California Dreamin'

I'd say let them go if the land wasn't an important part of my West Coast secession plan: Baja, California, Oregon, Washington and B.C. One awesome new country and our economic fortunes would expand exponentially once we were no longer subsidizing leech red states.

SoCal secede? Why is this bad? | San Francisco Bay Guardian:

"Those counties vote for Republicans who vow to cut taxes and spending -- and, of course, those counties also get more in state money than they contribute in taxes. That is, San Franciscans and people in Los Angeles are subsidizing with our tax dollars counties that elect people who don't want taxes.

Fine. Leave us. Without those counties, California would have a two-thirds Democratic majority in both houses, easy. The state would be able to raise taxes to balance the budget. California's credit rating would improve and the cost of bonds would drop. A Democrat could run for governor without pandering to the conservatives. Maybe we could even get rid of the death penalty.

South California would be an economic basket case -- but it would still be part of America, so the Democrats and sane people who are stuck living there would be able to move north without worrying about ICE. I'd even propose setting aside a state fund (maybe equal to some percentage of what California now spends subsidizing the tax haters) to help pay relocation expenses for low-income liberal refugees."

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San Francisco Secession: Could It Create 'Ecotopia'?

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San Francisco Totally Live from MACAFRAMA on Vimeo.

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Boo.

Red Vic Movie House in San Francisco to close

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Tall order that took a decade.

On a quest to try every S.F. Chinese restaurant

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Speaking of Baja. Some feel good for your day.

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Hickeyless

The penalty should be a beating death. I'm all for Shahira law on this one.

Loud cell-phone talker removed from quiet car by police - Yahoo! News

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No more hickeys from Kenickie,

'Taxi' star Jeff Conaway hospitalized in a coma - Yahoo! News

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Forever awesome.

Burt Reynolds' Fan Letters From The '70s: Pics, Videos, Links, News

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Dibs.

First habitable exoplanet? Climate simulation reveals new candidate that could support Earth-like life

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Guts

The 2nd picture of the volcano erupting is amazing:

NASA Celebrates Earth Day With Stunning Photos Of, You Guessed It...Earth | TPM Photo Galleries

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Very interesting. Football teams as socialist commies.

The Science Behind College-Football Helmet Stickers | Playbook:

"When small rewards become visible trophies of status within a group, male players change their approach in competition, sacrificing their own best interest to serve the needs of the team."

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As with blood, several types of human gut | The Raw Story

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Can. Not. Wait.

Behind The Scenes Of The Hobbit [VIDEO]

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Dang, Y'all

Y'all:

Psychologists show how accent shapes our perception of a person

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Great documentary. Directed by Banksy

Exit Through The Gift Shop

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In news of no-shit.

"All of this crying is taking away my horny". - Simpson (with a slight alteration)

Sniffing women's tears dampens sexual desire in men, study suggests | Science | guardian.co.uk

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Conversely...

Touching makes you healthier - CNN.com

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"It has all happened before. It will all happen again".

University researchers create networked flying robots that build complex structures | Raw Story

Dammit, people, have we learned nothing from Battlestar Galactica?!?

Bet they won't require a union, either... or will they....

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On Our Backs

Ronald Wilson Obama, ladies and gentlemen, with a dash of pussified Carter.

Citing deficit, Obama to freeze federal worker pay

The dumbest move politically AND economically. That's a hard feat to accomplish.

Horrible for the middle class and horrible for our overall economic clusterfuck.

Say it with me "To make money, one has to SPEND money".

The Page by Mark Halperin | Trumka Torches Bam for Fed Freeze:

"Today’s announcement of a two-year pay freeze for federal workers is bad for the middle class, bad for the economy and bad for business. No one is served by our government participating in a “race to the bottom” in wages. We need to invest in creating jobs, not undermining the ones we have. The President talked about the need for shared sacrifice, but there’s nothing shared about Wall Street and CEOs making record profits and bonuses while working people bear the brunt. It is time to get our nation back on track, but we should not do so by placing an even greater burden on the middle class."

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Daily Kos: Austerity is the New Hoovernomics, a Grover Norquist wet dream come to life

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Maybe the v-chip will get revived! Oh, boy! School uniforms become the top issue while the rest of us fucking starve.

President Gimmick:

"And with that symbolic gesture we witness President Obama's unfortunate alter-ego, President Gimmick. President Gimmick isn't serious about solving any of our problems, he's only serious about demonstrating his desire to solve our problems.

President Gimmick doesn't offer up plans designed to do anything, he only offers up plans designed to give him zingers for his 2012 debates.

If President Gimmick actually cared about governance, we'd have a comprehensive fiscal plan. Instead, we're getting cheap applauses lines. You think announcing a federal pay freeze represents toughness? Ha!

Confronted with the choice between making the tough decision to defend federal spending during a recession or to develop a plan to actually slash spending, President Gimmick takes a third way: pretending to do something. In the process, he concedes that he believes his critics are right on the merits, but far from signaling strength, he signals that he's too weak to do anything serious about it.

The worst thing about President Gimmick isn't that he plays politics, though. The worst thing about President Gimmick is that he's not very good at it.

Let's hope it doesn't take President Obama long to realize that President Gimmick isn't going to do him or the nation any good. And then he -- and we -- can put President Gimmick back in the closet, where he belongs."

