Unhappy New Year Message From The Editor

Just Another Blog™ tech hard at work.

As none of our viewers/readers have offered to send us a nice new or "pre-owned" devil-box w/ at least WindowsXP Professional (hell, we'll settle for the home edition) & an ethernet card (oh, forgot that the audience consists almost entirely of mental defectives looking for titty pictures & "wife spanking" advice, or mental defectives w/ neither income nor spare computers) leaving us stuck w/ a slow-running Compaq Deskpro 2000 & dial-up connection, which makes it almost literally impossible to search the web or compose any cute little items, we are putting this "blog" (Big Load Of Garbage) on hiatus/indefinite leave, until we can get some of the electronics here @ The House of Bouffant© restored. (Also as a gesture of solidarity w/ our striking brother & sister typists in the film & telebision industry.)

Compaq Deskpro 2000 on which we currently rely.

There is a bit of hope: Intensive Internet investigation has revealed that the CMOS battery may recharge itself if we leave the vprmatrix devil-box on for 24 hours or so, & the Deskpro's sloth may be due to not having the proper driver installed for the hard drive. ("Compatibility-mode paging may royally fuck up your entire existence," to quote Microsoft.) Of course that will involve opening the fucking thing & pulling out the hard drive to determine its manufacturer. Considering that we can barely drag ourself out of bed & into the "living" room on a good day, that may be sometime in the far future. But we'll be thinking about it every so often. And by this time tomorrow the CMOS battery may be rocking & rolling again, meaning that we'll have to set up all the crap we didn't keep a record of, & who knows how that'll work out.

If we're never heard from again, we may have fried ourself & the Deskpro. BZZZT! If not, you'll have heard about it elsewhere. Just look for "spree killer" in your favorite search engine.

TTFN, & a Hippie New Year to all!!

P. S.: If you're still desperate for something to read on the web, make use of the Just Another Blog™ bogrolls [sic], & check in at Fire Megan McArdle, where we've been neglecting our duties. Maybe we can vent some of our hate, rage, pain, & fear on an easy target. — M. B.

This Is The End

Today is Monday, December 31st, the 365th and final day of 2007. [At last, it is over. Expect 2008 to be much worse. We do. — Ed.]
Today's Highlight in History:
In 1879, Thomas Edison first publicly demonstrated his electric incandescent light in Menlo Park, New Jersey.
On this date:
In 1775, the British repulsed an attack by Continental Army generals Richard Montgomery and Benedict Arnold at Quebec; Montgomery was killed.
In 1857, Britain's Queen Victoria decided to make Ottawa the capital of Canada.
In 1862, President Lincoln signed an act paving the way for West Virginia statehood.
In 1877, President and Mrs. Hayes celebrated their silver anniversary (actually, a day late) by re-enacting their wedding ceremony in the White House.
In 1938, the first breath test for drivers, "drunkometer," was introduced in Indianapolis.
In 1946, President Truman officially proclaimed the end of hostilities in World War II.
In 1961, the Marshall Plan expired after distributing more than 12 billion in foreign aid.
In 1963, the Central African Federation of Rhodesia and Nyasaland was formally dissolved.
In 1964, the al-Fatah guerrillas of Yasser Arafat launched their first terrorist raid on Israel.
In 1974, private U.S. citizens were allowed to buy and own gold for the first time in more than 40 years.
In 1978, Taiwanese diplomats struck their colors for the final time from the embassy flagpole in Washington, marking the end of diplomatic relations with the US.
In 1986, 97 people were killed when fire broke out in the Dupont Plaza Hotel in San Juan, Puerto Rico. (Three hotel workers later pleaded guilty in connection with the blaze.)
In 1987, Robert Mugabe was sworn in as Zimbabwe's first executive president.
Ten years ago: Michael Kennedy, the 39-year-old son of the late Senator Robert F. Kennedy, was killed in a skiing accident on Aspen Mountain in Colorado. In Sorocaba, Brazil, riot troops stormed a prison where inmates were holding hundreds of hostages, quickly ending a three-day rebellion without any deaths.
Five years ago: Emerging from holiday seclusion at his Texas ranch, President Bush told reporters an attack by Saddam Hussein or a terrorist ally "would cripple our economy." [Mr. Bush has left it to capitalists, real estate speculators & mortgage lenders to "cripple our economy." — Ed.] Two U. N. nuclear inspectors expelled by North Korea arrived in China, leaving the communist nation's nuclear program isolated from international scrutiny. An explosion at a clandestine fireworks factory in the Mexican port city of Veracruz ignited an entire city block, killing 28 people.
In 2004, Ukrainian Prime Minister Viktor Yanukovych resigned, acknowledging that he had little hope of reversing the presidential election victory of his Western-leaning rival, Viktor Yushchenko.
One year ago: The death toll for Americans killed in the Iraq war reached 3,000. Hundreds of Iraqis flocked to the village of Ouja where Saddam Hussein was born to see the deposed leader buried in a religious compound 24 hours after his execution. Ordinary Americans paid their respects to former President Gerald R. Ford, walking slowly by his flag-covered casket in the U. S. Capitol. [Equal in life, equal in death. — Ed.]
Today's Birthdays: Folk and blues singer Odetta is 77. Actor Sir Anthony Hopkins is 70. Actor Tim Considine ("My Three Sons") is 67. Actress Sarah Miles is 66. Rock musician Andy Summers is 65. Actor Ben Kingsley is 64. Rock musician Peter Quaife (The Kinks) is 64. Producer-director Taylor Hackford is 63. Designer Diane Von Furstenberg is 61. Actor Tim Matheson is 60. Pop singer Burton Cummings (The Guess Who) is 60. Singer Donna Summer is 59. Actor Joe Dallesandro is 59. Rock musician Tom Hamilton (Aerosmith) is 56. Actor James Remar is 54. Actress Bebe Neuwirth is 49.

Actor Val Kilmer is 48. Singer Paul Westerberg is 48. Rock musician Scott Ian (Anthrax) is 44. [Any relation to Janis Ian? — Ed.] Actress Gong Li is 42.
Also Born on December 31, But Died in the Interim: Jacques Cartier, explorer (1491). Charles Cornwallis, general (1738). Henri Matisse, artist (1869). Elizabeth Arden, beautician, business executive (1878). Gorge C. Marshall, general and cabinet member (1880). Simon Wiesenthal, writer, activist (1908). John Denver, entertainer [Crummy pilot, too. — Ed.] (1943).
The Bidness of Show:
On December 31st, 1943, a near-riot of bobby-soxers in Times Square in New York greeted Frank Sinatra's singing engagement at the Paramount Theater.
In 1947, singing cowboy Roy Rogers married Dale Evans.
In 1961, the Beach Boys played their first gig in Long Beach, California. They earned $300.
In 1969, Jimi Hendrix's Band of Gypsys [sic] made its debut in New York.
In 1972, the MC5 played its last gig, in Detroit. They were paid $200. [Compare to The Bleach Bozos above, in 1961. Or the Angry Samoans getting $75.00 to play The Cuckoo's Nest, in 1978. Is there no justice or decency? — Ed.]
In 1973, AC/DC made their concert debut in Sydney, Australia.
In 1982, Little Steven Van Zandt of Bruce Springsteen's E Street Band got married in Asbury Park, New Jersey. Percy Sledge and Little Richard performed "When A Man Loves A Woman" at the reception. [Excuse us, but did his bride have a name? — Ed.]
In 1984, drummer Rick Allen of Def Leppard lost his left arm in a car crash near his home in England. Allen stayed with the band, using a special drum kit. [Did he ever find his left arm? — Ed.]
In 1985, singer Rick Nelson, 45, was killed when fire broke out aboard a DC-3 that was taking him to a New Year's Eve performance in Dallas. His fiancee and five other people were also killed. [Free basing or heater malfunction? You decide. And why were they in a DC-3? Cheap? — Ed.]
In 1989, game show host Pat Sajak married former "Playboy" model Lesly Brown in Annapolis, Maryland. [Perhaps the least significant or interesting item since we started running this crap last month. — Ed.]
In 1991, Gilbert O'Sullivan won his lawsuit against rapper Biz Markie for using a sample of his song "Alone Again (Naturally)" for Markie's song "Alone Again." The case changed the rules of sampling by requiring that all samples be cleared before releasing them on another record.
In 1993, Barbra [Legs! — Ed.] Streisand performed her first paid concert in 22 years, singing to a sellout crowd at the MGM Grand Garden in Las Vegas.In 1997, pianist Floyd Cramer died in Nashville, Tennessee, at age 64.
In 2000, Black Crowes singer Chris Robinson married actress Kate Hudson in Aspen, Colorado. They have since divorced.
In 2004, singer Natalie Imbruglia married Silverchair singer Daniel Johns in an exclusive resort in Australia, & Rush guitarist Alex Lifeson was arrested after he and his son got into a fight with police during a New Year's Eve celebration in Naples, Florida.
In 2005, Dick Clark returned to his "New Year's Rockin' Eve" telecast after missing the previous year because he had had a stroke. He was hoarse and sometimes hard to understand, but he said he "wouldn't have missed this for the world."

