Cirroc

Castille reignites dispute over Pennsylvania death-penalty appeals | Philadelphia Inquirer | 05/16/2011

2011-05-16T18:44:00.000-07:00

Castille reignites dispute over Pennsylvania death-penalty appeals | Philadelphia Inquirer | 05/16/2011

Federal habeas petitions have been receiving some national press lately. The New York Times ran an op-ed about federal habeas reform a few weeks back. And now the Chief Justice of the Pennsylvania Supreme Court has weighed in on the issue at the state level in a very big way, even going so far as to accuse the federal habeas unit in Pennsylvania of malfeasance.

It's important to note first of all that the Hoffman editorial from the Times and Chief Judge Castille raise very different issues. And Hoffman's criticisms, while severely misguided, are on a much different level than Castille's outright hostility toward the federal defenders.

But both Hoffman and Castille argue essentially that the capital habeas process is an expensive waste of taxpayer resources. In the case of Castille, this criticism is extremely dangerous for a number of reasons. First, it is extremely unethical and unbecoming of a judge to level this sort of broadside against the indigent defense community. Castille is also using his office to lend an aura of judicial authority to what is explicitly a political, partisan argument. (It should be noted that Pennsylvania supreme court judges are elected positions, and that Castille, a Republican, ran in 1994 on a "tough-on-crime" platform that touted the 45 death penalty verdicts he obtained as a prosecutor.)

Finally, and most significantly, Castille's argument completely misrepresents the motivation behind the federal defenders' efforts in state court. The defender's exhaustive practices in state court are motivated by the Antiterrorism and Effective Death Penalty Act ("AEDPA") passed by Congress in 1996. The AEDPA imposed a host of stringent jurisdictional limitations on federal habeas corpus petitions, one of which is "exhaustion": any claims raised in a federal habeas petition must be raised first in a state proceeding, either on direct appeal or in a post-conviction relief petition, or they are barred. So by necessity, federal defenders are forced to raise every colorable legal argument at the state level by whatever means available (usually by post-conviction relief petition) before they may be heard in federal court.

So the blame for all this costly death penalty litigation lies ultimately with Congress, not the federal defenders who must comply with its dictates. If state courts feel themselves burdened by the responsibilities placed upon them, perhaps they should take up the issue with Congress itself. Or perhaps they might simply outlaw the death penalty itself.

Favorite Interactive Media Experience

2011-04-11T11:33:00.000-07:00

I enjoy watching movies for their own sake, but I also particularly enjoy watching them with other people. Certain movies I remember as much about the people I experienced them with as much as I remember the movies themselves: Return of the Jedi, Au bout de souffle (Breathless), the Phantom Menace, the Star Wars rerelease, the Matrix, L'Ascenseur pour l'eschafaud (Elevator to the Gallows), Knife in the Water, The Hudsucker Proxy, Independence Day, The Shawshank Redemption, and La Lectrice (The Reader -- not the Kate Winslet one) are but a few examples. I could tell a short story about the first time I saw each of those movies, and the people I saw them with.

But it's even more fun sharing interactive media with other people for the first time. Mostly 'cause, well, it's interactive. And if it's something like Chrono Trigger, it reminds you of how excited you were the first time you played it when you see someone else enjoy it for the first time.

I was thinking about this when I picked up Chrono Trigger again last night. A friend of mine just got into video games, and now we want her to play Chrono Trigger to further stoke her interest in RPGs. And I was reminded just how immediately engaging the first half hour of the game is. Just a crazy mix of the giddy enthusiasm of Back to the Future mixed with the earnestness of Dragon Quest all thrown into the fun atmosphere of a county fair.

What's interesting about it is that the game gives you quite a bit of freedom right from the get go. You wake up in your bed and then your mother suggests that you check out the Millenial Fair where your friend Lucca is going to debut her latest crazy invention. But you can take your time, talk to your cat, bet on the races, earn some Silver Points to spend on events at the fair, play some minigames, enter a soda drinking contest, talk to people, help a little girl find her cat. You (literally) bump into the heroine, who asks you to show her around the fair. By the time you check out Lucca's invention, about fifteen to twenty minutes in, the game's big plot hook drops, and the adventure begins. It's so much more engaging than simply watching some overheated CGI cutscene. Plus, the game's already filled you in on the main characters and given you a taste of its intuitive controls and unique sense of humor.

So, this is all a roundabout way of me asking you:

Do you have a favorite interactive media experience? One that you enjoy sharing with other people?

I'm particularly interested in video games, but stretch the definition in whatever direction you like. It could be movies, or music, or whatever.

Roasted Chicken and Penne in Vodka Sauce

2010-07-26T20:32:00.000-07:00

This week at Safeway there was a big sale on Select-brand pasta sauces. So I grabbed a jar of their vodka sauce and added it to this week's Roasted Chicken Challenge. I started with some onions and garlic and tossed in the chicken. Then, I poured in a glop of vodka sauce, mixed a cup of water, and reduced. Next, a tablespoon of vinegar and some red pepper, and then I added the penne. Last step: some salt, pepper, and arugula.

Quick n' Dirty Kung Pao Chicken

2010-07-01T22:23:00.001-07:00

I threw this together as a part of my week-long Chicken Experiment (inspired by this blog): roast a chicken on Sunday, and then make cheap, experimental meals throughout the week.

I never made kung pao chicken before, so I started with a roux, some oil and butter, and onions and garlic. I added a tablespoon of peanut butter, about a teaspoon of sugar, and a few pinches of kosher salt. Then I splashed in some soy sauce, added a cup of water, reduced, then tossed in the chicken and vegetables. It came out pretty well.

Defining "victim" in the Arizona Victim's Bill of Rights

2010-06-15T01:08:00.000-07:00

Article 2.1 of the Arizona Constitution, better known as the Victim's Bill of Rights (VBR), has a strange quirk. Take a look at its definition of "victim":

"Victim" means a person against whom the criminal offense has been committed or, if the person is killed or incapacitated, the person's spouse, parent, child or other lawful representative, except if the person is in custody for an offense or is the accused.

(emphasis added)

A plain reading suggests that people "in custody for an offense" are not victims, and thus have no rights under the VBR. Which would mean they have no right to criminal restitution, no right to be present at hearings, and, of course, no right to refuse interview requests from criminal defendants. It was generally accepted that Stapleford v. Houghton, a case involving a prisoner-on-prisoner assault, seemed to support this general interpretation.

Until now.

State v. Ergonis, a part of the high-profile Kumari Fulbright case from a few years back, just came back from the Court of Appeals. The Court sharply circumscribes the reach of the VBR's exclusionary clause with respect to people in custody, to include only cases in which the victim is also the accused and when the crime occurred while the victim is in custody.

The Court seems to ridicule Ergonis's position -- that the VBR excludes anyone in custody, regardless of whether the offense happened while the victim was in custody or not -- but frankly, its own reasoning doesn't appear to be that strong either, except that to rule otherwise would bring down the perceived status quo.

Will we now see a resurgence in interest in the VBR on the part of in-custody defendants? Perhaps victims currently held in other states, or in federal custody, will demand to be transferred to Arizona court? How will Arizona courts handle these requests?

Modern Warfare and Modern Warfare 2

2010-04-05T18:42:00.000-07:00

The American people are isolated from the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan in a manner unprecedented in the history of warfare. Technology makes it possible for us to wage war in two theaters simultaneously, and yet still commit fewer troops then the number used in the first Gulf War. Instead, we rely on unmanned Predator drones and chopper crews to do the dirty work. And because so few of us have any real connection to the wars, we rarely see moments of horror such as this video released today by WikiLeaks (WARNING: extremely violent and NSFW):

What is so horrible about this video? Certainly, the fact that innocent people are being slaughtered, to the seeming amusement of the helicopter crew, is difficult to stomach. The element of technology makes it especially hard to watch; it is shocking to see how one person can cause such rapid destruction. But this video shows only the type of violence that happens in Iraq and Afghanistan every day. The U.S. military has done an admirable job of shielding the public from the reality of constant warfare, but now WikiLeaks has shown us a glimpse of the truth. If this video achieves nothing else, it will help the American public understand the human cost of our wars in Afghanistan and Iraq. Videos like this one will reach a greater percentage of the public, and perhaps ultimately shift public perception on those wars.

In light of this news, it would seem in poor taste to play games like Modern Warfare 2, which allows the player to operate the very same 30mm Apache machine gun turret used in the above video:

And perhaps in the context of MW2, the Chopper Gunner (and similar killstreak rewards, such as the AC-130, Predator Missile, and Tactical Nuke) are in poor taste. However, I think that these gameplay elements might be used to create an educational game in which players are encouraged to engage in a dialogue about the use of these weapons in modern warfare, as a means to better understand the frightening (and often secret) means by which the United States perpetuates its hegemony over the world. Perhaps if people were encouraged to play a game in which they were viscerally exposed to the horrors of a Predator missile barrage, they might become more opposed to the war effort.

I plan to write more about this in the coming days, but I thought that the release of this video would be a good occasion to start a conversation about how video games like Modern Warfare 2 might be used positively, to expose people to the horrors and true human toll of modern warfare.

Great Villains of the 1980's: William Atherton

2010-03-22T17:22:00.000-07:00

Today I'm rolling out a new series of columns here at Cirroc, in which I pay tribute the actors who brought us the most memorable villains of the 1980's. Every era has a handful of actors who find themselves typecast as the heavy, but for my money, the 1980's had the best array of jerks, archenemies, demented authority figures, and masters of the slow burn.

I begin with one of the biggest standouts: William Atherton.

