The Five Best Sex-Themed TED Talks

You guys KNOW I love me some TED (TED is the gathering of all the world's smartest scientists, comedians, researchers, muscians, artists, philosophers, activists, pretty much the smartest people in any field who meet together and give 15 minute speeches on some insanely intriguing topics). Well here is the sexy (ish) side of TED As Chosen By Nerve.com:, check it out!


#1: Mary Roach: Ten things you didn't know about orgasm

Curious about whether babies masturbate inside their mothers' wombs? Wondering if your money shot beats the distance record? Strangely preoccupied with whether dead people can have orgasms? Mary Roach addresses all these topics and then some in her upbeat discussion of the orgasm. Offering plenty of audio-visual material for the combination learners amongst us, Roach shocks and fascinates with images of monkey o-faces and a fairly graphic video of a farmer stimulating a sow's clitoris. Other highlights include a recipe for artificial sperm, and the confirmation that, yes, all those scientists studying sex at the turn of the century were, if not major pervs, at least a little on the kooky side.


CHECK OUT THE OTHER SEX THEMED TED TALKS

Let Emily Levine Ping Your Brain

Emily Levine is hilarious and brilliant at the same time, check out her website HERE and see her mind bending TED speech here!

From TED:
Philosopher-comedian Emily Levine talks (hilariously) about science, math, society and the way everything connects. She's a brilliant trickster, poking holes in our fixed ideas and bringing hidden truths to light. Settle in and let her ping your brain.

Amazing Story of Child Rescued from Korea

When's the last time you watched a TED speech? I've said it on this blog before but TED is fucking amazing. It's a yearly conference of the brightest, smartest, coolest minds on the planet. Scientists, cartoonists,astronomers, writers, people who create and conceptualize, musicians,activists. It's unreal, you have to be invited or apply to attend. Which most of us never will. But you can check out the awesome videos at TED.com. None of them are boring and all leave you thinking, which is more than I can say for most of the shit on the rest of the internet. I watched many of them last night and this one was really special. Next time clicking your way around youporn or Hulu, forcing yourself to watch crap tv cuz "there is nothing else on" check out TED and feed your head. I just made that rhyme up lol. That's TED baby! hehe

GRAMMY NOMINATIONS

You never know if Grammy Nominations are chosen because of talent or because they are trying to get a certain demographic to watch the Grammy's (aka money reasons). This year it seems they are trying to reel in the indie crowd with bands like The Ting Tings and Silversun Pickups on the list and also trying to reel in the huge mainstream pop bucks with Taylor Swift appearing all over the nominations list. Whatever, this is America, we do things for money money money, we are money driven baby and that's how things will always be. Does Capitalism work? For the people making money it sure does!! For the other 99% of us, absolutely not.....


2010 GRAMMY NOMINATIONS

Record Of The Year
(Award to the Artist and to the Producer(s), Recording Engineer(s) and/or Mixer(s), if other than the artist.)

* Halo
Beyoncé
Beyoncé Knowles & Ryan Tedder, producers; Jim Caruana, Mark "Spike" Stent & Ryan Tedder, engineers/mixers
Track from: I Am... Sasha Fierce
[Music World Music / Columbia]

* I Gotta Feeling
The Black Eyed Peas
David Guetta & Frederick Riesterer, producers; will.i.am, Dylan "3-D" Dresdow & Padraic "Padlock" Kerin, engineers/mixers
[Interscope]

* Use Somebody
Kings Of Leon
Jacquire King & Angelo Petraglia, producers; Jacquire King, engineer/mixer
[RCA Records]

* Poker Face
Lady Gaga
RedOne, producer; Robert Orton, RedOne & Dave Russell, engineers/mixers
Track from: The Fame
[Streamline/Interscope/Konlive/Cherrytree]

* You Belong With Me
Taylor Swift
Nathan Chapman & Taylor Swift, producers; Chad Carlson & Justin Niebank, engineers/mixers
[Big Machine Records]


Album Of The Year
(Award to the Artist(s) and to the Album Producer(s), Recording Engineer(s)/Mixer(s) & Mastering Engineer(s), if other than the artist.)

