Karl 
THE MOUNTAIN GOATS will be playing the M-Shop in Ames on April 1st. Their new disc is not sceduled for release until the end of April, but you can sample their last disc at Tower Records (but not Amazon, for some reason).
THE DOVES have their own blog and are streaming their new disc, Some Cities.
FORMER CLASH PRODUCER SANDY PEARLMAN would like to stop the plague of unauthorized music downloads on the Internet by changing the entire music industry as we know it, including dropping the price of a legal download to a nickel.
GEORGE W. BUSH MASH-UPS can be downloaded at 3hive, including the President's version of “Sunday Bloody Sunday” and a medley of “Imagine” and “Walk on the Wild Side.”
DAVE MATTHEWS BAND bus driver pleaded guilty Wednesday to dumping 800 pounds of human waste from the vehicle’s septic tank onto a sightseeing boat on the Chicago River last summer.
M.I.A.: The mysterious singer is profiled in the Seattle Weekly. The article refers to an essay by Robert Christgau in the Village Voice, which can be found here. A response of sorts to the Christgau essay can be found at the Bliss blog. In turn, Carl Wilson responded to that blog entry at his site.
FAT ACTRESS is upsetting National Organization for Women president Kim Gandy and the National Eating Disorders Association.
LICKING YOUR WOUNDS is one thing; a high school teacher and coach licking them is another.
VIDEOGAME NOTABLES now has a “Walk of Game” in San Francisco. Among the first round of honorees is Pong creator Nolan Bushnell. Somewhere, Frank Black is smiling.
WILL SMITH believes he could be the President of the United States. I think you have to be Governor of California first.
NANOTECH could learn something from biology, according to the recently-reviewed book, Soft Machines: Nanotechnology and Life.
ASHLEE SIMPSON tells her fans in Chicago, “I've had a tough year. But, I've learned a lot of lessons and the most important is that I don't have to be perfect.” Or even good, apparently.
IF IT MAKES YOU HAPPY: British Labour Party adviser Richard Layard argues for utilitarian public policies that create the greatest happiness for the greatest number of people. Robert McHenry, former Editor-in-Chief of the Encyclopædia Britannica argues for the pursuit of happiness.
DUNGEONS AND DRAGONS: The Israeli Army automatically gives low security clearance to fans of the popular role-playing game. “They're detached from reality and suscepitble to influence,” the army says.
ARM-WRESTLING ROBOTS: Not ready for prime time, as they are beaten by a teenaged girl.
SAUDI ARABIA is taking some small steps toward getting serious about terrorists… at least in Saudi Arabia.
POLITICAL BANKRUPTCY: At the Washington Monthly, Kevin Drum blogs about the impending passage of the bankruptcy bill, despite the fact that conservatives and liberals don't like it.
DOGS are dressed for “Barkoween” at photographer Mark Tucker's site. ALSO: A dog was subpoenaed as a witness in an Arkansas murder case. Later, the dog was denied entry to the courthouse under its “No Dogs Allowed” policy.
EDUCATION BLOGGING: The fifth Carnival of Education is online.
LIMP BIZKIT'S FRED DURST apologizes — with a nice note and flowers — to Gawker Media for naming the blog company in his lawsuit over a hacked sex tape.
ROSIE O'DONNELL: The comedienne has started blogging in blank verse.
RUSSELL CROWE claims that the FBI told him in 2001 that Osama bin Laden's al-Qaeda terror network wanted to kidnap him as part of a “cultural destabilization plot.”
BUBBLE BOYS call it zorbing. Others might call it “imitating a hamster.”
CULT OF THE iPod: The iPod battery, long considered to be iPod's dirty secret, is targeted by environmentalists. ALSO: An oldie-but-goodie asks, “Is the iPod better than sliced bread?”
GLOBAL MEDIA GIANTS claim Canada wants to rule the web in a Internet libel claim lodged in Canadian courts.
JOURNO SHOT BY U.S. TROOPS: According to ABC News, a senior U.S. military official believes the investigation into the fatal shooting of an Italian intelligence officer by U.S. troops in Iraq will ultimately prove the officer's car was traveling in excess of 100 m.p.h. The driver almost lost control several times before the shooting as the car hydroplaned through large puddles, the official told ABC News. That would be consistent with one of the versions of events related by Giuliana Sgrena, who described the car almost going out of control as the driver attempted to avoid puddles left by rain that day.
HISPANIC TEENS that primarily speak English have had sex at more than twice the percentage of those who speak primarily Spanish, according to a new study. The key question — why? — remains unanswered.
KYGYZSTAN: Opposition parties are stepping up their protests over the results of the first round of parliamentary elections. More people are reportedly making their way to the protests that have been under way in Kyrgyzstan for several days. Demonstrators have occupied government buildings in Jalal-Abad and Osh. They have also blocked a key road in the east of the country. As usual, there’s even more at Registan.