Atherton had a string of hits in the mid-1980's, and for a while he was the go-to guy for the insufferable yuppie villain. The kind of guy who slowly gets under your skin with his unctuousness and his cheap, government-salary suits. This guy was literally born with his chin upturned at a 45-degree angle. He was the perfect villain for the Reagan era. In three of his big blockbuster roles, he plays different manifestations of the liberal bogeyman: in Die Hard, a reporter (and member of the liberal media) who endangers the safety of blue collar police officer Bruce Willis; in Ghostbusters, a nosy EPA agent whose strict observance of regulations destroys a small business (and hastens Armageddon); and in Real Genius, a corrupt academic who sleeps with his students and defrauds the government. I think Atherton was probably a dick in real life, too, because he hasn't had much work since the 1980's. Even the Die Hard series left him behind after part 2.

Dick or no, I salute Atherton and his worthy contribution to 1980's pop culture. Put on Ghostbusters the movie (or the new video game, which features his voice acting), and pay tribute to this classic commie pinko villain.

Next week: Michael Ironside

Pseudo-Pulled-Pork BBQ Sandwiches!

2010-02-10T22:50:00.000-08:00

Pseudo-Pulled-Pork BBQ Sandwiches, starring Spaghetti Squash

File this under my growing list of "interesting things to make with squash." Spaghetti squash has a stringy consistency and sweet, subtle flavor that makes it a nice substitute for pork for all you vegans and followers of Abrahamic faiths.

Here's what you need to do:

* Get yourself a normal sized spaghetti squash, pretty easy to find these
days at your local supermarket.
* You'll need an onion, either an entire yellow onion or half of one,
depending on the size, chopped.
* A couple of cloves of garlic.
* Salt and pepper, to taste.
* Some potato buns, or the bread of your choice.
* Dill pickles!
* And then, the barbeque sauce of your choice. I used Hot n' Spicy Bill Johnson's Big Apple Bar-B-Que Sauce, a long-time local favorite, but you can feel free to substitute or make your own.

First, the squash.

Preheat your oven to 375 degrees and slice the spaghetti squash in half, lengthwise. De-seed, pull out the guts, and cover each half in oil. Cover a baking pan in oil as well. Put the two halves in the oven and roast for about 45 minutes, flipping once. Pull out of the oven and peel off the skin. The water in the squash should have dried up, leaving the squash loose and stringy and easy to peel apart. Peel off the squashy spaghetti strands and put them on a plate. (Roast the seeds as a snack, if you feel so inclined.)

Now, heat up a saute pan to medium and pour a tablespoon of oil. Toss the diced onions in a saute pan and cook until transparent, about 2-3 minutes. Toss in the garlic and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Now mix in the spaghetti squash and turn the heat down to about 3. Pour in about 3-4 tablespoons of barbeque sauce. Cover and simmer, mixing occasionally, adding salt and pepper, for about 20 minutes.

Then just pile the squash on your buns and eat! Put some dill pickle slices on top. Serves 6-8.

Mini-Review: Monkey Burger

2009-11-30T19:17:00.000-08:00

Readers of this blog may remember my mini-review of Burger City a few months back. Today, Burger City remains closed for renovations, and its future seems uncertain. But the executive chef and co-founder of Burger City has moved on to Monkey Burger, over at Broadway and Craycroft right next to the Cactus Moon. At one time, Monkey Burger was slated to open as Burger City II, but the two restaurants have decided to part company for undisclosed reasons. The complimentary pickle bar may be gone, but Monkey Burger brings back the delicious gourmet burgers with a righteous vengeance.

The walls of Monkey Burger are lined with monkey murals. The interior has a sparse, industrial look. The menu recalls Burger City's early selection, before its selections became progressively more uninteresting. I chose the Madness burger, with jalapeno slices, shredded lettuce, fajita peppers, pepper jack cheese, and a Tabasco scallion aioli, and opted for Monkey Burger's signature side dish: the fried pickle slices. The burger was spicy, yet not overpoweringly so, and maintained a light and tangy sweetness. The bun was large and moist, yet not so large as to make it impossible to eat by hand. The fried pickles were...interesting. I love pickles, and I love fried foods, but I'm not a fan of carnival-style novelty fried dishes, so I approached this dish with skepticism. At first blush the slices struck me as soggy. But I gradually acquired a taste for them as I made my way through the basket. I liked the interplay of saltiness and fried crispiness, but I'm not sure I'll eschew the traditional comfort of fries on my next visit.

I hope Burger City returns. But if if doesn't, or if it never returns to its former glory, I'm glad that Monkey Burger has arrived to fill the burger void.

Great Moments in Sandwiches vol. IV

2009-11-23T23:09:00.000-08:00

Bacon spam on rustic sourdough with mustard greens, sea salt, cracked pepper, egg over easy, onions, and jalapenos.

Bacon-wrapped Matzoh Balls

2009-11-05T10:40:00.000-08:00

A friend tipped me off to this sacril-icious culinary fad. Former Top Chef Ilan Hall is an advocate:

“The bacon-wrapped matzah ball thing was a little bit of a joke — a tongue-in-cheek thing I did for a friend’s birthday party in New York,” said the loquacious chef, sporting his signature dark-rimmed glasses as he sat at the restaurant’s wooden communal table, his design. “He was a fellow Jew and not kosher at all, and I thought it would be kind of funny to do. I tried it and loved it. It came out really nice. Pork fat does something magical to matzah meal.”

I am no stranger to mixing the sacred and the profane. At this year's seder, an intrepid guest proposed the open-faced bacon matzoh sandwich which turned out quite well:

Winter Green Season Is Fast Approaching!

2009-11-03T22:45:00.001-08:00

...and the best thing I can say about it is that many delicious sandwiches shall be made.

Pictures of said sandwiches shall follow.

But otherwise, I will struggle once again with the difficult task of preparing the bushels of greens I will receive from my CSA share. Ideas, tips, throw 'em my way.

Mini-Review Daily Double: Bisbee Breakfast Club and Savory Spot

2009-03-16T16:21:00.001-07:00

This is the Chorizos Rancheros plate at the Bisbee Breakfast Club, and it is the most beautiful scramble plate I've ever seen. Look at the collections of scrambled egg and salsa that grow forth through the mass of cheese like moss on some heavenly terrain where breakfast foods grow from the ground. (Don't laugh, I have dreamed of such a place.) Gasp at the island of chopped avocado perched lovingly at the top. Sigh with delight as you discover the bits of chorizo lodged inside, like little nuggets of deliciousness. Yeah, it was really good. The BBC decor is bright in the morning hours, with a storefront that faces the direction of the old mine. Inside, it's like a honkytonk bar designed by reforming young urbanites. The place has wonky hours, open from 7-12 on weekdays and closed Tuesdays. But if you're waking up from a stay at the Shady Dell or on your way back from an early morning visit at the Cochise County Jail, it's the perfect breakfast stop.

The Savory Spot is hip and humble, run by a pleasant group of hippies with ample reading material (stacks upon stacks of GQs, Vanity Fairs, and Spin!). The true test of a good breakfast place is the quality of its home fries, and the Spot's don't disappoint: they're a tad peppery and crusty, and just soft enough on the inside. The over easy eggs were prepared perfectly. The sausage was decent, not spectacular, but I'm pretty forgiving when it comes to pork. The Spot also has a complete dinner menu, which I expect I'll be checking out soon; it's just down the road from the court house.

Memo to the Grill

2009-03-16T16:05:00.001-07:00

You suck. Seriously.

No more pussy footing around it. You're just not really all that great. Yeah, I know, I eat your food frequently because you're the only restaurant open in downtown Tucson at ungodly hours, but I'm through pretending that I like it. Really, the only reason most people eat at the Grill is for the tater tots, something I can handle quite ably myself with a bag of Ore-Ida and an oven.

Ohh, but then I would miss out on the vaunted atmosphere, a.k.a. the deafening noise from the Red Room next door (technically part of the Grill itself) and the snooty tattooed waiters who are more interested in talking to their friends than checking on my damn order.

Let me further note that of all the times I've had beers at the Red Room, they've all been shit. Maybe I just suck at picking good beers, because I tend to go by novelty names and oddball countries, but I'm inclined to blame you. Word to the wise, dear reader: Croatian brewery workers secretly pee in their beer.

Mini-Review: Harvest Restaurant

2009-03-15T21:44:00.000-07:00

Here's an aphorism that will serve you well, and that sums up my thoughts on Harvest succintly: don't ever go to a well-regarded restaurant and order the beef stew, especially at lunch, and especially on a weekend.

Harvest is located a block from the Oro Valley Town Hall complex on La Canada, and sits in a shopping mall with an awe-inspiring view of the mountains. Harvest's schtick is that it uses all locally-grown ingredients, with a menu that shifts every season (having opened just this past November, it's about to undergo its first such shift). In cases where there are no locally-grown or raised items available -- fish, for example -- they are obtained through economically sustainable means. (See the whitefish BLT, for example.)

We had two appetizers: the brie plate, with seasoned fruit chutneys, roasted garlic, and Arizona grapes, and the Harvest empanadas filled with beef, figs, olives, egg, and served with a side of chimmichuri sauce. Both were fantastic. The empanadas were delicate, light, and yielded with the sweetest pillowy softness. The whitefish BLT was stellar as well, with perfectly cooked fish and some of the tastiest bacon I've ever sampled.

But the beef stew, pictured above, was a disaster. Made with butternut squash and green chiles, I had trouble discerning the flavor of either, and found myself reaching for the salt and pepper with each bite. The tortillas served as accompaniment were dry and unexciting. The beef was turgid, rough, and not at all appetizing. I imagine this dish was probably cobbled together from a previous night's leftovers. And the portion was surprisingly small for $13, given that Feast regularly serves a similar stew with much larger portions at a similar price (not that I was clamoring for more when I had my plate taken away).

