Who Wants Chips?

Rich=Smart?

It doesn't cultivate taste, that's a moral certainty. And winning big money doesn't quell the compulsion to hoard or impulse shop either. And I'm not going to assume what situation or circumstance place this winner in such a position. There are at least a dozen that I can think of nearly a top ten list right off the top of my head. Over spent and ran out of cash. That would be the one I think most people would think of first. I've heard such stories before. Medical bills. Bad investments. Taxes. Debts from gambling. They died. Legal judgment. Including lawsuits, criminal restitution, divorce. And any variation of the above. I guess the take-away is that if you win big money your life changes forever.

What the...

fuck. No. Seriously. What. The. Fuck. I would not, and have not for many years, wrap dead rotten fish entrails or allow my carrion feeding black vulture to shat upon the N. Y. fucking Post.

UPDATE; Thursday night this typical half-ass apology appears. Why is it alway easier to apologize when the same amount of brain power would've avoided the entire offending situation in the first place?

Thanks but No Thanks?

So, now that the rubber has met the road to recovery. Will all the Republicans who have so vocally and steadfastly made their views against the Stimulus made exceptionally clear to anyone and everyone within hear shot take the money? One would think with the earnestness that the Republicans have put behind their opposition they would surely have to politely decline any funds based on their dearly held conservative principals. Then, of course, there would be more to go to the members of Congress who aren't adverse to taking the funds.

No Such Thing As.............................

OK, now this guy, Yiga Azrouel works, asshole deep, in the fashion industry. So he knows the value of hype and how to generate any kind of buzz (or act out as it's phrased in pre-school) he wants. Although, and I'm not casting any aspersions here, he should be one of the last to have any objections to having Ashely Dupre at his show. Hype, buzz, trend, are the air, food and water to fashion. Plus if she is seen waring any of his designs, particularly as she is "rehabilitating" her image, it would only be a good thing. As far as I'm concerned, the mere fact she is looked upon unfavorably by any one is silly, puritanical, and even hypocritical. But I won't get started on the sex negativeness of the USA- not here anyway.

Tick-Tock

Ticking, ticking, ticking like one of those clocks on a big, bad bomb (ever wonder why Hollywood mad-bombers go to all the effort to put countdown clocks on their bombs? Who are they're for? Nobody's supposed to see the bomb let alone know how long before to goes off). But this is not Hollywood. This is real life. Very real life. And this bomb is metaphorical to be sure but the American car builder General Motors will implode no more completely than if it was a literal one. Reuters is reporting on a Wall Street Journal article in the Saturday edition that, in lieu of a viable restructuring plan presented to the U.S. Government in exchange for 17.4 billion dollars in federal loans, a filing for Chapter 11 bankruptcy is a real option. The deadline; 17 February 2009 Tuesday

Our president has been saying for a long time already that things, financial things, will get worse before the get better. Worse before better is an abstract notion for some if not most. What does worse look like. Well, it kind of looks like this. A brand that's ingrained in our national consciousness. It's a brand that's nearly omnipresent. The pervasiveness of the logo spans the width and breadth of our country. And it's in very real danger of going away. Whether it should be allowed to should be debated. My point is that it's this kind of thing that brings the recession nearing depression into such sharp focus it liable to cut.

Sat down this morning, like in days of yore, gathered with friends and family around the magic box and watched and listened, sometimes bemused, sometimes confused not to the inspirational and comforting voice of a world leader, not to a comic genius providing lighthearted escapism or witty insight. None of that. I watched and listened to a bit of history, a bit of theater, I watched and listened to some of the financial titans of this country of ours answer questions from the people's representatives in the federal government. The banker shucked, the bankers dove. They sat wide-eyed innocent and confidently presented their cases. At lunch the questioning panel had not had the chance to ask any probing questions. Despite the fact that the little fellow behind a studio desk, looking a little like Beaker, thought of the proceedings as a flogging. The floggings I've been a part of have produced much more gratitude from the precipitants that these hearings have so far. Except, maybe, for the people victimized by these modern day robber barons.

