The Galley Boys

The first and only collection of unpublished works by Kurt Vonnegut since his death — a fitting tribute to the author, and an essential contribution to the discussion of war, peace, and humanity’s tendency toward violence.

Armageddon in Retrospect is a collection of twelve new and unpublished writings on war and peace. Imbued with Vonnegut’s trademark rueful humor, the pieces range from a visceral nonfiction recollection of the destruction of Dresden during World War II — an essay that is as timely today as it was then — to a painfully funny short story about three Army privates and their fantasies of the perfect first meal upon returning home from war, to a darker, more poignant story about the impossibility of shielding our children from the temptations of violence. Also included are Vonnegut’s last speech as well as an assortment of his artwork, and an introduction by the author’s son, Mark Vonnegut.

Eight-time world champ Kelly Slater and Pearl Jam frontman Eddie Vedder could easily just rest on their laurels. Kelly could kick back, focus on his golf game, chase the occasional world title and be set for life. At the same time, Vedder could kick back, focus on his surfing, record the occasional album and retire fat and happy. But these two friends – one the greatest surfer of all time and the other the greatest rock musician of his generation – do anything but rest on their laurels. Instead, they use their voices and influence to make a difference in the things they believe in.

Case in point: their most recent collaboration last Saturday, a party/fundraiser/private concert at former Broadcom mogul Marty Colombatto’s Cottons estate. The event, called the Kelly Slater Foundation Benefit, came together at the 11th hour (typical Slater style), but all appeared to flow as easily as Kelly on an overhead Lowers wall. More than 500 people gathered at the Colombatto compound, where there were Kettle One stations at every turn and grilled plate-lunch-style catering.

Bobby Shriver (brother of Maria) was one of the first to take the stage, and cracked a few jokes about getting canned by his brother-in-law (The Governator) for opposing the toll road at Trestles. “We knew it was wrong from the beginning,” he said, before breaking into his best Arnold impersonation and admitting that the Governor “isn’t the most popular in-law in the family right now.” He ended by appealing to the crowd to write their senators and congressmen and to continue the fight against the toll road. Because, he said, it’s working.

The auction came next – designed to raise crazy money for the Save Trestles Campaign, along with Miocean, Surfers Healing, The Quiksilver Foundation, Pipeline to a Cure, Mary Setterholm’s LA Surf Bus and other charities. Starting with $46,000 for a round of golf with Slater and Fred Couples all the way down to $10,000 for one of Kelly’s signed white wetsuits, people were in a generous mood. So generous, in fact, that at the end of the night, more than $350,000 was raised for the night’s causes.

All the giving gave the crowd plenty of reason to celebrate – especially when Vedder came on to play a solo acoustic concert. “My good friend Sean Penn is here,” he told the crowd. “We’ve set up a punching booth in the back. For 500 dollars, he’ll punch you in the face and sign his name in Neosporin.”

With that, came the Vedder we know and love, playing everything from old favorites (“Elderly Woman Behind the Counter in a Small Town”) to new hits from his Into the Wild soundtrack. Continuing his comedy routine, Vedder stopped mid verse during “Rise” and said, “Damn, my hands are f—king freezing. Can someone come up here so I can stick my hand down their pants?”

All joking aside, both Vedder and Slater were there for serious issues. Real issues. Issues they want you to be aware of and do something about. From saving your favorite backyard pointbreak to bringing our troops back home, these two want us to be engaged. Good proof of that came toward one of the final encores, when Ben Harper and Kelly joined Eddie onstage and sang “Indifference.” “I will hold the candle till it burns up my arm,” they sang. “Oh, I’ll keep takin’ punches until their will grows tired/Oh, I will stare the sun down until my eyes go blind hey/I won’t change direction, and I won’t change my mind.”

