Hello Sen. McCain: BIMBO ERUPTION!!!!!

This is so sweet: http://www.nytimes.com/2008/02/21/us/politics/21mccain.html?_r=2&hp=&oref=slogin&pagewanted=print&oref=slogin

"Mr. McCain, 71, and the lobbyist, Vicki Iseman, 40, both say they never had a romantic relationship. But to his advisers, even the appearance of a close bond with a lobbyist whose clients often had business before the Senate committee Mr. McCain led threatened the story of redemption and rectitude that defined his political identity."

Divine, sweet, sweet retribution is in the house tonight. After the GOP howled like syphilitic hyenas and led this country through a year and a half of torture because a Democratic president couldn't keep it in his pants, I am loving this story. The GOP establishment had to swallow its pride and rally behind this fraud and now it turns out that his libido is every bit as active as Bubba's. Happy, happy, joy, joy!

Of course, this whole story is alleged and may be proven not to be true. And you can be damned sure I'm going to give John "Straight Talk Express" McCain the same benefit of the doubt and deference that the criminal GOP establishment have given Democrats for the past 30 years. Which is to say, none. Fuck John McCain and all the hypocritical GOP bastards who've run our proud nation down in the past decade.

The Wire: When Bunk Met McNulty

Not to sound like I'm jumping on the cultural elite bandwagon or anything, but The Wire (HBO, Sundays at 9 pm) is about the only part of television in the last decade that has never.....NEVER disappointed me. It has some of the best writing, best acting, best directing. best everything a series could feature. That it takes place in my old stomping grounds (Baltimore aka Charm City aka Bawlmer aka D.C.'s red-headed step-sibling) is a added bonus.

HBO onDemand is such a wonderful and fulfilling tool because it allows me to see upcoming Wire episodes a week before they air. For example, the episode that will air this Sunday (2/24) was available on onDemand last night and.....wow. It contains a scene that will shock the living daylights out of even the most casual fan of the show. I won't spoil it here, but I will say - you never saw it coming.

My favorite part of the show is the obviously close, jovial relationship enjoyed by the two homicide detectives, McNulty and Bunk. Out of all the contrived, hackneyed "buddy" cop duos network TV has spit up over the years, the team of McNulty and Bunk stand apart for the brutality of their partnership - these guys are brutal in their humor, their drinking, their hatred for authority and bureaucracy and their relentlessness in pursuit of their criminal prey.

Another great feature of HBO onDemand (since this post is one big shill for it) is that extra features filmed especially for the show are available. One example was the strange but funny series of Z-list "stars" (ex-WWF wrestlers, former sitcom regulars, etc) reciting whole scenes, word-for-word, from Entourage. For The Wire, the producers present short films on the orgins of key characters....this scene examines the first meeting of Bunk and McNulty and makes me laugh everytime I see it. These are two TV characters I'd love to sit in a bar with and knock a few back one evening.

Friday YouTube Nugget

A slice of quality 80's pop cheese this week....from 1987, T'Pau's Heart & Soul

"You have a uterus...therefore, I don't have to listen to you"

There was a book published a few years back titled "What's the Matter With Kansas"...it was a fascinating exploration of the rise of conservative populism in the U.S., viewed through the transformation of the author's native state of Kansas from a center of leftist populism to a thoroughly conservative area in the 20th century. Even today, with a female Democratic governor, many parts of Kansas still exemplify all the backwards, reactionary bunk that has marked the rise of the fundamentalist conservative movement in the U.S. and how poorer it has made our society in terms of ethics, values and respect for others. After all, if the state Board of Education isn't fighting to throw teaching evolution out of their classrooms, they're banning female referees from officiating high school basketball games because boys shouldn't have to take orders from something with boobs:

"The Kansas State High School Activities Association said referees reported that Michelle Campbell was preparing to officiate at St. Mary's Academy near Topeka on Feb. 2 when a school official insisted that Campbell could not call the game.

The reason given, according to the referees: Campbell, as a woman, could not be put in a position of authority over boys because of the academy's beliefs...

The Activities Association said it is considering whether to take action against the private religious school. St. Mary's Academy, about 25 miles northwest of Topeka, is owned and operated by the Society of St. Pius X, which follows older Roman Catholic laws. The society's world leader, the late Archbishop Marcel Lefebvre, was excommunicated by Pope John Paul II in the late 1980s..."

This would be the same nutjob Marcel Lefebvre who praised the Vichy collaboratists with the Nazis in WWII, who lavished kudos on the dictatorships of Argentina and Chile in the 1970's and who also loved what Francisco Franco was doing in Spain.