* I Am... Sasha Fierce
Beyoncé
Shondrae "Mr. Bangledesh" Crawford, Ian Dench, D-Town, Toby Gad, Sean "The Pen" Garrett, Amanda Ghost, Jim Jonsin, Beyoncé Knowles, Rico Love, Dave McCracken, Terius "The Dream" Nash, Radio Killa, Stargate, Christopher "Tricky" Stewart, Ryan Tedder & Wayne Wilkins, producers; Jim Caruana, Mikkel S. Eriksen, Toby Gad, Kuk Harrell, Jim Jonsin, Jaycen Joshua, Dave Pensado, Radio Killa, Mark "Spike" Stent, Ryan Tedder, Brian "B-LUV" Thomas, Marcos Tovar, Miles Walker & Wayne Wilkins, engineers/mixers; Tom Coyne, mastering engineer
[Music World Music / Columbia]

* The E.N.D.
The Black Eyed Peas
Apl.de.ap, Jean Baptiste, Printz Board, DJ Replay, Funkagenda, David Guetta, Keith Harris, Mark Knight, Poet Name Life, Frederick Riesterer & will.i.am, producers; Dylan "3D" Dresdow, Padraic "Padlock" Kerin & will.i.am, engineers/mixers; Chris Bellman, mastering engineer
[Interscope Records]

* The Fame
Lady Gaga
Flo Rida, Colby O'Donis & Space Cowboy, featured artists; Brian & Josh, Rob Fusari, Martin Kierszenbaum, RedOne & Space Cowboy, producers; 4Mil, Robert Orton, RedOne, Dave Russell & Tony Ugval, engineers/mixers; Gene Grimaldi, mastering engineer
[Streamline/Interscope/Konlive/Cherrytree]

* Big Whiskey And The Groogrux King
Dave Matthews Band
Rob Cavallo, producer; Chris Lord-Alge & Doug McKean, engineers/mixers; Ted Jensen, mastering engineer
[RCA Records / Bama Rags Recordings, LLC.]

* Fearless
Taylor Swift
Colbie Caillat, featured artist; Nathan Chapman & Taylor Swift, producers; Chad Carlson, Nathan Chapman & Justin Niebank, engineers/mixers; Hank Williams, mastering engineer
[Big Machine Records]


Song Of The Year
(A Songwriter(s) Award. A song is eligible if it was first released or if it first achieved prominence during the Eligibility Year. (Artist names appear in parentheses.) Singles or Tracks only.)

* Poker Face
Lady Gaga & RedOne, songwriters (Lady Gaga)
Track from: The Fame
[Streamline/Interscope/Konlive/Cherrytree; Publishers: Stefani Germanotta p/k/a Lady Gaga, Sony/ATV Songs/House of Gaga Publishing/GloJoe Music, Sony/ATV Songs/RedOne Productions.]

* Pretty Wings
Hod David & Musze, songwriters (Maxwell)
Track from: Blacksummers' Night
[Columbia; Publishers: Sony/ATV Tunes/Muszewell, EMI April Music, Ben Ami Music.]

* Single Ladies (Put A Ring On It)
Thaddis Harrell, Beyoncé Knowles, Terius Nash & Christopher Stewart, songwriters (Beyoncé)
Track from: I Am... Sasha Fierce
[Music World Music / Columbia; Publishers: Songs of Peer/March 9th Publishing, 2082 Music/WB Music Publishing, Sony/ATV Tunes, Suga Wuga Music, B-Day Publishing/EMI April Music.]

* Use Somebody
Caleb Followill, Jared Followill, Matthew Followill & Nathan Followill, songwriters (Kings Of Leon)
[RCA Records; Publishers: Martha Street Music/Songs of Combustion Music/Music of Windswept, Followill Music/Songs of Combustion Music/Music of Windswept, McFearless Music/Bug Music, Coffee, Tea or Me Publishing/Bug Music.]

* You Belong With Me
Liz Rose & Taylor Swift, songwriters (Taylor Swift)
Track from: Fearless
[Big Machine Records; Publishers: Sony/ATV Tree Publishing, Taylor Swift Music/Potting Shed Music, Barbara Orbison World Publishing.]


Best New Artist
(For a new artist who releases, during the Eligibility Year, the first recording which establishes the public identity of that artist.)

* Zac Brown Band


* Keri Hilson


* MGMT


* Silversun Pickups


* The Ting Tings


Best Female Pop Vocal Performance
(For a solo vocal performance. Singles or Tracks only.)

