Star Consumes Planet in Romantic Death Embrace

I swoon for star-crossed lovers, especially when one of the lovers is a star:

"If the team reporting the discovery is correct about the planet’s future, astronomers should begin to see evidence of a long, very lazy plunge into the star within the next decade..."

I prefer long, lazy plunges into a bottle of Riunite in the company of someone else's wife. But to each his own.

Too bad we won't be around to see this death pact consummated...another million years from now. Sigh.

What you should be listening to right now: Nisennenmondai

No excuses.

Chicken to Replace Bread in KFC Sandwich

An idea whose time has come. If it's time for obesity and heart disease. But really, when isn't it?

Sax Solos: The Last Word on "Guilty Pleasures"

Doing this edition of Psionic Dehiscence was difficult for me, but it was inspired by Ryan Kelly's unnervingly comprehensive collection of 80s sax solo clips. This site reminded me that there are nuggets of pure pleasure in the most embarrassing corners of our musical tastes. Good thing...but I'm washing the taste out of my mouth next week with two hours of live noise when Torture Memo returns to the show next week.

Frog Sex Like Human Sex: Increasingly Infrequent

Melbourne University ecologist Kirsten Parris reports the sound of car horns is drowning out the sweet, seductive tones of the popplebonk(!) frog. To wit:

"...competition from traffic noise in Melbourne could be a reason why frog numbers have declined in Australia's second-largest city since her survey of more than 100 ponds began in 2000, she said."

By the way, eight years of frog pond sex surveys may also impact your sex life.

Petaluma Girl Busted for Hit & Run on Valencia

Remember in July when that guy, riding his bike with his four year-old on a trailer, was run down while crossing 18th street with the green light? Well...busted!

"...a 16-year-old Santa Rosa girl has been arrested in the hit-and-run crash that left a bicyclist and his young son injured on Valencia Street early last month."

Weekly Weed News, Part Deux: Burning Trees!

No, really.

It appears the lack of legal marijuana farms in a state where voters chose to legalize medical marijuana can cause some collateral issues. Like, 30,000 plants that ignited and burnt 90,000 acres of forest. Oops...who left the brownies in the oven?

Weekly Weed News: A Full Scale Drug War is the Only Thing Between the US and Legalization

Mexico legalized possession of small amounts of weed, heroin, and cocaine in an attempt to deal with demand created in the US due to criminalization here. Yeah us!

The move is "designed to prevent corrupt police from seeking bribes from small-time drug users, and to encourage addicts to seek treatment." what a novel idea.

Oh, by the way, more than 11,000 people have died from drug violence in Mexico over the past three years.

Playlist: Psionic Dehiscence - August 21, 2009

Listen, if you dare.

PJ Harvey / Yuri-G / Rid Of Me
Orchestral Manoeuvres In the Dark / If You Leave / The OMD Singles

Backing: Herb Alpert / Whipped Cream (and Other Delights)

LA Dream Team / Dream Team is in the House / 12"
Snow / Informer / 12 Inches of Snow
Midnight Star / Operator / Planetary Inasion
Falco / Der Kommissar / Falco: The Ultimate Collection
The Power Station / Bang a Gong / 33 1/3

Guest: Leef Smith, Mission Comics and Art

Blood, Sweat and Tears / Spinning Wheel / Blood, Sweat and Tears
Omega Monster Patrol / The Fixx / Omega Monster Patrol
Kenny Loggins / Whenever I Call You Friend / Nightwatch
Asia / Heat Of The Moment / Asia
Billy Squire / The Stroke / Don't Say No
Sonic Love Tonic / I Think I'll Be Fine / Never Once Was
Phantom Planet / California / The Guest
Haircut One Hundred / Love Plus One / Pelican West

Heatwave / Always and Forever / Too Hot to Handle
Christopher Cross / Sailing / Christopher Cross
Phil Collins / Against All Odds / Against All Odds (soundtrack)
Lionel Richie / Endless Love / Endless Love (soundtrack)
Air Supply / Every Woman In The World / Greatest Hits

Psionic Dehiscence – Playlist: August 14, 2009

PJ Harvey / Yuri-G / Rid Of Me
Serge Gainsbourg / La Chanson De Prévert / L'étonnant Serge Gainsbourg
Les/Larry Elgart / Music to Watch Girls By/ Girl Watchers

Raekwon / House of Flying Daggers / Only Built For Cuban Links II
Jay Dee aka J Dilla / In The Night (Owl N Out) – While you slept (I crept) / Jay Stay Paid
Charles Trees / Pandemic! / Accepted Truth
The Flying Skulls / Money (Album Mix) / Take Flight!
Reso / Busted Crunk / Heavy Arms
Eero Johannes / Katt Wit 700 Watts / Eero Johannes
Calvin Harris / Colours / I Created Disco
The Damage Manual / Damage Addict / The Damage Manual
Débruit / Congo Whoomp / Clé de Bras

MC Luscious / Da Dip / 12"

