Hurt Fee-Fees

A nerve is struck.

"Hardcore pro-" makes us think Breitbart would like interracial marriage imposed on all right-thinking Americans by violent government coercion. Stalinist!

Line-Up

From left: Mitch Daniels; Chris Christie; Jeb Bush; Haley Barbour.

From The NYT Magazine. Just liked the comic book style. Barely skimmed the text. You probably shouldn't either.

POST-READING UPDATE (2223PDT 7 April 2011): Actually, it couldn't hurt to read it. Short. And further proof of the joke of democracy. Most telling example, other than the four oafs shown above:

Problem is, electoral politics is a highly superficial field. A series of experiments has shown that subjects, even young children, can reliably pick the winners of races based solely on candidate photos. Now, most voters tend to support one party or the other no matter what. But swing voters tend to have the greatest susceptibility to the influence of superficialities.

A condemnation of the entire species, & any hope for it.

Arms Race

Maine lawmakers on Wednesday approved legalizing switchblades for people with one arm, moving close to becoming the first state to make such an exception to laws that ban use of the spring-action knives.

Backers of the measure say legalizing switchblades would eliminate a need for one-armed people to be forced to open folding knives with their teeth in emergencies.

The bill to allow amputees and other one-armed people to carry the quick-opening knives cleared Maine's Senate on Wednesday after passing the House on Tuesday, Senate officials said.

Until now, Maine banned the use of switchblades by anyone.

In most states, carrying switchblades is illegal in most circumstances, though owning the knives may be allowed in some states.

Federal law allows their use by a person with one arm only on federal property if the blade is shorter than three inches.

The Maine bill requires that the knives have a blade that is three inches or shorter.

Gov. Paul LePage is expected to sign the measure into law in the next couple of days, said spokeswoman Adrienne Bennett.

Copyright 2011 Thomson Reuters. Click for restrictions.

Lucky Maine. The whole state at full employment, budget balanced, roads paved, & not much for the legislature to do but file their nails, apparently.

And what inane drone made this a Federal deal as well? The One-Armed Peoples Self-Defense lobby is a new one on us, but they seem powerful. Maybe The Fugitive got them worried, & they've been carefully insinuating themselves into the halls of power for the last forty yrs.

You're More Than Welcome

Indeed. Heh.

Strangers On A Train

Modest Proposal:

Just to the north of these United Snakes (Yes, there's a whole nation of 'em up there, ignernt 'Murkin.) Canadians are having their own troubles w/ fascism (i.e., they're holding a "democratic" election in which they are permitting fascists to vote).

Perhaps we & they could work out an exchange of sorts. (No copper would ever look twice at sweet little us for dealing w/ someone who's a mostly Canadian problem.)

Note to ourself: Will need "Murder!" category soon, huh?

RyanHair

Maybe if J.C. at B.J. (Initials & acronyms are fun!) drew Sullivan a picture ...

Image from Political Wire.

Will Trade For Gun...

We are starting to get the feeling that our existence on this sorry dirt-clod covered in idiots will not be complete until we have struck a blow for reason, freedom & liberty by murdering someone.

Here, as an example, are two lumps of Idaho-grown undifferentiated tissue

Senate Bill 1165 bans abortion after 20 weeks on grounds of fetal pain. It includes no exceptions for rape, incest, severe fetal abnormality or the mental or psychological health of the mother. Only when the pregnancy threatens the mother’s life or physical health could a post-20-week abortion be performed.

that are wasting oxygen that a human being (or a dung beetle) would put to better use:

“Is not the child of that rape or incest also a victim?” asked Rep. Shannon McMillan, R-Silverton. “It didn’t ask to be here. It was here under violent circumstances perhaps, but that was through no fault of its own.”

[...]

The Idaho bill’s House sponsor, state Rep. Brent Crane, R-Nampa, told legislators that the “hand of the Almighty” was at work. “His ways are higher than our ways,” Crane said. “He has the ability to take difficult, tragic, horrific circumstances and then turn them into wonderful examples.”

Bet if we shoved a gun up Sen. Crane's ass & fired it, he'd want that bullet baby removed. Hypocrite.

