Tuesday, June 30, 2009

Update From The Hypocrisy Front

So. Car. Gov. Sanford sez he:
"crossed lines" with a handful of women other than his mistress — but never had sex with them. The governor says he "never crossed the ultimate line" with anyone but Maria Belen Chapur, the Argentine at the center of a scandal that has derailed Sanford's once-promising political career. During an emotional interview at his Statehouse office with The Associated Press on Tuesday, Sanford said Chapur is his soul mate but he's trying to fall back in love with his wife. He says that during the other encounters he "let his guard down" with some physical contact but "didn't cross the sex line." He wouldn't go into detail. Sanford said the casual encounters happened outside the U.S. while he was married but before he met Chapur.
So, what's the definition of "is," again? And is the Gov. seeking geographical dispensation? Do his marriage vows only apply w/in So. Carolina &/or the United Snakes?

Worth A Thousand Words (If Not More, Considering Inflation)

America's Sweetheart, & some sour-faced witch.From the Vanity Fair article by Todd S. Purdom that's available today. The article, sadly, skips any information on Palin's wacky religious beliefs, the witch doctor who blessed her, & so on.

Like Flies

Fred Travalena, the poor man's Rich Little, passed, bringing the last wk.'s toll of dead entertainment figures to six.
Los Angeles, CA -- Impressionist Fred Travalena, a headliner in Vegas showrooms and a regular on late-night talk shows with his takes on presidents, crooners and screen stars, has died in Los Angeles. He was 66. Travalena was known for the sheer volume of celebrities he imitated, leading to the nicknames "The Man of a Thousand Voices" and "Mr. Everybody." His act included presidents from Kennedy to Obama, musicians from Frank Sinatra to Bruce Springsteen and actors from Marlon Brando to Tom Cruise. The Bronx native started his career in Las Vegas in 1971.
Get used to it. First it'll be more of those who were the cultural icons of the early post-war generation, then the actual boomers who made it into show biz. (W/ occasional exceptions in the order, due to contributing life-style factors.) And that being a significant bulge in the demographic constrictor, combined w/ the fifteen minutes of fame & a talk show half the population seems to have been granted in the new media universe, is a good indication that obituary writer may be one of the few gigs beside bed-pan emptying that will guarantee a sure income for the predictable future.

30 June: Halfway Through Another Yr. Of Hell

By The Associated Press. Today is Tuesday, June 30, the 181st day of 2009. There are 184 days left in the year. AP. A/V. UPI Almanac. Today's Highlight in History: One hundred fifty years ago, in 1859, French acrobat Charles Blondin (born Jean Francois Gravelet) walked back and forth on a tightrope above the gorge of Niagara Falls as thousands of spectators watched. On this date: In 1906, President Theodore Roosevelt signed the Pure Food and Drug Act and the Meat Inspection Act. [Pardon us, may we inspect your meat? — Ed.] In 1908, the Tunguska Event took place in Russia as an asteroid exploded above Siberia, leaving 800 square miles of scorched or blown-down trees. In 1921, President Warren G. Harding nominated former President William Howard Taft to be chief justice of the United States, succeeding the late Edward Douglass White. In 1934, Adolf Hitler carried out his "blood purge" of political and military rivals in Germany in what came to be known as "The Night of the Long Knives." In 1936, the novel "Gone with the Wind" by Margaret Mitchell was published in New York. In 1950, U.S. troops were moved from Japan to help defend South Korea against the invading North Koreans. In 1958, the U.S. Senate passed the Alaska statehood bill by a vote of 64-20. [Were those 20 who were opposed anticipating Sarah Palin? — Ed.] In 1963, Pope Paul VI was crowned the 262nd head of the Roman Catholic Church.In 1971, a Soviet space mission ended in tragedy when three cosmonauts aboard Soyuz 11 were found dead inside their spacecraft after it had returned to Earth. In 1984, John Turner was sworn in as Canada's 17th prime minister, succeeding Pierre Elliott Trudeau. In 1985, 39 American hostages from a hijacked TWA jetliner were freed in Beirut after being held 17 days. In 1986, the Supreme Court ruled 5-4 that states could outlaw homosexual acts between consenting adults. Hugh Hefner, calling his Playboy Bunny a "symbol of the past," closed Playboy Clubs in Chicago, New York and Los Angeles. Fifteen years ago, in 1994, the U.S. Figure Skating Association stripped Tonya Harding of the national championship and banned her from the organization for life for an attack on rival Nancy Kerrigan. Ten years ago: The Federal Reserve raised interest rates for the first time in two years, boosting the target for the funds rate a quarter-point to five percent. On the day the independent counsel law expired, Kenneth Starr wrapped up the Whitewater phase of his investigation as presidential friend Webster Hubbell pleaded guilty to a felony and a misdemeanor. Five years ago: A federal appeals court approved an antitrust settlement Microsoft had negotiated with the Justice Department. The Iraqis took legal custody of Saddam Hussein and 11 of his top lieutenants, a first step toward the ousted dictator's expected trial for crimes against humanity. After nearly seven years of travel, the international Cassini spacecraft entered Saturn's orbit. One year ago: President George W. Bush signed legislation to pay for the war operations in Iraq and Afghanistan for the rest of his presidency and beyond, hailing the $162 billion plan as a rare product of bipartisan cooperation. The United States announced that it was charging Saudi Arabian Abd al-Rahim al-Nashiri with "organizing and directing" the 2000 bombing of the USS Cole in waters off Yemen — and would seek the death penalty. Today's Birthdays: Singer Lena Horne is 92. Actor Tony Musante is 73. Actress Nancy Dussault is 73. Singer Glenn Shorrock is 65. Jazz musician Stanley Clarke is 58. Actor David Garrison is 57. Rock musician Hal Lindes (Dire Straits) is 56. Actor-comedian David Alan Grier is 53. Actor Vincent D'Onofrio is 50. Boxer Mike Tyson is 43. Rhythm-and-blues singer Fantasia ("American Idol") is 25. Olympic gold medal swimmer Michael Phelps is 24. Today In Entertainment History -- In 1923, jazz pioneer Sidney Bechet made his first recording. It included "Wild Cat Blues" and "Kansas City Blues." In 1952, the radio program "Guiding Light" made its debut as a television soap opera on CBS. In 1975, singer Cher and rock star Gregg Allman were married. The marriage lasted 10 days. In 1976, police raided singer Neil Diamond's house. They didn't find enough marijuana for an arrest, but Diamond did give them copies of his new album, "Beautiful Noise." In 1977, Marvel Comics released a comic book based on the members of the rock band Kiss. The band members contributed some of their blood to the ink used in the books. In 1978, Sid Vicious of the Sex Pistols released his version of "My Way." In 1981, Jerry Lee Lewis was hospitalized in Memphis because of a stomach ulcer. After two operations, doctors gave him less than a 50-50 chance of recovering. Within a few months, he was back on his feet. [You can't kill "The Killer." — Ed.] In 1985, Yul Brynner performed for the last time as the King of Siam in "The King and I." He had done the show off and on for 34 years and more than 4,500 performances. In 1992, actor Tom Hanks got a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. He showed up at the ceremony with some of his co-stars from the movie "A League Of Their Own." Fifteen years ago, in 1994, Stone Gossard and Jeff Ament of Pearl Jam testified before a congressional hearing concerning rising concert ticket prices. In 1995, country singer Garth Brooks was awarded a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. In 2000, eight people were trampled and crushed to death and 43 injured at the Roskilde festival in Denmark. The crowd had surged toward the main stage where Pearl Jam was playing. In 2001, country musician Chet Atkins died at age 77. Thought for Today: "Those who love deeply never grow old; they may die of old age, but they die young." — Sir Arthur Wing Pinero, English dramatist (1855-1934). [We got your "love" right here, Sir Arthur. — Ed.]