* Hometown Glory
Adele
Track from: 19
[XL/Columbia]

* Halo
Beyoncé
Track from: I Am... Sasha Fierce
[Music World Music / Columbia]

* Hot N Cold
Katy Perry
[Capitol]

* Sober
Pink
Track from: Funhouse
[LaFace Records]

* You Belong With Me
Taylor Swift
Track from: Fearless
[Big Machine Records]



Best Male Pop Vocal Performance
(For a solo vocal performance. Singles or Tracks only.)

* This Time
John Legend
Track from: Evolver
[G.O.O.D. Music/Columbia]

* Love You
Maxwell
Track from: Blacksummers' Night
[Columbia]

* Make It Mine
Jason Mraz
Track from: We Sing. We Dance. We Steal Things.
[Atlantic]

* If You Don't Know Me By Now
Seal
Track from: Soul
[143/Warner Bros.]

* All About The Love Again
Stevie Wonder
[Hidden Beach Records]



Best Pop Performance By A Duo Or Group With Vocals
(For established duos or groups, with vocals. Singles or Tracks only.)

* I Gotta Feeling
The Black Eyed Peas
Track from: The E.N.D.
[Interscope Records]

* We Weren't Born To Follow
Bon Jovi
[Island]

* Never Say Never
The Fray
Track from: The Fray
[Epic]

* Sara Smile
Daryl Hall & John Oates
Track from: Live At The Troubadour
[Shout! Factory]

* Kids
MGMT
Track from: Oracular Spectacular
[Columbia]


Best Pop Collaboration With Vocals
(For a collaborative performance, with vocals, by artists who do not normally perform together. Singles or Tracks only.)

* Sea Of Heartbreak
Rosanne Cash & Bruce Springsteen
[Manhattan]

* Love Sex Magic
Ciara & Justin Timberlake
Track from: Fantasy Ride
[LaFace Records]

* Lucky
Jason Mraz & Colbie Caillat
Track from: We Sing. We Dance. We Steal Things.
[Atlantic]

* Baby, It's Cold Outside
Willie Nelson & Norah Jones
Track from: American Classic
[Blue Note]

* Breathe
Taylor Swift & Colbie Caillat
Track from: Fearless
[Big Machine Records]


Best Pop Vocal Album
(For albums containing 51% or more playing time of VOCAL tracks.)

* The E.N.D.
The Black Eyed Peas
[Interscope Records]

* Breakthrough
Colbie Caillat
[Universal Republic Records]

* All I Ever Wanted
Kelly Clarkson
[RCA Records / 19 Recordings LLC./ S Records]

* The Fray
The Fray
[Epic]

* Funhouse
Pink
[LaFace Records]


Best Dance Recording
(For solo, duo, group or collaborative performances. Vocal or Instrumental. Singles or tracks only.)

* Boom Boom Pow
The Black Eyed Peas
will.i.am & Jean Baptiste, producers; Dylan Dresdow, mixer
Track from: The E.N.D.
[Interscope Records]

* When Love Takes Over
David Guetta & Kelly Rowland
David Guetta & Frederic Riesterer, producers; Veronica Ferraro, mixer
Track from: One Love
[Astralwerks]

* Poker Face
Lady Gaga
RedOne, producer; Robert Orton, RedOne & Dave Russell, mixers
Track from: The Fame
[Streamline/Interscope/Konlive/Cherrytree]

* Celebration
Madonna
[Warner Bros.]

* Womanizer
Britney Spears
K. Briscoe, producer; Serban Ghenea, mixer
Track from: Circus
[Jive/Zomba]


Best Electronic/Dance Album
(For vocal or instrumental albums. Albums only.)

* Divided By Night
The Crystal Method
[Tiny E Records]

* One Love
David Guetta
[Astralwerks]

* The Fame
Lady Gaga
[Streamline/Interscope/Konlive/Cherrytree]

* Party Rock
LMFAO
[Party Rock/Will.i.am/Cherrytree/Interscope]

* Yes
Pet Shop Boys
[Astralwerks]



Best Traditional Pop Vocal Album
(For albums containing 51% or more playing time of VOCAL tracks.)