Cleaning House

We sincerely hope this mess is loading faster now. Bloat was trimmed from the bog-roll (by making a list, checking it twice, & purging all who kvetched).

Now let's see how many YouTube vids we can add to slow it down. Look, Black Ark Nuggets just deposited a few! This one b/w: "Killer Dub."

Is Nothing Sacred?

We expect what we find on that last hunk o' cream cheese to be
green &/or blue, not pinkish.

Another harbinger of spring, or was there a shift of the planet's magnetic field or something while we weren't paying attention?

More From The Other M.B.: SHE IS A PERSON OF SUBSTANCE!

The fun starts seven mins. in.Just the facts, ma'am.

Is someone substantial acting out self-esteem issues on the national stage? (Item below also.)

The Airhead Candidate

Bachmann Touts Her Qualifications

In a Fox News interview, Rep. Michele Bachmann (R-MN) explained why she's qualified to be President of the United States:

Said Bachmann: "I have a very broad, extensive background. I'm a student of many years. I've studied a number of, a wide berth of topics. I sit currently on the Intelligence Committee. We deal with the classified secrets and with the unrest that's occurring around the world. I also sit on Financial Services Committee. But again, I've lived life. Tomorrow, I'll be celebrating my 55th birthday, and I've had a wide, extensive life. And again, my background is a very practical, solution-oriented vision."

Wal shee-yit, we've lived our share of life, & probably a significant part of Rep. Bachmann's share too, Crazy Shelley not seeming the type to live live to its fullest, & almost two yrs. more of it. Practical & solution-oriented? That's us too. Practical & final solution-oriented, one could say.

Rock-Rock-Rock-&c.

May already have swept the web, we never know because we just don't care. Earliest we can trace it is Old Peoples Radio. Though the insistence on illustrating everything is something we expect from youngsters.

Remember, kids, you don't need visuals to enjoy music.

Shut Down

You can't listen to this until you've listened to that.

DIAF, You Old Morons!

Old & in the way:

So perhaps when CBS News signed Couric it understood that we had reached the end of the anchor-era better than I give it credit for. Indeed, when ABC News gave Diane Sawyer the keys to its World News telecast in 2009, they were overtly endorsing the CBS News strategy of hiring a middle-aged bottle blond from morning TV to chaperone all the unschooled geezers turning on their sets at night. Putting Couric and Sawyer in the anchor chairs was admitting that the programs had no future, only a past that could continue to be harvested for profits (yes, the evening shows are still profitable, thanks to pharmaceutical ads) until their audiences finally die off.

Spring Now Official

The first fly has been observed.

Social Con Throws (Tinfoil) Hat In Ring

We think Susan Burns is our next Republican president. Look how she announced, demonstrating her concern for the family & the faithful w/ a 21st century Tea Party/Art Attack.

Just one of many concepts brain-stormed for the campaign:

Newt Gingrich is afraid his grandchildren will grow up under godless atheists &/or Muslim Sharia law. So is Susan Burns. BUT SHE'S DOING SOMETHING ABOUT IT!!

On Friday afternoon, Burns allegedly walked over to the Gauguin painting in Gallery 214-C and “grabbed the frame holding said painting on its left side and attempted to pull it off the wall.” Burns, the misdemeanor complaint charges, then “struck the middle of the painting with her right fist.” However, since the painting was “protected by a transparent acrylic shield on the front,” no damage was observed.

Burns gave an extensive--and very kooky--statement after being read her Miranda warning Friday. She said, “I feel that Gauguin is evil. He has nudity and is bad for the children. He has two women in the painting and it’s very homosexual. I was trying to remove it. I think it should be burned. I am from the American CIA and I have a radio in my head. I am going to kill you.”

Seems party line to us, w/ the possible exception of the last two sentences. But we're still months & months & months away from the first caucuses or debates. It may become a matter of pride among the sacrificial lambs that there is an American CIA radio in their heads. ("I am going to kill you," while common enough among the reactionaries, has so far been aimed at people unfortunate enough to live above AmeriKKKa'a oil on the other side of the world. Matter of time before it's applied to the domestic half of "enemies foreign & domestic.")

