Paul Krugman may be a nice guy in real life, but the character he plays on the Op-Ed page of the New York Times is a real dick.

“Fish is frequently misidentified on menus and grocery store counters in New York City, even at expensive restaurants and specialty shops, DNA testing for a new study found…. In some cases, cheaper types of fish were substituted for expensive species. In others, fish that consumers have been urged to avoid because stocks are depleted, putting the species or a fishery at risk, was identified as a type of fish that is not threatened. Although such mislabeling violates laws protecting consumers, it is hard to detect. Some of the findings present public health concerns…. Ninety-four percent of fish sold as white tuna was not tuna at all but in many cases a fish known as snake mackerel, or escolar, which contains a toxin that can cause severe diarrhea if more than a few ounces of meat are ingested.”
 — See, this is why I stick to meat. Anyway, be careful out there. Escolar is not something to mess around with.

Photo by Yuri Arcurs, via Shutterstock

“Since last August, explaining the retirement of ‘the mighty Mos Def’ has been part of both his solo performances and the tour with Kweli. It’s Kweli, along with Kanye West, who is a friend, whom Bey credits with helping him make the decision to proceed in his career without what now strikes him as the ‘artifice’ of a ‘nom de plume.’ (It’s worth pointing out that Kweli, which in Swahili means ‘true,’ is actually the middle name of Talib Greene — so while Talib Kweli isn’t a nom de plume, exactly, he does consider it a stage name.) It hasn’t always been easy. Responding to the Alaskan crowd’s disappointment, Bey reacted like a stand-up comedian sparring with hecklers, a mode he seems quite comfortably in: ‘You know, some people have an emotional relationship with that name, Mos Def. So do I: I made it up.’”
 — Yasiin Bey, formerly known as Mos Def, turns 39 today. If you missed this over the summer it’s worth a read.

Thank the Lord for Zach Baron, who apparently was also obsessed with the weirdest movie moment of 2012: in the Spiderman reboot, where suddenly everyone starts saying the word “branzino.” Strangest damn thing I ever saw.

It’s Solange Of Montreal! Plus other stuff. Tired. Very tired.

Rich People, Only You Can Save Us With Your Holiday Shopping!

If you are like many Americans (no offense), you are knee-deep in The Holidays and you don’t care about Fiscal Cliff. I mean, you know about Fiscal Cliff, and you know there are politicians and the president of the United States of America involved, and they are supposed to fix it, so fine, fix it, right? We are in the middle of The Holidays! What are We The People paying your salary for, with our taxes? I pay all kindsa taxes! I didn’t ask for Fiscal Cliff! It’s almost Xmas! Why are you ruining my The Holidays with all this talk about Fiscal? You make the stuff about the Mayan Calendar End of The World sound like fun!

It is 11 (eleven) days until the Mayan Calendar End of The Mayan Calendar.

It is Twenty-Two (22) Days until Fiscal Cliff.

It is 15 (two weeks plus one day, Observed) days until Xmas.

It is already Hanukkah, right now already.

Do you think any politicians are gonna be working Xmas Eve on Fiscal Cliff? I’m not saying these politicians are lazy or anything, I’m just saying I’m not surprised they waited until the last-minute fog of The Holidays, right before they go on vacation, to figure out this shit they have been scaring us with for so long. I don’t know about you, but I have Fiscal Cliff Fatigue, you know? Basically, our Government needs to figure out this Fiscal Cliff thing before Xmas, so no pressure or anything, but that makes it really more like two weeks, until Fiscal Cliff, unless they ask for an Incomplete, which, I guess they would be asking themselves? Anyway, it’s The Holidays!