Monday, June 29, 2009

Death To AmeriKKKa!

We can't wait for our fondest AmeriKKKa-hating dream to come true.
In an interview this week with al Jazirah, Mustafa abu al Yazid, a longtime Egyptian al Qaeda operative who identifies himself as the supervisor general of al Qaeda in Afghanistan, predicts that the jihadists and their allies in the Afghan and Pakistani Taliban will take over both countries. When they do Yazid says they will then use Pakistan’s nuclear arsenal “against the Americans.”
Bring it on, baby!!
Only this year have we understood that Afghanistan and Pakistan are one theater of war, a fact bin Laden has understood since the 1980s ...
We hope President Obama (who, oddly enough, has been in office "only this year") will be able to use the intelligence & common sense his predecessor lacked to keep the crazed "Af-Pak" versions of AmeriKKKa's religious right from FedExing an Islamic nuke to a phony address in or near downtown Los Angeles.

Contrarianism

Our constant whatever-it-is-we're-against-it attitude has led us to decide we should only type on wknds.

29 June: Celebrity Death Throughout The Years

By The Associated Press Today is Monday, June 29, the 180th day of 2009. There are 185 days left in the year. AP. A/V. UPI Almanac. Today's Highlight in History: On June 29, 1776, the Virginia state constitution was adopted, and Patrick Henry was made governor. On this date: In 1767, the British Parliament approved the Townshend Acts, which imposed import duties on certain goods shipped to America. (Colonists bitterly protested, prompting Parliament in 1770 to repeal the duties on all goods, except tea.) In 1946, authorities in British-ruled Palestine arrested more than 2,700 Jews in an attempt to stamp out extremists. In 1951, Joseph Ratzinger, the future Pope Benedict XVI, was ordained as a priest. In 1954, the Atomic Energy Commission voted against reinstating Dr. J. Robert Oppenheimer's access to classified information. In 1959, the U.S. Supreme Court unanimously struck down a New York State obscenity ban on exhibiting a French movie version of the D.H. Lawrence novel "Lady Chatterley's Lover." In 1966, the United States bombed fuel storage facilities near the North Vietnamese cities of Hanoi and Haiphong. In 1967, Jerusalem was reunified as Israel removed barricades separating the Old City from the Israeli sector.
In 1970, the United States ended a two-month military offensive into Cambodia. In 1972, the Supreme Court ruled the death penalty as it was being meted out could constitute "cruel and unusual punishment." (The ruling prompted states to revise their capital punishment laws.) In 1988, the Supreme Court upheld the independent counsel law. Ten years ago: Urging the biggest expansion in Medicare's history, President Bill Clinton proposed that the government help older Americans pay for prescription drugs. Some 10,000 demonstrators rallied in central Serbia, demanding the resignation of President Slobodan Milosevic. Abdullah Ocalan, leader of Turkey's rebel Kurds, was convicted of treason and sentenced to death. (The sentence was later commuted to life in prison.) Five years ago: A United Nations helicopter crashed in Sierra Leone, killing all 24 peacekeepers, aid workers and others on board. The Supreme Court blocked a law meant to shield Web-surfing children from online pornography. Randy Johnson of the Arizona Diamondbacks became the fourth pitcher to record 4,000 career strikeouts. (However, his team lost to the San Diego Padres, 3-2). One year ago: Zimbabwe's longtime ruler Robert Mugabe was sworn in as president for a sixth term after a widely discredited runoff in which he was the only candidate. Two weeks away from her 20th birthday, Inbee Park became the youngest winner of the U.S. Women's Open by closing with a 2-under 71 at Interlachen in Edina, Minn. Spain won the European Championship 1-0 over Germany for its first major title in 44 years. Today's Birthdays: Movie producer Robert Evans is 79. Songwriter L. Russell Brown is 69. Actor Gary Busey is 65. Comedian Richard Lewis is 62. Actor-turned-politician-turned-radio personality Fred Grandy is 61. Rock musician Ian Paice (Deep Purple) is 61. Singer Don Dokken is 56. Rock singer Colin Hay (Men At Work) is 56. Actress-singer Maria Conchita Alonso is 52.Actress Sharon Lawrence is 48. Actress Amanda Donohoe is 47. Rhythm-and-blues singer Stedman Pearson (Five Star) is 45. Actress Kathleen Wilhoite is 45. Musician Dale Baker is 43. Actress Melora Hardin is 42. Rap DJ Shadow is 37. Country musician Todd Sansom (Marshall Dyllon) is 31. Singer Nicole Scherzinger is 31. Today In Entertainment History -- In 1956, "Rock Around the Clock" by Bill Haley and the Comets hit number one on the singles chart. Actress Marilyn Monroe married playwright Arthur Miller in Kentucky. In 1963, Del Shannon hit the charts with "From Me To You," the first Beatles cover tune on the American charts. In 1967, actress Jayne Mansfield died at the age of 34.Forty years ago, in 1969, Motown singer Shorty Long drowned in a boating accident. He had scored a hit with the novelty song "Here Comes The Judge." And Jimi Hendrix performed for the last time with the Experience in Denver. In 1973, vocalist Ian Gillan and bassist Roger Glover played their last concert with Deep Purple, at a show in Japan. Both cited exhaustion for their departure from the band. They have since reunited with Deep Purple. Thirty years ago, in 1979, former Little Feat member Lowell George was found dead at an Arlington, Va., motel. He died of a heart attack brought on by drug use. Twenty-five years ago, in 1984, Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band launched the Born in the USA tour in St. Paul. In 1985, Mick Jagger and David Bowie recorded a version of "Dancing In The Streets" in London. In 1994, Barbra Streisand set a record for the largest-grossing concert stand. A series of her shows at Madison Square Garden in New York brought in $16 million dollars. In 1995, actress Lana Turner died of cancer at her home in Los Angeles. She was 75.
In 2002, singer-actress Rosemary Clooney died in Beverly Hills at the age of 74. In 2003, actress Katharine Hepburn died of natural causes in Old Saybrook, Conn. She was 96. In 2008, saxophonist LeRoi Moore of the Dave Matthews Band was seriously injured in an ATV accident at his farm outside Charlottesville, Va. He died of complications from those injuries. Thought for Today: "These are times in which a Genius would wish to live. It is not in the still calm of life, or the repose of a pacific station, that great characters are formed.... Great necessities call out great virtues." — Abigail Adams, American first lady (1744-1818). [We got your "virtue" right here, lady. — Ed.]

Sunday, June 28, 2009

Glad To Have Made It Past 50

Billy Mays Dead At 50

W/ Ed McMahon gone, is the Sham-Wow guy next?

Do You Mind?

From Slate's daily wrap-up of what the nation's wrapping its fish in:
For what it's worth, 62 percent of Americans think Sonia Sotomayor should be confirmed to the Supreme Court, according to a Washington Post/ABC News poll. The poll also asked Americans other things, like what they thought of the fact that she is female and Hispanic; most people don't mind, though there's a deep split between Republican and Democratic approval.
"Most people don't mind?" "I don't mind, really, but it would be better if she weren't 'female.'" "Sure, I'd rather have a table by the window, but I don't mind this one."
No such attitude in the WaPoll item. We can only assume that Lydia DePillis (a writer living in New York) has fully internalized the "white male as standard mode for everything but childbearing" line that many white male Republican politicians have been spouting forever, & recently in reference to Judge Sotomayor's nomination.
Liberal media bias? At least Lydia DePillis (Is that name really American, by the way? We don't mind, if you know what we mean, but if she weren't female, wouldn't it really be better?) stands bravely athwart progress, screaming.

