My friend just told me about this English girl

who spends time filming old 78s spinning and uploading the videos to YouTube.

Kinda fun, her YouTube channel:

78s4FR's Channel

Great way to avoid grocery shopping, eh? Man, I just don't want to go, even though I am sick of frozen foods.

So I guess the 70's didn't totally suck

I'm not goo-goo for Gaga. Many of the electronically filtered voices, synth beats, and tedious lyrics just don't do it for me. In fact, they irritate the crap out of me.

Hey kids, hate to tell you this, but the shock factor of "Lady" Gaga been done before. She was called Madonna and it didn't take her 3 minutes to start the dance-schlock-synth-pop bullshit. Ho hum. Wow, did you kids know that before MTV and YouTube videos that musicians actually had to do more than look interesting? Whoa, what a concept. Some really good songs came from people who didn't look good?

OH. MY. GOD.

Oh lovely, is this what the Brits think of us Californians?

Crapola. I have a now local friend who helped put men on the moon, not helped moon men.

Seriously, my friend was an Apollo test engineer. I've never heard of the yearly ritual of mooning Amtrak before. I have lived my whole life in in Southern California and I have been goofing around online since 1995 and had to find out from the BBC about this ritual and the website Moon Amtrak. org

The Dancing Boys of Afghanistan

Watch here at PBS Frontline if you've the stomach for it. I found it disturbing (like nauseating) as I would hope any mother would. The last few years while we have been in Afghanistan things that the Taliban banned have returned, and not good ones. This thing they call bacha bazi is a revolting practice.

I hate Wordpress

Can't set your username or password. It's a fucking pain in the ass. Wordpress users, hope you don't give a shit whether I ever comment again. Fuck Wordpress.

BP Makes Me Sick

I finally got around to reading my email this morning. I opened this

Is the web editor at BBC amused?

I sure was when I saw both of these article titles on the same page within centimeters of each other:

Cameroon denies homosexuals harassed

Black hole blows huge gas bubble

Legalization could slash the price of pot 80%

I'm hoping that it might make it so that Mexican people don't have to teach their children things like this in school. The monetary amount is secondary. The cost in ruined lives over a drug that is much less harmful than alcohol is the toll that bothers me. I can't dig up statistics right now but I would venture to say that yes, because most of the drugs coming over the border are NOT cocaine, heroin, methamphetamine, or even fake prescription stuff that this might put a big dent in the cartel profits and slow down the murders. So what if it puts some useless rich kid pot dealers out of business?

At least I backed up my music correctly

Jeez, I did something right with the backup on the PC, the iTunes. I did not want to spend umpteen million hours feeding in my music CDs one at a time. I'm old dang it, I have everything from classical to punk to world to rock to country to funk to jazz to elevator schmaltz. I even like some of my kid's stuff, but by default kids hate their parents music unless it's old school that they discover on their own, lol.

I have never had a set up so painless and uh.... fun!

Well, except for the earthquake we just had, my husband and I both thought "Oh this thing better not get any worse we just spent some money on that 'puter."

Wow, this thing is awesome

I did it. This machine is far too beautiful for me. I was so excited that when my friend asked me what I was doing my response baffled her. She asked me what a maa was? Dude. It's an iMac. I'm terrified I'm going to mess up the really expensive mouse, but oh what fun!

My husband asked where it was (the computer) and I replied "It's in the screen." He's happy, he got my 20" monitor that I was using on the PC that I just killed. I'll be off to visit my buds as soon as I figure out this baby and get my music back on. I like my music and I got a free iTouch so I don't have to recharge my kid's old mini iPod after 4 songs worth of listening.

Happy belated 4th?

Still haven't made the trip to the Apple store. Will soon. Let's see what's happening today...

Hmm, can't seem to get away from the Apple store site even though my back is aching from using the laptop on the coffee table and my eyes are bleeding from reading tech specs that only make me more dangerous to a computer's health.

BadTux pointed me in the right direction to start looking, I think. As much as I like the Apple LED displays they are $900 and I already have a monitor that I like. I dunno what it's going to look like after the dvi adapter, but I've been watching Netflix via dsl with the VGA cable so I'm not exactly fussy. My brother made some crack about Chip and Dale creating noise on the line so I don't think paying the phone company any more money will speed it up anyway...

Hmmm, as much as I like the price on the mac mini, I'm not sure it's the one for me. Husband says ok to whatever I want (he bought me my first reliable car and I've had it for almost ten years now) so I might as well get what I want, huh? The kid's gonna inherit it anyway and her macbook was a worthwhile investment.

I hope Macs are harder to fuck up

Because I've had it up to here with screwing around with the PCs. Now if I can just get over the initial sticker price shock I have a feeling I will be much happier. I like my kid's Macbook and I watched a couple of documentaries on Netflix on Macs.