Radio Babylon Diddley ELO Monkees

Today is Sunday, December 30th, the 364th day of 2007. There is one day left in the year.
Today's Highlight in History:
On December 30th, 1907, the Mills Commission issued its final report which concluded that Abner Doubleday was the inventor of the sport of baseball -- a claim which Doubleday himself had never made. (Few, if any, sports historians take this finding seriously.)
On this date:
In 1813, the British burned Buffalo, New York, during the War of 1812. [Unless it happened on 29 December. — Ed.]
In 1853, the United States bought some 45,000 square miles of land from Mexico in a deal known as the Gadsden Purchase.
In 1903, about 600 people died when fire broke out at the recently opened Iroquois Theater in Chicago.
In 1911, Sun Yat-sen was elected the first president of the Republic of China.
In 1922, Vladimir I. Lenin proclaimed the establishment of the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics.
In 1936, the United Auto Workers union staged its first "sit-down" strike, at the Fisher Body Plant Number 1 in Flint, Michigan.
In 1940, California's first freeway, the Arroyo Seco Parkway connecting Los Angeles and Pasadena, was officially opened.
In 1947, King Michael I of Romania agreed to abdicate, but charged he was being forced off the throne by Communists.
In 1972, the United States halted its heavy bombing of North Vietnam.
In 1978, Ohio State University fired Woody Hayes as its football coach, one day after Hayes punched a Clemson University player during a game.
In 1988, President Ronald Reagan and President-elect George H.W. Bush were subpoenaed to testify as defense witnesses in the pending Iran-Contra trial of Oliver North. (The subpoenas were subsequently quashed.) [Oh, huzzah for democracy, responsibility & accountablility!! — Ed.]
In 1993, Israel and the Vatican agreed to recognize one another. ["Hey, Pope, that you?" "Yeah, um, uh, Israel, right?" — Ed.]
In 1994, a gunman walked into a pair of suburban Boston abortion clinics and opened fire, killing two employees and wounding five other people. (John C. Salvi III was later convicted of murder; he committed suicide in prison.) [Typical Christian: Murderer & chickenshit. — Ed.]
Ten years ago: A deadly massacre in Algeria's insurgency began in four mountain villages as armed men killed 412 men, women and children in an attack that lasted from dusk until dawn the following morning.
Five years ago: A suspected extremist killed three US missionaries at a Baptist hospital in Yemen. (The gunman, Abed Abdul Razak Kamel, was executed in February 2006.) China catapulted a fourth unmanned craft into orbit. [Imagine how much farther along their space program would be if they used rockets. — Ed.]
In 2003, the federal government announced it would ban the sale of ephedra, an herbal stimulant linked to 155 deaths and dozens of heart attacks and strokes.
One year ago: Iraqis awoke to news that Saddam Hussein had been hanged; victims of his three decades of autocratic rule took to the streets to celebrate. The casket bearing the body of former President Gerald R. Ford arrived in Washington, D. C. Gerald "Wash" Washington, the mayor-elect of Westlake, Louisiana, was found shot to death in a parking lot; authorities ruled his death a suicide, a conclusion disputed by his family.

Today's Birthdays: Singer-musician Bo Diddley is 79. Actor Joseph Bologna is 73. Actor Russ Tamblyn is 73. Baseball Hall-of-Famer Sandy Koufax is 72. Actor Jack Riley is 72. Folk singer Paul Stookey is 70. TV director James Burrows is 67. Actor Fred Ward is 65. Singer-musician Michael Nesmith is 65. Singer Davy Jones is 62. Singer Patti Smith is 61. Rock singer-musician Jeff Lynne is 60. "Today Show" co-host Meredith Vieira is 54. Actress Sheryl Lee Ralph is 52. Actress Patricia Kalember is 51. Country singer Suzy Bogguss is 51. "Today Show" newscaster Matt Lauer is 50. Actress-comedian Tracey Ullman is 48. Rock musician Rob Hotchkiss is 47. Radio-TV commentator Sean Hannity is 46. Runner Ben Johnson is 46. Golfer Tiger Woods is 32. Baseball player A.J. Pierzynski is 31. Cleveland Cavaliers forward LeBron James is 23.

Born This Date But Refuse to Respond to Stimuli:
Titus, emperor (39). John Milne, seismologist (1850). Rudyard Kipling, author (1865). Alfred E. Smith, political leader (1873). Paul Bowles, writer and composer (1910). Jack Lord, actor (1920).
In Show Bidness This Date:
In 1944, Bob Wills and the Texas Playboys made their first appearance on the Grand Ole Opry.
In 1948, the Cole Porter musical "Kiss Me, Kate" opened on Broadway.
In 1962, singer Brenda Lee was slightly injured when she tried to rescue her dog from her burning home in Nashville. The dog died of smoke inhalation.
In 1979, composer and lyricist Richard Rodgers died in New York at the age of 77. His musicals include "The King and I" and "The Sound of Music." Emerson, Lake and Palmer announced they were splitting up. They later reunited.
In 1981, XTC played their first American concert, in Philadelphia.
In 1999, an intruder broke into George Harrison's home outside London and stabbed Harrison and his wife. Michael Abram was later found innocent by reason of insanity. Singer Johnny Moore of The Drifters died on his way to a London hospital after having breathing difficulties. He was 64.
In 2002, singer Diana Ross was arrested for drunk driving in Tucson, Arizona.
In 2006, more than 8,500 James Brown fans filled an arena in Augusta, Georgia, for a final, joyful farewell to the godfather of soul.

Our Genocidal Nation: Sioux Massacred by U. S. Army at Wounded Knee

Today is Saturday, December 29th, the 363rd day of 2007. There are two days left in the year. [A year passes like nothing. — Ed.]
Today's Highlight in History:
In 1890, the Wounded Knee massacre took place in South Dakota as an estimated 300 Sioux Indians were killed by U.S. troops sent to disarm them. [See our note below. — Ed.]
On this date:
In 1170, Thomas Becket, the Archbishop of Canterbury, was murdered in Canterbury Cathedral in England by knights loyal to King Henry II.
In 1808, the 17th president of the United States, Andrew Johnson, was born in Raleigh, North Carolina.
In 1813, British forces burned Buffalo, N.Y., during the War of 1812.
In 1845, Texas was admitted as the 28th state.
In 1851, the first American Young Men's Christian Association was organized, in Boston. [We all know what that led to, don't we? — Ed.]
In 1890, the last major battle of the Indian Wars, at Wounded Knee Creek, South Dakota, took place with hundreds of Indian men, women, and children massacred. [Battle or massacre? Get your lies straight, Associated Press. — Ed.]
In 1916, Grigory Rasputin, the so-called "Mad Monk" who'd wielded great influence with Czar Nicholas II, was murdered by a group of Russian noblemen in St. Petersburg. [Note from infoplease.com: Extra credit: Rasputin died on 30 December under the modern (Gregorian) calendar, on 17 December under the old (Julian) calendar; Russia didn't adopt the modern calendar until after the Revolution of 1917. Some sources list the death date as the 29th (or 16th) of December, on the theory that Rasputin died before midnight on the night of his murder.]
In 1934, Japan renounced the Washington Naval Treaty of 1922 and the London Naval Treaty of 1930.
In 1937, the Constitution of Ireland, changing the Irish Free State into Eire, went into effect.
In 1940, during World War II, Germany dropped incendiary bombs on London, setting off what came to be known as "The Second Great Fire of London."
In 1957, the Detroit Lions defeated the Cleveland Browns, 59-14, to win the NFL Championship at Briggs Stadium in Detroit.
In 1975, a bomb exploded in the main terminal of New York's LaGuardia Airport, killing 11 people.
In 1986, former British Prime Minister Harold Macmillan died at age 92.
In 1989, playwright Vaclav Havel was elected president of Czechoslovakia by the country's Federal Assembly, becoming the first non-Communist to attain the post in more than four decades.
In 1996, a peace agreement was signed, ending 36 years of conflict in Guatemala.
Ten years ago: Hong Kong began killing 1.4 million chickens to stem the spread of a mysterious bird flu that had already killed four people.
In 1998, Khmer Rouge leaders apologized for the 1970s genocide in Cambodia that claimed 1 million lives. ["Well excuuuuuse us!" — Ed.]
Five years ago: Secretary of State Colin Powell, making the rounds of the Sunday TV talk shows, said there was still time to find a diplomatic resolution to North Korea's development of nuclear weapons, and that the situation hadn't yet reached the crisis stage.
One year ago: Word reached the United States of the execution of former Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein (because of the time difference, it was the morning of December 30th in Iraq when the hanging took place). In a statement, President Bush called Saddam's execution a milestone on Iraq's road to democracy. Gerald R. Ford's flag-draped casket was carried into a church in Palm Desert, California, for a public viewing that marked the start of six days of mourning for the former president. More than 400 people died when a crowded Indonesian ferry sank in the Java Sea.

Today's Birthdays: Actor Clarence Swensen ("The Wizard of Oz") is 90. Actress Inga Swenson is 75. ABC newscaster Tom Jarriel is 73. Actress Mary Tyler Moore is 70. Actor Jon Voight is 69. Country singer Ed Bruce is 68. Rock musician Ray Thomas is 66. Singer Marianne Faithfull is 61. Jockey Laffit Pincay Junior is 61. Actor Ted Danson is 60. Actor Jon Polito is 57. Singer-actress Yvonne Elliman is 56. Actress Patricia Clarkson is 48. Comedian Paula Poundstone is 48. Rock singer-musician Jim Reid (The Jesus and Mary Chain) is 46. Rock singer Dexter Holland (The Offspring) is 42. Actor-comedian Mystro Clark is 41. Actor Jason Gould is 41. Movie director Andy Wachowski is 40. Actor Jude Law is 35. Actor Mekhi Phifer is 33. Football player Laveranues Coles is 30.

Born on This Date, But Not Celebrating: Charles Goodyear, invented vulcanized rubber (1800). William Gladstone, British Prime Mininster (1809). Pablo Casals, virtuoso cellist (1876). William "Billy" Mitchell, military aviator (1879). Vera Brittain, novelist, poet (1893).

Today In Entertainment History:
In 1955, 13-year-old Barbra Streisand made her first recording, "You'll Never Know."
[Another first for Babs on this date: Actor Jason Gould, above in Today's Birthdays, is her first (& only) child. — Ed.]
In 1957, singers Steve Lawrence and Eydie Gorme were married in Las Vegas, Nevada.
In 1967, musician Dave Mason left the band Traffic to pursue a solo career.
In 1975, Paul Kantner and Grace Slick of Jefferson Airplane divorced.
In 1980, singer-songwriter Tim Hardin died of a heroin overdose in Los Angeles at the age of 40. He's best known for composing the song "If I Were A Carpenter."
In 1989, Jane Pauley marked her last day as co-host of the "Today" show after 13 years. Her successor was Deborah Norville.
In 1992, actor Todd Bridges was arrested in Burbank, California. Police say they found speed and a loaded gun in his car, but Bridges claimed he had been framed. At the time, Bridges had been doing public service announcements telling kids to stay away from drugs.

