It is, perhaps, unfair to join the army of “haters” who would criticize the lyrical stylings of the rap group who, donning the warpaint of the ageless harlequin, call themselves the Insane Clown Posse. And it would be, perhaps, enabling to their followers, the so-called Juggalos — the females being called Jugglettes — to join in this cavalcade of sneering judgment, as much of their identity is dependent on an overblown sense of Us (Jugglos) versus Them (Everyone Else).

That said, I feel I would be remiss if I were to ignore the the fantastic mess that is their newest single “Miracle” (or disingenuous of me to imply that I am above snatching such low-hanging fruit). Atop I giant ziggurat, telescoping into the cosmos, the duo of Violent J and Shaggy 2 Dope pontificate on the majesty and mystery of the universe in all its stunning facets. Here then is the miracle of birth, with Mr. Dope positioned in front of a woman, her legs splayed beneath a maternity gown in such a manner as to let the viewer know that, indeed, there be a baby totally crowning out that pussy. Here is the delightful anecdote of a pelican seeking to abscond with Mr. J’s cellular phone, even after the man had gone so far as to provide the thieving fowl with a delectable fish.

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I’m cheating here. I know this. There was already a Noise du Jour, placed surreptitiously by the ever elusive Miss Gauger, in the early pre-dawn hours, as is her wont. The melodious strains of The Baseballs’s anachronistic efforts could, however, do with a counterbalance. Don’t you think? I am here to provide that very service.

Arrington de Dioyso is a musician who specializes in both Tuvan throat singing and bass clarinet. This may seem like an odd combination. It is, indeed, an odd combination. Should that not be strange enough, his newest album, Malaikat dan Singa, is a collection of poems by William Blake, the famed poet and painter of bizarre shit and/or lizard men. Also, all the words have been translated into Indonesian. So yeah, William Blake as sung by a Tuvan throat singer in Indonesian set to distorted bass clarinet and rhythmic drumming.

Oh yes, there’s also the accompanying video. Not much to say about that. It’s best if you just find out for yourself.

Arrington de Dionyso’s Malaikat dan Singa- “Mani Malaikat” [YouTube] : The Aardvark Speaks : Thanks, antifuchs!

From the same people who brought you Fulton’s autobiography, I present the story of a woman and the moustachioed man who wishes to take her away on his amazing horse.

I’m mostly linking this so I don’t have to be the only one with this on a constant loop in my brain.

Amazing Horse [Weebl's Stuff] : Thanks, VKlaus!

On June 6, 1881, in Willet’s Point, NY it came to the attention of General Henry L. Abbot — head of the Engineer School of Application — that a “worthless mule” was to be destroyed and it struck him that this would be an excellent opportunity to demonstrate to a military class the sensitivity of photo-geletine plates. To this end the unfortunate beast was positioned in front of the camera with a a bag containing 6 ounces of dynamite strapped to its forehead. Both the fuse and the camera shutter were connected to the same circuit and, at the press of a button, the mule’s head was separated from its body in a spectacular and gruesome fashion. The resulting photo was published in the September 24th edition of Scientific American that same year, complete with expository “Before” and “After” engravings. Recently, what may have been the original copy of this photograph was found and sold at auction for $2750.00

Rare Important Instantaneous Photograph [Stereoviews] : Thanks, John Brownlee!

Biology blog Tetrapodzoology reports on the adorable and repulsive tag team of Frog und Arachnid, livening up elephant dungheaps all over the world:

You might be surprised to learn that microhylids in Peru, India, Sri Lanka and perhaps elsewhere have developed close relationships with large spiders. One of the first published discussions of this phenomenon was produced by Crocraft & Hambler (1989). Noting a close association between individuals of the Dotted humming frog Chiasmocleis ventrimaculata and the burrowing theraphosid tarantula Xenesthis immanis in southeastern Peru (but read on), they suggested that the spider – well capable of killing and eating a frog of this size – used chemical cues to recognise the frogs. Young spiders have sometimes been observed to grab the frogs, examine them with their mouthparts, and then release them unharmed. Microhylids are probably unpalatable due to their skin toxins, and this might explain how this association arose in the first place [the image above shows a tarantula walking over a Dotted humming frog.

Apparently Yucky Frog and Savage Spider inhabit the same hidey holes, stand around the same patches of tree bark, and only tangle when the tarantula mistakes the frog for something delicious and reels it in for a good palping. Frog's skin chemicals save it further trauma, and they go about their business.

But the partnership goes further than that. While the presence of a massive tarantula noticeably lowers the presence of large frog-eating predators such as snakes, the frog eats ants that would carry off the tarantula's eggs. In the photo below, a clot of tarantulas are devouring a different sort of frog, while a wee microhylid frog stands by, pretending not to notice.

Stories like these force me to consider the perspective of the creatures involved. One cannot help imagining what it's like to feel comfortable, curled up in a hole with a prickly monster six times your size. Never knowing when she's going to grab you, stuff you in her mouth, and taste.

You can only hope that you stink in the proper way.

Tiny frogs and giant spiders: the best of friends [Tetrapod Zoology]

There seems to be some dispute amongst the animals of the woods as to whether or not Mr. Ando is a penguin as he claims or is, in actuality, a human. There is no disputing that all of the aforementioned animals have the same, human face or that a fish sings a song about loving Mr. Ando and wishing to sleep with him even though he is a fish and smells very fishy. All this from the mind of Takashi Taniguchi.

Mr Ando of the Woods [YouTube] : Pink Tentacle