Saturday Night Setlist

media as propaganda tool?

I'm shocked, I tell you...SHOCKED! that such a thing would occur in this country, under this administration, at this time. (*snark*)

obamabike!

this has to be the cool idea of the week. the good folks over at the Greater Greater Washington blog came up with this fantastic sticker/button in response to Obama's speech in Portland extolling that cities bike friendliness. well hey now, Senator... don't forget your homies. Chicago's got things on the ball in this area, too.

humpday interlude

David Bowie - Life on Mars?

(in honor of this weeks events)

the real deal

launched 8/07 & 422 million miles later, a soft landing & crystal clear images.

"For the first time in 32 years, and only the third time in history, a JPL team has carried out a soft landing on Mars." -- Michael Griffin, NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, CA

the whole story & galleries of updated pics over at the Phoenix Mars Mission web site. amazing stuff.

back to the future

the good folks over at io9 set their wayback machine to the late 60s & dug up this crazy robo-commercial.

at the risk of completely dating myself, I remember these & may have actually got them as hand-me-downs from my older brother. personally, though... Maj. Matt Mason was my favorite when I was a wee tyke.

dig that crazy, cosmic poetry, Daddy-O.
"He lives on the moon, we may all be there soon."
hey, which reminds me.... where's my jet pack? And while we're at it, where are those flying cars we were promised, Detroit!?!

barn kitty nubule

at 1 week old, a body just wants to nomnomnomnom.
(once again, Topeka, IL...my personal source for all things pastoral)

Saturday Night Special

Tindersticks - Travelling Light

what a difference a day makes

this certainly has all the talking heads atwitter.

all the way to the Convention

Rachel Maddow has a great piece up over at the Huffington Post. she spells out quite clearly & makes a good argument for why & how this Dem fight is likely to go all the way to the convention.

"If there is an open, unresolved procedural issue involving the Florida and Michigan delegations, Senator Clinton will be able to cite that as her justification for staying in the race until the convention even though she is not ahead in the nomination contest at the end of the primary calendar.

If she can ensure that the Florida and Michigan issue stays unresolved until the convention (and by appealing it every step of the way, I don't see how that can be avoided), then Clinton stays in the race until the convention. Staying in until the convention buys her three more months of campaign time, three more months to make her case to the party and the country, three more months for some potential political unfortunateness to befall Senator Obama."

"If Clinton fights to stay in until the convention -- which seems utterly plausible to me -- then I believe the Democratic Party's nominee (Obama or Clinton) will lose the general election to John McCain."

seems to me that the major difference in this race is that Obama is thinking about what is best for Dems & in the long run, the country, & Hillary is thinking about what is best for the Clintons. all I can say is it's going to be a long, long 3 months until then. ugggh.

please make it stop

so, Obama won OR last night, & with that win has secured the proper number of pledged delegates to gain the Dem. nomination. Hillary still refuses to concede!?! unbelievable. I have no further insight, just fatigue. maybe by ignoring her, she will just go away. *sigh* anyway, here's a link to Obama's speech in Iowa, if you're so inclined.

midweek mix

quote of the week

(& it's only Monday)

"John McCain is kind of like Jesus Christ on the cross," Everhart said as she began the second day of the state GOP convention. "He never denounced God, either."
--Georgia Republican Party chairwoman Sue Everhart

that sound you just heard was my jaw hitting my desktop.
(h/t mcjoan over @ dailykos)

75K of the faithful

this picture really does tell the story. Obama drew the largest crowd yet at a rally in Portland,OR yesterday. amazing.
(full story here & here)

el gato

the Real McCain, pt. 2

(more here)
spread the word.

Saturday Night Special

Trashcan Sinatras - Obscurity Knocks

heroic efforts

there is an amazing, if not completely heartbreaking, story in today's NYT about the owner of LumberJack Farm in NJ, devoted to rescuing & rehabilitating thoroughbreds from the racing industry.

"Similar organizations, some larger and some smaller, have the same goal: to save as many horses as possible. Combined, the groups resurrect a fraction of the roughly 100,000 horses that are expected to be shipped across the border to Mexico and Canada this year and ultimately fed to other animals or to humans who consider horse meat a delicacy."

"The spotlight that shines on horse racing during the Triple Crown events each spring rarely illuminates the shadows. The sport is usually painted with bright, pastoral backdrops. Winners of the biggest races become royalty, revered by people and seemingly destined for a pampered life doing little but producing more runners like them."

"But most racehorses run a far different route — downward, slipping from rung to rung in the sport’s hierarchy. Some are traded a dozen or more times as their earnings fade, until someone decides that the horse is no longer worth the time and money to keep it."

"It even happened to Ferdinand, the 1986 Kentucky Derby winner, who reportedly was slaughtered in Japan for pet food a few years ago."

I find this story particularly poignant, having recently spent some quality time downstate at my sister's with 5 of the most amazing & gentle horses one could possibly imagine.

Mark Bittman @ TED

this is a must see talk from the NYT food writer on what's wrong w/our eating habits & why we're not just killing ourselves, but the planet's ecosystem as well.

