding with Priyanka Alva maintained its entire entertainment quotient. The day began on Friday afternoon, with a haldi ceremony at Chancery Pavillion. Most present at the event were dunked into the pool.

The ceremony started at the Alva residence, where the Oberois and the baraat reached at about 5.30 pm. Designer Tarun Tahiliani had created the red-gold outfits for the couple and everyone was heard raving about how gorgeous the two looked in shaadi ke jode (wedding attire).

Vivek While the drive from Windsor Manor hotel, where the groom’s family were put up, was covered in minutes, the journey from the entrance to the mandap took considerable time as Vivek rode a decorated ghodi (horse) as per tradition. Of course, Vivek was teased aplenty by the bride’s side before he got on the mare. Even the ghodi was made to sway and trot before he was allowed to get off.

Oberoi had to give up his shoes to his sisters-in-law before he was let into the mandap to take his seat next to his waiting bride.

Apart from the Swarovski crystals from Czechoslovakia and flowers from Italy, the mandap also had huge LCD screens put up to broadcast the entire ceremony. The wedding rites were performed as per both the Punjabi and the Karnataka traditions, and by the time the ceremony ended, it was 2 am.

When Oberoi asked for his shoes, his sisters-in-law apparently demanded Rs 25 lakh. “But it was all in good humour. Eventually, after some teasing and cajoling, the Oberois paid a couple of lakhs, so Vivek could get his shoes back,” revealed a source.

The food lawn was no less ostentatious and the buffet spread was no less extravagant, even though the families opted to stick to vegetarian food only. “The Alva and Oberoi families had decided to keep the food vegetarian. Besides, there was a separate spread for Karnataka specialties,” said our source, adding that the dessert spread was equally grand “with a nine-feet chocolate fountain” on the menu.

Nearly 200 policemen were deployed for security and about 4,000 guests attended the wedding to congratulate the daughter of Karnataka’s late political leader Jeevaraj Alva and Oberoi.

Sangeeta Bijlani and Sushmita Sen, who attended the wedding with daughter Renee, made up for the B-town quotient. Southside stars like Chiranjeevi, Sudeep and director Mani Ratnam were also present. However, the political presence was a lot more visible as Siddaramaiah, Venkaiah Naidu, RV Deshpande, DB Chandregouda, Narendra Babu, Roshan Beig and Mayor S Nataraj arrived with their multi-car security convoys

The Pink Robot – The Pink Robot 6.0

The Pink Robot is a pop group from Norway making extremely catchy, electronic music. If you have heard Ladytron or We Are Scientists you should have a pretty good idea of what you’re getting into. Most of the songs are pleasant, if not particularly substantial.

Pretty much the worst thing I can say about this is that it really isn’t anything new. Most of this kind of sound had much more popularity in the US in the middle 00s, so it perhaps if this came out a few years ago, it would be more interesting. As it is, it simply sounds like these guys sort of devoured that kind of sound and spat it back up.

Of course there are songs on here that feel good enough to avoid this “meh” feeling.  “Pink Robots” works as a cute little baby stomp. The energy dies down a little bit for “Line” which honestly sounds surprisingly sweet and less contrived than most of the other material on here. And “Washing Machine” succeeds with pure overwhelming manic hyperactivity.

So basically, there really shouldn’t be anything new you’d experience on here. There’s nothing good or bad to say about it, it simply exists for better or worse. It probably embodies my idea of “redundant” music by not being particularly offensive or original, but sometimes that’s OK.  

BSE Orissa Result 2010 for Orissa Supplementary HSC Exam, CHSE Orissa Result 2011,CHSE Board

The Board of Secondary Education, Orissa Supplementary HSC Result 2010 will be available shortly. Orissa Supplementary HSC Result 2010 announced on the official website at http://bseorissa.in/. Board of Secondary Education, Orissa Supplementary H.S.C.E 2010 is going to be publish on 30th October, 2010 at 12.30 P.M.
Orissa Supplementary HSC Result 2010
BSE Orissa Result 2010 for Orissa Supplementary HSC Exam will soon declare the HSC Supplementary Examination Results 2010.

