Monday, July 30, 2012

School rejects 3-year-old because parents are gay, but is happy to accept federal funding.

School rejects 3-year-old because parents are gay | Albuquerque News - KOAT Home

To shroud your kids in ignorance,
fail to prepare them for the modern world,
and send them forth as bigoted regressives,
to ensure the world never changes for the better.
“Same gender couples are inconsistent with scriptural lifestyle and biblical teachings,” and "Home life doesn't reflect the school's belief of what a biblical family lifestyle is.” 
The letter also says since the school is private, it is free from "excessive government interference in matters of religion." 
Oh really. Free from government interference, but happy to take $60,000 in federal funds this year.

That's our tax money, folks. Funding intolerance, bigotry, discrimination, and (no doubt) shoddy education.

Parents, you're better off sending your kids someplace else anyways. That school sucks.



Friday, July 27, 2012

Gorilla accidentally hangs himself. (Or did he?)

Gorilla Hangs Himself Accidentally In Prague Zoo


Young Tatu (right) playing with is father back in 2010. 
Mammals curator Pavel Brandl said Tatu likely unbraided one of the dozens ropes the gorillas use in their pavilion for climbing and put a strand around his neck before hanging himself. 
"It was an accident," Brandl said. He said the ropes are checked daily. 
Brandl said another gorilla, Kamba, appeared to be trying to help Tatu when zookeepers arrived but "it's hard to say what exactly she was doing."
"Let's check Kamba's alibi, see if she and Tatu had been getting along recently, make sure there's nothing suspicious in her finances. It may be nothing, but if she was the last to see him alive ... "
- Gorilla who watched lots of Law and Order

Have you subscribed to Sparky's List by @tomtomorrow yet?

About SPARKY'S LIST

I just subscribed, and eagerly await the ability to see new This Modern World comics before they're published, so satire like this hits my inbox piping hot from the brain oven!

Daily Kos: Boxed in

Mr. Tomorrow, if you happen to see this, what's the policy on sharing a snippet (such as the above) of one of the list comics to entice any readers I might have to subscribe as well? Will the email from the list say one way or the other whether some limited form of sharing is allowed or encouraged?

I won't share anything until it's published unless I understand from you or from the list terms (if there are any?) that it's OK to do.

If sharing a snip from a comic is permissible, I'd appreciate a "you go, boyo," so I know I'm in the clear.

Warm regards,

Chris (@cdogzilla)

Thursday, July 26, 2012

Of gay-hating chicken sandwich slingers and free speech ...

Rahm Emanuel’s dangerous free speech attack - Salon.com


"You can shove your over-rated chicken sandwich up
your ass and stay the fuck out of my city."
 - Rahm Emanuel [paraphrased, by me]
Greenwald writes:
Obviously, it’s perfectly legitimate for private citizens to decide not to patronize a business with executives who have such views (I’d likely refrain from doing so in this case). Beyond that, if a business is engaging in discriminatory hiring or service practices in violation of the law — refusing to hire gay employees or serve gay patrons in cities which have made sexual orientation discrimination illegal — then it is perfectly legitimate to take action against them. 
But that is not the case here; the actions are purely in retribution against the views of the business’ top executive on the desirability of same-sex marriage ...
Well, I blogged in general support of Menino telling Chick-fil-A to get bent, so I should own up if I've gone off the deep end and stepped on the top of the slippery slide into Liberal Fascism. Let's see if I need to walk it back.

First, I should explain my assumption was Menino's letter was basically political grandstanding, not a ban on Chick-fil-A with the force of law. Just like I am fond of shaming Chick-fil-A's founder and current CEO, I see no problem with a politician doing so. The article read at Boston.com didn't report that he had actually forbidden Chick-fil-A from opening, or that he was saying he would. Menino's most forceful statement was: "I urge you to back out of your plans to locate in Boston." An urging is not a ban, or even a threat to ban. A threat to ban would look like this: "I will ban you."

Let's take a side step and answer the hypothetical, what if Menino had banned Chick-fil-A, assuming he has the authority to do so.