I'd like to try Harvest again for dinner. But as for the stew? Never again. Unless I'm at Feast.

Great Moments in Sandwiches, Vol. III

2009-03-15T21:34:00.000-07:00

Open-faced whitefish BLT with Lake Superior whitefish, toasted baguette, sweet potato chips, and homemade tartar sauce. From the lunch menu at Harvest Restaurant in Oro Valley. Mini-review to follow.

Great Moments in Sandwiches Vol. II

2009-03-06T16:50:00.000-08:00

Jalapeno bacon, lettuce, and tomato with ancho chili sauce on foccacia. Found at the Bisbee Coffee Company, which also makes excellent soup.

BMW Designs a PC Case

2009-03-06T16:43:00.000-08:00

Oddly asymmetrical, yet compelling. Most high-end cases look like they're built to reach Mach 3, but this one looks like a bento box you'd find at a Hot Topic.

Great Moments in Sandwiches

2009-03-04T10:51:00.000-08:00

Ham, arugula, tomato, fried egg, salt, and pepper on sourdough. It's the simple additions that enhance a sandwich, I think, like good greens and pepper. No need for heavy condiments.

experiments in facial hair

2009-02-23T07:15:00.000-08:00

The sideburns are growing and forming a bridge across my face, and will soon make their bid to take over the world.

Thoughts?

missed connections

2009-02-21T23:30:00.000-08:00

I have many admirers all around the world. But I still get excited when I discover new ones, especially secret ones. So I was thrilled several days ago when a friend told me I had made the missed connections page on craigslist.

How do I know it was me? Suffice it to say it was pretty damn obvious. Then there was a copycat admirer a couple days later. And then there was...this misguided fellow.

So the last one was obviously fake. But I welcome the attentions of the other two with a mixture of flattery, curiousity, and wariness. Just who are these people, and why have they taken such a sudden interest in me?

Guess I'll be updating the blog more often.

The Anti-Love Drug

2009-02-04T00:19:00.000-08:00

If scientists can isolate the hormones that initiate "mammalian pair bonding," as Larry Young has done in his research at Emory University, could a true love potion be on the horizon? Or perhaps more usefully to midlife-crisis-afflicted married men, might there be an love suppression vaccine available in the future?

From the New York Times:

“If we give an oxytocin blocker to female voles, they become like 95 percent of other mammal species,” Dr. Young said. “They will not bond no matter how many times they mate with a male or hard how he tries to bond. They mate, it feels really good and they move on if another male comes along. If love is similarly biochemically based, you should in theory be able to suppress it in a similar way.”

Word of the Day

2009-01-23T10:30:00.000-08:00

Picquerism: (from the French piquer - "to prick") "a paraphilia and form of sadomasochism in which one finds sexual gratification through penetration of another person, most commonly by stabbing or cutting the body with sharp objects. The most frequently targeted areas of the body are the breasts, buttocks, or groin."

Apparently, the Second Circuit Court of Appeals thinks it's bullshit.

Butternut Squash and Red Pepper Soup

2009-01-18T21:41:00.000-08:00

I put this together from some odds and ends in the refrigerator, including the red peppers I acquired in Bisbee.

1 red pepper, chopped
1-2 carrots, peeled and chopped
2 celery stalks, chopped
1 white onion, chopped
1 butternut squash, peeled and roasted
2 cups chicken stock
1 cup milk
1 1/2 tbsp. butter
1 tbsp. oil
1 tsp. paprika
salt and pepper
chopped parsley or cilantro

Roast the butternut squash at 375 degrees, peel, and chop into cubes. Set aside. Pour the oil into a large saucepan and turn heat to medium. Throw in the onions, carrots, and celery and sweat them for a few minutes. Add the butternut squash and the paprika and cook for another few minutes. Add the chicken stock and simmer for 5 minutes. Add the red pepper, milk, and butter, cover, and simmer for 20-25 minutes. Scoop the vegetables into a blender and puree. Return to the saucepan and add salt and pepper to taste.

Serve immediately and garnish with parsley or cilantro.

Bionic Woman

2009-01-18T20:51:00.000-08:00

I guess I'm one of the last people to join the Battlestar Galactica bandwagon, but join it I did, and I'm now a fervent disciple of the show. So fervent, in fact, that I actually Netflixed the Bionic Woman reboot led by BSG co-producer David Eick. It lasted only eight episodes and was essentially killed off by the 2007 writer's strike. After watching it, I figure it wouldn't have lasted more than a single season anyway.

The show's biggest problem? Katee Sackhoff. Not that she isn't excellent in the show. But she's meant to be the antagonist and she's ten times as interesting as the rest of the characters. On top of that, she only appears in four episodes! The producers put together a nice story arc at the beginning, only to abandon it for a series of dull one-shot episodes. I want to watch Jamie Sommers kicking ass; I don't really care about her love life or how she balances her home life with her crazy secret government job. The supporting cast is decent, especially Miguel Ferrer and Isaiah Washington (who gets written out of the show in the seventh episode, which probably coincides with his untimely departure from Grey's Anatomy for being a secret racist). But Katee Sackhoff as the lead would have made for a much better show, no doubt.

Secret Aardvark

2009-01-18T20:37:00.000-08:00

My sister surprised me with this hot sauce. It's fucking awesome.

I love habanero sauces. But one of the problems with habanero is that, as good as it is, it's hard to shovel down large quantities without suffering extreme consequences to one's immediate well-being. But Secret Aardvark isn't like that. It's got a mean kick, but it's light enough so you can apply it liberally to your food without fear of, say, negative bowel implications. Check it out.

You Don't Mess with the Zohan

2009-01-16T08:19:00.000-08:00

This might be surprising to some people, but I don't entirely loathe Adam Sandler nor his movies. Sure, most of them are pretty stupid, but I loved Billy Madison and Happy Gilmore, and Big Daddy wasn't half bad either. So I watched You Don't Mess with the Zohan with an open mind. After all, it was co-written by Robert Smigel, ex-Saturday Night Live and Conan O'Brien writer, creator of TV Funhouse, and member of the Chicago Superfans.

Few comedies have the chutzpah to make light of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, and Zohan manages to score some genuine laughs at the expense of both Israelis and Palestinians. I enjoyed the scene at the beginning of the movie, where Adam Sandler (the eponymous main character, an expert Mossad agent who longs to become a hairdresser) sits down for dinner with his mother and father (played by Shelley Berman). Zohan is expressing his dissatisfaction with his job, and his father, a veteran of the Six-Day War, lays the classic Jewish guilt trip on him. ("You complain? We won our war in six days!) This is such a classic expression of the reverence Israelis have for the Six-Day War and for the people who served in it. And the scene where Rob Schneider, a Lebanese cab driver ignorant in the ways of jihad, calls the Hezbollah hotline is hilarious. There's even an extended reference to one of my favorite Saturday Night Live skits, the "Sabra Shopping Network", in which Smigel plays an Israeli electronics shop owner hawking worthless stereos with "Sony guts".

Despite the movie's good intentions, it comes off as facile and borderline irresponsible in light of Israel's current Gaza Strip campaign. The movie's central, somewhat cutesy message is that Israelis and Palestinians are more alike than they are different. In the end, Zohan and arch-terrorist Phantom (John Turturro), set aside their rivalry and jointly open a hair salon/shoe store in a revitalized lower Manhattan shopping district. A cute ending, but it places a false equivalency between the agression of Palestinian terrorists and Israeli response to that terrorism. In the current Gaza Strip war, for example, more than 1,000 Palestinians have been killed in Israeli air raids and other military actions; Palestinian rockets, by contrast, have injured or killed only a handful of Israelis.

It's probably too much to ask of an Adam Sandler comedy to make an intelligent commentary on the state of Israeli agression in the occupied territories. But the perpetuation of this "equivalency myth" is still dangerous in whatever form it takes.

A Love Letter to Sean Hannity

2009-01-16T07:56:00.000-08:00

...from Steve Almond. (h/t: Nerve)

Money quote:

I don't mean "lewd." On the contrary, Sean, you're sexual in the way the Catholic Church is sexual. It's morally prohibitive and instinctual. It uses aggression as a proxy for repressed impulses. You're like a priest who relishes the chance to whack naughty altar boys with a ruler. When you get really worked up, you're like an inquisitor who lays his victims out on a rack and lingers over which tool to use.

Reading the article, I also learned that Mr. Hannity has spawned his own dating website called Hannidate.

Kreepee Board

2009-01-14T22:09:00.000-08:00

In the spirit of yesterday's post, more vintage Stiller!

Yakov Smirnoff: Funny or Not Funny

2009-01-13T14:10:00.001-08:00

Um, that's an easy question. Not funny. Certainly not since the Iron Curtain fell, and he was never funny before that.

But look at the comment thread attached to Ben Stiller's excellent Smirnoff parody.

Some samples:

Yakov is very funny, so what was up with this? This shouldnt even be considered a parody. It's more like making a complete douche of yourself.
Don't get me wrong, I like Ben Stiller, but this is just awful.

this video sucked! yakov is awesome and an amazing person and this video is retarded and a complete waste of time to watch

Smirnoff's Russian Reversal & What a Country jokes are far funnier than anything Stiller has done or will ever do. This clip has the same amount of laughs as any Ben Stiller movie: none.

What do Ben Stiller, Jack Black, Robert Downey Jr. ALL HAVE IN COMMON?