Read more : BSE Orissa Result 2010 for Orissa Supplementary HSC Exam | Indian Exam Results
Under Creative Commons License: Attribution

Vivek Oberoi Priyanka Alva Marriage Photos, Vivek Oberoi Priyanka Wedding Pics, Images, Pictures, vivek wedding photo gallery

Vivek Oberoi Priyanka Alva Marriage Photos

Click here for More Photos

Vivek Oberoi Priyanka Alva Wedding Pics, Vivek oberoi priyanka alva marriage photos, Priyanka vivek oberoi marriage, vivek priyanka marriage images

Vivek Oberoi Priyanka Alva Marriage Photos

CLICK HERE FOR MORE PHOTOS

Vivek Oberoi Wedding photos,Vivek Oberoi Wedding pictures,Vivek Oberoi Wedding sills,Vivek Oberoi Wedding gallery,Vivek Oberoi Wedding images,Vivek Oberoi Wedding photo,Priyanka Alva wedding photos,Priyanka Alva Vivek Oberoi wedding photos,vivek oberoi priyanka alva marriage photos,vivek oberoi priyanka alva marriage pics,vivek oberoi priyanka alva marriage pictures.

The Penguin Café Orchestra – Music from the Penguin Café Orchestra 9.7

I’ve listened to this countless numbers of times, and each time I discover something a little better about the recording. Each piece on here has warmth that can’t be described, a pure joy to making music. Occasionally little images of childhood pop in here and there. This is probably one of the sweetest records I have had the pleasure of listening to, and it has this sweetest without being saccharine about it. 

Brian Eno saw this released on his “Obscure Records” label in 1976. That label name is aptly appropriate; these guys always sort of lurked in the back, never really getting the proper attention they deserved. A few radio programs use their music and a few indie films used the songs as soundtrack fodder, but there’s something more here.

“Penguin Café Single” sets the mood for you. It starts out triumphant. For whatever reason I’m reminded of early animated silent cartoons, before they got obsessed with extreme movement and wackiness. The middle part is great as well, this reflects sort of the reason that they never got so popular: they tend to repeat things and go into almost stream of conscious kind of material. 

Most of this stuff has the optimistic afterthoughts of the happiest parts of hippiedom. Interplay is constant, as are endless explorations on the same theme. Also, their balance between tension and release makes a lot of these songs work when they really shouldn’t. “Chartered flight” captures the sentiment nicely, starting out with a very tense approximation of a lonely time in the clouds. Then the warmth comes. 

There are even a few surprises on here. For example, Nico on “Coronation” gives a fairly beautiful and brief showing. She adds to the dreamlike quality of so much of this music. “Hugebaby” does this too; it gives me dreams of people and objects slowly floating away into the sky with a slight bit of wistfulness. And my favorite song on here is also the longest: “The Sound of Someone You Love Who’s Going Away and It Doesn’t Matter”. I don’t think there’s ever been a song title that so accurately described the music contained within. 

Shame they never got as popular as they deserved, but then again the music is a bit of an acquired taste.


The sound of someone you love who's going away and it doesn't matter 

Is suing four year olds for negligence a lucrative business model?

This is a question we really need to ask ourselves as a nation. How much are four year olds worth? I’m assuming millions in terms of potential future earning power. Or you could simply just take away their toys and go “nah-nah-nah” to their faces, which might have the same benefit for some people.

Justice Paul Wooten of the State Supreme Court in Manhattan has decided that yes, suing a four year-old is a lucrative business and in fact legally sound. Citing previous cases from as far back as 1928, he’s determined that this four-year old will pay for acting in “an improper manner”. Really, she was just three months shy of five; maybe it is time that she grew up. Thus, being almost five made her a prime candidate for a lawsuit. Of course, it will be up the jury to decide if she’s guilty or not.  Perhaps this now five year old should have acted with ‘due care’ while she was racing her bike with a friend on East 52^nd street in Manhattan.

