Saturday, December 20, 2014

Saturday Stuff

As far as I'm concerned, we will never be able to defeat an enemy unless we understand what created them and make sure that we don't make the same mistakes again...



...and don't you just love how our corporate media spins low gas prices as bad news? Somehow I think that, if a certain Willard Mitt Romney and Vice President Puppy-Dog-Eyes-With-The-Shiv were residing in An Oval Office instead of the current occupants (and thank God that that's not the case), then we would be hearing something different...hopefully all will continue to go well from an environmental point of view in Mississippi, but if their water catches fire, things blow up and/or people start getting sick, don't come crying to us...



...and now to the seasonal stuff – apparently Darlene Love performed on Letterman for the last time recently – kudos to her...



...and here is a relatively newer entry...



...as well as a traditional one from one of the staunchest Democrats who has ever lived...



...and I don't know if these folks ever signed with a label or not, but they created a dandy little number here.

Friday, December 19, 2014

Friday Stuff

Congrats to Stephen Colbert for finishing up his run on Comedy Central – made me recall this item as well as the briefly NSFW commentary (I don’t think Colbert will ever top his performance at the 2006 White House Correspondents Dinner, which was one of the funniest – and ballsiest – performances I’ve ever seen)…



...ah, what the hell - let him take another "victory lap"...



…and now, turning to the seasonal stuff, I give you an ageless wonder…



…and even though he was a scientologist, he was still pretty cool…



…and I know I don’t feature as much jazz as I should, but here is an exception…



…and after having heard this for a number of years now, I guarantee you that I’ll never look at a nativity scene quite the same way again.

Thursday, December 18, 2014

Thursday Stuff

I can’t tell you how utterly disgusted I am about this idiocy with North Korea and that movie “The Interview,” with Seth Rogen and James Franco (here).

So let me get this straight – we are now kow towing to threats from two-bit regimes that have somehow become particularly adept at cyber warfare? Where does this end? Does Iran, for example, which (last I checked) doesn’t recognize Israel’s right to exist, now tell us that we can no longer broadcast “Schindler’s List?” And believe me when I tell you that I have issues with Israel, by the way.

Basically, this is about OTHER studios/distributors as well as theater chains worrying about the chilling effect this whole dustup could have on THEIR movies that will debut next week (such as Disney’s adaptation of “Into the Woods”). Because (and I definitely don’t enjoy pointing this out), while the appropriate reaction to all of this is for “The Interview” to debut all over the country on Christmas to sold-out viewings everywhere, it’s very possible that the exact opposite would happen.

So, as a result, we end up looking like a bunch of spoiled little babies afraid of our own collective shadow. Our enemies laugh and our friends all say “WTF?”

Well, since I can’t embed that great Jeff Daniels “America Is Not The Greatest” clip from “The Newsroom,” I suppose this NSFW clip from “Team America” will have to suffice (and THAT was cancelled too? Judas H. Priest on a pogo stick!!!)…



...and I wasn't able to get this video from MSNBC's still-wretched-and-utterly-hosed web site, but fortunately You Tuber PlanetEarth TrimTab did - Rachel Maddow tells us that the parents of the Sandy Hook victims are going after the gun lobby on the issue of firearm immunity from prosecution, which to me has always been particularly contemptible...



...and here's a question for our ol' buddy Vlad Putin - do you STILL think invading Crimea was a good idea (here)?...



...and it looks like that Kenyan Muslim tree-hugging socialist is making vast new areas of our environment safe for posterity again; seriously, kudos to Number 44 for this (and this actually got 15 "dislikes" on You Tube - unbelievable)...



..and now onto the seasonal stuff...



...and I still think Pearl Bailey is onto something here...



...and our house looks like this - #xmasjoke...



...and I never get tired of this traditional number.

Wednesday, December 17, 2014

Wednesday Stuff

(I also posted here.)

When it comes to Darth Cheney (particularly in light of this and this), I think we have a case here of Nail. Hammer. Head. (and kudos to Tweety for this, by the way - this is why Cheney should be treated as nothing but a pariah by any sentient life form - of course, the Guardian is right; he SHOULD be in the gray bar hotel)...