* A Swingin' Christmas
Tony Bennett
[Columbia]

* Michael Bublé Meets Madison Square Garden
Michael Bublé
[143/Reprise]

* Your Songs
Harry Connick, Jr.
[Columbia]

* Liza's At The Palace
Liza Minnelli
[Hybrid Recordings]

* American Classic
Willie Nelson
[Blue Note]



Best Solo Rock Vocal Performance
(For a solo vocal performance. Singles or Tracks only.)

* Beyond Here Lies Nothin'
Bob Dylan
Track from: Together Through Life
[Columbia]

* Change In The Weather
John Fogerty
Track from: The Blue Ridge Rangers Rides Again
[Verve Forecast]

* Dreamer
Prince
Track from: LotusFlow3r
[NPG Records]

* Working On A Dream
Bruce Springsteen
Track from: Working On A Dream
[Columbia]

* Fork In The Road
Neil Young
Track from: Fork In The Road
[Reprise]



Best Rock Performance By A Duo Or Group With Vocals
(For duo, group or collaborative performances, with vocals. Singles or Tracks only.)

* Can't Find My Way Home
Eric Clapton & Steve Winwood
Track from: Live From Madison Square Garden
[Reprise]

* Life In Technicolor II
Coldplay
Track from: Prospekt's March EP
[Capitol]

* 21 Guns
Green Day
Track from: 21st Century Breakdown
[Reprise]

* Use Somebody
Kings Of Leon
[RCA Records]

* I'll Go Crazy If I Don't Go Crazy Tonight
U2
Track from: No Line On The Horizon
[Interscope]



Best Hard Rock Performance
(For solo, duo, group or collaborative performances, with vocals. Singles or Tracks only.)

* War Machine
AC/DC
Track from: Black Ice
[Columbia]

* Check My Brain
Alice In Chains
Track from: Black Gives Way To Blue
[Virgin]

* What I've Done
Linkin Park
Track from: Road To Revolution: Live At Milton Keynes
[Warner Bros.]

* The Unforgiven III
Metallica
Track from: Death Magnetic
[Warner Bros.]

* Burn It To The Ground
Nickelback
Track from: Dark Horse
[Roadrunner Records]



Best Metal Performance
(For solo, duo, group or collaborative performances, with vocals. Singles or Tracks only.)

* Dissident Aggressor
Judas Priest
Track from: A Touch Of Evil — Live
[Epic]

* Set To Fail
Lamb Of God
Track from: Wrath
[Epic]

* Head Crusher
Megadeth
Track from: Endgame
[Roadrunner Records]

* Señor Peligro
Ministry
Track from: Adios...
[13th Planet]

* Hate Worldwide
Slayer
[American / Columbia]

(See complete list HERE)

The Awesome All Black Apartment

Frequent TED speaker and international advertising consultant Cindy Gallop opens the doors to her unusual apartment in Manhattan, an all-black space filled to the brim with curios and novel objets d'art from far-flung locations.

The Kennedy Curse

The Kennedy tragedies,colloquially called the Kennedy Curse, is a term sometimes used to describe a series of tragedies involving members of the Kennedy family. Some have called the continual misfortune of the Kennedy family a curse.Several members of the family have died from unnatural causes, most notably brothers John and Robert, who were assassinated by gunshots in 1963 and 1968, and John, Jr., who was killed in a plane crash along with his wife and sister-in-law in 1999.

Believers in the "curse" generally cite the following core events as evidence of the family's misfortunes:

* 1941 – Rosemary Kennedy was believed to be mentally retarded. However, some sources have claimed she was suffering from mental illness, such as depression. Because of her increasingly violent and severe mood swings, Joe Kennedy arranged in secret for her to undergo a lobotomy. The surgery impaired her cognitive abilities even more, and as a result, she remained institutionalized until her death in 2005.

* August 12, 1944 – Joseph P. Kennedy, Jr., the eldest son of Joseph Kennedy and Rose Fitzgerald Kennedy, dies in a mid-air aircraft explosion over eastern England while flying a hazardous mission during World War II.

* May 13, 1948 – Kathleen Kennedy Cavendish, Marchioness of Hartington, dies in a plane crash in France, along with her lover Peter Wentworth-FitzWilliam, 8th Earl FitzWilliam.

* August 23, 1956 – Jacqueline Kennedy gives birth to a stillborn daughter.(Although the daughter was unnamed and is buried at Arlington National Cemetery next to her parents with a marker reading "Daughter", later reports indicated that the Kennedys had intended to name her Arabella.