It was a normal day in April, 2009 for the 87 year old Clare Menagh. She walked outside her apartment and was brutally hit by one Juliet Breitman, who was being watched by her mother Dana Breitman. The hit was hard, Clare needed hip surgery. Juliet’s training wheels on her bike couldn’t have prepared her for this. She rode on the sidewalk with these training wheels, which is technically legal for anyone under the age of 14 to do in New York City. Since Clare was 87, the chance of her surviving that sort of surgery was slim and she passed away three months later.

After Clare passed away, Clare’s estate got in touch with Juliet Breitman, informing her that they were suing her four year old daughter. This case exemplifies America’s evolution. Previously Clare’s estate might have said “Listen, we understand it was just an accident and it wasn’t intentional. We forgive you.” Now we have a far superior system that legally allows them to say to Ms. Breitman “We’re suing your four year old daughter for all she’s worth. I hope you can find a good lawyer! She’s going to wish she was never born, which wasn’t that long ago anyway.” So clearly we have improved ourselves as a country. 

Sure, some may say that perhaps the Justice Paul Wooten has a sort of bizarre name, and that it sounds kind of made up. Even more might argue the purpose of sending a five year old through our circuitous legal system will only speed up the evolution from idealistic young child to cynical teenager. Maybe by the age of nine Juliet will be a jaded teenager who believes in nothing. But I argue that Justice Paul Wooten decision doesn’t go far enough.

Children are being born each and every day. Our legal system has no way of dealing with these potential troublemakers, who cry loudly in supermarkets, retail outlets, and any other location where people might congregate. Suing children when they are born seems a bit too late. What Justice Paul Wooten should have done is use this opportunity to stem the tide of trouble-making before it begins. 

That’s right; we need to have all those thinking of being parents to pay a fee. Whenever any couple gets married they think about either having children or adopting some. As soon as any couple marries they need to immediately fill out a questionnaire. Most of it will be perfectly innocuous, like asking what their favorite TV show is, if they like dogs, favorite soda. But then there will be the following question:

“Do you plan on having or adopting children and raising them as your own?”

If they answer “yes” to this question, fine them! That’s right, in order to better protect our society, we must pre-emptively fine anyone who plans on having children in the future. By doing this, we will be able to avoid these kind of lawsuits in the future by just referring to the fine. It doesn’t have to be a particularly large fee, only about $10,000 or so. 

Before you pass this off as ridiculous, simply remember that we’re the country who regularly sues restaurants for having their coffee too hot and not warning us about it. We’re the country that needs to explain to people that contents may be hot for fear of being sued.  

So yes, we’ll see just what happens with this Juliet Breitman case. The jury might decide that suing a four year old is “insane and a total waste of everyone’s time”. Maybe it is time for all of our young children to grow up, to learn how to take responsibility for their actions, to learn the alphabet, to learn that Santa Claus isn’t real. America doesn’t allow for children to be children anymore, there’s no more innocence left.

RGV Raktha Charitra 2 First Look poster wallpaper

South Scope November Cover Pages Ram Charan and Shriya

SHRIYA SARAN ON NOVEMBER COVER PAGE

RAM CHARAN ON NOVEMBER COVER PAGE

Siddharth Bava Movie Review, Bava wallpapers, Bava Movie stills

It's a flustering experience watching film after film that has repetitive story lines, predictable scenes, run of the mill dialogues, clichéd..if all the synonyms in this description sound irritating, heard before, something that hurts your intelligence then this what exactly the director of Bava does to its spectators. A completely spectacle driven movie - beautiful, green picturesque surroundings, pleasant visuals and a good assembly of actors, et al, it does nothing to offer entertainment.