…are here are some of the most amazing pictures from the prior year according to NBC News…



…and boy, am I on board with Cenk and this very NSFW commentary on an interview given by Jeffrey Follmer, president of the Cleveland Police Patrolmen’s Association, over the Tamir Rice shooting (here)…



…and I have to admit that I’m having a little trouble with Nancy Pelosi and her word choice too a bit (here), but she’s fundamentally right (and what production values on the Huckleberry Graham thing :- )…


..and turning to the seasonal stuff, I give you this new selection (wanted to put up “The Coventry Carol” by Alison Moyet in solidarity with those families in Pakistan whose kids were slaughtered, but chickened out I guess – bomb those responsible into ashes, and then bomb the ashes...not in keeping with the spirit of the season I realize, but that's how I feel)...



...and to kick it up a notch, I give you this...



...and now, I give you the funniest math professor who has ever lived...



...and I'll drink to this one.

Tuesday, December 16, 2014

Tuesday Stuff

Soo, then, what exactly was the big hangup again over Dr. Vivek Murthy? Anybody?? Why couldn't we decide to do this months ago, you know, like actual grownups (here)...



...and with the current, ongoing idiocy with MSNBC's web site, I'm going to have to get more creative with my video selection, so I turned to this item from the New York Times called “36 Hours in Hanoi” that I thought was very interesting...



...now, time for some seasonal stuff, with Louis...



...and yeah, I think we need some traditional stuff too...



...and sure Bing, go get your own damn figgy pudding, OK?...



...and this is for everyone celebrating the festival of lights.

Monday, December 15, 2014

Monday Stuff

(I also posted here.)

This may still be too much data for your average wingnut to try and absorb, but the stakes are too high to do nothing...



...and I give you the latest from FAIR TV (looks like the "Mickey Mouse Network" strikes again - and speaking of Rich Lowry)...



…returning to the seasonal stuff, looks like it’s time for the “treadmill guys” again…



…and I try to include a “serious” song with each batch…



…and something traditional if possible too…



…and by the way, does anyone have a bicarbonate of soda?


Sunday, December 14, 2014

Sunday Stuff

Anybody who thinks the protests in the wake of the recent deaths of Michael Brown, Eric Garner or Tamir Rice are going to go away is living in a dream world (by the way, Melissa Harris Perry had a good feature on the march, but MSNBC's utterly useless web site disallowed embedding the video)...



Update 1 12/15/14: I may have been too harsh on MSNBC and the embedding thing - chalk it up to user error.

Update 2 12/15/14: Nope, tried to post an MSNBC video and it bombed - I was right...useless.

...and I know I'm into the holiday stuff right now, but I'm going to take a brief break – as far as I'm concerned, this should be the theme song for the “Cromnibus.”

Saturday, December 13, 2014

Saturday Stuff

Man, does Chris Hayes light it up here, though, as karoli properly notes, Hayes should direct some of his ire towards Joe Scar too on his own network (which, of course, means that he can't)...



...and Lawrence O'Donnell pays tribute to outgoing Dem Senator Jay Rockefeller on the whole torture matter (and I can't believe how well Sen. Lindsey Graham has acted during this whole fiasco – credit to him for a change)...



...and speaking of lighting it up, we had an experience tonight with “one light goes out, they all go out” - all is now OK, though...



...and I don't think I've ever featured this before – not sure why not (I think one of these guys died)...



...though I think The King says it best here...



...and if you choose to imbibe tonight, please stay indoors – hugs.

Friday, December 12, 2014

Friday Stuff

Ho, ho, ho – BLAM! (and let’s hope nobody gets hurt of course, or worse, here – and in a related story...and in ANOTHER related story - dear God)…



…and yeah, one person’s terrorist is another person’s “freedom fighter” (and I think Cenk makes a great point about the Fix Noise priest who supports drones…strange talk for a professed man of God)...



…and I know we observed the Pearl Harbor anniversary earlier this week, but I missed this one; Lawrence O’Donnell tells us the story of Jeanette Rankin, the first woman to serve in Congress, and her “No” vote in response to the Japanese attack…



..turning to seasonal stuff, Mr. S. would have been 99 today...



