AMAZING amaaazing outfit
mardi 31 mars 2009
Is Dick Cheney still running the country?
He certainly wants to, and he's certainly done everything he can to ensure that he still does, according to Sy Hersh:
They should have impeached him when they had the chance. Now it looks like the only way we'll ever be free of Dick Cheney is to make sure he continues to regularly enjoy huge hunks of well-salted steak.
In an interview on NPR’s Fresh Air yesterday, host Terry Gross asked investigative journalist Seymour Hersh if, as he continues to investigate the Bush administration, “more people” were “coming forward” to talk to him now that “the president and vice president are no longer in power.” Hersh replied that though “a lot of people that had told me in the last year of Bush, ‘call me next, next February,’ not many people had talked to him. He implied that they were still scared of Cheney.“Are you saying that you think Vice President Cheney is still having a chilling effect on people who might otherwise be coming forward,” asked Gross. “I’ll make it worse,” answered Hersh, adding that he believes Cheney “put people back” in government to “stay behind” in order to “tell him what’s going on” and perhaps even “do sabotage”:
HERSH: I’ll make it worse. I think he’s put people left. He’s put people back. They call it a stay behind. It’s sort of an intelligence term of art. When you leave a country and, you know, you’ve driven out the, you know, you’ve lost the war. You leave people behind. It’s a stay behind that you can continue to contacts with, to do sabotage, whatever you want to do. Cheney’s left a stay behind. He’s got people in a lot of agencies that still tell him what’s going on. Particularly in defense, obviously. Also in the NSA, there’s still people that talk to him. He still knows what’s going on. Can he still control policy up to a point? Probably up to a point, a minor point. But he’s still there. He’s still a presence.
They should have impeached him when they had the chance. Now it looks like the only way we'll ever be free of Dick Cheney is to make sure he continues to regularly enjoy huge hunks of well-salted steak.
Airbrush
I love these in the most horrid way possible. So cute, if I wore it it would be like hummingbird stomach mania mess
He's no Phil Rizzuto, that's for sure
Baseball fans are familiar with the kind of stuff that used to come out of the mouth of Phil Rizzuto during his years in the Yankees broadcast booth. Hart Seely and Tom Peyer saw the observations of the Scooter as a kind of free verse, and in 1994 compiled it into a book called O Holy Cow: The Selected Poems of P.F. Rizzuto, which is, alas, out of print but contained such pearls of Scooter wisdom as this, spoken after the death of catcher Thurman Munson in a plane crash:
A few years ago I used to post on a particular message board. One of the regular posters was a feisty Latina from Harlem, who similarly posted in a form that was a kind of free verse. One day I copied some of her posts into Wordpad, formatted them into a kind of poetic form, and sent them back to her saying "You should self-publish these." So the idea that some people with a quirky style utter a form of poetry is hardly news, certainly not in the age of hip-hop. But Seely and Peyer are at it again, but this time the subject of their poetic musings isn't a universally beloved figure like Scooter. No, instead they use their talents in recognizing free verse to try to turn the preposterous and dangerous Glenn Beck into a kind of poet laureate for the haterati:
Mr. Beck, I used to listen to Phil Rizzuto. Everyone loved Phil Rizzuto. And Mr. Beck, you, sir, are no Phil Rizzuto.
(UPDATE: Tom Peyer wrote to inform us that O Holy Cow is back in print, so I've changed the link above to the new release. Father's Day is just around the corner after all, and the baseball season opens next week.)
Prayer for the Captain
There's a little prayer I always say
Whenever I think of my family or when I'm flying
When I'm afraid, and I am afraid of flying.
It's just a little one. You can say it no matter what,
Whether you're Catholic or Jewish or Protestant or whatever.
And I've probably said it a thousand times
Since I heard the news about Thurman Munson...
It's just something to keep you from really going bananas.
Because if you let this,
If you keep thinking about what happened, and you can't understand it,
That's what really drives you to despair.
Faith. You gotta have faith.
You know, they say time heals all wounds,
And I don't quite agree with that a hundred percent.
It gets you to cope with wounds.
You carry them the rest of your life.
A few years ago I used to post on a particular message board. One of the regular posters was a feisty Latina from Harlem, who similarly posted in a form that was a kind of free verse. One day I copied some of her posts into Wordpad, formatted them into a kind of poetic form, and sent them back to her saying "You should self-publish these." So the idea that some people with a quirky style utter a form of poetry is hardly news, certainly not in the age of hip-hop. But Seely and Peyer are at it again, but this time the subject of their poetic musings isn't a universally beloved figure like Scooter. No, instead they use their talents in recognizing free verse to try to turn the preposterous and dangerous Glenn Beck into a kind of poet laureate for the haterati:
DISGRUNTLED
As they were describing him, what they said was,
Here is a guy who felt that he had been wronged.
He didn't feel comfortable talking to anybody.
He was disgruntled and everything else.
And then he went out and shot a bunch of people.
As they were describing him, and they said,
You got to go, now more than ever,
You got to start talking to people,
You have to start connecting with people
Because, they're going in hard times, yada, yada, yada.
As I'm listening to the description,
First of all, this guy is a psycho, clearly, he's a psycho.
But as I'm listening to him, I'm thinking
About the American people that feel disenfranchised
Right now, that feel like nobody's hearing their voice.
The government isn't hearing their voice; even if you call,
They don't listen to you on both sides; if you're a conservative,
You are called a racist; you want to starve children,
Yada, yada, yada, they're, and every time they do speak out,
They are shut down by political correctness.
How do you not have those people turn into that guy?
("Glenn Beck," Fox News, March 12, 2009)
Mr. Beck, I used to listen to Phil Rizzuto. Everyone loved Phil Rizzuto. And Mr. Beck, you, sir, are no Phil Rizzuto.
(UPDATE: Tom Peyer wrote to inform us that O Holy Cow is back in print, so I've changed the link above to the new release. Father's Day is just around the corner after all, and the baseball season opens next week.)
I sure hope part of Obama's plan for Afghanistan includes getting rid of Hamid Karzai
I know that Karzai was the Bush Junta's hand-picked oilman to run Afghanistan and pave the way for a Turkmenistan-Afghanistan-Pakistan pipeline., but the Bushes are, at least temporarily, out of Washington. And I can't imagine that propping up a corrupt operator like Karzai is worth the trouble, especially now if it means we'll be spending American money and American blood to do business with a guy who has just legalized rape in the country he leads:
I'm quite certain that similar sentiments exist here in this country in the minds of men like Glenn Beck and Rush Limbaugh and in the proponents of the Quiverfull movement and other Jeebofascist zombies -- and probably some of our trolls, who will no doubt see this as a cue to post something in the comments. But while I would fully expect a Republican president to sacrifice the rights of women on the altar of political expediency, I still have some hope, however small, that Barack Obama, the father of two daughters, will decide otherwise.