Today is the Green Monday, beginning the busiest shopping period in all of The Holidays on the internet. Are you buying anything for The Holidays, on the internet? Of course you are! You are helping the economy, you know, simply by committing the act of retail. Go buy some stuff, before Fiscal Cliff gets us! Hey, did you know if you are not sure about stuff to buy for Xmas, such as a robot vacuum cleaner or an external hard drive for your computer or a beard trimmer, you can go to The Awl’s partner-site sister-site brother-site cousin-site close-personal-friend-site The Wirecutter, and you can get solid recommendations on which point-and-shoot camera or sex toy you should buy. The Wirecutterers get a teensy crumb of $ if you go and buy the thing they think is a good thing to buy, if you click on that aforementioned thing through their internets, and that is also good for the economy, Fiscal Cliffwise, I believe, because if my theory on Fiscal Cliff is correct, we are supposed to have so much of the economy going, so much action of money flowing through our Fiscal Tubes, that we shoot over the Cliff like Evel Knievel, in order to get to the other side. Or, if you prefer, like Thelma & Louise, in the Major Motion Picture of the same name, except we don’t SPOILER ALERT.

One more thing about the Cliff, the Rich People are probably gonna have to pay more taxes, but now there is this thing about “The Two Percent,” which I guess is people who make more than Two Hundred and Fifty Thousand Dollars and No Cents a year — but less than the One Percent, who make Skyrillion Dollars per year — and how they are going to be taxed more. I don’t make anywhere near that much dough, but 250 grand might not be a lotta money to somebody who has, like, eight kids or something, you know? Maybe the deductions will help the “Two Percenters.” And look, don’t kid yourself, everybody’s getting taxed more. Anybody with income is going to get muckled onto by The Government, and it’ll happen at the last minute so they can say it was “hammered out” or “historic” or “bipartisan” or whatever, and how great it is they could “reach an agreement” so that we are all supposed to fucking congratulate them for doing their goddamn stupid fucking phoney-baloney jobs.

Rich People — and by that I mean people who make way fucking more than $250K — I have gone on record previously as being in favor of you, with your Riches, because I hope to join your club some day, so c’mon, dig down a little in your sofa cushion for those extra coins and help the Economy, OK? You can be patriotic and Santa Claus — both at once! Go out and buy stuff! You’re loaded! Do whatever you want, man, go do that annoying thing like in the commercials where you put a giant red bow on top of a luxury automobile and surprise an affluent and well-dressed person! I fucking hate those commercials! Better yet, go to The Wirecutter Dot Com and select a whole bunch of nice headphones and/or smartphones and/or music speakers and/or laptops and/or televison sets and/or energy efficient LED lightbulbs and purchase those things so The Wirecutter can stay in business telling you what stuff to buy! You Rich People are loaded, man, go nuts.

Previously: My Holiday Shopping Plan

Mr. Wrong can converse with you via many medias.

★ Consistently dark; inconsistently rainy. A morning like twilight brought drops on the window, for a while. The pavement below was dull with wetness, rather than shining with it. Outdoors, in the afternoon, there was a thermometer-defying raw chill and a drizzle so weak that the sawed-off Christmas trees on the sidewalk left dry circles in the shelter of their branches. Umbrellas served only to slow down their users and to block other people’s way, which did not prevent those with umbrellas for using them. Umbrellas could be deemed unnecessary. Later, the kindergartener went out and came back with a reproachful gaze from under his now-rain-soaked hood.

“[A] group of daikon radishes… have been hooked up to electronic sensors to emit moans and groans when groped.”

