James Franco

"it's like God's vagina"...

Friday Random Ten (Final blizzard of the season edition)

Pick Me Up On Your Way Down -- Patsy Cline
Living For The City -- Stevie Wonder
Oh What A Night -- Wyclef Jean
Loss Leaders -- Spoon
Une Annee Sans Lumiere -- Arcade Fire
Italian Guy -- Cake
Somethings Gone Wrong Again -- The Buzzcocks
Dry River -- The Knitters
Hell -- Foo Fighters
Begin The Beguine -- Tony Bennet

Bonus (Spring is 4 weeks away) cut:


Nutted By Reality -- Nick Lowe

Dr. West

Saw this last year and loved it so I'm teeing it up again. Look to the wisdom of the good Doctor, Mr. President and bear witness.

E.J. Dionne

This column is exactly why I hate the notion of bi-partisanship.

On the night of Obama's election in 2008, we had several friends (some with their children) over to celebrate.

I, having only been under-employed for a year at that time, came home from working at the Bd. of Elections just in time to hear the networks call the race as going to Obama.

Jubilation erupted.

Once the shouting was over and John McCain came on the telly for his concession speech, one of the younger kids said something mildly snarky about the other side losing. She was kindly, but quickly, taken to task by her mom for being unsportsmanlike and reminded that we're all in this together and that working with one another is an important component of civility.

Fuck that.

The reason that the Tea Party and their ilk continue to always win the day as it relates to the national dialogue is because we allow it. For two years now, the Left has deferred, cajoled, sat-by and molly coddled these mouth breathers under the ridiculous notion of bi-partisanship.

Until we crush them with nothing short of scorched earth tactics and outright hate and revolution, we will continue to have our asses handed to us.

So let's get going folks before (2012) it's too late. Fuck the Right and everything they hold dear. If your friends, neighbors, parents, siblings, etc. have any Right leaning observations, insights or inclinations, punch them swiftly in the throat and move on. No fraternization or comity.

Crush these Fuckwits for good.

Bargaining

Isn't "bargaining" number three in Elizabeth Kubler-Ross' five steps to grief acceptance? Yeah, I though so.

Anyway, I was thinking yesterday: What, if any, is the correlation between States which allow collective bargaining and their rating of educational efficacy? I shopped around and found a map over at Josh Marshall's joint of States where bargaining is represented.

Then, I found a list ranking States as they rate in educational excellence.

Beyond a kind of relationship between the whole red state/blue state meme, there are some telling observations to be drawn.

Huh, who would have thunk it?...

Right Wing Noise Machine

Now that dissing collective bargaining is all the rage over in Wingnuttia, I figured it was only a matter of time before someone amassed all the whys and wherefores of the opposition by the right.

Well here it is from that leftist rag, The Village Voice.

This is what we're up against folks, and they're not going away anytime soon.

Obit for the Right

Frank Rich says the death knell for the G.O.P. is at hand. Would it were the case, I'd be ever so pleased to kick up my heels in delight, but alas, I'm thinking that he may be a tad premature.

Time will tell, but if these kinds of trends continue, that flee to freedom in Ontario for me and the Blonde might have to be delayed a year or two. Fingers crossed.

2011- A Space Oddity

Look Dave, I can see you're really upset about this. I honestly think you ought to sit down calmly, take a stress pill, and think things over.

When Ken Jennings stated the other night on the Watson/Human showdown on Jeopardy, “I, for one, welcome our new computer overlords", I winced a little at his joke.

While there are many cool and interesting applications for this brand of machine intelligence, it has its dark side as well. Why, for instance, do folks get all hinchy when any mention of human or animal cloning comes up, yet an artificial intelligence device is viewed as harmless and cute. Just sayin'.

This kind of machine has some very far reaching implications on history, science and the origins of free thought. I'm not saying that it is H.A.L., but it's hardly an insignificant toy.

The potential for this brand of AI is massive. Can you say Military Industrial Complex. Yeah, I thought that you could.

Friday Random Ten

Our Generation -- John Legend & The Roots
Satellite -- Elvis Costello
Hey Cool Kid -- Cloud Nothings
Everything Is Average Nowadays -- Kaiser Chiefs
Bring Back The Funk -- Paul Weller
If This Is Goodbye -- Mark Knopfler & Emmylou Harris
Young Pilgrims -- The Shins
California Dreamin' -- The Mamas & The Papas
Take #52 -- John Doe
Time I Took A Holiday -- Nick Lowe

Bonus late Winter thaw cut:


Yours And Mine -- Fountains Of Wayne
(it's Book Review and Face The Nation time)

Uncle Leo

It's all Leo, all the time.

The Right Wing

Let's be clear; I have a very passionate distaste for the Right Wing Media tools in our country.

Yesterday, in the matter of an hour or so, I heard El Rushbo, Hannity, Stuart Varney and Glenn Beck all insinuate that Lara Logan got what was coming to her for being a pretty girl in a crazy mob of Egyptians, but wait, there's more.

They also used her horrible gang rape attack as fodder that "they hate our freedoms" and this is the backlash for the US pro Israeli stance.

RUSH: Well, the Muslim Brotherhood, it is suspected, is behind this. Certainly it was members of the crowd. It was the Egyptian military and a bunch of women who saved her.

CALLER: Well, I can believe that. And these are the people that Obama's backing, this Muslim Brotherhood? I mean, come on, I mean why isn't there -- I don't understand, you know, Rosie O'Donnell, Whoopi Goldberg, and Oprah Winfrey are constantly talking about women's rights in the Middle East and one of our own gets sexually assaulted over there.

