KATRINA AND THE WAVES OF EMOTION

The devastation from Katrina is absolutely horrible, and I'm deeply and profoundly saddened when I read about the lives that have been lost along with homes, streets, electrical power, and drinking water, not to mention order with the the looting that's taking place. And now Louisiana's Governor (Kathleen Blanco) has ordered everyone must leave New Orleans.

Millions of dollars have been collected by the Red Cross for disaster relief. If you feel so inclined, you can make a donation to the Red Cross via the following:

Red Cross: 1-800-HELP-NOW or https://http://www.redcross.org

That said, let me tell you I'm not just saddened, I'm also angry. No. I'm fucking pissed! Forget Cindy Sheehan and all the partisan bullshit, and think about this for a moment. We've dumped Billions upon Billions of dollars into Iraq and what do we have to show for it? It makes my blood boil to think about how those funds could be helping the victims of Katrina and the re-establishment of New Orleans. Not to mention the percentage of National Guardsmen/woman who are stationed in Iraq who are desperately needed here now.

Am I the only one feeling this way?

AN S&M EVENT IN BERLIN

Berlin's mayor Klaus Wowereit was busy fending off criticism today for giving an official welcome to a sado-masochism festival which is expected to draw thousands of leather-clad visitors to the German capital this weekend.

Members of the conservative opposition Christian Democrats (CDU), and even political leaders from within Wowereit's own Social Democrat party (SPD), said Wowereit's public endorsement of the leather and fetish festival showed poor taste. They also questioned whether it was appropriate for the mayor of Germany's largest city, who became a nationally known figure when he outed himself in 2001, to support the festival.

But Wowereit dismissed his critics as "narrow-minded." He said Berlin was a tolerant city and open to the world. "No question about it, it is a glitzy scene but that is also part of Berlin," Wowereit told Bild newspaper. "And as long as they do not do anything illegal, I expect people to be tolerant.

A gay mayor demanding tolerance from conservative opposition. How refreshing.

An S&M event. Reminds me of Marsellus Wallace threatening to get medieval with a pair of pliers and a blowtorch in Pulp Fiction.

THINGS THAT MAKE YOU GO HMMM

This past weekend prooved to be fairly entertaining...

• Yesterday I saw a bumper sticker that said this:
  
  The Emperor Penguin Mates At Minus 150 Degrees
  He's A Frigid Midget With A Rigid Digit
  
  
• Today my friend (anyone remember Bulldog?) and I took our families to King's Dominion. All I can say is that place is the people watching captial of Virginia. Case in point, could someone please explain to me why women of substantial gerth (thank you Bill Maher for that lovely phrase) think it's a good idea to squeeze themselves into tube tops and worse go out in public dressed like that? Seriously, does anyone find this visually appealing? I swear it was like a train wreck...simply awful, and you just couldn't for the love of pete figure out why you were looking at it.
  
  
• And just now I saw this inadvertently titillating news headline:
  
  Virgin Stays On Top At Box Office.
  

IDIOTS

At the pro-Bush rally, there were some heated moments when two members of Protest Warrior, a group that frequently holds counter protests to anti-war rallies, walked in with a sign that read "Say No to War - Unless a Democrat is President."

Many Bush supporters only saw the top of the sign and believed the men were war protesters, so they began shouting and chasing the pair out. One man tore up their signs. When Will Marean of Minneapolis kept repeating that he was on the Bush side and tried to explain Protest Warrior's mission, one Bush supporter shook his hand and apologized.

this shows you 3 things:
1. these 'pro-war/pro-bush protestors gut reaction is to fight.
2. their reading skills suck.
3. they are idiots.

GREAT SONG

PLUS



EQUALS

this.

(just try to get it out of your head)

DON'T FEED THE ANIMALS

Intelligent Design? Apparently not in London.

Caged and barely clothed within a rocky enclosure, eight British men and women monkeyed around Friday for an amused, bemused crowd behind a sign reading "Warning: Humans in their Natural Environment."

London Zoo spokeswoman Polly Wills said..."Seeing people in a different environment, among other animals ... teaches members of the public that the human is just another primate," Wills said. It also, she conceded, lets them "have a gawk at people."

FULL OF....