Be Afraid

It appears that Old Man Potter is very worried about your well being. He says that the U.S. "needs to be respected". His way of earning respect is through fear and intimidation. And we know how that kind of respect worked out for Gotti, the KGB, and the school yard bully. The second their back is turned towards those professing respect for you, they drive a knife blade in to the bully's liver. It takes real courage to live in a free and open society. Potter 2G doesn't want the kind of country that he has sent the best and the brightest to die to protect. As citizens we must demonstrate daily that we've the stones it takes to live our lives in a place that may leave itself vulnerable. The Oath of Office is a vow to protect and defend the Constitution. It reads in full; "I do solemnly swear (or affirm) that I will faithfully execute the office of President of the United States, and will to the best of my ability, preserve, protect and defend the Constitution of the United States." A subtle and precise turn of phrase. The Constitution was composed to provide for the citizenry. The President swears to protect the Constitution. Rights, protections, laws, etc. Doing that faithfully will cover our asses against all threats. Even from our own government. That's what galled, and still does, the former administration.

There Will be Nashing

The news industries are an insatiable beast. Raving mad from bottomless hunger. Is Micheal Phelps smoking a little doobie news? There are certainly other, more weighty, issues that require and deserve our attention. The seeming fact that a freshly minted red, white and blue millionaire/elite athlete smokes pot has left many with quite a dilemma. Not the least of which is Micheal Phelps. Whose private toke gone public will undoubtedly cost him literally millions of dollars. Micheal Phelps of a single family home. Micheal Phelps of laser like determination. Micheal Phelps of the 6,000 daily calorie diet. Well, there's one question answered. There will be nashing of teeth. There will be PSA's. Rehab? How about we blame the girlfriend? A visit with Dr. Fraud could already be on the schedule. To his credit he has taken the situation head on saying in a statement, "I'm 23 years old, and despite the successes I have had in the pool, I acted in a youthful and inappropriate way, not in a manner that people have come to expect from me," Phelps said. "For this, I am sorry. I promise my fans and the public -- it will not happen again." With the beast needing a feeding bigger than most on Mondays Mr. Phelps impossible mission should dominate through the lunch hour, find it's place in the world by the end of the day and by Wednesday will fade.

al Qaeda Goes Sandbox

al Qaeda Number 2, Ayman al-Zawahiri, is more than just a little stymied over what to do with a popular U.S. President. Insults and name calling are about the beast he's been able to do. Along with his boss he is finding out, slowly coming to the realization, that their ideology is deeply and seriously flawed. It has faltered. It has sputtered. Most of the most dedicated have died. There's not a lot of reenlistment, you see, among suicide bombers. As noted in the Washington Post, President Obama has called for the end of the war, he intends on closing Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, and is welled like across the globe. This has left the sands of change shifting under the very feet of al Qaeda and others. Time and circumstance will tell if the war on terror will become a war of attrition and die under its own weight.

Grassley to Probe Porn

Sen. Chuck Grassley, the ranking member of the Senate Finance Committee has launched an extensive probe into the amount of time and resources spent by workers at the National Science Foundation indulging in online adult entertainment. According to a 68-page semiannual internal report the NFS initiated seven investigations and had "numerous reports" of the use of NFS IT in the never ending search of quality wank material. Sen. Grassley wants all pertinent documents. Why he can't get his own porn is another question. It's not surprising, naturally, that an exorbitant amount of time is being spent on porn. Mix human nature with the appeal of "forbidden fruit" add a dash of intolerance at home, throw in some cases of thrill seeking and or a lack of impulse control for flavor and what you get is a big old fashion Senate investigation stew. Although when that time spent allegedly translates into hard cash- $58,000 worth in a one case of a single senior official then some corrective measures need to be taken. Not that those good folks should stop buying. Just, you know, do it on your own time. Cam girls need to keep working too.

Sen. Grassley is also on another important mission. Investigating the snake oil salesmen, the frauds, that call themselves prosperity ministers and the sideshows they don't pay taxes on.