(h/t)
Afghanistan's President, Hamid Karzai, has signed a law which "legalises" rape, women's groups and the United Nations warn. Critics claim the president helped rush the bill through parliament in a bid to appease Islamic fundamentalists ahead of elections in August.
In a massive blow for women's rights, the new Shia Family Law negates the need for sexual consent between married couples, tacitly approves child marriage and restricts a woman's right to leave the home, according to UN papers seen by The Independent.
"It is one of the worst bills passed by the parliament this century," fumed Shinkai Karokhail, a woman MP who campaigned against the legislation. "It is totally against women's rights. This law makes women more vulnerable."
The law regulates personal matters like marriage, divorce, inheritance and sexual relations among Afghanistan's minority Shia community. "It's about votes," Ms Karokhail added. "Karzai is in a hurry to appease the Shia because the elections are on the way."
[snip]
The most controversial parts of the law deal explicitly with sexual relations. Article 132 requires women to obey their husband's sexual demands and stipulates that a man can expect to have sex with his wife at least "once every four nights" when travelling, unless they are ill. The law also gives men preferential inheritance rights, easier access to divorce, and priority in court.
I'm quite certain that similar sentiments exist here in this country in the minds of men like Glenn Beck and Rush Limbaugh and in the proponents of the Quiverfull movement and other Jeebofascist zombies -- and probably some of our trolls, who will no doubt see this as a cue to post something in the comments. But while I would fully expect a Republican president to sacrifice the rights of women on the altar of political expediency, I still have some hope, however small, that Barack Obama, the father of two daughters, will decide otherwise.
(h/t)
lundi 30 mars 2009
Now this is awesomeness covered in awesome sauce
It's hard to believe that it's been five years since American Idiot came out and turned Green Day into a Clash-wannabe band performing songs about masturbation into the voice of disaffected young America in the Bush years. It may now be impossible to listen to "Boulevard of Broken Dreams" ever again in the way it's impossible to ever listen to "Stairway to Heaven" again, but I don't think there's a song that better embodies the sheer rage most of us had at what was happening to our country in 2004 than "American Idiot":
And like a Penn and Teller magic trick, Billie Joe Armstrong went from punk prince in eyeliner, rock 'n' roll king to the high school set to singing duets with Elvis Costello:
I realize that theatre is usually ModFab's beat, but since he hasn't picked up on this one yet, I will. I don't know if American Idiot started out as a punk opera, but it ended up as one, so it was only a matter of time before someone got the idea to conceptualize Armstrong's magnum opus for the stage:
It's a long way from a repertory company in Berkeley to Broadway, and I have a certain amount of skepticism as to how Jesus of Suburbia, Jimmy, and Whatshername are going to translate to the stage. There's a certain Bialystock and Bloom gonzo aura to the whole enterprise, but it seems that the band is serious about this and has brought in some heavy-duty talent with the credentials to pull it off. But with Broadway largely running on fumes, much-anticipated movie adaptations, TV and movie stars, revivals of shows we all performed in high school, the foul-mouthed puppets that have been having explicit puppet sex onstage since July 2003, and the 4,987th actress shrieking "Defying Gravity" from the rafters at the Gershwin, a stage adaptation of American Idiot might be quite the ticket on the Great White Way.
Howie Klein has more.
And like a Penn and Teller magic trick, Billie Joe Armstrong went from punk prince in eyeliner, rock 'n' roll king to the high school set to singing duets with Elvis Costello:
I realize that theatre is usually ModFab's beat, but since he hasn't picked up on this one yet, I will. I don't know if American Idiot started out as a punk opera, but it ended up as one, so it was only a matter of time before someone got the idea to conceptualize Armstrong's magnum opus for the stage:
On Monday, the band announced plans to bring its multi-platinum and Grammy award-winning album, “American Idiot” to the stage in their Northern California hometown.
Green Day will collaborate with Michael Mayer, the renowned director of “Spring Awakening,” which won eight Tony Awards including best director and best musical in 2007. The new show — also titled “American Idiot” — will receive its world premiere in the band’s own backyard at Berkeley Repertory Theatre.
“American Idiot,” which just wrapped it’s first workshop (aka its testing phase) in New York City, follows working-class characters from the suburbs to the city to the Middle East, as they seek redemption in a world filled with frustration, according to the band’s label, Reprise Records.
“We are really excited to be working with Michael Mayer on this project,” Green Day’s frontman Billie Joe Armstrong said in a statement to Access Hollywood. “We’d been thinking of bringing ‘American Idiot’ to the stage, but knew we needed to find the right partners. After meeting with Michael to discuss the possibility, he invited us to see ‘Spring Awakening.’ We were so impressed with that production, as well as his vision for ‘American Idiot,’ that we knew we’d found the perfect collaborator. Plus, doing it in our hometown at Berkeley Rep was an obvious bonus. They’re an amazing theatre group, very adventurous, and their willingness to take chances is in keeping with the spirit of the album. The end result will be terrific, and we’re really proud.”
It's a long way from a repertory company in Berkeley to Broadway, and I have a certain amount of skepticism as to how Jesus of Suburbia, Jimmy, and Whatshername are going to translate to the stage. There's a certain Bialystock and Bloom gonzo aura to the whole enterprise, but it seems that the band is serious about this and has brought in some heavy-duty talent with the credentials to pull it off. But with Broadway largely running on fumes, much-anticipated movie adaptations, TV and movie stars, revivals of shows we all performed in high school, the foul-mouthed puppets that have been having explicit puppet sex onstage since July 2003, and the 4,987th actress shrieking "Defying Gravity" from the rafters at the Gershwin, a stage adaptation of American Idiot might be quite the ticket on the Great White Way.
Howie Klein has more.
lockers
Remember 8th grade, when going to your locker meant you might just run into *him*. You'd hover around it pretending like you couldn't find what you were looking for, and there he is, sagging jeans, nirvana T shirt, destroyed coverse and a scribbled on backpack. His braces- gorgeous. You don't dare make eye contact.