Today in History: Bush Works For Nearly Three Hours!!

Today is Friday, December 28th, the 362nd day of 2007. There are three days left in the year. Today's Highlight in History: In 1917, the New York Evening Mail published "A Neglected Anniversary," a facetious essay by H.L. Mencken supposedly recounting the history of bathtubs in America. (For example, Mencken "claimed" the first American bathtub made its debut in the Cincinnati home of grain dealer Adam Thompson on December 20th, 1842, and that the first White House bathtub was installed in 1851 at the order of President Millard Fillmore.) On this date: In 1065, Westminster Abbey was consecrated. In 1694, Queen Mary II of England died after more than five years of joint rule with her husband, King William III. In 1832, John C. Calhoun became the first vice president of the United States to resign, stepping down over differences with President Jackson. In 1846, Iowa became the 29th state to be admitted to the Union. In 1856, the 28th president of the United States, Thomas Woodrow Wilson, was born in Staunton, Virginia. In 1937, composer Maurice Ravel died in Paris at age 62. In 1945, Congress officially recognized the Pledge of Allegiance. In 1973, Alexander Solzhenitsyn published "Gulag Archipelago," an expose of the Soviet prison system. In 1982, Nevell Johnson Junior, a black man, was mortally wounded by a police officer in a Miami video arcade, setting off three days of race-related disturbances that left another man dead. In 1987, the bodies of 14 relatives of Ronald Gene Simmons were found at his home near Dover, Arkansas, following a shooting rampage by Simmons in Russellville that claimed two other lives. (Simmons was later executed.) Ten years ago: One woman was killed, more than 100 other people hurt, when a United Airlines jumbo jet en route from Narita, Japan, to Honolulu encountered severe turbulence over the Pacific. Five years ago: The U.N. nuclear watchdog decided to pull its inspectors out of North Korea by New Year's Eve, a step demanded by the North. Mwai Kibaki and his opposition alliance won a landslide victory in Kenyan elections, breaking the ruling party's 39 year grip on power. One year ago: President Bush worked nearly three hours at his Texas ranch to design a new U.S. policy in Iraq. [Wow! Three whole hours!! Who puts this shit out? Are we supposed to be impressed? — Ed.] Saddam Hussein's lawyer made a last-ditch effort to impede his client's execution. In Somalia, troops of the U.N.-backed interim government rolled into Mogadishu unopposed, putting an end to six months of domination of the capital by a radical Islamic movement. Today's Birthdays: Actor Lou Jacobi is 94. Bandleader Johnny Otis is 86. Comic book creator Stan Lee is 85. Former United Auto Workers union president Owen Bieber is 78. Actor Martin Milner is 76. Actress Dame Maggie Smith is 73. Rock singer-musician Charles Neville is 69. Rock singer-musician Edgar Winter is 61. Rock singer-musician Alex Chilton (The Box Tops; Big Star) is 57. Actor Denzel Washington is 53. Actor Chad McQueen is 47. Comedian Seth Meyers is 34. Rhythm-and-blues singer John Legend is 29. Actress Sienna Miller is 26. Show Biz History: In 1897, the play "Cyrano de Bergerac," by Edmond Rostand, premiered in Paris. In 1968, the first big East Coast rock festival opened in Miami. Performers at the Miami Pop Festival included Chuck Berry, Country Joe and the Fish and Richie Havens. In 1976, bluesman Freddie King died in Dallas at age 42. He was a major influence on British rockers like Eric Clapton. In 1983, Beach Boys drummer Dennis Wilson drowned while swimming in the harbor at Marina Del Rey, California. He was 39. In 1991, nine people were killed at a benefit basketball game at City College in New York that featured Run DMC and LL Cool J. The victims were crushed when the crowd surged to get into the gym where the game was to be played. In 1993, country singer Shania Twain married producer Mutt Lange. In 1996, actor Ken Wahl was arrested for allegedly threatening a bartender with a hunting knife in Los Angeles. In 2005, the body of singer-bassist Barry Cowsill of The Cowsills was found on a New Orleans wharf. He had been missing since Hurricane Katrina three months earlier. Cowsill was 51.

If You Can Read This, You May Not Be A Complete Fascist

Those of you here for the articles (rather than the majority of visitors, who are here for the black & white shot of Sophia Loren bare-breasted 50 yrs. ago, the "Christian Domestic Discipline" item or the "Rocky" Welch photos) may be literate enough to be interested in a treatise from the current New Yorker by Caleb Crain on the decline of literacy right here in River City, where we literate, often coastal urbanites find ourselves in constant conflict w/ the functionally illiterate farmers, ranchers, sheepherders, shitshovelers, assembly line workers & sales reps who inhabit Jesusland.

According to the Department of Education [...] the proportion who were proficient—capable of such tasks as “comparing viewpoints in two editorials”— declined from fifteen per cent to thirteen.

That's right, only thirteen per cent of the population of our so-called democracy can compare editorials, most of which are probably deliberately written at a freshman level. High school freshman level. There's also some interesting scientific material which, to our jaundiced mind, indicates why the inhabitants of Jesusland are the way they are. ("The peasants are revolting." "They certainly are.") We literary smart guys have all heard of the "authoritarian mind-set," as popularized by John Dean in his book (Conservatives Without Conscience) about what a bunch of assholes today's Republican party is. This may be a significant part of why those people are so eager & able to accept "wisdom:"

In an oral culture, cliché and stereotype are valued, as accumulations of wisdom, and analysis is frowned upon, for putting those accumulations at risk. There’s no such concept as plagiarism, and redundancy is an asset that helps an audience follow a complex argument. Opponents in struggle are more memorable than calm and abstract investigations, so bards revel in name-calling and in “enthusiastic description of physical violence.” Since there’s no way to erase a mistake invisibly, as one may in writing, speakers tend not to correct themselves at all. Words have their present meanings but no older ones, and if the past seems to tell a story with values different from current ones, it is either forgotten or silently adjusted. As the scholars Jack Goody and Ian Watt observed, it is only in a literate culture that the past’s inconsistencies have to be accounted for, a process that encourages skepticism and forces history to diverge from myth.

Take that, true-believing wingnut nitwits! Those of you thinking that the Internet offers hope that the powers of literacy may yet triumph over the numb masses of accepting sheep should surrender now. The new Morlocks will be those w/ broadband, watching YouTube™ & feeding on the rational, defenseless Eloi who can't afford anything but text-&-still-photos-only dial-up.

The NCAT Doctrine

In the wake of recent events in Rawalpindi, Pakistan, we wish to remind all of our viewers that Just Another Blog (From L. A.)™ fully supports the NCAT Doctrine. You may say, "What the fuck are those idiots babbling about now?" & you'd be right to ask, as we just made it up.

NCAT stands for Nihilism, Chaos, Anarchy & Turmoil (or Troublemaking) & it's what drives the editorial staff here. Our fingers are crossed in the hope that radical Islamic fundamentalist extremist Pakistanians [sic] will soon have a few nukes w/ which to begin the process of thinning both the human herd (prey) & the human pack (predators). Die, puny mortals, & take your social order & bass-fishing boats w/ you!!

Today in Yesteryear: Celebs Packing Heat

Today is Thursday, December 27th, the 361st day of 2007. There are four days left in the year.
Today's Highlight in History:
In 1932, Radio City Music Hall opened in New York City.
On this date:
In 1822, scientist Louis Pasteur was born in Dole, France.
In 1831, British naturalist Charles Darwin set out on a voyage to the Pacific Ocean aboard the HMS Beagle. Darwin's discoveries during the nearly five-year journey helped form the basis of his theories on evolution.
In 1900, prohibitionist Carry Nation carried out her first public smashing of a bar, at the Carey Hotel in Wichita, Kan.
In 1945, 28 nations signed an agreement creating the World Bank.
In 1949, Queen Juliana of the Netherlands signed an act granting sovereignty to Indonesia after more than three centuries of Dutch rule.
In 1968, Apollo 8 and its three astronauts made a safe, nighttime splashdown in the Pacific.
In 1979, Soviet forces seized control of Afghanistan. President Hafizullah Amin, who was overthrown and executed, was replaced by Babrak Karmal.
In 1985, Palestinian guerrillas opened fire inside the Rome and Vienna airports; a total of 20 people were killed, including four of the attackers, who were slain by police and security personnel. Naturalist Dian Fossey, who had studied gorillas in the wild, was found hacked to death at a research station in Rwanda. [Or she was found 26 December. See below & make up your mind, AP! — Ed.]
Ten years ago: Billy Wright, Northern Ireland's most notorious Protestant militant, was shot to death by three members of the Irish National Liberation Army at the Maze Prison outside Belfast.
In 2001, President Bush permanently normalized trade relations with China, & U. S. officials announced that Taliban and al-Qaida prisoners would be held at the U. S. naval base at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba. [Yet another "day that will live in infamy." — Ed.]
Five years ago: A defiant North Korea ordered U. N. nuclear inspectors to leave the country and said it would restart a laboratory capable of producing plutonium for nuclear weapons. But the U.N. nuclear watchdog said its inspectors were "staying put" for the time being. A suicide truck-bomb attack destroyed the headquarters of Chechnya's Moscow-backed government, killing 72 people. Clonaid, a company founded by a religious sect that believes in space aliens, announced it had produced the world's first cloned baby, a claim subsequently dismissed by scientists for lack of proof.
In 2004, on an audiotape, a man purported to be Osama bin Laden endorsed Abu Musab al-Zarqawi as his deputy in Iraq.
In 2005, Indonesia's Aceh rebels formally abolished their 30-year armed struggle for independence, under a peace deal born out of the 2004 tsunami.
One year ago: Saddam Hussein urged Iraqis to embrace "brotherly coexistence" and not to hate U.S.-led foreign troops in a goodbye letter posted on a Web site a day after Iraq's highest court upheld his death sentence. Former Democratic vice presidential nominee John Edwards jumped into the presidential race a day earlier than he'd planned after his campaign accidentally went live with his election Web site a day before his scheduled announcement.