This drama is strictly not for those who value their time and money, it is also not for the cousins, or the eligible bavas and maradallu who are on the verge of getting married, simply because the director beats everyone exploring his potential to do what any Telugu cinema couldn't..a weak and a terribly lame imitation of formula films. Even the hero of the film Siddarth during the climax when he goes to his uncle's house agonized by his father's death shamelessly copies Kamal Hassan in every gesture.

Coming to the good things, even in a cheaply imitative potboiler, the director has been unbelievably clever in reworking the material with the right cast, he has chosen Rajendra Prasad for the role of Siddharth's father without whom, the movie would have collapsed like a pack of cards. Despite nothing novel in Rajendra Prasad's role, he brings the power, the dignity, the screen presence and the cushioning to Siddharth to play around with his emotions. Also there is Ahuti Prasad who is charming and artful actor enhances the potboiler. Samrat who looked like a mice in Panchakshari towers as a villain and shines throughout the drama though there was hardly any scope for him to perform. This film is a perfect example of how an actor (read Samrat) with passion can utilize a miniscule role to his advantage.

The first part of the film makes for an okay watch, makes you feel it's not bad at all. Watching Siddharth is fun and engaging, he slips into various expressions with ease but he could have retained his originality and moved ahead those crucial five minutes, from which the rest of the film deviated into familiar territories. The heroine (Pranitha) is pretty, does well and shared a good chemistry with the hero. Concentration on romance was less. The last fifteen to twenty minutes is heavily insane, a comedy that was enough, could have done without Brahmanandam.

Like the limited quantum of a village, the writer too couldn't think big, and the result is a mish mash of various films. Even women folk in villages are asserting themselves, they speak their mind and want to marry men who are more talented than riding a bicycle. They don't chew nails when the man is on the last lap of winning. Ultimately if someone or something have scored a point, it's Arya 2 which gets a full publicity of their infamous Ringa Ringa song and the cycle of a political party which becomes the object of attention.

Vivek Oberoi and Priyanka Alva marriage photos, wedding pics, videos, Vivek Oberoi Priyanka Alava Wedding Photos

CLICK HERE FOR MORE

Khali in an Indian Film as Item Number

Ashmit attacked by Veena on Bigg Boss 4

After placing match-fixing allegations on ex-boyfriend and Pakistani cricketer Mohammad Asif and unceremoniously dragging Bollywood actress Neetu Chandra's name in the international cricket scandal, Pakistani starlet Veena Malik seems to have surprisingly turned her attention towards 'Bigg Boss' 4 co-participant Ashmit Patel this week.

Ashmit, a favourite with girls on the reality show, has currently been given a kitchen task of cleaning dishes in the 'Bigg Boss' House. But when he stressed on cleanliness of utensils, out of the blue, Veena suddenly lashed out at him. "Aap ko bahut shauq hai baat karne ka, aur main yahan pe relax kar rahi hoon… Go…. Apna kaam karo... mujhpe ehsaan kar rahe ho kya ( you like to talk a lot and i am relaxing here....go....do your work...are you doing me a favour or what).”

When Ashmit started to leave the argument, saying he’s going for a workout, Veena shouted at him again, “Meri bala se workout karo(for my sake go and work out)... I don't care," she shot and added, "Jhoothe bartan dhota hai, toh khana bhi toh khata hai. (what is the big deal if he cleans dirty utensils, he eats food too) "

From the looks of it, Veena gives more significance to tiffs over emotions of the co-participants on the show. Ashmit's publicist Dale Bhagwagar agrees. "Veena is just a drama queen. She talks about tehzeeb (etiquette) and integrity, but seems to do everything for effect," he remarked.

Undoubtedly, Veena's attention-seeking antics are questionable, but the irony is that such cocky behaviour has also come to be known as a necessary evil for reality shows, so it has to be tolerated by the other participants. "Ashmit is a responsible person.

He might get upset on the spur of the moment, but I'm sure he will get over this volley of words and bounce back with dignity," Bhagwagar added.