At what point do we stop being deferential to assclowns like "Archbishop" Lefebvre and their institutions that peddle their drool-flecked nonsense simply because they're wearing a pretty robe and a cross around their neck?

My hope is that St. Mary's Academy is chucked out of the athletic league and sent back to their hidey-hole in East Bumfuck, KS where it's 1870 everyday and those poor, oppressed Traditionalist Catholics don't have to be dragged kicking and screaming into the 21st century, with our wild and wacky ideas like respect for all, regardless of race, creed and gender.

A tender Valentine's Day song

Dedicated to my ex with all due care and feeling

A "Surge" That's Actually Working

There Will Be Blood

Let me say first that I'm very glad and relieved that Richard Zednik of the Florida Panthers is resting comfortably following 2 hours of surgery to repair his carotid artery and should make a full recovery. In case you didn't hear, a serious injury occured during last night's Sabres-Panthers game....midway through the 3rd period, a teammate's skate came up by accident and sliced Richard Zednik's throat, causing a serious cut to his carotid artery. The game was suspended 15 minutes while Zednik was led to the medical room and then loaded on an ambulance to Buffalo General for emergency surgery.

Thanks to the speedy work of the trainers and medical personnel at HSBC arena, we the fans were spared the awkwardness and inconvenience of watching a man bleed to death in front of us. Plus, the NHL displayed its usual savvy P.R. sense by forcing the teams to finish the game. I imagine Gary Bettman's entreaty to the Panthers went something like "Nevermind you just watched your teammate skate past you in a frenzy, bleeding like a stuck pig....get out there and finish the game!"

How about suspending the game, or cancelling it altogether to be made up later in the season? The guy was in an ambulance on his way to emergency surgery and the Panthers looked like somebody had just shot them up with horse tranquilizer. The remaining 9 minutes of that game was a farce and the league should be ashamed of themselves for forcing the players back on the ice.

Friday YouTube Nugget

This week's nugget was inspired by an article I read on the plane back from Vegas on Monday night. I subscribe to MOJO magazine, which is an excellent music monthly from jolly ol' England. This month's issue had a lengthy article on the Cult and traced the band's highs and lows (plenty of each). I had forgotten what an unique position the Cult occupied in my teen years...not quite New Wave, not all the way metal. They represented a fresh exciting meld of the genres and were the obvious precursors to the bands that followed in the late 80's/early 90's - you can hear their influence in everything from Guns 'n Roses to Alice in Chains to Concrete Blonde.

Anyway, here's their first big smash, She Sells Sanctuary. Anyone up for their Toronto appearance on April 12th?

David Pwned Goliath

What a catch.....what a game. I made mucho bhat in Vegas on the wing (Eli Manning) and a prayer (that Tyree could pin a ball to his helmet while falling backwards and with Rodney Harrison all up in his bizness). A great weekend overall and such lovely, sweet schadenfreude at the Patriots' expense. Oh well...guess they'll have to go cry in their three Super Bowl trophies. Meh.

Bart Simpson Worships At The Temple Of L. Ron Hubbard's Fat Ass

Wow....the lady who provides the voice for Bart Simpson is a Scientologist, which is neither surprising nor disturbing to me. What does knock me for a loop is that this chick gave the Church of Scientology $10 million in 2007:

"Longtime Scientologist Nancy Cartwright — best known as the voice of Bart Simpson — last year gave the church $10 million to help spread the word of founder L. Ron Hubbard into other galaxies.

It was all part of Scientology’s Global Salvage effort, which aims to “de-aberrate” Earth — meaning to rid mankind of psychology ills and other “aberrant” behavior.

Surprisingly, Nancy, 50, forked over twice as much as the Scientology’s most prominent member, Tom Cruise, who only gave $5 million in an installment plan... "

And here I thought Tom Cruise was Scientology's global ambassador. Ms. Cartwright puts his cheap ass to shame!

It's her money and all and she's free to flush it down the toilet, if she so desires....but damn! $10 million! When we have impoverished Haitians eating dirt for sustenance, there's got to be better uses for all that filthy Simpsons lucre...

Shorter State of the Union Address

"Y'all are fucked. Goodnight and God bless"

Friday YouTube Nugget

The YouTube title says it all - "Australian Party Goes Tits Up"

This guy is my new hero. A mix of McQueen-esque cool with a definite air of detachment and, I daresay, obliviousness. My favorite part is where the over-officious interviewer keeps asking him to take his sunglasses off and he refuses, saying "They're famous"

This guy should plan Gabs' going-away party.