The Smashing Pumpkins, 1991–2000, In Order

151. “French Movie Theme”
150. “Annie-Dog”
149. “Pastachio Medley”
148. “The Boy”
147. “Bugg Superstar
146. “Spaced”
145. “Pulseczar”
144. “A Night Like This”
143. “Take Me Down”
142. “Shame”
141. “Glass and the Ghost Children”
140. “Medellia of the Gray Skies”
139. “Rotten Apples”
138. “La Dolly Vita”
137. “Meladori Magpie”
136. “The Bells”
135. “17”
134. “Tonite Reprise”
133. “Blank”
132. “Pennies”
131. “Here’s to the Atom Bomb”
130. “Marquis in Spades”
129. “Soul Power”
128. “Believe”
127. “Speed Kills”
126. “Tribute to Johnny”
125. “Le Deux Machina”
124. “Jupiter’s Lament”
123. “Farewell and Goodnight”
122. “Go”
121. “Why Am I So Tired”
120. “The Tale of Dusty & Pistol Pete”
119. “My Blue Heaven”
118. “You’re All I’ve Got Tonight”
117. “Innosence”
116. “Appels + Orajes”
115. “Let Me Give the World To You”
114. “With Every Light”
113. “Transformer”
112. “The Last Song”
111. “Destination Unknown”
110. “In My Body”
109. “If There Is A God (Full Band)”
108. “If There Is A God (Piano-Vox)”
107. “Lucky 13”
106. “Dreaming”
105. “Bye June”
104. “Tristessa”
103. “Beautiful”
102. “Glass’ Theme”
101. “Raindrops + Sunshowers”
100. “The Crying Tree of Mercury”
99. “Clones (We’re All)”
98. “The Aeroplane Flies High (Turns Left, Looks Right)”
97. “Daydream”
96. “Blue Skies Bring Tears”
95. “Plume”
94. “White Spider”
93. “Stumbleine”
92. “Saturnine”
91. “Set the Ray to Jerry”
90. “Home”
89. “Cherry”
88. “… Said Sadly”
87. “We Only Come Out At Night”
86. “Slow Dawn”
85. “Try, Try, Try”
84. “Age of Innocence”
83. “Slunk”
82. “Window Paine”
81. “Vanity”
80. “Crestfallen”
79. “The Imploding Voice”
78. “Girl Named Sandoz”
77. “Lily (My One and Only)”
76. “Hello Kitty Kat”
75. “Wound”
75. “Crush”
73. “Heavy Metal Machine”
72. “Mouths of Babes”
71. “The Sacred and Profane”
70. “This Time”
69. “Blew Away”
68. “Perfect”
67. “Ugly”
66. “By Starlight”
65.“Luna”
64. “Frail and Bedazzled”
63. “Soothe”
62. “Blue”
61. “I of the Mourning”
60. “Mellon Collie and the Infinite Sadness”
59. “God”
58. “Pug”
57. “Cash Car Star”
56. “Dross”
55. “Hummer”
54. “X.Y.U.”
53. “Real Love”
52. “Cupid De Locke”
51. “Untitled”
50. “Tales of a Scorched Earth”
49. “Obscured”
48. “Pissant”
47. “The End is the Beginning is the End”
46. “Behold! The Night Mare”
45. “Snail”
44. “I Am One”
43. “Bullet with Butterfly Wings”
42. “Jellybelly”
41. “Rocket”
40. “Quiet”
39. “Starla”
38. “Spaceboy”
37. “Love”
36. “Stand Inside Your Love”
35. “Siva”
34. “The Everlasting Gaze”
33. “Landslide”
32. “An Ode to No Ode”
31. “Once Upon a Time”
30. “Silverfuck”
29. “In the Arms of Sleep”
28. “Thirty-Three”
27. “Eye”
26. “Geek U.S.A.”
25. “Where Boys Fear to Tread”
24. “Tear”
23. “Sweet Sweet”
22. “To Sheila”
21. “Blank Page”
20. “Bodies”
19. “Ava Adore”
18. “Cherub Rock”
17. “Here Is No Why”
16. “To Forgive”
15. “Zero”
14. “Porcelina of the Vast Oceans”
13. “Daphne Descends”
12. “Today”
11. “Whir”*
10. “Tonight, Tonight”
9. “Rhinoceros”
8. “For Martha”
7. “Muzzle”
6. “Thru the Eyes of Ruby”
5. “Mayonaise”
4. “Galapagos”
3. “Soma”
2. “Disarm”
1. “1979”

* Update: “Drown,” mistakenly (and wrongly!) omitted from this list, should appear here.

Related: Pearl Jam Songs, 1991–1996, In Order

Rick Paulas was 15 years old when Mellon Collie came out and, thusly, spent a good portion of his life believing it was the greatest album of all time.