Today's Birthdays:
Rockabilly musician Scotty Moore is 76. Actor John Amos is 68. ABC News correspondent Cokie Roberts is 64. Rock musician Mick Jones (Foreigner) is 63. [Not the good Mick Jones. This is the evil one. — Ed.] Singer Tracy Nelson is 63. Actor Gerard Depardieu is 59. Jazz singer-musician T.S. Monk is 58. [That's Thelonius Monk's son. 58! — Ed.] Singer-songwriter Karla Bonoff is 56. Actress Tovah Feldshuh is 55. Rock musician David Knopfler (Dire Straits) is 55. Former White House aide [& George W. Bush mommy-substitute — Ed.] Karen Hughes is 51. Actress Maryam D'Abo is 47. Football player Deuce McAllister is 29. Football player Carson Palmer is 28.

Dead Born This Date:
Johannes Kepler, astronomer (1571)
Sir George Cayley, scientist and aerial navigator (1773)
Sydney Greenstreet, actor (1879)
Marlene Dietrich, actress (1901)
Show Bidness & Weaponry:
In 1904, James Barrie's play "Peter Pan: The Boy Who Wouldn't Grow Up" opened at the Duke of York's Theater in London.
In 1927, the musical play "Show Boat," with music by Jerome Kern and libretto by Oscar Hammerstein the Second, opened at the Ziegfeld Theater in New York.
In 1947, the children's TV program "The Howdy Doody Show" made its debut on NBC under the title "Puppet Playhouse."
In 1970, "Hello, Dolly!" closed on Broadway after a run of 2,844 performances. It had opened in 1964.
In 1981, singer-songwriter Hoagy Carmichael died of natural causes at his home in Rancho Mirage, California. He was 82.
In 1992, singer Harry Connick Junior was arrested in New York's Kennedy Airport because an unloaded gun was found in his carry-on bag. He spent a night in jail.
In 1999, Puff Daddy and Jennifer Lopez were arrested following a shooting at a New York dance club during which three people were shot and wounded. Charges against Lopez were dropped. Puff Daddy [Ahem. We call him "P. Diddy now. — Ed. ] was acquitted of gun and bribery charges.
In 2002, Oscar™-winning director George Roy Hill died in New York at age 81.

A Present for Boxing Day

Very early this morning, the editor of this "web log" found himself in the city of Los Angeles, on the east side of Silver Lake Blvd., heading north to Sunset Blvd., returning to the House of Bouffant© from an X-Mess celebration (of sorts) involving (among other things) sausage pizza, sparkling water, & a mid-'50s Jack Benny Christmas shopping show. (The fun never stops when you're over 50!)

(Note to "culture warriors": Mr. Benny, born Benjamin Kubelsky (i. e., he was Jewish) made no mention of Hanukkah, Kwanzaa, or anything else, wishing his viewers only a "Merry Christmas." Not very traditional, that. Just when was "Happy Christmas" replaced by "Merry Christmas?" Whenever it was, the decline & fall of the American Empire can be directly traced to that unfortunate substitution. What is so wrong with maintaining our glorious traditions? Shut up, woman, & keep those damn kids quiet too! Why aren't they at work, anyway?)And what should we spot on the parking strip but a lonely object, appearing at first glance to be a microwave oven. As we drew nearer, & confirmed that it was indeed a miracle of modern quick cookery, our mind flooded w/ thoughts: Did it work? Should we carry it to the House of Bouffant©, a trek of several blks., a bus ride w/ X-Mess drunks, then several more blks. on foot? Would we feel like a fucking dipstick if we dragged it home only to discover that it sat in solitude on the parking strip because it no longer functioned, rather than (as hoped) it had been exiled from its former kitchen home only because Santa had brought a newer model?

Miracle of miracles & wonder of wonders, our questions were answered: Taped atop the "may cause interference to pacemakers" device was a message, written on an 8½" x 11" sheet of ruled paper torn from a spiral-bound notebook: "This is still working Please take it!!" Our questions were mostly answered then, though as a distrustful, cynical type we had nagging suspicions that it might be a practical joke of some sort, or a lazy slob's attempt to save a bit of space in his/her trashcans (doubtless overflowing w/ Yule effluvia) & be rid of a parking strip eyesore at the same time. But, circumstances being what they are, we brought the zapper back to the editorial offices w/ us, and found ourself to be the proud new possessor of a totally functioning Sharp Carousel II 500-watt microwave oven, model no. R-5880A, assembled in the USA in December 1986 from parts made in the USA & Japan. No Chicom slave labor involved, & no fancy digital processor bullshit either. No clock, no buttons to push, a simple manual dial timer, & a list of suggested times for various atomic heating tasks. All that this simple non-consumer needs.

And "needs" is the operative word here, the above-mentioned circumstances being that the gas @ The House of Bouffant© was cut off by the oppressive forces of capitalism several weeks ago. Fuck 'em, though! Coffee warmer than tapwater is back! And melted cheese! And pizza! And anything else that a bachelor can nuke! Chili! Canadian beef stew from the 99¢ Only Store! Hot chocolate, to take the chill of 40ºF temperature & 70 mph winds away! Whoo!! Of course, were there any actual justice or karmic satisfaction, someone would have left a working devil-box w/ more memory, a more up to date OS & an ethernet card in our path, to replace the piece of ancient, slow shit we're currently using in lieu of the merely semi-ancient, able to use broadband devil-box whose hard drive died a week ago. Maybe we should start wandering the streets in search of one. Probably too late though, all the good ones will have been snatched up by now. Our wise cynicism remains unaffected.

Boxing Day Wrap Up: Dead Ex-Presidents

Today is Wednesday, December 26th, the 360th day of 2007.
There are five days left in the year. The seven-day African-American holiday Kwanzaa begins today. This is Boxing Day.
Today's Highlight in History:
In 2004, more than 280,000 people, mostly in southern Asia, were killed by a tsunami triggered by the world's most powerful earthquake in 40 years beneath the Indian Ocean.
On this date:
In 1776, the British suffered a major defeat in the Battle of Trenton during the Revolutionary War.
In 1799, former President Washington was eulogized by Colonel Henry Lee as "first in war, first in peace and first in the hearts of his countrymen."
In 1865, James H. Nason received a patent for a coffee percolator.
In 1917, during World War I, President Wilson issued a proclamation authorizing the government to take over operation of the nation's railroads.
In 1941, Winston Churchill became the first British prime minister to address a joint meeting of the U.S. Congress.
In 1944, during the World War II Battle of the Bulge, the embattled U.S. 101st Airborne Division in Bastogne, Belgium, was relieved by units of the 4th Armored Division.
In 1947, heavy snow blanketed the Northeast, burying New York City under 26.4 inches of snow in 16 hours; the severe weather was blamed for some 80 deaths.
In 1966, the first Kwanzaa was celebrated.
In 1972, the 33rd president of the United States, Harry S. Truman, died in Kansas City, Missouri, at age 88.
In 1985, zoologist Dian Fossey was found murdered in Rwanda. [Or on 27 December 1985. See above. 'Zup, AP? — Ed.]
In 1996, 6-year-old beauty queen JonBenet Ramsey was found beaten and strangled in the basement of her family's home in Boulder, Colorado. (To date, the slaying remains unsolved, despite a widely publicized "confession" by John Mark Karr.) [Also to date, the phrase "six-yr.-old beauty queen" gives us the willies. — Ed.]
Ten years ago: Badly battered South Korean financial markets surged after the International Monetary Fund and the Group of Seven countries agreed on 10 billion dollar emergency loans to Seoul.
Five years ago: It was announced that West Virginia resident Jack Whittaker had won the 314.9 million-dollar Powerball lottery jackpot, at that time a record prize. Israeli soldiers killed seven Palestinians in West Bank raids and reimposed a curfew on Bethlehem after briefly withdrawing over Christmas.
One year ago: Former President Gerald R. Ford, who took over the White House after Richard Nixon resigned over the Watergate scandal, died in Rancho Mirage, California, at age 93. Iraq's highest court rejected Saddam Hussein's appeal of his conviction and death sentence and said the former president should be hanged within 30 days. (Saddam was hanged on December 30th, 2006.)

Today's Birthdays:
Actor Richard Widmark is 93.[Aw-reet!! One of the last (maybe the only) remaining great movie actors of the post-WWII generation, & we didn't even know he was still on this mortal coil. As good a portrayer of the twisted cinematic psycho as anyone, he was also Sandy Koufax' father-in-law for a while. Hang in there, Dick, only seven yrs. to the big one-oh-oh! — Ed.]
Actor Donald Moffat is 77. Rhythm-and-blues singer Abdul "Duke" Fakir (The Four Tops) is 72. Record producer Phil Spector is 67. "America's Most Wanted" host John Walsh is 62. Country musician Bob Carpenter (The Nitty Gritty Dirt Band) is 61. Baseball Hall of Fame catcher Carlton Fisk is 60. Former baseball player Chris Chambliss is 59. Rock musician James Kottak (The Scorpions) is 45. Country musician Brian Westrum (Sons of the Desert) is 45. Rock musician Lars Ulrich (Metallica) is 44. Actress Nadia Dajani is 42.