Greenwald, sagely, points out:
If you support what Emanuel is doing here, then you should be equally supportive of a Mayor in Texas or a Governor in Idaho who blocks businesses from opening if they are run by those who support same-sex marriage — or who oppose American wars, or who support reproductive rights, or who favor single-payer health care, or which donates to LGBT groups and Planned Parenthood, on the ground that such views are offensive to Christian or conservative residents.
Yes. No dispute here. If this were Governor Romney of Massachusetts saying, "I urge Hippie Vegan Fake Burgers-R-US to stay out of my commonwealth because their support of Planned Parenthood which the good Christians I represent find offensive," I'd say, "Whatever, asshole." But I wouldn't say he has no right to say that. However, if he said, "I forbid Hippie Vegan Fake Burgers-R-Us from opening a store here," then I'd have a problem.

Back to what politicians are really saying and doing about Chick-fil-A. The difference between Menino and Emanuel is that Emanuel, from what I've read, is supporting an alderman who does in fact want to ban Chick-fil-A from his neighborhood. There seems to be real intent to say, because of your support for hate groups, your business can't open here. (And, make no mistake, the Family Research Council, despite its protestations, is a hate group.)  So, while I encourage and support them in calling out Chick-fil-A for supporting the Family Research Council and other groups I think are either openly hateful or just silly and irrelevant, I don't think they can ban those businesses on those grounds.

To answer my own question, communities do have the right to say "not here" to businesses, but they need a valid reason, some identifiable violation of zoning rules, or support of illegal groups ("terrorist" organizations, organized crime families), being hateful idiots is not reason enough.

Even hateful idiots have the right to make a living. We have the right to call them hateful idiots and not spend money at their businesses. Let's do that.

[Update 7/27/12]
"If a man can't manage his own life, he can't manage a business," says Cathy, who says he would probably fire an employee or terminate an operator who "has been sinful or done something harmful to their family members." 
The parent company asks people who apply for an operator license to disclose marital status, number of dependents and involvement in "community, civic, social, church and/or professional organizations." ["The Cult of Chick-fil-A," by Emily Schmall in Forbes, 7/23/2007]
We already know they consider being gay "sinful," so it raises the question, do they discriminate in hiring and firing? Did "probably fire" ever become "fired"?

"Chick-Fil-A Faced 12 Employment Discrimination Suits Since 1988" | Liberaland

Aziz Latif, a former Chick-fil-A restaurant manager in Houston [who] sued the company in 2002 after Latif, a Muslim, says he was fired a day after he didn’t participate in a group prayer to Jesus Christ at a company training program in 2000. The suit was settled on undisclosed terms.
OK, you guys, now how do we feel about Rahm Emanuel's position?

Menino Steps Up

You called supporters of gay marriage "prideful.'' Here in Boston, to borrow your own words, we are "guilty as charged.'' We are indeed full of pride for our support of same sex marriage and our work to expand freedom to all people. We are proud that our state and our city have led the way for the country on equal marriage rights. 
I was angry to learn on the heels of your prejudiced statements about your search for a site to locate in Boston. There is no place for discrimination on Boston's Freedom Trail and no place for your company alongside it. When Massachusetts became the first state in the country to recognize equal marriage rights, I personally stood on City Hall Plaza to greet same sex couples coming here to be married. It would be an insult to them and to our city's long history of expanding freedom to have a Chick-fil-A across the street from that spot.
Good on you, Mumbles. Well said.

Wednesday, July 25, 2012

Another day, another food truck: @Chick_N_Que

CHICK-N-QUE | Menu
Unidentified co-worker darting into my shot of the truck.
NC eastern style chopped chicken barbecue. Yes, it's vinegar based, but not like you expect. Our old family recipe gives it just the right flavor you can't wait to sink your mouth into again and again.
I'll say right up front, Eastern NC-style BBQ is not my favorite. I was reluctant to try this, but if I'm going to be diligent about sampling the food trucks around here, it's going to mean rolling the dice and taking my chances a few times.

