This number goes out to everyone celebrating the festival of lights, which begins tonight…
…and here is another seasonal selection.
Sunday, December 06, 2015
Saturday, December 05, 2015
Saturday Stuff
Kyle Kulinski of Secular Talk tells us of how those smiley-faced bastards screwed yet another worker (NSFW – here)…
…and RIP Scott Weiland…the seasonal stuff will return probably tomorrow.
…and RIP Scott Weiland…the seasonal stuff will return probably tomorrow.
Friday, December 04, 2015
Friday Stuff
(I also posted here.)
Looks like Trevor Noah gave "Calgary" Cruz the treatment he deserves (well, a bit) here...
...and MSNBC’s Tamron Hall interviews Spike Lee about his new film “Chi-raq,” which I would say is a bit more timely given the recent gun atrocities in this country (would have been nice if Hall had mentioned that the movie is inspired by this – also a song by Todd and Utopia)…
…and on this day 70 years ago, the U.S. Senate approved U.S. participation in the United Nations, a body of countries that is hardly perfect, though vastly preferable to the alternative, which is no such structure with even more chaos than we have now (here)…
...and as long as we're looking at history, we should probably watch this from Thom Hartmann about our 32nd president (made even more timely in light of this depressing but predictable development - and by the way, to support Bernie Sanders, click here)...
...and here are some seasonal tunes.
Looks like Trevor Noah gave "Calgary" Cruz the treatment he deserves (well, a bit) here...
...and MSNBC’s Tamron Hall interviews Spike Lee about his new film “Chi-raq,” which I would say is a bit more timely given the recent gun atrocities in this country (would have been nice if Hall had mentioned that the movie is inspired by this – also a song by Todd and Utopia)…
…and on this day 70 years ago, the U.S. Senate approved U.S. participation in the United Nations, a body of countries that is hardly perfect, though vastly preferable to the alternative, which is no such structure with even more chaos than we have now (here)…
...and as long as we're looking at history, we should probably watch this from Thom Hartmann about our 32nd president (made even more timely in light of this depressing but predictable development - and by the way, to support Bernie Sanders, click here)...
...and here are some seasonal tunes.
Thursday, December 03, 2015
Thursday Stuff
Despite the horrors in San Bernardino, there was actually some good news; Former Massey Energy CEO Don Blankenship was found guilty of conspiracy (here – Cenk explains why this matters)…
…and those nitwits in “the world’s greatest deliberative body” also passed a bill to repeal the Affordable Care Law and (wait for it…) defund Planned Parenthood (here and here)…if it costs about $50 million to schedule repeal votes in the House, imagine what it costs to do that in the U.S. Senate (and this is a dangerous development from these fools and frauds also – this may be even worse)...
...and it looks like Larry Wilmore went after Fix Noise and the usual political suspects on the Planned Parenthood shootings (here - not even going to try and unpackage the crazy from the other side on this)...
…and returning to the San Bernardino carnage, it looks like Shep Smith went off-script again; not taking sides, which would be expected, but well done all the same (here)…
...and RIP Cynthia Robinson of Sly and the Family Stone...
…and I’m having a hard time getting into the holiday spirit with the song selections, but I will soon – for now, this is the only seasonal tune I want to hear.
…and those nitwits in “the world’s greatest deliberative body” also passed a bill to repeal the Affordable Care Law and (wait for it…) defund Planned Parenthood (here and here)…if it costs about $50 million to schedule repeal votes in the House, imagine what it costs to do that in the U.S. Senate (and this is a dangerous development from these fools and frauds also – this may be even worse)...
...and it looks like Larry Wilmore went after Fix Noise and the usual political suspects on the Planned Parenthood shootings (here - not even going to try and unpackage the crazy from the other side on this)...
…and returning to the San Bernardino carnage, it looks like Shep Smith went off-script again; not taking sides, which would be expected, but well done all the same (here)…
...and RIP Cynthia Robinson of Sly and the Family Stone...
…and I’m having a hard time getting into the holiday spirit with the song selections, but I will soon – for now, this is the only seasonal tune I want to hear.