On Your Feet Or Take A Nap!

From 33 yrs. & degrees of Masonry ago, a visually fuzzy, aurally tinny recording of the Blue Öyster Cult, more or less at the top of their live performance game.We're also impressed w/ the editing/shooting of 30+ yrs. ago. Straight, linear, E-Z 2 Follow, & whatnot. During the guitar solo they stuck w/ Buck & his crawly little fingers in a close-up. Goddamn Philistines! Had they no aesthetic vision/obsessions/compulsions of their own to impose?

Get Up In The Morning/Slaving For Bread Yeah

Up before noon today (turned telebision set on at 1159). Tee vee was tuned to an exhibition of a bunch of rednecks driving in a circle. Must have dropped at least ten points from our IQ.

28 June: Vickie Crowned, Ferd & Sophie Offed

By The Associated Press Today is Sunday, June 28, the 179th day of 2009. There are 186 days left in the year. From another AP. A/V. UPI Almanac. Today's Highlights in History: On June 28, 1919, the Treaty of Versailles was signed in France, ending World War I. In Independence, Mo., future president Harry S. Truman married Elizabeth Virginia Wallace. On this date: In 1491, England's King Henry VIII was born at Greenwich. In 1778, the Revolutionary War Battle of Monmouth took place in New Jersey; it was from this battle that the legend of "Molly Pitcher" arose. In 1836, the fourth president of the United States, James Madison, died in Montpelier, Va. In 1838, Britain's Queen Victoria was crowned in Westminster Abbey. In 1894, Labor Day was established as a holiday for federal employees on the first Monday of September. Ninety-five years ago, in 1914, Archduke Franz Ferdinand of Austria and his wife, Sophie, were assassinated in Sarajevo by a Serb nationalist — the event which sparked World War I.In 1928, New York Gov. Alfred E. Smith was nominated for president at the Democratic national convention in Houston. Seventy-five years ago, in 1934, President Franklin D. Roosevelt signed into law the National Housing Act, which established the Federal Housing Administration. Seventy years ago, in 1939, Pan American Airways began regular trans-Atlantic air service with a flight that departed New York for Marseilles, France. In 1950, North Korean forces captured Seoul, the capital of South Korea. In 1971, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that the use of public funds for parochial schools was unconstitutional. In 1978, the Supreme Court ordered the University of California-Davis Medical School to admit Allan Bakke, a white man who argued he'd been a victim of reverse racial discrimination. In 1997, Mike Tyson was disqualified for biting Evander Holyfield's ear during their WBA heavyweight title fight in Las Vegas. Ten years ago: Announcing even bigger projected budget surpluses, President Bill Clinton said the government could drastically reduce the national debt while still buttressing Social Security and Medicare. Five years ago: The U.S.-led coalition transferred sovereignty to the interim Iraqi government two days ahead of schedule. The Supreme Court ruled that the war on terrorism did not give the government a "blank check" to hold a U.S. citizen and foreign-born terror suspects in legal limbo. The United States resumed direct diplomatic ties with Libya after a 24-year break. One year ago: Presidential rivals John McCain and Barack Obama vied for the support of Hispanics in separate appearances before the National Association of Latino Elected and Appointed Officials conference in Washington, with each vowing to remake immigration policy. Jered Weaver and Jose Arredondo combined to no-hit the Los Angeles Dodgers, but the Dodgers won 1-0. (The Dodgers became the fifth team in modern major league history to win a game in which they didn't get a hit.) Today's Birthdays: Blues singer-musician David "Honeyboy" Edwards is 94. Comedian-movie director Mel Brooks is 83. Senate Armed Services Chairman Carl Levin (D-Mich.) is 75. Comedian-impressionist John Byner is 72. CIA Director Leon Panetta is 71. Rock musician Dave Knights (Procul Harum) is 64. Actor Bruce Davison is 63. Actress Kathy Bates is 61. Actress Alice Krige is 55. Football Hall of Famer John Elway is 49. Record company chief executive Tony Mercedes is 47. Actress Jessica Hecht is 44. Rock musician Saul Davies (James) is 44. Actress Mary Stuart Masterson is 43. Actor John Cusack is 43. Actor Gil Bellows is 42. Actress-singer Danielle Brisebois is 40. Jazz musician Jimmy Sommers is 40. Actress Tichina Arnold is 38. Actor Alessandro Nivola is 37. Actress Camille Guaty is 33. Rock musician Tim Nordwind (OK Go) is 33. Rock musician Mark Stoermer (The Killers) is 32. Country singer Kellie Pickler is 23. Today In Entertainment History -- In 1969, Crosby, Stills and Nash released their first album. In 1978, members of the band Kansas became the first rock musicians to be named Deputy Ambassadors of Goodwill by UNICEF during a ceremony at New York's Madison Square Garden. In 1986, Wham! played their farewell concert, for 72,000 fans at London's Wembley Stadium. Twenty years ago, in 1989, actress Amy Irving filed for divorce from director Steven Spielberg in Los Angeles. In 1990, Joan Rivers won her first Daytime Emmy Award as a talk show host. In 1991, Paul McCartney made his debut as a classical composer when his "Liverpool Oratorio" was performed in Liverpool. In 1992, the first National Music Day was celebrated in England. The day was the brainchild of Mick Jagger, and included hundreds of events nationwide. In 1994, the Rolling Stones' "Voodoo Lounge" album made its debut at Houston's Astrodome following an Astros-Reds game. In 2006, Barbara Walters banned Star Jones from the set of "The View" after Jones made a surprise announcement the day before that she was leaving the show in July. Charles Gibson appeared for the last time on "Good Morning America." Thought for Today: "Heresy is what the minority believe; it is the name given by the powerful to the doctrines of the weak." — Robert G. Ingersoll, American lawyer and statesman (1833-1899).

Saturday, June 27, 2009

Hope You Weren't Holding Your Breath

In a fit of stupidity yesterday, we made an idle promise to find short-fingered vulgarian (A big tip of the Bouffant chapeau to whoever coined that one.) Donald Trump extolling his friendship w/ Michael Jackson, & Keith Olbermann sucking up to Trump. Repugnant.
No, this is the putrid fakir Deepak Chopra. Is this even what we were typing about? Let's look again. Well, the outro here is vomitous. "I've lost a brother." The Trump bit may not have been under the "Countdown" rubric, but Olbermann pressed into service to continue the breathless live coverage MSNBC offered us, post-"Countdown." Maybe we'll snoop around more at MSNBC. Or grow wings & fly away.

Annals Of Right Wing Extremism: "That Seemed Like Prejudice."