It will be interesting to watch how far Veena's 'stings' (she's been nicknamed Vishkanya on the show) will take her on 'Bigg Boss'. As far as the viewers are concerned, they seem to be lapping up every bit of the drama, as much as they are enjoying host Salman Khan's dabangg moves and jibes.

Experimental Dental School – Hideous Dance Attack 6.4

Sure, these guys are chaotic. I think after the first 5 seconds it is pretty hard to ignore that. Plus, some of their songs can be pretty catchy, getting stuck in your mind for a while. But even as they open for Deerhoof, they sort of lack the same level of charm and polish.

My problem with the album is for every experiment that works in the scatter shot approach (Kkkfc Serves Sparkily Squirl Meat) that something completely pointless without any merit (Some 4). The vocalist also sounds like they are trying a bit too hard to be like Mike Patton. Not that such ambition is bad, but if you fail, it kind of leaves a bad taste in the listener’s mouth.

Honestly, I’m not sure why there are so many ambient pieces to the music, especially in the latter half. Some bands are able to successfully integrate fast and slow, chaos and ambient, but these guys aren’t one of those bands. If you need a quick fix of skronk, these guys are alright. But otherwise this is just a “meh” experience.

Vivek Oberoi Marriage, Vivek Oberoi Wedding Pics, Vivek Priyanka Alva marriage Photos

Vivek Oberoi becomes a married man this week. The actor is currently basking in the adulation for his portrayal as slain Andhra politician Paritala Ravi in Ram Gopal Varma’s Rakht Charitra.

The 34-year-old star has teamed up with Varma after a long time for the multi-lingual, two-part film, which depicts the rise and fall of Paritala. Vivek says that his fiancee, Priyanka Alva, a business management graduate from London, has been very understanding about his preoccupation with the movie promotion that took up most the pre-wedding time.

The wedding card itself is made out of eco-friendly handmade papyrus, which when opened seems like a jewellery box with two compartments. The first of these segments contains chocolates while the second has special invites for the various functions, directions to the venue, a car pass and the wedding invitation itself.

Listening to Music to take Music to.

I stood in my natural habitat. Fluorescent light shone brightly, doing a good job approximating actual sunlight. Dub Reggae emanated from the speakers, giving the small room a tropical vibe. 

Each record I saw I explained to my friend standing next to me. Bizarrely, a few random people asked me for help, like I worked in the place. Having that small acknowledgment was nice, I’m happy to explain the joys of Slint’s Spiderland any day of the week. Everyone should learn about the alternative to the Seattle scene, the Louisville, KY scene in the early 90s. 

I wonder how much longer my musical addiction, affliction last for? I’ve seen all the movies that try to give me some sort of reasonable answer and I’m worried. None of those movies seem to depict me at all. There barely seems to be a movie based off of musical addictions occurring digitally. It always is focused on some record store or being in a band, etc. Physical stores aren’t things that really exist anymore, sorry “High Fidelity”. As cool as you appeared to be in the movies, most people don’t start record stores anymore. Excluding a few beautiful, lovely stores like Other Music, they largely have fallen by the wayside. 

Greenberg worries me a bit more. Rather than show musical addiction as something to be celebrated, like High Fidelity did, it shows the downside. Instead of connecting to others through his musical interests, Greenberg ends up getting lost inside his own head. Each time he makes a reference, nobody gets it. I tried explaining my worry about this happening to a friend and he told me “Don’t worry; I don’t get your references even now”. So thanks for that vote of confidence. 

Greenberg’s 40 and completely aimless. After breaking up his own band out of idealism, he can barely connect to those few people in his life that he should. Perhaps what happens after being so hopeful is an eventual burnout. It doesn’t happen instantly. Time passes and slowly joy for the new fades, like how Bedhead sings “But this year I think I’d rather be a relic/than part of the present”. I’ve often had rooftop discussions with those lamenting the better, older music, and how “nothing good happens anymore”. Lately I’m growing weary of the negativity to some degree, since I think music is one of my purest joys, unaltered by anything overwhelmingly awful. 