As a cheapskate, one of my first concerns is value, and I felt like I got an appropriate amount of sandwich and fries for the price. My sandwich was $5, the seasoned fries $3, and for ordering both I got a "free soda." $3 would've been too much for the fries if the soda weren't included, but $8 total for the combo felt reasonable.

The sandwich was very tasty. Instead of the nasty vinegary flavor you get off a lot of NC BBQ, this sauce was only mildly vinegary versus predominantly sweet with touch of heat that I think may have hinted at a bit of habanero in the sauce? (I could have been imagining that, there were some red peppers bits in the chicken that may have been providing the hint of pepper instead.) The chicken itself was succulent and cooked just right.

I have to say though that when you are a making  a simple sandwich (meat and bread) ... it's a bit disappointing when the bread is just generic supermarket blandness. I'm not one these guys that expects his drink to come with hand-carved, artisanal ice cubes made from spring water distillate from copper still, so I don't expect them to be baking the bread in the truck or anything, but that chicken deserved a better a partner. Certainly a local bakery could provide a complimentary bun without increasing the cost too much? 

The seasoned fries were hot, crispy, and the seasoning served them well.  There's nothing more depressing than a box of soggy, tasteless fries. These weren't earth-shaking or anything, but were in no way disappointing.

All-in-all, I look forward to trying this truck again. I might just do the chicken over the fries and skip the roll.


Clifford D. Simak more influential than we knew ...

The Surprising Novel That Got Kim Stanley Robinson Interested in Science Fiction
 ... as a young adult, he checked Clifford D. Simak's comic novel The Goblin Reservation out of the library — and it changed his life.
the goblin reservation
via flickr's Adaiha
Honestly, I don't remember mine. I think it may have been the Tom Swift stories I found at my grandparents' house. I was hooked on Doctor Who the first time I saw a Tom Baker-era episode on Public TV back in the late 70s. No telling which came first though.

Other gateways to geekery?



Tuesday, July 24, 2012

You can't always get what you want ...

In the breakroom at work, someone hung a sheet of paper with those little tear-offs cut across the bottom. The sign read, "Take one of whatever you need ..." (and went on at a bit of length about meeting the pressures of the day or something along those lines) and the tear-offs were for Mama, Love, Hug, and several other warm fuzzies.

I took the first tear-off and put a sticky on the sign saying:
If you're looking for the "Buffalo Tranquilizers," I took 'em. Sorry. Good luck.
Regards,
Chris
The sign is gone now.

I'm why our office can't have nice things.

Jason Alexander understands the 2nd Amendment better than the NRA

TwitLonger — When you talk too much for Twitter


George Costanza makes more sense than gun nuts.
These people believe that the US government is eventually going to go street by street and enslave our citizens. Now as long as that is only happening to liberals, homosexuals and democrats - no problem. But if they try it with anyone else - it's going to be arms-ageddon and these committed, God-fearing, brave souls will then use their military-esque arsenal to show the forces of our corrupt government whats-what. These people think they meet the definition of a "militia". They don't. At least not the constitutional one. And, if it should actually come to such an unthinkable reality, these people believe they would win. That's why they have to "take our country back". From who? From anyone who doesn't think like them or see the world like them. They hold the only truth, everyone else is dangerous. Ever meet a terrorist that doesn't believe that? Just asking.
George has really stepped in it now. 

Monday, July 23, 2012

Yes, by all means, keep a firearm with you for safety. Just be prepared to live with the first mistake you make ...

Cop shoots and kills son after reportedly mistaking him for an intruder - U.S. News


Michael Leach
Image via TOT
Michael Leach, 59, an officer with the Parry Police Department in Wyoming County in western New York state, was staying at a motel in Old Forge. He called 911 early Saturday to say he just shot someone he thought was an intruder, troopers said, according to The Syracuse Post-Standard. 
The victim turned out to be his son, Matthew S. Leach, 37, of Rochester.
Do you have a firearm for safety? Are you a trained, veteran police officer? No? OK, because you may want to consider that even off-duty cops have horrific, tragic accidents with their guns.