...and this is a reminder for all of us...



...but even though events might not warrant it, let's try to end with a smile, OK?

Thursday, December 11, 2014

Thursday Stuff

(I also posted here.)

(Sorry, but there’s a lot of verbiage to lead off this clip – the more I watched it, the more pissed off I got.)

Want to know why the Dems got creamed in the last election? I submit that part of the reason is because of the unbelievable disconnect between the White House and progressive U.S. House Democrats as evidenced in this clip (yeah, the Repugs are being typical greed heads, but I don’t think that’s news at this point…give voters a choice between Republicans and Republican-lites, and Republicans will get the vote every time, even though we’re going to be continually punished for the result…I have to admit, though, that Alex Wagner asks a really stupid question at about 5:30 and follows up just as stupidly at about 7:00, and why the #@!$ are they featuring Chuck Todd(ler)? – yeah, MSNBC sure is “liberal,” isn’t it…nice to hear Chris Van Hollen complain about the pages in the bill after listening to the Repugs carry on about the size of the health care bill that of course became law…Howard Fineman makes some good points, but I take issue with the entire framing of this clip; I think the U.S. House Dems are the only responsible adults here, and I don’t know how or why they should be held to account if there is a shut down – oh, and let Joshua Green do some framing too against the backdrop of the mid-terms, when in reality, if the Dems – as usual – had the courage of their convictions and stood with Number 44, I honestly don’t believe it would have been quite the rout that it was…not giving Obama a pass for caving and signing off on this garbage, though – one more thing; Wagner goes completely off the rails with her comment about the Teahadists at about 13:00; they came to fruition to oppose Obama and rebrand after Dubya – they don’t have a “populist” molecule in their metaphorical bodies)…



Oh, and by the way, the damn thing passed the House with the help of 57 “Democrats” here (a Senate vote will take place over the next day or so).

And who the hell decided to call this mess the “Cromnibus,” by the way? It sounds like one of the last emperors of Rome before it was overrun by the Huns...

…switching to a whole other topic, I think there have been times when Time Magazine really blew it with its Person of the Year selection, but I think they really nailed it in the best way possible this year…



...turning to the seasonal stuff, I give you a truly original "big man" (and born in Philly too)...



...though if you prefer something more mellow, I give you this.

Wednesday, December 10, 2014

Wednesday Stuff

What follows is part of Rachel Maddow's report last night on the torture findings...



...and here is more (and regarding the question of how the f@ck could this happen, here is part of the answer - IOKIYAR)...



...and I think Jon Stewart does the best he can with all of this horrific stuff here (yeah, I think Mr. Creosote nailed it)…


…and it’s pretty bad when you need to look to Chuck and Dave Koch for something not as terrible as the prior story (but as I said, still pretty bad)…



...and I don't know about you, but I need to hear some seasonal tunes after all this stuff - kind of a palate cleanser...



...and this helps too.

Tuesday, December 09, 2014

Tuesday Stuff

(I also posted here.)

Torture is a war crime. Those who engage in it and authorize it should be prosecuted. Period - full stop...



...and yeah, I would say it's long past time for this also...



…and Thom Hartmann asks a really hard question, with what I think is an even harder answer (here)…



…and yeah, isn’t it just too precious that A COMEDIAN (and quite an accomplished filmmaker also, apparently) is held to a higher standard of proof than the media wing of the Republican Party, which ostensibly passes itself off as a news organization (here)?

Nope, you’re never supposed to question the police, you filthy unkempt liberal. Shut up and clap louder…


...and turning to the seasonal stuff, I give you this...



...and this.

Monday, December 08, 2014

Monday Stuff

Silly Rachel – don’t you know that Democrats are NEVER supposed to get any credit for ANYTHING (removing my tongue from my cheek)…



...and I give you the latest installment of FAIR TV (yep, "Fox being Fox" all right)...



…and class move by John Legend and Chrissy Teigen here – I think that calls for a seasonal tune…



…and because it is 12/8, after all, I think it’s time to recall the 34th anniversary, believe it or not.

Friday, December 05, 2014

Friday Stuff

(I also posted here.)