Our next president is a crusader against coercion by governmental violence as well (At least when it's applied to her. Always good for the hypocrite vote.):

Burns [...] appears to have a lengthy rap sheet that includes convictions for carjacking, disorderly conduct, trespassing, and assault on a law enforcement officer.

Starbursts Dep't.

For the all important Republican Viagra®-user demo, we can gussy up Susan Burns for less than Sarah Palin's Lower 48 shopping spree. Paint some eyebrows back on, get her back on her meds for that twinkle in the eye & something resembling a smile, do something about the lighting & bingo: Stepford Wife w/ spunk!

More sourcing. Bit totally suggested @MaxBlumenthal:

Victim Card Up-Date

When they aren't whining loudly that actual victims are "playing the victim card," you can bet they're whining about how they've been victimized. In a recent case, a Republican State Senator (Oh, alright, not him, his car, if we must be "accurate.") claimed to have been assaulted by a rock.

Contrary to Sen. Dan Kapanke's claim that his car windshield was vandalized the day he voted in favor of the controversial collective bargaining bill, a police report has determined the damage was caused by a stray rock.

Kapanke, R-La Crosse, informed Capitol Police his windshield was smashed March 9, the same day top Republican lawmakers surprised Democrats and the public by hastily calling a joint conference committee meeting to vote on a stripped down version of Gov. Scott Walker's budget repair bill.*

Not in any way an attempt to move media focus (Such as it is. Here's where "Why fucking bother?" comes in: We act/assume/pretend as if there were demand for media attention to be devoted to anything beyond rock-throwing, name-calling, hurt feelings, & other junior high activities. Abandon hope, all who enter.) from the hastily called joint meeting.

According to a March 22 report filed by an officer with the Capitol Police, however, Kapanke first noticed the crack in his windshield after an officer drove his car from a parking garage to the Capitol following the vote on the bill.

[...]

Kapanke defended his March 9 vote in favor of restricting collective bargaining in an interview with the La Crosse Tribune Friday, saying he would vote the same way again because of the $3.6 billion deficit facing the state.

"This certainly trumps any one person's ambitions or political career," Kapanke told the newspaper. "We are elected to put our fiscal house in order... You've got to do what's best in your heart - what you feel is best for the future of the state."

Elected to "put our fiscal house in order," whatever that may or may not mean or not mean? That's it? Accounting? Legislators are now glorified CPAs w/ Capitol Police officers as free valets? Interesting development. Did Sen. Kapanke run on the CPA platform. Or on the no-taxes-ever platform? (Again, not that it would make any difference what-so-fucking-ever, but we've been so amused by recent blatherings from reactionary elements that have included the "didn't-campaign-on-this" moan, as if someone once believed that campaign promises would come true, or were even intended to be trusted.)

A Sign Of Hope

Just kidding, naturally. Democracy is dead, even if the corpse is still twitching.

Kapanke is one of 16 lawmakers - eight Republicans and eight Democrats - facing recall efforts from voters in their districts.

On Friday, several hundred people gathered outside the La Crosse City Hall to celebrate the fact they had collected more than the necessary number of signatures to trigger a recall election against the senator.

*Can we nominate that for a Euphemism Award?

Sums It All Up, Dunnit?

Extra Bonus Quote of the Day

"We've gone to 50th in education and number one in gonorrhea, and that's the accomplishments of an all Republican government."

-- Dick Harpootlian, former chairman of the South Carolina Democratic Party, explaining to The Fix why he's running again for his old position. 

Sporting News & Views

Mark Heisler's the L.A. Times NBA beat writer. At truthdig, he takes on that most 'Murkan of games, footsball.

You had to be inhuman, or at least un-American, not to be moved by “The Journey,” the intro this year (XLV, or 45), narrated by Michael Douglas—looking wonderful after his months-long battle with cancer, so the mere sound of his voice raised a lump in your throat.