Cybotron / Clear / Clear
Alexander Robotnick / Problèmes d'Amour / Problèmes d'Amour
Shriekback / My Spine (Is The Bassline) / Care, Tench And Related Tracks
Dinosaur L / #1 (You're Gonna Be Clean On Your Bean) / 24 - 24 Music
Chaz Jankel / Get Myself Together / Get Myself Together Electronic
Sorcerer / Chemise / Neon Leon

Nisennenmondai / Souzousuru Neji / Destination Tokyo

Artefact / Sex Computer / Des Jeunes Gens Mödernes
Prince / Computer Blue / Purple Rain
Ready for the World / Digital Display / Ready for the World
Dazz Band / Joystick / 20th Century Masters - The Millennium Collection: The Best of Dazz Band
Earth, Wind & Fire / Magnetic / The Eternal Dance

Playlist: Psionic Dehiscence - August 8, 2009

PJ Harvey / Yuri-G / Rid Of Me
Heart / Barracuda / Little Queen

Meshuggah / The Mouth Licking What You've Bled / Chaosphere
The Blood Brothers / Fucking's Greatest Hits / ...Burn, Piano Island, Burn
John Zorn / Punk China Doll / Naked City
Lightning Bolt / Bizarro Zarro Land / Hypermagic Mountain
The Fucking Champs / Dale Bozzio / III
Trans Am / Extreme Measures / The Surveillance
Boredoms / Molecicco / Pop Tatari
Ponytail / 7 Souls / Ice Cream Spiritual
Thee Oh Sees / Visit Colonel / ???

Japanther / Before The Sun Goes Down / Tut Tut Now Shake Ya Butt
Battles / TRAS2 / EP C
Avanti / Flexible Tips / Museum Of Future Sound 2
Mantronix / Ryuichi Sakamoto / 12"
Whodini / Jam On It / 12"
Afrika Bambaataa & Soul Sonic Force / Planet Rock / Planet Rock - EP
Boogie Down Productions / Remix For P Is Free / Criminal Minded
Black Star / Definition / Mos Def & Talib Kweli Are Black Star
Biz Markie / Vapors / Goin' Off

George Bush: Exactly as Crazy as You Thought

Boing Boing found this lovely tidbit, buried in the Council for Secular Humanism:

Former French President Jaques Chirac says that in 2003, President Bush asked him to send troops to Iraq to stop Gog and Magog, the "Bible’s satanic agents of the Apocalypse."


Discuss.

Kidnapping American Hikers: Worked So Well in N. Korea, Iran's Giving it a Try

We get two back, but give three up. What's the deal? ABC says:

"The three tourists were detained after evidently straying into Iran while hiking in the mountains in the Iraqi border town of Ahmed Awah, a popular resort area famous for its pistachio trees and picturesque waterfalls. The border between Iran and Iraq is not clearly marked."

Here's a tip: regardless of how beautiful and picturesque the pistachio trees and waterfalls are, you'd think steering clear of Iran right now would be a good idea. Go figure.

Weekly Weed News: Spotted Owl Supports Legalization

Despite its green image, apparently growing weed is bad for the environment. Treehugger finds:

"Irrigation tubes that snake for a mile or more over forested ridges. Pesticides that have drained into creeks and entered the food chain, sickening wildlife. Piles of trash and human waste in the most rugged and bucolic drainages. 'They basically trash our public lands,' said Matt Mathes, a spokesman for the U.S. Forest Service in Vallejo."

And pesticides are poisoning rodents that are the primary food source for the Spotted Owl. So the reigning savior of the redwoods is now turning its head all the way around for weed. Good show.

Blackwater: Exactly As Evil As You Thought

The great thing about federal investigations: people present lots of information about crimes for us all to read through. It's kind of a lovely system, if you ask me.

Case in point: Blackwater (now XE) and its CEO Erik Prince. The company is now being investigated for multiple shooting deaths of Iraqis during the period when the Bush administration let the company run roughshod over that beleaguered nation. And former employees are telling some amazingly horrible stories.

Here are some sample allegations, reported by the Times Online of the UK:

• "..murder, weapons smuggling and the deliberate slaughter of civilians.."


• "...the company founder Erik Prince either murdered or had killed former employees co-operating with federal investigators..."


• "Prince 'views himself as a Christian crusader tasked with eliminating Muslims and the Islamic faith from the globe'"


• "executives destroyed incriminating videos, e-mails and documents and hid their criminal behaviour from the US State Department"


• "..also accused Blackwater guards of boasting of kills, taking mind-altering drugs, steroids and using child prostitutes."

The moral: when you think something bad has happened--like a crime--a federal investigation is a good idea. You'll be glad you had one; usually the story turns out to be as bad as you suspected.

Friday July 31 - OUT

Sorry, I wasn't on the air last week and I spent all this week cleaning out the pigeon cages after taking a few days away from the Bay Area. So no blog updates. Note: pigeons can really make a mess, let me tell you.

The Handyman took over the show for me and played some excellent tunes. You can listen to the show here

But if you're looking for a playlist, you're shit out of luck. Sorry.