Month: April 2010

Current Affairs, Doc, Sports10 Comments

The Magnificant Seven (and the rest of us rubes)

(Yup, the Limey’s right. It’s all about the beer.) Apparently, America has only seven places that are worth living in: L.A., D.C., NYC, Chicago, Atlanta, Boston and… uh… OK, I think that’s it. It’s cool to visit Naw’lins, but only when stuff is cleaned up and Bourbon Street is full of bead-begging broads. Maybe ‘Frisco if you’re looking to see where hippies came from or not… Dunno. Texas? Tons of people exist there, but let’s not call what they do “living.” Unless you’ve got a belt buckle you can serve tea on, you might not want to do more than … Continue reading The Magnificant Seven (and the rest of us rubes)

Adrastos, British Politics, Current Affairs, Political Crack3 Comments

Dancing with the British Party Leaders

Peter Adrastos Athas

Tory leader David Cameron is out of step as Nick Clegg and Gordon Brown perform some variation on the buck and wing: I’m not sure if this means that the Tories will win or lose but the posh boy is looking heavenward whilst his opponents stand on one leg. Of course, the way the campaign is going it may be Gordon Brown who hasn’t got a leg to stand on… Continue reading Dancing with the British Party Leaders

Athenae, So Called Liberal Media19 Comments

The Washington Post Tries to Eat the Blogosphere, and Chokes

What a bunch of snobby, smug, entitled, presumptuous ASSHOLES: Five weeks ago, I received an unsolicited offer from the Washington Post. They asked if they could post my picture and biography on their website and link to every new blog post appearing here if I agreed to produce regular original content for them at their request. I turned them down. Why? Because they wanted me to work for them for nothing.The Post is organizing a “local blogging network” linking to selected blogs from their website and asking bloggers to submit original content, which would be edited by them. The Post’s … Continue reading The Washington Post Tries to Eat the Blogosphere, and Chokes

Michael F14 Comments

Fire Water

FromAlbum3 Unfortunately things aren’t looking any better off the Gret Stet coast;just the opposite, in fact: NEW ORLEANS — Government officials said late Wednesday night thatoil might be leaking from a well in the Gulf of Mexico at a rate five times that suggested by initial estimates. Meanwhile, BP admits that they can’t control the leak themselves and are asking for help from wherever they can get it…including the US military. Do so-called “small government” advocates really think we should “let the private sector” handle this potential economic and ecological catastrophe? Or do they think the money is “better spent” … Continue reading Fire Water

Athenae, Stupid Republican Tricks8 Comments

Now We Love Sex Offenders

In addition to gay marrying you to a box turtle, abortions for everybody, and having terrorists over for tea: The Republican National Committee has launched a new web site, obamavconstitution.com, that accuses President Obama’s judicial nominees of angling to edit the Constitution to protect sex offenders and terrorists, outlaw prayer and make health care a right. [snip] Another one of their targets, Robert Chatigny, once ruled that a Connecticut online sex offender registry was illegal because it didn’t give non-violent offenders the chance to appeal putting their names on the site. According to the RNC, this means Chatigny thinks “sex … Continue reading Now We Love Sex Offenders

Athenae, Diary15 Comments

Girls I’m Never Going To Be

Sometime a while back I came to terms with the fact that I would never be Club Girl pretty. You know. Girls in videos. Girls who go dancing. With the fabulous long hair and the amazing smoky make-up and the jeans that fit perfectly and the back in a halter top that makes you want to run your finger down her spine. Never gonna be that chick. Not gonna happen. I can’t grow my hair out. My hair refuses. It gets to my shoulders and stops. By then, it’s so heavy and thicket-y and not-behave-y that I’m ready to shave … Continue reading Girls I’m Never Going To Be

Athenae, So Called Liberal Media7 Comments

The Internet Killed TV, Too

Apparently: There has been a nationwide, slow, unstoppable erosion of local studio production that continues today. Kid shows were the first to go, studio-audience talk shows soon followed, even simply produced cooking shows were axed. Stations have been bought up by big companies and the bottom line has become a station manager’s bottom line if he or she is to retain the position. Today’s studio production almost totally is automated. Dehumanized. No camera operators, minimal lighting and sound, fewer stagehands, fewer engineers, and practically no one but a lone “director” operating a remote control board that switches the cameras to … Continue reading The Internet Killed TV, Too