With conviction like this, maybe, just maybe, these two really can change the world. For more information on the foundation, please go to http://www.KellySlaterFoundation.org

By: Evan Slater

Source: Surfing Magazine

When a personal tragedy ambushes his existence, Aaron Adams is forced to reexamine his life, realizing that without a major change he will be forever trapped in a cycle of boredom and depression. But embarking on a fresh start will test him emotionally at every turn - and the past is not so easily left behind - in the new romance by Robert Taylor, “Adrift: A Novel” (published by AuthorHouse.)

Life in Nyack, N.Y., had become a repetitive bore for Aaron Adams since graduating from college. But the untimely death of his mother changes everything. Not knowing how to put the pieces back together, Aaron throws a dart at a globe - it hits Tuscany in Italy. Abandoning his two best friends (one of them an unrequited love), Aaron leaves for Tuscany wanting nothing more than a fresh start. He finds himself standing on the banks of the Lima River in Bagni di Lucca, where a stranger and an unexpected connection await him. Fabrizio has also lost his mother. Together they forge a bond unlike anything Aaron has ever experienced. The close friends become lovers, sharing their grief and imagining a future with each other.

However, Aaron’s ties to America remain firmly knotted, and he soon finds himself back in the States at the side of his best friend, who may or may not awake from a coma after a terrible car accident. In the midst of this tragedy, Aaron is surprised to learn that a final chapter remains to be written in his relationship with the man he loved before he left New York. Follow Aaron’s journey of discovery as he battles and embraces the grief‚Äôs and loves of a tumultuous period and comes to terms with his sexuality in”Adrift,” the stunning, witty and emotional debut novel by Robert Taylor.

Robert Taylor is a recent graduate of Kent State University with a degree in Journalism. He has worked for Wizard Magazine and has been a popular and well-respected online columnist and journalist for the past five years, currently hanging his hat at Comic Book Resources, writing the weekly interview column “Reflections.” He also edits Artemis, a feminist magazine.

I have known Bob for quite some time now, almost nine years to be exact. After graduating from Archbishop Hoban High School in Akron together, we parted ways with different aspirations in mind. Bob is a great guy and I want to personally congratulate him on his success and wish him the best of luck. Adrift is a must read and is sold online and at all major bookstores nationwide.

Rising Down will be the tenth album from Philadelphia-based hip-hop band The Roots. It is set to be released on Def Jam, their second with the label, following 2006’s Game Theory. The album will feature roughly the same lineup as Game Theory ; the band’s members remain, with guest appearances by Peedi Peedi and Malik B., the latter reportedly even more so than on the group’s previous album, as well as conceivable appearances and/or production by Dice Raw.

According to band leader ?uestlove, Rising Down, “is an electric record, more synthy. The darks are darker and the lights are lighter, but all I know is making quality hip-hop stylistically. We tried to do something we never did before. Kamal had to be the sacrificial lamb this time. The one instrument that has defined the Roots has been the Fender Rhodes. This is the first year he‚Äôs had to change his instrumentation and try other sounds out. We have a bunch of keyboards and synthesizers we‚Äôre using on this record. It feels like the musical equivalent of ‘Blade Runner’ sometimes. We‚Äôve also added a horn section has divulged that while the album‚Äôs direction is as yet uncertain, keyboardist Kamal Gray is utilizing more synthesizers than Fender Rhodes in his playing this time around.” Tracks in the mix for the album include the afro-beat infused “I Will Not Apologize” and the pop-ish “Birthday Girl.” The current release date for the album is set for April 29, 2008.