Nonna's Gourmet Sausages, Brookvale
EDIT 11/08/10: Please note that Nonna's Gourmet Sausages have now moved from Chipping Norton to Brookvale. See the end of this post for updated address details. [Video notes: I originally edited this video to a soundtrack of Frank Sinatra's "I've Got You Under My Skin" - appropriate, no? Sadly, YouTube wouldn't allow this track due to copyright reasons, so I had to substitute an alternate song
Disenfranchised, my ass
The party that Glenn Beck's minions support has run things for the most part nonstop for nearly thirty years. The one Democratic president during that time had an ideology that resembles moderate Republicanism (that long-dead wing of the party) more than any kind of liberal doctrine. But aside from Bill Clinton's term and a few years of razor-thin Democratic majorities in Congress, we've lived in a Republican world for nearly three decades. And the people who have accepted Glenn Beck as their short duration personal savior voted for it. So I don't want to hear about how "disenfranchised" they feel in fellatory articles like this one:
Mr. Beck says he believes every word he says on his TV show, and the radio show that he still hosts from 9 a.m. to noon each weekday.
He says that America is “on the road to socialism” and that “God and religion are under attack in the U.S.” He recently wondered aloud whether FEMA was setting up concentration camps, calling it a rumor that he was unable to debunk.
At the same time, though, he says he is an entertainer. “I’m a rodeo clown,” he said in an interview, adding with a coy smile, “It takes great skill.”
And like a rodeo clown, Mr. Beck incites critics to attack by dancing in front of them.
“There are absolutely historical precedents for what is happening with Beck,” said Tom Rosenstiel, the director of the Project for Excellence in Journalism. “There was a lot of radio evangelism during the Depression. People were frustrated and frightened. There are a lot of scary parallels now.”
The conservative writer David Frum said Mr. Beck’s success “is a product of the collapse of conservatism as an organized political force, and the rise of conservatism as an alienated cultural sensibility.”
“It’s a show for people who feel they belong to an embattled minority that is disenfranchised and cut off,” he said.
Joel Cheatwood, a senior vice president for development at Fox News, said he thought Mr. Beck’s audience was a “somewhat disenfranchised” one. And, he added, “it’s a huge audience.”
Mr. Beck has used phrases like “we surround them,” invoked while speaking vaguely about people who do not share his discomfort with the “direction America is being taken in.”
The Party of Peter Griffin
If you watch Family Guy, you know who Peter Griffin is. He's Ralph Kramden on steroids -- ugly, fat, boorish, juvenile. He's an inconsiderate abusive misogynistic lout. And every day, the line between the fictional cartoon character of Peter Griffin and the real-life pantload that is Rush Limbaugh becomes more blurred:
And this is the guy before whom Republicans are genuflecting. Wonderful.
(UPDATE: Great minds think alike. Except my pop culture reference is more recent.)
Rush Limbaugh, popular conservative radio host and Republican Party icon, thought he found a bit of humor in the record Red River flooding devastating parts of Minnesota and North Dakota: The word for the berms holding the river back is also a derogatory homophone for lesbians. He asks the “dykes” in North Dakota to call into the program.
And this is the guy before whom Republicans are genuflecting. Wonderful.
(UPDATE: Great minds think alike. Except my pop culture reference is more recent.)
But you can bet your life that when AIG comes back for more, Geithner himself will wield the shovel
I'm no fan of American automobile manufacturers. I've never forgiven Chrysler for shitcanning the Dodge Dart -- a car that can literally run forever, or as long as the body holds up. General Motors thumbed its nose at us during the oil shocks of the 1970's by giving us the Chevrolet Vega -- an ugly piece of crap that no one would buy, therefore allowing them to say that Americans don't want small cars. In recent months, it's the guys and gals on the assembly line who have taken the brunt of the criticism for daring to accept a generous benefits package that includes things most workers can no longer take for granted, like health insurance and an actual pension. Instead of demanding these things for themselves, it's been easier for Americans to spit on the guy who's just bolting the thing together and has zero input into decisions like "Let's just make SUVs."
But there is a serious double standard at play here when Barack Obama decides that the automobile industry in this country can just FOAD, while AIG and the banks get billions and billions of dollars more every time they ask -- with absolutely zero accountability and no demands for change in management:
While we're on the subject of reminding politicians for whom they work, perhaps it's time to remind the President that in light of this decision, he can expect some e-mail when his Treasury Secretary decides to open our checkbook again for AIG.
But there is a serious double standard at play here when Barack Obama decides that the automobile industry in this country can just FOAD, while AIG and the banks get billions and billions of dollars more every time they ask -- with absolutely zero accountability and no demands for change in management:
n surprising findings to be outlined at the White House on Monday, President Obama has concluded that neither GM nor Chrysler as they now exist deserve more bailouts. But the White House is sparing them for a month or two, and is promising American consumers that the government will stand behind warranties if the automakers fail.
Most remarkably, the administration demanded that GM CEO Rick Wagoner resign so the company could remake itself “with a clean sheet of paper.” And he did, effective immediately. The administration also said GM has been given a “goal of replacing a majority of the board over the coming months.”
The administration found that both carmakers had failed to prove their “viability” as required under the terms of the massive government loans they’ve already received, and determined that neither should receive another bailout.
While we're on the subject of reminding politicians for whom they work, perhaps it's time to remind the President that in light of this decision, he can expect some e-mail when his Treasury Secretary decides to open our checkbook again for AIG.
They always forget that they work for us
Many of us start out blogging pseudonymously. We do it for many reasons, not least of which is a desire for privacy. Every job-hunting site out there tells you to look for your "digital dirt" -- things out on the internet that might reflect badly on you in a job hunt. Whether being a progressive blogger qualifies as "digital dirt" remains to be seen, and it's easy to say "Well, what I do on my own time is my own business" -- until you're laid off into a crappy job market. The problem is that for the most part, once something is out there, it tends to stay forever, even if only in the Wayback machine archive. Some of us start out pseudonymously and then after a period of time decide to reveal more of ourselves. A few people on my blogroll have done just that recently. I blog halfway pseudonymously, but enough people have linked to my full name that anyone looking for my "digital dirt" will find this blog. This was a huge concern while I was job hunting, but amazingly, I managed to be hired by a giant multinational corporation despite it (and I don't buy for one minute that they didn't check).
But the decision to "come out", as it were, ought to be the decision of the individual blogger, not that of politicians who don't like what we write. But that is exactly what's happened to AK Muckraker of Mudflats.
It takes guts to be a progressive blogger in Alaska, given the tendency of its Evita of the North to attempt to incite violence among her frothing minions. But AK Muckraker decided that Americans ought to know more about the governor of Alaska than the media narrative of "pretty hockey mom" that we were getting, and with a family and a life up there, decided to blog pseudonymously....until a DEMOCRATIC -- yes, Democratic -- local politician forgot that he's accountable to the people he serves, and decided to be a thug.