Hint: Blood Brothers with Adam Sandler & Jon Stewart

Smirnoff lives in Branson, Missouri and has a show there. Perhaps this explains why he has become an emblem of anti-Semites, Republicans, and other unfunny people.

Heeb

2009-01-13T12:13:00.000-08:00

Heeb is my favorite print publication. Unlike most other magazines, Heeb has a powerful reason to justify its own existence in today's print-unfriendly world: it continuously produces funny, original content with a Judaic spin. What's more, they have some of the best layout designers in the business. Their article layouts are consistently creative, attractive, and witty.

But the latest issue on newsstands takes an unfortunate step back. The features have a plain, antiseptic look, and the Courtney Love interview columns are laid out diagonally (!). There's still some great articles, though, such as a list of clever "Kyketails":

“The Horny Rabbi”

Ingredients:
3 parts Iceberg vodka

1/4 part pickle juice

1 Katz’s kosher pickle

Directions:
1. Shake vodka and juice until hands are frostbitten.
2. Strain into martini glass.
3. Garnish with that fat, phallic fucker.

starting a band

2009-01-12T13:50:00.000-08:00

I'm feeling creative these days. I posted a call for musicians on craigslist last night, after writing up some song lyrics. Here's the ad:

"I'm looking to start a low-key, creative, motivated group of musicians and musical dabblers. Influences include Joy Division, New Order, Roxy Music, the Killers, Tortoise, Stereolab, the Who, the NES, Yoshitaka Amano, steampunk, and 8-bit NES RPG cliches.

I want to keep this group small, no more than 3 people. Ideally, you are curious, creative, collaborative, and some musical experience (singing, guitar, keyboards, accordion, whatever). You don't have to be a rock god, but some basic skills would be helpful. I just want to get a group of creative people together to see where this goes.

Let's have fun with this."

I hope to find some fun people to bounce around ideas with. I'm excited.

Squash Discoveries in Bisbee

2009-01-12T12:24:00.001-08:00

Here's the Bisbee Food Co-Op, a wonderful grocery just south of the Old Town. If you're passing through Bisbee, you can find it by following the Route 80 South sign (to Douglas), on your right past the old mine. If you hit the roundabout, you went too far.

There you'll find some excellent, cheap produce, much of it locally grown in nearby Willcox. I picked up some great red bell peppers for $1.79/lb, as well as this little gem:

That's a roasted delicata squash stuffed with wild rice, scallions, roasted red bell peppers, garlic, onions, mushrooms, and more. It tasted as good as it looks: fresh and sweet, with just a hint of savoriness for balance. It's given me a great idea for the massive cushaw squash sitting on my kitchen table.

Mini-Review: Lindy's on 4th Avenue

2009-01-11T11:57:00.001-08:00

For decades, mankind has strived to create the perfect burger. In modern times there are two schools of thought. There's the upscale approach, popularized by places like Zinburger, that insists on Kobe beef, fancy oils, and only the best ingredients. And then there's places like Lindy's, which take a simpler approach. They don't beat an eye at using potato rolls from Safeway or even, shudder, frozen patties. And yet they still manage to turn out sublimely tasty burgers, as good if not better than their hoity-toity competition.

Lindy's is parked just south of 6th St. on 4th Ave., smack in the middle of the bar scene. Inside are various objets d'art created by local artisans. There's beer on tap and a sports game on the flat-screen most nights. The menu is filled with lavishly-topped, cheekily-named dishes. The Mac n' Cheese Burger is a favorite: it comes slathered with tiny macaronis, melted cheese, lettuce, tomato, and onion. The Dirty Sanchez is the perfect hamburger for spicy lovers: it's loaded for bear with jalapenos, pepper jack, guacamole, and chopped green chiles. It's one of those burgers where every bite is laden with juicy, spicy goodness. Its main disadvantage is that it tends to be quite messy. A side effect of all that guacamole is that it tends to expel quickly onto the plate. All the better for the fries, one might counter. Lindy's fries are decent, but unexceptional, and probably pre-frozen. The main attraction here are the burgers.

Not in the mood for a sloppy burger? Stumbling back from the bars and craving a quick bite? Lindy's has you covered: their corn dogs are excellent and cheap. For under $2 they sell Coney Island-style dogs crisped to perfection. They're the perfect impulse buy.

Lindy's claims to have the best burger on 4th Avenue: a modest claim, yet well-founded. They might even have the best burger in Tucson.

I Only Play Kind Code

2009-01-11T10:44:00.000-08:00

(h/t Teachnologist, via Kotaku)

Nintendo has patented something they call "kind code." With the ascent of the Nintendo Wii, there's been a lot of ink spilled on how games are too complicated for the average consumer. The reason for the Wii's popularity, so the reasoning goes, is that it simplifies games to the point were anyone can enjoy them. People who've played games since childhood have an innate facility with video game mechanics that makes it easy for them to meet a game's challenges: gauge the jumping distance between point A and point B, for example, or combine button presses to perform special moves. As the video game playing consumer base increases, the skilled consumer base becomes outnumbered by newer players. And yet most games are designed with these skilled players in mind. Most games assume that the player comes to the table with a certain base set of skills, and for those who lack them, the games can be quite frustrating to play.

Kind code is Nintendo's attempt to make games easier to play for the masses, to bridge this skill gap. It would work as a sort of developer's commentary, where the player watches a developer play through a section, uncover secrets, and explain the physics rules of a particular gameplay stretch. Instead of guessing whether it is possible to jump from point A to point B, the developer simply tells you.

This isn't a new idea. Tutorial modes are fairly common, and Valve is known for its excellent developer commentaries in games such as Half-Life 2, Team Fortress 2, and Left 4 Dead. But it's a new way for developers to introduce new players into standby gameplay genres without necessarily dumbing down the entire game in the process, which is something that recent Wii development has been frequently accused of doing.

A Tale of Two Salads

2009-01-10T15:58:00.000-08:00

"I think this is a canal," she said. "After all, this place is called Canal, isn't it?"

"No, I think it's a runway." We were looking at the peculiar glowing blue glass elevated platform that ran next to our table and divided the dining room in half. On the wall, a series of mounted flatscreen televisions ran endless fashion shows.

Turns out it was a runway, a very small one. Canal is a painfully hip bar, restaurant, and part-time fashion runway in downtown Scottsdale. The waiter tersely informed us that the happy hour specials were for bar patrons only, so we decided to order a few salads and save the $5 Tanquerays for another day. I ordered a Caesar salad and my companion chose the Nicoise tuna salad.

The Caesar was serviceable, certainly picturesque, but the chicken was too dry. The Nicoise, however, was divine, with lightly seared ahi (which I would have preferred to eat raw) and crumbly, moist fingerling potatoes.

Oh, and at the rear there was a staircase leading to this peculiar candy store and fashion emporium. Weird.

virtual terror

2009-01-09T23:22:00.000-08:00

My hairstylist and I were discussing whether I should grow some facial hair. I was unsure, but I thought about it. Somehow along the way I ran into this horrifying device, which I used to create this:

Not for small children.

The Green Fairy and Stuffed Squid

2009-01-08T22:06:00.000-08:00

A friend recently told me she was going to Phoenix for a few days and wanted to know where to go. I was slightly embarrassed to say I had no idea. I don't know what's cool in Phoenix anymore. Or Scottsdale, or Tempe, or in the dark part of the city west of 7th Avenue I like to call Mordor.

But tonight I was dragged to Digestif, in Scottsdale, and found some cool things, notably absinthe:

and chorizo-stuffed squid bruschetta:

More later.

Mini-Review: True Food Kitchen

2009-01-08T21:19:00.000-08:00

Speaking of clockwork, every Sam Fox enterprise I've ever been to operates with the lash-induced precision of a Korean animation studio. True Food, Sam Fox's latest restaurant and partnership with holistic healer/professional beard/popular bear fan fiction subject Andrew Weil, is no different. Even though the place has the decor of a laid back San Francisco juice bar, from its warm green and yellow paint scheme to the plain tunics worn by the wait staff, True Food is all business. It's tucked away in the Biltmore mall in Phoenix, where the Coffee Plantation used to be. When we arrived, we were immediately seated, and a friendly server explained True Food's mission and the menu. Interested parties can read the website for more info on Weil's eating philosophy; in short, True Food stresses local-grown produce, sustainably raised cattle and fish rich in Omega-3 fatty acids, and other good stuff.

We began with smoothies freshly prepared by our server. I chose the T-Eight, a cocktail of tomato, celery, ginger, cucumber, golden beet, apple, carrot, and parsley ($6), and added a shot of organic vodka for $3. My companion ordered the Ginger Nojito: mint, ginger, lime, honey lemonade, and soda water for $4. I preferred the T-Eight slightly more, but both tasted light and went down easy. We ordered the herb hummus with pita bread and Greek salad ($8) as an appetizer; I selected the salmon sandwich ($14) as my main course, and my companion selected the steak tacos with anasazi beans ($14, $5).

The hummus was zippy and fresh. Made several times daily, along with the pita bread, it is a house favorite -- and with good reason. The cucumbers and tomatoes in the salad were equally tangy and delightful. Our server pointed out that the dish would be vegan if the feta cheese were removed, and that it is a favorite of "raw" diners. To that point, the entire menu is very friendly to vegans, vegetarians, gluten-free eaters, and people with allergies. Each menu item is marked according to its suitability for various eaters, and the kitchen is happy to make substitutions.

