DBT Week in Review - 4/30/10

DBT!

3DD is the place to be... especially hit that front page before you mosey to the new and improved forums.

threedimesdown.com

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Gretsch Guitar Signed by all Members of DBT to be Auctioned - Drive-By Truckers's MySpace Blog |

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Best review of the year and English is the writer's 2nd language AND this is the first time writer has seen the mighty DBT. American music 'writers' take note:

rockerparis: Drive-by Truckers @ L' Album de la Semaine Canal , Paris April 28th 8:00PM:

"Back at the famous Canal tv show L' Album de la Semaine to see , completely unknown over here, American band from Alabama ( and based in Georgia) Drive-By truckers."

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Drive-By Truckers deliver big tales worth stopping for - Go! Magazine | ColumbiaTribune.com:

"Driven largely by the stirring writing of Patterson Hood and Mike Cooley, “The Big To-Do” is an album with evocative mini-narratives and tight yet unrestrained sound that grow more resonant by the listen, proving DBT the rare band that can string together 13 tracks without a single second of filler. One of the best records so far this year, it burnishes their reputation as first-rate rockers sensitive enough to color their songs with a cinematic brush."

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Encore performance this weekend on your local PBS.

Austin City Limits - (3412) Drive-By Truckers / Ryan Bingham

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Reel Fanatic: Atlanta Film Festival report No. 4: "The Secret to a Happy Ending" with the Drive-By Truckers

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Wait for it....

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Bettye LaVette

Great read but just a little bit more actual research needed. Not hard to do.

Bettye's new record is going to be the absolute tits, ya'll.

Leonce Gaiter: Bettye LaVette: The High Priestess of R&B, Too Long Ignored:

"Then someone comes along and reminds me of what we can do in other forms. Bettye LaVette has been around since she was a teenager in the early sixties, largely ignored. She never, as she put it, 'crossed over.' Opportunities were lost, missed, unrecognized or unfulfilled. Then, in 2005 she released 'I've Got My Own Hell to Raise.' The great Joe Henry produced. The songs came from a slew of fine female writers: Aimee Mann, Dolly Parton, Joan Armatrading, Lucinda Williams. Immediately, that voice slapped you. Unashamedly aged, rough, ragged and under absolute control. On the song 'Just Say So,' she proved that she could find depths of longing and desperation in a lyric that the songwriters probably didn't even know existed.

She then released the brilliant 'Scene of the Crime' with the Muscle Shoals rhythm section."

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FREE MP3: Betty LaVette - "Salt of the Earth" :: Featured Videos :: Paste

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ANTI- Bettye LaVette Invited By Robert Plan To Open On His July Tour:

"The stars are aligning for Bettye LaVette and the May 25 release of Interpretations: The British Rock Songboo, as Robert Plant has invited Bettye to open for his July tour. Bettye's 3rd album for Anti-, and the follow-up to her Grammy-nominated Scene of the Crime, is earning considerable praise from both the press and her artist peers, and she’s already booked for a performance on The Late Show with David Letterman for June 23.

The request to join the legendary Led Zeppelin vocalist on tour is not so much a notch in Bettye's belt as it is another link in the chain: Her latest work is an impassioned dissertation on the much-documented influence that American blues and soul had on British rock n' roll – but more than that, it's an exploration of how those echoes from a foreign shore in turn influenced and reshaped American blues and soul. Fittingly, Bettye’s rendition of the Led Zeppelin classic “All My Love,” will premiere exclusively on AOL’s “Spinner” April 27."

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Dexateens

Get yo momma a present from Elliott this year.

FOR SALE : LIGHTBOXES : ELLIOTT McPHERSON : CORNELIUS CHAPEL BUHL, AL

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Music

Diabetic and sleeveless. Classic.

DUDE, DON’T DIE. | The People's Music:

"Bret seems like a nice guy and has always done what most any other average American guy would do given the opportunity and selection of cowboy hats. In fact, Bret is America. He’s diabetic, sleeveless, and just trying to get back to his success from the 80’s. Bret Michaels is Mr. America, which is all the more reason he cannot die while under contract with Donald Trump."

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Justin Townes Earle live at The Guest Apartment on Baeblemusic

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OK, I'm ready to take you on now... what, you're quitting?