It bounced around the news world a bit when the murders took place last month, but sensationalistic though it was, the press sat on it, in their "liberal" way, & the leftish bloggers didn't wallow in it (Naturally, rightbloggers weren't about to mention it, unless forced to react by the left-o-sphere. When it would have been the usual "Oh, no, they're leftists, see?") Then time was taken to investigate the events, facts were assembled, & an article was composed. How much more proof of the intolerable liberal bias of the media is needed?
The three people arrested in the crime include the leader of Minutemen American Defense, a Washington State-based offshoot of the Minutemen movement, in which citizens roam the border looking for people crossing into the country illegally. Former members describe the group’s leader, Shawna Forde, 41, as having anti-immigrant sentiments that are extreme, at times frightening, even to people accustomed to hard-line views on border policing. [...] Mr. Metzger quit the group, alarmed, he said, by a number of things, including Ms. Forde’s demand for extreme loyalty, right down to the choice of cuisine. “I had to take an oath, and part of the oath was that I couldn’t eat Mexican food,” he said. “That’s when red flags went up all over for me. That seemed like prejudice.”
Oy. How can you top that? This crap is literally starting to write itself. (Does this have anything to do w/ the Democrat conspiracy to "change the taste of food?")

27 June: Death Of Mormon Con-Man Scum

Today is Saturday, June 27, the 178th day of 2009. There are 187 days left in the year. AP. A/V. UPI Almanac. Today's Highlight in History: On June 27, 1844, Mormon leader Joseph Smith and his brother, Hyrum, were killed by a mob in Carthage, Ill. [We can only hope they suffered. A lot. Wanna-be slave-holder bastards. — Ed.] On this date: In 1801, British forces captured Cairo and the French began withdrawing from Egypt in one of the Napoleonic Wars. In 1829, English scientist James Smithson leaves a will that eventually funds the establishment of the Smithsonian Institution in Washington, in a country he never visited. [Thanks, Jim. We like the Smithsonian HD Channel. — Ed.] In 1846, New York and Boston were linked by telegraph wires. In 1859, Louisville, Ky., schoolteacher Mildred Hill wrote a tune for her students and called it "Good Morning To You." Her sister, Patty, wrote the lyrics and later added a verse that began "Happy Birthday To You." In 1893, the New York stock market crashed. In 1942, the FBI announced the capture of eight Nazi saboteurs who had been put ashore from a submarine on New York's Long Island. In 1944, during World War II, American forces completed their capture of the French port of Cherbourg from the Germans.In 1950, the U.N. Security Council passed a resolution calling on member nations to help South Korea repel an invasion from the North. In 1957, more than 500 people were killed when Hurricane Audrey slammed through coastal Louisiana and Texas. In 1969, police raided the Stonewall Inn, a gay bar in New York's Greenwich Village; patrons fought back in clashes considered the birth of the gay rights movement. In 1977, the Supreme Court, in Bates v. State Bar of Arizona, struck down state laws and bar association rules that prohibited lawyers from advertising their fees for routine services. The Republic of Djibouti became independent of France. Joseph Ratzinger, the future Pope Benedict XVI, was named a cardinal by Pope Paul VI.Thirty years ago, in 1979, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled private employers could give special preferences to black people to eliminate "manifest racial imbalance" in traditionally white-only jobs. Fifteen years ago, in 1984, the Supreme Court ended the NCAA's monopoly on controlling college football telecasts, ruling such control violated antitrust law. In 1985, Route 66, which originally stretched from Chicago to Santa Monica, Calif., passed into history as officials decertified the road. [Now known in these parts as Santa Monica Blvd., or State Highway 2. We still have our historical markers though. — Ed.] In 1986, the International Court of Justice at The Hague ruled that the United States had broken international law and violated the sovereignty of Nicaragua by aiding the contras. In 1988, 57 people were killed in a train collision in Paris. Ten years ago: George Papadopoulos, the head of Greece's 1967-74 military dictatorship, died of cancer in Athens at age 80. Juli Inkster shot a 6-under 65 to win the LPGA Championship, becoming the second woman to win the modern career Grand Slam (the first was Pat Bradley). The Seattle Mariners beat the Texas Rangers 5-2 in the final game at the Kingdome. Five years ago: NATO leaders gathered in Turkey closed ranks on a pledge to take a bigger military role in Iraq; President George W. Bush declared that the alliance was poised to "meet the threats of the 21st century." Insurgents threatened to behead Cpl. Wassef Ali Hassoun, a U.S. Marine who'd vanished in Iraq, in a videotape that aired on Arab television. (However, Hassoun contacted American officials in his native Lebanon the following month; after being reunited with his family in Utah, Hassoun disappeared in December 2004.) In 1995, the space shuttle Atlantis blasted off from Cape Canaveral, Fla., on a historic mission to dock with the Russian space station Mir. The flight was also the 100th U.S.-piloted space mission. One year ago: North Korea destroyed the most visible symbol of its nuclear weapons program, the cooling tower at its main atomic reactor at Yongbyon. (However, North Korea announced in September 2008 that it was restoring its nuclear facilities.) In Zimbabwe, roaming bands of government supporters heckled, harassed or threatened people into voting in a runoff election in which President Robert Mugabe was the only candidate. Today's Birthdays: Business executive and former presidential candidate Ross Perot is 79. The former chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, retired Army Gen. John Shalikashvili, is 73. Former Interior Secretary Bruce Babbitt is 71. Singer-musician Bruce Johnston (The Beach Boys) is 67. Actress Julia Duffy is 58. Actress Isabelle Adjani is 54. Country singer Lorrie Morgan is 50. Actor Brian Drillinger is 49. Writer-producer-director J.J. Abrams is 43. TV personality Jo Frost ("Supernanny") is 39. Actor Yancey Arias is 38. Actor Christian Kane is 35. Actor Tobey Maguire is 34. Today in Entertainment History - In 1954, Elvis Presley's first single was released by Sun Records. It was "That's All Right (Mama)" backed by "Blue Moon of Kentucky." Both songs were hits in Memphis. In 1966, Frank Sinatra and Mia Farrow got married. He was 51, she was 21. In 1973, guitarist Clarence White of The Byrds was buried in California. He had been killed in a traffic accident. [We're always glad when there's a reason to bury someone. — Ed.] In 1975, country singer Lefty Frizzell died in Nashville. In 1980, David Bowie made his stage debut in the Denver production of "The Elephant Man." In 1991, former Guns N' Roses drummer Steve Adler filed a lawsuit against the band. He claimed the other members had forced him to use heroin, then made him quit the band while he tried to kick his drug habit. In 1995, La Toya Jackson filed for bankruptcy, blaming her money troubles on a judgment against her after she cut short an engagement at the Moulin Rouge in Paris. In 2001, actor Jack Lemmon died at age 76. Thought for Today: "A man, after he has brushed off the dust and chips of his life, will have left only the hard, clean question: Was it good or was it evil? Have I done well — or ill?" — John Steinbeck, American author (1902-1968).

Friday, June 26, 2009

Uniform Of The Day: Lead-Foil Hats

If your fillings make more noise than usual tomorrow, it's because people are planning to fill the ether w/ mind-altering radiation that could well be more harmful than standard American telebision programming.
Known simply as the Dish, the 150-foot-wide antenna, owned by the federal government, will be outfitted with special equipment and a computerized tracking system to keep a powerful, focused signal on the moon.
Between the white-hot sun & the lunar radiation, we intend to remain securely behind the two-foot brick walls of our editorial bunker all day tomorrow. (Which is our intention every day, but we thought we'd mention it.)

Time Runs Out

If you haven't participated in whatever commercial events are occurring this mo., in honor of June being these mos., • Accordion Month • Adopt-a-Cat Month • American Rivers Month • African-American Music Month • Dairy Month • Pest Control Month • Ragweed Control Month • Rose Month • Tennis Month • Vacation Month • Zoo/Aquarium Month you'd best step on it. (We thought August was vacation mo.)