Friday YouTube Nugget

I've always loved the instrumental version of the Smiths' "Please, Please Please Let Me Get What I Want" that appeared in Ferris Bueller's Day Off....I believe it was a version by the Dream Academy. Anyway, I went-a huntin' on YouTube and could only find this clip of it being used as background music for the Weather Channel. Oh well....

Can't. Turn. Away. Won't. Turn. Away. Televised. Opium.

Welcome to another exciting season of American Idol!

I'm not as addicted as I used to be, but God-damn, I love me some AI Audition trainwrecks. My favorite tonight was the Star Wars nerd girrl whose gruff exterior no doubt masks some heavy, bitter pain that's been internalized way too long. And fake Leia curls? Boooo!

Anyway, the classic moment occurs right after her inevitable rejection by the panel. She storms outside, into the waiting arms of her normal-looking grandparents, who I'm sure are thrilled that their legacy dresses like a bondage slut and boasts about being the belle of the ball at a Star Wars 30th anniversary convention. Grandpappy was positively beaming.

Faux-Leia is screaming and cursing up a storm about how they won't give somebody different-looking a chance (apparently, young Leia forgot what show she's auditioning for) and Grandpappy is trying to shush her...no doubt motivated by his belief that people on TV shouldn't swear. This guy probably holds The Glen Campbell Goodtime Hour as his model for how people on TV should act. Granny and Gramps are hugging their poor, misbegotten nieta to calm her down and....oops! One of Faux Leia's ear curls falls right off! Snark!

I never laughed as hard this week as I did when Grandpappy kept trying to hand her back her curl while Leia the Drama Queen was ranting about postmodern biases on television against non-mainstream people, or some such shit. Damn, this season is going to be good....

UPDATE - as per Greg's request, here's a video of the whole sad saga

Re: "Who Is Obama" - I Hate Goddamn E-Mail Sometimes

So my mother's friends think it's cute when they (rabid, reactionary conservatives) send me (bleedingist-of-hearts liberal) chain e-mails about how Hillary is conspiring with Al-Queda to take over our country and how John Kerry faked getting shot (twice, mind you) to win his Purple Hearts in Vietnam. I usually dump them in the trash without looking, but I got this one yesterday that is making the rounds again and is a particularly ugly, pernicious smear:

Who is Barack Hussein Obama?

Very interesting and something that should be considered in your choice.

If you do not ever forward anything else, please forward this to all your contacts...this is very scary to think of what lies ahead of us here in our own United States...better heed this and pray about it and share it. We checked this out on "snopes.com". It is factual. Check for yourself. Who is Barack Obama?

Probable U. S. presidential candidate, Barack Hussein Obama was born in Honolulu, Hawaii, to Barack Hussein Obama, Sr., a black MUSLIM from Nyangoma-Kogel, Kenya and Ann Dunham, a white ATHEIST from Wichita, Kansas. Obama's parents met at the University of Hawaii . When Obama was two years old, his parents divorced. Hi s father returned to Kenya . His mother then married Lolo Soetoro, a RADICAL Muslim from Indonesia.? When Obama was 6 years old, the family relocate to Indonesia . Obama attended a MUSLIM school in Jakarta . He also spent two years in a Catholic school.

Obama takes great care to conceal the fact that he is a Muslim. He is quick to point out that, "He was once a Muslim, but that he also attended Catholic school."

Obama's political handlers are attempting to make it appear that that he is not a radical. Obama's introduction to Islam came via his father, and that this influence was temporary at best. In reality, the senior Obama returned to Kenya soon after the divorce, and never again had any direct influence over his son's education.

Lolo Soetoro, the second husband of Obama's mother, Ann Dunham, introduced his stepson to Islam. Obama was enrolled in a Wahabi school i n Jakarta . Wahabism is the RADICAL teaching that is followed by the Muslim terrorists who are now waging Jihad against the western world. Since it is politically expedient to be a CHRISTIAN when seeking major public office in the United States , Barack Hussein Obama has joined the United Church of Christ in an attempt to downplay his Muslim background. ALSO, keep in mind that when he was sworn into office he DID NOT use the Holy Bible, but instead the Koran.

Barack Hussein Obama will NOT recite the Pledge of Allegiance nor will he show any reverence for our flag. While others place their hands over their hearts, Obama turns his back to the flag and slouches.

Let us all remain alert concerning Obama's expected presidential candidacy.

The Muslims have said they plan on destroying the US from the inside out, what better way to start than at the highest level - through the President of the United States , one of their own!!!!

Please forward to everyone you know. Would you want this man leading our country?...... NOT ME!!!