You see, it all started when an Alaska state representative, Mike Doogan, started receiving e-mails -- lots of them -- as part of a coordinated e-mail campaign. This happens all the time. Right now there's one to sponsors of Bill O'Reilly's show on our side of the fence, and the other side is constantly trying to get progressive voices shut down. I'm quite certain that Barney Frank gets his share of not just critical mail, but outright hate mail. This pissant little Alaska bantam rooster, however, decided that voicing one's opinion to someone who represents you in the statehouse is out of line, and started vowing revenge against the Alaska bloggers who pointed out that he's forgotten for whom he works. Avedon Carol explains what happened next.
If there was ever a time for another "I Am Spartacus" moment in Blogtopia, this is it. The last one was during the infamous Amanda Marcotte/Melissa McEwan firing by the John Edwards campaign (which ought to have told us everything we needed to know) at the behest of Catholic League lunatic Bill Donohue. It's time for another one. Because it doesn't matter to what party the politician belongs -- a thug is a thug is a thug. They work for us. And it's our job to make sure that they don't forget it. Skippy has some suggestions on what to do.
Tonight I'm going to try to get to my town's public council meeting. Mine is a single-party rule town where the mayor hasn't lived for the last two years -- and no one on the council asks him to resign. He gets paid to preside over a town in which he no longer has any interest. The Democratic party doesn't even run candidates. I don't plan to talk at this meeting. I just want them to know I'm paying attention.
But the decision to "come out", as it were, ought to be the decision of the individual blogger, not that of politicians who don't like what we write. But that is exactly what's happened to AK Muckraker of Mudflats.
It takes guts to be a progressive blogger in Alaska, given the tendency of its Evita of the North to attempt to incite violence among her frothing minions. But AK Muckraker decided that Americans ought to know more about the governor of Alaska than the media narrative of "pretty hockey mom" that we were getting, and with a family and a life up there, decided to blog pseudonymously....until a DEMOCRATIC -- yes, Democratic -- local politician forgot that he's accountable to the people he serves, and decided to be a thug.
You see, it all started when an Alaska state representative, Mike Doogan, started receiving e-mails -- lots of them -- as part of a coordinated e-mail campaign. This happens all the time. Right now there's one to sponsors of Bill O'Reilly's show on our side of the fence, and the other side is constantly trying to get progressive voices shut down. I'm quite certain that Barney Frank gets his share of not just critical mail, but outright hate mail. This pissant little Alaska bantam rooster, however, decided that voicing one's opinion to someone who represents you in the statehouse is out of line, and started vowing revenge against the Alaska bloggers who pointed out that he's forgotten for whom he works. Avedon Carol explains what happened next.
If there was ever a time for another "I Am Spartacus" moment in Blogtopia, this is it. The last one was during the infamous Amanda Marcotte/Melissa McEwan firing by the John Edwards campaign (which ought to have told us everything we needed to know) at the behest of Catholic League lunatic Bill Donohue. It's time for another one. Because it doesn't matter to what party the politician belongs -- a thug is a thug is a thug. They work for us. And it's our job to make sure that they don't forget it. Skippy has some suggestions on what to do.
Tonight I'm going to try to get to my town's public council meeting. Mine is a single-party rule town where the mayor hasn't lived for the last two years -- and no one on the council asks him to resign. He gets paid to preside over a town in which he no longer has any interest. The Democratic party doesn't even run candidates. I don't plan to talk at this meeting. I just want them to know I'm paying attention.
samedi 28 mars 2009
Why do I know more than Harry Reid does?
I knew there was no massive program of weapons of mass destruction in Iraq, but Harry Reid didn't -- and voted to authorize our invasion of that country. I knew that John Roberts was an extreme right-wing conservative, but Harry Reid didn't. And now he's bemoaning the fact that we're stuck with him:
Perhaps Sen. Reid should read something other than the crap written by the Beltway press corps that slavishly serves the interests of the GOP. Then perhaps he might not also be saying in the same article that he hopes the Republicans don't filibuster all of Barack Obama's judicial nominees.
I already know they will do just that. Why doesn't Harry Reid?
enate Majority Leader Harry Reid said Friday that John Roberts misled the Senate during his confirmation hearings by pretending to be a moderate — and that the United States is now “stuck” with him as chief justice.
“Roberts didn’t tell us the truth. At least Alito told us who he was,” Reid said, referring to Samuel Alito, the second Supreme Court justice nominated by President George W. Bush. “But we’re stuck with those two young men, and we’ll try to change by having some moderates in the federal courts system as time goes on — I think that will happen.”
Reid’s comments, which came during a wide-ranging discussion hosted by the Christian Science Monitor, reflect Democratic concerns that Roberts presented himself as a neutral arbiter of the law but has wielded a relentlessly conservative agenda. Republicans reject the attacks, saying Roberts has been a fair judge and has been consistent in his opinions.
Perhaps Sen. Reid should read something other than the crap written by the Beltway press corps that slavishly serves the interests of the GOP. Then perhaps he might not also be saying in the same article that he hopes the Republicans don't filibuster all of Barack Obama's judicial nominees.
I already know they will do just that. Why doesn't Harry Reid?
vendredi 27 mars 2009
style.coms 10 fall must haves
#1. something faux
From Roland Mouret's crocodile-effect leggings to the fur-print silks at Hermès, designers were faking it all over the runways. Nobody did it better than Stella McCartney, whose animal-free cupro jacket had Beth Ditto asking, "Where can I get that?"
#2. over-the-knee boots
With their staggering sex appeal, thigh boots shot to the top of Fall must-have lists. These strappy, slightly S&M hip-grazers earned Rodarte's Kate and Laura Mulleavy first
prize in the high, higher, and highest stakes.
#3. something sexy
Sure, designers sobered up this season, but there was a supercharged undercurrent pulsing through the best collections. Stefano Pilati's straight-out-of-a-Helmut Newton-photograph leather bustiers at Yves Saint Laurent had tongues wagging.
#4. color
There's nothing like a little bit—or a lot—of hot pink to remind you that it's not all doom and gloom out there. Enter this fuchsia dress from John Galliano's Orientalist-themed Dior collection.
#5. something draped
From Givenchy to Haider Ackermann to Gianfranco Ferré, it was Madeleine Vionnet's moment at the collections. And it wasn't just dresses that got the drapery treatment; witness Viktor & Rolf's attention-grabbing clutch.
#6. a leather jacket
Having finessed his signature brand of tough chic for seasons now, Phi's Andreas Melbostad is the de facto leader of Fall's biker gang. No surprise then that his shrunken, short-sleeved leather motorcycle jacket is such perfection.
#7. a strong-shouldered jacket
Credit for fashion's current shoulder obsession goes to Balmain's Christophe Decarnin, whose peak-sleeved blazers for Fall look destined to become every bit as coveted as Spring's hugely influential "tennis ball" jackets.