Homo Sapiens Make Us Sick. Really Sick. To Our Stomach.

Another hideous sack of shit heard from. Baloney artist, scammer & successful-because-Americans-are-just-so-fucking-stupid con-man Deepak Chopra advises us: "[Michael Jackson] was my friend," as Keith Olbermann looks on & offers some sympathetic bromide. Fuck both of you clowns. (Video later, y'all come back now.) W/ Chopra, Trump & other ghouls having been such "friends" of the late child molester, how is it possible that Jackson seems to have been strung out on one kind or another of narcotic? Friends don't let ...etc. If all of Just Another Blog™'s so-called friends trooped on the telebision after our mortality, & announced what good friends of ours they had been, when it would appear that these friends had actually allowed our enablers to kill their golden goose (w/ enablement) we'd be back to haunt them to their graves. Remember this the next time you see a pathetic middle-class ewe reading some of Chopra's unspeakable bullshit. And remember how Trump truly cares about his friends, if you're ever tempted to invest w/ him.

Self-Admitted:
Homophobic, Red Shirt [?], Bible Thumping Nazi, Gay Bashing, Tea Bagging, Rascist [sic], White Guy, Bigot

On to important, meaningful political news, that will eventually determine the kind of shithole nation we'll be living in, as opposed to celebrity fetishization all day & all night & all afternoon, as HuffPo tales a momentary, palate-cleansing break to focus on a non-Jacko event: Sarah's Outrage! Linda Beigel is the malicious desecrator. Eddie Burke is the face that Ms. B. 'Shopped onto Prop Palin's body. Shannyn Moore compares & contrasts the two.
Linda has blogged for years. She walks with a cane, and has physical disabilities. She has a bi-racial child and is always on the righteous side of fighting discrimination. She attended the Anchorage assembly meetings this week to testify in favor of the ordinance banning discrimination against the GLBT community. Burke attended the same event, protesting the civil rights ordinance with a shirt stating: "Homophobic, Red Shirt [Does he mean "Red State?"], Bible Thumping Nazi, Gay Bashing, Tea Bagging, Rascist (yes misspelled), White Guy, Bigot." Yes, Sarah Palin pals around with this fine example of tolerance.
On whose side would you be? (Please decide soon. There will be no fence-sitters in the future. Partly because there will be no fences, but you know what we mean.)
VISUAL AIDS (Teachers, see p. 164 of the Lesson Plan/Key.):
Original Image (Scouted by "g.")An image from Blue Gal's blog @ CROOKSANDLIARS.Their caption?
"Well gee, if the amnio had warned me he'd be like this, I'da rethunk my 'culture of life' mumbo jumbo, you betcha!" Caption this photo[shop] in comments yourself ...
That could be taken as offensive. (We didn't dare look in the comments.)
The reaction to the above "OUTRAGE!!" from the Palin camp? Not a peep. Cynics might think that's because Linda Beigel actively keeps tabs on Governor P.'s policies & actions at the state level, where Sarah can be effectively countered/exposed, while CROOKSANDLIARS doesn't dig as much dirt, but mostly (here, certainly) slings some mud around. (Not that we don't sling the mud. We're just typing that neither we nor C&L are so heavy on the minute investigative stuff.)
And to remind us all, the shot bemoaned around the world:Really, isn't this more fun than dissecting a corpse & its estate?

SHUT YOUR FESTERING GOBS & DIE, ALREADY!!!

Oh, fucking vomit. The last damn thing we or anyone need is to hear Donald Trump talking about Michael Jackson, & how he really knew him well, & blah blah blah. Yet we just heard it. Fuck you six ways to Sunday, Trump, you colossal asshole!
This is, essentially, the first sudden, unexpected, under odd circumstances, at a (relatively) young age death of an admittedly International Pop Superstar in the current non-stop media environment. The deaths of Elvis & Lennon, far in the misty past, were nothing like this; Squirt Cobain was not the world-wide weenie Jackson was. We've seen the future, & that glimpse makes us glad that we won't be on this planet of putrid idiocy for more than forty yrs. (At the very upper maximum.)
Note to telebision news people: The story is over. The sick fuck is dead, he will not be returning. All else is foam & idiocy. Shut up & go away. The next talking bobble-head that re-spouts any of the cliched crap filling our living rooms should have his or her lips permanently zipped. And the next head that babbles "Ha ha, we bet South Carolina Gov. Mark Sanford is happy about this," should have his or her tongue removed, permanently & painfully.
Was the sad little clown a massive talent, or sadly fucked-up, easily manipulable puppet of actual talents Berry Gordy & Quincy Jones? Think about it, if your mental processes haven't been permanently damaged by this orgy of inane celecrity idolization crapola.
Also. Chopped liver:

Perhaps The Best (5:11) Of Ann Althouse On Bloggingheads.tv

The shitheels at The NYFuckingT don't allow for embedding; we apologize for the necessity of clicking.
(Alright, here's a clue: It may be the best (5:11) ever because she sits there silently for all but maybe eight secs.)