Official Track Listing :

1.) The Pow Wow
2.) Rising Down (Feat. Mos Def and Styles P)
3.) Get Busy (Feat. Dice Raw and Peedi Peedi)
4.) @15
5.) 75 Bars (Black’s Reconstruction)
6.) Becoming Unwritten
7.) Criminal (Feat. Truck North and Saigon)
8.) I Will Not Apologize (Feat. Porn and Dice Raw)
9.) I Can’t Help It (Feat. Malik B., Porn, Mercedes Martinez and Dice Raw)
10.) Singing Man (Feat. Porn, Truck North and Dice Raw)
11.) Unwritten
12.) Lost Desire (Feat. Malik B. and Talib Kweli)
13.) The Show (Feat. Common and Dice Raw)
14.) Rising Up (Feat. Wale and Chrisette Michele)
15.) Birthday Girl
16.) Bonus Track

I recently had a dream about this crazy phenomenon, but a search through the Slice archives left me speechless. The thing at left is a slice of pizza topped with mac and cheese. It’s sold‚Äîwhere else?‚Äîin the Dairy State, Wisconsin, Madison, to be exact. At a joint called Ian’s Pizza.

The University of Wisconsin’s Daily Cardinal gives some insight into the founder Ian Gurfield’s motives: “Gurfield, a graduate from the University of Massachusetts, opened his first Ian‚Äôs location on Frances Street in 2001‚Äîwhen he was only 21 years old. He said his hope was to find a college town that had a late night scene, admitting his ‘target market is drunk college students.’

That sounds about right. I bet this thing would taste pretty damn good about three sheets in.

Ian’s Pizza:
319 North Frances Street, Madison WI 53703; 608-257-0597
115 State Street, Madison WI; 608-442-3535

Shout out to Slice.

Today we pause to take a look back at the masterful photography of a lesser known Chicago resident, Wayne Miller and his epic series of images chronicling the Midwestern metropolis in the late 1940s. A vaunted Magnum photographer, Miller captured some of the most gripping images of life on the city’s gritty South Side—the home of northern blues and the 100 hour workday.

The Cool Kids have announced via their new website that their debut EP, The Bake Sale, is officially out May 20th on Chocolate Industries. Chuck + Mikey also have a new mix-tape done and ready to drop any day now.

It seems fitting that, arguably the best surfer of our time, should have his own beer. For years he’s had the liquid gold emptied onto his head, and this has surely given him an appreciation for the fine beverage.

Hinano Beer, which is distributed by Anheuser-Busch Hawaii, developed the Kelly Slater collector’s can a few months ago to pay tribute to the champ’s 8th World Title. Quiksilver originally designed the logo and authorized that Hinano could use it for these exclusive beer cans. The special edition beer cans will only be available in the Hawaiian Islands, as that is where Hinano is exclusively distributed.

It’s a dream to have a beer can specifically designed for oneself, and if Kelly gets to a podium this year in Hawaii he can revel in all the glory of that beer shower. The man just seems to be getting better with age, which leaves us wondering, is a Kelly Slater wine in the mix?

By: Ryan Brower

Source: Transworld Surf

The Black Keys played at the Wiltern Theater on April Fools night. The show was a straight up shredfest. My face was melting from start to finish from the lack of S.P.F. (Shred Protection Factor). The Black Keys, from AK Rowdy (Akron), Ohio, are a duo consisting of guitarist/singer Dan Auerbach and drummer Patrick Carney. It was only 2002 when they released their first CD, “The Big Come Up.” Today, six years since their first sniff of fame, and four CDs to their credit, these two flannel-wearing Akronites are hitting the road and releasing their fifth CD, Attack and Release.

The Black Keys, from their beginning have been dishing out raw to the bone, bluesy rock n roll. Quick to be compared with Jimi Hendrix, they love to get loud and get extreme and that is why they are so sick live. I have been listening to the Black Keys’ numerous CDs for a couple years now, but the difference between listening to them at home and seeing them perform could not be greater. The sheer intensity of the show was unbelievable and no matter how crazy their music may sound to the ear, the Black Keys play with a certain passion that has to be seen to be appreciated. They sound raw and they sound loud, but to see them play live is like witnessing a couple of schoolyard bullies.

While Auerbach is body-slamming his guitar, which he has in a serious, uncompromising headlock, his co-bully Carney is pounding the pulp out of his drums like he’s some sort of roided-out street hooligan. The sight of it all conveys more sound than the ear-busting sound system does in a years worth of shows.