A little end-of-the-work-week humor for you.

(Thanks to Shea who originally posted this gem.)

9/11 ON THE BIGSCREEN?

According to Entertainment Weekly:

"Hollywood has finally embraced 9/11 as a subject after shying away from it for the past four years. Two major films have been announced in recent weeks — one directed by Oliver Stone and starring Nicolas Cage, the other directed by Paul Greengrass, the Brit who did Bloody Sunday and The Bourne Supremacy. We'd like to know what you think."

Here's how their poll on this subject closed out.

1. Is it exploitive for Hollywood to make 9/11-related movies?
55% - yes
45% - no

2. Is it disrespectful to make a fillm based on the events of Flight 93 — which crashed in a field in Pennsylvania — when no one knows for sure what happened during the flight?
59% - yes
41% - no

3. Are 9/11-themed movies different from other films depicting historical tragedies (the Holocaust, Pearl Harbor, Rwandan genocide)?
68% - yes
32% - no

What are your thoughts about a 9/11 movie? Who would you like to see portray Bush, Rudy, and Osama?

AS IF THINGS WEREN'T BAD ENOUGH...

U.S. BLOWJOBLESS RATE AT ALL TIME HIGH

WASHINGTON, DC—In the wake of a recent drop in the sexual-interest rate, Labor Secretary Elaine Chao announced Tuesday that blowjoblessness in America has reached a record high. According to Labor Department statistics, the overall blowjobless rate swelled to 37.4 percent in July, causing widespread deflation of egos.

read more here

*the onion rules!

CT vs NCLB

The No Child Left Behind (NCLB) program continues to be a hot-button issue.

The state of Connecticut filed a federal lawsuit Monday challenging Presiden't Bush's "No Child Left Behind" school reform law, arguing it is illegal because it requires expensive testing and programs it doesn't pay for.

It's not just the underfunding that flaws this program, it's also the rigidity of the NCLB testing which is not productive for teachers, schools, and most importantly students. I don't know of any teachers who fully back this program. I remember last fall on my daughter's 1st grade back-to-school night, her teacher introduced changes to the standardized protocols as directed by the NCLB program. After the balance of the parents raised their hands in favor, my lone hand went up when she querried all opposed. Even though I'd only been living here for one month at the time, I didn't care how my opposition was viewed by the other parents, some of whom were giving me side glances. I was however proud to have earned a subtle nod and smile from the teacher.

WHERE IS MY MONEY GOING?

OHHHHH...this is where my money is going!

this house is owned by the family of sheikh zayed bin sultan al nahyan
the former president of the united arab emirates and ruler of abu-dhabi.

...and just think...gas prices are still going up.

I guess he will have to add on another wing to the house.

you know what really bugs me...is when people with these obnoxiously big SUV's have the nerve to complain about it taking 65 dollars to fill their tanks. deal with it!

you bought the canyonero now you have to pay...literally! (any simpson fans out there? I love the song!)



(hear it here)

Can you name the truck with four wheel drive,
Smells like a steak, and seats thirty five?

Canyonero! Canyonero!

Well, it goes real slow with the hammer down
It's the country-fried truck endorsed by a clown

Canyonero! Canyonero!

Hey, hey!Twelve yards long, two lanes wide,
Sixty five tons of American pride!

Canyonero! Canyonero!

Top of the line in utility sports,
Unexplained fires are a matter for the courts!

Canyonero! Canyonero!

She blinds everybody with her super high beams
She's a squirrel-squashin', deer-smackin' drivin' machine

Canyonero! Canyonero!

Canyonero! Whoa,
Canyonero! Whoa!


*be like strider and sport this bumper sticker.

GET YOUR OWN

some guy is selling a custom made drivable kit-car that you can bid on if you want.

lets all pool our money, but this thing and go on a road trip in a landspeeder!

I KNOW YOU ALL MISS ME

...so I thought I would pop on and post something.

'SOMETHING'

hope you enjoyed my post.

(I will get a couple of real posts up this weekend. for now enjoy this.)

*thanks sar for keeping us rolling.

TIME FOR NEW RULES!

Oh, boy, I'm sooooo excited! Hubby just reminded me (how could I have forgotten?!) that tonight at 11 pm on HBO Real Time with Bill Maher returns from hiatus!