#8. something surreal
Elsa Schiaparelli was a muse to many at the Fall collections, but Comme des Garçons' Rei Kawakubo went surreal in ways no one else did. How? This trompe l'oeil jacket is as wearable as it is witty.
#9. a decorated leg
Bare legs made a comeback. Still, hosiery lovers have plenty to cheer about, with Doo-Ri and Zac Posen showing ornamented tights. Leave it to Miuccia Prada, though, to turn them into semiprecious commodities as she did with these bejeweled numbers at Miu Miu.
#10. something studded
Any urban warrior worthy of the moniker—and the phrase got bandied about plenty this season—needs some studs in her wardrobe. Alexander Wang is the tough chick's go-to guy for his high-waisted cigarette pants with metal rivet tuxedo stripes.
I want all the things on the top 10. My top 10 would be:
A faux fur leopard jacket
A leather jacket
a Balmain jacket
ripped, holey tights
black boots
studded gloves
an over size, specially drapes T shirt
top 10 - by weetzieheart on Polyvore.com
From Roland Mouret's crocodile-effect leggings to the fur-print silks at Hermès, designers were faking it all over the runways. Nobody did it better than Stella McCartney, whose animal-free cupro jacket had Beth Ditto asking, "Where can I get that?"
#2. over-the-knee boots
With their staggering sex appeal, thigh boots shot to the top of Fall must-have lists. These strappy, slightly S&M hip-grazers earned Rodarte's Kate and Laura Mulleavy first
prize in the high, higher, and highest stakes.
#3. something sexy
Sure, designers sobered up this season, but there was a supercharged undercurrent pulsing through the best collections. Stefano Pilati's straight-out-of-a-Helmut Newton-photograph leather bustiers at Yves Saint Laurent had tongues wagging.
#4. color
There's nothing like a little bit—or a lot—of hot pink to remind you that it's not all doom and gloom out there. Enter this fuchsia dress from John Galliano's Orientalist-themed Dior collection.
#5. something draped
From Givenchy to Haider Ackermann to Gianfranco Ferré, it was Madeleine Vionnet's moment at the collections. And it wasn't just dresses that got the drapery treatment; witness Viktor & Rolf's attention-grabbing clutch.
#6. a leather jacket
Having finessed his signature brand of tough chic for seasons now, Phi's Andreas Melbostad is the de facto leader of Fall's biker gang. No surprise then that his shrunken, short-sleeved leather motorcycle jacket is such perfection.
#7. a strong-shouldered jacket
Credit for fashion's current shoulder obsession goes to Balmain's Christophe Decarnin, whose peak-sleeved blazers for Fall look destined to become every bit as coveted as Spring's hugely influential "tennis ball" jackets.
#8. something surreal
Elsa Schiaparelli was a muse to many at the Fall collections, but Comme des Garçons' Rei Kawakubo went surreal in ways no one else did. How? This trompe l'oeil jacket is as wearable as it is witty.
#9. a decorated leg
Bare legs made a comeback. Still, hosiery lovers have plenty to cheer about, with Doo-Ri and Zac Posen showing ornamented tights. Leave it to Miuccia Prada, though, to turn them into semiprecious commodities as she did with these bejeweled numbers at Miu Miu.
#10. something studded
Any urban warrior worthy of the moniker—and the phrase got bandied about plenty this season—needs some studs in her wardrobe. Alexander Wang is the tough chick's go-to guy for his high-waisted cigarette pants with metal rivet tuxedo stripes.
I want all the things on the top 10. My top 10 would be:
A faux fur leopard jacket
A leather jacket
a Balmain jacket
ripped, holey tights
black boots
studded gloves
an over size, specially drapes T shirt
top 10 - by weetzieheart on Polyvore.com
Any day now.....ANNNNY day....
Remember that ad for some online mortgage company that promised quick turnaround and contrasted itself with banks by showing a mortgage officer at a brick and mortar bank sitting at his desk saying "Your loan approval should be here day day now....[pause]....any day....."? It's kind of an unfortunate analogy these days, but that ad was what I thought of yesterday when I saw the "dramatic" unveiling of the Republicans' "alternate budget" (which apparently exists only in an "alternate universe"). Are they freakin' kidding?
This is the Great Republican Budget Plan (via John Cole and the Great Orange Satan):
On the other hand, what else would you expect from a political party whose base thinks scientific method consists of throwing up your hands and saying "I don't understand it....it must be MAGIC!"
MSNBC's Contesse Brewer was simply flabbergasted by what she saw, and it was left to her blond newsbot cohort to valiantly carry the GOP water all by herself by dismissing Brewer's expectation that we actually see NUMBERS coming out of the GOP's alternate universe -- I mean PLAN:
Later on, Robert Gibbs seemed to be having the time of his life over in the White House Press Room, seemingly amazed that the Republicans had just lobbed him a big fat hanging curve ball, waist-high, right down the center of the plate. Watch his face as he knocks it out of the park; it's priceless:
I would disagree that the budget indicates that the Republicans are the party of no new ideas. They are the party of no ideas, period.
But over in the alternate universe outside of consensus reality in which conservatives live, this was a firm, forceful parry of the President's challenge. In a post rife with male performance anxiety in the face of the Big Black Man, sniveling little rat-faced git Jeff Emanuel congratulates the Republican Clown Car for the very same ridiculous performance that the rest of us saw.
And now a parenthetical, just to put some rich gooey frosting on the cake: John Cole has some of the snarkiest commenters in the universe. Some choice quotes:
"Between these twits and Bush, how did they manage to avoid accidentally sending the Earth into a collision course with the Sun over the last 8 years?"
"I’m becoming convinced that Obama is Lord Vetinari from Terry Pratchett’s Discworld books. We’ll know for sure if he starts sending mimes and other street artists to the scorpion pits that Dick Cheney had installed under the White House."
"Not only am I making popcorn, but I’m putting truffle oil on it."
"This is so many layers of awesome covered in awesome sauce I can’t even begin to comprehend it."
This is the Great Republican Budget Plan (via John Cole and the Great Orange Satan):
On the other hand, what else would you expect from a political party whose base thinks scientific method consists of throwing up your hands and saying "I don't understand it....it must be MAGIC!"
MSNBC's Contesse Brewer was simply flabbergasted by what she saw, and it was left to her blond newsbot cohort to valiantly carry the GOP water all by herself by dismissing Brewer's expectation that we actually see NUMBERS coming out of the GOP's alternate universe -- I mean PLAN:
Later on, Robert Gibbs seemed to be having the time of his life over in the White House Press Room, seemingly amazed that the Republicans had just lobbed him a big fat hanging curve ball, waist-high, right down the center of the plate. Watch his face as he knocks it out of the park; it's priceless:
I would disagree that the budget indicates that the Republicans are the party of no new ideas. They are the party of no ideas, period.
