FROM SEA TO SHINING SEA - DON’T ASK, DON’T TELL Outside of its soft drinks, fast food franchises and celebrities, America’s greatest gift to the rest of the world has been its military. It’s been a long time since the glory days of Uncle Sam, when troops were met with flowers and ripe virgins on their tours of liberation, but that hasn’t dampened the USA’s war libido. If Iraq and Afghanistan are the remote, sharp edges of the US military’s bench saw, then Charleston is its sturdy fulcrum. Read the full article here

FROM SEA TO SHINING SEA - DON’T ASK, DON’T TELL

Outside of its soft drinks, fast food franchises and celebrities, America’s greatest gift to the rest of the world has been its military. It’s been a long time since the glory days of Uncle Sam, when troops were met with flowers and ripe virgins on their tours of liberation, but that hasn’t dampened the USA’s war libido.

If Iraq and Afghanistan are the remote, sharp edges of the US military’s bench saw, then Charleston is its sturdy fulcrum.

Read the full article here

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FUCK THE DUMBSHIT A few years back my girlfriend and I spent about six months hitch-hiking and generally bumbling around North America. America, and the North-West states in particular, have always seemed to me to be furtive grounds for spectacular human weirdness. That notion was firmly confirmed during these wanderings. See more photos here

FUCK THE DUMBSHIT

A few years back my girlfriend and I spent about six months hitch-hiking and generally bumbling around North America. America, and the North-West states in particular, have always seemed to me to be furtive grounds for spectacular human weirdness. That notion was firmly confirmed during these wanderings.

See more photos here

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FUCK THE DUMBSHIT A few years back my girlfriend and I spent about six months hitch-hiking and generally bumbling around North America. America, and the North-West states in particular, have always seemed to me to be furtive grounds for spectacular human weirdness. That notion was firmly confirmed during these wanderings. See more photos here

FUCK THE DUMBSHIT

A few years back my girlfriend and I spent about six months hitch-hiking and generally bumbling around North America. America, and the North-West states in particular, have always seemed to me to be furtive grounds for spectacular human weirdness. That notion was firmly confirmed during these wanderings.

See more photos here

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DON’T HAZE ME, BRO! Every so often, stories about the practice of ‘hazing’ raise their weary, bogwashed heads out of the shitter and sob quietly in the direction of some journalists. The latest set of initiation rites to attract media scrutiny are those that must be undergone by young American men if they are to gain entry to the frat houses of Dartmouth College, New Hampshire, because a guy called Andrew Lohse just blew the whistle on them. “I was forced to swim in a kiddie pool full of vomit, urine, faecal matter, semen and rotten food products; forced to eat an omelette made of vomit; forced to chug cups of vinegar until I was afraid that I would vomit blood like one of my fellow pledges did; forced to inhale nitrous oxide; degraded psychologically on a daily basis; forced to drink beers poured down a fellow pledge’s ass crack; vomited on regularly, and encouraged to vomit on others,” Lohse told the internet earlier this week. I remembered an old friend of mine who played in the rugby team at his university, and how he’d talked about new players being “broken in”, or at least used words to that effect. I rang him to find out what kind of activities comprised your average UK student initiation. It was gross. He also sent me the pictures arrayed throughout this post. Alright, so it’s not exactly cheerleaders being bled to death on a catafalque before Moloch, but we hid identities anyway because some of these men are probably now accountants or working with children. Read the full article here

DON’T HAZE ME, BRO!

Every so often, stories about the practice of ‘hazing’ raise their weary, bogwashed heads out of the shitter and sob quietly in the direction of some journalists. The latest set of initiation rites to attract media scrutiny are those that must be undergone by young American men if they are to gain entry to the frat houses of Dartmouth College, New Hampshire, because a guy called Andrew Lohse just blew the whistle on them.

“I was forced to swim in a kiddie pool full of vomit, urine, faecal matter, semen and rotten food products; forced to eat an omelette made of vomit; forced to chug cups of vinegar until I was afraid that I would vomit blood like one of my fellow pledges did; forced to inhale nitrous oxide; degraded psychologically on a daily basis; forced to drink beers poured down a fellow pledge’s ass crack; vomited on regularly, and encouraged to vomit on others,” Lohse told the internet earlier this week.

I remembered an old friend of mine who played in the rugby team at his university, and how he’d talked about new players being “broken in”, or at least used words to that effect. I rang him to find out what kind of activities comprised your average UK student initiation. It was gross. He also sent me the pictures arrayed throughout this post. Alright, so it’s not exactly cheerleaders being bled to death on a catafalque before Moloch, but we hid identities anyway because some of these men are probably now accountants or working with children.

Read the full article here

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EXPLAINING AMERICAN FOOTBALL TO THE BRITISH 3. Being fat. One American football stereotype is that the guys are really fat. I recall a man named “the Fridge”, various players with the epithet “big” and another who may have been called “deep freeze”. Do these guys ever need to run and, if they had to, would they even be able to? Do they often die of heart-related diseases/ go on to advertise fat-laden foods? You are speaking of the lineman. These monsters weigh in at over 300 pounds (21 stone). They’re not “eligible”, meaning they cannot be thrown or handed the ball on purpose. Occasionally through some twist of fate, a fumble or interception will land in their buttery, oversized hands, resulting in the glory of a fat man running. And running. And running. I could watch these all day. Read the full article here

EXPLAINING AMERICAN FOOTBALL TO THE BRITISH

3. Being fat.

One American football stereotype is that the guys are really fat. I recall a man named “the Fridge”, various players with the epithet “big” and another who may have been called “deep freeze”. Do these guys ever need to run and, if they had to, would they even be able to? Do they often die of heart-related diseases/ go on to advertise fat-laden foods?

You are speaking of the lineman. These monsters weigh in at over 300 pounds (21 stone). They’re not “eligible”, meaning they cannot be thrown or handed the ball on purpose. Occasionally through some twist of fate, a fumble or interception will land in their buttery, oversized hands, resulting in the glory of a fat man running. And running. And running. I could watch these all day.

Read the full article here

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