A-ha Breaking Up After Three Decades Together | PopEater.com:

"A-ha are ending their 30-year run.

The '80s band, who gave us the memorable video for their greatest hit 'Take on Me,' have decided to call it quits, EOnline.com reports.

Morten Harket, Magne Furuholmen and Paul Waaktaar-Savoy will tour one last time together this year, but it will be their last."

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Pitchfork: Record Store Day Sets, Uh, Records:

"Billboard reports that according to Nielsen Soundscan, this year's Record Store Day marked the biggest single day for vinyl sales in the history of Soundscan, which started counting things in 1991. According to Billboard, RSD's co-founder, the Music Monitor Network's Michael Kurtz, also reports that stores including New York City's Other Music, Seattle's Sonic Boom, and New Jersey's Vintage Vinyl, had their most successful days ever. And sales were up all across the board.

Good work, people."

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Beer

Went to high school with Dale. Yet to get my hands on any of his brew.

50 Beers to Try Before You Die - The Early Show - CBS News:

"Oskar Blues Dale's Pale Ale - $9 (6-pack cans)
Packed with tons of citrus from a heavy dose of American hops, this is the quintessential stateside IPA. Like most pale ales, it's on the hoppier side-which means its slightly bitter and sour. You know hops when you taste em. However, it's not as hoppy as a IPA (Indian Pale Ale). And we really like the can, which makes it easily transportable, great to bring to a picnic or barbecue or the beach. Technically speaking, beer lasts longer in a can because no light is allowed in."

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Conservative' Judicial Activism

Well, howdy Mr. President! Keep up this kind of talk and translate it into action, and good things might happen.

Conservative-Activist judges are destroying this country one ruling at a time. They are not concerned with justice. The goal is to implement their ideology.

I harp on this book a lot, but read The Handmaid's Tale for conservative's vision for America.

Obama Supreme Court Warning: 'Conservative' Judicial Activism Is 'What You're Now Seeing':

"WASHINGTON — President Barack Obama, preparing to make his second nominee to the Supreme Court, warned Wednesday of a 'conservative' brand of judicial activism in which the courts are often not showing appropriate deference to the decision of lawmakers.

Obama made clear that his views on judicial restraint are not the only basis he will use in choosing his next nominee for the high court, a decision expected over the next few weeks.

But his comments underscore just how much he thinks courts are being vested with too much power and are overruling legislative will, a factor that will influence his nominee choice."

Case in point:

Supreme Court overturns objection to cross on public land

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Maher's last line nails it to a T-bag:

Bill Maher Blasts Tea Baggers For Ignoring Defense Spending (VIDEO)

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Yes.

Have Conservatives Gone Mad? - Politics - The Atlantic:

"The issue, to put it in terms that even I can understand, because I didn't study philosophy much in college: has the conservative base gone mad?

This matters to journalists, because I really do want to take Republicans seriously. Mainstream conservative voices are embracing theories that are, to use Julian Sanchez's phrase, 'untethered' to the real world.

Can anyone deny that the most trenchant and effective criticism of President Obama today comes not from the right but from the left? Rachel Maddow's grilling of administration economic officials. Keith Olbermann's hectoring of Democratic leaders on the public option. Glenn Greenwald's criticisms of Elena Kagan. Ezra Klein and Jonathan Cohn's keepin'-them-honest perspectives on health care. The civil libertarian left on detainees and Gitmo. The Huffington Post on derivatives."

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However.... to be all 'fair and balanced'.

Rendell: Democratic Party Is Soulless, 'Cowering Behind The Shower Curtains':

"'I don't think we have a battle for our soul -- I think we have lost our soul,' he said. 'We have been cowed into [sic] stop talking about the things that made us Democrats in the first place; that we believe the government can and should make a difference in people's lives; that we can protect the most vulnerable in our society; that we can, in fact, give opportunities to people who haven't had it. And that government can be an important catalyst -- they can't do it by itself -- but they can be a catalyst for growth.'

That's what we believe in. But [Republicans] have us cowering behind the shower curtains,' he concluded.

The Huffington Post approached Rendell after the affair and asked him to elaborate on what, exactly, he meant by saying the Democratic Party is soulless.