Wednesday, December 02, 2015
Wednesday Stuff
I know you’re as sick of this garbage as I am – don’t know what else there is to say at this point that hasn’t already been said…
…and kudos to Laura Pitter of Human Rights Watch for this…...and yesterday marked the 60th anniversary of Rosa Parks refusing to give up her bus seat (here)...
…and in light of this sad news, can we please put the nonsense noted here to rest once and for all?...
...and I don't feel particularly festive given the news of more gun insanity, but maybe it's a good idea to hear these tunes anyway.
Tuesday, December 01, 2015
Tuesday Stuff
This report from Al Jazeera America tells us about China's efforts to combat smog (not that we have bragging rights either of course, but if nothing else, this report shows the trade-offs that have to be made while pursuing the goal of "going green")...
...and in keeping with world stuff, I should note that I haven't checked in with Vice News for a little while, but it looks like our ol' buddy Vlad Putin is causing some people to be a bit on edge in Russia's area of the world, Estonia in particular...
…and Lawrence O’Donnell tells us about the latest success of the KIND (Kids In Need of Desks) fund in Malawi in Africa, which is sponsored by his show (kudos)…
…the latter being a joyful story for a change that puts me in the mood to hear this in particular.
...and in keeping with world stuff, I should note that I haven't checked in with Vice News for a little while, but it looks like our ol' buddy Vlad Putin is causing some people to be a bit on edge in Russia's area of the world, Estonia in particular...
…and Lawrence O’Donnell tells us about the latest success of the KIND (Kids In Need of Desks) fund in Malawi in Africa, which is sponsored by his show (kudos)…
…the latter being a joyful story for a change that puts me in the mood to hear this in particular.
Monday, November 30, 2015
Monday Stuff
(I also posted here.)
I call this some terrific "connecting of the dots" by Cenk Uygur on the issue of terrorism (this should knock The Sainted Ronnie R off his bleeping pedestal once and for all, but I'm sure it won't)...
...and apologies for being a bit behind on the latest economic and labor news from Thom Hartmann...
...and "Unsafe At Any Speed" hit bookstores 50 years ago today (here)...there are those who have made the somewhat plausible argument that Ralph Nader rigged his tests to show that the Chevy Corvair would "roll" with the wheels locked in a turning motion more easily than other vehicles, but to me, the bottom line is that the book sponsored the National Traffic and Motor Vehicle Safety Act the next year, which made seat belt usage mandatory in 49 states, among other reforms - of course, as of about 15 years ago, Nader will be remembered much more infamously for his role in the presidential election that foisted Dubya into the White House...
...and I know Nader was once a crusader against cars, but I don't recall that he ever had anything to say about a sleigh.
I call this some terrific "connecting of the dots" by Cenk Uygur on the issue of terrorism (this should knock The Sainted Ronnie R off his bleeping pedestal once and for all, but I'm sure it won't)...
...and apologies for being a bit behind on the latest economic and labor news from Thom Hartmann...
...and "Unsafe At Any Speed" hit bookstores 50 years ago today (here)...there are those who have made the somewhat plausible argument that Ralph Nader rigged his tests to show that the Chevy Corvair would "roll" with the wheels locked in a turning motion more easily than other vehicles, but to me, the bottom line is that the book sponsored the National Traffic and Motor Vehicle Safety Act the next year, which made seat belt usage mandatory in 49 states, among other reforms - of course, as of about 15 years ago, Nader will be remembered much more infamously for his role in the presidential election that foisted Dubya into the White House...
...and I know Nader was once a crusader against cars, but I don't recall that he ever had anything to say about a sleigh.
Saturday, November 28, 2015
Saturday Stuff
Alex Witt talks to Dawn Laguens of Planned Parenthood in the wake of the cowardly, murderous attack in Colorado Springs (I know there’s a lot that still needs to be sorted out concerning the latest homicidal lunatic with a gun in this country, which kind of pushed this from the headlines…so many crazies, so little time…but I would call this pretty damn incriminating)…
Update 11/30/15: And while we're on this subject, I think it's important to keep this in mind (which more or less dovetails with this).
…and sorry, but no seasonal stuff tonight – I had this tune in mind for obvious reasons, also in consideration of this.