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Excellent choice:

Daniel Day-Lewis Will Be Steven Spielberg's Abraham Lincoln - MOVIE TALK on Yahoo! Movies:

"For what seems like forever, director Steven Spielberg has talked about wanting to do a biopic on Abraham Lincoln from a script by 'Angels in America' playwright Tony Kushner. But for the past decade, Spielberg has instead focused on other projects while Liam Neeson remained committed to playing our 16th president. When Neeson announced this summer that he was finally leaving the project, that seemed to be the end of it ever happening, but now the film is very much back on track: Daniel Day-Lewis is going to play Lincoln."

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Everyday is Cyber-Monday

So much awesome in this video. The suspense is well rewarded.

Cat-Crow-Cat-Crow fight

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Add one more to this list. Cat fight. And not the cool kind that happens in bars with hair pulling and bra-snapping.

6 Deadly Injuries You Think You'd Survive (Thanks to Movies) | Cracked.com

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Because this is how we roll.

N. Calif. cities bring pot growing into the light | San Francisco Examiner:

"Farther north, the Sonoma County wine country town of Sebastopol passed an ordinance Tuesday allowing for the creation of two large gardens for medical marijuana dispensaries, and two more 'collective' gardens where patients could grow their own."

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This and Cowboy vs. Aliens. Two must sees.

Coen Bros. Rule.

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Net Neutrality

And nobody gives a damn....

Long Live the Web: A Call for Continued Open Standards and Neutrality: Scientific American:

"Why should you care? Because the Web is yours. It is a public resource on which you, your business, your community and your government depend. The Web is also vital to democracy, a communications channel that makes possible a continuous worldwide conversation. The Web is now more critical to free speech than any other medium. It brings principles established in the U.S. Constitution, the British Magna Carta and other important documents into the network age: freedom from being snooped on, filtered, censored and disconnected."

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Thanks, Dems. We need a Progressive Labor Party in this country.

FCC may forgo ‘Net Neutrality’ for wireless networks | Raw Story:

"'They want a tiered Internet. 'Managed services' is what they call this. 'Gated communities for the Affluent' is what I call them.'"

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Leave Spiderman Alone!

Judge Orders Cops to Stop Harassing Superheroes | Threat Level | Wired.com

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At least someone in this situation had some good sense.

Car thief yells at mom for leaving toddler unattended : The Mommy Files

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The potential for awesome is exponential.

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Garden of Eden

In news of 'no-fucking-shit':

Warren Buffett: I 'Should Be Paying A Lot More In Taxes'

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It is quite shocking how often he repeats right-wing lies.

FDR, Reagan, and Obama - NYTimes.com:

"But Obama buys the right-wing smear.

More and more, it’s becoming clear that progressives who had their hearts set on Obama were engaged in a huge act of self-delusion. Once you got past the soaring rhetoric you noticed, if you actually paid attention to what he said, that he largely accepted the conservative storyline, a view of the world, including a mythological history, that bears little resemblance to the facts.

And confronted with a situation utterly at odds with that storyline … he stayed with the myth."

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When Dems do good. Not sure how to react since 'Dems Doing Good' and 'Tigers in the Wild' are similar in their rarity.

Oregon Senator Wyden effectively kills Internet censorship bill | Raw Story:

"It's too early to say for sure, but Oregon Senator Ron Wyden could very well go down in the history books as the man who saved the Internet."

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Hemingway's book Garden of Eden is one of the top five most influential books of my life. Yes, this opens up a can of psychological worms, but the fact remains. This book is a huge one for me. I've read it a gazillion times.

Wine wrapped in newspaper....

I had no idea it was being turned into a film. Not sure how I feel about that, but it looks promising if they didn't gin up the story too much.

And Caterina Murino... good lord.

Hemingway's Garden of Eden - Movie Trailers - iTunes

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Hundred Year Starship

Gettin' my geek on today.

Scientists open electrical link to living cells

'Hundred-Year Starship' Would Send Space Explorers On One-Way Mission To Mars

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We're Number 1! We're Number... oh.

China Bullet Train Becomes World's Fastest (VIDEO)

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Time Traveler? Probably an ear ache. Cool anyway:

Did Charlie Chaplin film a cell phone in 1928? : Hot Topics

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Sticky Hands

Uncanny, the accuracy.

Which Party Will You Vote For? Flowchart Predicts Your Midterm Vote (PICTURE)

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Hilariously hypnotizing (yeah, yeah, LOLcat post. A rarity around these parts, but this 'tube is worthy).

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Super. Now idiots can hack.

Firesheep In Wolves’ Clothing: Extension Lets You Hack Into Twitter, Facebook Accounts Easily:

"It’s not hard to comprehend the far-reaching ramifications of this tool. Anytime you’re using an open Wi-Fi connection, anyone can swiftly access some of your most private, personal information and correspondence (i.e. direct messages, Facebook mail/chat)— at the click of a button. And you will have no idea."

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Excellent choice. Here's hoping NZ doesn't lose the film to another location.

Martin Freeman: The perfect Bilbo Baggins for "The Hobbit"? - CSMonitor.com:

"Is relief too strong a word to use? That seems to be the emotion that some fans are expressing after hearing that Martin Freeman – best known for his portrayal of Tim in the original version of 'The Office' will fill the role of Bilbo Baggins in the upcoming New Line film version of J.R.R. Tolkien's 'The Hobbit.'"

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Inflellatio

Or did she? Once CAN cause the other.

Rachida Dati, French Politician, Confuses 'Inflation' With 'Fellatio' (VIDEO)

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Buttholeville shows up on Huffingtonpost. I lived in the same neighborhood as the Rosenbaum house and have played in the house with grandchildren before it became a museum.

11 Great Small American Towns (PHOTOS)

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FB friends were on fire yesterday. Enough so that I'm ripping them off today 'cause I'm a lazy blogger.