'We have been out-spun and we are scared,' he said. 'And when you are scared, you can do one of two things: you can circle the wagons and hide inside or under the wagon, or you can get out and fight for what you believe in. I think we are starting -- President Obama started when he went to the Republican caucus -- to fight back and for what we believe in. If we do that, I think our losses will be much less [in 2010] than what anybody suspects.'"

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All of the Tea-bag cross burnings have effected the children in a drastic way. Won't someone PLEASE think about the children.

Indianola Testicle Attack? Teenagers Allegedly Hazed 14-Year-Old

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This kinda smelled fishy when I posted it earlier. Lying: The Way of Corporate America.

GM's phony loan repayment | Video Cafe

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Too cheap for whom? (I know, I know, but frack them).

Daily Kos: Wind's latest problem: it ... makes power too cheap:

"windmills (...) operators in Europe may have become their own worst enemy, reducing the total price paid for electricity in Germany, Europe’s biggest power market, by as much as 5 billion euros some years

The wind-energy boom in Europe and parts of Texas has begun to reduce bills for consumers.

Spanish power prices fell an annual 26 percent in the first quarter because of the surge in supplies from wind and hydroelectric production"

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This came out of a discussion on the old Ninebullets board. Great read. We really haven't progressed that much in the good old U.S.A.:

The Hanging of Mary The Elephant | Blue Ridge Country

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Something We Wouldn't Want to Meet

Skimmer's are Republican darlings; the folks they are fighting for tooth and nail.

What Atrios says:

Eschaton:

"The Skimmer Economy

Some day I hope more people realize that large segments of our economy don't actually do anything (health insurance, much of finance/real estate), they simply position themselves in the middle of transactions and take their cut. That isn't to say there are no transactions which legitimately require skilled middlemen, or that there is no legitimate function for the finance and banking industries, but to a great degree the skimmers just don't do anything productive at all. Except take our money."

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I spent a couple of years in AZ. As a Dem, the A-xenophobes (R) have just handed us a gift. Will be interesting to see how the Dems screw it up.

And isn't having to carry papers at all times rather.... well, Nazi-ish?

I thought Dems were the Nazi/Commie/Socialist. Makes about as much sense as a Glenn Beck chalk board.

Linda Greenhouse: Arizona Is A 'Police State,' 'I'm Not Going Back':

"I'm not going back to Arizona as long as it remains a police state, which is what the appalling anti-immigrant bill that Gov. Jan Brewer signed into law last week has turned it into.

What would Arizona's revered libertarian icon, Barry Goldwater, say about a law that requires the police to demand proof of legal residency from any person with whom they have made 'any lawful contact' and about whom they have 'reasonable suspicion' that 'the person is an alien who is unlawfully present in the United States?' Wasn't the system of internal passports one of the most distasteful features of life in the Soviet Union and apartheid-era South Africa?"

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Sound of crickets.

Why Aren’t Tea Partiers Protesting Arizona’s Big Government Overreach On Immigration?:

"Isn’t the whole premise of the Tea Party movement that overreaching government poses a grave threat to individual freedom? It seems to me that a law allowing individuals to be detained and interrogated on a whim — and requiring legal residents to carry identification documents, as in a police state — would send the Tea Partyers into apoplexy. Or is there some kind of exception if the people whose freedoms are being taken away happen to have brown skin and might speak Spanish?"

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SF is boycotting AZ.

City Insider : City workers banned from official travel to Arizona

So is Mexico.

Some truckers plan boycott over Arizona immigration law - Politics AP - MiamiHerald.com

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I made a similar comment recently.

Justice for thee, but not for me.

Boggles the mind:

Greenwald: Obama DoJ prosecutes Bush corruption whistleblower, but not Bush war crimes

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Larry Flynt is right!

BBC News - Stephen Hawking warns over making contact with aliens:

"He explained: 'We only have to look at ourselves to see how intelligent life might develop into something we wouldn't want to meet.'"

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Talk about your skimmers.

Congratulations Comcast; You're The Worst Company In America! - The Consumerist:

"After four rounds of bloody battle against some of the most publicly reviled businesses in America, Comcast can now run up the steps of the Philadelphia Museum of Art and hold its hands high in victory -- it has bested everyone else to earn the title of Worst Company In America for 2010."

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Big placebo in the sky.