But you? Nah, you're perfect. Something like this would never happen to you.

I wonder if Mr. Leach is on suicide watch. He should be. Or, I don't know, maybe once you've committed filicide ... I don't know how you live with yourself? Maybe the greatest mercy would be to leave him alone with his loaded weapon and his conscience?

Sunday, July 22, 2012

Corporate money and representative government don't mix.

Dalton’s only hope | Honest NC


Dalton knows which side the
bread is buttered on.
A former Progress director said that Duke Energy’s actions were "the most blatant example of corporate deceit that I have witnessed during a long career on Wall Street." 
Dalton simply needs to connect the dots for voters in order turn the statewide electorate against Duke and the former Charlotte mayor.
So why would the Democratic candidate make the strong and obvious case against his Republican opponent? Because, as the commenters on the Honest NC post point out, the CEO of Duke Energy pulls the strings of both candidates.

Your corporate-owned election process at work.

But, hey, at least the national Democratic party isn't beholden to corporate interests. Right?


CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) -- Shortly after last year's high-profile announcement that the 2012 Democratic National Convention would be the first in history not to rely on special-interest money, organizers in Charlotte quietly set up a nonprofit entity to rake in corporate cash. 
Bank of America, Wells Fargo and Duke Energy have all sent checks to New American City Inc., a non-profit entity being run by top officials on the convention host committee. Corporate money is bankrolling operations in direct support of the convention, including paying the salaries of the 41 full-time host committee employees, their health insurance and for the offices where they work.
Oh, hello again, Duke Energy. You guys sure have a lot of cash to throw around. Maybe instead of charging inflated rates to support your corporate takeover of the political process, you could run your business ethically and charge for your services appropriately?

Saturday, July 21, 2012

Tea Party jackwad DeMint is concerned Marines may be trying to defraud the government over poisoned water at Camp Lejeune.

DeMint blocks bill for Lejeune water victims - Local/State - NewsObserver.com:

Jim DeMint to Marines: Prove it was the
poisoned water that made you sick!
Republican Sen. Jim DeMint’s stance has developed into an intraparty standoff with Republican Sen. Richard Burr of North Carolina, the Senate bill’s lead sponsor, who led the call to help the Marines and their families. 
In an April letter to President Barack Obama asking for additional funds to provide care for victims, leaders of the House and Senate veterans affairs committees called the episode “possibly the worst example of water contamination in our nation’s history.” 
Up to a million people at Camp Lejeune may have been exposed to drinking water that was poisoned with trichloroethylene, tetrachloroethylene, benzene and vinyl chloride. Some medical experts have linked the contamination to birth defects, childhood leukemia and a variety of other cancers.
Wow. For the first time I can recall, I can honestly say I side with Richard Burr on something.

Here's hoping Jim DeMint gets an earful from veterans, active duty service members, and their families who don't appreciate being called liars and frauds.


Applied Rationality

Not that I use a lot of stamps, but when I do, it'll be this one ...

Post Office releases much-anticipated set of stamps featuring four baseball legends | Big League Stew - Yahoo! Sports



Friday, July 20, 2012

Adam Gopnik makes sense, drives gun-loving conservatives batshit.

The Aurora Movie Theatre Shooting and American Gun Culture : The New Yorker
In America, it has been, for so long now, the belief that guns designed to kill people indifferently and in great numbers can be widely available and not have it end with people being killed, indifferently and in great numbers. The argument has gotten dully repetitive: How does one argue with someone convinced that the routine massacre of our children is the price we must pay for our freedom to have guns, or rather to have guns that make us feel free? You can only shake your head and maybe cry a little. 
I made the mistake of reading a few of the comments on this article. One of the regressive's favorite lines in these situations is, "How dare you bring up gun control at a time like this! Let the families grieve in peace, you liberal scum!"

For example:


So here's how classy Republican gun fetishists create a healing environment of peace and calm so the families can grieve:





Thank you, COLORADO5280, for showing us how to be respectful of the grief of families whose children were murdered by a gun-wielding maniac.