But over in the alternate universe outside of consensus reality in which conservatives live, this was a firm, forceful parry of the President's challenge. In a post rife with male performance anxiety in the face of the Big Black Man, sniveling little rat-faced git Jeff Emanuel congratulates the Republican Clown Car for the very same ridiculous performance that the rest of us saw.
And now a parenthetical, just to put some rich gooey frosting on the cake: John Cole has some of the snarkiest commenters in the universe. Some choice quotes:
"Between these twits and Bush, how did they manage to avoid accidentally sending the Earth into a collision course with the Sun over the last 8 years?"
"I’m becoming convinced that Obama is Lord Vetinari from Terry Pratchett’s Discworld books. We’ll know for sure if he starts sending mimes and other street artists to the scorpion pits that Dick Cheney had installed under the White House."
"Not only am I making popcorn, but I’m putting truffle oil on it."
"This is so many layers of awesome covered in awesome sauce I can’t even begin to comprehend it."
jeudi 26 mars 2009
Now playing at the Hell Plaza decaplex
Reason #4,827 why I'm glad I don't review movies anymore:
For those who think this is a good idea, I have but two words: Brain Donors: one of the ten worst movies ever made (right up there with Howard the Duck).
(For those interested, the other two were Robin Hood: Men in Tights and Emmanuelle. Hey. I was in college and had never been to a porn flick. I've sat through accounting classes that were more exciting than Emmanuelle. As for why we didn't walk out of Howard the Duck, it's because Howard the Duck was one of Mr. Brilliant's favorite comic book series and he kept hoping it would get better. It didn't.)
MGM and the Farrelly brothers are closing in on their cast for "The Three Stooges."
Studio has set Sean Penn to play Larry, and negotiations are underway with Jim Carrey to play Curly, with the actor already making plans to gain 40 pounds to approximate the physical dimensions of Jerome "Curly" Howard.
The studio is zeroing in on Benicio Del Toro to play Moe.
The film is not a biopic, but rather a comedy built around the antics of the three characters that Moe Howard, Larry Fine and Howard played in the Columbia Pictures shorts.
For those who think this is a good idea, I have but two words: Brain Donors: one of the ten worst movies ever made (right up there with Howard the Duck).
(For those interested, the other two were Robin Hood: Men in Tights and Emmanuelle. Hey. I was in college and had never been to a porn flick. I've sat through accounting classes that were more exciting than Emmanuelle. As for why we didn't walk out of Howard the Duck, it's because Howard the Duck was one of Mr. Brilliant's favorite comic book series and he kept hoping it would get better. It didn't.)
Oh fer cryin' out loud
I thought it was insane when they went after Hillary Clinton and it's insane now:
As soon as Republicans start talking about what they're doing being "for the protection of" a woman, watch out. Because you can bet your life that there's some kind of Republican takeover of your right to do what you want, go what you want, and say what you want comin' down the path.
Michelle Obama is an intelligent, classy, educated, ferociously smart, funny, witty, clever, awesome woman. Her husband knows it and clearly adores her. This marriage between equals obviously scares the hell out of Republicans, who prefer their First Ladies to be more like Laura Bush -- quiet, unassertive, quite possibly whacked out on Thorazine. I say the hell with it, and the hell with them.
House Republicans are pressing for a change in federal law that could force Michelle Obama and future first ladies to do more of their policy work in public. But Democrats warn President Obama may take the attempt personally “as an attack on his wife.”
The GOP effort is being led by the ranking member of the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee, Rep. Darrell Issa (R-Calif.), whose initial salvo was rebuffed recently at a contentious committee markup session. Under Issa’s amendment, any government policy group that Mrs. Obama or another first spouse regularly participates in would be subject to a law requiring meetings to be announced in advance and, in most instances, public.
At the March 10 markup, Issa’s proposal triggered more than 35 minutes of impassioned debate. I’ve linked video of the exchange below, but Democrats clearly seemed to be recoiling at what some viewed as an effort to target Mrs. Obama.
Rep. William Clay (D-Mo.) suggested President Obama might see the legislation as a personal provocation that could trigger a fight. “Let me… caution my friend from California that, as you’re probably aware, this president is very guarded about his family,” Clay said. “I think that, no matter what you’re intending with this amendment, that the president may view this as an attack on his wife. And I’m just saying, you know, let’s be careful--if we want to open up that can of worms. Let’s not go in that direction.”
“We are trying actually to protect the historic role of the first lady,” Issa insisted, repeatedly invoking the “transparency” mantra of the Obama administration. “I believe this is open government at its finest.”
As soon as Republicans start talking about what they're doing being "for the protection of" a woman, watch out. Because you can bet your life that there's some kind of Republican takeover of your right to do what you want, go what you want, and say what you want comin' down the path.
Michelle Obama is an intelligent, classy, educated, ferociously smart, funny, witty, clever, awesome woman. Her husband knows it and clearly adores her. This marriage between equals obviously scares the hell out of Republicans, who prefer their First Ladies to be more like Laura Bush -- quiet, unassertive, quite possibly whacked out on Thorazine. I say the hell with it, and the hell with them.
From the [other bloggers'] mailbag
Every now and then I get some kind of long screed written by someone who is clearly unhinged. There's a guy who added me to a list to whom he sends long, rambling e-mails about how Lyndon Johnson was a CIA operative sent to kill John Kennedy. Another one still sends long Clinton conspiracy rants. Or maybe it's the same guy. But for pure, unadulterated batshit crazy fun, it's hard to beat this one from Pam Spaulding's mailbag. A teaser:
Oh, go read the whole thing. It a Grand Unifying Theory of the Bible, homosexuality, bestiality, the evolution of race, and Zero Population Growth -- a truly fine specimen of batshittery.
I'm so jealous.
If Adam came from the dust and Eve came from the dust there would be no incest. And what they created would be a true son and a true daughter. Now when the true son and daughter had sex to keep the population going that would be incest and they would create closer flesh. Now if Adam came from the dust and Eve came from the dust and they had sons and daughters and Adam had sex with his daughters and Eve had sex with her sons to keep the population going that would be worse than incest and they would create closer than closer flesh.
Now the way it happened was Adam had sex with his own flesh because she was bone of his bone and flesh of his flesh. Now that would be worse than worse than incest and they would create closer than closer than closer flesh. Now we are still the same way because people still create birthdefects and deformaties. Here are just a few examples. The blind, deaf, handicapped, mentally retarded, gays, lesbians, shemales, morfadites, transvestites, midgets, giants, murderers, childmolestors and many more. So we are still the same now.
