Ricotta Park

Logo Power

Japan recently put a call out for a new defense ministry logo. Check out the winner below:

The dudes over at Coming Anarchy came down pretty hard on it, suggesting that it lacks the teeth of other defense departments and ministries. And while it's certainly a bit 2.0-ish, as these guys suggest, it's hardly as un-tuff as some others.

Ireland's, for instance, looks like it should be repping for a ballet company:

And The Netherlands' logo is more suited for a pharmaceutical company:

Lithuania, on the other hand, while not known for being a military powerhouse (remember, these were the guys who had Jerry Garcia design their Olympic basketball team jerseys in 1992) has the most ferocious and intense logo of them all:

That's right - a snarling dog holding a sword in one paw and the Lithuanian coat of arms in the other. The dog's pose suggests a confrontational and suspicious nature, which may reflect the nation's relationship with its two-time occupier and neighbor, Russia.

See more defense logos here.
Read more about the Vytis (Lithuanian coat of arms) here.

Thanks for the tip, Maia!

The Art of Conspicuous Consumption

I've always had a hard time relating to hard statistical data, preferring instead to understand concepts through stories, images and experience --- wisdom of the visceral, y'know?  I suppose that's one of the reasons why I really dig Chris Jordan's visually dramatic, conservation-minded Running the Numbers series.

Yeah, I don't care for Seurat either, but check out the close-up:

The stat? The 1st image depicts 106,000 aluminum cans, the number used by Americans every 30 seconds. That's a lot of Budweiser, brah. Check out the rest of Jordan's online gallery here and see the actual exhibit here.

Endless Sludge

 

Things might be slowing down for Civilization for a while, so come out to TSI on 7/22 for an early afternoon show. Biking to the show is encouraged. If anyone wants to make the 12-hour ride from the beach to downtown, let's meet up. 6 am, my place. Bring some WD-40.

backbackback

had a great time in the north, in the south, at weddings and in new abodes. chkchkchk picpicpics will be up a bit later.

in the meantime, as part of an beautifully confrontational anti-racism campaign in Brazil, homeless children below are wearing shirts that say, "If I looked liked this, would you look at me in a different way?"

(from scaryideas via speck)

From Wombs to Bombs to Bongos

First Michael Richards, then Paris and now...Iran? AJ, c'mon man...you've been pretty quiet lately and I'm sure you're feeling a little down about North Korea's possible disarmament-for -fuel-deal, but really. Do you think dropping the N-bomb is going to get you some attention?

We've gotta get this guy on the path to healing. How about a Ricotta Park mix CD? You know, songs of devotion, of love, of faith (though not necessarily in Jesus), etc. Please send me either song suggestions or mp3's to me in the comments section. Should you wish to make this a more personal matter, you can get me at ricottapark@gmail.com.

With all of our excellent musical tastes combined, we'll craft the finest, most inspirational 80 minutes of non N-word suggesting tunes EVER.

And anyone that submits the perfect Danzig tune gets an RP t-shirt.

Lineage

  My great-grandfather, Varee Longlunch, being taken to a psychiatric hospital in Paris, France in 1954 after being driven mad by a meal of syphilis en Papillote, Coke au Vin and Steak au pervert.

Actually, that photo and many others are from Jean-Philippe Charbonnier's exhibition of photos of French psychiatric hospitals. You can view the entire, disturbing set here.

Biblioklept's mom can be seen in one of the more striking images.

Love: God's Way

"One of the most dangerous ways homosexuality invades family life is through popular music. Parents should keep careful watch over their children's listening habits, especially in this Internet Age of MP3 piracy."

Couldn't have said it better myself, Donnie Davies.

Wowza! Love God's Way is a group dedicated to the reformation of homosexuals. The C.H.O.P.S. (Changing Homosexuals into Ordinary People) program, with it's liberty-taking acronym and everything...well, I'll just repost Donnie's message:

"Hello Friends, I hope you take the time to read the quote by our good friend and compatriot, Oscar Wilde. In that one quote Oscar brings to life the isolation and despair of what he refers to as "us", the homosexuals. It is a long, lonely, desolate road, homosexuality. I've been there, friends. I know how horrible and rough that road can be. I have been called a "Faggot". You are not alone and guess what, God Loves You even if he hates your Homosexuality. You just can't stay that way. Let me help you love yourself. Follow me and together we'll C.H.O.P.S away the Gay."

C.H.O.P.S. away the Gay, indeed.