A montage followed ... immigrants against a backdrop of the Statue of Liberty ... a kid in the Dust Bowl ... suffragettes on the march ... U.S. soldiers hitting Normandy beach ... tiny JFK Jr. saluting his fallen father ... a space shuttle launch ... Rosa Parks ... Ali in the ring ... Reagan ... Obama ... Ray Charles’ dazzling smile ... a German with a jackhammer atop the Berlin Wall ... Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin on the moon ... Martin Luther King’s emotion-filled voice, booming “I have a dream” ... New York firemen raising Old Glory amid the dust and ruins of 9/11.

Then, segueing to shots of Cowboy Stadium, the Steelers’ Hines Ward and the Packers’ Aaron Rogers, Douglas intoned:

“Tonight, here we are, united, to see their journey, two storied franchises. ...”

Of course, if you’re an archaeologist digging up the DVD in the year 3,677, you’re going:

“LET ME GET THIS STRAIGHT, IT WAS JUST A FOOTBALL GAME?”

And the footsball stadium in downtown Los Angeles fantasy various movers & shakers, local & national, are trying:

In other words, it’s a national carpet-bagging initiative, enabling teams seeking public money in Jacksonville, the Twin Cities and San Diego to extort their best deal before someone pulls up stakes and becomes the Los Angeles Chargers/Vikings/Jaguars.

Not surprisingly, the news occasioned rejoicing in Los Angeles (and the offices of the Chargers, Jaguars and Vikings) and no protest, whatsoever.

If our government can’t enact a health plan like those of the modern industrialized nations without charges being made about establishing “death panels,” the NFL operates on a higher plane.

That is so high I can't explain. Also delves into labor disputation, & how evil the owners are.

Sonora Cafe Art Up-Date

Oh, turns out April is MOPLA. Better get on it then. But we've misplaced the piece of paper (Go ahead, laugh: We can still spread graphite & ink w/ the best of 'em!) where we'd recorded the previous items in this series, & we don't want to find it now. Wait, second time's the charm, here it is. OK:

We find ourself around the former Sonora Cafe every few wks. (Previously on this stupid web log.) And the display changes often.

For variety, the front view.

Detail

25 February 2011 ABC sends a camera.

But not for long.

By 16 March 2011 censorship was fully established.

Possibly as a result of whatever Channel 7 showed.

DANGER, WILL ROBINSON CRAP AHEAD

Forewarned is forearmed! (Not referring to those four-armed dudes on ERB's Mars, either.)

The Prometheus Award finalists for Best Novel are (in alphabetical order by author):

• For the Win, by Cory Doctorow (TOR Books)
• Darkship Thieves, by Sarah Hoyt (Baen Books)
• The Last Trumpet Project, by Kevin MacArdry lasttrumpetproject.com
• Live Free or Die, by John Ringo (Baen Books)
• Ceres, by L. Neil Smith (Big Head Press, also published online at bigheadpress.com)

For the Win is Doctorow's portrait of a future in which the world's poor adopt entrepreneurial strategies and Internet/virtual technologies to challenge the statist status quo and achieve freedom through self-empowerment. Doctorow has been nominated several times for the Prometheus Award and won in 2009 for Little Brother.

Darkship Thieves features an exciting, coming-of-age saga in which a heroic woman fights for her freedom and identity against a tyrannical Earth. Hoyt's novel depicts a plausible anarchist society among the asteroids. This is Hoyt's first time as Prometheus finalist.

The Last Trumpet Project tells the story of a future in which virtual reality and uploading people's minds into computers have merged. In this milieu, freedom struggle against a tyrannical government allied with religious zealots who will go to any length to ensure their vision of the future. The hopeful and utopian work is MacArdry's first published novel.

Live Free or Die is Ringo's rollicking saga of entrepreneurial humans using free-market capitalism and the spirit of old-fashioned Yankee individualism to defend Earth from imperialist aliens after first contact embroils us in galactic politics. This is Ringo's first time as a Prometheus finalist.

Ceres, the sequel to Smith's Prometheus Award-winning novel Pallas (1994), dramatizes a conflict between a libertarian society based in the asteroids and a statist Earth government. Smith also won the Prometheus Award for The Probability Broach (1982) and The Forge of the Elders (2001).

