Greg’s earlier post got me thinking about the nature of prejudice, its inherent evil, and ways to overcome it.
Although the interweb is chock full of verbose, thesis statement like musings on the topic, I found something even better.

The Kluckhohn-Murray aphorism (1953):
Every human is in certain respects
a. like all other humans.
b. like some other humans.
c. like […]

I have been realizing lately that I have a problem with religion. I was thinking about it on my bus ride in to work this morning. Questioning my internal conflict, I wondered what causes me to dislike it so much. I came up with a plan to accept that some people believe […]

When UM recently made a trip to Scottsdale/Phoenix, one of the stranger highlights for me was a drunken facial I received from a cute (and quite sober) beautician at the Philosophy counter in Nordstrom’s.
Not only did it feel great, but I looked my best for that night’s outing to Myst (an uber-hot club in the […]

Tonight.. on a very special UM Presents, join us as Urban Monarch agents go deep undercover to peer into the seedy world of wine tastings.
By ‘deep undercover’ I naturally mean ’standing near the cheese plate’.  As for ’seedy world’?   Replace with ‘upscale country club’.
Nevertheless, we will be there.
If past experiences with Greg, free vino and […]

Found Magazine collects lost items that amuse us all.  The voyeur inside will appreciate someone else’s grocery list, love letter, or missing polaroids.  Collecting found goods since 2001, the collection is wide and entertaining.
We collect found stuff: love letters, birthday cards, kids’ homework, to-do lists, ticket stubs, poetry on napkins, doodles- anything that gives a […]

Strawberry Banana mojitos on a Monday night.  If not now, when?
Last night as we made our way through several pitchers worth, I found myself celebrating not only a friend’s new job working on an upcoming feature film (you go on with yo’ bad self Jillian, see you at Sundance!) but Glenn’s return to Denver after […]

Writing everyday can be a challenging task, just from a motivation standpoint.
Add to that the monotany of being chained to a desktop PC, and it can easily become an exercise in frustration.
To counter this, we of the UM tribe will sometimes schedule outings to various wi-fi enabled cafes and bars with the sole purpose of […]

Blogger Martin Varsavsky recently wrote up his thoughts about a post-catholic Spain. He paints a positive, albeit biased, picture of the tolerance following the removal of religion based laws.
After 3 decades of democracy, Spain is not a Catholic country anymore. First, loss of religion became apparent with the legalization of divorce and contraceptives and […]

Although Greg and I recently ditched our cars in favor of public transportation (living downtown has its perks), at some point I’m sure I’ll find myself back behind the wheel.
If I had my choice at the moment, it would be the wheel of a Lotus Elise. Sporty, futuristic, and pretension-free, the Elise knows how […]

Some of my favorite memories involve the simple pleasure of strolling the aisles at my favorite libation emporium; Argonaut Liquors. 
Wandering about like an explorer on a noble quest for a good sale, looking for something new that catches my eye, flirting with the inevitable liquor promo girl…
For me, it’s all a delight.
Although I fancy myself […]

Ok, for this video, you have to bare with the first 60 second skit intro. The song is worth the wait, trust me. ( Wait, don’t ever trust me. )

Hello Readers,
A lot of really sweet shit is going down at UM headquarters (eg, my bedroom, rawr!) and this weekend is kicking off a lot of it.  It seems that life just fills itself with what you concentrate on (nod huna).  Tonight I’m off to a local fashion show and continuing on a quest of […]

Over at Peety Passion, they have compiled 20 “facts” about sex. I use quotes around this statement because, like most top 20 lists around the blogosphere, the information is rarely cited or even remotely verifiable. Anyway, it’s still a fun read.

According to the Kinsey Institute, the biggest erect penis on record measures 13 […]

Former UM savant Glenn gave us some insight awhile back into the importance of wet shaving.
Our rogue scholar readers offered plenty of suggestions via the comments as well.
I’ve committed myself to purchasing a straight razor sometime this year, and since I’m still rather baffled by all the choices on offer was intrigued by an article […]

I am a huge hater on DRM, but sometimes it is a difficult concept to explain, even to those with technological backgrounds.  Typically I fall back on using hypothetical analogies like “What if you could only read sony books with sony glasses?  Or watch pixar movies on pixar TVs?”  Eliot over on the wired blog […]

When Depeche Mode toured in 2001 for their “Exciter”album, a friend of mine and his girlfriend followed them for several shows, culminating with a performance at “The Gorge” Amphitheatre in Washington state.
Though I’d never heard of it, once he returned and I began to pour over his pictures of the show I was blown away […]

I will often say something like rebooty, to which people often ask, “Greg, that’s a really cool word. What does it mean?” Either that or, “Is that really a word or did you just make it up?”
Well, it’s not a word, but it makes me feel really cool when I say shit like that. […]

Being an avid Body For Lifer (well, okay, semi-avid right at the moment) has made me very conscientious of the foods I eat. One reason? To adhere to the BFL regimen requires 6 small daily meals. Each meal is supposed to feature a serving of protein and a serving of carbohydrate.
Given that […]

I have put in a hefty amount of time paying attention to the fairer sex, but still many things allude me. I have accepted this challenge to be a lifelong endeavor. However, I had a question this morning, and thought to pool the collective resources of urban monarch readers. Maybe together we […]

 
Judging by the results of our ideal house poll, Urban Monarch readers gravitate towards the chic, cosmopolitan experience of living in a loft.
One of the decorating problems I’ve faced is finding reasonably priced, but suitably modern accessories for my own downtown loft space.
I do believe I’ve hit the online jackpot.

Stlloftstyle.com features innovative, sleek, and amazingly […]

Leave it to the wonderful tipplers over at OnMilwaukee.com to deem February “Bar Month”. 
On of the first articles offered suggestions for stocking your home bar.
With a few minor exceptions (dissing Stolicnaya, and suggesting Jack Daniel’s) it includes some great information.

People forget often the accoutrements,” Laev said. “You’ve got to have a (cocktail) shaker and […]