The Wiltern is an older venue and bigger than most. My tickets led me to the upper deck, which was originally a bummer, but may have been a good thing in the long run. I do not know if my senses could have absorbed everything if I had been any closer to the on-stage rage. In either scenario, the show rocked faces off.

While the show was not as long as some, there was so much shredding in the hour-and-a-half performance that it felt like an eternity, and when the encore came to an end, everyone in the audience had gorged down enough shred calories to hold them over for another offseason. The Black Keys’ new album was released the same day as the show and was produced with beat master Danger Mouse (Joseph Burton).

The tour will head overseas to European land and then down under through Australia before finishing up in the states towards the end of summer. If you have not taken advantage of one of the Keys’ live performances yet, take a look at your schedule and book a flight to the closest venue left that has not sold out yet.

By: Grady Winn

Source: The Los Angeles Loyolan

Check our their website for shred dates.

www.theblackkeys.com

Where can I get that?

Bali is an Indonesian island located at the western most of the Lesser Sunda Islands, lying between Java to the west and Lombok to the east. It is one of the country’s 33 provinces with the provincial capital at Denpasar towards the south of the island. The island is home to the vast majority of Indonesia’s small Hindu minority. It is also the largest tourist destination in the country and is renowned for its highly developed arts, including dance, sculpture, painting, leather, metalworking and music. Bali is also well-known for surfing. Bali gets the full force of southern ocean swells direct from the antarctic with its south-west and south-east coasts being littered with the most gnarly surf spots on the planet.

To putting that in a better perspective; below is a spreadsheet with the most common day-2-day items and put some real life prices behind it.

Its‚ a simple and subjective list of items, which of course won’t reflect completely your own lifestyle or spendings, but you’ll get the picture.

Cost of Living Chart - Bali (in Rupiah, Dollar, Euro)

Please be aware that those are all local average prices - like everywhere else, you can spend a whole fortune here in a short time; if you dont calculate your finances accurately, pay attention to your spendings or which channels your money goes. Also bear in mind that prices go up all the time. The official inflation rate in Indonesia is currently 7.5%, in reality its probably even higher. Good for you - if you earn your money in a country with less inflation and your base currency is stable or appreciating, you still save more or spend less over a year - even with rising prices in Rupiah.

Costs in Bali are generally higher than in other parts of Indonesia, with the exemption of maybe Jakarta. Some items are surely way more expensive than in other parts of Asia or the old World. I would see Electricity Costs and Internet Costs (not in this chart - but more details here or for 3G internet here) falling into that category.

On this note, we’re moving to Bali.

The mobile phone High Tech Computer (HTC) has been developing to run on the Android software from Google will be called “Dream,” and it will have a large touchscreen and full QWERTY keypad, a person close to the situation said Thursday.

HTC may become the first handset maker in the world to put out a mobile phone developed around Android, but it faces stiff competition from Samsung, a separate source said. Samsung has stepped up its effort to put out a Google phone, the person said.

HTC’s Google handset is just over 5 inches long and 3 inches wide, with a keypad underneath the screen that either slides out or swivels out. The aim of the keypad is for easy e-mail, note-taking, and writing Web addresses. Internet navigational controls are situated below the screen on the handset.

The handset will likely hit the market near the end of this year, the person said.

The company officially remained mum on the handset. “We cannot comment on this product,” said Maggie Cheng, an HTC representative.

Last November, HTC became the first company to admit to developing a mobile phone based on Android, although Samsung, Motorola, and other handset developers are part of the group dedicated to furthering the software, the Open Handset Alliance.

Android, an open source software platform that includes an OS, is designed to take advantage of Internet services for mobility. The software could become a potent new rival to Windows Mobile and other handset operating systems. At the launch ceremony, Google announced that over 30 companies had joined the Open Handset Alliance.