26 June: "I'm A Jelly Doughnut!"

Today is Friday, June 26, the 177th day of 2009. There are 188 days left in the year. From an AP somewhere. A/V. UPI Almanac. Today's Highlight in History: On June 26, 1963, President John F. Kennedy visited West Berlin, where he expressed solidarity with the city's residents by declaring: "Ich bin ein Berliner" (I am a Berliner). [Just Another Blog™ has been led to believe that JFK really said: "I am a jelly doughnut," or some kind of Kraut pastry. If he'd really wanted to say "I'm w/ you, I'm one of you," he would have said "Ich bin Berliner." It's all in the article usage. — Ed.]Listen for yourself. On this date: In 1870, the first section of Atlantic City's Boardwalk was opened to the public in New Jersey. In 1894, the American Railway Union, led by Eugene Debs, called a general strike in sympathy with Pullman workers.
In 1900, Dr. Walter Reed and his medical team began a successful campaign to wipe out yellow fever in the Panama Canal Zone. In 1917, the first troops of the American Expeditionary Force arrived in France during World War I.Ninety years ago, in 1919, the New York Daily News was first published. In 1945, the charter of the United Nations was signed by 50 countries in San Francisco. In 1948, the Berlin Airlift began in earnest after the Soviet Union cut off land and water routes to the isolated western sector of Berlin. In 1950, President Harry S. Truman authorized the Air Force and Navy to enter the Korean conflict. Fifty years ago, in 1959, President Dwight D. Eisenhower joined Britain's Queen Elizabeth II in ceremonies officially opening the St. Lawrence Seaway. Swedish boxer Ingemar Johansson knocked out Floyd Patterson in the third round of their match at New York's Yankee Stadium to win the heavyweight title. In 1973, former White House counsel John W. Dean told the Senate Watergate Committee about an "enemies list" kept by the Nixon White House.In 1977, 42 people were killed when a fire sent toxic smoke pouring through the Maury County Jail in Columbia, Tenn. In 1988, three people were killed when a new Airbus A320 jetliner carrying more than 130 people crashed into a forest during an air show demonstration flight in Mulhouse, France. Twenty years ago, in 1989, the Supreme Court ruled the death penalty may be imposed for murderers who committed their crimes as young as age 16, and for mentally retarded killers as well. In 1992, U.S. Navy Secretary H. Lawrence Garrett resigned, accepting responsibility for the "Tailhook" incident involving the harassment of Navy women by naval aviators. Los Angeles Police Chief Daryl Gates, the target of public wrath for the Rodney King beating, resigned. In 1993, in response to an Iraqi plot to assassinate former U.S. President George H.W. Bush during a visit to Kuwait, two U.S. ships in the Persian Gulf fired missiles at Iraq's intelligence complex. The main headquarters building was badly damaged. In 1995, an attempted assassination of Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak failed during his visit to Ethiopia. Ten years ago: An advance contingent of Russian troops flew into Kosovo to help reopen a strategic airport and join an uneasy alliance with NATO peacekeepers. In 2003, the Supreme Court, in a 6-3 decision, struck down state bans on gay sex. [Possibly related:] Strom Thurmond, the second longest-serving senator in U.S. history, died in Edgefield, S.C., at age 100. Sir Denis Thatcher, husband of former British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher, died at age 88. Five years ago: President George W. Bush won support from the 25-nation European Union for an initial agreement to help train Iraq's armed forces. A memorial service was held in Egg Harbor Township, N.J., for Paul M. Johnson Jr., an engineer slain by kidnappers in Saudi Arabia. One year ago: The Supreme Court struck down a handgun ban in the District of Columbia as it affirmed, 5-4, that an individual right to gun ownership existed. Juan Alvarez, who triggered a 2005 rail disaster in Glendale, Calif., by parking an SUV on the tracks, was convicted of 11 counts of first-degree murder. (Alvarez was later sentenced to 11 consecutive life terms.) Today's Birthdays: Actress Eleanor Parker is 87. Jazz musician-film composer Dave Grusin is 75. Actor Josef Sommer is 75. Singer Billy Davis Jr. is 69. Rock singer Georgie Fame is 66. Actor Clive Francis is 63. R&B singer Brenda Holloway is 63. Actor Michael Paul Chan is 59. Actor Robert Davi is 56. Singer-musician Mick Jones is 54. Actor Gedde Watanabe is 54. Rock singer Chris Isaak is 53. Rock singer Patty Smyth is 52. Singer Terri Nunn (Berlin) is 48. Rock singer Harriet Wheeler (The Sundays) is 46. Rock musician Colin Greenwood (Radiohead) is 40. Writer-director Paul Thomas Anderson is 39. Actor Sean Hayes is 39. Actor Matt Letscher is 39. Actor Chris O'Donnell is 39. Actress Rebecca Budig is 36. New York Yankees shortstop Derek Jeter is 35. Country singer Gretchen Wilson is 35. Green Bay Packers offensive tackle Chad Clifton is 33. Rock musician Nathan Followill (Kings of Leon) is 30. Pop-rock singer-musician Ryan Tedder (OneRepublic) is 30. Actor-musician Jason Schwartzman is 29. Utah Jazz guard Deron Williams is 25. Today In Entertainment History -- In 1925, Charlie Chaplin's comedy "The Gold Rush" premiered in Hollywood. In 1964, "It's All Over Now" by the Rolling Stones was released. It was the first Stones song to reach number one in Britain. In 1965, the Byrds hit number one on the "Billboard" Hot 100 chart with "Mr. Tambourine Man," which was written by Bob Dylan. In 1971, promoter Bill Graham announced the closing of his Fillmore East and West concert halls in New York and San Francisco. In 1975, Sonny and Cher Bono's divorce was finalized in Santa Monica, California. They had married in 1964. Four days after the divorce, Cher married Greg Allman. Van McCoy earned his first gold record for "The Hustle." In 1977, Elvis Presley performed his last concert, in Indianapolis. In 1982, Bryan Ferry of Roxy Music married Lucy Helmore. In 1992, an Oklahoma family sued Van Halen, claiming the band's fans damaged their property. Van Halen put the family's phone number on the cover of their "For Unlawful Carnal Knowledge" album. In 1996, Van Halen announced original singer David Lee Roth would rejoin the band for a greatest hits album. Singer Sammy Hagar left because of "creative differences." An arrest warrant was issued for Stone Temple Pilots singer Scott Weiland after he left a drug rehabilitation center in Los Angeles without permission. He turned up a few days later at another treatment center. Thought for Today: "When I was a young man I vowed never to marry until I found the ideal woman. Well, I found her — but, alas, she was waiting for the perfect man." — Robert Schuman, French statesman (1886-1963).

Thursday, June 25, 2009

Events Of The Day Sadden Virgin Sarah Palin & Her Son Jesus

Tears in the tundra, we're sure, though not for the reasons normal people might be sad today, nor empathy w/ the survivors, but sad because she lost the chance to pimp this atrocity committed against her son Prop.Can you imagine the nerve? Why, that's her son, & they're making fun of him by, by ... by completely eliminating him from the picture, & not mentioning him in the text. It could be a Photoshop™ of any baby she picked up to kiss, politician style. So, she (& we) should be outraged because, we don't know, the fakery makes Sarah's radio buddy (the face in the picture) out to be a "special needs" baby like Prop?
Let's see:
"Recently we learned of a malicious desecration of a photo of the Governor and baby Trig that has become an iconic representation of a mother's love for a special needs child," Palin spokeswoman Meghan Stapelton said in a statement provided to CNN. "The mere idea of someone doctoring the photo of a special needs baby is appalling." "Babies and children are off limits," She said. "It is past time to restore decency in politics and real tolerance for all Americans. The Obama Administration sets the moral compass for its party. We ask that special needs children be loved, respected and accepted and that this type of degeneracy be condemned."
Ah. We didn't know that the iconphoto of the Governor & "baby Trig" is, well, holy. ("An iconic representation of a mother's love for a special needs child." Why, it is sacred. And consecrated.) And it was "maliciously desecrated." And, "degeneracy," also!
This may be news to those reactionary elements that find calling President Obama "The Messiah" the height of humor. Here someone suggests she & her offspring are holier-than-all. Will we hear anything about this from wing-nuts? Considering that the allegation of photo "desecration" almost certainly comes from spokesmodel Stapelton or Palin herself hearing it in the context of flag "desecration" & deciding "that sounds real good, don't it?" there's no reason to think any sort of reaction to this claim of divinity will pop up anywhere to the proverbial left of Attila The Hun. They'd have to admit the Stars & Stripes (& in many cases the Stars & Bars) aren't "consecrated" at all.
Might be even tougher to admit that Prop isn't the new Messiah, & that Virgin Sarah isn't the perpetual victim she likes to play.
Ahem (The next day, early a. m.): Found an image of the whole thing, not just the bullshit truncated picture from CNN. Morons.

Budget Crisis

Why was the body of Michael Jackson, sickening Jehovah's Witness, repellent child abuser/molester, self-hating black person/closet case & all-around pervert, liar & talentless reducer of music to crap given a cross-town helicopter ride from the UCLA Medical center to the USC campus, whence it was then vanned to the Medical Examiner's office?
Where they afraid the herd of cretinous ghouls milling around the UCLA Med Center would jump the coroner's van & rip the body to shreds for souvenirs? Possibly.
We hope Sicko's estate pays for that last ride, no matter the reason. We doubt if actual talent Sky Saxon is getting any special treatment in Austin.

More Things Not Going Well

Some guy at Slate (Much as we hate to credit by name the people from whom we steal, it seems necessary for viewership. After all, if these clowns Google™ themselves & we don't include their name, we'll never get the attention we crave. Typing talent? Please, this is AmeriKKKa, not Cloud Cuckoo Land.) Jonathan Rosenbaum, takes on DVD sales/marketing & what is being done to film history. Obviously nothing good.
Were it positive, we wouldn't have noticed it.

In All The Excitement Of Grim Mortality ...