Placebo effect beats God, Prozac:

"This is the story of three drugs. Except one is not really a drug at all and is merely an illusion, a nifty construct, an intense belief that it might be a drug, even though, as mentioned, it is very much not. We just think it is. Isn't that strange? Wonderful? Both?

The three drugs -- which, sorry, are not so much drugs as they are modes of comprehending our own weird little minds, needs and inherent psychoses -- are presented here by way of two recent studies that essentially reinforce what similar studies have been declaring for years and decades and, in the second case, since the ancient mystics suckled wild plants in the forest, licked God, found the source of the soul, and said, you know, holy f--."

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Imagine if the Tea Party Was Black

Yes, just imagine. Imagine the 24/7 hyperventilation of the FAUX 'news' borg.

Ephphatha Poetry: "Imagine if the Tea Party Was Black" - Tim Wise:

"Imagine that hundreds of black protesters were to descend upon Washington DC and Northern Virginia, just a few miles from the Capitol and White House, armed with AK-47s, assorted handguns, and ammunition. And imagine that some of these protesters —the black protesters — spoke of the need for political revolution, and possibly even armed conflict in the event that laws they didn’t like were enforced by the government? Would these protester — these black protesters with guns — be seen as brave defenders of the Second Amendment, or would they be viewed by most whites as a danger to the republic? What if they were Arab-Americans? Because, after all, that’s what happened recently when white gun enthusiasts descended upon the nation’s capital, arms in hand, and verbally announced their readiness to make war on the country’s political leaders if the need arose."

Plus:

Dem governor: Fox News outdid tea partiers in ‘marshalling anger’ | Raw Story

equals:

Armed man held after arrest as Obama leaves NC:

"His car was equipped with clear LED law enforcement-style strobe lights in the front and rear dash, Smith said. The car also had a mounted digital camera in the front window, four large antennas on the trunk lid, and under the steering wheel was a working siren box.

When McVey got out of the car, he was listening to a handheld scanner and radio that had a remote earpiece, Smith said. Police said he was monitoring local agencies and had formulas for rifle scopes on a note in his cup holder."

Times a million:

Not so much for lovers.

Think Progress � Virginia DMV Pulls License Plate Coded With Neo-Nazi Message From Truck With Anti-Islam Imagery

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Of course they did. The gulf coast has been destroyed.

How's the oily drilly nowy thingy workin' for ya, you betcha.

This is going to make the Valdez look like a coffee spill.

Big Oil Fought Off New Safety Rules Before Rig Disaster

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Something to keep in mind:

CBS Report: Copy Machines Retain Copies On Their Hard Drives | Crooks and Liars

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I've never understood this term 'premature ejaculation'. I 'ejaculate' precisely when I'm suppose to... always.

Priligy, First Pill To Stop Premature Ejaculation, Goes On Sale In UK

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Great product commercial:

The Best Apple Advertisement Yet - Stephen C. Webster - Brave New Hooks - True/Slant:

"Virginia Campbell, a 99-year-old resident of Mary’s Woods Retirement Community in Lake Oswego, Oregon, recently got an iPad. She says it has changed her life because it enabled her to read and write again. Now, there’s video."

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The Importance of Being Bagger

Uhhh, not really. Barely English.

I guess Alabama Republicans are getting a little jealous that they've been out-crazied of late.

No worries. Their bag of bigoted tricks is quite large.

The Rachel Maddow Show - 'This is Alabama. We speak English'

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Wow. To admit it... and it is 'has' not 'had'.

Again... Wow.

Michael Steele Acknowledges GOP Had “Southern Strategy” For Decades | The Plum Line:

"But I think folks are missing the real news in what Steele said. The RNC chairman also appeared to acknowledge that the GOP has had a race-based “southern strategy” for four decades, which is decidedly not a historical interpretation many Republicans agree with."

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Yeah, how's that free market working for ya?

In Coal Country, a Culture of Fear � The Washington Independent:

“They told my husband, ‘You’ve got a job to do and you’re gonna do it,’” said the wife of one Massey miner, referring to the funerals he’s missed this month for friends who died in the blast. “What else are we gonna do?”"

Where's the competition. How can a worker tell Massey to go frack himself and then take his/her talents to the competition?

Virginia, where coal is the only real industry, and Massey is king of the hill. Indeed, in certain areas there’s simply no queen.