With little pause, our main courses arrived. The salmon sandwich was served open-faced with shiso, lime, avocado, and cilantro aioli, and a side of sweet potato hash. Cooked to perfection, the salmon yielded gently under my fork, and was perfectly moist and juicy. The sweet potato hash was a Platonic side dish: perfectly prepared, not too sweet, not too memorable, and above all else it did not distract me from the main course. My companion reported (and I confirmed) that the steak tacos were similarly juicy, although I found them a touch too salty. Although she enjoyed the tacos, she felt they were "a little too Chipotle" (which I take to mean they were too conventional for her tastes). The beans were quite well-done, if perhaps a touch soggy. Up to this point, I was surprised that so-called health food could be this tasty.

For dessert, we tried the orange olivello sorbet. Olivello juice, derived from sea buckthorn berries, is a powerful anti-oxidant. True Food claims to be the only restaurant in the country that provides this juice and features it prominently in several dishes. We found the dish powerfully sweet, more than I typically enjoy. This dish, like all the others, was excellently prepared and served promptly.

I greatly enjoyed my meal at True Food Kitchen, and I'm happy to know there's another restaurant I can take my vegan friends to without reservation.

Shrimp Toast

2009-01-08T12:14:00.001-08:00

This was Christmas Eve dinner at Cafe Pacific, my favorite Chinese place in Tucson. Near as I can tell, Cafe Pacific is run by two people, and they run it like clockwork. This is one of their unique concoctions, a delightful appetizer that combines two of my favorite things into one delicious, tasty morsel. It is a fusion of fish and bread that looks both adorable on the place and yet slightly unnatural, like a specially bred fish you might find in Willy Wonka's artificial sea.

om nom nom nom

Furry Portraits

2008-12-28T13:05:00.001-08:00

These photographs were taken by Brian Berman, a photographer interested in fan subculture. Like most people, I find the furry subculture terrifyingly odd, but Berman treats them with respect.

CSA Winter Blues

2008-12-27T14:36:00.000-08:00

If you're considering joining a community supported agriculture (CSA) group, here's a tip: don't join in the winter. That's because winter is green season. As usual, I've been inundated with tokyo bekana, bok choy, kale, rapini, turnip greens, kolrabi greens, and every other type of green you can imagine. If you're new to CSA cooking, you'll hate it because if you're like most people, you won't know what to do with all that green, it'll go to waste, you'll feel guilty, and cancel your CSA membership next quarter. I've been doing it for years and I'm still learning how to cook all this stuff. But in the spirit of helpfulness, I will be experimenting and posting recipes that use these greens in the hopes that others will get more out of their CSA experience.

Pad Thai with Spaghetti Squash

2008-12-26T22:06:00.000-08:00

Spaghetti Squash and I still aren't friendly, but we're speaking. I tried this out tonight and it tasted pretty good. Give it a whirl next time you find yourself staring at one of these peculiar cylindrical plants.

one half spaghetti squash, roasted and peeled (see below)
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 onion, diced and chopped
2-3 cloves garlic, minced
1/4 tsp. ginger
1 tbsp. red pepper
1 tsp. lime juice
a few sprigs of cilantro (optional)
1/2-1/4 lb. chicken (or miscellaneous chopped vegetables)
salt, to taste

To prepare the spaghetti squash, slice it in half, rip out the guts (save the seeds if you like), rub the outside of both sides with vegetable oil, line a tray with oil, and preheat your oven to 375 degrees. Cook the squash until it's soft and yields easily to a fork, flipping each side once (usually about 45 minutes). Remove from the oven, peel off the skin, and then loosely push apart the squash into pasta-like strands with a fork. This can be done ahead of time.

For the main meal, grab a wok or large saute pan and line it with vegetable oil. Turn heat on medium and let the pan heat up for 2 minutes or so. Drop the onions in the pan and cook until fragrant and slightly translucent. Add the garlic and cook for another minute. Add the chicken (or vegetables), ginger, and half a tablespoon of red pepper and cook for another few minutes (or longer, if the chicken isn't precooked). Now turn the heat up to medium-high and add the squash. Toss it around, and add the remaining red pepper, plus a little oil if needed. Cook for another 6-8 minutes. Add salt, lime juice, and cilantro. Serves 3-4.

Pirate Radio

2008-12-24T15:49:00.001-08:00

So Tucson has a pirate radio station again. It's on 90.9 FM, and it's pretty good I guess, especially if you like hearing "fuck" and "shit" on the radio. The musical lineup is pretty veried, sort of like legit independent station KXCI actually. Which makes me think: do we really need pirate radio in this day and age? Now that everyone and their brother has the means to make their own podcast or internet streaming radio station, where's the driving need for pirate radio? I guess it's kind of neat as a throwback, and there are illicit thrills for those involved to stay one step ahead of the FCC. But beyond that, who really cares?

Mini-Review: Burger City

2008-12-23T22:45:00.000-08:00

There's an attractive new burger joint on Sixth Avenue, right across from the Ronstadt Bus Terminal and just down the corner from Tucson City Court. It's called, appropriately enough, Burger City. If you choose to stop there for a tasty burger, you'll be supporting the downtown area in more ways than one. That's because all profits from Burger City go to ArtFare, a tax exempt charitable organization devoted to revitalizing Sixth Avenue and supporting local artists. That's a noble goal, but how are the burgers? Read on.

The décor is rustic and pleasant. Lots of roomy wooden tables wait inside, each of them covered with doodles (upon request, the staff will supply you with pens of your own, to add to the display). Rusted sheet metal lines the walls. Overall, it creates a nice, clean Western steak joint look, not necessarily a metropolitan look as Burger City's name might suggest, but nice. To the right is a fully stocked pickle bar with pepperoncinis, sweet peppers, pickles, gherkins, and pickle slices for noshing. The menu is ambitious, ranging from the simple Naked City Burger to the Mem'fis City (creamy peanut butter with optional bananas) to the top-drawer Sin City (ground sirloin AND pork with braised red onions and sauteed wild mushrooms and spinach, toasted pine nuts, and gruyere). I kept things relatively simple and ordered the Bacon n' Cheeseburger, featuring smoked, peppered bacon, white cheddar, and Granny Smith apple slices, with a side of hand cut fries. The attentive, friendly waiter took my order promptly. While waiting, I snacked on pickles and watched “The Great Outdoors” on the restaurant's flat-panel TV.

My meal arrived promptly, but without the promised apple slices. Fortunately, my waiter corrected the problem with little delay. The bun was okay, but a little too large for my liking. The patty, although serviceable, was not especially memorable; it tasted a little like one of those frozen patties they sell by the bulk at Costco. This is not to say that the preparation of the burger was flawed in any way. It's just that the patty wasn't exceptional, and for a $6.75 burger, that's a little disappointing. On the other hand, the other ingredients brought the burger together nicely. The apple slices added a wonderful, sweet note to the smoky, salty cheeseburger. The fries were decent as well: not too greasy, and cut from quality potatoes.

In sum, it's not my favorite burger joint in town (that would be either Lindy's or In and Out), but the money goes to a good cause, and the pickle bar is genius. I'll probably stop by again soon, just to try that Sin City burger.

A Jewish Christmas: 8-Bit Jesus

2008-12-22T19:04:00.000-08:00

OK, there's nothing Jewish at all about this, really, but it is 8-bit, and since I have a penchant for all things retro and 8-bit I'm posting it here. Doctor Octoroc has compiled this wicked bunch of Christmas tunes and remixed them in true Nintendo style. Check it out, and maybe shoot him a donation.

Spaghetti Squash

2008-12-20T17:46:00.000-08:00

Since joining the Tucson CSA I have developed a deep love for all things squash -- expect for spaghetti squash, that is. No matter what I try to do with these things, nothing seems to work: roasting them, breaking them into strips and serve them spaghetti-style with marinara sauce, putting them in stews, all failures. I've got an entire roasted and chopped spaghetti squash sitting in my fridge just waiting to become another disappointment. Can anyone help me out here?

A Jewish Christmas: "Christmastime for the Jews"

2008-12-18T13:00:00.001-08:00

A classic Robert Smigel claymation bit in true Rankin-Bass style:

A Jewish Christmas: Guide to Christmas Specials

2008-12-18T12:52:00.000-08:00

Courtesy of Slate.

"Who is more of a Grinch than a grumpy old Jew?" And a Jew with a heart problem no less?"

Mini-Review: Tucson Tamale Company

2008-12-18T09:28:00.000-08:00

The strip mall at 2545 E. Broadway is a cursed spot for restaurants. Ever since my favorite Chinese-Vietnamese place, Hoa Mai, closed there three years ago, I've seen one restaurant after another move into the area and then fail within six months. Tucson Tamale Company opened last month, in the spot next to the former Hoa Mai (now Sabor, a Mexican seafood place, which is apparently closed as well). Based on some positive press it had received on a local radio show, I decided to check it out.

Inside, the shop is spartan, like a cafeteria. Each table has a special husk bucket for easy husk disposal. There's a dry erase board listing the daily specials. The staff is extremely friendly and enthusiastic; the owner gave up a job in the financial services industry to start this business, and it's clear that he loves what he's doing. I chose the combo meal: two tamales of my choice plus a side for $6.75. I chose a pork tamale with green chile, a shredded beef tamale, a side of spicy black beans, and the hottest salsa available. One of the chefs asked if I wanted to try the OMG Arizona, their hottest tamale, and I acquiesced. Both tamales were perfectly steamed, with a light, sweet masa that yielded gently to my fork. The pork was delicious, but the OMG was the real standout. Filled with chopped habaneros, it was sweet and significantly hot, but not inedibly so. Habaneros have a sweetness that is often overlooked by most chefs, but this tamale really nailed that sweet/hot balance. And the black beans were the perfect side: moist, spicy, with just a bit of sweetness.