Update 11/30/15: And while we're on this subject, I think it's important to keep this in mind (which more or less dovetails with this).
…and sorry, but no seasonal stuff tonight – I had this tune in mind for obvious reasons, also in consideration of this.
Friday, November 27, 2015
Friday Stuff
(I also posted here.)
I admit that I should start paying a little more attention to the budget crisis in our beloved commonwealth, so in an attempt to do that, I’m going to focus on “Helicopter Scott” Wagner (here and here), a Teahadist State Senator who has gone on record as saying that he supports no tax increases whatsoever and, as noted in the clip, thinks that convenience store workers should start out at the “generous” wage of about $9 an hour and be “fast-tracked” to about $10 an hour (oh, and I have no idea of what Wendell Young’s compensation is, and I don’t care because the topic is irrelevant – apparently more important for Wagner to lecture workers than to do something that is even remotely fair…how much did Wagner make in waste disposal before he was elected to Harrisburg, I wonder?).
If you want to blame Governor Wolf for the budget crisis, fine. But as far as I’m concerned, you’re “shooting dirty pool” if you don’t also blame characters like Wagner, as well as the people who vote for him (oh, and how nice of him to “appreciate” the other side)…
...and silly Lawrence O'Donnell, trying to do the right thing and get our corporate media to do their jobs (good luck trying to get right-wing BS out of what passes for our political discourse - commendable attempt by Lawrence, though, here)...
…and just as a reminder (particularly with the Al Jazeera America clip in mind), I thought I’d present this video from about five years ago as a reminder of how we have arrived at a state as sorry as this…
…and in the spirit of what most people will be doing this day, I offer a hosanna to crass commercialism…
...because, as we know, that time of year is upon us again - oy!
I admit that I should start paying a little more attention to the budget crisis in our beloved commonwealth, so in an attempt to do that, I’m going to focus on “Helicopter Scott” Wagner (here and here), a Teahadist State Senator who has gone on record as saying that he supports no tax increases whatsoever and, as noted in the clip, thinks that convenience store workers should start out at the “generous” wage of about $9 an hour and be “fast-tracked” to about $10 an hour (oh, and I have no idea of what Wendell Young’s compensation is, and I don’t care because the topic is irrelevant – apparently more important for Wagner to lecture workers than to do something that is even remotely fair…how much did Wagner make in waste disposal before he was elected to Harrisburg, I wonder?).
If you want to blame Governor Wolf for the budget crisis, fine. But as far as I’m concerned, you’re “shooting dirty pool” if you don’t also blame characters like Wagner, as well as the people who vote for him (oh, and how nice of him to “appreciate” the other side)…
...and silly Lawrence O'Donnell, trying to do the right thing and get our corporate media to do their jobs (good luck trying to get right-wing BS out of what passes for our political discourse - commendable attempt by Lawrence, though, here)...
…and just as a reminder (particularly with the Al Jazeera America clip in mind), I thought I’d present this video from about five years ago as a reminder of how we have arrived at a state as sorry as this…
…and in the spirit of what most people will be doing this day, I offer a hosanna to crass commercialism…
...because, as we know, that time of year is upon us again - oy!
Thursday, November 26, 2015
Happy Thanksgiving 2015
I got a kick out of this (courtesy of Pixdaus and Daily Kos)......and here's another holiday fave, with an intro by Seth MacFarlane as Stewie Griffin (and again, the captions make this hilarious as far as I'm concerned)...
...and here's more holiday fun...
...and I kind of liked this also (hat tip for this to Daily Kos)...
...and here's a Thanksgiving message for those wonderful folks at the TSA.
Update 1: And here is another late addition.
Update 2: Might as well add this too.
Update 3: Imagine all the people that can be fed for $35 grand (here, getting serious for a minute).
Update 4: And since I add to this list every year, I might as well include this too (hasta la vista, baby!).
Wednesday, November 25, 2015
Wednesday Stuff
This story is infuriating, maddening and totally predictable (and I’m sure it makes this life form even more pleased with himself than he already is)…
…and I think this is a terrific idea from Media Matters, though I must confess that I’ll be with people tomorrow who, just about entirely, DO NOT share my political inclination, so I’ll try to hold my fire (if challenged, though, then I’ll use some of this material)…
…and I predict that “The Donald” will say something xenophobic, demagogic and/or just plain wrong…oh, at any moment now (here)…
…and here is something I’m definitely thankful for, and that’s great new music from Jeff Lynne.