* August 9, 1963 – Patrick Bouvier Kennedy, the third child of John and Jackie Kennedy, born six weeks premature, dies two days after his birth.

* November 22, 1963 – President John F. Kennedy is assassinated by Lee Harvey Oswald in Dallas, Texas.

* June 19, 1964 – Massachusetts Senator Edward "Ted" Kennedy is involved in a plane crash in which one of his aides and the pilot were killed. He was pulled from the wreckage by fellow senator Birch E. Bayh II (D-Ind.) and spent weeks in a hospital recovering from a broken back, a punctured lung, broken ribs, and internal bleeding.

* June 6, 1968 – Robert F. Kennedy is shot multiple times and killed by Sirhan Sirhan in Los Angeles, immediately following his victory in the California Democratic presidential primary.

* July 18, 1969 – In the Chappaquiddick incident, a car driven by Ted Kennedy goes off a bridge on Martha's Vineyard, eventually drowning his passenger Mary Jo Kopechne.In his July 25, 1969 televised statement, Kennedy stated that on the night of the incident he wondered "whether some awful curse did actually hang over all the Kennedys."

* November 17, 1973 – Edward Kennedy, Jr., loses a portion of his right leg due to bone cancer at the age of 12.

* 1973 – Joseph P. Kennedy II, son of Robert and Ethel, is the driver in a car accident that leaves one passenger, Pam Kelley, permanently paralyzed.

* April 25, 1984 – David Kennedy dies from a Demerol and cocaine overdose in a Palm Beach, Florida hotel room.

* 1991 - William Kennedy Smith is tried for rape. He is acquitted of all charges.
December 31, 1997 – Michael Kennedy dies in a skiing accident in Aspen, Colorado.

* July 16, 1999 – John F. Kennedy, Jr., his wife, and sister-in-law were killed when their Piper Saratoga crashes into the Atlantic Ocean off Martha's Vineyard.

TED Speech on the wonder of ant colonies!

Ok I adore TED Speeches. TED is a conference that brings together the worlds most brilliant people. Science, technology, math, music, art, humor, everything, just the best and they give these intriguing and inspiring speeches through the days they meet. They are posted online on the TED website. I watch them every now and then and am never disspaointed. I watched this one on ants, which I love hearing about because are insanely evolved and interesting, seriously. If you don't believe me, watch the speech below. If ants don't interest watch some of the other videos!!

WATCH OTHER TED VIDEOS!!

Interesting Points in the Speech:
-No central control: No ant directs the behavior of any other ant
-Many ants do NOTHING in the colony, contrary to popular belief, they are used as reserves
-Ants don't do the same task their whole lives