Overall, I was very impressed with Tucson Tamale Company, and I hope it lasts longer than its predecessors. I still miss Hoa Mai, but TTC mitigates the loss just a little bit.

Back from Hiatus

2008-12-18T09:14:00.000-08:00

Yep, I'm back.

So I didn't make it to 50,000 words last month. In the end, it wasn't even close. But I still think it was an educational and motivational experience, being forced to write each and every day, and to abandon the constant impulse to correct myself. One of the biggest difficulties I have when writing is the need to supress that impulse. Working on a project on a daily basis forces me to overcome that impulse out of necessity. And even though I didn't complete my novel, I'm hoping that the experience I gained will spur me into making more blog posts.

Stay tuned!

NaNoWriMo

2008-10-31T12:53:00.001-07:00

As some of you may know, November is National Novel Writing Month. This year, I've decided to participate. The folks at NaNoWriMo have created an excellent website for the project (my personal page is here). In short, the goal of the project is to write a novel at least 50,000 words long. You can check this link throughout the month of November to see how close I am to reaching the goal and, if necessary, provide words of encouragement and/or harassment if I fail to keep pace.

What kind of novel will it be? I have some ideas, some characters, some general scenarios sketched in my head, but all I know is that it will be a comic novel, and that it will be semi-autobiographical.

Palinex!

2008-10-10T18:09:00.000-07:00

The first drug approved for sad-faced, doomed Republican presidential candidates.

Taking the I out of TIA...

2008-10-08T21:45:00.000-07:00

...leaves us with just T&A?

Sorry, couldn't resist. But Aeromexico just suspended its weekly flights to Hermosillo, Sonora, leaving Tucson International Airport with no international flights.

Sign of the times.

My Fellow Prisoners

2008-10-08T13:27:00.001-07:00

The John McCain LOL-watch continues.

Mad Men Illustrated

2008-10-07T15:35:00.000-07:00

OK, so I haven't even gotten close to watching Mad Men yet. I've still got a stack of unwatched BSG DVDs in my Netflix queue to finish before I will allow myself to start another TV series.

But the show looks beautiful, and so do these drawings.

Ralph Stanley for Obama!

2008-10-06T17:19:00.000-07:00

Check it out.

Very classy.

(edit: Direct embed link's not working, apparently)

Stuart Smalley Runs for Senate

2008-10-03T19:16:00.000-07:00

This is one of the sweetest, most human campaign ads I've ever seen:

The Doomsday Trigger

2008-10-02T20:54:00.000-07:00

I just watched the veep debate. Was I the only person who, during the above discussion of nuclear weapons and triggers, who thought of this famous scene?

Crush Object of the Day: Extra-Toothy Edition

2008-09-30T16:34:00.000-07:00

Kelly MacDonald!

She's been on a roll this past year, first in No Country for Old Men and now Choke. Both times I didn't realize it was her till I left the theater. She's so throughly Scottish (look at those teeth!), but her American accent is so flawless that she never betrays her lineage.

Keith Olbermann

2008-09-20T10:43:00.000-07:00

This is a shout out to my readers who are Countdown fans:

Burn After Reading

2008-09-15T12:50:00.000-07:00

Saw it last weekend, with mom and sis. Massively disappointing.

The movie added up to a great pile of nothing. While there were some great performances (Frances McDormand, George Clooney, even Dermot Mulroney in an amusing cameo), the whole picture felt like an arrogant, cruel joke being played on the audience. My sister put it best when she said that "this was a movie that had no reason to be made." I know that a lot of Coen brothers pictures can be described that way. But when they're at their best, the Coens ironically portray humanity at its best even among humans acting at their worst: Frances McDormand in Fargo, Holly Hunter and Nicholas Cage in Raising Arizona, and of course, Tommy Lee Jones in No Country for Old Men. There are no redeeming characters in Burn After Reading, and the slapdash plot fails to reach any satisfactory resolution. The ending reeks of a weak, narrative "happily ever after" copout.

But let me spare one final piece of invective for the Arizona Daily Star's movie critic/idiot-in-residence, Phil Villareal. His review of BAR is a textbook example of shitty newspaper review writing. About 80% of the review is devoted to a plot summary. He drops a key spoiler about midway through the review. He incorrectly lists George Clooney's profession as a "security guard" (uhhh, he's a U.S. Marshal, dumbass). And he refers to John Malkovich as Tilda Swinton's "hubby." What is this, Page 6 of the New York Post?

Arizona: A Battleground State?

2008-07-24T11:36:00.000-07:00

The New York Times thinks so.

McCain doesn't have strong personal ties to Arizona. Since he first moved here in the 1980's, it has existed solely as a conduit for his political ambitions. Today, half of the congressional seats and the governor's mansion are held by Democrats. So why does the news media treat it as a given that McCain will win this state? Why isn't the Obama campaign contesting Arizona as intensely as New Mexico and Colorado?

Persepolis

2008-07-09T22:17:00.001-07:00

Read the collected comics, and watched the movie after returning from Israel. The influence of Maus is profound. Like Art Spiegelman, Marjani Satrapi is deeply ashamed of an upbringing that, in comparison to her family members, is shallow and frequently pathetic. She's even more honest, and far less self-pitying than Spiegelman, in fact. I admire her family for staying in Iran, especially when it would have been easy for them to move to Los Angeles like the rest of the privileged Persian population.

As for the movie, the dual casting of Chiara Mastroianni and Catherine Deneuve -- a real-life mother and daughter playing Satrapi and her mother -- was genius. Sean Penn, as Marji's father, was significantly less so. He sounded like Spicoli on quaaludes.

Man Shoots Dog

2008-07-08T15:53:00.001-07:00

In light of the tragic death of Tucson Police Officer Hite, this Daily Star headline strikes me as a little ghoulish:

Tucson Police Officer Fatally Shoots Biting Dog

At a quick glance, it reads like "Tucson Police Officer Fatally Shot." Maybe this wasn't the headline writer's intent, but to me it seems crass and calculated.

Failure to Register? Go to Prison FOR LIFE

2008-06-30T23:39:00.000-07:00

Arizona has its share of stupid laws, but at times like this I thank God I don't live in the South.

Legal analysis of the day, provided by Orin Kerr:

"If you're a registered sex offender, failing twice to properly register your home address is really dumb."

(thanks Volokh)

Junot Diaz on Grand Theft Auto IV

2008-06-30T23:27:00.000-07:00

(via WSJ Online)

He's a fan, but thinks the praise is a little overwrought.

Can't say I disagree, but I genuinely felt feelings of conflict and distress when faced with the choices the game poses (kill a useless but loyal friend to advance your career, or kill a highly useful yet major asshole?). In general, I felt the game handled moral choice better than the slightly overpraised Bioshock.

Major Victory for Tort Plaintiffs at AZ Court of Appeals

2008-06-30T23:10:00.000-07:00

That huge sigh you hear may not be the monsoons, but Arizona plaintiff's attorneys breathing a sharp sigh of relief.

Today, Division 2 of the Arizona Court of Appeals delivered a major victory to plaintiffs suing state agencies in tort. The case, Jones v. Cochise County et al., represents a pushback against the harsh new requirements imposed by the Arizona Supreme Court in Deer Valley School District no. 97 v. Houser, 214 Ariz. 193, 152 P.3d 490 (2007). The ruling presents a far more accommodating (for plaintiffs) reading of Arizona's notice of claims statute, A.R.S. sec. 12-821.01 which, if upheld by the Supreme Court, will curtail the number of successful defense motions for summary judgment in state tort claims.

.

The awful saga of Katy Perry, continued

2008-06-29T17:22:00.001-07:00

Brief paranthetical explanation: Tucson's "modern rock" station, KFMA, airs an actual Alcoholics Anonymous meeting every Sunday morning at six o'clock sharp. Why, I don't know. Probably part of some ancient FCC-imposed public service obligation.

This is frightening enough to wake up to on any morning, especially after a typical Saturday night of ribaldry. But THIS morning, I awoke to Katy Perry's "I Kissed A Girl" followed IMMEDIATELY by the groggy, dirge-like sounds of Tucson's alcoholics. The juxtaposition was so terrifying I couldn't fall back asleep. Thanks again, Katy Perry!

Things that have the same names as other things (or: where have you gone, Jill Sobule?)

2008-06-28T18:13:00.000-07:00

Does this annoy anyone else? I was looking for Sunshine, the Danny Boyle-directed sci-fi picture that came out last year, at Casa Video. And I kept finding the other Sunshine, the snooty British Ralph Fiennes vanity picture from 1999. Why can't these producers exercise a little foresight and put just a little more effort into naming their pictures? Don't even get me started on Kicking and Screaming, the offensive Will Ferrell comedy/disaster, versus Kicking and Screaming the ruminative post-college comedy by Noah Baumbach.

But this is but a warm-up to the greatest offender of all, Katy Perry's I Kissed A Girl:

...aaaand here's Jill Sobule:

Belonging

2008-06-26T22:46:00.000-07:00

This is a photo of me with my cousin Steve and his wife Hannah.

People often tell me, usually upon first meeting me, that I "look like I'm from New York." Maybe it's just because I wear glasses, don't dress like a surfer, and lack a deep golden brown tan, as so many Arizonans do. Or maybe it's because it's a polite way of saying that I look like a Jew. Either way, I never really agreed with that statement. The idea of New York generally makes me feel uncomfortable, hordes of harried, angry people shouting at each other under skyscrapers that blot out the sky. And I never liked the Jews I grew up with who came from that part of the country, either. Too many of them were spoiled, maladjusted twits, and their parents were little better.