“The bad thing here is that Massey owns [the Upper Big Branch] mine, and they’ve got a lot of subsidiaries — little tiny outfits just all down the river,” said Denny Tyler, an electrician who has contracted with Massey and now runs a website advocating for the end to mountaintop removal. “If you get fired from one, you’re not working anywhere on Coal River. … Its a fear thing

Evil. The lot of them.

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Special place in hell for insurance executives.

Exclusive: WellPoint routinely targets breast cancer patients | Reuters

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I guess the 'news media' is getting tired of playing with the tea bags.

The tea party's exaggerated importance - Jonathan Martin and Ben Smith - POLITICO.com

There were 15,000 people at a cannabis and hemp expo in SF last week, but Hannity didn't host that one though it was 3 times as large as any bagger cross burning.

Hell, a dog poop protest in SF draws more participants.

Rendell: Media blow Tea Parties out of proportion | Raw Story:

"'We had two recent Tea Party demonstrations in Washington. One a week before the health care vote, drew about 1,000 people. The tax day rally by the organizers' own estimate was 1,500 people,' explained the governor.

'If I organized a rally for stronger laws to protect puppies, I would get 100,000 people to Washington. So, I think the media has blown the Tea Party themselves out of proportion,' said Rendell."

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Salt be killing us.

FDA plans to limit amount of salt allowed in processed foods for health reasons:

"The Food and Drug Administration is planning an unprecedented effort to gradually reduce the salt consumed each day by Americans, saying that less sodium in everything from soup to nuts would prevent thousands of deaths from hypertension and heart disease. The initiative, to be launched this year, would eventually lead to the first legal limits on the amount of salt allowed in food products."

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Touche. Keep pluckin', though.

Chicago's DJ Intel And Blogger Girlfriend Make Vegetarian Version Of KFC's 'Double-Down

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After the attack, dude surfed for another 45 minutes.

Surfer rides shark after it bites his surfboard

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DBT Week in Review - 4/23/10

DBT!

Drive-By Truckers miss their last exit, have a 'Happy Ending' - USATODAY.com:

"'When we go to see the Truckers play, we wear diapers so we don't have to go to the bathroom,' declares a young female fan early on in The Secret to a Happy Ending, a documentary about Southern rock band the Drive-By Truckers.

Similar devotion to the Athens, Ga.-based Truckers led Washington, D.C.-area filmmaker Barr Weissman to spend nearly six years making what he calls 'a love letter to rock 'n' roll.'"

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Vic Chesnutt, Alex Chilton, And The Big To-Do: An Interview with Patterson Hood of the Drive-By Truckers: The Q: GQ

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Amazing picture. Tells the tale of the times of this glorious band.

Drive-By Truckers Crash Rec Store Day! on Blurt Online

some thoughts from the crowd while we wait for the Drive-By Truckers to stage., some thoughts from the crowd while we wait for the Drive-By Truckers to sta...

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Music review: Drive-By Truckers April 9 show in Chicago - chicagotribune.com

Drive-By at House of Blues- Roving Festival Writer, LLC | TheRFW.com

Drive By Truckers Live at The Norva - Norfolk, VA 4/15/2010 | Merchants Of Rock

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Love this:

The Drive-By Truckers' Union Roots | Teamster Magazine:

"Did you grow up in a union home (or ever belong to a union yourself), or was work an important part of your upbringing?

MC: My dad was a Teamster for a few years. He drove dump trucks, hauling asphalt and gravel.

PH: My dad and I have both been members of the musicians union. My dad has been there for over 40 years. I was also partly raised by my great uncle who was a Teamster. He drove trucks for International Harvester from 1946 through 1976. I have very strong working-class roots, even though my dad is a lifelong musician. He was always more on the working man’s end of al of that (being a session musician)."

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Lauderdale

Come with the new record, already!

Lauderdale Live at Pegasus Records, Tapes & CDs on 2010-04-17 : Free Download & Streaming : Internet Archive

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Music

Hilarious:

BIGGEST MISUSE OF THE WORD “ACADEMY” EVER | The People's Music:

"Three years ago, Troy Gentry pled guilty to shooting a domesticated, caged bear named “Cubby.” This year the ACM gave Montgomery Gentry their humanitarian award. As horrible as that may be, it still shows more integrity than giving them an award for their music."