Via JD.

So wrong, but so reich. Heil-larious.

Hipster Hitler � T-Shirt Store

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Via Jenn B. You will say "I had no idea".

Figwit | Know Your Meme

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The left overs of this meal on Sunday were just as good.... though the initial meal was pretty dang outstanding.

2001 Thai Stick on Fillmore, San Francisco � Fog City Foodie

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DBT Week in Review - 9/10/10

DBT!

Happy belated birthday to Emmett Hood. 1 year and 1 day in this fancy world.

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This is the place from whence I was born and raised. Hardly recognize it. Maybe someday Florence/The Shoals can be considered Athens - West.

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10 Giants of Southern Rock Guitar:

"With their heady mix of fuzzed-up riff rock, rootsy acoustic shuffles and Crazy Horse-like excursions into the wild blue yonder, the Drive-By Truckers offer up an especially ambitious brand of southern rock. Favoring SGs and Gold Top Deluxes, frontman Patterson Hood generally tunes down a whole step in order to achieve the Truckers’ distinctive sound. The band’s sprawling 2001 opus, Southern Rock Opera, paid conscious tribute to Lynyrd Skynyrd, the Allmans, and the Marshall Tucker Band."

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DRIVE BY TRUCKERS interview @ Mile High Music Festival 2010 - MoBoogie

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His mouth may not speak Spanish, but his guitar sure does. Cooley fucking dominates this guitar solo:

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Fan Videos:





China. Still awesome:

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Movies

Film Review: The Secret to a Happy Ending at Northwest Film Forum:

"Drive-By Truckers is a musical family affair; not just because inspired leader singer/songwriter Patterson Hood is the son of extremely supportive Muscle Shoals Rhythm Section bass player David Hood, or the fact that he has been collaborating with fellow Shoals, North Alabama vocalist/guitarist Mike Cooley for decades. DBT is an extended filial force driven by a web of affection and responsibility within the band — which also includes another vivid vocalist and tunesmith, Jason Isbell, married to bass player Shannon Tucker; and longtime drummer Brad Morgan — and a deep connection to their fans."

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A hidden gem, ‘That Evening Sun’ has the ring of authenticity | HamptonRoads.com | PilotOnline.com

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Glossary

Get it. Do it!

Joey Kneiser "The All-Night Bedroom Revival" CD

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Centro-Matic

Check out Centro's version of 'All Night Long'

Centro-matic on MySpace Music - Free Streaming MP3s, Pictures & Music Downloads

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Lera Lynn

1. Drool. 2. This is such a great song, one that should make LL rich and famous.

I like the cut of this ladies jib.

Facebook | Videos Posted by Rich Mullinax: Lera Lynn ~ "I'm Your Fool" Performed Live on WUGA 5 of 6

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Music News

Alt-rock icon struggles to make a comeback after fire - CNN.com

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Rock Stars do know how to make an exit.

Ex-ELO cellist killed in collision with hay bale

Charles Haddon Dead: Dies From Fall During Ou Est Le Swimming Pool Concert

The Call's Michael Been Dies of Heart Attack at B.R.M.C. Show - Spinner

Company presses your ashes into vinyl when you die

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Shorter Cougar: Get off my lawn!

John Mellencamp Likens Internet To A-Bomb

Shorter Nicks: Get off my lawn! (and help me stick this needle in my anus)

Stevie Nicks: 'Internet is killing rock 'n' roll' : SFGate: Daily Dish

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NYT is not far behind as will be all other print magazines.

Paste Magazine jettisons print product | Atlanta Music Blog | Atlanta Concerts & Shows | Crib Notes | Creative Loafing Atlanta

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And the sky is blue.

Axl Rose STORMS Off Stage After Bottles Are Hurled At Him:

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Atta girl.

Polish star faces trial on claim drunks wrote Bible - Scotsman.com News

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Do Coat Hangers Sound As Good Monster Cables? - The Consumerist

Texts, Tweets and Rock n Roll: How Social Media Saved the Sunset Strip :: Culture :: Features :: Paste

Bob Dylan's No-Ticket Experiment: A Success But Not A Sell Out : SFGate: Culture Blog!

Apple rocks the music world...again - Americana and roots music - No Depression

Jeff Pollack: The Music Industry's New Model: Where Is It?

"Individual artist apps aren't new...in 2009, some of the major labels rolled out apps for a few of their largest artists built largely around exclusive access to video content, mainly performance clips, promotional items, and behind-the-scenes peeks. But that simply is not enough; there has to a more unique offering to entice real fan engagement. Artists can only generate real revenue from apps on a long-term basis if the fan is getting something they deem valuable.

So, the battle to discover the new model continues on all fronts as the realization sinks in that the answer surely will be a combination of ideas (such as bundled subscriptions, cool artist apps, compelling fan experiences), not one magic solution. One thing won't be the answer, everything will be."

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Nothing to See Here, Folks

The ghost of GW Bush was on the TV last night acting presidential.

Obama's 'nothing to see here, folks' style of management is dragging this country further into the pit.

Fuck you, Obama. If we forget, If we do not hold accountable, then we have failed and we might as well start teaching Chinese in those lovely charter schools you desire in order to crush those nasty unions that are all mean to you and shit.

Daily Kos: Turn the page on Mister Bush? Never:

"I cannot and will not turn the page until George W. Bush, Dick Cheney and the others in that cabal of scorpions are brought to justice and make amends for Iraq. Which means never. No apology, much less time in the slam. I'll go to my grave knowing Bush and the rest got away with it. In a couple of months, Bush hopes hundreds of thousands of Americans will be turning the pages of his memoir, a book certain to add to the plethora of lies and pathetic, murderous rationalizations with which we became so familiar during the last seven years of his presidency."