This may seem silly to say, but I was genuinely relieved and surprised to learn that Israel isn't a giant clone of the Lower East Side. I felt much more of a kinship with the Israelis than I ever felt with the guys I went to Hebrew school with, and it's hard to explain just why. Many Israelis are just as rude and bigoted as their American counterparts, after all. I can instinctively understand why Steve decided to stay in Israel, even if I can't quite elucidate it.

Now Playing: West Indian Girl

2008-06-26T15:50:00.000-07:00

Saw these guys at the Tucson Club Crawl a couple months ago. They're kind of like a modern, shoegazy Fleetwood Mac, if that makes any sense. I dl'ed their latest album, 4th and Wall, through iTunes. It's very breezy, with lots of sustained harmonies and busy keyboard melodies: the perfect sort of album to listen to while staring out a moving train window.

Official site

Myspace

Crush Object of the Day: Marianne Dissard

2008-06-23T12:37:00.000-07:00

I chatted her up at Congress on Saturday. She's Tucson's resident chanteuse (Myspace link). I've never seen one of her shows but there's lots of ink about her in the local papers. She's really sweet and humble in person, and of course, very French.

Official site

Snack Shack at the Old Courthouse

2008-06-21T09:34:00.000-07:00

Snapped this with my phone camera. I like the wrought iron frame.

Luke's - mini-review

2008-06-21T09:14:00.000-07:00

Tucked into the corner of Ft. Lowell and Stone Avenue, Luke's rests inauspiciously near a gas station, a grungy minimall, and some repair shops. From the outside it looks pretty dingy. Inside it's a much cleaner affair, with mostly spotless tables, pictures of various Chi-town sports heroes, and a ceiling-mounted television playing Nancy Grace. I ordered a Polish sausage with fries and was handed an enormous bundle of food, which unwrapped into the meal you see above. The sausage was perfect, with strong notes of pepper and spice. It was a revelation compared to all the tasteless Polish sausages I've had in Tucson and elsewhere. As you can see from the picture, Luke's serves their sausage on a hard baguette rather than a gooey potato bun. This makes it easy to eat the sausage two-handed, without having to resort to knife and fork. I like to eat my sausage without having to remove the peppers or pickle spear first, and this arrangement makes it much easier to do that. The fries were quite crispy, but a little on the dry side.

First impressions overall were quite favorable. I'll have to return to sample their hamburgers.

9th Circuit <3 Texting and Fourth Amendment

2008-06-19T08:49:00.001-07:00

(via Volokh)

According to the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals, text message users have a reasonable expectation of privacy in the content of their messages, even though that content may be saved on the servers of their service providers.

Good news, especially in light of the continuing telco amnesty struggle.

Still, the thought of sending dirty or otherwise compromising text messages makes me feel queasy. You never know when an off-color text message will come back and bite you in the ass.

Bela Lugosi Is Not Dead

2008-06-19T06:31:00.001-07:00

He's got a cafe in Tel Aviv!

Masada

2008-06-17T02:31:00.001-07:00

Here's a travel tip: if you're in Israel in June, and you're thinking about hiking to the top of Masada, don't.

Swallow your pride and take the cable car.

Eggy breakfasts in Tel Aviv

2008-06-17T02:19:00.000-07:00

The Hilton in Tel Aviv serves a wonderful casserole in their breakfast smorgasboard. It consists of a layer of what appears to be hard-boiled eggs that covers a warm interior of tomatoes, onions, and peppers, stewed in cumin and black pepper.

They also served an eggs florentine that was different from what I was used to. It consisted of, once again, hard-boiled eggs in a creamy bechamel-type sauce with thyme -- no olive oil. It's not bad, but I think I prefer it over easy with copious fresh thyme and olive oil.

I'm looking forward to experimenting with the casserole concept. I'm a huge fan of cumin.

"This is a Shabbat lift!"

2008-06-15T00:36:00.000-07:00

On Friday I blundered into a lift with an attractive, middle-aged British couple.

"It's a Shabbat lift," the man told me. Awkward pause.

"It stops on every floor. You can still ride it if you want."

Hastily, I stepped backward and waited for the next lift.

Okay, so the idea behind the Shabbat lift is to be able to ride an elevator without pushing a button, thus violating your covenant with God. But if you're observing Shabbat, shouldn't you eschew heathen technology altogether? Just a thought.

A Jewish Wedding

2008-06-15T00:15:00.001-07:00

Did you know that the breaking of the glass symbolizes grief over the destruction of the Second Temple? Neither did I.

When they told me I would be attending a wedding in Jerusalem, I had some typical preconceptions: lots of black hats and peyeses (ed. payot? payesim?), modest dress, lots of Hebrew, and typical Jewish seriousness. So I was pleasantly surprised that the actual service was none of those things. The bride, a Harvard Divinity School grad student, recruited her girlfriend to perform the ceremony. Both the bride and groom were vegans, so the service was entirely meat-free (and delicious!). Best of all, instead of breaking the glass at the end of the ceremony, the bride and groom crumbled a sprig of rosemary at the beginning, as a less-forlorn and more forward-looking gesture of remembrance.

It was a wonderful, inspiring service, and I was very grateful to have been invited.

Hospitality

2008-06-12T23:25:00.001-07:00

Conventional wisdom states that Arabs are extraordinarily hospitable, while Israelis are assholes. There are exceptions to both, of course. But my experience in Tel Aviv confirms this. Israeli drivers are rude, abrasive, and honk constantly. The shop owners are largely taciturn and brusque. On the other hand, the Arab-run shwarma joint in Jaffa couldn't have been run by a friendlier group of people. Our server, from Nazareth, told us he had his own restaurant until about a month ago, when a group of thugs destroyed the place. He said the police did nothing about it. But he wasn't the least bit bitter about it, either. I was reminded of all the friendly Morrocan homes I visited a decade ago. It's good to see this hospitality has survived the panic over 9/11.

The Holy Land

2008-06-09T23:16:00.000-07:00

Tomorrow, my father and I leave for Israel. I don't really know what to expect. Growing up as a Jew and a native Arizonan, I felt doubly alienated: no deep regional ties, no cultural connections. There were no Jews in my neighborhood, and the Jews I knew weren't really from Arizona. They were from Chicago or New York; they rooted for the Cubs or the Yankees. But Israel is full of Jews. They may come from Russia or Ethiopia or Spain or Morocco, but they all serve in the military together, play soccer together, live and suffer and strive together. Will it feel like home?

(photo credit: Lou Marano)

The Perfect Ribeye

2008-06-07T18:38:00.000-07:00

I've been trying to master it since I saw Gordon Ramsay's video. After a little practice, and a better understanding of how basting works, I think I've got it down.

Don't be fooled by the video's title; it takes far longer than one minute to cook, more like 8-9 minutes.

Pour a tablespoon or so of olive oil into the pan. Turn the heat up to medium or just beyond medium, depending on your stove. Let the heat build up for a good minute or two.

Drop the ribeye on the pan (don't forget to season both sides with salt and ground black pepper), and listen for the sizzle. Brown each side for one minute. Then, cook one side for about three minutes. Now drop the butter in the pan, about 2 and 1/2 tablespoons (just cut it like Ramsay does in the video), along with the rosemary and crushed garlic. Swish around the butter and oil, and baste the meat every thirty seconds or so. After about one minute, pick up the rosemary and garlic and place it on top of the steak so it doesn't burn. Continue for another three minutes. Flip the steak again, and cook and baste for another minute or so. Check the temp, it should be about medium rare (130 deg. F).

Very juicy, very delicious.

Also, I think the distinction between prime and choice is pretty overrated, at least to my untrained eye. At A.J.'s, the prime cuts were larger, but only slightly more marbled than the choice cuts. The steak I picked was both thick and lusciously marbled, and about $12 less than its prime equivalent.

Potato Ricer, cont.

2008-06-05T12:24:00.000-07:00

Tried the ricer with the apples last night, and, well, it didn't work that well. Perhaps the apples were too small and didn't allow me to get enough torque on the handles. I popped in a few slices and only a trickle of apple juice came out. So I threw them in my Magic Bullet instead.

The curry came out great, though. These days, I start with mirepoix and sweat it in the pan, like I were starting a sauce. I added the apples with water and reduced, then added white chicken stock and reduced again. I strained that and used the resulting sauce as the liquid base for the curry. The result: just the right hint of appley sweetness.

Potato Ricers

2008-06-03T09:05:00.000-07:00

Devoted Cirroc reader David bought me a potato ricer a few weeks ago. He and I were talking about cooking, as we are wont to do, and he mentioned his love for the peculiar device. To his surprise, I was completely ignorant of its charms. Shocked, he left immediately and returned with a brand-new ricer.

I admit I was skeptical of the device initially. But when I received a bounty of potatoes from the CSA last week, I decided to try it out. (A word of warning: be sure to boil the potatoes to a near soup-like consistency before inserting them in the ricer or risk shoulder dislocation.) The ricer produced a fine stream of potato which produced the lightest, most delicious hash browns I have ever tasted. I tend to prefer home fries over hash browns, but the potato ricer may turn me into a hash brown convert.

Tonight I'll integrate the ricer into the curry-making process, as an apple mincer. We'll see how it goes.

Potato Bacon Bombs

2008-05-09T08:50:00.000-07:00

In honor of the inimitable Patton Oswalt, I created these delicious appetizers for last night's dinner party.

(I'm such a bad Jew.)

8-12 Red La Soda potatoes
24 uncooked shrimp
12 strips of bacon
1 1/2 cup cheddar cheese, shredded
salt and freshly ground black pepper
2-3 tablespoons olive oil
1 teaspoon dried rosemary

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Pour in the potatoes and boil them till they're al dente (stick a fork in them and check; the fork should pass easily through the potato without tearing it apart). Remove the potatoes and let them cool off, 5-10 minutes.