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I agree:

SFGate: Daily Dish : Russell Brand: How to weed out teenyboppers from music

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America's 15 Best Indie Record Stores | Spin Magazine Online:

"1. AMOEBA

6400 Sunset Boulevard in Hollywood, 1855 Haight Street in San Francisco, and 2455 Telegraph Avenue in Berkeley, California"

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Measuring Success By Fan Passion, Not Billboard Chart Position | Techdirt:

"For a long time now, we've chosen to measure their success in the fans' passion for the music rather than Billboard chart positions.

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RIP, Alicia.

Writer Alicia Parlette, who moved many readers with 'Alicia's Story,' dies

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Earth Day

Not of this earth, but that which makes it all possible. Amazing images:

Burning Beauty: A New Look at the Sun

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Of this Earth and spectacular volcano lightning.

Iceland volcano erupts - Yahoo! News Photos

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Most effective use of Earth's gravity by a human doing (even though insanity ensues)

That Which Does Not Kill Me Makes Me Stranger - New York Times:

"‘‘He pushes himself into madness,’’ says Tomaz Kovsca, a journalist for Slovene television. ‘‘He pushes too far.’’ Rajko Petek, a 35-year-old fellow soldier and friend who is on Robic’s support crew, says: ‘‘What Jure does is frightening. Sometimes during races he gets off his bike and walks toward us in the follow car, very angry.’’

What do you do then?

Petek glances carefully at Robic, standing a few yards off. ‘‘We lock the doors,’’ he whispers."

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When gravity is not quite gone, but, rather, decides to frack with you. (The grass on that patch of earth is really nice, dude. Forget them sandles and just sway with the rotation).

There but for the grace of not having a VIP ticket go I.

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People that make living on this dirtball endurable:

We survived Bush. You’ll survive Obama. � Margaret and Helen:

"Margaret, please tell Howard that I love him because he loves you. But that is about all the reaching across the aisle that I can handle. A few years back, millions of people across this nation and across the globe marched for peace. George Bush ignored us and we had to endure his lazy ass being in the White House for eight years.

So now a black man named Barack Obama, elected by the will of the people, has decided to fight for the poor, and work for world peace… and a bunch of white guys who think Fox really is News just can’t stand it.

Well, they can kiss my ass because I am tired of their belly aching."

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Fair The Well

Bad President:

Indict the whistleblower but not those upon who the whistle was blown?

Absolutely no accountability for anyone in this country... unless you are poor. Then you'll get that ass tased.

Obama’s Justice Department indicts NSA whistleblower | Raw Story

Bad President:

You mean the two individual's advice Obama and Congressional Dems are basing their entire economic strategy around now? Shouldn't have listened to them then, why the frack are we listening to them now?

These people get more chances than a 5 year old playing in his first tee-ball game.

Daily Kos: Bill Clinton: I Shouldn't Have Listened to Summers and Rubin

Kinda Good President.

Issue an executive directive suspending DADT until the policy is abolished, then we'll talk 'very good prez'.

Obama Directs HHS To Establish Rules Ensuring Hospital Visitation Rights For Gay, Lesbian Couples:

"President Obama has signed a memorandum directing the Department of Health and Human Services to establish rules that would bar hospitals from denying visitation rights to partners of gay and lesbian patients."

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If they are crying about something are blaming another, you can be assured they are doing the 'something' and are most certainly to blame.

Memories of the Backwards B | Talking Points Memo

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They don't care, Robert.

Robert Greenwald: We're Not Stupid, Mitch:

"This is why so many people hate so many politicians. Far too many say one thing to the public and another thing in private, smoke-and-whiskey-filled rooms to their cigar-smoking patrons. It's like they think no one can see what they're doing. You're not invisible, Mitch! We can see you!

GIve it a rest. We're not stupid."

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Amen.

Judge rules National Day of Prayer unconstitutional - USATODAY.com:

"MADISON, Wis. (AP) — A federal judge in Wisconsin ruled the National Day of Prayer unconstitutional Thursday, saying the day amounts to a call for religious action.

U.S. District Judge Barbara Crabb wrote that the government can no more enact laws supporting a day of prayer than it can encourage citizens to fast during Ramadan, attend a synagogue or practice magic.