As a follow-up to this item, I give you the following (a fast food protest at a McDonald’s in Detroit yesterday)…



…and as somebody said, elections have consequences – a pretty pathetic story about the “land of plenty” (a good report, though, but everyone was a little too polite towards the politicians responsible as far as I’m concerned – this stuff doesn’t happen when Democrats are in charge, but of course we won't see that again for a good while now)…



…and given that this is now in the hands of the High Court of Hangin; Judge JR, I’m not optimistic, sad to say (and turning to this incoming Congress for a solution if The Supremes rule against Peggy Young? Better luck catching a break from the Easter Bunny)…



...and it really doesn't, does it?

Thursday, December 04, 2014

Thursday Stuff

(I also posted here.)

I swear, this is like a bad movie that never ends (once again, heckuva job all you registered Dems who didn't show up on November 4th)...



...and with that in mind, I give you this EXTREMELY NSFW but righteous rant from Cenk Uygur here...



…and it looks like the Beltway media fairy tales concerning the non-indictment of Officer Darren Wilson are being constructed ad nauseum…fortunately, Lawrence O’Donnell provides a reality check…



..and there are times when, I guess, all that's left is humor (here)...


...also, RIP Ian McLagan (bad week for great supporting rock n' roll musicians)...



...and I'm kind of forcing myself to listen to this seasonal number, but I think I need it.

Wednesday, December 03, 2014

Wednesday Stuff

As you watch this, please keep in mind that the quote “sunshine is the best disinfectant” was attributed to Louis Brandeis, who definitely wasn’t a Republican…



...and sticking with the environment, with all due respect to Janay Rice, anyone protesting in Ferguson, MO and even our military making heroic sacrifices overseas, among other critical issues, I can’t think of anything that trumps this (sad to hear anyone gushing over Tom “Six More Months” Friedman though)…



...and I'll let the symbolism of this story speak for itself...



…and sorry, but I’m not quite in the holiday spirit after hearing about this – I think what follows is a more appropriate tune for this tragic occasion (yeah, no lynching or tree or Southern location, but we're still talking about a dead American; I think this says it).

Tuesday, December 02, 2014

Tuesday Stuff

Jon Stewart tells us all about that “race hustling, race baiting” industry, or whatever, here (as usual, NOBODY can project like a Republi-can)…


…and continuing with this theme, Stephen Colbert weighs in here – one of his last Comedy Central appearances, I would guess (hope everyone gets the tongue-in-cheek thing)…


...and RIP Bobby Keys (probably his greatest work was with the Rolling Stones, but this was a signature tune also)...



...and here's a seasonal number by a guy who had a pretty fair sax player also.

Monday, December 01, 2014

Monday Stuff

(I also posted here.)

Today is World AIDS Day – here is a video for the occasion…



…and many years ago, CBS Reports produced the landmark documentary “Harvest of Shame” narrated by Edward R. Murrow – I guess you could call this an update for 2014…



…and if this is starting to sound like a broken record, that’s probably because it is (though, fortunately, Brian Dennison was apparently unhurt in this latest story of what you might call a "cowboy cop," though his daughter was scared to death, which could actually be fatal for someone severely asthmatic)…



…and speaking of law enforcement…

Friday, November 28, 2014

Friday Stuff

I actually shopped on Black Friday at Sears, where the very nice lady who rang up my order told me that her employer pays the lowest wages in the retail business – and no, she didn’t have a choice but to show up for work either (kudos to Jillian Fisher)…



…and don’t forget that “Man Tan” Boehner buried President Obama’s American Jobs Act, probably under a pile of cigarette butts (and let’s see how we can reward these folks too)…



…and as you watch this NSFW commentary on Elizabeth Hasselbeck and her “interview” with Jeff Roorda of the St. Louis Police Officer’s Association about Officer Darren Wilson, I would ask that you keep in mind the fact (emphasized during about the last minute) that, as Lawrence O’Donnell pointed out recently, the statute isn’t as bad as the three panelists point out – it’s just that it was the wrong one pointed out to the grand jury before they started their deliberations…



…and dag, could it actually be that time of year again? ‘Fraid so.

Thursday, November 27, 2014

Happy Thanksgiving 2014

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 and The Onion 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).