Oh, and just so I'm clear, you're saying, essentially, no regulation can stop every crime, so clearly the solution is to not regulate anything?

Brilliant. (And, in case my sarcasm isn't evident, by "Brilliant," I mean, "This is among the stupidest arguments ever made. The people making it are among the stupidest people to ever live. Fuck me? No, fuck you.")

The debate can't wait. There is no better time to talk about firearm control than when people are paying attention to the fact firearms are too easily available. I don't know about you guys, but I'm not going knocking on the doors of the victims' families, intruding on their grief; I'm on a website, expressing my opinion. An opinion that can be ignored (which it is pretty much is) and bothers nobody except anyone who chooses to be bothered by it. Let's stop pretending shouting down calls to think rationally about regulating firearms is somehow showing consideration for the families in the wake of horrific explosions of gun violence.

Tim Pawlenty is not a serious person, can't be taken seriously. Period.

From Rival To Running Mate? Possible For Pawlenty : NPR




"I don't know if he's not listening or he doesn't care or he doesn't understand, but we've had enough of his teleprompter speeches," Pawlenty said of Obama, speaking to a crowd of Romney supporters at a stop in Pittsburgh.
Before I go off on a rant here, let me remind you of this, from just a few days ago:


http://cdogzilla.blogspot.com/2012/07/to-be-replayed-for-every-idiot.html
Here's my point. Tim Pawlenty knows, and Mitt Romney knows, that "teleprompter" is not an issue. Mitt Romney uses a teleprompter, and uses it poorly, kind of like a moron. If it were an issue in Tim Pawlenty's mind (which we know it really isn't), then he would have to have a bigger problem with Romney, as has been amply demonstrated. If he's simply unaware Romney also uses teleprompters, and uses them like a semi-literate chimp to boot, then Pawlenty is too stupid to be considered for any public office.

Too mendacious and/or too stupid, that's all we've got with these guys.

This teleprompter line of criticism can only ever be used by cynical, pandering, dissembling goons. That's it. There is no other type of person who does this. If you are that sort of person, you should not be taken seriously. We shouldn't see reporting about what you are saying except to report on what a cynical, pandering, dissembling idiot you are. And then you should be ignored. Tim Pawlenty should be ignored because he is not a serious person. He proves it every time he opens his mouth and something like "teleprompter" comes out.

That Tim Pawlenty is taken seriously by anyone (especially the press) should, I think, be insulting to all of us. Nobody should give a crap what guys like this have to say. Public service is serious business for serious people, or it ought to be.


Thursday, July 19, 2012

Progress in my quest to sample every (reputable) food truck in the Triangle ...

Will & Pop's Menu




HOT HIPPY CHICK-- Jerk Chicken w/Guacamole & Habanero Cheddar
Review: The guys in the truck are very friendly, they had some reggae playing to mellow the mood in the line and make the not inconsiderable wait to order, then for the food, more tolerable.

I would've sliced the chicken in my Hot Hippy Chick instead of using large chunks, and probably would've gone just a tad jerkier ... but, all in all, a mighty fine sandwich. I'm not sure it was $8 fine -- felt more like a $5 sandwich to me -- but I would certainly try one of their other sandwiches if the opportunity presented itself.

In relation to Big Mike's BBQ (outstanding, and a good value) and the Only Burger (ace burger, a little pricey) I'd put Will & Pop's right up there with them, probably in 3rd place, but not by much.

Wednesday, July 18, 2012

History we can ill afford to forget: The Battle of Blair Mountain

The Battle of Blair Mountain | Common Dreams


Source:  http://www.wvculture.org/history/labor/mwnews.html
Blair Mountain, amid today’s rising corporate exploitation and state repression, represents a piece of American history that corporate capitalists, and especially the coal companies, would have us forget. It is a reminder that citizens have a right to resist a corporate machine intent on subjugating them. It is a reminder that all the openings of our democracy were achieved with the toil, anguish and sometimes blood of radicals and popular fronts, from labor unions to anarchists, socialists and communists. But this is not approved history.
This is the history, I fear, we are setting ourselves up to repeat.