'In fact, it is because the nature of prayer is so personal and can have such a powerful effect on a community that the government may not use its authority to try to influence an individual's decision whether and when to pray,' Crabb wrote."

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Double amen. Clean your own house, then we'll talk.

Balloon Juice � Blog Archive � A Very Religious Open Thread:

"You know what would be really great? If all the fantastic (and they are fantastic) liberal/left Christians would spend five minutes a day writing angry letters to the Christian right wing about how unchristian they are instead of complaining to atheists about how much bad press you all are getting from the overt bad actions of your co-religionists."

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We've all caught a thread of someone's life online and followed it for a while before that thread disappears or we hitch another online life ride.

I followed Alicia's blog on the SF Chronicles website 3 years ago. I read about her hospital visits, her hopes and dreams and the daily mundane beyond cancer.

Alicia left my radar a year ago. Was sad to see this recent article.

Fair the well, Alicia. Go be without pain.

Alicia Parlette faces final stages of journey:

"Surrounded by her favorite things - her rescue dog, Clarabelle, a 1960 edition of 'To Kill a Mockingbird,' her scrapbooks and her stuffed Baby Bear, San Francisco writer Alicia Parlette is saying her goodbyes to family, friends and her new fiance as she enters the final chapter of her battle with cancer.

She is 28 years old."

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At least I hope I did

Fair and balanced journalism:

Fox News yanks Sean Hannity from Cincinnati Tea Party rally he was set to star in | Show Tracker | Los Angeles Times

Well, duh.

Cincinnati Tea Party: Fox Isn’t Telling The Truth About The Hannity Broadcast:

Faux + Teabaggers = Violence.

Tea Partiers Get Their News From Fox And Are More Likely To Justify Violence Against The Government

He really can't.

Daily Kos: He really can't be their president:

"Just like some people distort the Koran to fit their crazy fanaticism, teabaggers twist ideals like 'Freedom' and 'Self Reliance' and 'Individualism' into something that is 180 degrees different. 'Freedom' is the freedom to hate anyone who isn't like 'us', 'Individualism' is ignoring anyone who is not as successful as 'we are' because it's their fault and they can go to hell, and 'Self Reliance' turned into simple selfishness."

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Shocking

Report: Tea Parties created as GOP political ploy | Raw Story

The Tea Party has been billed as an organic grassroots operation, but a newly uncovered document obtained by Politico suggests the movement has been successfully co-opted as a Republican fundraising ploy.

GOP political consultant Joe Wierzbicki floated the proposal a year ago today to create the Tea Party Express, a nationwide bus tour to "give a boost to our PAC and position us as a growing force/leading force as the 2010 elections come into focus." His idea eventually became one of the best known brands in the Tea Party movement.

The document cautioned planners to be careful when discussing the ruse to use Tea Parties for political gain. "We have to be very, very careful about discussing amongst ourselves anyone we include 'outside of the family' because quite frankly, we are not only not part of the political establishment or conservative establishment, but we are also sadly not currently a part of the 'tea party' establishment," Wierzbicki wrote.

Wierzbicki, who works for the Sacramento firm Russo Marsh + Rogers, went on to outline how conservative media including Fox News could be leveraged to hype the Tea Party Express. He recommended using "mentions and possibly even promotion from conservative/pro-tea party bloggers, talk radio hosts, Fox News commentators, etc..."

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To reiterate: 'Go Fuck Yourselves, FAUX'.

Stewart calls out Fox News hypocrisy: ‘Go f*ck yourselves’ | Raw Story:

"'They're tarring the entire Tea Party movement and the Republican Party,' Goldberg complained.

'Bernie Goldberg is right!' Stewart exclaimed. When it comes to generalizing, just 'don't do it.'

But the Fox News pundits don't seem so worried about generalizations of liberals and the Democratic Party. Goldberg told MSNBC's Joe Scarborough that liberals think 'that whole middle of the country is made up of sort of jerks. You know, that's a Democratic thing. That's a liberal thing.'

'That's what we call a fair generalization,' said a sarcastic Stewart. 'By the way, the anti-generalizers at Fox want you to know that generalizing is the least of the liberals problems,' explained Stewart. And to make the point, The Daily Show's research staff had no trouble find plenty examples of conservative pundits at Fox News doing their own generalizing.