2009 Bonnaroo Lineup

• Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band
• Phish (2 shows)
• Beastie Boys
• Nine Inch Nails
• David Byrne
• Wilco
• Al Green
• Snoop Dogg
• Elvis Costello Solo
• Erykah Badu
• Paul Oakenfold
• Ben Harper and Relentless7
• Jimmy Fallon with Wayne Federman
• The Mars Volta
• TV on the Radio
• Yeah Yeah Yeahs
• MGMT
• moe.
• Public Enemy
• Andrew Bird
• Band of Horses
• Gov't Mule
• Bonnapoo 2009: Triumph the Insult Comic Dog, Todd Barry, Amy Schumer, Kumail Nanjiani & Valley Lodge
• Merle Haggard
• Daily Show Stars John Oliver, Rob Riggle, Rory Albanese, Wyatt Cenac, Kristen Schaal & Kurt Braunohl
• The Decemberists
• Ani DiFranco
• Girl Talk
• Bon Iver
• Béla Fleck & Toumani Diabate
• Rodrigo y Gabriela
• Galactic
• The Del McCoury band
• Michael Ian Black & Michael Showalter with special guests Aziz Ansari and Nick Kroll
• of Montreal
• Allen Toussaint
• Coheed & Cambria
• Comedy Carnivale: Christian Finnegan, Arj Barker, Janeane Garofalo, Nick Thune & Pete Holmes
• Booker T & the DBTs
• David Grisman Quintet
• Lucinda Williams
• Animal Collective
• Gomez
• Neko Case
• Jenny Lewis
• Amadou & Mariam
• Santigold
• Robert Earl Keen
• Shadows Fall
• Heartless Bastards
• Tony Rice Unit
• Citizen Cope
• Femi Kuti and the Positive Force
• High On Fire
• Robyn Hitchcock & The Venus 3
• Grace Potter and the Nocturnals
• Kaki King
• Grizzly Bear
• King Sunny Adé & the African Beats
• Okkervil River
• St. Vincent
• Zac Brown Band
• Passion Pit
• Raphael Saadiq
• The Dillinger Escape Plan
• Ted Leo and the Pharmacists
• Crystal Castles
• Tift Merritt
• Brett Dennen
• Mike Farris and the Roseland Rhythm Revue
• Toubab Krewe
• Wailing Souls
• Ilo and the Coral Reefer Allstars
• The Dirty Projectors
• People Under The Stairs
• Alejandro Escovedo
• The Itals
• Vieux Farka Touré
• Elvis Perkins in Dearland
• Kraak & Smaak
• Cherryholmes
• Yeasayer
• Todd Snider
• MURS
• Chairlift
• Portugal. The Man
• The SteelDrivers
• Midnite
• The Knux
• The Low Anthem
• Cage the Elephant
• Delta Spirit
• A.A. Bondy
• White Rabbits
• The Lovell Sisters
• Alberta Cross
• Janelle Monáe
• Hockey
• Erick Baker
• Charlie Allen
• Pretty Lights
• Katzenjammer
• Aaron LaCrate
• Motion Potion
• Gypsyphonic Disko
• DJ Quickie Mart
• J. Boogie
• The Hood Internet
• American Princes
• Belleville Outfit
• Ben Sollee
• The Black Lillies
• BrakesBrakesBrakes
• Cotton Jones
• Dan Dyer
• Dear and the Headlights
• Dirty Guv'nahs
• Dirty Sweet
• Erin McCarley
• Evan Watson
• Everest
• Fiction Family
• Heypenny
• Jedd Hughes
• Jerry Hannan
• Jessica Lea Mayfield
• Jets Overhead
• Joe Pug
• Julia Nunes
• Justin Townes Earle
• Ki: Theory
• Kuroma
• Madi Diaz
• Moonalice
• Mt. St. Helens Vietnam Band
• MyNameIsJohnMichael
• The Nikhil Korula Band
• Outernational
• Phoenix
• Roger Alan Wade
• Russian Circles
• Sons of Bill
• Tangiers Blues Band
• The Features
• The Giraffes
• The Heavy Pets
• Those Darlins
• The Protomen
• Tobacco
• Turbine
• Vertigo
• William Elliot Whitmore
• Zee Avi
• Don Hertzfeldt
• Lebowski Fest - Movie Party

Crazy Cool Futuristic Sixth Sense Technology!!

TED: Ideas worth spreading
TED (Technology, Entertainment, Design) is an invitation-only event where the world's leading thinkers and doers gather to find inspiration.

On This Day In History: Police Brutality is Caught on Tape

At 12:45 a.m. on March 3, 1991, robbery parolee Rodney G. King stops his car after leading police on a nearly 8-mile pursuit through the streets of Los Angeles, California. The chase began after King, who was intoxicated, was caught speeding on a freeway by a California Highway Patrol cruiser but refused to pull over. Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD) cruisers and a police helicopter joined the pursuit, and when King was finally stopped by Hansen Dam Park, several police cars descended on his white Hyundai.

A group of LAPD officers led by Sergeant Stacey Koon ordered King and the other two occupants of the car to exit the vehicle and lie flat on the ground. King's two friends complied, but King himself was slower to respond, getting on his hands and knees rather than lying flat. Officers Laurence Powell, Timothy Wind, Ted Briseno, and Roland Solano tried to force King down, but he resisted, and the officers stepped back and shot King twice with an electric stun gun known as a Taser, which fires darts carrying a charge of 50,000 volts.

At this moment, civilian George Holliday, standing on a balcony in an apartment complex across the street, focused the lens of his new video camera on the commotion unfolding by Hansen Dam Park. In the first few seconds of what would become a very famous 89-second video, King is seen rising after the Taser shots and running in the direction of Officer Powell. The officers alleged that King was charging Powell, while King himself later claimed that an officer told him, "We're going to kill you, nigger. Run!" and he tried to flee. All the arresting officers were white, along with all but one of the other two dozen or so law enforcement officers present at the scene. With the roar of a helicopter above, very few commands or remarks are audible in the video.