Really curious, though, are the lists of "Gay" and "Safe" bands. Kansas, for instance, despite having several Evangelical Christians in the band over the years, is "gay." Bobby Conn, featured on yesterday's post, is also "Gay." The Strokes, Motorhead and Arcade Fire are all queer-cut gays as well. I have a feeling that Eminem, Ghostface Killah and DMX would probably get super pissed if they found out what homos Donnie Davies thought they were. And in case you were curious, Elton John is "really gay."

Cyndi Lauper, however, is "safe." It probably has something to do with her connection to Captain Lou Albano, a legend in the uber-straight world of professional wrestling.

View the full list here.

Luckily, Love God's Way takes submissions. Watch out Black Kids, Roargan and Civilization --- I've got my eyes on you.

(thanks for the tip, Erin!)

Post of the Week!

Holy Crap.

Jaxopolitan posted one of the funniest things I've seen in weeks. High fives for paying attention to...condo advertisements? Check it, though. You'll die.

Jacksonville Vice City

Also, props to whoever keeps searching in Google for Tabitha Soren. Inquiries regarding the former MTVNews anchor have led dozens of folks to my site over the past 2 weeks. Search the tag cloud and you'll see why.

Enjoy the weekend!
XO
RP

Point Barack, Forrealz.

So, a few months ago, RP voiced its support for a 2012 Obama Presidential candidacy. The announcement from a few days ago that he'd be establishing a presidential exploratory committee comes not only as a surprise, but also as a disappointment. Some have suggested that the committee is just a formality - that Obama's already made up his mind to seek the Democratic nomination for President.

At this point, however, all Obama can bring to the coming fray is the oft-cited “starpower” bestowed upon him by the legions of novelty-craving, race relations-repairing baby boomers. Sure, he’s eloquent and handsome. And sure, George Clooney says Barack will electrify the Party in the way that JFK did.  But, as a new Senator, he has no national political record to speak of. He also hasn't been seasoned by the abusive nature of DC politics yet. 

As an Illinois State Senator, Obama voted for gun control measures yet sided with the NRA and property owners when legislation arose allowing for citizens to defend themselves in their homes with lethal force. He also sponsored bills requiring police to videotape interrogations, as a deterrent to what his constituency viewed as law enforcement-perpetuated injustices against black suspects. Obama steadily voted for reproductive rights, worked to reform Illinois' death penalty and was seen by his peers as cross-party consensus builder.

Unfortunately, it's the Park's opinion that a great voice, broad smile and strong, populist lean isn't enough to get you elected President. Aside from his cigarette habit, cocaine use and somewhat sketchy environmental views, he doesn't really give us much to criticize. And you know, you gotta break some eggs...

And look at his likely competition. While even the most progressive liberals will tell you that Hillary Clinton would be an absolutely disastrous candidate and an even worse President, she's been establishing a national apparatus for years. She's got fundraisers working for her everywhere. And let's not forget the slew of sycophantic reactionaries that blindly support her despite having several different positions on any given issue depending on to whom she's speaking. But we'll have plenty of time to discuss her candidacy's catastrophic polarization of the country when she makes her announcement.

Obama's other competition, as I see it, is former North Carolina Senator John Edwards -a centrist Liberal from a moderately conservative state who's already weathered one particularly brutal Presidential campaign, held his own (some would say defeated) against a 40-year political veteran in Darth Cheney, and has a pre-established network of backers and contributors. I doubt Vilsack, Dodd, or Kucinich will provide much of a threat to this plain-speaking, easy-going Southern gentleman around primary time.

This, of course, is only regarding the Democratic nomination. Who knows what the hell's going to happen if McCain, Hagel or Romney make serious bids.

Field Day

Cal Ripken Jr. and Tony Gwynn were elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame today. CR played, like, 30,000 consecutive games (actually, 2632 - still impressive) and Tony G. was on the Padres for his entire 20-year career. Gold stars for both dudes. Mark McGwire was denied, and for that, we are stoked. For the record, the Park doesn't support the use of illegal steroids - only those that will make you faster, stronger, bigger, meaner, more aggressive and with more pronounced acne breakouts on your back and face. All the rest of them, such as the ones prescribed to asthmatics and convalescents, are unacceptable.

Seriously, though, we liked McGwire a whole lot better in '87 when he was just a widdle guy playing second fiddle to Canseco's 40/40 man. The longer he has to wait, the better.

But who cares about those old dudes when 2007's #1 draft pick, the iPhone, was unveiled today. iPhone essentially crystallizes all those soundbytes about the inevitable merger of video, tv, music, Internet and wireless phones that you've been hearing for the last 3 years. I'm not going into the specs, the design or how cream-worthy this thing is (and it definitely is), but you should probably check it out on Apple's site.