 When does that point come though, of pure musical weariness, of that yearning for the old? That ought to be something I can prepare for, like having an IPOD on you at all times in case of emergency. If you need to ask what sort of emergency, you’re probably not that big of a music snob. I should have some delicious, gross junk food near me for when that happens, like Pizza Combos or Lindt Dark Chocolate. 

There’s so much research to do for music too. Sure, it has become easier to read reviews, and compare various sites with one other, to get a better idea of who suits your interests. Entire sites equally divvy up amounts of “buzz”, trying to cool your interests hip and relevant. And before you say that “Oh, people just get a general idea from them” I’ve been to parties where people read Pitchfork so religiously that they know exactly what score each and every album got for the past year, even albums they never actually listened to. 

Finally, to give some sort of closure, I wonder about how people treat me. Am I just a curiosity, reeling off bands like a catalog, complete with blurbs for each, or am I a human being? Or am I slowly losing myself in the midst of so much sounds, so much music, that I become a musical Slothrop? That I constantly seek out that perfect album, that perfect music. That each morning I wake up, check Boomkat, check Pitchfork, check Tiny Mixtapes, and check various blogs, etc. looking for my 00000. People try to help me with this problem, with this search, trying to drag back into working, but I might just go down one of those creative routes, never to return. 

We’ll see, hopefully this will help those who wonder the same thing as they endlessly spew out musical references, sorting through the thousands upon thousands of songs, looking for that special one. Perhaps the same could be said for people too, you know, the whole “Special Someone” bit. 

But no matter what, Other Music, right near Cooper Union, you’ll always be forever loved in my heart.

Jon Stewart needles a willing Obama on The Daily Show

Washington: I didn't wake up to October 28 thinking there shall be a first today. But the President of the United States did get addressed as "Dude" soon after.

On a 30-minute television interview - where Barack Obama was happy to handle some needling from popular host Jon Stewart for the larger political good of connecting with the latter's committed young audience - Stewart said: "You don't want to use that phrase, Dude!".

First, I shall have to enter the word in my dictionary of acceptable usage and stop frowning upon the kids using it as standard address for everyone on Facebook or out of it.

Second, can't help wonder if our Prime Minister Dr Manmohan Singh or President Pratibha Patil would be able to handle "Dude" with as much equanimity as did Obama. Obama winked winsomely. But then I guess there is a generation gap there.

Stewart's interview is the stuff that is making the Web buzz. It was after all history in the making as Obama became the first US president to be interviewed on Comedy Central's satirical The Daily Show.

Jon Stewart will gather some more fans the world over after this one, though some people are less than pleased with what they term disrespect to the President and his office. Watch highlights of a fun, startling, expectedly teasing interview that Barack Obama emerges out of reasonably unscathed and having said his piece, despite the banter: Though he does get riled in places. And is he a tad too serious?

Time traveler caught on film in 1928? Filmmaker claims find in Charlie Chaplin's 'The Circus' DVD

Did a time traveler get caught on camera in 1928?



The web has been pondering this question recently after an Irish filmmaker posted a video to YouTube allegedly showing the person from the future talking into what appears to be a cell phone.

"I've screened this to about 100 people at a film festival I run here in Belfast, and nobody could give me an explanation," said George Clarke, in the opening moments of his video.

The Northern Ireland father of two, who proclaims himself a fan of Chaplin and Jackie Chan, claims no one has been able to explain the odd character.

"Right now the only conclusion I can come to, which sounds absolutely ridiculous I'm sure to some people, but it's a time traveler," Clarke said.

The strangely dressed person is only on screen for a few moments in an extra found on the DVD of "The Circus," a 1928 silent film by Chaplin. She steps into frame outside Mann's Chinese Theater in Hollywood, where the film premiered, then the image dissolves away.