Sigh....

To paraphrase Martin Sheen from Apocalypse Now, the shit is piled up so high in this e-mail, you need wings to stay above it. Here's the response I sent to all:

All:

I usually delete these e-mails, but this is a particularly ugly e-mail that's been making the rounds and I would appreciate the opportunity to set some things straight about the claims made in it. It is filled with inflammatory exaggerations of Senator Obama's background and is intended to play to our worst xenophobic, anti-Muslim fears. One can imagine a simliar type of this message distributed 80 years ago to warn voters of Al Smith's Presidental campaign and the fact that he was a CATHOLIC - religious affiliation marked in capital letters to inflame and scare. This is a shameful tactic and people of all faiths should reject its use.

The facts on Senator Obama are:

- Senator Obama has never been a Muslim (radical or otherwise) at anytime in his life. He has been a member of the United Church of Christ since 1985 and describes himself as a "Christian"
- Senator Obama barely knew his father, who left the family when Obama was 2 years old and died when he was 21. There is no evidence that the senior Obama was a "radical Muslim"
- In his 2006 book The Audacity of Hope, Obama elaborated on his early schooling, explaining that he attended both Catholic and Muslim schools in Indonesia - not out of any particular religious affiliation, but because his mother wanted him to obtain the best possible education under the circumstances. Senator Obama did not attend "radical" or "Wahabi" schools - quite the contrary, Senator Obama is a product of public schools!
- Senator Obama's Indonesian step-father, Lelo Soetoro, was an observant Muslim, but there is no evidence that he was a "radical" or that he applied "radical" teachings about his faith to his stepson
- The statement that "when he (Obama) was sworn into office, he did not use the Bible but instead the (Quran)" is completely false and is most likely a reference to the first elected Muslim to Congress, Rep. Keith Ellison from Minnesota. Also, no religious texts (including the Bible and the Quran) are used during the swearing-in ceremony for new House members. The new members simply stand in front of the speaker's podium, raise the right hands and swear to uphold the Constitution. Many members carry Bibles with them for the post-ceremony photo opportunity with the Speaker of the House (as Rep. Ellison did when he posed with Speaker Nancy Pelosi and a copy of the Quran that was once owned by Thomas Jefferson)

A fuller debunking of this e-mail may be found at the real Snopes.com at the link below:
http://www.snopes.com/politics/obama/muslim.asp

I would also urge you to hear Senator Obama's views on the issues that really matter, directly from him:
http://www.barackobama.com/

Yours in honest appraisals of our candidates,
Eric

Friday YouTube Nugget

Welcome back! For the inaugural Nugget for 2008, I'm featuring a song from my favorite album of 2007 - Amy Winehouse's Back To Black. We're all familiar with the sad, tabloid-greased decline Ms. Winehouse has suffered since she hit the big time, but this album leaves little doubt that the girl was born to sing. A voice that practically demands you sit up and take notice, a classically brassy production that is the closest thing to Motown I've heard in years and you have a female soul album that even Ms. Aretha would appreciate. I hope she gets her shit together...the world needs more like her.

Amy Winehouse - "You Know I'm No Good"

Pictures At An Exhibition

January 1, 2008, Ralph Wilson Stadium, Orchard Park NY

Pittsburgh Penguins vs. Buffalo Sabres

"Da Ice Bowl"

"Durrrrr......I got tickets to da outdoor game. Say, is that a blizzard I see headed our way..."

The player's entrance....a special moment

The Ralph at full capacity


Opening Faceoff



Ryan Miller with a nice glove save



The Ralph was rockin' in the 2nd period



"Hey Eric...you've been sitting out in the cold for 3 hours and the game's going to overtime. How do you feel?"

"Hey Eric....Sidney Crosby just scored, so the game's over and we can go back to the car and crank up the heat. What say you?"

My Candidate in 2008

Welp, after this exciting first two weeks in the primary season, I've decided on my candidate. I'm putting my faith in a candidate who carries the hopes and dreams of a free people yearning to restore our proud nation's mission to be the beacon of freedom and hope for a better day.

Also, my candidate rocks almost as much as this song (with apologies to Sadly No! for the blatant steal)



Ain’t a hope in Hell,
Nothing’s gonna bring us down,
The way we fly,
Five miles off the ground,
Because we shoot to kill,
And you know we always will,
It’s Obama, it’s Obama!