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Connect these dots:

Franken tells FCC: Without ‘Net Neutrality’, a ‘handful’ of corporations will control the Web | Raw Story

Fox News: DEAD LAST In Online Ratings

In U.S., Confidence in Newspapers, TV News Remains a Rarity

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Some of the first color film moving images. Pretty neat.

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Back Off Cody

All y'all better back off Cody. He was 400 lbs when Saban got him and he played every game last year. Plus, he'll eat you if you keep poking at him like this. He's still the most athletic 360 lbs man on the planet.

Terrence Cody deemed too tubby for Ravens training camp - Shutdown Corner - NFL� - Yahoo! Sports

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A thing faster than Cody.

High-Speed Laser Chips Move Data at 50 Gbps | Gadget Lab | Wired.com:

"A new research breakthrough from Intel combines silicon chips and lasers to transmit data at 50 gigabits per second — and someday, maybe as fast as a terabit per second.

The 50-Gbps speed is enough to download an HD movie from iTunes, or up to 100 hours of digital music, in less than a second."

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Another thing faster than Cody

Zero to 60 mph in less than 3 seconds -- White Zombie electric dragster makes believers out of fossil fuel hot-rodders | OregonLive.com:

"John Wayland runs a political machine on 12 lithium polymer batteries.

It's a 1972 Datsun called 'White Zombie,' and it's one of the fastest street legal electric cars in the world. It's been clocked doing zero to 60 mph in 2.95 seconds. It's walloped Corvettes, Camaros and 600-horsepower Vipers in quarter-mile drag races using lead-acid batteries."

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I'm so there:

RUSTIC, Francis's Favorites | Francis Ford Coppola Winery

Francis Ford Coppola chats about his new restaurant, Rustic, due today - Paolo Lucchesi:

"Scoop: What’s the motivation behind Rustic? It’s almost as if the menu tells a story, from film friends to travels to family.

Coppola: Simply a style of food preparation and presentation that I personally love: a more rustic style — French country cooking or Italian country cooking, homemade, where the emphasis is more on the quality of the ingredients and doing as little as possible, rather than a more ‘nouveau’ style, in which the food is in tiny, decoratively arranged portions. I am interested in authentic dishes — the kind you drive an hour out of the city to find little restaurants that make specialties that are only made there."

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Score:

Lawyer: Negatives verified as Ansel Adams' work - Yahoo! News:

"EVERLY HILLS, Calif. – A trove of old glass negatives bought at a garage sale for $45 have been authenticated as the lost work of famed nature photographer Ansel Adams and are worth at least $200 million, an attorney for the owner said Tuesday."

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Big Boy Blog

Welcome, Crooks and Liars folk. Glad to have you here. A bit shocked to wake this morning and find that I'd been linked to by one of the big boys. Usually it is quite malcontented and bitchy around these parts, but the brat/hamburger coma persist, so we's keeping it light and breezy around here today.

Thanks, Bluegal, for the linkage!

Mike's Blog Round Up | Crooks and Liars

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Prehistoric man went to the movies, say researchers | Raw Story:

"'In this sense, the rock engravings are not just static images but pictures that created a story in the mind of the viewer -- just like at the cinema,' said Baker."

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Godspeed, little doodle. Good work.

The Scavenger : Family Chihuahua dies in the line of duty:

"Police say two pit bulls named Jade and Beast chewed a hole through the wooden fence of their owner's home and escaped, making their way to a Richmond apartment. There, they slipped through an open door. Resident Mayda Estrella, who was holding her newborn, confronted them in the bedroom and hit one dog with a remote control. But when her son caught the attention of one of the pit bulls, a pint-sized protector stepped in. According to KGO:"

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This article should win a Pulitzer. Genius from beginning to end.

Woman in sumo wrestler suit assaulted her ex-girlfriend in gay pub - City News, National News - Herald.ie

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Fingers crossed ants never decide to get uppity. We'd be screwed.

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Proud of Being Ignorant

Virginia Governor McDonnell was FOR slavery.....

McDonnell: Slavery Wasn’t ‘Significant’ Enough To Be Included In My Proclamation Honoring The Confederacy

BEFORE he was kinda/sorta against slavery.

Virginia... you still have a problem:

PostPartisan - McDonnell backpedals on Confederate History Month:

"Do you pine for the gallantry of the soldiers in grey, affix Confederate flags to your pickup’s antenna and delight in rebel yells at football games? Or do you regard the Confederate cause as a fundamentally racist and treasonous project whose defeat was a blessing? Take your pick: McDonnell’s got a proclamation for each constituency.."

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Rabidly proud of being dumbass. Hate is the only thing that rides shotgun with these folks:

Proud Of Being Ignorant - National - The Atlantic

The GOP is, effectively, the party of willfully unlettered Utopians. It is the party of choice for those who believe global warming is a hoax, that humans roamed the earth with dinosaurs, and that homosexuals should work harder at not being gay.

That the party of unadulterated quackery also believes that Birth Of A Nation is more true to the Civil War than Battle Cry Of Freedom, is to be expected. Ignorance does not respect boundaries. It is, at times, qualified and those who know more, often struggle to say more. But people who believe that the Census is actually a covert attempt to put Americans in concentration camps, are also likely to believe that slavery was incidental to the Civil War.