Ten novels published in 2010 were nominated for this year's Best Novel category. The other nominees were Directive 51, by John Barnes (Ace Books); Zendegi, by Greg Egan (Night Shade Books); Migration, by James Hogan (Baen Books); The Unincorporated War, by Dani and Eytan Kollin (TOR Books); and A Mighty Fortress, by David Weber (TOR Books).

The Prometheus Award, sponsored by the Libertarian Futurist Society (LFS), was established in 1979, making it one of the most enduring awards after the Nebula and Hugo awards, and one of the oldest fan-based awards currently in sf. Presented annually since 1982 at the World Science Fiction Convention, the Prometheus Awards include a gold coin and plaque for the winners.

The Prometheus awards honor outstanding science fiction/fantasy that explores the possibilities of a free future, champions human rights (including personal and economic liberty), dramatizes the perennial conflict between individuals and coercive governments, or critiques the tragic consequences of abuse of power--especially by the State.

For more information, contact LFS Board President Chris Hibbert (hibbert@mydruthers.com); Best Novel awards coordinator Michael Grossberg (mikegrossb@aol.com); or Worldcon awards ceremony coordinator Fred Moulton (programming@lfs.org).

For a full list of past Prometheus Award winners in three categories, visit www.lfs.org. Membership in the Libertarian Futurist Society is open to any science fiction fan interested in how fiction can promote an appreciation of the value of liberty.

We call your attention (Because you're probably too wise to read the brief descriptions.) to "a heroic woman fights for her freedom and identity against a tyrannical Earth. Hoyt's novel depicts a plausible anarchist society among the asteroids," & "dramatizes a conflict between a libertarian society based in the asteroids and a statist Earth government." OK, it's like jazz, but c'mon: Two variations on the same riff in one yr.?

No complaining 'though; could have been more than one about putting your brain in a computer & fucking other robots, tired as that theme is.

Repetition of these words & phrases by the self-retarded who do not understand them has reduced them to cues for laughter from the still conscious:

Entrepreneurial strategies; statist; empowerment; self-empowerment; identity; free-market capitalism; old-fashioned Yankee individualism; personal and economic liberty; conflict between individuals and coercive governments; abuse of power--especially by the State; liberty. (Not a complete list.)

Obligatory

2 Lazy
2 Live
4 Long

So if anyone cares about a follow up to this, click this.

Down W/ Democracy!

It's now blatantly obvious that democracy is a sad fucking joke:

In a CNN poll of American adults released Friday, the median guess on what percentage of the federal budget goes to public broadcasting was 5%. With a $3.55 trillion budget last year, that would put funding for the CPB at approximately $178 billion.

Can we just drown these cretins in the rising sea levels they won't acknowledge, even as they believe the CPB is getting US$178 billion a yr.?

Spot The Zombi

Freak out!

Compare & Contrast, Again

Hmmm. Almost interesting.

This Is Just Funny

Another pair of skunks in a pissing match.

By NORMA LOVE and HOLLY RAMER, Associated Press – Fri Apr 1, 7:20 pm ET

CONCORD, N.H. – The Republican leader of the New Hampshire House on Friday called Roman Catholic Bishop John McCormack a "pedophile pimp" who should have been led from the Statehouse in handcuffs after speaking at a rally criticizing a state budget proposal.

McCormack was among about a dozen speakers at Thursday's rally to protest deep cuts to social services included in the House's $10.2 billion budget. Rep. D.J. Bettencourt of Salem took issue Friday, writing on his Facebook page that McCormack had no business urging lawmakers to protect the vulnerable, given his role in the clergy sex abuse scandal in the last decade.

Before being named bishop of Manchester in 1998, McCormack served as a top aide to Cardinal Bernard Law in Boston, where the Catholic sex abuse scandal began and where he was in charge of investigating sexual misconduct allegations.

In 2002, McCormack averted unprecedented criminal charges against the New Hampshire diocese by agreeing that it had harmed children by moving abusive priests from parish to parish.