Scream a thousand miles,
Feel the black-death-rising moan,
Firestorm coming closer,
Napalm to the bone,
Because, you know we do it right,
A mission every night,
It’s Obama, it’s Obama, it’s Obama…

No night-fighter,
Gonna stop us getting through,
The sirens make you shiver,
You bet my aim is true,
Because, you know, we aim to please,
Bring you to your knees,
It’s Obama, it’s Obama, it’s Obama!

Happy Friggin New Year

Apologies for my churlishness, but I just spent 6 hours out in a blizzard watching the Sabres lose. Again.


More later when the feeling returns to my extremities.

God bless Japanese game shows

I swear I'm going on Amazon right now and pick up every DVD of this show...the 9 minute clip alone has me soiling myself...

Apparently, the premise (such as it is) is a group in a library being subjected to all forms of cruel torture...the catch is that they must remain silent during the brutality. This episode features a guest appearance by one "Ernesto Hoost" - a quick perusal of Wikipedia reveals he is a famous Dutch kickboxer, but I think his best work is on this show.

I feel a twinge of sympathy for the poor bastard who gets picked three or four times in a row for abuse. At least he didn't get picked for "Old Man Bites Tenderly"

Silent Library

Friday YouTube Nugget

For the final nugget of 2007, I'm reaching back to 1980 and an infectious tune from one of my favorites from the nascent days of MTV. With his minor hit, "Ah Leah", here is Donnie Iris:



An interesting footnote on Mr. Iris - he was a "one-hit wonder" three times over. He hit the pop charts the first time in 1970 with his song "The Rapper" performed by his band The Jaggerz. Then, after the inevitable break-up, Donnie made his way to Wild Cherry, who hit the big time with the execrable "Play That Funky Music" in 1976. Donnie went solo a few years after and hit the Top 30 with "Ah Leah".

Fare-thee-well 2007, Aloha 2008

Well, that was a nice long blogging break. I lost the BlogWar and now live in exile from GabsOSteel-ville. Wars are hard.

I anticipate a nice long weekend of blogging about what's happened in the last month....or vegging out in front of the TV watching the Extras series finale for the 10th time. ("was that really Karl Pilkington as the autograph hound?"). Anyway, Friday YouTube nugget on the way...

Absenteeism in Blogging

If this past week has taught me anything, it is that blogging is way down on my priority list. Not necessarily a bad thing....but my higher priorities are work, drinking and more drinking. There are so many things to discuss - the NIE on Iran debacle, the upcoming Presidential primaries, the Led Zeppelin reunion in London, the resurgence of the Bills against the collapse of the Sabres on their West Coast trip - and I'm running out of days to do it before I have to switch into "End-Of-Year" mode. And you know what that means.

Top Ten Lists.....a whole week's worth.

Like Johnny Rotten once sneered, "I'm a lazy sod...."

Paging Emily Post

Scenario: A good friend invites you to go out one evening....you suggest dinner and she agrees. Unfortunately, your job requires you to work late, so you suggest a time slightly later than normal - 7:30 pm. Your friend agrees. You, who have skipped breakfast and lunch because you're such a slave, er, dedicated worker, are starving....but, out of respect and courtesy to your very good friend, you refrain from snacking on anything until dinner. Even when you manage to make it home for a quick 15 minutes before the appointed dinner time. Even when your hunger pangs are about to drive you insane. Even when a co-worker drops off a piece of birthday cake saved especially for you. You abstain, you sacrifice, you suffer....all in the name of basic, common courtesy.

Which you find out means precisely jack shit at dinner when you discover, to your horror, that your dining companion has already eaten a full meal. One and a half hours before this dinner. A full sandwich and a yogurt. You suspected something was amiss when you asked your friend if she would like to split an appetizer, only to be told "I'm getting soup as my entree". Soup.....as an entree. Yep....that should have been the obvious tipoff. Then, your very good friend orders salad and soup, only to cancel the salad five minutes after ordering it.

I guess I should be flattered that my friend thought enough of me to tell me the truth, instead of claiming some "virus" or other such malady that would have curtailed the appetite in the few hours before meeting for dinner. I choose, however, to be amazed that this friend couldn't wait 90 minutes for nourishment.

Woke up, fell outta bed, dragged a comb across my head...

Well, not really a comb. I cut my hair really short last weekend because my bald spot was rearing itself again.

Not much to report so far today. The snow doesn't get me down as much as people who can't drive in snow. It's not a boxcar rally, people!

I'll check in later to document what fun my workday has in store for me

Declaration (of Blog War)

Well, it's on. I accept the challenge issued by Ms. GabsOSteel and pledge to post nothing this week but commentary on my life and other sundry issues. No easy YouTube links or witty image files to fill space on this here blog. You wanted the best, you got the best.