While you're waiting, take this opportunity to shred about 1 1/2 cup of cheddar cheese, or more if that's your thing. Then, pour the olive oil into a small bowl and mix in the rosemary, salt, and pepper. Set aside.

Now chop the potatoes in half. Carefully dig out the insides with a spoon using a circular drilling motion; set aside the insides for mashed potatoes or something. Bring some more water to a boil and cook the shrimp (tails removed) for about a minute.

Slice the bacon in half. Wrap each piece of shrimp in one half-slice of bacon, and place it in a potato-half. Do this for the remaining bacon, shrimp, and potatoes. Brush the bottom of each potato with the olive oil mixture and place each on a lightly oiled cookie sheet. Top each potato bacon bomb with shredded cheddar cheese. Place the sheet in the oven for about 15 minutes.

Let sit, covered, for about 15 minutes before serving. Be careful when eating the potato bacon bombs; fatty juices tend to accumulate inside the bombs as they cook.

Watch your Ass, Arizona

2008-04-10T12:24:00.000-07:00

You may remember this gem of a Fourth Amendment case from last year, in which Division Two of the Court of Appeals rejected a warrantless search of an arrestee's anal cavity.

The State didn't take that rebuke too kindly. The case, State v. Patricia Barnes, has been accepted for review by Arizona's Supremes.

(Here's the original Division Two opinion.)

Hamburger Steak with Cointreau Sauce

2008-04-08T20:28:00.000-07:00

Voila: the latest fruit of my kitchen experiments.

Here's how I like my hamburgers. Gather up a ball of meat, about a 1/3 to 1/2 lb. works best, and rub in some kosher salt and pepper. Splash it with soy sauce -- just a splash, or else your burger will become soggy and lose consistency. Flatten it into a patty, turn up your stove burner to medium heat, and pour some olive oil onto a cast iron pan. Throw a little butter on there, too. Drop the patty on the pan and leave it alone. Don't prod it, don't mash it with a spatula when it starts to rise, or you'll knock out the juices. Flip it once after 3-4 minutes, cook it for another 4 minutes, and take it off the heat. Drop it on a nice toasted piece of bread of your choice.

For the sauce:

1/2 onion, finely chopped
1/2 tbsp. oil (or if you just cooked your hamburger, use the leftover juice)
1 tbsp. butter
1/2 tbsp. flour
1/3 to 1/4 cup demi glace or beef stock
1/2 cup Cointreau
salt and pepper, to taste

Toss the onion into the oil/juice on medium high heat, coating it in the oil; cook for about 2 minutes. Add Cointreau and turn heat to high; cover pan and reduce by half. Add butter and flour and rapidly whisk together. Add demi glace. Check seasoning and add salt & pepper as necessary.

Fight the Power

2008-04-07T16:50:00.000-07:00

Another trip to the neurologist's office, another act of petty rebellion.

Last time I swiped a recipe for curried pumpkin soup from the waiting room. This time:

To learn more about the Ban Comic Sans campaign, click here.

Crush Object of the Day (French Electropop edition)

2008-03-18T13:16:00.000-07:00

Yelle:

Cooking with Clemenza

2008-03-17T15:51:00.000-07:00

"Heh, come over here, kid, learn something. You never know, you might have to cook for 20 guys someday. You see, you start out with a little bit of oil. Then you fry some garlic. Then you throw in some tomatoes, tomato paste, you fry it; ya make sure it doesn't stick. You get it to a boil; you shove in all your sausage and your meatballs; heh…? And a little bit o' wine. An' a little bit o' sugar, and that's my trick."

Everything I know about spaghetti sauce, I learned from Pete Clemenza. Which is to say, not much.

I tried it recently with half a clove of garlic and a diced onion. First I cooked the beef and took it off the pan. Then I added the onions and garlic. Next, a 1/2 cup of red wine reduced to 1/4 cup. I added two spoonfuls of tomato paste and a couple diced roma tomatoes, thyme, cumin, cayenne, and flour for thickening. Plus a pinch of sugar, of course.

Result: not nearly thick enough, very strong winy taste. Tomato paste makes me trepidatious; maybe add more? (serving size I'm shooting for is 2-4).

Here's another food blogger's approach.

THEEEEENKS

2008-03-02T21:45:00.000-08:00

I've noticed a disturbingly frequent tendency
among young American women to pronounce "thank you"
with an ear-piercing long "e" sound, as I have dramatically
illustrated above.  It seems especially prevalent in the service
industry.  This trend does not appear to be limited to a specific
geographical region;  I hear it in the speech of women from Boston
to Orange County.  Rather, I think it is a kind of learned
behavior, psychologically reinforced on young women by their
environment.  It also seems to be confined to "pretty" girls.  Not
necessarily those that I would consider
pretty, mind, but the kind of girls who are told from a very early
age that they are pretty, and are subsequently bred into size-0,
reed-thin, sorority girls with bleached blond hair and acid-stained
teeth.

Anyone else witness this interesting psycholinguistic phenomenon?

Bistro Phillipe - Mini-Review

2008-03-02T20:43:00.000-08:00

Located on the burnt and buried corpse of the execrable pan-Asian clusterfuck Firecracker, Bistro Phillipe is the newest part of Bob McMahon's Tucson restaurant empire. I was looking forward to trying it. It would be nice to have a good French restaurant so close to my apartment. And although none of Metro's previous restaurants have blown me away, Old Pueblo is reliable and McMahon's serves a decent slab of beef. (For now I'll just pretend Firecracker never existed.) Sadly, Bistro Phillipe left me quite disappointed. Granted, it's been open only three weeks, and I expect it will improve as the staff gains experience, but I can't recommend it just yet.

The fluorescent hues of Firecracker have been replaced with a simple, clean red-and-white color scheme with vaguely Art Nouveau flourishes on the mirrors. Sadly, the dingy checkered upholstery on the couches in the main dining room remains. Red awnings bearing the names of various French wine-producing regions line the hall. I can only assume the fleurs-de-lis, tricolor flags, and Jerry Lewis photos are on back-order. When we arrived, the hall was about 2/3 full, mostly with elderly couples, and the bar was mostly empty. Our friendly waiter sat us and brought a warm loaf of bread with truffle oil (more oil than truffle). The waiter was still somewhat unfamiliar with the menu, and couldn't explain to me what a "hanger steak" was (hey, I'm no butcher). So I went with something safe and ordered the pepper steak with a side of caramelized carrots and a crepe with mushrooms, cheese, and leeks as an appetizer. My companion ordered a duck meat pie with a side salad and French onion soup.

And so we waited...and waited. Twenty minutes later, our appetizers arrived. The presentation of the crepe was unique, to say the least: flat as a pancake, it resembled more a soggy quesadilla than the cylindrical delicacy for which the French are known. Apart from its questionable visual appeal, it was tasty enough. The same cannot be said for the French onion soup, which was undercooked, lukewarm, and thin.

The wait resumed for our entrees, for at least another thirty minutes. Our waiter was polite and professional, but appeared only infrequently at our table, and showed little interest in refilling my wine glass. When the pepper steak arrived, however, it did not disappoint. The filets were seared and seasoned to perfection, and the sauce was rich yet unobtrusive. One of the filets was slightly less medium rare than the other, but not so much that it lost its moisture. The duck meat pie was sweet and succulent, although the crust was uninspired; it resembled one of those prefabricated crusts one finds in the pastry aisle at A.J.'s. I might have sampled the desserts but my companion was not interested in remaining any longer.

Bottom line: Bistro Phillipe knows how to put together a meat dish, but if I want a decent filet I'll just go to McMahon's across the street. Chef Phillipe Trosch may have earned a five-star rating at the Ventana Room, but he's got a ways to go before he earns my repeat business.

GGG

2008-02-26T10:14:00.000-08:00

Arizona Senate President Tim Bee has a steep hill to climb in his challenge of U.S. Rep. Gabrielle Giffords in CD8, including a 5-1 fundraising disadvantage.

But he might want to pick a better slogan.

Yesterday I saw a proud Pima County Republican with a "GGG" bumper sticker. Naturally, I immediately thought of this. Turns out it stands for "Gabby's Gotta Go."

Not quite the connotation he was aiming for.

Exploding Head Necklace

2008-02-22T10:48:00.000-08:00

Our society grows to resemble the military-dominated dystopia of The Running Man a little more each day. You know: endless war, secret torture, suspension of civil rights. True, Richard Dawson is dead, and Mick Fleetwood has yet to found his own underground armed resistance (that I know of). But Momenta, a peculiar neck-mounted camera that activates upon sudden elevations in heart rate, looks like an exploding prison collar straight off of Ben Richards' sweaty neck.

(thx Engadget)

Dead or Alive

2008-02-21T13:44:00.000-08:00

Wisconsin Court of Appeals: Sex with a dead deer just as illegal as sex with a living one.

Grammar Massacre

2008-02-20T22:49:00.000-08:00

Check out this AP lede (from WSJ Online by way of Volokh):

A woman reported missing for several days was found stabbed to death in a minivan by family members who were called by police to pick up the vehicle because it was illegally parked near Pomona Superior Court, authorities said Monday.

Crush Object of the Day (and perhaps Week)

2008-02-20T20:17:00.000-08:00

Ladytron.

Looks, musical ability, and intelligence: HOT.

Clark Munger versus John Q. Public

2008-02-20T18:15:00.000-08:00

It seems our presiding probate judge in Pima County has quite the fan following.