Gah. I'm disgusted.

Leave it to the Brookings Institute to put out this pile of self-congratulatory poo.

Man you know this fucker's all thinkin, voters schmoters, fuck it we got the Soooopreme Court to do the bidding of big bidness. Arms is big bidness in this country.

You know, I'm starting to get why people don't bother to vote.

Former agent: Only bad spies get caught

By Peter Wilkinson, CNN
June 29, 2010 -- Updated 1846 GMT (0246 HKT)

Oh nonsense. Well connected ones don't get caught either.

Reading now

A Reporter's Life by Walter Cronkite


P 226
"Carter's administration was plagued by an unusual problem. He lived up to a campaign promise to turn his back on the Washington Bureaucracy. To carry it out, he imported his advisers from Georgia. In most cases, they were perfectly fine people. They just weren't tutored in how to get things done in Washington. They learned the hard way that you don't succeed in the labyrinth of Capitol politics without making a lot of compromises with the entrenched apparatus."

Why is everyone so hard on Obama? Hell, I knew that even though he gave great speech in '04 at the Democratic Convention and he was a promise of hope for the people that would hit that nasty wall called the "entrenched apparatus" that exists in the sewer called Washington DC.

Anyway, I love Cronkite's book. The man had a lot of class.

Dare I hope?

After 41 Years, a Belated Victory for Butter
Posted on Jun 25, 2010
By David Sirota

California welfare recipients withdrew $1.8 million at casino ATMs over eight months

Whoa, what a state I live in. *sigh*

Man, I was on welfare, I never had an extra nickel to play the slots. My kid's favorite food to this day is boxed mac-n-cheese with tuna and frozen vegetables . That tell ya anything? I was really happy when I could work at some clothing warehouse sale that gave me first dibs on what I spent all day hanging on hangers. You think most able bodied people don't work when on welfare for their check? Pfffft.

Friday, June 25, 2010 India to try to extradite ex-Union Carbide head

NEW DELHI (AP) - India's Cabinet has approved pushing for the former head of Union Carbide to be extradited over the toxic gas leak in 1984 that killed an estimated 15,000 people.

We live in a democracy

bwaaaah hahahahahahaha

Wednesday, June 23, 2010

Judge who nixed drilling ban has oil investments By CURT ANDERSON and MICHAEL KUNZELMAN Associated Press Writers

NEW ORLEANS (AP) - The Louisiana judge who struck down the Obama administration's six-month ban on deepwater oil drilling in the Gulf of Mexico has reported extensive investments in the oil and gas industry, according to financial disclosure reports. He's also a new member of a secret national security court...


Impeach the Oil-Investing Judge Who Declared Deep Sea Drilling Ban Void
Submitted by Lisa Graves on June 23, 2010 - 1:12p

Righty-O, no connection heeeeeeeere

U.S. military criticized for purchase of Russian copters for Afghan air corps
By Craig Whitlock
Washington Post Staff Writer
Saturday, June 19, 2010


Election-year deficit fears stall Obama stimulus plan
By Lori Montgomery
Washington Post Staff Writer
Saturday, June 19, 2010
Obama traveled on Friday to Columbus, Ohio, the first of more than two dozen stops on the "Recovery Summer" tour. (Charles Dharapak/associated Press)



Buy military copters from Russia for Afghanistan? Bueno.

Give stimulous checks to Social Security recipients? Mal.

¡Claro que si!

Toyota to restart US auto plant, draws UAW ire

Friday, June 18, 2010
By DAN STRUMPF and TOM KRISHER AP Business Writers

"...But Toyota's decision to build Corollas there comes just weeks after announcing the sale of a California plant that also built the compact sedans.

To the United Auto Workers Union, the key difference was the California plant was unionized, while the Mississippi plant - like the rest of Toyota's U.S. factories - isn't...

"...Toyota has been working to patch up its reputation in the U.S. following its recalls of more than 8 million vehicles over reports of unintended acceleration...."

My friend was mentioning today as a matter of fact, that American car manufacturers have gotten better at making cars. After the recent fuck ups by Toyota, it's worth looking into anyway.

Consumer Reports Car reviews

Love Jon Stewart

The Daily Show With Jon Stewart	Mon - Thurs 11p / 10c
Ore on Terror
www.thedailyshow.com
Daily Show Full Episodes Political Humor Tea Party

Have been uninspired to post

But EB has fabulous news.

Arresting the Banksters.

Ok, back to Netflix. I dunno what I'm gonna do when I run out of X-Files shows to watch. It's nice to see the good guys survive, even if they don't win every time.

ps, the eartquake made my heart beat faster for about 3 minutes and since there was no damage close to here, I relaxed.