When you marry someone you are marrying someone who is 3 times closer than a true brother or sister. There is no such thing as a husband and wife. It’s all made up to cover up the incest. We are nothing but Adam’s flesh having sex with Adam’s flesh and what ever you create is Adam’s flesh. We are Lucifer’s world of worse than worse than incest. Lucifer gave Adam and Eve the power to create like God gave the animals the power to create.
But Adam and Eve were not animals. With them it was incest and with the animals it was instinct. When the Bible saids be fruitfull and multiply he wasn’t talking about Adam and Eve he was talking about the animals. God designed nature so the animals would never destroy the earth. If man was not out here then nature would be the same way it was when God created it. Man only destroyes nature. The animals don’t. Now everyone believes that Jesus came from God.
Well that’s not true. Jesus came from Mary having sex with a Roman soldier while Joseph was off fighting in a war. She lied to save her own life. Back then if a woman got pregnant and she wasn’t married they would stone her to death. So she lied and said that Jesus came from God. When Jesus grew up he found out the truth from the Priests and at 33 he came out and found 12 single virgins like him and he tried to tell everyone that in the eyes of God they were all brothers and sisters and they were committing incest by getting married.
Oh, go read the whole thing. It a Grand Unifying Theory of the Bible, homosexuality, bestiality, the evolution of race, and Zero Population Growth -- a truly fine specimen of batshittery.
I'm so jealous.
Please. Just secede already
I know Amanda Marcotte is from Texas. I know there are many fine people in Texas. But this is, after all, the state that gave us not one but TWO Bush presidents, and there are plenty of other states that have barbecue. So I say that if Texas wants to secede and make Chuck Norris its king, please be my guest, especially if you're going to become a breeding ground for willful idiocy:
Sorry, Texas, but "I don't understand it....it must be magic" does not qualify as scientific inquiry. But if Texas is going to teach its children that if you can't explain something, don't examine it further, just say Jesus did it and STFU, then I say don't let the door hitcha where the good Lord splitcha. Just don't come crying to me when King Chuck makes you spend all your free time on that Total Gym for which he's shilling.
The Texas Board of Education this week will vote on science standards that critics say seek to cast doubt on the theory of evolution.
The board -- considering amendments passed in January -- will hear from the public on Wednesday. It will then take votes -- an initial one Thursday and the final vote Friday.
"This specific attack on well-established science ignores mountains of evidence and years of research done by experts in a variety of fields," said Steven Newton, project director at the Oakland California-based National Center for Science Education, a proponent of evolution.
One amendment, critics say, undermines the idea that life on Earth derives from a common ancestry, a major principle in the theory of evolution. It calls for the analysis and evaluation of "the sufficiency or insufficiency" of the common ancestry idea to explain the fossil record.
Newton said the board is considering other amendments casting doubt on well-established ideas in the earth and space sciences -- plate tectonics, radioactive decay and how the solar system developed.
School board chairman Don McLeroy has wanted to tackle questions that highlight supposed weaknesses in the theory.
For example, skeptics of evolution point to what they contend are fossil record gaps casting doubt on the scientific evidence of common ancestry.
"I'm a skeptic. I'm an evolution skeptic. I don't think it's true," he said. "You need to present other ideas to the kids."
The issue reflects the strong feelings among representatives on the 15-member board, some of whom accept evolutionary theory and some of whom don't. The size of the textbook market in Texas gives it influence nationwide, as publishers adapt their material to its standards.
The board -- considering amendments passed in January -- will hear from the public on Wednesday. It will then take votes -- an initial one Thursday and the final vote Friday.
"This specific attack on well-established science ignores mountains of evidence and years of research done by experts in a variety of fields," said Steven Newton, project director at the Oakland California-based National Center for Science Education, a proponent of evolution.
One amendment, critics say, undermines the idea that life on Earth derives from a common ancestry, a major principle in the theory of evolution. It calls for the analysis and evaluation of "the sufficiency or insufficiency" of the common ancestry idea to explain the fossil record.
Newton said the board is considering other amendments casting doubt on well-established ideas in the earth and space sciences -- plate tectonics, radioactive decay and how the solar system developed.
School board chairman Don McLeroy has wanted to tackle questions that highlight supposed weaknesses in the theory.
For example, skeptics of evolution point to what they contend are fossil record gaps casting doubt on the scientific evidence of common ancestry.
"I'm a skeptic. I'm an evolution skeptic. I don't think it's true," he said. "You need to present other ideas to the kids."
The issue reflects the strong feelings among representatives on the 15-member board, some of whom accept evolutionary theory and some of whom don't. The size of the textbook market in Texas gives it influence nationwide, as publishers adapt their material to its standards.
Sorry, Texas, but "I don't understand it....it must be magic" does not qualify as scientific inquiry. But if Texas is going to teach its children that if you can't explain something, don't examine it further, just say Jesus did it and STFU, then I say don't let the door hitcha where the good Lord splitcha. Just don't come crying to me when King Chuck makes you spend all your free time on that Total Gym for which he's shilling.
Legislators to Sarah Palin: We will not sacrifice our state on the altar of your presidential aspirations
Sarah Palin, like her fellow Republican useful idiots and 2012 hopefuls Bobby Jindal and Mark Sanford, thinks that somehow refusing federal stimulus money that might be used to help keep schools open and fire departments running and help families keep food on the table for a while after they lose their jobs will be seen as a badge of honor in 2010. Perhaps they're right, at least among their insane base, who listen to Rush Limbaugh claim that Barack Obama = Robert Mugabe and Tammy Bruce calling Michelle Obama "trash in the White House" and Glenn Beck weeping on the air that our nation is in grave danger from the centrist Democrat occupying the White House. These are people who will call Obama a fascist and a socialist in the same breath, who said nothing while George W. Bush was actually BUILDING internment camps and saying that you're either with the Administration or the terrorists; but now insist that it's Barack Obama who's going to use them to round up white conservative Christians. All this trouble to avoid saying the "N" word.
These are the people to whom Sarah Palin hopes to appeal -- people dumb enough to still believe in "trickle-down" economics and embrace their lack of a job, their lack of a home, and their lack of a future in the name of these politicians invoking Jeebus to advance their political careers.