Thurman's Notebook

Tuesday, July 17, 2012

Book cover inspired desktop wallpapers, with quotes.

Turn all book covers into wallpapers | MetaFilter Projects


Detail from a larger image via MeFi
"Why not high resolution, wallpaper ready versions of book covers?" And since they didn't exist, I started to make them.

Sunday, July 15, 2012

Is it a problem for his base if, as CEO and President of Bain, Romney was responsible for aborted fetus disposal investment?

US Politics | AMERICAblog News: As CEO and President of Bain, Romney was responsible for aborted-fetus-disposal investment


What's an entitled, elitist, capitalist wanker got
to do to catch a break around here?
Interestingly, Romney claims to have "left" Bain in February of 1999, and the aborted-fetus deal happened in November of 1999, so Romney et. al. are claiming that he had nothing to do with the deal, even though Romney remained President, CEO and stole shareholder. Interesting timing on Romney's claim to have left. 
We're to believe that no one told Romney that they were going into the aborted fetus business. Uh huh.
I'd say, again, "he's your guy Republicans, own it," but, honestly, I don't see this being a problem for him outside of the most lunatic fringe of the broader lunatic fringe that is the Republican Party.

Seriously, these guys are so pro-business, I don't think they'd care if Romney raped the fetuses and disposed of them by eating them, as long as he proved his capitalist bona fides by paying out a healthy dividend on Bain stock from his raping-and-eating fetuses business. The corporate wing of the Republican is concerned about two things: reduced regulation so they can do whatever they want, and lower taxes so they can snort cocaine off their rent boys' asses with $100 bills like it's their God-given right as rich people.

Via:

Mini-flurry of @ScrivenerApp mentions in my feeds today reminds me I've proper writing in mind ...

Charlie Stross Explains Why I Can't Always Follow His Stories | Mother Jones
Writer's Desk
Photo by Allen Skyy
Wait a second. The author of the novel, the guy who's spent months immersed in the world he's created, is sometimes unable to follow his own plot without the help of a monster piece of project coordination software? Seriously? So how are the rest of us, who merely have a long stream of words to cajole us along, supposed to follow it?
Well, I wouldn't call it a "monster piece of project coordination software," but I see Mr. Drum's point.

There was also Sam Harris earlier:

I downloaded Scrivener a few months ago when a story idea was heating up and started experimenting with it, but I let the story move to a back burner, as I almost always do ...

Friday, July 13, 2012

Watching the Sarah Jane Adventures ...



"Somebody just walked over my grave."
S1E7: 'Whatever Happened to Sarah Jane?' 

Elisabeth Sladen passed away April, 2011. I'm just now catching up on all the episodes of The Sarah Jane Adventures that I missed ... this brief scene was heartbreaking.

Y'know, I'm finding myself enjoying this much more than I thought I would, under the thin pretense of vetting it for my kids. (At 6-years-old, it's still probably a bit much for them, but soon I'll show it to them ... )

Anyways, this was as well-executed a kids' show as I've seen in ... forever? Ms. Sladen passed away far too soon, she finally had a vehicle that showcased her warmth and charm. More than that, it was a fine adventure show for youngsters and I don't think anything's come along to take its place. Which has me thinking how great it would be if R.T.D. would craft something similar for Nicola Bryant to bring Peri back to TV.

Confidence in organized religion is still amazingly high, all things considered.

Confidence in organized religion hits all-time low in Gallup poll - U.S. News




Americans' confidence in religious institutions has hit an all-time low, with only 44 percent expressing a "great deal" of confidence in organized religion, according to a new Gallup survey.
1. It is still stunningly high. Hard to imagine what there is to have confidence in?

2. If sheltering an elite army of child molesters, demeaning women, hostility to gays, regressive politics, and a radical insistence on teaching hocus-pocus to school children isn't enough to shake people's confidence, what does it take?