This is who they are--the proud and ignorant. If you believe that if we still had segregation we wouldn't "have had all these problems," this is the movement for you. If you believe that your president is a Muslim sleeper agent, this is the movement for you. If you honor a flag raised explicitly to destroy this country then this is the movement for you. If you flirt with secession, even now, then this movement is for you. If you are a "Real American" with no demonstrable interest in "Real America" then, by God, this movement of alchemists and creationists, of anti-science and hair tonic, is for you.

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And that willful ignorance yearns to be stoked into violence by the FAUX Propaganda Network:

Charles Alan Wilson Charged With Threatening Sen. Patty Muray's Life:

FBI arrests man for threatening Pelosi | Seattle Times Newspaper

Mom: Son who threatened Pelosi got radical ideas from Fox News | Raw Story:

'Greg frequently gets in with a group of people that have really radical ideas and that are not consistent with myself or the rest of the family, which gets him into problems,' the 83-year-old mother of the accused man, Eleanor Giusti, said. 'I say Fox News, or all of those that are really radical, and he, that's where he comes from.'"

Prosecutor: East TX Man Distributed Pipe Bombs Because Of Anger At Government | TPMMuckraker:

"An East Texas man who federal prosecutors allege left explosive devices including pipe bombs in multiple area mail boxes, was motivated in part by anger at the government,"

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These are the people you want managing your money? Really?

Junior Florida Republican Party staffer had $1.3 million charged to party credit card - St. Petersburg Times:

"She was a 25-year-old junior staffer when the Florida Republican Party gave her an American Express card.

Over the next 2� years, nearly $1.3 million in charges wound up on Melanie Phister's AmEx — $40,000 at a London hotel, and nearly $20,000 in plane tickets for indicted former House Speaker Ray Sansom, his wife and kids, for starters. Statements show thousands spent on jewelry, sporting goods and in one case $15,000 for what's listed as a month-long stay at a posh Miami Beach hotel, but which the party says was a forfeited deposit."

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Think Progress � Tea Party Movement As Popular As Socialism

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I like this guy a lot. He's a badass.

Rodney Glassman: McCain (Or Hayworth) Gets First Serious Democratic Challenger:

"His time in D.C. was limited, as he went back to Arizona to get his PhD in Arid Land resources at the University of Arizona's college of agriculture. But he kept one foot in politics, holding on to his formal duties on the congressman's staff. As if that wasn't enough for his plate, Glassman than pursued a law degree at UofA, during which a spot on the Tucson City Council opened up. Persuaded to run for the post, he left Girjalva's office and announced his candidacy. That was 2006, his second year of law school.

The actual election took place in 2007 and his admission to the Arizona Bar took place in May 2008. Still, apparently, not internally satisfied, he decided to join the Air Force to become a JAG -- a challenge in its own right, but made even harder by the fact that officials told him he had to lose 60 pounds to qualify. He did it. In six months."

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Because that is exactly how the Republicans want it:

When Did the Senate Become Such a Lonely, Cynical Place? -- New York Magazine

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Yes, this was 100% a political prosecution. Will anyone be held accountable? Come on, now. This is 'Merica! We don't do 'accountability'.

Ethics Complaint Alleges New Politicized Probe Involving Siegelman Prosecutor | TPMMuckraker:

"A U.S. attorney in Alabama whose close ties to local Republicans were at the heart of previous high-profile charges of politicized justice is drawing scrutiny again. Last week, the U.S. Justice Department received a formal complaint alleging that an investigation being run in part by U.S. attorney Leura Canary was intended to influence the vote on an upcoming bill in the statehouse, and asking that Canary be removed from the probe because of her 'close political ties' to Governor Bob Riley.

This isn't the first time that Canary's ties to Riley and Alabama Republicans have generated controversy. Numerous observers have charged that the prosecution by Canary's office of former governor Don Siegelman, who in 2006 was convicted on corruption charges, was politically motivated. Canary's husband, Bill Canary, a top Alabama GOP political consultant and associate of Karl Rove, ran Riley's 2002 gubernatorial campaign against Siegelman, a Democrat."

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Really hope the FCC pulls the trigger here. These are 'We the people's airways and lines these asshole companies are using. We LET them use them.

FCC loses key ruling on Internet `neutrality':

The more likely scenario, Scott believes, is that the agency will simply reclassify broadband as a more heavily regulated telecommunications service. That, ironically, could be the worst-case outcome from the perspective of the phone and cable companies.

'Comcast swung an ax at the FCC to protest the BitTorrent order,' Scott said. 'And they sliced right through the FCC's arm and plunged the ax into their own back.'"

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Teabaggers still up in bare arms about this:

Forbidden Images: Movie Montage Of Censored Images From 1920s And 30s (VIDEO)

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I lived half a block from Louis' for 3 years and went probably once... because it was always so packed, you couldn't get in. Great views, though.

The Scavenger : Louis' diner ... close? Nooo!!!!

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Rewriting History or NeoCon Bastards

It is hard to track Republican hypocrisy. Hard work, I say.

So, here's a handy-dandy cheat sheet to help you out:

The Washington Monthly:

"Obstructionism," for example, only refers to Democratic minorities opposing Republican proposals.

"Tyranny" is found when an elected Democratic majority passes legislation that Republicans don't like.

"Reconciliation" describes a Senate process that Republicans are allowed to use to overcome Democratic "obstructionism."

"Terrorism" refers to acts of political violence committed by people who aren't white guys.

"Bipartisanship" is found when Democrats agree to pass Republican legislation.