The line up includes roundtable guests include Chris Rock, Asa Hutchinson and Kellyanne Conway. Plus, via satellite, Paul Hackett and Phyllis Schlafly.

Also participating in tonight's episode via satellite - Cindy Sheehan.

Chris Rock and Cindy Sheehan - oooh, this is gonna be a good one!

WHAT IS IT WITH PEOPLE?

Yesterday I was up in Henrico County (same county where a riot nearly broke out over $50 laptops earlier in the week). While I was filling the mommy mobile (read minivan), I noticed a cop had pulled 2 women over near the next pump. One was a plump middle-aged black woman and the other was a punkish probably twenty something white chick. By my best estimation, the cop was a late 20's white dude. So I deftly flexed my people watching skills and observed the black lady maintain complete composure and respect (though she didn't appear too happy) while the punk chick (who I'm guessing by her flailing arms was none too happy as well) smoked and blew her smoke out in the officer's face, then threw the butt to the ground and stomped it - at the officer's feet. Now, as a gal from NJ, my first thought was "Oh no she did not just do that! Shit, may I introduce you to the fan!"

But no, he didn't even flinch! I think they eventually both got tickets or warnings or something, though I can't be sure because I was too busy running a little scenario in my head, where I ripped the cigarette from the punk chick's grubby claw, directed her attention to the sign on the pump that says "No Smoking", then after a big ole drag, blew the smoke back in her face to see how she liked it. Then I'd moved on to smack the officer upside the head and ask what the hell was wrong with him. And finally I'd shake the black lady's hand and commend her.

But I snapped out of my dreamstate and back to reality when the pump clicked, and I realized I had to fork over $46 damn bucks for filling my mommy mobile.

SAY IT AIN'T SO

Remember the news about Christopher Walkin running for prez in '08? Well, I'm sad to report it's just a hoax. What a shame. I mean, think about it, Captain Koons addressing congress! And imagine how he'd handle a pocket veto knowing he said this:

"The way your dad looked at it, this watch was your birthright. He'd be damned if any of the slopes were gonna get their greasy yellow hands on his boy's birthright. So he hid it in the one place he knew he could hide something: his ass. Five long years, he wore this watch up his ass. Then when he died of dysentery, he gave me the watch. I hid this uncomfortable piece of metal up my ass for two years. Then, after seven years, I was sent home to my family. And now, little man, I give the watch to you." - Captain Koons, Pulp Fiction

Not to worry though, I think Ev has a little something brewing. Stay tuned.

(thanks for the heads up, Gabriel!)

WHAT'S IN A NAME

And in other not so news, P. Diddy has announced that he's changing his name. Again.

"We're entering the age of 'Diddy. A lot of my peeps in music been calling me Diddy, so it's not a drastic change for them. But people around the world didn't know what to call me. . . . We gonna stop the confusion."

Noooo, really? People around the world didn't know what to call Mr. Sean, Puff Daddy, P. Diddy, Puffy, Combs!

TAKE ON FAMILY GUY

this is briliant.

family guy rules!

EVER WONDER IF...

...you've just passed someone who reads your blog or whose blog you read?

And, no, I'm not talking about the person you'd probably recognize because they're one of those bloggers who constantly posts their own picture and qualify as blogsphere celbridiots (btw, I'm absolutely not referring to JJ from The Churning or Maine from QWMaine who deftly use their pix to further their insanely humorous posts - those guys rock!).

SOMEDAY

Ah ha, I think I've just figured out what Mariah had in mind back when she was recording "Someday".

(image courtesy of Awful Plastic Surgery)

MOVIE NEWS

CSA: confederate states of america
the movie that dares to ask...what if the south had won the war. you gotta see this! now this will piss off the south!


the da vinci code
so the new york times reported that christian groups have asked them to change aspects of the movie.

Studio officials have consulted with Catholic and other Christian specialists on how they might alter the plot of the novel to avoid offending the devout. In doing so, the studio has been asked to consider such measures as making the central premise - that Jesus had a child with Mary Magdalene - more ambiguous, and removing the name of Opus Dei.