…and I think this is a terrific idea from Media Matters, though I must confess that I’ll be with people tomorrow who, just about entirely, DO NOT share my political inclination, so I’ll try to hold my fire (if challenged, though, then I’ll use some of this material)…
…and I predict that “The Donald” will say something xenophobic, demagogic and/or just plain wrong…oh, at any moment now (here)…
…and here is something I’m definitely thankful for, and that’s great new music from Jeff Lynne.
Tuesday, November 24, 2015
Tuesday Stuff
Once again, if you’re looking for hard-hitting, insightful commentary on a news story being reported on all over the place, turn to a comedian (here...he sneaks in a real dig at about 4:10, which is true, unfortunately)…
...and Chris Hayes & Jim Rich of the New York Daily News call out Wayne LaPierre on the latter's opposition to a bill to keep guns out of the hands of terrorists (background is here – I thought the last minute and a half of this was particularly important, and scary too)…
...and as long as you-know-who is getting mentioned again (NSFW of course)...
…and it looks like the “one percent” is crying poor mouth again; spare me this “one hand tied behind our back” garbage…the generics are cutting into your profit margins, not U.S. taxes, you weasel…
…and once more, it’s time for another installment of “This Day In Doomsy History” from 11/26/10, with something we all should keep in mind as shoppers overall and particularly for later this week…
…and I know Jackson Browne wrote this in the ‘80s in response to an entirely different group of refugees, but somehow I think there are at least some parallels to those trying to enter our country now too.
...and Chris Hayes & Jim Rich of the New York Daily News call out Wayne LaPierre on the latter's opposition to a bill to keep guns out of the hands of terrorists (background is here – I thought the last minute and a half of this was particularly important, and scary too)…
...and as long as you-know-who is getting mentioned again (NSFW of course)...
…and it looks like the “one percent” is crying poor mouth again; spare me this “one hand tied behind our back” garbage…the generics are cutting into your profit margins, not U.S. taxes, you weasel…
…and once more, it’s time for another installment of “This Day In Doomsy History” from 11/26/10, with something we all should keep in mind as shoppers overall and particularly for later this week…
…and I know Jackson Browne wrote this in the ‘80s in response to an entirely different group of refugees, but somehow I think there are at least some parallels to those trying to enter our country now too.
Monday, November 23, 2015
Monday Stuff
(I also posted here.)
Lawrence O’Donnell was cut off here a bit at the end, but I thought he made a good point about some of the word games of the cable news networks in the wake of the Paris attacks…
…and I’m not sure what Harry Smith is doing on MSNBC, but I thought this was a good interview with George Takei about the current anti-Syrian hysteria and how this harks back to the Japanese-American internment camps of World War II – the latter story is told in the play “Allegiance” currently on Broadway…
…and MSNBC’s Chris Jansing interviews Dallas, TX Mayor Mike Rawlings on the question of settling Syrian refugees in this country; Rawlings believes whites are more of a threat, and I agree with him (see?)…
…and I guess all the stuff about Syria, as well as O'Donnell's report (as well as this) has put me in the mood to hear this tune.
Lawrence O’Donnell was cut off here a bit at the end, but I thought he made a good point about some of the word games of the cable news networks in the wake of the Paris attacks…
…and I’m not sure what Harry Smith is doing on MSNBC, but I thought this was a good interview with George Takei about the current anti-Syrian hysteria and how this harks back to the Japanese-American internment camps of World War II – the latter story is told in the play “Allegiance” currently on Broadway…
…and MSNBC’s Chris Jansing interviews Dallas, TX Mayor Mike Rawlings on the question of settling Syrian refugees in this country; Rawlings believes whites are more of a threat, and I agree with him (see?)…
…and I guess all the stuff about Syria, as well as O'Donnell's report (as well as this) has put me in the mood to hear this tune.
