This is the End

The end of an era. So long, Frank. We'll see you over at the New Yorker.

Godzilla

Listen, I am in no way being irreverent about the horrible events of this week in Japan, but isn't a nuclear meltdown exactly how Godzilla was created?

And I quote from Wikipedia...Although his origins vary somewhat from film to film, he is always described as a prehistoric creature, who first appeared and attacked Japan at the beginning of the Atomic Age. In particular, mutation due to atomic radiation is presented as an explanation for his size and powers. The most notable of Godzilla's resulting abilities is his atomic breath: a powerful heat ray of fire from his mouth.

Just sayin'.

UPDATE: My friends over at the Grey Lady providing a little cover for my wacky opinions this weekend.

Devastating tsunami hits Japan

Wow. Just amazing footage.

Friday Random Ten (WTF Edition)

Looks like I was a tad pre-emptive regarding my prognostication that we had ended the blizzard season for 2011. There's a solid 10" on the ground (that's what she said) and it's still snowing!

To the Ten!

The High Road -- Broken Bells
Take A Message To Mary -- Rockpile
The Book I Read -- Talking Heads
Trapped In A Box -- No Doubt
Living Through Another Cuba -- XTC
Lucevan Le Stelle (La Bohème) -- Puccini
Words So Leisured -- Franz Ferdinand
Force Of Nature -- Pearl Jam
I Am A Man Of Constant Sorrow -- The Soggy Bottom Boys
Things Are Going To Change -- Ray Davies

Bonus Spring begins next week cut...

Here 'Tis -- Ramsey Lewis

David Broder

Dead at 81. Matlock!

The Quadafi Look

Mr. Fish on Libya's current tyrant.

GlennBeckistan

Looks like Nostradumbass' ratings are taking a dive over on Faux News.

That's a shame.

Frank Chirkinian

A name undoubtedly unknown to many of you out there in bloggy-blog land. However, to those of us who have not only played golf for decades but also watch the silly game on t.v., Frank Chirkinian was an epic force in broadcast history.

He was frequently portrayed as a colossal prick, but I suspect his demeanor was a front. His passion for the game was his greatest trait.

Newt Rules

Gosh, I love Bill Maher.

Friday Random Ten (early Thursday night edition)

Blue Black Jack -- Mos Def
Hymn To Her -- The Pretenders
This -- Brian Eno
There She Goes -- Bob Marley
Blind Love -- Tom Waits
Human Rocket -- Devo
Memories Are Made Of This -- Dean Martin
She's Got Soul -- Nick Lowe
U Can't Touch This -- MC Hammer
Tired Of Waiting For You -- The Kinks

Bonus cut:

Man -- Yeah Yeah Yeahs

I'm a loser, baby...

...so why don't you kill me? Hey, quit chortling out there, you're a loser too. Now get back to servicing the wealthy dude.

By the way, didn't you know that we're all losers to the Uber rich?...here's plenty of statistical proof.

Weapons of Mouse Destruction

Remind me never to eat pizza in Philadelphia...

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...

Bob and Doug

It's cold enough tonight to watch a little Great White North.

Take off, eh.

Frank Rich

Always frank. And always rich.

Mr. Fish

Here's reason #4,156 I didn't have children. No future for you.

Friday Random Ten

Another Round -- Foo Fighters
Personality Crisis -- New York Dolls
Don't Push -- The Exit
No Time -- Colin Hay
Over My Head -- Pere Ubu
September Skies -- Brian Setzer Orchestra
Fruit Nut -- XTC
All Kinds Of Time -- Fountains Of Wayne
Fable Of Faubus -- Charlie Mingus
Glad -- Nellie McKay

Housing Construction

I truly never even thought that expanding the size of the House of Reps was a possibility until reading this column.

Makes a lot of sense. Not saying it'll ever happen, but creative thinking nonetheless.

We're Number 2...

...and we don't even come close to trying harder.

I remember very clearly that on the afternoon of September 11, 2001, I said to Mr. Reed and the Blonde as we watched the aftermath in NYC, "well, now it's only a matter of time before the US will lose dominance to the Chinese as the leader of the world".

And that was a direct quote, go ahead, ask 'em.

I guess it's time to party like it's 2019!

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Troubles at the Rock Hall

Cleveland Jeff is not going to like this news one bit...

Bob Herbert

Apologies all around for the light posting of late. Clark Kent duty, (such as it is) has been very active this week so bloggity-blog goodness has taken a back seat to commerce.

And speaking of things fiscal, here's a great piece by Bob Herbert on the partisan hacks and fat cats trying to carve up your future as a senior citizen.

Let's you and I make a deal; they take away our hard earned social security, we get to burn D.C. to the ground.

Deal?...good, I thought so.

Ker-splash

Aw, c'mon lady, lighten up...it is funny.

Friday Random Ten

Get In Or Get Out -- Hot Hot Heat
Dancing In The Street--Martha Reeves & The Vandellas
Safety -- The John Doe Thing
Someday My Prince Will Come -- Miles Davis
Dumb -- Nirvana
Night In My Veins -- The Pretenders
Remove This Doubt -- Elvis Costello
Claudette -- Dwight Yoakam
Piano Concerto #23 in A K488 Allegro Assai -- Mozart
What's Her Name Today? -- Burt Bacharach & Elvis Costello

Bonus frigid weekend forecast cut:

Red Rabbits -- The Shins

Health Care Debate

Folks,

This is what a quality politician looks and sounds like. I'm proud on a daily basis that I dwell in the 10th Congressional district and Dennis Kucinich is my Representative.