I for one will be very grumpy if they give in. once again the religious right is trying to dictate what I should be able to see. why can't they get it through their head...IT'S FICTION!

harry potter and the goblet of fire
the fourth movie will be PG-13. hopefully by the time we get to 'the half blood prince' we will get a NC-17 violence, sex and nudity fest!

war of the roses
michael douglass wants to remake war of the roses with his wife catherine zeta-jones. first of all...why would you want to make a movie about divorce with your wife....second...michael douglass doesnt deserve catherine zeta-jones...third...why would you remake one of your own movies...fourth...michael douglass doesnt deserve catherine zeta-jones.

rambo 4
the first casting rumor: burt reynolds is rambo's dad.
lets do the math...
burt reynolds date of birth: 11 february 1936
sylvester stallone date of birth: 6 July 1946
so burt knocked up some gal at age 10! way to go burt!

aeon flux
new trailer.
I can't wait.

grizzly man
the reviews are coming in and they are fantastic. 94% on rottentomatos.

march of the penguins
...but not to be outdone by bears, the penguins are kicking some tail at the box office and the reviews are just as good. 94% on rotten tomatoes.

voltron
it was crapy in the 80's...what makes them think it wont be crap now?

night watch
I am still waiting for this one...just watch this. it kicks ass. plus they dropped the bravery in over the trailer for some listening pleasure.

spiderman 3
spoiler alert...
so it seems that thomas hayden church is rumored to be playing chamilian in spiderman 3. so here is the kicker...topher grace is also playing chamilian. which I am sure judging by the name chamilian you can figure out how 2 actors play the same person.

Pope Joe Buck?

This morning on the radio I heard gossip goddess, Melissa Chase, report this:

(According to her Hollywood contacts) Jon Voight is playing the title role in the CBS miniseries "John Paul II." Angelina Jolie's dad will play the pope from his election into the papacy to his death earlier this year, with Cary Elwes playing the younger Karol Wojtyla.

Hmm...further proof that made for tv movies are documentaries for dummies?

And you know what this means, don't you?

Bratt Pitt is now schagging the Pope's daughter!

IF IT WERE TO HAPPEN...

where would you all stand?




mccain-kerry ticket

STUPID HUMAN TRICKS

During the eighth inning of Tuesday's match up against The Chicago White Sox, 18 yr old Scott Harper of Armonk, N.Y., plummeted about 40 feet onto the large net behind home plate at Yankee Stadium. Accident? Nope. This genius wanted to see if the net could hold his weight.

More amusing were these comments that followed Chicago's 2-1 victory in that game:

"That was the only exciting thing that happened today,"
- Yankees owner George Steinbrenner

"I've never seen anything like that before. I think that's New York, you know, anything can happen." - White Sox manager Ozzie Guillen

TRAGIC

Dana Reeves has lung cancer (which Peter Jennings just lost his battle with).

This poor woman, after all she went through taking care of her husband, now this.

Why do bad things happen to good people?

ME - A FRINGE LEFT WACKO?!

I had a bizarre exchange over at Chris Wood's site, Political Forecast (a politically progressive site). Another commenter was calling into question America's sympathy for Cindy Sheehan, the mother who is among many stationed outside of Bush's Crawford Ranch in an attempt to ask Bush why her son had to die in Iraq. So, in response I commented:

"Respectfully, Alan, in the same vein that you're exercising your freedom of speech to express your discontent with Cindy Sheehan's actions, she's exercising hers. Furthermore, her son nobly volunteered to defend and protect the constitution, not to be a pawn in a corrupt political agenda that prompted an historic pre-emptive war for which the justification has been proven false."

For that I was labeled a fringe left wacko who would have the majority of America and soldiers laughing at me for my conspiracy theory of the likes that Bush knew about 9/11 before hand and other fringe left wacko theories.

I have no beef with this guy personally. So why is he being so offensively defensive? This strikes me a perfect example of how this administration's "you're either with us or against us" propaganda prooved successful in further dividing us as a nation.

JUST CUS' I CAN

I don't know what I wanted to post this...maybe just cus' it makes me feel good.

FUGWB

percentage of Disapproval of george w bush by the year.