"Big government" describes a dangerous phenomenon to be avoided, except in cases relating to reproductive rights or gays.

"Treason" refers to Democrats criticizing a Republican administration during a war.

"Patriotism" refers to Republicans criticizing a Democratic administration during a war.

"Fiscal responsibility" is a national priority related to keeping our deficit in check, which only applies when Republicans are in the minority.

"Parliamentarian" is a seemingly independent official on the Hill who Senate Republicans are allowed to fire when the GOP disapproves of his/her rulings.

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Amen. But god forbid we ever elect an effective Democrat to anything.

Maher: Obama’s ‘mistake’ was not telling Republicans to ’suck on it’ | Raw Story

"I think the biggest mistake that he has made in his first year was to put bipartisanship ahead of fixing the country," Maher declared Wednesday on MSNBC's Countdown With Keith Olbermann.

He said Obama should have "com[e] in with all the energy from the election and saying, you know what, we're in a crisis mode, I won this election by a sizable mandate -- here's what we're going to do; if you don't like it, Republicans, you can suck on it."

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Horrors of horror. How can a state that gives me Best and Johnson and Austin foist this revisionist horseshit upon the entire nation.

Plain and simple, this is the rewriting of history before our eyes.

Texas Textbook MASSACRE: 'Ultraconservatives' Approve Radical Changes To State Education Curriculum

But just when you thought is couldn't get worse....

"Likely to test"?!? Are you fucking kidding me? Legitimizing the politicization of the Supreme Court?

We are totally fucked. Back to my Mandarin lessons.

Justice's wife launches 'tea party' group - latimes.com:

"Justice's wife launches 'tea party' group The nonprofit run by Virginia Thomas, wife of Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas, is likely to test notions of political impartiality for the court."

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Stupid is as stupid does and, boy, do American ever does.

Home school textbook market dominated by books skeptical of evolution.:

"“Those who do not believe that the Bible is the inspired, inerrant Word of God will find many points in this book puzzling,” says the introduction to “Biology: Third Edition” from Bob Jones University Press. “This book was not written for them.” The textbook delivers a religious ultimatum to young readers and parents, warning in its “History of Life” chapter that a “Christian worldview … is the only correct view of reality; anyone who rejects it will not only fail to reach heaven but also fail to see the world as it truly is.”"

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Channeling the true spirit of Disney.

Florida Lawmaker Attempts To Deny Tax Credit To Movies Filmed With Gay Characters:

"“Think of it as like Mayberry,” Precourt told the Palm Beach Post News. “That’s when I grew up — the ’60s. That’s what life was like. I want Florida to be known for making those kinds of movies: Disney movies for kids and all that stuff. Like it used to be, you know?”"

Full out onslaught of NeoCon history rewrite.

NYT columnist peddles ‘post-modern illusions’ and ‘propaganda’ to varnish Bush legacy | Raw Story:

"'My three cents,' began Andrew Sullivan, blogging for The Atlantic. '[No] president in the twentieth century did as much damage to this country as Bush: in terms of unfathomable debt, unwinnable wars, political cynicism, the dangerous fusion of politics and religion, the integration of torture into the DNA of America, the squandering of American soft and hard power, the lost years on non-carbon energy, the trashing of constitutional balance, and the immiseration of most ordinary Americans, he was a disaster. The only way in which Fish is correct is that the damage was so deep and so intractable that Obama, perforce, cannot undo it overnight and so cannot help but be tarred with its consequences, including a brutal recession."

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B/C deep down, you know they loves them some child abuse.

GOP: Law banning child abuse in schools will lead to ‘government takeover’ | Raw Story:

"A proposed law designed to prevent child abuse in schools has been lauded by children's protection advocates, and slammed by House Republicans as an unnecessary expansion of federal government power."

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Don't worry, Bart.....

Bart Stupak: Democratic Leaders Are 'Ignoring Me':

You aren't being ignored....

Democratic activist to challenge Stupak for seat | detnews.com | The Detroit News:

"Washington -- A Democratic activist announced today she's challenging Rep. Bart Stupak out of her frustration that his hard line on abortion funding threatens to derail health care legislation pending in Congress.

And those like you are not being ignored:

Labor On Dems Who Block Health Reform: We'll 'Take Them Out'

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Hurry the fuck up and take me out of the shit hole.

Anyone who doesn't believe in science is not allowed.

Mars In 40 Days: New Rocket Engine Could Make Quick Space Travel Possible

"After years of underinvestment in new technology and unrealistic budgeting, the President's plan will unveil an ambitious plan for NASA that sets the agency on a reinvigorated path of space exploration," the White House said in a statement.

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Drinken Poet's Dream

Travel day today. Short and sweet.

Go buy this record. You'll be glad you did.

Hubbard: Music:

" With a keen eye for observation and a wise man's knowledge, Ray Wylie Hubbard composes and performs a dozen songs that couldn't spring from anywhere else but out of his fertile Rock 'n' Roll bluesy poet-in-the-blistering-heat southern noggin. The writing and recording of A. Enlightenment B. Endarkenment came on the heels of Hubbard's screenplay endeavor, which was funded and filmed with a cast of icons including Kris Kristopherson, Dwight Yoakam, and Lizzy Caplan. A weekly radio show, constant touring, and producing kept him busy, but didn't manage to steal the Texan singer/songwriter's focus. The outcome of the album is a juxtaposition of songs like 'Four Horseman Of The Apocalypse,p a fundamental Gospel piece, and 'Drunken Poet's Dream,' a co-write with Hayes Carll."