They're going to work hard to close him out due to the redistricting that Ohio will experience due to the lastest Census results, so send him some of your dough or time if possible.

The First Rule of Calvin and Hobbes

For all you C&H and Fight Club fans (Mr. Reed), here's a most excellent mash-up of those two pieces of art.

Tip o' the chapeau to the Rooster for unearthing this gem.

Dr. King

I missed this one from Mr. Fish on Monday. So sad...so true.

Thanks be to Holla

Well, I sure am glad that this issue is resolved.

MLK Day

Here's U2's song honoring Dr. King.

It's funny, Pride (In The Name Of Love) is getting so long in the tooth, The Edge actually has hair in this video...

Cornel West

I always love what Cornel West has to say on any given topic. "Disproportionately poor"...the key to the problem.

David Pogue

Watch the full episode. See more NOVA.

Everybody's favorite science/technology dork, David Pogue, has a new NOVA series on PBS that premiers this month.

Friday Random Ten

Divorce Song -- Liz Phair
Clockout -- DEVO
It's Over -- Roy Orbison
Jane Says -- Jane's Addiction
This Time The Dream's On Me -- Chet Baker
Genitalia Of A Fool -- Glenn Tilbrook
Blue Spanish Sky -- Chris Isaak
Celebrity Skin -- Hole
Chinese Radiation -- Pere Ubu
Who Gave The Order -- Wyclef Jean

(Let's hope nobody in America get shot this weekend) bonus cut...

In A Sentimental Mood -- Duke Ellington Quartet

Larry Wilmore

Mark Twain Controversy

The Daily Show With Jon Stewart	Mon - Thurs 11p / 10c
www.thedailyshow.com
Daily Show Full Episodes Political Humor & Satire Blog</a> The Daily Show on Facebook

In case you missed last night's Senior Black Correspondent offering...

Tom Tomorrow

The cartoon says it all...(clickin' it makes it bigger...so does Crtl +)

Unfortunate truths

Bob Herbert on the Tuscon shootings.

I used to think that our gun culture would someday come to its senses. It never will.

I joined and volunteered for the National Coalition to Ban Handguns when I lived in NYC back in the early Eighties after John Lennon had been shot. My impetus was actually a post weekend column, circa 1983, in the Daily News that chronicled all of the extraordinary gun mayhem that had occurred over the previous 48 hours.

My recollection on the precise data is now long gone, but I remember this particularly jarring statistic. The deaths from that weekend's gun play in the 5 Boroughs was a total greater than the guns deaths from the previous year combined in England, France, Belgium, Germany, Spain, Italy, Portugal, Ireland, Netherlands, Belgium, Canada, Australia and Japan.

One weekend, one American city versus 13 nations...you do the math.

I'm afraid I'll have to agree with Bob Herbert. Things will never change.

Hammer Time

In all of the media coverage of the automatic weapon murders in Tuscon, a milestone in American politics has been overlooked.

Although there is a liklihood that he'll be pardoned by Gov. Goodhair, I am pleased to announce that the Hon. Tom Delay has been sentenced to spend the next three years in a Federal penitentiary for crimes and misdemeanors he visited on his country while serving as head of one of the branches of our government.

Embrace the schadenfreude.

Max Keiser

Happy Monday. Spend 25 minutes and soak in the fabulous insanity that is Max Keiser. He's the only truth-telling journalist out there. Of course, hardly anyone knows who he is or where to watch him, but I love the dude.

This episode replete with Dr. Doom himself, Jim Kunstler.

Christina Talyor-Green

Read it and weep.

I dunno, perhaps this little girl will become the face of some sort of change for this wicked, wicked country of ours.

We have the vast majority of these kinds of senseless slayings within our borders as compared to the rest of the globe save perhaps the war torn nations we continue to arm and occupy. We are a violent and hate filled modern society. Maybe, just maybe, Christina will give death by handguns a real human feel for all of us.

What a devastating loss for her family. So terribly sad.

She was truly born into and died in violence. She's the poster child of our American culture.

Matt Taibbi

Shorter Matt Taibbi...

Crazy, weeping, orange clown from Ohio is bad for America...or something like that.

You can read the whole thing for yourselves here.

Friday Random Ten (New Year Edition)

The Greatest Man That Ever Lived -- Weezer
Handel/Concerto Grosso #7 in B Flat -- Slovak National Philharmonic
Powder Your Face With Sunshine -- Dean Martin
Pink Pussycat -- Devo
Stolen Car -- Sting
Leave My Kitten Alone -- Elvis Costello
Brain Damage -- Pink Floyd
You Can't Lose A Broken Heart -- k.d. lang & Tony Bennett
Ring Of Fire -- Johnny Cash
Stop This World -- Diana Krall

Obligatory bonus cut:

Ways & Means -- Snow Patrol

More Bob Herbert

This just in, Grover Norquist and his cronies, still trying to ruin America...

My friends, this is what the fat fuckface of evil looks like.

Steve Harley

Here's a super swingin' and frequently forgotten power pop tune from Steve Harley & Cockney Rebel.

He was a big link from folk to pop to rock to glam. I saw him one time around November of 1990 in a little pub in Darmstadt, Germany. They were great.

Faux News

Ladies and germs, your new Brit Hume...

Digby

In this episode of "what Digby said..." a rational approach to the retirement age is proffered from J.K. Galbraith which would have the net effect of opening up some much needed employment opportunities for the young'uns.

Nice "flair" on the old dude in the picture, eh?

Mr. Fish

Happy New Year from Mr. Fish...