Athenae, Immoral Values9 Comments

We Speak English

What do you want, a trophy? “Why do our politicians make us give driver’s license exams in 12 languages?” James asks in the ad. “This is Alabama. We speak English. If you want to live here, learn it. We’re only giving that test in English if I’m governor.” All this is, and I mean ALL this nonsense is, is scrambling to find a way to reward lazy assholes by making them feel like they’ve got something over on everybody else. These people need some goddamn therapy. Or some significant accomplishments in life. You do not PWN by speaking the language … Continue reading We Speak English

Athenae, Immoral Values11 Comments

‘Say a Prayer to Your God’

Charming: As discussion began, Redman called Ahmed to the podium and asked him to “say a prayer to your God.” The comment elicited a negative reaction from the audience and from Deputy General Counsel Cindy Laquidara, who rushed to the microphone to ask to speak with Redman privately. After a moment of confusion, Redman said he wouldn’t ask Ahmed to pray but instead if the council’s opening prayer offended him. When Ahmed asked Redman why that was relevant, and that people had a right to pray to whomever they please, Redman said Ahmed would be offended by a prayer to … Continue reading ‘Say a Prayer to Your God’

Hurricane Katrina & Federal Flood, Music, Television, VirgoTex

W.W.T.F.U.S: Sittin’ in La La

If you’re not watchingTreme, you should be. I’m not saying you have to subscribe to premium cable, but make a note because the DVDs will be out sooner or later. In the meantime maybe you can just persuade someone to record it for you, or invite you over for dinner on Sundays. It’s worth it, because likeThe Wire, it’s not just a story about one particular city. It’s about the stuff you read on this blog, it’s about this country we all live in. Not for nothing, there’s a hell of a lot of great music in it too. Sunday’s … Continue reading W.W.T.F.U.S: Sittin’ in La La

Adrastos, British Politics, Political Crack9 Comments

Prime Ministerial Pizzas?

Peter Adrastos Athas

I’m still on the 2010 UK general election beat; no, make that offbeat. This story is odd in a deeply silly way. As a publicity stunt, a British pizza chain created what could loosely be called Prime Ministerial pies. The combinations described bythe Telegraph sound downright weird as opposed to yummy: Following a YouGov poll into what we think our leaders are made of, PizzaExpress has created pizza portraits of the leaders of the three main political parties. The pizzas contain the following ingredients: David Cameron: cheese (cheesy), rocket (posh), broccoli (healthy) and asparagus (environmental). Nick Clegg: mustard (keen), tomato … Continue reading Prime Ministerial Pizzas?

Athenae, Political Crack8 Comments

On Immigration: Eat It and Choke

Oh, what the fuck ever: The other thing Reid did which you may have seen over the weekend is he’s decided to bump immigration reform ahead of energy/climate change in the legislative queue. That had the most immediate effect of causing Sen. Lindsey Graham to throw a hissy fit because he’s been working with Democrats on the energy bill and wants to see that passed — but more accurately he sees Reid as giving priority to immigration reform because that will help Democrats in an election year (including Reid himself, who’s facing a very tough re-election slog in Nevada). Again … Continue reading On Immigration: Eat It and Choke

Athenae, So Called Liberal Media14 Comments

Steve Poizner and What We Learn

Mr. A and I were listening tothis in the car on Saturday. I say listening; Mr. A was listening.I was looking for something to put my fist through: It is a very odd chapter, all about Poizner’s first days teaching a class at Mt. Pleasant. There’s scene after scene where he’s floundering, standing in front of the class asking big, abstract questions – “would you want to live in a country where the leader didn’t want to lead? If the money issued by the government wasn’t any good, or people were treated unfairly?” None of the students respond. He’s a … Continue reading Steve Poizner and What We Learn

Athenae, Immoral Values8 Comments

‘George Wallace Looks Great for a 90-Year-Old’