The One Percent

The One Percent Wikipedia page
(click on title bar to buy DVD )

part 1

Oh Joy, Cody Franchetti makes another appearance, in all his affected arrogance, like in "Born Rich" .

Also, Milton Friedman, yippee skippy, who was one of my favorite hypocrites. A lot of his early work was paid for by taxpayers, and he helped invent the witholding tax. So much for all his "free market" yammerin' after the fact.

I wonder how long the return to feudalism was planned by the rich? Was it even a return, or just a continuance with hope of getting rich in America propagandizing those eager to believe the lie in the public school system?

I see a need for the "One Percent" to heed the warning in Jaime's documentaries. I don't see his work benefitting the poor, they know the truth. They know they pay a higher percentage of their income in taxes than the rich do.

Why can't the rich see that feudalism can not be what it was before?

That there are just too many poor?


Queen - Khashoggi's Ship (Lyrics) from The Miracle (C) 1989

Hoooomans

“Deforestation and pollution, high-risk subjects”

"With the help of its worldwide network of correspondents, Reporters Without Borders has gathered information about incidents in Indonesia, Argentina, El Salvador, Gabon, India, Azerbaijan, China and Morocco. Behind each of these threats and attacks, there were big corporations, criminal gangs or government officials who had been corrupted by money from mining or logging....

... journalists who have been targeted for shedding light on deforestation, which is responsible for at least 18 per cent of the world’s greenhouse gas emissions."

National Aeronautics and Space Administration show…. 2009 was the second warmest year since 1880, when modern temperature measurement began.

"...The foundations and routines of modern industrial life — the context for the fabled American dream – assume perpetual consumption; more and technologically improved commodities as symbols of prosperity and even identity. The United States has exported this “dream” throughout much of the world in its films and TV programs. But these “entertainment” products don’t contain warning signs, similar to those on cigarette packages: this product will cause serious environmental damage; future generations will suffer from an unsustainable environment..."

Rachel gets it on the Supreme court

Visit msnbc.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy

Yeah, I hate those activist judges also.

Dang it, I don't need anything else to make me nauseous today. My kid is coming home for the summer, and my Filipino neighbors have discovered the joy of fish sauce. How can people eat that stuff? It smells like something that came out of a seal's ass, or fried penguin exhibit waste or gagggggg, wtf?

AT&T security hole exposes iPad users' e-mails

Thursday, June 10, 2010
By JORDAN ROBERTSON AP Technology Writer

"The vulnerability only affected iPad users who signed up for AT&T's "3G" wireless Internet service."


I wonder if At&T will ever spend more on service than they do on advertising?

My disappointments from Tuesday June 8, 2010

Mark my words Californians, these two decisions will come back to bite us in the ass, and in this county, that decision was made by 30-35% of the registered voters.

Politicians, analysts question new open primary system

"...The new system will put candidates of all political stripes on a single ballot, and all voters will be able to participate. The top two vote-getters in a given contest — regardless of political affiliation — will advance to the general election. Supporters say that once the system is in place and voting districts have been redrawn outside of the Legislature, candidates will have no choice but to move to the middle as they compete for voters who are more politically diverse..."

And the failure of prop 15 bums me out, here's why.

Screw it, I'm going to go watch more X-Files , at least there the idiocy is fictional. Sometimes it's funny to watch just how many things they get wrong. I suppose if the only job you ever had was creative writing before widespread Googling, the doofyness is forgivable. Besides, some of the lines Mulder spits out are incredibly funny, intentional or not.

Re-reading

(click on cover for Google shopping link)

(C) 2000 by Chalmers Johnson
excerpt from page 174

"The economic challenge of China is likely to be the most difficult test not just for American economic policy but for its foreign policy in general in the first quarter of the twenty-first century. Unfortunately Americans still remain confused by the idea that the foundations of power no longer lie in military but in economic and industrial strength. They tolerate, even applaud, irrationally bloated defense budgets while doing little to rebuild and defend the industrial foundations of their own nation. When the world economic crisis began in Asia in 1997, the United States responded with the stale formulas of the International Monetary Fund, only worsening the situation. Inadequate political leadership, inappropriate staffing of the government, and an inability to redirect the foreign affairs, defense, technological, and intelligence agencies to pay more reasonable attention to Asia in general and China in particular seem endemic problems for the foreseeable future."

quote of the day

"1. Republicans will do what they are told by their corporate masters."

The Lesson of June 2010: Corporate Power Can Be Beaten
by: Robert Cruickshank ( Calitics )
Wed Jun 09, 2010 at 10:00:00 AM PDT

and yet

"2. Corporations can be beaten.

For the rest of California, however, unlimited corporate power is not seen as a positive thing."