Rational Paranoia

There has been some doubt cast on the idea that the hard cores, the worse of the worst, the fanatics, radicals, and jihadist are, well maybe, not so much. Sure a few have gone back to the club. That's to be expected, right? I mean, they're pissed. Gitmo is a lot of things. A rehab has never been listed as one of them. Again numbers in the hands any old hold outs from the Bush years are as fluid as the ocean and as mailable as putty. And as is pointed out the rate of recidivism here in the U.S. for prisoners who have been released is more than 65 percent. As I travel the Interstate to and from Atlanta or Washington or Philadelphia, especially through rural tracts, I'm not nearly as worried that the tanker truck next to me is being driven by a bombing mad fanatic. I concern myself listening for any funny engine knocks or feel for a tire going flat and being stranded. I remind myself that flashing red's and blue's in my rearview may not be as they appear. I think more about how uncomfortable it could be living close to the interstate so far out in the countryside. I mean I don't sweat blood or lose any sleep over this but you have to admit the interstates are prime real estate for serial killers, escaped prisoners, drug smugglers, kidnappers, et al. Any of whom may be quite capable of terrifying, or worse, anybody the feel the need to. So with the politics of and rule by fear being deflated to a reasonable level maybe we can become once again a nation of rational paranoia.

Extreme Reaction to Extreme Porn

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Just Because It's Cool

Space Shuttle cockpit. You know the little room at the front.

Veggie Love Banned

but boner medicine still gets wagged in our faces. The good meaning folks at PETA have taken us to a place unlike any magic garden I've ever be in. It's a place where a woman's love of things natural reaches heretofore heights of Ecstasy not seen outside of porn valley. Vicky's secret seems to be in large part serviced by the Jolly Green fellow's impressively proportioned serving size. And how she delights in the noble effort to protect the bovines and swine of the world from placement on the menus of carnivores. I don't know how effective this latest push will be (although being rejected from the Super Bowl telecast will help). A lot of folks will gain an appetite for one thing or another. Most likely breasts, thighs and rump will figure prominently.
You be the judge and don't forget to put your napkin in your lap.

'Veggie Love': PETA's Banned Super Bowl Ad

Please, could I have some more?

'Veggie Love': PETA's Banned Super Bowl Ad

Eat up everyone!!!

Pastor Had Another

The face of hypocrisy. Ted Haggard is once again (surprise!!!!) explaining why his mega-church's insurance company paid monies to a 20-year-old male volunteer at The New Life Church in Colorado. "This was compassionate assistance. It was to help him move forward, not a settlement to keep him quiet," the Rev. Brady Boyd, a senior pastor at the church, said Monday. He then states his response to the victim's desire to go public because Haggard was playing the victim in a upcoming HOB documentary was to remind him that going public would be in violation of the agreement he signed with the church.

Haggard's behavior is particularly egregious in like of his protestations against gays.

Now We're Getting Somewhere

It's been fairly common knowledge, rarely admitted too though, that the adult industry has lead the way in technical and business models that more "mainstream" entertainment industries have been overly cautious about. Actually there is few other things in the US of A more mainstream than adult entertainment. One of the reasons any cutting edge industry is such is an awareness and willingness to return to the future. Submitted for your consideration; 3D porn.

Pop Quiz; Fair and Unhinged is More Like It

OK, pop quiz. How funny is this?

The Daily Show With Jon StewartM - Th 11p / 10c

Fox News Fear Imbalance

Barack Obama Interview
John McCain Interview

Sarah Palin Video
Funny Election Video

Duck and Uncover

Nothing brings new meaning to full contact stripping like an errant boot to the face. I've known more than a few who would gladly pay to have a well used boot smack them in the face. They would have to beg me and not be innocently standing by. While not as nearly absurd as the missing pants lawsuit and given that strip clubs are not really a "you-buy-your-tickets-you-take your-chances" kind of places one doesn't expect to get clipped in the face either. At least not with a flying boot. So let's all hope that there can be an equitable settlement so we don't wind up having to sign liability release forms every time want see the lovely ladies of dance.