BTW, the good folks at Maker's Mark bourbon seem very receptive to my initial inquiries into corporate sponsorship...

Better Late Than Never Nugget, Neil Young Edition

What can I say....I'm sluggish after a holiday break. To commemorate his excellent recent show at Shea's, Neil Young gets the love this week....from 1983's Everybody's Rockin (which led his record company to sue him for not making "Neil Young" albums), this is Wonderin'.

Monday, Monday

Oy...whatta weekend. So many topics to cover, so this will be more stream-of-consciousness, Spinal Tap Mk IV vibe....

1) Neil Young at Shea's Friday night - Awesome, awesome concert. Easily the best show I've seen all year and probably the best I've seen since the Cream reunion at MSG in 2005. His wife Pegi opened the show with a nice country-folk set. Neil came out for an acoustic set that was something special. He played my personal favorite ("After The Goldrush") and pulled out some surprises ("Harvest" and "Mellow My Mind"). After a break, the full band came out and blew our minds. He opened with two Crazy Horse classics, "The Loner" and "Everybody Knows This Is Nowhere" and never let up. I'm definitely picking up his new album Chrome Dreams II if only for the staggering "No Hidden Path" which clocked in at 25:13 during the concert! Encores were "Cinnamon Girl" and "Like a Hurricane". My friend and I were floored by the whole experience - it's been 20 years since I've seen a show at Shea's and the grand ole' theater did not disappoint. There were some VIP sightings - former Mayor Masiello was sitting four rows in front of us and we did notice, walking past us in the aisle....Thurman Thomas?? I guess ol' Thermal digs Rust Never Sleeps.

2) Sabres vs. Carolina Saturday night - OK, the game was of secondary importance...Buffalo steamrolled the hapless Canes en route to an 8-1 laugher. The real fun began when my buddy and I went out after the game. We ran into the wife of a prominent local businessman who was having a girls night out with her friend. Turns out my friend knows her well, so we were hanging with them most of the evening. They were a lot of fun and even managed to get me dancing. The real revelation was when said wife told me she used to be a Playboy Bunny way back in the day (in the Playboy Club, not in the magazine). I'm not really used to women telling me they had any affiliation with Playboy, so I tried to do the polite thing, but there really is no etiquette for a moment like that. So I looked at her chest.

She was very nice about the whole thing, so no damage done (I think).

3) Bills vs. Redskins on Sunday - It's a good thing Joe Gibbs is suffering from early onset dementia because we really should have lost this game. But for Washington's inexplicable failure to run out the clock in the 4th and Gibbs's mental fog in forgetting you can't call consecutive timeouts to freeze the kicker, we'd be staring down a 5-7 hole today. The defense played superbly, as usual, especially shutting down Clinton Portis. Trent Edwards played well, but he's not setting the offensive world on fire. We'll get nowhere with more zero-offensive touchdown performances like yesterday. Our defense is game, but it ain't the 2000 Ravens D. Once we get healthy (read: the return of Marshawn Lynch), we have be more productive in the red zone.

Also, Joe Gibbs should retire before he embarrasses himself and his organization any further. Has anyone tarnished such an impeccable legacy in so short a time span? That a man who won 3 Super Bowls with 3 different quarterbacks failed to remember what any 7th grader knows about calling consecutive timeouts is a sad commentary on how much the game has passed him by.

We Miss You George

"Watch out now, take care

Beware of the thoughts that linger

Winding up inside your head

The hopelessness around you

In the dead of night

Beware of sadness

It can hit you

It can hurt you

Make you sore and what is more

That is not what you are here for"

-excerpt from Beware of Darkness from All Things Must Pass (1970)

Happy Thanksgiving

Here's an appropriate toast, from The Ice Storm:

One More Nugget

I found this clip on YouTube a few days ago...this is the infamous Jimi Hendrix appearance on the Lulu show in 1969 where he and the Experience hijacked the show to pay a cheeky tribute to the just-broken up Cream. The fun happens at 7:44

Saturday YouTube Nugget

A little Everly Brothers for a quiet Saturday night.

God Bless Susie Greene

OK...this might be a touch out of context and a tad profane, but this clip captures what I love about Curb Your Enthusiasm.

"IT'S GONE!!!! IT'S GONE, YOU FUCKING MOTHERFUCKING...I'LL KILL YOU JEFF!!! YOU'RE A COCKSUCKER, MOTHERFUCKER...MY GRANDMOTHER'S BROOCH IS MISSING! I CANNOT REPLACE THIS ITEM! HOW WOULD YOU FEEL IF SOMETHING YOU CARED ABOUT WAS MISSING?!! YOU DON'T GIVE A SHIT ABOUT ANYTHING, YOU KNOW THAT?!!!"