Since when is $250,000 a year 'middle class?'


Image via Minding the Campus

So who is middle class? A good place to start is with the "third quintile." The Census Bureau divides income earners by five, so those in the middle—the third quintile—are those who earn more than the bottom 40% and less than the top 40%. As of 2009, that meant household (not individual) income of $39,000 to $60,000. The American middle class, it turns out, is, well, poor. 
Where do those Washington politicos and Manhattan media types get the idea that a salary in the low six-figures—which means you're well into the top quintile—qualifies you as middle class?

Thursday, July 12, 2012

How pants overcame their barbarian stigma and we (mostly) stopped wearing kilts.

Cultural Evolution of Pants II | Social Evolution Forum


When horses were reintroduced to the Americas, Amerinds started wearing pants,  too.
... Wuling lamented, “It is not that I have any doubt concerning the dress of the Hu. I am afraid that everybody will laugh at me.” After musing that “The laughter of the stupid man is an affliction to the man of worth,” Wuling, nevertheless, decided that in the long run adopting the ‘barbarian’ dress will pay a dividend in an increased military efficiency and better prospects of expanding the state territory: “Even though it drives this generation to laugh at me, I shall undoubtedly possess the lands of the Hu and Ching-Shan.”
The Atlantic 

Wednesday, July 11, 2012

To be replayed for every idiot Republican that makes a teleprompter dig about Obama.

Romney is such a tool. He's your man, Republicans, own it:
You've got to click the link to see the video. It's priceless.

Will you hypocrites stop now? Forever?

Not that the Snowbilly Grifter's notes on her hand hadn't made this an untenable criticism long ago ...

Also, the fact that THERE IS NOTHING WRONG WITH USING A TELEPROMPTER TO BEGIN WITH, JUST LIKE THERE HAS NEVER BEEN ANYTHING WRONG WITH USING PREPARED NOTES FOR PUBLIC SPEAKING SINCE THE INVENTION OF PUBLIC SPEAKING.

Monday, July 9, 2012

♫ La Campanella - Adam Gyorgy (2007) ♫



Heard this on the way home from work and thought, "This fella seems to know a thing or two about ticklin' the eighty-eights." Can't be certain, but it sounded like he plays this a lot faster on his new release. (RIYL your music with lots of notes, played fast.)

Two classical music posts in a row. That's a first. The closest I've come to any kind of reference to classical music on here 'til now has probably been to mention what a great movie Amadeus is. Gyorgy, by the way, plays some Mozart on that new album.

Tune in again in ten years or so, classical music lovers, when I re-post this as part of my #tenyearslater series! It's likely to be slim pickings for you around here 'til then.




Sunday, July 8, 2012

Nyd musikken

VIDEO: Why can’t it be like this more often? Sadly, that was rhetorical. | The Political Carnival:
To see such expressions of gentle surprise and sheer joy from people is so unusual in these times of extreme polarization.


Nyd musikken. Enjoy the music.


Saturday, July 7, 2012

Tim McCarver is what he is.

Ford C. Frick Award-Winner Tim McCarver Mocked A Cancer Charity During Tonight's Broadcast


Injury
Insult

During a discussion of the previously-dreadlocked Darnell McDonald's new home on the Yankees, McCarver became stupefied by the idea a charity might actually want someone's hair, later asking "How much business does Locks of Love do?"
Watching the Sox lose, lose, and lose to the Yankees makes me irritable. Add Buck & McCarver to the equation drives me to drink.

(While this was sitting in my draft tray McCarver must've got word what a jerk he'd made himself look like and apologized profusely. Also, just now, the Red Sox took the lead, so my mood is improving.)


When did the "long s" fall out of fashion? ſ

Evan Soltas: The Math Behind The Culture:


ſ via Wikipedia
Consider the long s, that archaic letter which looked like an f or integral sign. It once appeared in words where an s fell at the beginning or middle of a word.


Using Google's N-gram tool, we can pinpoint the moment that the long s fell out of style: 1800.
Marginal Revolution 

Pub Philosophy and the Rise of the Mass Intelligentsia (?!)