And The Dead:
Frederick II, Holy Roman emperor (1194)
Thomas Gray, poet (1716)
Charles Babbage, mathematician (1791)
George Dewey, admiral (1837) ["Fire when ready, Gridley!" — Ed.]
Mao Zedong, founder, People's Republic of China (1893)
Steve Allen, comedian, actor, author (1921)

World of Entertainment:
In 1944, Tennessee Williams' play "The Glass Menagerie" was first performed publicly in Chicago.
In 1955, Decca Records released "See You Later, Alligator" by Bill Haley and the Comets.
In 1957, Elvis Presley got a temporary draft deferment so he could finish the movie "King Creole."
In 1957, the Ingmar Bergman film "Wild Strawberries," starring Victor Sjostrom, opened in Sweden.
In 1963, Capitol Records released the single "I Want to Hold Your Hand" by The Beatles, which became the band's first number one hit in the US.
In 1967, "Magical Mystery Tour," The Beatles' critically drubbed one-hour special, aired on BBC-1 television. [Fuck a bunch of critics! — Ed.]
In 1968, Led Zeppelin played its first U. S. show, opening for Vanilla Fudge.
In 1973, "The Exorcist" made its premiere nationwide.
In 1974, comedian Jack Benny died. He was 80. ["Oh Rochester! I'm dead!" — Ed.]
In 1999, musician Curtis Mayfield died outside Atlanta at the age of 57.

'Tis the Season

Actual Events of 25 December (No Mythology or Legendary Bullshit)

Today is Tuesday, December 25th, the 359th day of 2007. There are six days left in the year. This is Christmas Day. [No shit? — Ed.]
On this date:
In 336, the first recorded celebration of Christmas on December 25th took place in Rome.
In 1066, William the Conqueror was crowned king of England.
In 1776, General George Washington and his troops crossed the Delaware River for a surprise attack against Hessian forces at Trenton, New Jersey.
In 1868, President Andrew Johnson granted an unconditional pardon to all persons involved in the Southern rebellion that resulted in the Civil War. ["Southern rebellion." Har-de-har-har. — Ed.]
In 1926, Hirohito became emperor of Japan, succeeding his father, Emperor Yoshihito. (Hirohito was formally enthroned almost two years later.)
In 1941, during World War II, Japan announced the surrender of the British-Canadian garrison at Hong Kong.
In 1946, comedian W.C. Fields died in Pasadena, California, at age 66. [We don't believe he died in Pasadena. We think it was in the house later owned by Lily Tomlin in Laughlin Park, a gated community in Hollywood. And the AP can't get the age right either; see below. — Ed.]
In 1989, ousted Romanian President Nicolae Ceausescu and his wife, Elena, were executed following a popular uprising.
In 1991, Soviet President Mikhail S. Gorbachev went on television to announce his resignation as the eighth and final leader of a communist superpower that had already gone out of existence.
Ten years ago: Richard Bliss, a field technician for Qualcomm Incorporated accused of spying in Russia, arrived in San Diego after Russian authorities were persuaded to let him return home. Comedian Jerry Seinfeld announced plans to fold his highly successful NBC sitcom "Seinfeld" at the end of the current season.
Five years ago: Pope John Paul II delivered a Christmas message in which he said war had to be and could be avoided even in a world made fearful by terrorism. A major storm made for a white Christmas in parts of the U.S.; the severe weather ultimately was blamed for some two dozen deaths. Katie Hnida became the first woman to play in a Division I-A football game when she attempted an extra point following a New Mexico touchdown in the Las Vegas Bowl. (Hnida, a walk-on junior, had her kick blocked but by then she had already made history in the 27-13 loss to UCLA.)
One year ago: Pope Benedict XVI used his Christmas Day address to call for a peaceful resolution of conflicts worldwide and appealed for greater caring of [sic] the poor, the exploited and all who suffer.
Christmas Babies: Singer Tony Martin is 94. Actress Hanna Schygulla is 64. Rhythm-and-blues singer John Edwards (The Spinners) is 63. Actor Gary Sandy is 62. Singer Jimmy Buffett is 61. Football Hall-of-Famer Larry Csonka is 61. Country singer Barbara Mandrell is 59. Actress Sissy Spacek is 58. Actress CCH Pounder is 55. Singer Annie Lennox is 53. Reggae singer-musician Robin Campbell (UB40) is 53. Country singer Steve Wariner is 53. Singer Shane MacGowan is 50. Actress Klea Scott is 39. Rock musician Noel Hogan (The Cranberries) is 36. Singer Dido is 36.
Christmas Dead Babies: Clara Barton, American Red Cross founder (1821); Helena Rubinstein, cosmetics executive (1870); Maurice Utrillo, painter (1883); Conrad Hilton, hotelier (1887); Robert L. Ripley, cartoonist (1893); Humphrey Bogart, actor (1899); Cab Calloway, band leader (1907); Anwar al-Sadat, political leader, Egyptian president (1918).
Hollywood X-Mess:
In 1946, actor W.C. Fields died. He was 67. [How old? — Ed.]
In 1959, future Beatles drummer Ringo Starr got his first set of drums as a Christmas present. He was working as an apprentice engineer at the time.
In 1964, George Harrison's girlfriend, Patti Boyd, was attacked by jealous female fans at a Beatles show in London.
In 1968, singer-guitarist Eric Bloom joined Blue Öyster Cult.
In 1976, The Eagles' album "Hotel California" went platinum.
In 1977, comedian Charlie Chaplin died in Switzerland at age 88.
In 1978, Public Image Limited performed for the first time in London.
In 1981, the J. Geils Band performed a Christmas concert for the inmates at a correction center near Boston. A few days later, their "Freeze Frame" album went gold.
In 1991, Willie Nelson's 33-year-old son Billy was found dead at his home in suburban Nashville. A medical examiner ruled the death a suicide by hanging. "The Prince of Tides," directed by Barbra Streisand, opened nationwide.
In 1995, entertainer Dean Martin died of respiratory failure at his home in Beverly Hills, California. He was 78.
In 1998, guitarist Bryan MacLean of Love died of a heart attack in Los Angeles. He was 52.
In 1999, comedian Jerry Seinfeld married public relations executive Jessica Sklar in New York.
In 2006, James Brown, the "Godfather of Soul," died of heart failure in Atlanta, Georgia, at age 73.

HIstorical X-Mess Eve Rundown: Johnny Ace; Lemmy; & A Bad Day for The Doobie Brothers

Today is Monday, December 24th, the 358th day of 2007. There are seven days left in the year. This is Christmas Eve.
Today's Highlight in History:
In 1814, the War of 1812 officially ended as the United States and Britain signed the Treaty of Ghent in Belgium.
On this date:
In 1524, Portuguese navigator Vasco da Gama -- who had discovered a sea route around Africa to India -- died in Cochin, India.
In 1851, fire devastated the Library of Congress in Washington DC, destroying about 35,000 volumes.
In 1865, several veterans of the Confederate Army formed a private social club in Pulaski, Tennessee, called the Ku Klux Klan. [How'd that "private social club" turn out? — Ed.]
In 1943, President Roosevelt appointed General Dwight D. Eisenhower supreme commander of Allied forces as part of Operation Overlord. [Wasn't Operation Overlord the D-Day invasion? — Ed.]
In 1968, the Apollo 8 astronauts, orbiting the moon, read passages from the Old Testament Book of Genesis during a Christmas Eve television broadcast.
In 1980, Americans remembered the US hostages in Iran by burning candles or shining lights for 417 seconds, one second for each day of captivity.
Ten years ago: Ilich Ramirez Sanchez, the aging revolutionary known as "Carlos the Jackal," was sentenced by a French court to life in prison for the 1975 murders of two French investigators and a Lebanese national. Japanese actor Toshiro Mifune died in suburban Tokyo at age 77.
Five years ago: Laci Peterson was reported missing from her Modesto, California, home, by her husband, Scott, who was later convicted of murdering her and their unborn son. Saddam Hussein said in an address read on television that Iraqis were ready to fight a holy war against the United States. Chinese pro-democracy activist Xu Wenli was released from a prison in Beijing and flown to the United States.
One year ago: Ethiopia sent fighter jets into Somalia and bombed several towns in a dramatic attack on Somalia's powerful Islamic movement; Ethiopia's prime minister said his country had been "forced to enter a war." Broadcasting pioneer Frank Stanton, CBS president for 26 years, died in Boston at age 98.

Today's Birthdays:
Songwriter-bandleader Dave Bartholomew is 87. Author Mary Higgins Clark is 80. Federal health administrator Anthony S. Fauci is 67. Recording company executive Mike Curb is 63. Rock singer-musician Lemmy (Motorhead) is 62. Actress Stephanie Hodge is 51. The president of Afghanistan, Hamid Karzai, is 50. Rock musician Ian Burden (The Human League) is 50. Designer Kate Spade is 45. Rock singer Mary Ramsey (10,000 Maniacs) is 44. Actor Mark Valley is 43. Actor Diedrich Bader is 41. Singer Ricky Martin is 36. "American Idol" host Ryan Seacrest is 33. [Those last two: Gay or queer? — Ed.]

