There was a gang shootout on our corner today. A bus driver got shot and a 20-year-old got killed.

And I thought the biggest problem in the neighborhood was the chubby rat population

Here’s a collection of 47 tips from seasoned bloggers. It might be good reading for all of us.

Some highlights:

• Don’t try to please an audience, and don’t post simply because you feel like you ought to – only post when you have something to say.
• If someone were to start a blog tomorrow documenting the young life of an extremely photogenic kitten, I can almost guarantee a huge amount of traffic.
• Get a digital camera if you don’t have one. Photographs liven up a blog and, if they’re good, can really be worth 1000 words. [ Should we do more picture blogging… ]
• Remember that even though you think you’re writing to just friends and family, your words will have a global audience. You never know just who is reading your blog, and where they may be located when reading it.

File Under Forgotten Albums: Ned’s Atomic Dustbin – brainbloodvolume

A group of people are suing Limp Bizkit over a recent show in Chicago because they thought the show sucked. I’ll steal a joke here and say “What did they expect?” I am not a fan of most of the current angry teenage boy bands, although I really like testoterone filled music. Flipping through the quickly-approaching-200 albums on my iPod I pulled up NAD (heh — I said “nad”) and gave their 1995 release a re-listen.

I just got this email from Eli Pariser over at MoveOn.org today:

…Today we’re giving you a chance to clear your name. We’re asking you and tens of thousands of other MoveOn members to sign an affidavit affirming that you didn’t leak the identity of an undercover CIA agent to the press last July…

The hottest picture over at Yahoo!News is a group of urban citizens complaining about Urban Outfitter’s new boardgame called “Ghettopoly” which features game cards like ‘You got yo whole neighborhood addicted to crack. Collect $50…’

Anyone remember the Abercrombie & Fitch’s t-shirt entitled “Two Wongs”?

So I guess Rush, The Man Show and John Rocker are all “in”, now?

Along with my desire to listen and learn more about Indian, Punjabi and Eastern Hemisphere music, I have developed a desire to try recipes from the same area. I love the food at the restaurants around town and feel up to the challenge of trying to make it at home. Here’s a couple sites that I will be perusing and choosing recipes from. If you get the urge and cook something from them, too, let me know and we can share our experiences.

• Indian Food Guide: Recipes
• FoodSPK.com