She stops momentarily, and appears to be talking into something in her hand, which she holds as if it were a cell phone (a technology that didn't exist at that time at all, which begs the question even if it were such a device, how could it work?).

Mobile communication devices such as the "walkie-talkie" were not invented until more than a decade later in the 1940s, and even then were chiefly for military use.

However, while this fantastical theory is fun to ponder, in all likelihood the woman is actually using a hearing aid. The device was invented in the 1920s, and by 1928 there were a few small devices available, such as ones manufactured by Acousticon, that could explain the device in her hand.

A photo from the 1940s was also treated with similar speculation earlier this year.

In it, a man wearing a t-shirt, sweater and wearing sunglasses, who seemed to some out of place from the men in suits and fedoras standing around him, had some believing he was a man from the future.

World Series: Tony Bennett spurs Giants on to victory

World Series: Tony Bennett spurs Giants on to victory
Giants beat Rangers in World Series opener



The opening game of the World Series was supposed to be a pitching duel but batters ruled supreme as the San Francisco Giants beat the Texas Rangers 11-7 to take an early lead in the best-of-seven series.

The Wednesday match-up of aces Cliff Lee of Texas and San Francisco’s Tim Lincecum left a final linescore that totalled 18 runs and 25 hits, including 10 doubles.

San Francisco made a shaky start and trailed 2-0 after the first inning.

But after multi-award winning singer Tony Bennett calmed the 43,601 capacity crowd at AT&T Park with a sweet rendition of "I Left My Heart in San Francisco" at the end of the first inning the Giants got back on track to claim the Fall Classic opener.

They dented Lee’s aura of invincibility with two runs in the third inning followed by a six-run outburst in the fifth.

Freddy Sanchez had three doubles among his four hits, while Juan Uribe hit a three-run homer off reliever Darren O’Day that capped the scoring in the fifth and made a winner of Lincecum.

Game Two will be in San Francisco on Thursday with Matt Cain, who has yet to yield an earned run in the postseason, starting for the Giants against C.J. Wilson of the Rangers.

Paul the Psychic World Cup Octopus Dead

Paul the octopus dies

Berlin: Paul the octopus, who shot to fame during this year's football World Cup in South Africa for his flawless record in predicting game outcomes, has died, his aquarium in Germany said.

"Management and staff at the Oberhausen Sea Life Centre were devastated to discover that oracle octopus Paul, who achieved global renown during the recent World Cup, had passed away overnight," the aquarium said in a sombre statement.

"Paul amazed the world by correctly predicting the winners of all Germany's World Cup clashes, and then of the final," said Sea Life manager Stefan Porwoll.

"His success made him almost a bigger story than the World Cup itself... We had all naturally grown very fond of him and he will be sorely missed," said Porwoll.

Paul beat the odds during the World Cup by correctly forecasting all eight games he was asked to predict, including Spain's 1-0 win over the Netherlands in the final.

For the prediction, two boxes were lowered into the salty soothsayer's tank, each containing a mussel and a flag of the two opposing teams.

Watched by a myriad of reporters, Paul would head to one box, wrench open the lid and gobble the tasty morsel, with the box he plumped for being deemed the likely winner.

Paul's body is now in cold storage while the aquarium decides "how best to mark his passing."

However, Paul's fans need not despair. The aquarium has already been grooming a successor, to be named Paul like his mentor.

"We may decide to give Paul his own small burial plot within our grounds and erect a modest permanent shrine," said Porwoll.

"While this may seem a curious thing to do for a sea creature, Paul achieved such popularity during his short life that it may be deemed the most appropriate course of action."

Lesser/Kid606 – Split 8.8

Vinyl Communications probably did the best thing possible by releasing this split. Not only does it offer a snapshot at these two artists in their prime but it also ended up being ahead of the curve on this kind of chaos-ridden glitch music.