With King running in his direction, Powell swung his baton, hitting him on the side of the head and knocking him to the ground. This action was captured by the video, but the next 10 seconds were blurry as Holliday shifted the camera. From the 18- to 30-second mark in the video, King attempted to rise, and Powell and Wind attacked him with a torrent of baton blows that prevented him from doing so. From the 35- to 51-second mark, Powell administered repeated baton blows to King's lower body. At 55 seconds, Powell struck King on the chest, and King rolled over and lay prone. At that point, the officers stepped back and observed King for about 10 seconds. Powell began to reach for his handcuffs.

At 65 seconds on the video, Officer Briseno stepped roughly on King's upper back or neck, and King's body writhed in response. Two seconds later, Powell and Wind again began to strike King with a series of baton blows, and Wind kicked him in the neck six times until 86 seconds into the video. At about 89 seconds, King put his hands behind his back and was handcuffed.

Sergeant Koon never made an effort to stop the beating, and only one of the many officers present briefly intervened, raising his left arm in front of a baton-swinging colleague in the opening moments of the videotape, to no discernible effect. An ambulance was called, and King was taken to the hospital. Struck as many as 56 times with the batons, he suffered a fractured leg, multiple facial fractures, and numerous bruises and contusions. Unaware that the arrest was videotaped, the officers downplayed the level of violence used to arrest King and filed official reports in which they claimed he suffered only cuts and bruises "of a minor nature."

George Holliday sold his video of the beating to the local television station, KTLA, which broadcast the footage and sold it to the national Cable News Network (CNN). The widely broadcast video caused outrage around the country and triggered a national debate on police brutality. Rodney King was released without charges, and on March 15 Sergeant Koon and officers Powell, Wind, and Briseno were indicted by a Los Angeles grand jury in connection with the beating. All four were charged with assault with a deadly weapon and excessive use of force by a police officer. Though Koon did not actively participate in the beating, as the commanding officer he was charged with aiding and abetting it. Powell and Koon were also charged with filing false reports.

Because of the uproar in Los Angeles surrounding the incident, the judge, Stanley Weisberg, was persuaded to move the trial outside Los Angeles County to Simi Valley in Ventura County. On April 29, 1992, the 12-person jury, which included 10 whites and no African Americans, issued its verdicts: not guilty on all counts, except for one assault charge against Powell that ended in a hung jury. The acquittals touched off rioting and looting in Los Angeles that grew into the most destructive U.S. civil disturbance of the 20th century. In three days of violence, more than 50 people were killed, more than 2,000 were injured, and nearly $1 billion in property was destroyed. On May 1, President George H.W. Bush ordered military troops and riot-trained federal officers to Los Angeles to quell the riot.

Under federal law, the officers could also be prosecuted for violating Rodney King's constitutional rights, and on April 17, 1993, a federal jury convicted Koon and Powell for violating King's rights by their unreasonable use of force under color of law. Although Wind and Briseno were acquitted, most civil rights advocates considered the mixed verdict a victory. On August 4, Koon and Powell were sentenced to two-and-a-half years in prison for the beating of King. King received $3.8 million in a civil suit against the Los Angeles police department.

Disgraced pastor Haggard admits second relationship with man

Haggard likened his struggles with his desires to the struggles faced by dieters who say, "'I'm not going to eat today' and then they eat.

Note: Haggards "struggles" include sex with much younger men and um, meth.

(CNN) -- Evangelical pastor Ted Haggard described Thursday as "fundamentally true" an assertion that he engaged in an inappropriate relationship with a 20-year-old male volunteer in 2006.
Pastor Ted Haggard acknowledged on CNN's "Larry King Live" that he had a second relationship with a man.

Pastor Ted Haggard acknowledged on CNN's "Larry King Live" that he had a second relationship with a man.

The incident occurred when the two men were in bed together, Grant Haas said in a videotaped interview played on CNN's "Larry King Live."

"He pretty much asked me if it was OK if he masturbated in front of me or masturbated in the bed next to me," Haas said. "I told him no, it would make me really uncomfortable. But he grabbed a bottle of lotion and started masturbating."

