Tokyo, Japan is testing out a new type of "space beer" where the barley is made from grains and seeds that traveled and were grown in outer space. It is the first generation of barley grown in a space laboratory. The laboratory students, professors and scientists from Okayama University in Japan have teamed with Sapporo Brewery, Ltd. to test the very first batch of "space beer." The first trial will be bottling 100 beers which will be ready in November of 2008. The space barley is being harvested this week from the seeds that grew in the International Space Station for five months back in 2006. A partial ounce of barley was also housed in the station during the trip and was planted at the Sapporo Brewery research farm when returned.

Japanese beer lovers are waiting in anticipation for the new "space beer." This biological study was conducted in order to determine how adaptable plants are when placed in a new environment. Environmental changes, especially something as stressful as going into space, will test the plants in a new situation. Once the 100 pounds of space barley are harvested this weekend the space beer will be in progress. Sapporo does not plan to put the special beer on the market for now, until more testing is done. No differences have been found by scientists between Earth and space barley so far. As for now, I’ll stick with good ol’ regular Sapporo because it’s delicious. I’m not too sure about drunk astronauts though.

[The following blog is actually, in reality, a column that was printed in Synthesis Weekly on Tuesday, 5/27. It was written by Bob Howard, who can be reached at madbob@madbob.com]

Hearts and Minds

The Incredible Terrible Saga of Sami al-Hajj: During the first phase of Bush’s “War on Terror,” a host of suspected dissidents were rounded up and sent to the US military’s secretive detention center at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba. Guantanamo Bay is US territory leased from Cuba; though the Cuban government has never cashed the US checks for that land. The reason a military prison was constructed and harbored in that unlikely location is because attorneys for the Bush administration felt that the legal status of Guantanamo Bay was ambiguous and as such prisoners held there would not be subject to the normal regulations that govern the capture, holding and interrogation of foreign POWs. As a result of this legal ambiguity, Guantanamo has been a haven for incredible abuse of both the prisoners and the legal system in general.

One of the early stated goals in the “War on Terror” was to win the “hearts and minds” of the Afghani, Iraqi, and by extension, the citizens of the whole Middle East. Now, I understand perfectly well that when you go to war there is going to be a lot of what they call “collateral damage” — meaning innocent civilians, women and children will be killed. It is an inevitable consequence of dropping bombs and shooting bullets. Collateral damage is one of those calculated risks. The bad guys are so bad that it behooves us in the long run to blow up civilians to get to them. I don’t agree with the logic, but I understand it.
But every so often another story pops up that makes me shake my head and say, “Really? That’s how we’re going about winning the hearts and minds of the people whose countries we are invading?” I just learned the details of one of these stories. It involves a man named Sami al-Hajj who has spent the last six years at Guantanamo Bay. You might ask what al-Hajj’s crime was? It turns out that he was captured because he was a cameraman for Al Jazeera, the most popular Arab-based news outlet in the world. The US at the time was working under the assumption that Al Jazeera was actually in cahoots with Al Qaeda and they interrogated al-Hajj on dozens of separate occasions in order to try and get him to confess this link. He never would because, according to al-Hajj, there is no link between Al Qaeda and Al Jazeera.

[righteous indignation to follow the jump.] (more…)

A fifteen-year-old boy has been lurking his local Wal-Mart store near Atlanta, Georgia for at least a year preying on women’s butts. This ass-biter has had numerous complaints and ten women have already filed police reports. He was recently going in for the kill at the Wal-Mart store when a past victim of his recognized the boy. They later saw him walking with relatives and reported his biting habit. Police believe more women who failed to report assault in the past will now come forward since the boy has been caught and recognized.
He was charged with four counts of sexual battery and facing more charges. This went on for almost an entire year! I think his punishment should be some sort of scarlet letter idea, like posting his photo around every Wal-Mart in Georgia with a big, bold ASS-BITER label. Little creep.

Set in the small town of Chico California, Let It Be Heard… is an inspirational story of a small group of young musicians that embark on an adventure of a lifetime. The web documentary follows the journey of 50 young artists, come together from around the world, for 3 weeks of The Collective Sound Summer Music Academy, the worlds first touring summer music camp. The kids have only 2 weeks to write, record, make an epk, shoot a video, and get ready for the Element Youth Movement CoOp Tour. What the kids really learn is less about music and more about how creativity is the key to accomplishing more than you ever dreamed possible. Prepare to laugh, to be inspired, and to be taken back to a time when all of life’s possibilities could be realized in the moments spent doing something you love.

Visit the Collective Sound here.

 I probably should have paid more attention in biology class but still, this video is just fuggin’ ridiculous! They say that humans evolved from monkeys and all that other good stuff but this new dance, called Pum Pum, is just ridiculous…

I got back from camping at the Bobolink Festival on Monday and I still haven’t been able to wash the hippie out of my hair. Shit, at least I didn’t come back with dreads…

This weekend I threw down the traipsing of indie rock and reverted to the 19 year old Spencer who traded ’70s Pink Floyd bootlegs with other longhairs; the one who found neither the smell of patchouli oil nor the color scheme of tie-dye totally atrocious. And I’m supposed to be writing about it for the Synthesis Weekly right now. But for some reason, the only thing i want to do is watch Jake and Amir videos and get stoned.

See this cat? His name is John Staton, he plays the skins for On The One, formerly of Karl Denson’s Tiny Universe. Staton stole the show for me, even after The Living legends’ Grouch and Eli tore it up the night before. On The one laid it down. God, I really should write this fucking review… Jake and Amir? Save me.