We think, therefore we are - FT.com




“It used to be a very small minority that got together to discuss ideas,” he says. “Now it’s a very large minority. And that’s mainly a result of the colossal increase in university graduates, from 5 per cent in 1960 to 40 per cent today. There’s now a huge section of the population willing and able to take on challenging ideas.”
Last I looked, there's a huge section of the population willing to entertain and endure the puke and pablum of right wing talking points as if they had merit, and is unaware the Supreme Court had ruled -- never mind how they ruled - on "Obamacare".

Friday, July 6, 2012

Like you, I had no idea this had even been attempted: "Casablanca: The Complete Series"


via amazon
It’s not hard to imagine a version of this series that follows Rick and his employees as the war threatens to bury all of them alive, the Nazis breathing down their necks on one side and the Allies on the other. 
That, however, would require the kinds of breakthroughs modern television takes for granted. A series like that could not have been made in 1983, and sadly, that’s when NBC took a stab at turning that compelling setting into a TV show.
It's actually surprisingly easy to imagine a prequel series (with all the necessary caveats: talented writers, strong cast, supportive network, budget for historical setting, etc.) working well. It's much easier to imagine failure like we actually got back in the early 80s though.

So what would a good Casablanca: The Series look like?

VanDerWerff hits on one of the key components of a worthwhile effort: a willingness to take on themes of anti-imperialism and Muslim political identity. In light of current events from Egypt to Libya, a Casablanca series today could make itself relevant by using it's North African setting as something more than an exotic locale for American and European Anglos to have soap operas in.

If it were up to me, the series would be designed to run three seasons and end. The first season would be the story of Rick opening Rick's Café Américain, helping -- and not helping -- people trying to get to America, his competition with Signor Ferrari, encounters with friends and enemies from his past lives as a gun runner and professional soldier, and, of course, his uneasy dealings with Louis and the local authorities. I would end a season one with and arc around Ugarte and the letters of transit and the arrival of Ilsa and Victor.

The second season would basically be the rest of the movie retold, with more emphasis on the ensemble, the length of the series giving us more time to see Rick, Ilsa, and Sam in Paris, a larger role for Victor, and more of Louis.

The third season would have to be about Rick and Louis dealing with the aftermath, and actively working to undermine the Nazi presence in Casablanca. I'm afraid we'd have to have them both killed in action at the end to prevent the series dragging on too long. But it could be a noble death in the course of dealing the Axis powers a significant defeat.

An incomplete list of casting suggestions:

Rick - Nathan Fillion
Sam - Ice Cube
Victor - Benedict Cumberbatch
Ferrari - John Goodman

Thursday, July 5, 2012

#TenYearsLater | We lost Ted Williams ten years ago today.

cryptonaut-in-exile: The Splendid Splinter:

Ted's sweet swing Rule 19 Blog
Ted Williams passed away today at 83.   He was the last .400 hitter, probably the greatest hitter ever to play the game ...

Wednesday, July 4, 2012

Ortiz hits his 400th HR

Baseball Video Highlights & Clips | BOS@OAK: Ortiz hits his 400th career home run - Video | redsox.com: Multimedia




David Ortiz cranks his 400th career home run to deep right field off A.J. Griffin to tie the game at 1-1 in the top of the fourth.
There are fireworks, and then there are fireworks. There's not a lot to love about the Sox this year, but Big Papi just delivered one of the season highlights.


This Independence Day, let's celebrate by calling for Scalia to resign. #SCOTUS

E.J. Dionne Jr.: Justice Scalia should resign | Follow Me Here…


There but for a rare lucid moment on Roberts's part.
(Image via  bb: Tom the Dancing Bug)
“So often, Scalia has chosen to ignore the obligation of a Supreme Court justice to be, and appear to be, impartial. He’s turned “judicial restraint” into an oxymoronic phrase. But what he did this week, when the court announced its decision on the Arizona immigration law, should be the end of the line. ” (Washington Post)
Yes. Yes, he should.
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