Dead People Who Came to Life on This Date:
James Prescott Joule, physicist (1818)
Juan Ramón Jiménez, lyric poet (1881)
Howard Hughes, business executive (1905)
Ava Gardner, actress (1922)
Show Biz on This Date:
In 1871, Giuseppe Verdi's opera "Aida" had its world premiere in Cairo, Egypt.
In 1920, Enrico Caruso gave his last public performance, singing Jacques Halevy's "La Juive" at the Metropolitan Opera in New York.
In 1951, Gian Carlo Menotti's "Amahl and the Night Visitors," the first opera written specifically for television, was first broadcast by NBC-TV.
In 1954, singer Johnny Ace shot himself and died while playing Russian roulette backstage at a show in Houston. His song "Pledging My Love" became a hit the next year.
In 1961, "The Lion Sleeps Tonight" by The Tokens became the first African song to reach number one on the American pop charts.
In 1965, The Beatles earned a gold record for the album "Rubber Soul," just two-and-a-half weeks after it was released.
In 1972, police in Miami cut short a concert by Manfred Mann and his Earth Band. Fans rioted for about two hours while the band members hid in a dressing room.
In 1973, Tom Johnston of the Doobie Brothers was arrested in Visalia, California, for marijuana possession.
In 1978, Bjorn Ulvaeus and Agnetha Faltskog of ABBA separated after seven years of marriage.
In 1984, actor Peter Lawford died. He was 61.
In 1990, actors Tom Cruise and Nicole Kidman got married in Colorado. They had met while filming "Days of Thunder." They've since divorced.
In 1992, former Doobie Brothers percussionist Bobby LaKind died after a long battle with cancer. He was 47.
In 1997, the Gin Blossoms announced their breakup.

It's Still Blogger's™ Fault!

No longer cropped, but remains offset to the left border. Screw you, Bugger™!!

It's Blogger's™ Fault!

Please excuse the header image being offset & cropped. The dimbulbs at Bugger™ have apparently screwed something up again, & are "looking into it," as they like to say. It's only been going on for a little over two wks., so we're sure the problem will be resolved by the spring thaw.

X-Mess Eve Eve

Today is Sunday, December 23rd, the 357th day of 2007. There are eight days left in the year.
Today's Highlight in History:
In 1823, the poem "Account of a Visit from St. Nicholas" was published anonymously in the Troy (New York) Sentinel; the verse, more popularly known as "`Twas the Night Before Christmas," was later widely attributed to Clement C. Moore.
On this date:
In 1783, George Washington resigned as commander-in-chief of the Continental Army and retired to his home at Mount Vernon, Virginia.
In 1805, Joseph Smith Junior, principal founder of the Mormon religious movement, was born in Sharon, Vermont.
In 1941, during World War II, American forces on Wake Island surrendered to the Japanese.
In 1947, scientists at Bell Laboratories in New Jersey demonstrated their just-invented point-contact transistor, which paved the way to a new era of miniaturized electronics.
In 1948, former Japanese premier Hideki Tojo and six other Japanese war leaders were executed in Tokyo.
In 1967, President Lyndon B. Johnson, on his way home from a visit to Southeast Asia, held an unprecedented meeting with Pope Paul VI at the Vatican.
In 1968, 82 crew members of the US intelligence ship Pueblo were released by North Korea, 11 months after they had been captured.
In 1986, the experimental airplane Voyager, piloted by Dick Rutan and Jeana Yeager, completed the first non-stop, non-refueled round-the-world flight as it landed safely at Edwards Air Force Base in California.
In 1987, Lynette "Squeaky" Fromme, serving a life sentence for the attempted assassination of President Ford in 1975, escaped from the Alderson Federal Prison for Women in West Virginia. (She was recaptured two days later.)
Ten years ago: A jury in Denver convicted Terry Nichols of involuntary manslaughter and conspiracy for his role in the Oklahoma City bombing, declining to find him guilty of murder. Woody Allen married Soon-Yi Previn in a small ceremony in Venice, Italy.
Five years ago: Senate Republicans unanimously elected Bill Frist to succeed Trent Lott as their leader in the next Congress. A passenger plane crashed in central Iran during a flight from Turkey, killing 45 people, mostly from Ukraine.
One year ago: The U.N. Security Council voted unanimously to impose sanctions on Iran for refusing to suspend uranium enrichment; Iran immediately rejected the resolution. Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert and Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas held the first Israeli-Palestinian summit in 22 months. California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger broke his leg while skiing with his family in Sun Valley, Idaho.

Today's Birthdays: Actor Gerald S. O'Loughlin is 86. Actor Ronnie Schell is 76. Emperor Akihito of Japan is 74. Actor Frederic Forrest is 71. Actor James Stacy is 71. Rock musician Jorma Kaukonen is 67. Rock musician Ron Bushy is 66. Actor-comedian Harry Shearer is 64. Actress Susan Lucci is 61. Singer-musician Adrian Belew is 58. Rock musician Dave Murray (Iron Maiden) is 51. Actress Joan Severance is 49. Rock singer Eddie Vedder (Pearl Jam) is 43. Actor Corey Haim is 36.

World of Show Biz:
In 1964, The Beach Boys made their first appearance on "Shindig!"
In 1967, the Rolling Stones album "Their Satanic Majesties Request" was released.
In 1969, Diana Ross began her final engagement with The Supremes in Las Vegas. The last show was a few weeks later. Ross was replaced with Jean Terrell.
In 1972, Grand Funk Railroad's rehearsal for a live album in New York was interrupted by former manager Terry Knight, two deputy sheriffs and an attorney. Knight had a court order giving him the right to seize one million dollars or equivalent assets, and he took the band's equipment after the show.

In 1982, actor Jack Webb died in West Hollywood, California. He was 62. He's probably best known for his role as Sergeant Joe Friday in TV's "Dragnet."
In 1985, two fans of Judas Priest shot themselves after listening to the band's "Stained Class" album. Raymond Belknap died instantly and James Vance died in 1988 after lapsing into a coma. In 1990, a judge decided Judas Priest did not place subliminal messages on the album. [If we ever had to listen to an entire Judas Priest album, suicide might be a viable option for us as well. — Ed.]
In 1997, Woody Allen married Soon-Yi Previn in a secret wedding in Venice, Italy.
In 2003, New York Governor George Pataki issued a pardon to comedian Lenny Bruce, 37 years after Bruce's death. Bruce was convicted of obscenity for using more than 100 words considered dirty during a concert in 1964.

A Day Behind In Our Nostalgia: "Nuts!"

Today is Saturday, December 22nd, the 356th day of 2007. There are 9 days left in the year. Today's Highlight in History: On December 22nd, 1944, during the Battle of the Bulge, U.S. Brigadier General Anthony C. McAuliffe rejected the Germans' demand that the Americans surrender Bastogne, writing "Nuts!" in his official reply. On this date: In 1772, Construction of the first schoolhouse west of the Allegheny Mountains was started in Schoenbrunn, Ohio, by Moravian missionaries. In 1775, Esek Hopkins was appointed the commander-in-chief of the Continental Navy. In 1807, Congress passed the Embargo Act, barring all US trade with foreign countries. In 1808, Ludwig van Beethoven's Symphony Number 5 in C Minor, Opus 67, and Symphony Number 6 in F Major, Opus 68 ("Pastoral") had their world premieres in Vienna, Austria. In 1864, during the Civil War, Union General William T. Sherman wrote a message to President Lincoln which said in part: "I beg to present you as a Christmas-gift the city of Savannah." In 1894, French army officer Alfred Dreyfus was convicted of treason in a court-martial that triggered worldwide charges of anti-Semitism. (Dreyfus was eventually vindicated.) ["J'accuse!" — Ed.] In 1963, an official 30-day mourning period following the assassination of President Kennedy came to an end. In 1977, three dozen people were killed when a 250-foot-high grain elevator at the Continental Grain Company plant in Westwego, Louisiana, exploded. In 1984, New York City resident Bernhard Goetz shot and wounded four youths on a Manhattan subway, claiming they were about to rob him. In 1989, Playwright Samuel Beckett died at age 83; Romanian dictator Nicolae Ceausescu was overthrown. In 2001, Richard C. Reid, a passenger on an American Airlines flight from Paris to Miami, tried to ignite explosives in his shoes, but was subdued by flight attendants and other passengers. (Reid is serving a life sentence in federal prison.) Ten years ago: During his visit to Bosnia, President Clinton thanked American troops and lectured the nation's three presidents to set aside their differences. Gunmen attacked an Indian village in southern Mexico, killing 45 people. Five years ago: A defiant North Korea said that it had begun removing U.N. seals and surveillance cameras from nuclear facilities that US officials said could yield weapons within months. Time magazine chose as its Persons of the Year for 2002 three female whistleblowers: FBI agent Coleen Rowley; WorldCom auditor Cynthia Cooper; and former Enron vice president Sherron Watkins. One year ago: Rape charges were dropped against three Duke University lacrosse players, but kidnapping and sexual offense charges remained. (Those charges were later dropped as well.) Space shuttle Discovery returned to Earth after a smooth, 13-day flight to rewire the international space station. Today's Birthdays: Former House Speaker Jim Wright is 85. Actor Hector Elizondo is 71. Country singer Red Steagall is 69. Baseball Hall of Famer Steve Carlton is 63. ABC News correspondent Diane Sawyer is 62. Rock singer-musician Rick Nielsen (Cheap Trick) is 61. Baseball All-Star Steve Garvey is 59. Singer Robin Gibb is 58. Golfer Jan Stephenson is 56. Actress BernNadette Stanis is 54. Rapper Luther Campbell is 47. Country singer-musician Chuck Mead (BR549) is 47. Actor Ralph Fiennes is 45. Actress Lauralee Bell is 39. Country singer Lori McKenna is 39. Actress Dina Meyer is 39. Actress Heather Donahue is 33. The Less Lively Born on This Date: James Oglethorpe, founder of the American colony of Georgia (1696) Thomas Wentworth Higginson, abolitionist (1823) Giacomo Puccini, opera composer (1858) Connie Mack, baseball player and manager (1862) Edwin Arlington Robinson, poet (1869) Dame Peggy Ashcroft, actress (1907) Lady Bird Johnson, businessperson, wife of Lyndon Johnson (1912) Show Biz Today: In 1969, John Lennon and Yoko Ono met for an hour with Canada's prime minister. Earlier that day, they had met with Canada's minister of health to discuss drug abuse. In 1973, Stephen Stills lost a paternity suit brought on by a Mill Valley, California, woman. The child had been born about two years earlier. In 1976, singer Isaac Hayes declared bankruptcy. In 1978, Kenney Jones became the drummer for The Who, replacing Keith Moon, who had died four months earlier. In 1979, the first of four "Concerts for the People of Kampuchea" was held in London. Performers included The Clash, Paul McCartney, The Pretenders and The Who. In 1983, actors Parker Stevenson and Kirstie Alley got married. They have since split up. In 1988, Morissey performed for the first time as a solo act in England. In 1990, Pearl Jam performed for the first time together, under the name Mookie Blaylock, as the opening act for Alice In Chains in Seattle. In 1995, actress Butterfly McQueen died of burns suffered when her house outside Augusta, Georgia, caught on fire. She was 84. She's probably best known for playing Prissy in "Gone With The Wind." In 1997, actress Hunter Tylo, whose pregnancy got her fired from TV's "Melrose Place," was awarded 4.9 million dollars by jurors who agreed she'd been wrongfully terminated. In 2000, Madonna married Guy Ritchie at a church in Scotland. In 2002, Joe Strummer, lead singer of the legendary British punk band The Clash, died of sudden cardiac arrest at his home in Broomfield, England, at age 50. [Our birthday tribute to Joe here. — Ed.]