Haas added, "(Haggard) used to say to me, 'You know what, Grant, you can become a man of God, and you can have a little bit of fun on the side."

Haggard, 52, said the incident was "an indicator of the compulsive behavior" that ruled him at the time. However, he said he has been undergoing therapy during the two years since and "working it out." Video Watch Haggard accuser speak out »

Controversy involving Haggard first erupted in November 2006, when a former prostitute, Mike Jones, said the pastor had paid him for sex over three years and had used methamphetamine in his presence.

Haggard initially admitted in interviews that he received a massage from Jones but denied having sex with him. He also said he bought methamphetamine, but threw it away instead of using it.

The assertions received widespread news coverage and sparked charges of hypocrisy, particularly because Haggard had condemned homosexual sex. Video Watch Haggard address allegations on Oprah »

Haggard is the former president of the National Association of Evangelicals, which claims to represent millions of people in 45,000 congregations nationwide. He was also the head pastor at New Life Church.

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Bonnaroo Lineup

I actually like this lineup much, MUCH better than the Coachella Lineup, but you couldn't pay me to go to the upper middle class druggie/hippie fest in the hot mess of Tennessee. Well you could pay me, but it'd have to be an all expenses paid trip with a $600 per day stipend. And back stage access. And herb. E-mail me for inquires...

FROM PITCHFORK:

With Beasties, NIN, Wilco, David Byrne, Animal Collective, YYYs, TVOTR, Decemberists, Neko. Tennessee's Bonnaroo obviously a big deal, and its organizers are probably better at scoring the biggest names than any other festival organizers in these United States. Last year, for instance, they landed Metallica and Kanye West and Pearl Jam among the usual hordes of jam-bands and indie types. But this year they've outdone themselves.

They got Bruce! With the whole E Street Band and everything! Bruce Springsteen does not need to play festivals, and yet here he is. (This is his only North American festival appearance this year, says a press release.) And the reunited Phish! For two sets! Whatever your feelings on those dudes, that is an extremely big get right there. Also the Beastie Boys! And Nine Inch Nails! And Erykah Badu! And Animal Collective! And David Byrne, Wilco, TV on the Radio, the Yeah Yeah Yeahs, Al Green, Snoop Dogg, Elvis Costello, Bon Iver, Jenny Lewis, Okkervil River, Santogold, Neko Case, Grizzly Bear, the Decemberists, Yeasayer, Band of Horses, MGMT, and Andrew Bird! This thing is going to be nuts. (No My Morning Jacket though?)

The festival goes down June 11-14 at its usual Manchester, Tennessee location. Keeping in mind that there are still more names left to be announced, here is the absolutely absurd lineup in all its glory so far:

Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band
Phish (two shows)
Beastie Boys
Nine Inch Nails
David Byrne
Wilco
Al Green
Snoop Dogg
Elvis Costello Solo
Erykah Badu
Paul Oakenfold
Ben Harper and Relentless7
The Mars Volta
TV on the Radio
Yeah Yeah Yeahs
Gov’t Mule
Andrew Bird
Merle Haggard
MGMT
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The Decemberists
Girl Talk
Bon Iver
Béla Fleck & Toumani Diabate
Rodrigo y Gabriela
Galactic
The Del McCoury Band
Of Montreal
Allen Toussaint
Coheed and Cambria
Booker T & the DBTs
David Grisman Quintet
Lucinda Williams
Animal Collective
Gomez
Neko Case
Down
Jenny Lewis
Santogold
Band of Horses
Robert Earl Keen
Citizen Cope
Femi Kuti and the Positive Force
The Ting Tings
Robyn Hitchcock & The Venus 3
Grace Potter and the Nocturnals
Kaki King
Grizzly Bear
King Sunny Adé
Okkervil River
St. Vincent
Zac Brown Band
Raphael Saadiq
Ted Leo and the Pharmacists
Crystal Castles
Tift Merritt
Brett Dennen
Mike Farris and the Roseland Rhythm Revue
Toubab Krewe
People Under the Stairs
Alejandro Escovedo
Vieux Farka Touré
Elvis Perkins In Dearland
Cherryholmes
Yeasayer
Todd Snider
Chairlift
Portugal. The Man.
The SteelDrivers
Midnite
The Knux
The Low Anthem
Delta Spirit
A.A. Bondy
The Lovell Sisters
Alberta Cross