"...ooh, my baseball cards...."

Friday YouTube Nugget

This week's installment comes courtesy of the dearly missed Muppet Show. Here's Kermit's nephew Robin singing a lovely song adapted from a poem by A. A. Milne - "Halfway Down The Stairs":

Congrats J.P.

Continuing the football wrap-up....any guy that throws for 295 yds, then goes home to pound the skins and pore over Hesse's Steppenwolf is jake with me.

Who Will Rid Me Of This Troublesome Team?

New England's march to perfection rolls right over defending champ Indianapolis and, frankly, it couldn't happen to a more deserving pair. Peyton Manning regained his title as Supreme Choke Artist while his coach, the noted homophobe Tony Dungy, watched helplessly as his team gave away a ten point lead at home with under nine minutes to play in the fourth quarter.

Looks like Buffalo vs. New England (Week 11) is the league's best chance to stop the Patriots' juggernaut. (/daydream)

Friday YouTube Nugget

Two bits of comic relief today:

Thank You, Masked Man by Lenny Bruce

Tracy Morgan, star of NBC's 30 Rock, is interviewed on a local morning news program. He is, shall we say, in good spirits

UPDATE: More Tracy Morgan goodness, this time on WGN-Chicago

Happy Halloween

from the good people at Mainway Novelties:

Your 2007 World Series Champs

Congrats to the Boston Red Sox...the pluckiest band of $143 million payroll players ever assembled. Hoorah...

Friday YouTube Nugget

A little easy-listening country for you this week. Here's an up-and-coming quintet from the North country. Singing "Far Away Eyes", here's the Rolling Stones:

Check out Charlie Watts' face at 1:38....he is simply the greatest

Paul Wellstone

Today, October 25th, marks the third anniversary of one of the most shocking events of my political lifetime - the plane crash and death of Senator Paul Wellstone (D-MN).

Senator Wellstone, as you can see, wasn't your garden variety, blow-dried politician. He was a proud liberal and probably the only member of the Senate with a conscience. I've identified with Sen. Wellstone more than any other politician in my lifetime (save maybe Howard Dean), because he was genuine and passionate about his public service. I had to love that he was a former Political Science professor before he was elected to the Senate out of nowhere in 1990.

Paul Wellstone spent his life fighting for progressive values, social justice and, most importantly, inspiring people like me to be more active and informed on what goes on around us. His values live on in those he inspired, but I'd be remiss if I didn't take a moment today to say thanks, Senator.

More info on Paul Wellstone here and here

Why is this man laughing?

Meet Mr. 25%

Friday YouTube Nugget

For this week's installment, I set the wayback machine to those heady days of the mid-90's and what I believe to be one of the top 5 pop songs written in the last 20 years. The band is Pulp and the song is "Common People":

Who has two thumbs and center Orchestra tickets to Neil Young at Shea's in November?

THIS GUY!!!!

Miracle on Abbott and Southwestern Drive

An update that I am overjoyed to share: Bills TE Kevin Everett Can Stand On His Own

In a scant five weeks, Everett went from the most grim of prognoses by the attending physicians to becoming ambulatory by himself.


Shit like this reinforces my faith in humanity. Those were people, trained and highly skilled, who saved that man's life. Who applied the body-cooling treatment as soon as he was injured that most likely saved his spine and will lead to him being able to walk again. Said treatment was developed, of course, through the Miami Project, a non-profit organization devoting to reversing paralysis and started by a former NFL linebacker who's son was paralyzed in a college football game in 1985. And who, among NFL owners, is the biggest contributor to the Miami Project, who has donated millions to this cause?


Ralph C. Wilson, Jr, owner of the Buffalo Bills


That circle of life is a humdinger, ain't it?

Day 246: United 93 Held Hostage

Okay....this is beyond the realm of ridiculous and lazy. We're entering Captain CuckooBananas territory here. I have, in my possession, the film United 93 for more than 35 weeks now. What kind of pathological behavior am I exhibiting in this sad affair? Am I so lazy that I'm using the excuse that I can't find the nifty little red Netflix envelope to return the movie to explain why I have held this DVD hostage for 8 months? Can no one explain why I just don't call/e-mail/fax/smokescreen a message to Netflix to send me another envelope? Can it be that I've forfeited 8 months and $40 in membership fees to see other, less-depressing titles?