8/2-4/05
51
48

2/3-4/05
42
44
47
47
46
46
48
44
41
49
46
52
45
45
48
44
45

1/8-9/04
44
44
41
38
42
40
40
42
40
39
36
37
28
26
23
26
37
31

1/16-17/03
38
33
29
29
27
23
30
25
22
19
20
16

1/31 - 2/1/02
12
11
12
9
10
8
11
10
8
8
11
9
10
11
31
30
28
30
21

2/8-9/01
25

ETHICS FOR SALE

Our dear friend The Mad Pigeon has, well, gone mad. Or has he? He's decided to bottle up & sell his ethics on E-Bay. As he describes it:

• The jar is conveniently palm-sized and aerodynamic--perfect for admiring as you struggle with tough ethical choices; think of it as a worry stone, except for the fact it isn't a plain old river rock you probably paid high two figures for at the local Metaphysical Store.
  
• Does the phrase, “I want to be a Hilton,” leave your skin crawling? Use some of my ethics as a deep-cleansing exfoliate.
  
• You can also sprinkle some around the computer to keep the spam advertising away.
  
• Lose another hockey season because some overpaid, crying-like-a-preschooler athlete would rather play for pay than for love of the game? Then use these ethics to build a small sandbox to play in.
  
• Are you a business owner? Pour it down the pants of your local white-collar fraudster and watch him chafe raw right before your very eyes!
  
• See, the uses for good, clean ethics are endless--you could even use it to brush your teeth and as a dietary aid! After all, to be hip and sexy we’ve got to pay top dollar to keep our teeth white and belly’s flat.

BUH BYE BOB!

Robert Novak swore and then stormed off the set of CNN's "Inside Politics" Thursday (August 4), prompting CNN to suspend him indefinitely.

During the show, James Carville and Novak talked about the Senate candidacy of Republican Katherine Harris, who as Florida's secretary of state presided over the tumultuous 2000 presidential recount. Novak argued the opposition of Florida's Republican establishment might not necessarily hurt Harris. ''Let me just finish, James, please,'' Novak continued. ''I know you hate to hear me, but you have to.'' Carville, looking at host Ed Henry, said, "He's got to show these right-wingers that he's got a backbone, you know. It's why the Wall Street Journal editorial page is watching you. Show 'em that you're tough.''

So...was it Carville's comment that pissed him off or was it running away to dodge Ed Henry's upcoming Plame questions? Hmmm...

CALL OUT TODAY!

ever need to call out of work but need to make it very convincing?

help is on the way.

here is a site that provides background noises to further convince your boss you truly can not make it to work.

maybe I will use it today...

if someone figures out how to use the jungle one I will be impressed.

name this movie:
"ahh, I'm going to have to go ahead and ask you to come in on sunday, too..."
difficulty: easy

PERMANENT VACATION

Bush is off to his ranch...again.

"How many of you get a month vacation? Well President Bush will be getting his month-long vacation. The White House is calling it a 'working vacation.' And I am thinking, well that pretty much describes the entire presidency, doesn't it? ... Bush says he is going to be very active, he plans to exercise every day. And he says he exercise every day because it clears his head. Hey, mission accomplished." —David Letterman

I WOULD HAVE BEEN RICH!

AND

this pisses me off...

Under a new plan, a student who misses not a single day per quarter will receive $25 in an account - redeemable upon graduation. In doing so, the school joins a number of districts throughout the country turning to incentives to boost test scores, GPAs, and student turnout.

so here is what bothers me...

I was super-nerd in high school and actually got a plaque my senior year for showing up every single day of my high school career and never saw one penny.

SO WHERE IS MY CASH?!!!???!!

(by the way...receiving that award in front of the whole school was just about the most embarrassing thing that could happen to a long-haired-skater-metal-head in 1992.)

btw did anyone else tag all their notebooks with anthrax, metallica, rush and ozzy logos in high school? I loved sitting in science class trying to replicate the intricacies of the led zeppelin logo.

ZOSO

I'M PISSED

This is what I think of Bush's predictably stubborn & selfish decision to bypass Senate approval and appoint Bolton as UN Ambassador. Who needs global allies when we can go it alone, right?! It's mind boggling how anyone in their right mind can continue their allegiance to this stupid rogue cowboy that we're forced to call our president.

(thanks to Gabe for image)