Painful? I Think So

Penile Fracture. Who knew? I mean I guess it's not something that comes up in general conversation. Well, in most people's general conversations. I've never had one break on me and God knows I've been less than gentle with the boys on occasion. And, why, I've been told of erections so rigid they were suitable for driving nails. If, that is, you can believe the man on the other end of said erection. I'm going to keep a 4x4 and some nails handy from now on. Put up or shut up, men.

Testy? I Think Not

A little peek behind the curtain. The press and the President spend many, many long pressured filled hours together. The relationship is adversarial by nature, professional by necessity. The press on one side of the podium needing as much information as they can get to feed the 24/7 beast that is the news industry and the White House on the other, hopefully this time around, trying to keep us as well informed about the doings of our government as is reasonable. Knowing when to press and when to back off can go a long, long way. Here we see Johnathan Martin of the Politico ziging when he should have zagged by pressing the new President about policy during a situation that was little different than a social call. President Obama's handling of the questioning has been described as "testy". I think not. More like a firm and plain explanation that he was not there to answer questions. Perhaps the compulsion to pounce is a left over knee-jerk reaction the Bush administration when even when reporters got answers to their questions the answers weren't always the truth.


The gist @ 3:30

The Symbolism is Spot On

Update; Another voice focusing on the RNC


While I can't claim any knowledge of Sarah Palin other than what is generally available I can attest to the fact that she was, in retrospect, conspicuous by her absence. By that I mean when I lived in Anchorage, Alaska, she was just another small town mayor. Wasilla is a small place with typical small town issues and intrigues. Personally the only real use for the place was to pick up the (up-priced) goods I forgot to get in Anchorage for my trips to the Interior of the state. I had some very good friends in the local media (production people) and even they had non-opinions of her with the usual exception that she was the hottie mayor. Really, even by 2012, if she's not completely irrelevant, she will be known for her whining and spinning and as always the woman with rather expensive tastes in clothing. And now we are hearing* that the RNC is storing those expensive togs in trash bags. The symbolism is spot on.

* "a source close to... and "a spokesman" are not two of my favorite things. They do, however, sometimes provoke a reaction that is more complete

That's right. It is what it is. And guess what? The world hasn't spun off its axis. We're not spinning to a fiery doom into the sun. A lesson in perspective.
Russian skater Ekaterina Rubleva was the model of composure when the effect of centrifugal force took it's undeniable course during the European championships in Helsinki, Finland, 21 January 2009. Her and skating partner Ivan Shefer didn't miss a beat. They finished 12th.

A Journey of a Thousand Miles

Of the myriad of corrections the Obama administration must make the one lifting the ban of U.S. funding for international family-planning groups providing abortions or even counseling and information relating to abortions. The so called "global gag rule" has been batted back and forth in to and out of effect since 1984 when the policy was instituted by Ronald Regan. Again those on the ground, the people on the front lines fighting against ignorance, crushing poverty, abuse, those trying to dignify and educate human beings and help lift others to a better life will now be, in some small way, better able to do what people do best.

Isn't there something fundamentally wrong when CEO's engage in nothing shy of abhorrent behavior? A greed and selfishness, a total lack of ethics of this measure of depth and breadth demands some manner of recompense. granted the bright burning light of security is a good start. These personalities, though, capable of this kind of indulgence are tone deaf to the din of public scorn. They must be dealt with in a way that they understand on a visceral level.

The Days Called One & Two

Executive orders are being signed before my very eyes. Close Gitmo, no more torture, and the formation of a task force to review detention policies and review individual cases. These are vital, far reaching orders that will begin us down a path that will lead to a return to our prominence in the world as a moral beacon. Now, the chicken hawks and the sky is falling babies will cry the we will now suffer a horrendous attack. The al Qaeda navy will now storm our beaches and their air force will drop bombs and troops on our very heads and we will have to fight them here instead of there. As we gain our rightful reputation back the world will work with us against those who are against a peaceful world.