"Would the Bishop like to discuss his history of protecting the 'vulnerable?'" Bettencourt wrote. "This man is a pedophile pimp who should have been led away from the State House in handcuffs with a rain coat over his head in disgrace. He has absolutely no moral credibility to lecture anyone."

A spokesman for the diocese said Bettencourt's comments were false, defamatory and detracted from the real issue — the state's obligation to care for the poor.

"Bishop McCormack's message to the people of New Hampshire yesterday was the simple message of the gospels: The church and our broader society have a fundamental obligation to care for the poor," Kevin Donovan said.

Fans of the Constitution & The Founders will of course support our call for a return to dueling as way for gentlemen (Or these two shit-heels.) to settle their differences.

Will Tea Party Constitution-Lovers Allow This To Stand?

As previously noted in this blank empty space, L.A. County's D.A. was on this vicious criminal's case; now the L.A. City Attorney wants publicity too.

LOS ANGELES (AP) — The Los Angeles City Attorney’s office is trying a new legal maneuver to try to stamp out graffiti — it’s charging 10 graffiti writers with violating unfair competition laws because they’re selling works on the strength of reputations built on vandalism.

Assistant City Attorney Anne Tremblay says these graffiti writers — all associated with the MTA tagging crew — have an unfair advantage over legitimate artists because they gained notoriety through crime.

But Peter Bibring of the American Civil Liberties Union of Southern California says artwork, like book or movie deals, is protected under the First Amendment’s right to free expression, even when it involves criminals.

Cristian Gheorghiu (gay-or-Ghee-u), [Directly lifted from the well-edited pages of TheDC. Ha. — Ed.] one of the defendants, says authorities are going overboard and are trying to limit his ability to make a legitimate living.

Come on, 'Baggers, screech about The Holy Constitution & government regulation hurting the little guy!!

Rock-Rock-Rock&Roll Sat.

PAISLEY DODDSAssociated Press
"The (U.K.) terror threat is currently at severe but if we know of a specific plot likely to occur it could be raised to critical," a British security official said, speaking on condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of his job. He declined to discuss specific threats.

All of Britain's security agencies will be comparing intelligence in the run-up to the wedding: the MI6 with its foreign intelligence, the MI5 for domestic security and the GCHQ, the country's eavesdropping agency.

Some protesters used Twitter and other social media sites over the weekend to promise more mayhem on the day of the wedding. Anti-monarchists also said they plan to have a presence near the Abbey next month.

"You're looking at a different type of threat," Broadhurst said, calling the threat to the royal wedding, "a threat to democracy."

Your Next President?

Gail Collins, The NYT:

“By now my name is big enough and equated with the gold standard to the extent that I don’t have to say too much about it,” wrote Trump in one of his books, before going on to say a lot more about it. He is extremely sensitive to any gibes about his business record, which has been up and down over the years.

During one down period, I referred to him in print as a “financially embattled thousandaire” and he sent me a copy of the column with my picture circled and “The Face of a Dog!” written over it.

Trump was one of the first people I interviewed when I came to New York as a reporter back in the ’80s when he was a developer-wunderkind who had started in the business with nothing but a smile, a dream and his father’s large holdings in real estate.

No jury would convict us.

B Is For Breakfast Blogging

Bacon not beer today. So good we nuked a third (the last) slice.

Boring. 'Bye!

Warning: Alleged Punch Line May Induce Vomiting (Now W/ Added Vomit-Inducers)

Barbour Running for President "Horrifies" His Wife

Mississippi Gov. Haley Barbour's wife told WLOX-TV the thought of his running for president "horrifies me" because it would be "a huge sacrifice for a family to make."

Marsha Barbour's comments come after one of the Barbours' sons, Sterling, said he's a private person and he hopes his father doesn't run. Both, however, said they would support him in his decision.

We will stipulate to Mrs. Barbour being an acknowledged expert on horror. After all, she may have seen Haley Barbour w/o any clothes.

ADDED LINK & PHOTO (2215PDT 1 April 2011): CNN.

The horror.

How 'Bout Arming The WeHo Rebels?