And other commentary on the Arizona search-the-illegals-or-you-know-people-you-racist-fucks-might-think-are-illegals-because-you-stopped-paying-attention-in-sixth-grade-and-also-flunked-humanity lawhere: “It also makes it illegal to impede the flow of traffic by picking up day laborers for work. A day laborer who gets picked up for work, thus impeding traffic, would also be committing a criminal act.” Yeah the *day laborer* is the criminal not the American who is driving the goddamn car that’s ‘impeding the flow of traffic’ and hiring them off the books for less than minimum wage. He’s just a God-ferrin cap-pi-tal-list– yeesirre! Gotta love having people working for you who you can have the cops haul off with … Continue reading ‘George Wallace Looks Great for a 90-Year-Old’

Athenae, So Called Liberal Media4 Comments

Ken Cuccinelli: What Freedoms?

Wow, what a winner the Virginia AG is. Not content withsuing the government over the unconscionable crime of attempting to insure its citizens — which, after all, any douchebag with a law degree can do — he’s got time on his hands to join the fight against those dastardlystudent journalists: HARRISONBURG — Virginia Attorney Gen. Ken Cuccinelli said he supports Commonwealth Attorney Marsha Garst’s search ofThe Breeze newsroom for Springfest photos on April 16. “I support any and all legal means to gather information to build a case against people who allegedly harmed or intended to harm law enforcement officers,” … Continue reading Ken Cuccinelli: What Freedoms?

Stupid Republican Tricks, Tommy T8 Comments

Today on Tommy T’s Obsession with the Freeperati – “Rooseveltcare” Edition

p>Good Monday morning, everyone! Republicans always wonder why the rest of the word thinks they’re so heartless and greedy, or , as the Iowa GOP put it : Who wants to be part of a political party that isn’t open or welcoming, that’s seen as arrogant, backwards-looking, or even racist? Who, indeed? It’s easy to see how these image issues come about. Let’s examine them, which in this case, means donning iso gear and using long-handled tongs to pick them up… Demand that Republicans repeal Obamacare AND Johnsoncare and Rooseveltcare AND ZOTcare! Posted onTuesday, March 23, 2010 12:20:29 PM byghostas … Continue reading Today on Tommy T’s Obsession with the Freeperati – “Rooseveltcare” Edition

Adrastos, Current Affairs, Religion5 Comments

The Ministry of Silly Memos

Peter Adrastos Athas

Pope Benny the Ratzinger is visiting the U.K. soon. Some bright young staffers wrote a Pythonesque memo for internal consumption only. It was leaked to the Right Wing press. Foreign Secretary David Miliband had to apologize to the Pope for thisvery silly memo. An internal Foreign Office memo about September’s papal visit to Britain, born of a Friday afternoon brainstorming session involving a group of junior civil servants, resulted yesterday in the demotion of a young official and a formal government apology to the Vatican. The memorandum, apparently written by staff planning events for the four-day visit byPope Benedict XVI, … Continue reading The Ministry of Silly Memos

Adrastos, British Politics, Current Affairs, Political Crack7 Comments

Brown Suede Shoes

Peter Adrastos Athas

TheLabour Party’sonce expert spin doctors have officially lost their touch. The governing party is already losing the spin battle to the Liberal Democrats and running third in the horse race polls. And now this: That’s right, that madcap-n-cuddly Gordon Brown hanging out with an Elvis impersonator. Gordon Brown is not zany, he’s not warm and fuzzy and he’s not going to win the crucialrocker vote and the modsare already lost. He’s a tough, intelligent and experienced man and they should stop trying to turn a grizzled bear into a teddy bear. Holy crap, another Elvis reference. Where will it end? … Continue reading Brown Suede Shoes

Adrastos, Political Crack10 Comments

We Can’t Go On Like This

Peter Adrastos Athas

One political custom the Brits have maintained is the use of posters. Our pols spend everything on teevee but the poster is king in the U.K for a variety of reasons too dull to go into. Of course, the photos I’m posting fromthe Guardian involve satirical defacing of Tory Party posters two of which feature the post title: Finally, my favorite bit of defacing: Continue reading We Can’t Go On Like This