RUSH: Look, okay, you're forcing me into this. You're forcing me into this. To report widely on this totally destroys the narrative they've set up about this is that Obama is responsible for all of the wonderful things that happened in that square to get rid of Mubarak. Obama owns the mob. They were running around asking the members of the crowd, "What do you think of Obama? What is your message for Obama?" So they set this thing up as this is a freedom-loving bunch, a bunch that's oriented toward freedom and democracy. Well, this doesn't fit the template. It just doesn't fit the template of who the people in the crowd were. So it's gotta sorta be downplayed a little bit.

This is really beyond the pale yet time and again they get away with such hate speech and it's truly ironic that these monsters are all of a sudden compassionate to their sworn enemy, CBS News.

Here are some other reactions to the attack from lesser players.

Here's hoping Lara Logan recovers from her assailants of every stripe.

The Rude One

The Rude Pundit. One funny mutha.

Wisconsin is like, so totally, the new Egypt.

The Myth of Privatization

Newly elected Head Goober of Ohio, John Kasich, has roundly suggested that privatizing the Ohio Turnpike is a win-win for everyone involved.

Not so, says Bob. Just ask the yet to be born children of greater Chicagoland.

Read it and weep fellow proles.

Bob Herbert

Last post of the evening. More doom and gloom. We're a fake diorama of a nation.

Old Man Shearing

A major loss today in the form of George Shearing's passing. A giant of cool and smooth sounds. RIP.

Peter Gabriel

Happy 60th Birthday, Peter Gabriel!

Slippery Slope

Devo - Whip It
It can happen to anyone, anywhere, anytime. We're all DEVO now, Bob.

Friday Random Ten

A Dreamer's Holiday -- Leon Redbone
Debra -- Beck
Lines In The Suit -- Spoon
My Romance -- Bob Conti
Psychotic Girl -- The Black Keys
Starting A New Life -- Van Morrison*
Mailman Bring Me No More Blues -- Buddy Holly
Biker -- The Pretenders
Down To The River To Pray -- Alison Krauss
Somedays -- Audioslave

Bonus cost of living cut:

Fifty-Fifty -- Frank Zappa & The Mothers



*if Van says it's so, it must be true.

Worlds colliding

I love it when a plan comes together.

Gabba gabba hey

I found this little ditty over at Citizen Dick's place

This is the End

Sarah Palin Media Addict from Gina Gershon

Gina Gershon on Palin. It is teh funny.

Bob Herbert

Bob Herbert tries yet again to steer the debate back to the larger problem of both unemployment and underemployment in these United States.

Me?...I'm the bloody poster child for this topic.

I worked six different jobs in 2010 and will emerge a whopping $14K richer for it. I'm fairly convinced that I will never again have a decent paying job. Never.

Totally Swiss

What a terrific piece of news that came across the wire last week. Looks like Chimpy has to stay home in Texas and play with the Joker instead of touring Old Yurp.

Fuckstick.

A mighty tome

Well, there goes another notch on the evolutionary ladder.

I usually avoid any mention of breeder Bristol and the entire Palin clan as best I can, but this one caught my eye.

It would appear that Snowbilly grifter's daughter has optioned a book to be authored by her. Also.

Idiocracy

Rachel and Chris Hayes yukking it up over at MSNBC. Too bad I'm laughing through my tears.

Reagasm

My first advice to everyone would be to keep the television turned off this weekend to avoid the treacly spooge that will be oozing from your big screen to celebrate all things Reagan.

If that isn't an option for you football fans due to the Super Bowl, just bear in mind that Ronald Reagan did this...to you and me.

Chinese Rocks

Smart guy whippersnapper, Matt Yglesias, reckons China is doing the right thing by building this mega city thingy of theirs. I heartily agree.

Here in the US, we'd unfortunately rather opt to throw our money away on dumb ass ideas like this to save the nation's financial well being. Sigh.

Friday Random Ten

Jah Is Mighty -- Bob Marley
Voices Inside My Head -- The Police
Future Pt. 1 -- Voxtrot
C'mon, C'mon -- The Von Bondies
The Call Of The Wreckin' Ball --X
Pretty Girls -- Neko Case
Where Is Bobbie Gentry -- Jill Sobule
Story Of My Life -- Loretta Lynn
Concerto Grosso #12 in B Minor -- Handel's Water Music
Mind's Eye -- Wolfmother

Bonus (6 more weeks of Winter) cut:

Shine -- John Legend and The Roots

GlennBeckistan

Andrew Sullivan, with whom I occasionally agree, has a nice post with an embedded clip of Beck's current video rant about Egypt and the Middle East.

I know it can grow tiresome that anyone is paying attention to Beck's show, but keep in mind, his weekly viewership, while down of late, is still of immense proportions.

An estimated 20 millions seniors watch his carnival hustler schtick weekly on Ailes' network. That's a lot of old folks who think that they are getting truths while actually being funnel fed large steaming heaps of fabricated junk.

Try to watch the clip if you can. Better yet, try to follow his entirely non-linear reasoning and come away with a remotely formed thesis. Trust me, it's not there. What's important here is that many people are inhaling this drivel as gospel and that's a very scary notion.

The Blonde's sister in FL sent her a great tee shirt this week as a belated Xmas gift. The shirt read, "Canada...it's looking better all time".

Amen to that.

Juan Cole

One need look no further than the good doctor in Ann Arbor for quality updates on the situation in Egypt. What a time we live in...

Spoon

Spoon | Black Like Me | A Take Away Show from La Blogotheque on Vimeo.

Mr. Benton is correct, these Spoon videos are cool. Here's one of my favorite songs of theirs. Britt's voice is in fine form on this one...