Shoulder-fired anti-helicopter missiles would be a good start, before these fucking neo-feudalists start believing they can get away w/ this crap.

"I think about work 24 hours a day," he said. "But when you fly a helicopter, for that hour or two you can't think about anything else."

With no place for his chopper at the Beverly Boulevard headquarters of his studio, Relativity Media, he arranged to land the craft on the roof of the 10-story Sofitel a few blocks away.

By November, neighbors were enraged by the whir of helicopter landings and takeoffs.

The noise and vibrations kept waking up the newborn baby of Ali Behzad, a designer who lives in a sleek concrete dwelling a few hundred feet from the hotel. So Behzad and his wife started researching the Sofitel's permits. When they found out that the hotel's rooftop was designated for emergency landings only, they promptly complained to state and local officials.

On one level, we could look at this as more problems exclusive to honkies.

Lauren Meister, president of the West Hollywood West Residents Assn., said she's concerned that the flights could pose environmental and safety risks.

Her association represents about 1,000 households in an area bounded by Melrose Avenue to the north, Beverly to the south, La Cienega Boulevard to the east and Doheny Drive to the west.

She said she moved to the neighborhood, like many residents, for both its proximity to city life and respite from it.

The streets are lined with pretty one-story homes, shaded by palm trees and jacarandas. Many of the streets are blocked to through traffic. "You hear the crickets at night and the birds in the morning," Meister said.

Kavanaugh got his pilot's license last year. He has a collection of luxury cars and has been convicted of reckless driving and driving under the influence, court records show. Keen said Kavanaugh has full driving privileges.

Sheriff Moneybags had to get his two cents in as well.

It's not the first time a local leader has weighed in. Sheriff's Chief Cecil Rhambo wrote to the Sofitel in September to say the department did not oppose Kavanaugh's use of the hotel's helipad.

Sheriff Lee Baca has a close relationship with Kavanaugh, who has raised more than $156,000 for the Sheriff's Youth Fund, said Sheriff's Department spokesman Steve Whitmore. In 2008, the department gave him an award for his work on behalf of the charity.

Baca, however, has no say in the matter, as Rhambo clarified in a letter to the hotel last week stating the department's lack of jurisdiction. West Hollywood residents who were bothered by the noise last fall said they oppose the Sofitel's expanded permit, no matter who might land there.

We expect government of by & for only the wealthy by 2020 at the very latest.

WOOOOOOOOO! [Belches]

Beer for breakfast is working out very well so far.

Today's sale item, US$6.99 for an honest 12 fl. oz. sixer (at Ralphs, where no prices ...) "Limited Release" Firestone "Velvet Merlin" Oatmeal Stout.

Bottoms up!

Continuing Non-Change

Nostalgia Wrap-Up: Plus Ça Change ...

Western tip of L'Île de la Cité, where this reporter used to hang w/ the hippies & smoke hash.

Credit: Julien Goldstein for The New York Times

On the isle itself.

Credit: Emmanuel Fradin for The New York Times

None of the other shots are the slightest bit interesting.

There Will Always Be An England

Kiss Me Arse!

Ever fancied putting your foot down on Kiss Me Arse Steps or taking a ramble to Slapper's Rock but have been too embarrassed to ask the way?

Walkers searching for the best route down to Scrubby Bottoms or picking their way through The Nostrils can consult a new range of online guides to the slightly rudely named places of Britain.

Ten walking guides to some of our silliest-named beauty spots are now available to download free from the National Trust, showing the way to Booby's Bay in Cornwallhole and Windy Gap in Surrey.

According to Paul Cavill, editor of the English Place-Name Society journal, such names are very old. "Most describe the geography or land ownership, so finding out the meaning may be useful to walnkers," he said.

April Fucking Fools

To hell w/ the bother. Just pretend we gave you some "candy" that was actually soap covered in choclate, or Ex-Lax, & you are now either bent over & doubled up (doing the vom in a blind-o's cup) or are stuck on the throne (Not THROWN, dimbulb!!) evacuating.

Fucking loser, why did you take candy from a stranger?