Yuletide Birthday

Today marks the 85th anniversary of the birth of Just Another Blog (From L. A.)'s™ immediate male ancestor (No digital photo available; given names: William Otto; last name withheld to allow this web log to continue to make idle threats w/ impunity). He might still be alive today if he hadn't pulled a rather dumb stunt. Imagine living through the Pearl Harbor attack, being held under house arrest for a week by Marxist revolutionaries in Yemen in 1962, & then going out in a blaze of stupidity like this. And as the son of proverbially dirt-poor Texas farmers, having his birthday this close to Christmas didn't mean an extra joyous time of year, it meant one gift for both occasions. Happy Fucking Birthday & Merry Fucking Christmas to all.

Winter's Here

Solstice occurred @ 1008 PST.

FZ 67 Today (Not!)

Frank Zappa Guitarist/Producer/Composer
Born: 21 December 1940
Died: 4 December 1993 (prostate cancer)
Birthplace: Baltimore, Maryland
Best known as: Iconoclastic rocker
Guitarist Frank Zappa was also a production wizard whose early work with The Mothers of Invention displayed terrific musical knowledge and an outrageous sense of humor. His foul and funny lyrics were consciously crass, earning him cult status though at times masking the complexity of his compositions. After dozens of solo albums, including Weasels Ripped My Flesh, Apostrophe and Shut Up 'N Play Yer Guitar, Zappa went from being an underground rock star to being a highly regarded -- if not widely appreciated -- composer. He died in 1993.
Extra credit: After Václav Havel was elected president of Czechoslovakia in 1989, he asked Frank to take a position in the ministry of culture.

Most awful part of the whole thing: If he'd been diagnosed in time, he might still be among us today. Yet a guy w/ plenty of money & access to celebrity medical care still died of a relatively treatable form of cancer, while a shithead like Giuliani gets it & survives. Fuck!!! Someone should've made him give up the Winstons™.

Other dead people born on this date:
Benjamin Disraeli, statesman (1804)
Henrietta Szold, Zionist leader (1860)
Joseph Stalin, Soviet Communist leader (1879)
Dame Rebecca West, novelist and critic (1892)
Josh Gibson, baseball player (1911)

A Brief Explanation

2007 has been a crummy yr. for the cast & crew here @ Just Another Blog (From L. A.)™, to put it mildly. The latest injury to our dignity is the apparent death of the primary devil-box here @ the House of Bouffant©, resulting in our downgrading to the devil-box inherited from our most recent ex-girlfriend's late brother, which he purchased from the Goodwill, who rec'd. it as a donation from Paramount Studios. No ethernet connection (back to dial-up, baby) & Windows 98. So don't hold your breath waiting for a whole lot of posting here. And we were really going to go to town w/ a War on Christmas, but our WoC photos are on the dead devil-box. And it'll take two eternities to find & download anything new w/ dial-up.

A Day Late & A Dollar Short

Today is Friday, December 21st, the 355th day of 2007. There are 10 days left in the year.
Today's Highlight in History:
On December 21st, 1620, Pilgrims aboard the Mayflower went ashore for the first time at present-day Plymouth, Massachusetts. [Including Just Another Blog's™ alleged ancestor, Gov. Bradford. — Ed.]
On this date:
In 1804, British statesman Benjamin Disraeli was born in London.
In 1891, the first basketball game, invented at Springfield College in Massachusetts by James E. Naismith, was played.
In 1898, Pierre and Marie Curie discovered radium.
In 1913, the first crossword puzzle was printed in the New York World.
In 1945, General George S. Patton died in Heidelberg, Germany, of injuries from a car accident.
In 1948, the state of Eire, or Ireland (formerly the Irish Free State), passed an act declaring itself a republic.
In 1967, the comedy-drama "The Graduate," starring Dustin Hoffman and Anne Bancroft, was released.
In 1968, Apollo 8 was launched on a mission to orbit the moon.
In 1971, the U.N. Security Council chose Kurt Waldheim to succeed U Thant as Secretary-General.
In 1976, the Liberian-registered tanker Argo Merchant broke apart near Nantucket Island almost a week after running aground, spilling 7 1/2 millions of gallons of oil into the North Atlantic.
In 1987, in New York, three white teen-agers from the Howard Beach section of Queens were convicted of manslaughter in the death of a black man who was chased onto a highway, where he was struck by a car; a fourth defendant was acquitted.
In 1988, 270 people were killed when a terrorist bomb exploded aboard a Pam Am Boeing 747 over Lockerbie, Scotland, sending wreckage crashing to the ground.
Ten years ago: President Clinton, accompanied by his wife and daughter, left for Bosnia to spread holiday cheer and to carry the news that he wanted U.S. troops to remain there indefinitely as the region recovered from its devastating war.
Five years ago: A military helicopter crash in Afghanistan killed seven German peacekeepers who were on board and two children on the ground; a US soldier was killed in combat. President Bush received a smallpox vaccination, fulfilling a promise he'd made when he ordered inoculations for about a-half million US troops.
One year ago: At Camp Pendleton, California, four Marines were charged with murder in the killings of 24 Iraqi civilians in Haditha; four Marine officers were accused of failures in investigating and reporting the deaths. (Charges were later dropped against two of the Marines accused of murder, and two of the officers accused of dereliction of duty.) Final results showed opponents of Iran's ultra-conservative president, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, winning nationwide elections for local councils.

Today's Birthdays: Actor Ed Nelson is 79. Talk show host Phil Donahue is 72. Movie director John Avildsen is 72. Actress Jane Fonda is 70. Singer Carla Thomas is 65. Musician Albert Lee is 64. Conductor Michael Tilson Thomas is 63. Actor Samuel L. Jackson is 59. Movie producer Jeffrey Katzenberg is 57. Singer Betty Wright is 54. Tennis star Chris Evert is 53. Actress Jane Kaczmarek is 52. Country singer Lee Roy Parnell is 51. Entertainer Jim Rose is 51. Actor-comedian Ray Romano is 50. Country singer Christy Forester (The Forester Sisters) is 45. Rock musician Murph (Dinosaur Jr.) is 43. Actor-comedian Andy Dick is 42. Rock musician Gabrielle Glaser is 42. Actor Kiefer Sutherland is 41. Actress Karri Turner ("JAG") is 41. Actress Khrystyne Haje is 39. Actress Julie Delpy is 38. Singer-musician Brett Scallions is 36.

"Entertainment:"
In 1933, five-year-old Shirley Temple signed a movie contract with Fox. Her age was later changed to make her appear a year younger.
In 1937, the first feature-length animated cartoon in Technicolor, Walt Disney's "Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs," had its world premiere in Los Angeles.
In 1964, the book "Ode to a High-Flying Bird" by Rolling Stones drummer Charlie Watts was published. It was a tribute to jazz great Charlie (Bird) Parker.
In 1968, Janis Joplin made her first appearance after leaving Big Brother and the Holding Company. She performed in Memphis at the second annual "Yuletide Thing" event sponsored by Stax-Volt Records.
Also in 1968, Crosby, Stills and Nash performed together for the first time. [P. U. — Ed.]
In 1970, Elvis Presley paid a visit to President Nixon at the White House.
In 1979, Chicago, The Eagles and Linda Ronstadt played the first of two concerts to raise campaign money for California governor Jerry Brown, Ronstadt's then-boyfriend.
In 1991, actress Jane Fonda married broadcasting executive Ted Turner on his ranch in Florida. It was her 54th birthday. They've since split up.
In 1992, bluesman Albert King died at a Tennessee hospital at the age of 69. He had fallen into a coma after suffering a heart attack.
In 1996, singer Tony Bennett was rushed to a hospital in Washington after his hernia erupted while visiting the White House for a holiday dinner. He had to have emergency surgery but recovered without problems; singer Lionel Richie married former dancer and fashion designer Diane Alexander in New York.
In 2005, Elton John and his longtime partner, David Furnish, held a civil union ceremony in Windsor, England, the first day that same-sex partnerships became legal in Britain.