Why haven't the good people at Netflix reached out to me? A simple message saying "Hey friend - you've been hoarding United 93 for an awful long time...what's up?" would suffice. As would "Hello? Are you OK? Did you hit your head on a coffee table, put some tissues on your massive head wound and die bleeding and blind drunk like William Holden?" Nada, nil, zilch from those robber barons at Netflix....I guess as long as the monthly debit fee comes through, they could care less about my well-being. I think they have to share at least some of the blame here.

I think I need professional help. Or a replacement Netflix envelope.

P.S. It was a tremendous film

UPDATE: Writing this post was somewhat cathartic...it released me from whatever psychic block I was having from taking action on this pathetic episode. I called Netflix and spoke to a nice gentleman who is sending me out a bonus DVD (Blades of Glory)....then, I can return both DVDs in the new mailer. Problem solved...until next month.

The Humanist's Eye On Hollywood

DATELINE: Hollywood:

Holy shit....I just read Angie Everhart is engaged to......wait for it.....

Joe Pesci.

Yes, Joe Pesci.

This Joe Pesci:

is engaged to this:

that's right, little Joe Pesci is going to be making animal noises in this woman's ear:

This raises, of course, several questions - does he even come up to her mid-thigh? Why did God/Buddha/Jehovah/Allah/Flying Spaghetti Monster bless Joe Pesci with so many earthly rewards? Why couldn't Toulouse-Lautrec or Sartre pull off something this audacious?

Saturday YouTube Nugget

The exquisite Nina Simone, live from Ronnie Scott's, singing "If You Knew" . I guess the club's air conditioning was on the fritz that night.

Al Gore is My President

And the Nobel Peace Prize goes to....

The Continuing Saga of Senator Widestance

Well, well....our favorite men's-room-cruising senator, Larry Craig has had quite a busy month. After first pledging to resign September 30, good ol' Larry flip-flopped and announced he would stay and fight. Gotta love these Republicans and their "ethics".

Sen. Craig. of course, famously reversed course initially by saying if he was able to convince a judge to withdraw his original guily plea, he wouldn't resign. How did that work out? Eh, not so well.

This mattered not a whit to Sen. Craig...he vowed to complete his current term, which runs through January 2009 (about the time we'll be swearing in a new Democratic president and ushering in significant Democratic majorities in both houses of Congress). I would love the spectre of this closet case in the Senate as a daily reminder to voters in Idaho and elsewhere that the GOP is a party of moral hypocrites, serial lawbreakers, and self-aggrandizing liars.

One more note - it's good to see that certain sectors of Sen. Craig's homestate still stands behind him, firm and strong. Welcome your newest inductee into the Idaho Hall of Fame - Senator Widestance.

It's Johnny's Birthday, it's Johnny's birthday...

Christ, I almost forgot. Happy 67th birthday, John Lennon

Everybody Knows This Is Nowhere

Somewhere in the Guangdong province on the south coast of China, a simple farmer got up this morning to tend to his beet crop, unaware that about the time he was waking up, God was delivering another curse to a football team 7,000 miles away. I want to be that farmer.

I must say that, notwithstanding another gut punch Bills loss-that-should-have-been-a-victory, the Bills do find interesting ways to lose. Such as forcing the Golden Boy, Tony Romo, to turn the ball over six times, yet allowing Dallas to recover an onside kick, then boot a winning 50+ yard field goal as time expires.

God, if he or she does exist, hates us.

TILT

Got back from Vegas at 12:45 am Monday morning with nothing but lint in my pockets. I got busted six ways from Sunday in Sin City and now have a pleasant week of eating my shoes for dinner.

Friday YouTube Nugget (one day early)

VEGA$ EDITION, PT II, ELECTRIC BOOGALOO

It seems as if I never left...I am headed back to Sin City, this time for my aunt's 60th birthday. My whole family (8 people) will be there - a reunion, of sorts. I can't wait to hear how my cousin's job with US immigration law in Seattle is going, how my other cousin is faring with his computer programming consulting in St. Louis...and how many cans of tuna my brother has consumed this week in Las Vegas.

In any case, we will be attending the much-hyped Cirque du Soleil (or, "Sun Circus"....fact) show featuring the music of the Beatles as background to a bunch of contortionists acting all spastic in the foreground. Some call it "interpretive, circus-based artistic and athletic stage performance"...I call it a bunch of fruit pies running around in spandex, seeing how much abuse they can apply to their joints and spines before breaking in half.

Whoa...I think I was channelling Bill O'Reilly for a second. Anyhoo, here's a clip of my favorite band of all time performing "Your Mother Should Know"