Forty years ago, on April 22, Earth Day began as a massive grassroots movement (please excuse the pun) to raise awareness about environmental issues. The original demonstration attracted nearly 20 million people who engaged in marches and teach-ins. Today, Earth Day is a global phenomenon. Perhaps you’ve heard of it. Perhaps you’ve even used phrases like “carbon footprint” and “go green” and “organic” before. Though I’ll admit that I will probably never create an actual compost pile, and I’ve had entire conversations about carbon offsets in which I had no idea what I was talking about, I’m all for environmental conservation.  The earth is good, and we should be good to it.

In honor of earth day, hemp bracelets, National Parks, bicycles, and back-to-the-land, here are a few things that we earthlings should consider doing more often.

-  Ride bikes (no hands, if you’re good) to work. And then zip over to a body of water where you can skip stones.  Enjoy the sunshine. Appreciate the flowers. Do not make a daisy chain.

-  Eat an entire apple, including the core*, in order to prove that waste is unnecessary.

- Shun unnecessary packaging (publicly, if possible), and bring your own bag to the grocery store.

- Use the word green as a term of endearment. As in, “What up, Green? I like those new water-soluble, zero carbon footprint shoes you’ve got on.”

-  Begin growing a dreadlock as a tacit reminder to use less shower water. By next year, you’ll have both a conversation piece and proof that you gave back.

In the meantime, check out this awesome photo retrospective from National Geographic–especially the one of people camped out on Independence Mall in Philly.

Happy (early) Earth Day!

*160over90 not liable if this causes you to grow an apple tree in your stomach.

Hooray! The weather has turned, spring sprung, etc… which means, once again, Weber’s is on the menu! Not just an orange Doo Wop-style car hop with a mechanized retro asterisk sign serving simple burgers and home made root beer, but a roadside oasis and an enduring monument to warm weather good times. Route 38 in Cherry Hill, in lovely southern New Jersey. (also @ shepelavy.com)

(These photos were shot a couple of years ago with the Savoy, below, a corker of a fixed focus medium format plastic toy camera.)

One of my favorite parts of living in Philadelphia is the odd mash-up of bougie-international-nerdy-hipster-eccentric characters that you can find in one place, at any given moment.

I was reminded of this particular urban charm on Sunday, when a few of us decided to bike up to the Cherry Blossom Festival in Fairmount Park.  It was a perfect day for a bike ride, a picnic—and everything else that ensued. Among the attractions:

1. Japanese tea gardens, and group demonstrations of traditional Japanese weaponry.

2. Kimonos, Gothic Lolitas, kites, face paint, platform shoes and adorable children holding paper parasols.

3. Feathered nunchucks (no kidding!)

4. Cherry blossoms, and a series of cat-embroidered flags.

5. A Japanese punk rock/rap group that kept the jams pumping (whether this was a good or bad thing is debatable)

6. A “Pretty in Pink” dog costume competition. Soukie took home the prize, with Pickles in a close second.

7. A quick zip by the Plateau, known to pop-culture enthusiasts as the place where The Fresh Prince & DJ Jazzy Jeff have their fly picnic in the Summertime music video.

Needless to say, it was an awesome day. Check out the photos below, (courtesy of Ro & Kelly). Feel free to go Sartorialist on this blog and comment on your favorite look. I suggest you listen to this song while perusing the photos.

THE SCENE

this flag can be purchased at shepelavy.com:

THE LOLITAS

Gothic Lolitas checking out the Sweet Lolita picnic:

Sweet Lolita picnic:

the girl in the sunglasses is awesome:

Michael Jackson-inspired menswear:

THE YOUNG’NS

THE CULTURE

THE RANDOS

The Mad Hatter:

Look close. It’s a goat! In a tutu!:

I call her Socks:

For all the Philadelphians out there who are sad they missed the spectacle, have no fear. You still have this to look forward to.

]]> http://www.160over90.com/blog/2010/04/14/america-is-weird/feed/ 1 http://www.160over90.com/blog/2009/12/28/a-show-about-sexiness-or-great-moments-in-cut-off-jean-shorts/ http://www.160over90.com/blog/2009/12/28/a-show-about-sexiness-or-great-moments-in-cut-off-jean-shorts/#comments Mon, 28 Dec 2009 17:07:03 +0000 tim beitz http://72.10.33.187/blog/?p=4938 hell yeah, I'd like to introduce you to Frank & Erik. They're Internet Famous, and you can too!]]>

It’s the last week of December, and if you’re reading this, you’re probably at work. Looking for something to get you thru? If that’s a hell yeah, I’d like to introduce you to Frank & Erik. They’re Internet Famous, and you can too!

Meet Frank and Erik: two twenty-something man-children working and living in New York City. What starts as a pot of coffee and a case of over-priced beer turns into 30-80 minutes of ex-girlfriend stories, complaints of NYC tourism, observations in social awkwardness, and advice on the correct timing of how to hide in your girlfriend’s bathroom when you’re drunk/tired and her and her friends want to keep going out. This is their podcast. It’s authentic. It’s comedic. It’s sensitive. It’s the squat-thrust of podcast exercising.

Frank & Erik: Internet Famous

Their stories are brutally honest and as in-your-face as that dude’s crotch on your train ride to work. Erik used to live in Chinese prison and is pretty proportionate for a tall dude. Frank thinks pissing in public was much easier in his earlier years. They have special guests, they play stories from their listeners, and occasionally stream the show live live. They also both have huge biceps.

You can download or stream a show from their web site, or you can find them on iTunes. Try ‘em out… Your quality of life will probably improve.

 
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Frank & Erik: Internet Famous
On air since: Dec 20008
duration: 30-80 min
show frequency: almost bi-weekly
iTunes Link

Some episode favorites:
Episode 5 — Embarassing Moments
Episode 8 — More embarassing moments, this one with a listeners particularly wonderful rendition of Holy Night [jump to 36:45]
Episode 11 — Lili’s 1st guest appearance, and a great story of catching someone cheating
Episode 40 — Good times

Illustration from Bruno Munari’s Le Macchine di Munari, which also includes diagrams and helpful descriptions of a lizard-driven engine for tired tortoises, a mechanism for sniffing artificial flowers, a humiliator for mosquitoes, a machine for playing the pipe even when you are not home, a machine for seeing the dawn before anyone else, and a tail wagger for dogs.

Bruno Munari’s work was described by one critic as as “a playful revolution” – perfectly put. It is a rabbit hole to a realm where the tweaking of adult conventions and the stimulation of children’s imaginations meet, mingle, draw, type, play, and get wonderfully, absurdly, heartwarmingly weird. (A collection of his work can be viewed here, click on the “+” to reveal images.) Munari himself summed up his approach perfectly: lucidity, leanness, exactitude and humor. Compass points worth following, surely. (via shepelavy.com)