When I first heard this, I kind of got blown away by the quality and the sheer strangeness. It is like the most digital punk stuff I’d ever heard. Lesser began the split with two long and very abstract pieces. Random fragments of drum programming, shards of noise, all filed under the most obnoxious names he could think of. I mean, “Produced by Giorgio Moroder” for an abstract and repetitious noise track? Yeah, I think that disco purveyor really had something to do with this.

Years later, upon finding this little CD in one of my spindles, I decided to give it another listen, to see if it held up against the test of time. Listening to it now, I realize that is very much a yes. For both of the artists involved, this is probably some of my favorite material from either of them.

Lesser’s side stands up well, the “Speed for Gavin (AMF Cover)” being one of the weirdest things, mixing up industrial with ridiculous little samples. Example: “You sell fish here” and “Blessing some guy from San Diego”. There’s happier moments from Lesser as well, like “From-Ace Baby! To-Dad” and the surreal carnival of “Kid Tested, Mother Approved”. Jason Doerck sort of mixes together the high and low culture (drum machines and abstract noise) into some weird mix.

Kid606’s side is excellent. This is coming from his more abstract phase in his music before he took the lazy route of imitation dance music. Around this time he had “Down with the Scene” out and figured his life would be better off if he dropped out of school. Oddly, it was. Miguel includes some bizarre, distorted melodies like in “Hunting for Affection” and the demented ho-down of “Catch a Lucky Star”.  It was this release that even got me into a lot of other Tigerbeat6 stuff, before it descended down to just another boutique record label.

Overall, I’m pleasantly surprised that after revisiting this album over a decade later, it still works. This is an approach most electronic artists have failed to take. And why they haven’t is probably the million dollar question for me.

Should we have cuter “Chief of Police” in order to bring down crime?

The power of cute compels you!

Marisol Valles Garcia is beginning a new wave of stop crime. You may be familiar with the “broken windows” theory of fighting crime. This theory stated that if you catch people for smaller crimes, you’ll end that feeling of helplessness that engulfs the area. Due in part to this and various economic factors New York City saw the crime rate drop.

Ms. Garcia’s new wave is the wave of cuteness. An adorable 20 year old college student has decided to take on the unstoppable crime wave with purely her cute skills. Perhaps she’ll transform herself into a kind of Pokémon, using her powers to defeat the most hardened of criminals Mexico’s drug cartels have to offer in Praxedis G. Guerrero.

Initially these evil fiends might try to take advantage of this criminology student. Of course, they won’t realize her true powers until it is too late. 

As they rough up various citizens of her town, she’s suddenly jump up into the air, loudly screaming “Pika” and they won’t know what will happen next. Earth’s energy will be tapped as she releases that final “Chu” and lighting flies out of her hands, terrifying the evil doers. Terrified, the evil doers will stop their villainous ways and start publishing tumblrs showing the beauty of nature. 

There’s precedent for this of course. Post-War Japan has enjoyed one of the lowest crime rates out of any other country in the world. Some attribute this to a relatively prosperous and equal distribution of wealth. But this doesn’t hold up against closer investigation.

Upon its defeat following World War II, Japan became a pacifist nation. In those terms of surrender, that was one of the main agreements. Another, smaller agreement had to be that all advertisements had to include at least 50% cartoon characters or cartoon-like humans. This has gone unnoticed, and initially the population was like “WTF is this? Why are cartoon characters selling me feminine hygiene products” but now it has become an integral part of their life. Psychologists in the United States explored this topic extensively during World War II via the Warner Brother’s propaganda cartoons and realized this is what galvanized our forces against the enemy. So it got tried in Japan as a first trial for the experiment. 

Cartoon characters and cuteness in general can have the same effect in Mexico against the drug cartels. Those who run drug cartels are often thought to be heartless bastards due to their penchant for dissolving dead bodies in vats of acid. But even they will be unable to resist cartoon characters with eyes that shine like a blue million miles.

I hope that Ms. Garcia is able to turn the tide and again make her fellow citizens feel safe enough to go outside again. Godspeed You! College Student.