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Didn't know this:

Ailing Hopper 'Facing Final Days':

"Acting legend Dennis Hopper is losing his battle with prostate cancer after the deadly disease spread to his bones, according to a British report.

The Easy Rider veteran revealed his struggle with the illness in October, after he was admitted to hospital suffering from 'severe flu-like symptoms.'

He immediately underwent treatment at the University of Southern California, but doctors admit hopes for the 73 year old are fading after the cancer spread, according to Britain's News of the World newspaper.

According to the publication, medics have informed Hopper - who has battled the disease since 2002 - that his cancer is incurable and that he may be facing his final days."

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Very cool and interesting.

A Peek Into Netflix Queues - NYTimes.com

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DBT Week in Review - 11/13/09

Patterson/DBT!

40 Watt Shows have been announced!

Drive-By Truckers- Tour Dates

On sale tomorrow, 11/14 @ Noon.

Tickets for 1/14

Tickets for 1/15

Tickets for 1/16

3 Day Pass!

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Listen to Patterson Hood’s ‘Depression Era’ from ‘That Evening Sun’:

"A number of weeks ago I wrote about the original song “Depression Era” from Scott Teems’s “That Evening Sun.” It’s a breathy southern soul tune that, for my money, bests all other original song contenders this year. But considering the fact that the film will struggle to be seen, and the music branch isn’t likely to appreciate the song’s placement in the film (closing credits), I doubt an original song nomination is on the horizon."

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Patterson, Finn and Nichols. Onion A.V. folks are on top of it!

Who's the next Bruce Springsteen? | Features | | A.V. Milwaukee:

"Let’s dispense with an obvious disclaimer: There will never be another Springsteen, just as there will never be another Bob Dylan, Beatles, Zeppelin, insert your favorite classic rock band here. Furthermore, younger artists don’t need to be validated by being compared to a baby boomer favorite. Today’s musical heroes are just as valid as the legends of yesteryear. Okay, now that we’ve got that out of the way: I think the person most deserving of Springsteen’s mantle is Patterson Hood of Drive-By Truckers."

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Internet Archive: Free Download: Patterson Hood Live at Caledonia Lounge on 2009-11-04

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Patterson Hood takes up series at Caledonia - Variety:

"'A good bit of our 2000 live album, 'Alabama Ass Whuppin,' was recorded there [at the Caledonia], so we put this together as a way to say thank you to the Caledonia for 10 years of great rock here in Athens,' Hood said."

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Musicians sound call for the Louisiana coast:

"The letter (view here ) was signed by a wide range of musicians and music industry voices; from New Orleans own Neville Brothers, Dr. John, Galactic, and Funky Meters to internationally known acts like REM, Trent Reznor, Ok Go, Los Lobos and Bonnie Raitt. Voodoo performers the Drive-By Truckers, Gogol Bordello, JJ Grey & Mofro, the Knux, Parliment-Funkadelic, the Preservation Hall Jazz Band, Generationals, Warsaw, and many others added their support as well."

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Jason Isbell and the 400 Unit

Here are a couple of pictures of JI400 during sound check at the Great American Music Hall in San Francisco last Sunday. I should have a full post up next week with pictures and a few tales.

Posted this video of The Blue earlier this week, but this is a do over for better sound. Still working on better compression for the imaging, but sound has been much improved. May still be loading, so vid quality will improve.

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Photo essay: Jason Isbell and the 400 Unit @ the Larimer Lounge | Reverb

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Preservation Hall and Sony RED Distribution Announce: 'Preservation, an Album Benefiting Preservation Hall and Its Music Outreach Program':

"The complete roster of artists includes: Louis Armstrong, Andrew Bird, Terence Blanchard, Pete Seeger, Dr. John, Blind Boys of Alabama, Brandi Carlile, Cory Chisel, Ani DiFranco, Steve Earle, Merle Haggard, Richie Havens, Jason Isbell, Jim James, Angelique Kidjo, Amy LaVere, Anita Briem, Del McCoury, Bobby McFerrin, Buddy Miller, Paolo Nutini, and Tom Waits."

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Muscle Shoals Sound

Mac McAnally named musician of the year | TimesDaily.com | The Times Daily | Florence, AL:

"“It was just a lucky piece of timing,” he said. “I’m just a part-time musician.”"

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Stars play auctioned guitars | TimesDaily.com | The Times Daily | Florence, AL:

"UNIVERSITY OF NORTH ALABAMA - It takes seasoned guitarists such as Earl 'Peanut' Montgomery and Jimmie Johnson to notice the subtle differences in the two custom-made Benedetto guitars being auctioned by the University of North Alabama.

Johnson and Montgomery are among almost a dozen Shoals musicians who have come to Rogers Hall on the UNA campus to give the guitars a test run.

The guitars are the same model - electric hollow body Benedetto Bambinos handmade in Savannah, Ga."

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Dexateens

DEXATEENS t-shirt - all sizes - Peavy - - eBay (item 220506845914 end time Nov-13-09 17:18:21 PST)

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Music

Here's a quirky little group from the Bay Area.

Late Night Music Club: 'Beat It,' by Pomplamoose | Late Nite Music Club:

"Pomplamoose (it means 'grapefruit' in French) is a Bay Area indie jazz-pop band and is compromised made up of Jack Conte and Nataly Dawn, who do what they call VideoSongs.

For those who don't know, a VideoSong is a new medium with (as Jack puts it) two rules:

1. What you see is what you hear (no lip-syncing for instruments or voice).

2. If you hear it, at some point you see it (no hidden sounds)."

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Whatever.