... this has been overlooked.
Shaquille O'Neal Traded to Cleveland Cavaliers In a bold stroke aimed at winning the championship, the Cleveland Cavaliers acquired Shaquille O'Neal from the Phoenix Suns in a multiplayer trade that will have ramifications across the N.B.A. The deal gives Cleveland a second star to share some of the offensive burden with LeBron James. Read More: http://www.nytimes.com/?emc=na

SKY SAXON DEAD!!! (Picture UPDATE)

OK, this is something important. And, we suppose, answers the question of who will be third. Looks like it was pederast Jackson filling out the trifecta. Sky Saxon. Pushin' too hard, & not much older than our cohort. Friend & musical associate Mikaleno, who played w/ Sky (& no other original Seeds) in a more recent version of the band, posted this from when Sky was on top of the world (& we don't mean Mt. Shasta).
ifthethunder ..., etc., provides images of the more recent Sky.

Rumor Mill: Michael Jackson Dead?

Farrah Fawcett dead, now (possibly) Michael Jackson? The big question: Who will be third in the celeb death trifecta? Radio sez it's at TMZ.com. UPDATE:
Michael Jackson Reportedly Hospitalized An unconscious Michael Jackson was rushed to UCLA Medical Center on Thursday afternoon by paramedics who performed C.P.R., according to the Los Angeles Fire Department. Read More: http://www.nytimes.com/?emc=na

Lest We Forget

As the collective memory barely reaches back to Mark Foley, we think other Republican values should be pointed out. From today's "This Date in ...": Five years ago: Republican Jack Ryan withdrew from the U.S. Senate race in Illinois after allegations of sex-club visits with his then-wife, actress Jeri Ryan.

Fed Announces Positive Outlook For Leeches & Moochers On Fixed Incomes

The prices of energy and other commodities have risen of late. However, substantial resource slack is likely to dampen cost pressures, and the Committee expects that inflation will remain subdued for some time.
Not that we trust them, or think they know what they're talking about, but "Whew!" (On the other hand: "Substantial resource slack?") People w/o even fixed incomes are invited to pick up a pitchfork & start helping themselves. (Just not around here.)

25 June: WAR!! And, Custer Gets His.

Today is Thursday, June 25, the 176th day of 2009. There are 189 days left in the year. AP. A/V. UPI Almanac. Today's Highlight in History: On June 25, 1950, war broke out in Korea as forces from the communist North invaded the South. On this date: In 1788, Virginia ratified the U.S. Constitution. In 1868, Congress passed an Omnibus Act allowing for the readmission of Florida, Alabama, Louisiana, Georgia, North Carolina and South Carolina to the Union. In 1876, Lt. Col. George A. Custer and his 7th Cavalry were wiped out by Sioux and Cheyenne Indians in the Battle of the Little Bighorn in Montana. [The first AP correspondent to die in the line of duty — at the Little Bighorn — filed his last dispatch on 21 June 1876. — Ed.] In 1906, architect Stanford White was shot to death atop New York's Madison Square Garden, which he had designed, by millionaire Harry K. Thaw, the jealous husband of Evelyn Nesbit. (Thaw was acquitted of murder by reason of insanity.) In 1938, the Fair Labor Standards Act of 1938 was enacted. In 1942, some 1,000 British Royal Air Force bombers raided Bremen, Germany, during World War II, as U.S. Army Gen. Dwight Eisenhower took command of the U.S. World War II forces in Europe. Fifty years ago, in 1959, spree killer Charles Starkweather, 20, was put to death in Nebraska's electric chair. Eamon de Valera was inaugurated as president of Ireland. In 1962, the Supreme Court, in Engel v. Vitale, ruled that recital of a state-sponsored prayer in New York State public schools was unconstitutional. In 1973, former White House Counsel John W. Dean began testifying before the Senate Watergate Committee. John Dean squeals.
In 1995, Warren E. Burger, the 15th chief justice of the United States, died at age 87. In 1996, a truck bomb killed 19 Americans and injured hundreds at a U.S. military housing complex in Saudi Arabia. In 1997, an unmanned cargo ship crashed into Russia's Mir space station, knocking out half of the station's power and rupturing a pressurized laboratory.This had nothing to do w/ the death of Jacques Cousteau the same day. Ten years ago: During a news conference, President Bill Clinton said the people of Serbia had to "get out of denial" about the atrocities blamed on Slobodan Milosevic and decide if he was fit to remain president of Yugoslavia. The San Antonio Spurs won their first title as they defeated the New York Knicks 78-77 in Game 5 of the NBA finals. Five years ago: Republican Jack Ryan withdrew from the U.S. Senate race in Illinois after allegations of sex-club visits with his then-wife, actress Jeri Ryan. President George W. Bush and his wife, Laura, opened a European trip as they arrived in Ireland. Taliban fighters killed up to 16 men after learning they had registered for Afghanistan's U.S.-backed national elections. In 2005, hardline Tehran Mayor Mahmoud Ahmadinejad was declared the winner of Iran's presidential runoff election. One year ago: A divided Supreme Court struck down a Louisiana law that allowed capital punishment for people convicted of raping children under 12; the ruling also invalidated laws in five other states that allowed executions for child rape that did not result in the death of the victim. A jury in Woburn, Mass., convicted Neil Entwistle of first-degree murder in the deaths of his wife, Rachel, 27, and their 9-month-old baby, Lillian Rose. (Entwistle was sentenced the next day to two life prison terms without possibility of parole.) Wesley N. Higdon, 25, shot and killed five workers and himself at a western Kentucky plastics plant; a sixth victim survived. Today's Birthdays: Movie director Sidney Lumet is 85. Actress June Lockhart is 84.R&B singer Eddie Floyd is 72. [Seen here in 1967, live in Limeyland. — Ed.]
Actress Barbara Montgomery is 70. Basketball Hall of Famer Willis Reed is 67. Writer-producer-director Gary David Goldberg is 65. Singer Carly Simon is 64. Rock musician Allen Lanier (Blue Öyster Cult) is 63.
Rock musician Ian McDonald (Foreigner; King Crimson) is 63. Actor-comedian Jimmie Walker is 62. Actor-director Michael Lembeck is 61. [Touched by Greatness: Mr. Lembeck, son of Harvey, lived in the same neo-tenement we did at 1430 N. Martel Ave., way back in the mists of time. — Ed.] TV personality Phyllis George is 60. Rock singer Tim Finn is 57. Rock musician David Paich (Toto) is 55. Actor Michael Sabatino is 54. Actor-writer-director Ricky Gervais is 48. Actor John Benjamin Hickey is 46. Rock singer George Michael is 46. Actress Erica Gimpel is 45. Recently retired Houston Rockets center Dikembe Mutombo is 43. Rapper-producer Richie Rich is 42. Rapper Candyman is 41. Contemporary Christian musician Sean Kelly (Sixpence None the Richer) is 38. Actress Angela Kinsey ("The Office") is 38. Rock musician Mike Kroeger (Nickelback) is 37. Rock musician Mario Calire is 35. Actress Linda Cardellini is 34. Actress Busy Philipps is 30.
Today In Entertainment History -- On June 25th, 1951, the first commercial color telecast took place as CBS transmitted a one-hour special from New York to four other cities. In 1967, With Mick Jagger, Keith Richard and others singing backup, The Beatles recorded "All You Need Is Love" live on the "Our World" program, which was seen worldwide. In 1969, Mick Taylor made his first concert appearance with the Rolling Stones. He replaced Brian Jones, who was found dead at his home about a week later. In 1984, Prince released his "Purple Rain" album, the same day & year that Patti Scialfa joined Bruce Springsteen's E Street Band as a backup singer, four days before the "Born in the USA" tour began. In 1988, Debbie Gibson became the youngest artist to ever write, produce and perform a number-one hit, when "Foolish Beat" hit the top of the charts. She graduated from high school the next day. In 1992, Billy Joel received his high school diploma. Twenty-five years earlier, he had overslept and missed his English and gym finals. In 1995, Pearl Jam canceled their tour because of an ongoing battle with Ticketmaster. They objected that the business had a monopoly and charged fans too big a surcharge on concert tickets. In 1997, actor Jim Carrey and actress Lauren Holly split up. They had been married for ten months. In 2006, Nicole Kidman married Keith Urban in Sydney, Australia. Thought for Today: "The press, like fire, is an excellent servant, but a terrible master." — James Fenimore Cooper, American author (1789-1851).

