Our Descent Into Madness

After a hiatus, Ari’s mp3 blog and 80 Proof Project is back on its feet. A Poor Sort of Memory That Only Works Backwards is now available for your extreme listening and viewing pleasure. Explore and enjoy.

The unlikely tale of Juan Mann and the Free Hugs Campaign can be watched here.

Juan Mann started a campaign meant to brighten people’s day- by giving them a hug. Watch strangers cross their personal boundaries, band together when the campaign is threatened, and hug the police despite the officers’ reticence.

This makes me want to move to Sydney.

Also watch Juan Mann and the Sick Puppies being interviewed on the Austrailian news.

Links to this and other Free Hug Campaigns around the globe can be found on YouTube.

A billboard in South Africa advertising a “power to the people” banking campaign provides solar power for a schoolhouse and other local community buildings.

I know that outrage on behalf of the ever-encroaching flood of junk mail has been previously discussed, but this seems to be a step in the right direction. If we can combine sustainability with the advertising industry, we might be able to keep our crass, materialistic, consumer morals without actually destroying ourselves from the inside out. Wouldn’t that be grand.

You can watch a fashion show live from Italy tomorrow which will be featuring… robotic cephalopods?

“Journey with us through time and liquid space to a futuristic world of bioluminescence, giant mechanic cephalopods, futuristic aquanauts and mysterious galacticpolyps”

Hopefully it will be beautiful and strange.

 Via Boing Boing.

And now, per request, Isabel’s first post as a guest blogger- The night a band crashed at her house. And she didn’t sleep. And then her ex threatened to call the cops.

There we were, at Backroad Pizza, a local hang-out spot for discontented youth. Munching on pepperoni and pineapple, listening to some tunes and plotting to overthrow the patriarchy. The performing artists included Meagan Day on the banjo, some sweet keyboard action by Tori, and a couple of crazy cats who had come down from New England.

This is Linc Halloran, who goes by the stage name Hello Shark, sometimes with others, sometimes solo. Check out Hello Shark’s blog for music and info.

 Linc, Regina, and Co. have now headed down to perform in Colorado Springs, so if you’re out that way try to catch them.

Apparently my father once put up 8 members of a Romanian Punk Rock Band. Having only pulled off a few sweet, slightly indie guitar-playing musicians, I feel decidedly un-hardcore in comparison.

80 Proof is venturing deep into the jungles of Central America to spend some time focusing on our other projects (The Predatory Mollusks’ upcoming album, general survival skills, etc.). We leave tomorrow, the 19th of June, and return on the 10th of July. Between snorkeling and patchy internet access, there will be very little (most likely no) posting from Emily or me during this time.

But fear not! Our dear friend and trusted ally Isabel will take over Our Descent in the interim. Things may be qualitatively different during her reign, but should be quantitatively similar. We are confident that she will do an excellent job.

Farewell. We shall return in good time, filled with strange stories of manatees, coconut trees, and possibly even firsthand encounters with the local cephalopods (we hope!).

– Daisy

On July 29, 1994, Paul Hill, a terrorist with connections to the Army of God, murdered physician and abortion provider John Britton, clinic escort James Barret, and seriously injured Barret’s wife- to protect “preborn children.” Paul Hill’s actions helped spur a surge of violence against abortion providers nationwide.

I have just found out, via Pharyngula, that this summer, toward the end of July, Paul Hill’s abhorrent actions will not only be remembered but praised. Fundamentalist Christian groups will gather to celebrate him as a hero and a martyr. The murders of the honorable doctors will be distastefully re-enacted. This is how it’s being spun:

On July 29th, 1994, Paul Hill boldly defended 31 babies from unspeakable violence by killing a paid assassin and his bodyguard. He was arrested, given a sham trial, and executed as a martyr. On the 13th anniversary of Paul Hill’s act of love and mercy, memorial events will be held in Milwaukee, Wisconsin to honor him as God’s man and our hero.

Sponsored By:

Paul Hill Memorial

Children Need Heroes

StreetPreach

Pro Life Virginia

Paul Hill was a terrorist. What a way to promote life, huh? Paul Hill sympathizers…you are the real terrorist sympathizers.

Let us now remember him for who he was. Anti-woman. Anti-born life. Anti-justice. Anti-health. Pro-violence. Pro-murder. Pro-terror. Pro-hate.

Anti-life. He was scum. And I, for one, don’t miss him at all: nor do I have mercy for his memory or supporters.

Jeff says it well at Shakesville, so read it there. Also note Melissa’s comment, as it helps to clarify and flesh out the issues discussed.

For more feminist father action, check out Dads and Daughters.

Note: Dads can and should be feminist role models for their sons, too, but I don’t know of any feminist “dads and sons” resources to mention or link to. Sorry.

The Vienna Vegetable Orchestra is just too cool. And it’s definitely my favorite orchestra ever.

The Vegetable Orchestra performs music solely on instruments made of vegetables. Using carrot flutes, pumpkin basses, leek violins, leek-zucchini-vibrators, cucumberophones and celery bongos, the orchestra creates its own extraordinary and vegetabile sound universe. The ensemble overcomes preserved and marinated sound conceptions or tirelessly re-stewed listening habits, putting its focus on expanding the variety of vegetable instruments, developing novel musical ideas and exploring fresh vegetable sound gardens.

Via Treehugger.

Someone over at We Make Money Not Art did some digging and came up with some pictures of (and links to) gas masks for animals that I think are pretty cool.

I mean, why not?