Joe Perry: Steven Tyler has quit Aerosmith - Friday, Nov. 6, 2009 | 4:03 p.m. - Las Vegas Sun

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Bee Gees interview - Telegraph:

"The two surviving members of this legendary trio (brother Maurice died suddenly, in January 2003, aged 53, of complications from a twisted intestine) have come together to celebrate a golden anniversary, 50 years in the music business, with a new compilation The Ultimate Bee Gees. It has been a quite extraordinary career, with two distinct periods of world-beating stardom, as Beatles-influenced soft rockers in the late Sixties (their classic hits included To Love Somebody, Words and How Can You Mend a Broken Heart and blue-eyed disco singers in the late Seventies (Stayin’ Alive, Jive Talkin’, Tragedy) with a twilight period as hitmakers for other artists, including Barbra Streisand (Woman in Love), Diana Ross (Chain Reaction), Kenny Rogers and Dolly Parton (Islands in the Stream) and Dionne Warwick (Heartbreaker). Their catalogue of solid gold standards is rivalled only by Lennon and McCartney."

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The New York Music Project: Help Map The City In Song:

"Since its founding, New York has been an evergreen inspiration for musicians, from Gershwin to Dylan to the Beastie Boys. 'Empire State of Mind,' Jay-Z's love letter to the city, is just the latest, and perhaps greatest, in a long line of New York-inspired songs. But one day -- maybe soon, maybe not -- someone else will come along and pen a diddy about the city that never sleeps that will fully-encapsulate life in the five boroughs and Jay-Z's will be a worn-out standard, played while fans shuffle out of the new new Yankee Stadium.

So in honor of the long and vast history of New York in song, we're extremely pleased to introduce the Huffington Post New York Music Project. Essentially we are trying to discover, uncover, and map every single song lyric that name-checks a location, business, corner, monument, etc., in the city of New York. This can be as vague as George Cohan giving his regards 'to Broadway' to as specific as Lou Reed 'waiting for the man' on 125th and Lexington. We've put together 40 entries to start off with, but that just scratches the surface."

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Fun Stuff

Type yer birfday in:

Wolfram|Alpha

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Ambiguous Film Endings Resolved (VIDEO)

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Need to open a bottle of wine this weekend but don't have a cork screw?

Well, here you go:

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Vile, Contemptible Nonsense

Love Frank. This is how you handle your bid-ness.

Rep. Frank lashes out at protester for Nazi remark - Yahoo! News:

"DARTMOUTH, Mass. – Rep. Barney Frank lashed out at protester who held a poster depicting President Barack Obama with a Hitler-style mustache during a heated town hall meeting on federal health care reform.

'On what planet do you spend most of your time?' Frank asked the woman, who had stepped up to the podium at a southeastern Massachusetts senior center to ask why Frank supports what she called a Nazi policy.

'Ma'am, trying to have a conversation with you would be like trying to argue with a dining room table. I have no interest in doing it,' Frank replied.

He continued by saying her ability to deface an image of the president and express her views 'is a tribute to the First Amendment that this kind of vile, contemptible nonsense is so freely propagated.'"

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Thank jeebus Labor is stepping up to the plate big time.

Damn right!

Labor Warns Dems: We'll Sit Out Election If You Oppose Public Plan:

"One of the country's most prominent union officials is warning that big labor may pull its support from Democrats who don't fight for a government-run insurance plan.

In an interview with the Huffington Post on Saturday, Richard Trumka, the secretary-treasurer and likely next president of the AFL-CIO, said his federation is drawing a line in the sand when it comes to a public option in the health care bill. Lawmakers who don't support the provision, he said, shouldn't take anything for granted.

'We'll look at every one of their votes,' Trumka said after his speech at the Netroots Nation convention. 'If they're against the Employee Free Choice Act, if they're against health care for that reason, I think it'll be tough for them to get support from working people.'"

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Posting an article like this is getting ridiculously redundant. Hell, we can't ever get the good guys to do the easy stuff like health care.

But, again, true, true.

Peter Moskos and Stanford "Neill" Franklin - Time to Legalize Drugs - washingtonpost.com:

"Only after years of witnessing the ineffectiveness of drug policies -- and the disproportionate impact the drug war has on young black men -- have we and other police officers begun to question the system.

Cities and states license beer and tobacco sellers to control where, when and to whom drugs are sold. Ending Prohibition saved lives because it took gangsters out of the game. Regulated alcohol doesn't work perfectly, but it works well enough. Prescription drugs are regulated, and while there is a huge problem with abuse, at least a system of distribution involving doctors and pharmacists works without violence and high-volume incarceration. Regulating drugs would work similarly: not a cure-all, but a vast improvement on the status quo.

Legalization would not create a drug free-for-all. In fact, regulation reins in the mess we already have. If prohibition decreased drug use and drug arrests acted as a deterrent, America would not lead the world in illegal drug use and incarceration for drug crimes.

Drug manufacturing and distribution is too dangerous to remain in the hands of unregulated criminals. Drug distribution needs to be the combined responsibility of doctors, the government, and a legal and regulated free market. This simple step would quickly eliminate the greatest threat of violence: street-corner drug dealing."

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Only 40 percent?!?

Television news networks must be around 90 percent.

AFP: 40 percent of Twitter messages 'pointless babble': study:

"WASHINGTON — Forty percent of the messages on Twitter are 'pointless babble' along the lines of 'I am eating a sandwich now,' according to a study conducted by a US market research firm."

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When I get an iPhone this will be one of my first apps.

NSFW due to naughty language.

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Tarantino's top 20 films since 1992.

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