This Date Is a Good Date to Die

Today is Thursday, December 20th, the 354th day of 2007. There are 11 days left in the year. Today's Highlight in History: On December 20th, 1803, the Louisiana Purchase was completed as ownership of the territory was formally transferred from France to the United States during ceremonies in New Orleans. [Have something a couple hundred yrs., & you just don't take care of it like you used to. — Ed.] On this date: In 1790, the first successful cotton mill in the United States began operating at Pawtucket, Rhode Island. In 1860, South Carolina became the first state to secede from the Union. In 1864, Confederate forces evacuated Savannah, Georgia, as Union General William T. Sherman continued his "March to the Sea." In 1879, Thomas Edison privately demonstrated his incandescent light at Menlo Park, N.J. [And now they're about to be outlawed. — Ed.] In 1945, the Office of Price Administration announced the end of tire rationing, effective January 1st, 1946. In 1963, the Berlin Wall was opened for the first time to West Berliners, who were allowed one-day visits to relatives in the Eastern sector for the holidays. In 1968, author John Steinbeck died in New York at age 66. In 1976, Chicago Mayor Richard J. Daley died at age 74. In 1978, former White House chief of staff H.R. Haldeman was released from prison after serving 18 months for his role in the Watergate cover-up. In 1987, more than 4,300 people were killed when the Dona Paz, a Philippine passenger ship, collided with the tanker Vector off Mindoro island. [That's a lot of people. Typo? — Ed.] In 1989, the United States launched Operation Just Cause, sending troops into Panama to topple the government of General Manuel Noriega. In 1994, former Secretary of State Dean Rusk died at age 85. In 1996, astronomer Carl Sagan died at age 62. Ten years ago: President Nelson Mandela stepped down as leader of South Africa's governing African National Congress. Pope John Paul II sent Christmas greetings to the Cuban people in advance of his visit to the island. In 1999, the Vermont Supreme Court ruled that homosexual couples were entitled to the same benefits and protections as wedded couples. Five years ago: Trent Lott resigned as Senate Republican leader two weeks after igniting a political firestorm with racially charged remarks. The nation's ten biggest brokerages agreed to pay 1.44 billion dollars and fundamentally change the way they did business to settle allegations they'd misled investors by hyping certain companies' stocks. Ted Williams' eldest daughter, Bobby-Jo Williams Ferrell, dropped her objections to her siblings' decision to have the Hall of Famer's body frozen at a cryonics lab in Arizona. n 2005, a federal judge ruled that "intelligent design" could not be mentioned in biology classes in a Pennsylvania public school district. One year ago: Acknowledging deepening frustration over Iraq, President Bush told a news conference he was considering an increase in American forces and warned that the next year would bring more painful U.S. losses. Recently sworn-in Defense Secretary Robert Gates made an unannounced visit to Iraq. Today's Birthdays: Actress Audrey Totter is 90. Comedian Charlie Callas is 80. Actor John Hillerman is 75. Rock musician-music producer Bobby Colomby is 63. Rock musician Peter Criss is 62. Psychic/illusionist Uri Geller is 61. Producer Dick Wolf ("Law & Order") is 61. Rock musician Alan Parsons is 58. Actress Jenny Agutter is 55. Rock singer Billy Bragg is 50. Rock singer-musician Mike Watt is 50. Born On This Date & Later Died: Harvey Samuel Firestone, industrialist (1868) Branch Rickey, baseball executive; integrated the major leagues by signing (1945) Jackie Robinson to a contract with the Brooklyn Dodgers. (1881) Hazel Hotchkiss Wightman, athlete (1886) Susanne K. Langer, philosopher (1895) Sidney Hook, philosopher (1902) Show Bidness History: In 1946, the Frank Capra film "It's A Wonderful Life" had a preview showing for charity at New York City's Globe Theatre, a day before its official premiere. In 1958, George Harrison, Paul McCartney and John Lennon performed as The Quarrymen at the wedding reception of Harrison's brother, Harry. [Back to Beatle action. — Ed.] In 1967, singer Ian Anderson and bassist Glenn Cornick formed Jethro Tull. Also in 1967, singer Jimmy Rodgers was beaten during a roadside attack in Los Angeles. He had to have three brain operations and had a steel plate put into his skull. In 1973, singer Bobby Darin died during open heart surgery. He was 37. In 1975, former James Gang member Joe Walsh joined The Eagles. He replaced Bernie Leadon, who left The Eagles for a solo career. In 1981, the musical "Dreamgirls," which was loosely based on the career of Diana Ross and the Supremes, premiered on Broadway. In 1986, Randy Travis joined the Grand Ole Opry. In 1995, the members of The Drifters were forbidden to leave Guyana after a series of concerts. They owed about $4,000 in entertainment taxes. In 2006, Eminem and Kim Mathers were divorced for a second time. They had first married in 1999 and divorced in 2001. They remarried in January 2006 and he field [sic]for divorce again that April.

Another One Bites The Dust

One of the Republican also-rans/Don Quixotes (Oops, bad choice, Spanish & all that, sorry, Tank.) Tom Tancredo, has finally had a talk w/ his wife, or someone, & realized that he'll be lucky to get nominated in the Colorado Senate primary in two yrs. if he spends all his time between now & then grubbing for money & sucking up to county party chairs or whatever it is one does to "position" oneself for a Senate primary. Good luck, "Tank," we only wish you'd stuck it out a little longer. We'd like to have seen what kind of adverts you'd've run when you got really desperate. Not that you aren't pretty desperate to have attempted a presidential run on a modified Ku Klux Klan style "Furriners 'n terrists is skrewin' everthin' up!" platform in the first place. Fighting among the remaining Republican sacrifices over the 50 to 100 minutemen (pronounced "my-noot") who were supporting Tommy Boy commences Thurs. after the big announcement.

Paul & His 'Tards

Ron Paul is at it again. Rather than make any sort of statement by actually turning down a campaign donation from "white nationalist" Don Black, Dr. Ron's flunky says:

"Dr. Paul stands for freedom, peace, prosperity and inalienable rights. If someone with small ideologies happens to contribute money to Ron, thinking he can influence Ron in any way, he's wasted his money," Paul spokesman Jesse Benton said. "Ron is going to take the money and try to spread the message of freedom."

Including, of course, the "inalienable right" to discriminate against people based not on behavior/actions but skin color, accent, ethnicity & so on. After all, it's a businessman's business, & he should be able to do anything he wants w/ it. Anything at all. It's his. A certain point is made by the flunky:

"And that's $500 less that this guy has to do whatever it is that he does," Benton added.

We'd still be more convinced of the Doctor's commitment to those "inalienable rights" were he to make a stand (& some noise) about how he's just not interested in money from "White Patriots." But we all know that the true libertarian commitment is to the "liberty" to get as much money, gold, arms & arable farmland as they can, by any means necessary, before their libertarian policies result in societal reversion to the feudalism under which they all think they'd do better. Natural law, survival of the fittest, & so on. As if some fuckwad of a computer consultant/electrical engineer/gamer in a clip-on tie & short-sleeved dress shirt will last five minutes in their version of the "New World Order." Pimps & Twits for Paul In other action on the Paul front, insufferable little twit & frozen food fortune step-heir Tucker Swanson McNear Carlson's "good friend," brothel owner/pimp Dennis Hof, of the Moonlite BunnyRanch, is impressed by Dr. P., & is "raising money for him."

"I'll get all the (working girls) together, and we can raise him some money," Hof told the Reno Gazette-Journal. "I'll put up a collection box outside the door. They can drop in $1, $5 contributions." [...] Paul spokesman Jeff Greenspan said Paul is a diehard supporter of states rights and an ardent libertarian who wants to return the purview of the federal government to what is articulated in the U.S. Constitution. Paul also is a devout Christian who opposes abortion. "On a personal basis, he doesn't condone those things," Greenspan said of prostitution. "At the same time, from his campaign perspective, it's not the role of federal government and it's not in the constitution for federal government to regulate these things."

Umm-hmm. So what's the deal on, say, gay marriage? Will a marriage in one state be honored/respected in a state that doesn't allow it? Isn't that one of those constitutional thingies? And what constitutional amendments might the Dr. favor? As to the insufferable twit™:

Hof was accompanied to the Paul news conference by television news personality Tucker Carlson, who is traveling with Paul for a magazine article he is writing. "Dennis Hof is a good friend of mine, so when we got to Nevada, I decided to call him up and see if he wanted to come check this guy out," said Carlson, who hosts the show "Tucker" on MSNBC.

Isn't that nice? Do you think Tucker would like any of his daughters to work for his "good friend" Mr. Hof? Hell, we'd give up our hippie free love ethos for an hour & pay for it if it were one of Tuck's spawn. Yes, we'll wait 'til she's eighteen. While it's one thing for Rep. Paul to accept money (w/ faint condemnation)from "White Patriots," which may take some funds away from whatever patriotic white activities they're up to, but it's a bit different to accept it from "working girls" & their pimp, whose money comes directly from activities Doc P. "doesn't condone." Although it's not clear how much of the pimp's own profits on the backs of the "working girls" will be going to the campaign. Sounded like he'd be getting the money straight from the prostitutes & the collection box. Will the not so good but "morally neutral" Doctor be accepting money from (illegal) drug-dealing profits next?

Nora: Kitten on the Keys

We suspect catnip.

Marcus the Cat vs. The Hard Copy

We at Just Another Blog™ wish that the staff feline, Lillie, would do something this amusing. Yes, we are easily amused. From Hattie's Web, sent to her by Bonnie. (What the hell is "Hattie" short for, anyway?)

No Doubt About It: Ron Paul Is a Geek

Besides his having two first names, and his fetishization of a document written by rich landowners to preserve their wealth by denying liberty (to which they paid so much lip service) to those they held as slaves, there may have been some question as to just how much of a geek Dr. Paul is. Now we have photographic evidence. Let's face it, only a complete nerd sports a tie w/ a short-sleeved shirt. Too hot for long sleeves? Then it's too hot for a tie. 'Though the lack of oxygen to the brain imposed on the typical necktie wearer may explain some of Gold Standard Ron's goofier ideas.

Winehouse Bust

No, not topless pix, yes, the headline's deceptive (OK, it's just a title, we know) but Amy Winehouse was recently arrested in London. On a technicality. Something to do w/ the English legal system, we assume.

"She attended a police station voluntarily and at a pre-agreed time," the statement said. "She was arrested but that is common practice for someone being interviewed by police."

See? Then they let her go, & she has to be back in March. Something to do w/ her husband's case, involving

"perverting the course of justice" stemming from a case in which he is accused of assaulting a barman in June.

That's her hubby's name, "Blake," above the pocket flap under her left strap.