Friday, November 20, 2015
Friday Stuff
I think Thom Hartmann provides some important historical context here on our fight with ISIS…
...and I also think it’s appropriate to let Sen. Elizabeth Warren have the last word this week on the Syrian refugee crisis (here)…
...and with the terror stuff going on, I admit that I haven't paid a lot of attention to the budget funding crisis (and I think that's the correct word) in our beloved commonwealth - I think this video provides something important to keep in mind (more here, and an update is here)...
Update: Gee, instead of having the school kids write to Gov. Wolf here, maybe Mikey the Beloved and Archbishop Chucky could tell the kids to write to Tea Head state Sen. Scott Wagner, quoted in this story as saying that he won’t vote for a single tax increase, expecting all of the supposed budget savings to be realized by slashing services (appropriate for Wagner that he formerly made a living in waste disposal – fits the profile for this prick).
(..oops, the story went behind the still-utterly-ridiculous pay wall for the Courier Times and Intelligencer - wonder how many subscribers they lost this week?)
Update 11/26/15: So, it looks like "Helicopter Scott" is a real expert on our schools - sure he is (here).
…and I wish this were just another fish story, but I’m afraid it’s for real…
…and I know I need to pay attention to myself first and foremost on spiritual matters, but if I were this guy, I’d be doing a hell of a lot of tithing ("elevate" this - NSFW)…
…and what the hell – it’s Friday night; time to rock.
...and I also think it’s appropriate to let Sen. Elizabeth Warren have the last word this week on the Syrian refugee crisis (here)…
...and with the terror stuff going on, I admit that I haven't paid a lot of attention to the budget funding crisis (and I think that's the correct word) in our beloved commonwealth - I think this video provides something important to keep in mind (more here, and an update is here)...
Update: Gee, instead of having the school kids write to Gov. Wolf here, maybe Mikey the Beloved and Archbishop Chucky could tell the kids to write to Tea Head state Sen. Scott Wagner, quoted in this story as saying that he won’t vote for a single tax increase, expecting all of the supposed budget savings to be realized by slashing services (appropriate for Wagner that he formerly made a living in waste disposal – fits the profile for this prick).
(..oops, the story went behind the still-utterly-ridiculous pay wall for the Courier Times and Intelligencer - wonder how many subscribers they lost this week?)
Update 11/26/15: So, it looks like "Helicopter Scott" is a real expert on our schools - sure he is (here).
…and I wish this were just another fish story, but I’m afraid it’s for real…
…and I know I need to pay attention to myself first and foremost on spiritual matters, but if I were this guy, I’d be doing a hell of a lot of tithing ("elevate" this - NSFW)…
…and what the hell – it’s Friday night; time to rock.
Thursday, November 19, 2015
Thursday Stuff
While Dems quibble about HRC vs. Bernie Sanders (and yes, that’s part of the process I know), let’s not lose sight of who our REAL adversaries are (here, particularly in light of this too, and a pox on the “Democrats” who caved on today’s sorry vote)…
…and sticking with that, I apologize for inflicting the idiots Ted Cruz and Rand Paul on you here, but it’s almost worth it to hear the voices of sanity from Independent Sen. Angus King and Dem U.S. House Rep. Ted Lieu in response (great point by King about the visa waiver program)…
...and speaking of hysteria, why am I not surprised by this from the guy starring in this video...
...and congratulations to a true American icon, Willie Nelson, for this.
…and sticking with that, I apologize for inflicting the idiots Ted Cruz and Rand Paul on you here, but it’s almost worth it to hear the voices of sanity from Independent Sen. Angus King and Dem U.S. House Rep. Ted Lieu in response (great point by King about the visa waiver program)…
...and speaking of hysteria, why am I not surprised by this from the guy starring in this video...
Wednesday, November 18, 2015
Wednesday Stuff
I continue to be impressed by Obama’s EPA head Gina McCarthy as noted here (never forget that it’s a testimonial to the type of leader we have that they appoint skilled people in their jobs – something which drove me absolutely nuts about Number 43 – and McCarthy is a pro as far as I’m concerned)...
