Each Thursday (or Friday, since some weeks we seem to be running behind on everything), Needcoffee.com's staff of whackos will wrack our brains to give you interesting and new things to do over the weekend. Books, movies, whatever. We'll throw them out, you do with them what you will. And hey...if you have something you want to recommend--whatever it is--drop us a line.

Incidentally, we've provided links where we can for you to buy the stuff or find out more if you're interested, courtesy of those Amazon types. Hey, come on, we can't be totally selfless in this, can we?

October 3, 2002

Book of the Week: Salt: A World History by Mark Kurlansky. Who'd a thunk that a book about the history of salt would be so friggin' interesting? I know I was shocked and deeply surprised to really dig this. Before 100 years ago, when modern geology revealed just how abundant it is, salt was one of the most precious commodities in the world (it's also the only rock that we eat). A good deal of history was predicated on salt--who mined it, who controlled it, who wanted it, and so on. It has started and financed wars (proving important in both the American Revolution and American Civil War). Heck--Gandhi's salt march in 1930 began the overthrow of British rule in India. All in all, this is a fascinating look at the economic, sociological, and historical impact of something we take completely for granted.

Graphic Novel of the Week: Lone Wolf & Cub by Kazuo Koike & Goseki Kojima. Long considered a classic among graphic novels, Dark Horse has been putting out these things in little fit-in-your-hand books. Granted, it seems like there's umpteen-gazillion of the bloody little things, but you get some great moments for your buck. Itto, the lead characters, has the ultimate way to proclaim your testicular fortitude to the world: assassinate your target by bisecting him in the middle of the road surrounded by people. Yup. Great moments. Cool covers by Miller and Sienkiewicz, too.

Comic Book of the Week: The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen, Vol. 2, #3 by Alan Moore & Kevin O'Neill. Ah, the badass series continues. It's The League vs. the invaders from H.G. Wells' War of the Worlds--and it's bound to get ugly. Well, uglier. The invaders keep coming down and there's a turncoat among them. With more literary references than you can shake a stick at--there's no reason in God's green hell that this isn't on the required reading lists for high schools everywhere.

DVD of the Week: Fast, Cheap and Out of Control. It's finally here. This was a previous VHS pick of the week just because it hadn't made its way to the digital format. Now that's fixed. Granted, it'd be nice if it had some bonus stuff apart from trailers--but the film is just so astounding it's good enough to recommend even in bare bones form. Errol Morris never dissatisfies with his stuff, but this is truly one of the best documentaries I've ever laid eyes upon. Must own.

CD of the Week: Gentlemen by Afghan Whigs. A very revealing, raw and honest look at men and the women who pretend to love them. It would have been easy for this to become an incredible rant against relationships and how screwed up they can be, but instead it's a bizarre meditation on the subject--and nobody leaves the table innocent. The cover art is also one of the most damnably true images I've ever seen. Save it for when you need to scream out lyrics in your car at the top of your lungs.

Beverage of the Week: Santa Cruz Organic Raspberry Lemonade This stuff has gotten me through the summer. Just the right blend of sweet and tangy with a kick of raspberry to boot. It’s very pink and happy and has all natural organic ingredients, which makes it that much better for you.

Inexplicable Obscure Interjection to Spout During Meetings at Your Job...of the Week: "Demon dogs!" Do I really need to explain this one?