But the Alaska legislature is saying "Not so fast, bitch":
Refusing to accept stimulus money is simply grandstanding on the part of cynical Republican politicians who see political advantage on Fox News to doing so, but think nothing of refusing to ameliorate the hardship of the people in their states. It's especially galling for Sarah Palin, who once again trots out her Downs Syndrome baby -- you know, the one whose face she can't bear to even look at, the one she endangered by flying from Texas to Alaska after her water broke -- and use him as a cudgel to beat Barack Obama over the head after an ill-advised crack on The Tonight Show about the Special Olympics. Then, of course, after Trig has served his purpose, she goes and rejects funding that might benefit kids like him.
One can only hope that Alaska legislators consider the plight of towns like Emmonak before they decide that Sarah Palin's 2012 aspirations are more important than putting food on the tables and oil in the furnaces of the native people of their state.
These are the people to whom Sarah Palin hopes to appeal -- people dumb enough to still believe in "trickle-down" economics and embrace their lack of a job, their lack of a home, and their lack of a future in the name of these politicians invoking Jeebus to advance their political careers.
But the Alaska legislature is saying "Not so fast, bitch":
Top Alaska legislators said Tuesday they're likely to accept at least most of the federal economic stimulus money that Gov. Sarah Palin did not.
"I think at the end of the day we will end up taking most of the funds," said Anchorage Republican Rep. Mike Hawker, who is leading the House effort on the stimulus as co-chairman of the finance committee.
Senate Majority Leader Johnny Ellis agreed. "I would be surprised if we give up much or any of the federal money," the Anchorage Democrat said.
Palin announced last week she was not accepting $288 million of the $930.7 million that the state is due in the federal stimulus. Palin aides have said in the days since that the governor did not reject any money, leading some state legislators to charge the governor with backpedaling as a result of furor over the announcement.
The biggest chunk of money at issue is about $170 million for education. School district officials are mad, and Anchorage Democratic Rep. Harry Crawford said he doesn't expect legislators to withhold the money.
"I don't see anybody getting in front of that train," he said.
Senate President Gary Stevens, a Republican from Kodiak, said he's especially interested in the money that would go for special education and schooling for disadvantaged children. Stevens said his meetings with the governor prior to her stimulus announcement had given him the impression she was going to go after more of the money and he was surprised to hear otherwise last week.
But legislators do have questions about the stimulus package and plan on hearings in the coming weeks to sort out the details. Some share Palin's view that accepting federal money could create expectations among the public for services that the state would need to either fund or abandon after the federal dollars stopped coming.
"I am very concerned and I know Alaskans are about what we're about to do here," said Fairbanks Republican Rep. Mike Kelly.
DID PALIN REJECT MONEY?
Palin aides have said the past few days that the governor has been mischaracterized.
"The governor has not rejected any funds -- that I think was perhaps the interpretation and I know certainly in some of the coverage of the press event last week," Karen Rehfeld, the governor's budget director, told the House Finance Committee on Tuesday.
But Senate Majority Leader Ellis, a Democrat, said Palin's announcement "seemed very clear to me about rejecting one-third of the stimulus dollars. ... There's backtracking and explanation going on now."
Wasilla Republican Sen. Charlie Huggins said there was a shift in tone as a result of the public outcry that followed Palin's announcement last week that she wasn't accepting the money.
"The (Palin) administration worked through the weekend and they fixed some of their slides based on public sentiment. And that's the way the democratic process works: It's not good, it's not bad, it's just sobering," he said.
Chugiak Republican Rep. Bill Stoltze, however, disputes that Palin is changing the message and said she was just being cautious about the money.
"I looked at the governor's statement and I didn't hear a rejection." he said.
The governor or the Legislature must formally ask for the federal stimulus money available to Alaska in order for the state to receive it. Palin announced last week that she was only requesting the portion that would go for construction and infrastructure and that "in essence we say no to operating funds for more positions in government."
She made arguments for not accepting the money -- including that some has strings attached and that the state might be left to pick up the tab if people expect programs to go on after the federal money runs out. But Palin also said she would work with legislators and that a public discussion is needed about what should happen with the money -- "more opportunity for more information," the governor called it.
A reporter asked Palin at the time if it was fair to say she was rejecting the money.
"If that's the way you want to look at it," she replied.
Refusing to accept stimulus money is simply grandstanding on the part of cynical Republican politicians who see political advantage on Fox News to doing so, but think nothing of refusing to ameliorate the hardship of the people in their states. It's especially galling for Sarah Palin, who once again trots out her Downs Syndrome baby -- you know, the one whose face she can't bear to even look at, the one she endangered by flying from Texas to Alaska after her water broke -- and use him as a cudgel to beat Barack Obama over the head after an ill-advised crack on The Tonight Show about the Special Olympics. Then, of course, after Trig has served his purpose, she goes and rejects funding that might benefit kids like him.
One can only hope that Alaska legislators consider the plight of towns like Emmonak before they decide that Sarah Palin's 2012 aspirations are more important than putting food on the tables and oil in the furnaces of the native people of their state.
mercredi 25 mars 2009
Poking my head up briefly
Sorry about the lack of blogging today. I'd like to say that it's because of the crushing workload I'm currently dealing with, though that IS part of it -- a workload that I expect to continue at this level for at least another week and a half. But while I am so tired I'm seeing double, the reason I didn't blog today is quite simple: Our Verizon DSL was down this morning, so we were sans intartoobz. Thanks to Tata for filling in, and now I'm going to use it as an excuse to crash early and try to stuff some sleep into my testing-addled brain.
Go To the Place That's the Best
WaPo:
This has been a message from the Ministry of Truth, where re-branding Big Brother isn't just big business - it's the biggest!
In a memo e-mailed this week to Pentagon staff members, the Defense Department's office of security review noted that "this administration prefers to avoid using the term 'Long War' or 'Global War on Terror' [GWOT.] Please use 'Overseas Contingency Operation.' "
The memo said the direction came from the Office of Management and Budget, the executive-branch agency that reviews the public testimony of administration officials before it is delivered.
Not so, said Kenneth Baer, an OMB spokesman.
"There was no memo, no guidance," Baer said yesterday. "This is the opinion of a career civil servant."
This has been a message from the Ministry of Truth, where re-branding Big Brother isn't just big business - it's the biggest!
Wagaya, Haymarket Chinatown, Sydney
I like wasabi. I really do. But there's a strange flutter in the stomach when you first come face-to-face with the sushi roulette game at Wagaya in Sydney's Chinatown.With its touch screen menus and ordering system, affordable bite-sized dishes and smart but groovy decor, Wagaya has been an instant hit with diners since its opening late last year. Designed in the style of an izakaya or Japanese
mardi 24 mars 2009
behind the scenes
Emily isn't in any of these cause she's a Grandma and went to bed. Nahhh, she was just getting over a cold!
we shot these after the shoot. So fun!
we shot these after the shoot. So fun!
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