…and I would say that Col. Jack Jacobs does a pretty darn good job here of spelling out exactly what we’re up against in trying to defeat ISIS…
…and I present this video to show that it wasn’t that long ago when we were pulling this “freedom fries” and “freedom toast” nonsense to protest the fact that French President Jacques Chirac told a certain Former President Highest Disapproval Rating In Gallup Poll History that he was full of crap over his Not So Excellent Adventure in Mesopotamia (a stand that looks pretty prescient now of course).
Well, despite the horrific violence suffered by that country this year, President Francois Hollande has promised to take in 30,000 Syrian refugees over the next two years (here). Meanwhile, in this country, 31 Republican governors have proven themselves to be utter cowards on this issue (here), along with some Democratic politicians also (here and here).
I don’t know if there are any restaurants featuring what you might call American cuisine in the “city of light,” but if there are, they should feature a cut of beef on their menu called “run-and-hide rump roast” – just a thought…
…and really, were you surprised by this?
…and I would say that Col. Jack Jacobs does a pretty darn good job here of spelling out exactly what we’re up against in trying to defeat ISIS…
…and I present this video to show that it wasn’t that long ago when we were pulling this “freedom fries” and “freedom toast” nonsense to protest the fact that French President Jacques Chirac told a certain Former President Highest Disapproval Rating In Gallup Poll History that he was full of crap over his Not So Excellent Adventure in Mesopotamia (a stand that looks pretty prescient now of course).
Well, despite the horrific violence suffered by that country this year, President Francois Hollande has promised to take in 30,000 Syrian refugees over the next two years (here). Meanwhile, in this country, 31 Republican governors have proven themselves to be utter cowards on this issue (here), along with some Democratic politicians also (here and here).
I don’t know if there are any restaurants featuring what you might call American cuisine in the “city of light,” but if there are, they should feature a cut of beef on their menu called “run-and-hide rump roast” – just a thought…
…and really, were you surprised by this?
Tuesday, November 17, 2015
Tuesday Stuff
…with people such as Linda Sarsour caught up in the bigotry, as she explains here to Chris Hayes (the last 30 seconds of this overall fine interview are incredibly important to remember IMHO)…
..and "an interview with "ISIS Magazine"? There's something utterly surreal about that and the video - a whole new brand of crazy, as if the old brand wasn't bad enough...
…and this video doesn’t have anything to do with any of this – maybe think of it as a palate-cleanser of sorts.
Monday, November 16, 2015
Monday Stuff
…and I wouldn’t exactly call these great words by Shep Smith (going off-script once more) a ringing endorsement of accepting Syrian refugees, though I think that is exactly what we should do – typically ridiculous for Republican politicians to claim that we should only accept Christians, as if that can be proved or couldn’t be faked in order to get in (this tells us which states will grant and which will deny admittance, and kudos to Gov. Wolf for doing the right thing in PA)…
…oh, and if massive amounts of blood have been spilled somewhere and carnage has visited its ugly head, then you can count on Bill Kristol to call for more of our sons and daughters to be killed, maimed or wounded to satisfy his sick desire for more war (here...if Kristol ever saw violence for real, he's wet his pants)…
…and every once in a while at times like these, I feel like I have to hear this song.
Saturday, November 14, 2015
Saturday Stuff
…and I think there’s a bit of editorializing going on here particularly in the last 30 seconds – I mean, RT has to toe the Putin line, let’s not forget, or someone may get shot execution style in a dank elevator of a run-down apartment complex (here) – but I think the reporting on the ground by Lizzie Phelan is pretty spot-on, to say nothing of courageous…I take RT with the proverbial grain of salt as I do with the corporate media in this country…
…and shifting gears (because we need to laugh, after all), I thought this was a good commentary from Bill Maher, who had been in a bit of a slump recently as far as I’m concerned (NSFW of course)…
…and apparently, these guys are all OK, thank God.
Friday, November 13, 2015
Friday Stuff
I realize these videos are trivial by comparison, but they’re still important in their own way, so here they are - to begin, this tells us about the "million student march" protests, including Philly also (more here)...
…and another day, another tale of police abuse against a person of color in These United States…
…and Thom Hartmann brings us economic and labor news for the week…
…and I put this up earlier this year, and sadly, I have a reason to do so again (and once more, the literal English translation is “No, I Regret Nothing”).
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