'The left in this country is invested in defeat in Iraq,' said Cal Thomas.

'Liberals see just about everything through the prism of race,' according to Goldberg.

'The left always paint Christians as hate mongers,' Glenn Beck told O'Reilly.

Jon Stewart concluded with just three word for the hypocrites at Fox News: 'Go f*ck yourselves.'"

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Rockets, man.

Asteroid, bitches!

Obama: NASA Still Has Space Adventures Ahead:

"Asteroids zip by Earth fairly often and have occasionally smacked the planet with disastrous results. For example, asteroids have been blamed for the extinction of the dinosaurs.

Landing on an asteroid would give scientists a better idea of how to handle a future killer asteroid that could wipe out much of life on Earth. Also, it would be a feat sure to win great attention – and there is far less gravity than the moon, meaning it would be easier and cheaper to leave."

Despite uproar, Obama holds firm on NASA space exploration plans / The Christian Science Monitor - CSMonitor.com

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Finishes what he starts and very well organized.

Man delivers obituary to newspaper, hangs himself:

"The Mountain Democrat newspaper published part of the Allan Leo Peters II suicide note accompanying the obituary. The 64-year-old man wrote he'd been struggling with emphysema and had trouble breathing. He wrote, 'Yes, I have hanged myself (At least I hope I did).'

The suicide note and obituary arrived at the newspaper Tuesday night, but went unopened until the following day. It included a $90 money order, the cost of publishing an obituary."

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Pretty damn amazing:

Red Bull Skydive Team Pulls Off Incredible Stunt: Man Jumps From Plane To Plane In Midair (VIDEO)

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Tax Cuts

This needs to be repeated ad nauseam.

Tax Day Fact Check: Most Americans Got A Tax Cut This Year

Taxes lowest in 60 years, thanks to Democrats and Obama

98 percent of Americans got tax cuts. The richest two percent, well, they didn't. The teabaggers, doing the bidding of America's richest elite, will remain outraged about that injustice. So they are always welcome to send their record-high tax refunds to Sarah Palin, Rush Limbaugh, and Bill O'Reilly. That way, they can prove once and for all that they are not all sound and ignorant fury.

Or are they more concerned about the deficit? If so, they are always free to tear up that refund check, doing their part to lower America's deficit.

Actions! They should would speak louder than their angry, uninformed words.

A note from billionaire J. K. Rowling (British Communist):

Daily Kos: Paying Taxes Is Patriotic:

"The fact remains that the first time I ever met my recently retired accountant, he put it to me point-blank: would I organise my money around my life, or my life around my money? If the latter, it was time to relocate to Ireland, Monaco, or possibly Belize.

I chose to remain a domiciled taxpayer for a couple of reasons. The main one was that I wanted my children to grow up where I grew up, to have proper roots in a culture as old and magnificent as Britain’s; to be citizens, with everything that implies, of a real country, not free-floating ex-pats, living in the limbo of some tax haven and associating only with the children of similarly greedy tax exiles.

A second reason, however, was that I am indebted to the British welfare state; the very one that Mr Cameron would like to replace with charity handouts. When my life hit rock bottom, that safety net, threadbare though it had become under John Major’s Government, was there to break the fall. I cannot help feeling, therefore, that it would have been contemptible to scarper for the West Indies at the first sniff of a seven-figure royalty cheque. This, if you like, is my notion of patriotism."

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Amazing how ant-like we humans are:

Iceland's Eyjafjallajokull Volcano PICTURES: Incredible Photos Of The Eruption, Ash Cloud

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Count me as one:

Estimate: 800,000 U.S. Households Abandoned Their TVs For The Web

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Via Jez. Funny stuff:

Lewis: How the North Face became the North Farce - The Denver Post:

"The South Butt's slogan is 'Never stop relaxing,' a spoof of The North Face's 'Never stop exploring.' The South Butt also advertises, 'Built for the great indoors,' 'Keep slacking in style,' and 'Why climb mountains?'

The North Face complained all of this was 'causing confusion, mistake and deception among the general purchasing public.'

To which Watkins deftly responded: 'The consuming public is well aware of the difference between a face and a butt.'"

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Better hope that rope holds

The Mommy Files : Video: 3-year-old walks tightrope over tigers

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