Wednesday, June 24, 2009

Please Keep Your Religion Inside The Vehicle & Off Your Sleeve At All Times

U. S. Representative Bob Inglis (R-SC) in the WSJ:

But with his governor now felled by similar temptations, Inglis sees an opening for the Republican Party, a chance to “lose the stinking rot of self-righteousness” and “to understand we are all in need of some grace.” This is not “Bob Inglis 1.0,” the one that was a “self-righteous” expletive, he said in an interview with Washington Wire today. It is a Bob Inglis that is, if anything, more Christian, more attuned to the Gospels, he said.

And:

Unfortunately for him, the attitudes of “Bob Inglis 2.0” are not all that popular among many of the voters who once adored him. He now has five primary candidates fighting his re-election, and another conservative independent, should he clear the primaries.

“They want me to walk around saying I am the paragon of virtue,” Inglis said. “But that is unrecognizable to the Gospels.”

Our cynical 95% thinks this might be good ol' Bob paving the way for some sordid revelations of his own, but the possibility he's been reading all of those Gospels can't be dismissed out of hand.

The Party's Over?

One By One, Republicans Say Good-Bye to the Presidency

We should note, add or mention that, in typical Republican fashion, Gov. Sanford's probably soon to be ex-wife (Wikipedia sez: Born in 1962, she was raised in Winnetka, Illinois with an older brother, two younger sisters and a younger brother. Mrs. Sanford is the granddaughter of Bolton Sullivan, the founder of the Skil Corporation of Chicago.) is an heiress. Surprise, surprise!! We'd like to see another crew of drooling ninnies write more about the concept of shame, & then call for the resignation of this cretin, instead of just shutting themselves up as soon as one of theirs is caught. Then we'd like to see some socially approved/enforced seppuku here in the United Snakes. Preferably on national, obligatory telebision.
The only indication of brain-activity above planarian level in Gov. Sanford would be that he does seem to have conducted his adulterous affair outside the borders of his state, which frowns on that sort of thing:

SECTION 16-15-60. Adultery or fornication.

Any man or woman who shall be guilty of the crime of adultery or fornication shall be liable to indictment and, on conviction, shall be severally punished by a fine of not less than one hundred dollars nor more than five hundred dollars or imprisonment for not less than six months nor more than one year or by both fine and imprisonment, at the discretion of the court.

SECTION 16-15-70. "Adultery" defined.

"Adultery" is the living together and carnal intercourse with each other or habitual carnal intercourse with each other without living together of a man and woman when either is lawfully married to some other person.

Enough of this. We took a damn shower yesterday, we don't want to waste water today.

Annals Of "Just Shut The Fuck Up"

"JSTFU." Literally. That's all they've got. Nothing. They're just Twitting it in. And it's not very satisfying to one of the RedStaters, who is issuing steam from all orifices.

To majority media and other Democrats: we police our own, and you don’t get to judge

Drop dead.
C & C: Two married Republican Promisekeepers, a U. S. Senator & the governor of a state, have affairs, the Senator w/ one of his staffers (who is married to another of his employees) the governor w/ an Argentinian woman to whom he wrote silly e-mails. (We mention the e-mails only because the "majority media" [There's a new one. What's it supposed to mean?] knew about the e-mails
Below are excerpts of e-mails, obtained by The State newspaper in December, between Gov. Mark Sanford's personal e-mail account and Maria, a woman in Buenos Aires, Argentina.
and had been sitting on them since December.) Gov. Spitzer, Democrat of New York, also married, carries on w/ a hooker. No more morally superior than the other two, but not ruining anyone else's lives & marriages, either. Gov. Spitzer resigns the governorship, the two Republicans resign Senate leadership positions & the seat as chair of the Republican Governors Conference, respectively. That's "policing your own?" Not one of these Republican perverts who've been exposed has resigned anything beyond added "leadership" posts. Not Craig, Vitter, or any of them. There's the much-vaunted responsibility & accountability of the right-wing & their libertarian fellows. Not to mention the utter irresponsibility of Sanford's actions & deceptions, which go far beyond his personal life, & may well amount to dereliction of his gubernatorial duty. Ah, "duty." Another world completely stripped of its meaning by the right. The best is yet to come. The depths of liberal perfidy had been reached, we assumed, by the election of a person of not completely Northern European genetic heritage to the Presidency, or passage of gay marriage bills, fluoridation, or whatever other atrocities the majority of the country have voted for, but there is a new threat to AmeriKKKa as we know her on the horizon. From the commentariat to the above item:
To suggest that Republicans, who didn’t try to change the taste of food, or dictate to Americans what they could drive, are imposing their beliefs on others, while Democrats are some force for freedom, displays an ignorance, or willful deceit, on the part of anyone uttering such nonsense. Just park it, Democrats. You played this card until it wore through. You told us to shut up countless times. Now it’s your turn.
Yes, we ("The Left," or The International Communist Conspiracy) are "trying to change the taste of food." Food itself. Not a specific food, but ALL FOOD. Stand athwart history & stop that, reactionaries!! Soon, the bland middle-Amurkin diet will have flavor!! Dijonaise for all, & nothing else for anyone! More seriouslier: Republicans have been pushing "The hope of our party is in the statehouses. Governators & so on. Between the two nitwits mentioned, & the recent stupid & racist e-mails circulated by elected R legislators & their staff members, should we put off estimates of Republican resurgence for another election cycle or two, or write the whole mess off?
P. S.: "Drop dead," yourself, you little piece of garbage.

We're Begging You: Please, Make The Suffering Stop!

All being relative (& indeterminate) especially human activity, we present a list of our agonies:
1. Forced to walk three blks. to an ATM to obtain cash w/o being charged a fee!
2. Forced to walk back those three blks., & then WALK ANOTHER TWO BLKS. (& BACK!) to obtain something else!!
When does the torture stop? When the hell can we get to that higher spiritual plane ("That is so high I can't explain.") & become a creature of the mind, w/o these sad physical needs? Hurry it up, Science, we don't have forever.

Positive Developments On The Economic Front

Warren Buffett to CNBC: U.S. Economy In "Shambles" .. No Signs of Recovery Yet
It's good news for those of us who hate this country w/ the heat of a couple of Bunsen Burners. We don't know what it will take to make the Yankee herd realize they've been buying a bill of goods, & nothing more, for a couple of hundred yrs., but this may be a start.
But really, probably not, as we realize there is little hope of people anywhere wising up.
Because they are so damned stupid. How long must we tolerate this before OUR righteous anger overflows? Huh? We're not going to be patient forever.