(more over @ TED)

Obama responds

he IS there

I finally got around to watching I'm Not There the other night. I have to admit that it is spotty at best. Cate Blanchett is mesmerizing in every scene she is in. by far the best thing in the film & reason enough to watch it. however, coming in at a close 2nd is this Felliniesque scene featuring Jim James singing a haunting version of Going to Acapulco.

record Bacon sale

no, this isn't some kind of shill for you pork lovers. I'm talking about the record set this week by the sale of a Francis Bacon triptych. Bacon's "Tryptich, 1976" sold this week at Sotheby's for $86.3 million. I wrote earlier this week about Rauschenberg being in my 'top 5 fave artists' list, along w/DeKooning & Kiefer. well, it's kind of eerie that Francis Bacon is in the news this week as well, as he rounds out my list.
there's a great book of interviews w/Bacon called The Brutality of Fact (isbn 9780500274750) that I've had for years & is well worth the read. also an amazing film called Love is the Devil starring Sir Derek Jacobi as Bacon that is a must see.
personally, I've always been mesmerized by photos of his studio. artist's studios are windows into the working mind & process of those artists & in the case of Francis Bacon, there is a treasure trove of psychoanalysis to be mined there.

TX sized dust up

more Dems come out to decry Bushes Nazi comments this morning.

(h/t thinkprogress)
HuffPo has more, including comments from Howard Dean, Rahm Emanuel & Harry Reid.
of course McSame & Lieberman both think chimpy's remarks were just teh awsome.

chimpy v. Godwin

fast on the heels of his outrageous claim of the hard sacrifice of giving up golf for the troops (a bold faced lie, btw), Preznit Chimpy has charged full speed into Godwin's Law.

'While delivering an address before the Israeli parliament commemorating the 60th anniversary of Israel, President Bush said that Sen. Barack Obama and Democrats favor a policy of appeasement toward terrorists. CNN reports that Bush was comparing Obama to “other U.S. leaders back in the run-up to World War II who appeased the Nazis.”'

(via thinkprogress)

Bush continues to project a very disgusting & embarrassing front to the rest of the world. the Republican's in general have about 2 weapons in their arsenal, & they seem to be unable to resist whipping out good ol' Godwin whenever they get in a jam.
(is it January yet?)

Obama's response:

"It is sad that President Bush would use a speech to the Knesset on the 6Oth anniversary of Israel's independence to launch a false political attack. It is time to turn the page on eight years of policies that have strengthened Iran and failed to secure America or our ally Israel."

UPDATE: ouch...

"George Bush's grandfather, the late US senator Prescott Bush, was a director and shareholder of companies that profited from their involvement with the financial backers of Nazi Germany.

The Guardian has obtained confirmation from newly discovered files in the US National Archives that a firm of which Prescott Bush was a director was involved with the financial architects of Nazism.

His business dealings, which continued until his company's assets were seized in 1942 under the Trading with the Enemy Act, has led more than 60 years later to a civil action for damages being brought in Germany against the Bush family by two former slave labourers at Auschwitz and to a hum of pre-election controversy.

The evidence has also prompted one former US Nazi war crimes prosecutor to argue that the late senator's action should have been grounds for prosecution for giving aid and comfort to the enemy.

...the new documents, many of which were only declassified last year, show that even after America had entered the war and when there was already significant information about the Nazis' plans and policies, he worked for and profited from companies closely involved with the very German businesses that financed Hitler's rise to power. It has also been suggested that the money he made from these dealings helped to establish the Bush family fortune and set up its political dynasty."

(h/t emptywheel)

Edwards endorses Obama

this is HUGE!

humpday interlude

Death Cab for Cutie - I Will Possess Your Heart

(Ben's transformation into Radar O'Reilly is now complete)

quote of the day

"Forget good v. evil. In the Bush Administration, it's a comic book battle between incompetence and malfeasance. You can never be quite sure which will prevail."
--David Kurtz (no relation)

maybe that should be 'quote of the decade'.

Robert Rauschenberg 1925-2008

I just saw the sad news of Robert Rauschenberg's death in the NYT. I always placed him in my top 5, next to DeKooning & Anselm Kiefer. A friend from art school, who moved to NYC after graduation in the late 80s, worked for him as an interpretor on a trip to Russia. He had nothing but great things to say about the man. I know he had been ill for some time, but this news is still a shock.

if it's Tuesday...

...it's must be another primary. today it's WV.
hooorah...yaaawn.

chronicles of his life

I’ve been marveling over Donald Keene’s Chronicles of My Life again
recently. It arrived on my doorstep from The Press last week & I just can’t put it down. The overwhelming urge to get on my soapbox over this book has come over me again, so those who have suffered through this spiel already, please bear with me.
This is such a wonderfully heartfelt & humble memoir from THE pre-eminent Japanese Scholar. Keene recounts how he fell into his love for the Japanese culture & language quite by accident, but how those early events shaped the rest of his life. He describes vividly the picture of the often solitary life of a working scholar, as well as glimpses into his friendships with leading Japanese writers of the day. (writers like Mishima, Kenzaburo Oë, & Kobo Abe) His complete immersion into Japanese life & culture is really remarkable & his retelling of this life is a pure joy to read.
Not only is the prose a wonderful read, but the book is beautifully designed as well & filled with dozens of the most whimsical illustrations by the renowned Japanese artist Akira Yamaguchi. I have to say that of all the titles to come down the pike from Columbia over the past 5 or 6 years, this one is my personal favorite.

none shall pass

barnyard sentry
Topeka, IL

mare's day

Angel & Sega
(mother & son)
Topeka, IL

Saturday Night Special

My Morning Jacket - Gideon

(the boys shore doo clean up nice)

GOP hates their Mommies

this is the ridiculousness that the Republicans get up to in Congress:
(via WaPo)

On Wednesday afternoon, the House had just voted, 412 to 0, to pass H. Res. 1113, "Celebrating the role of mothers in the United States and supporting the goals and ideals of Mother's Day," when Rep. Todd Tiahrt (R-Kan.), rose in protest.

"Mr. Speaker, I move to reconsider the vote," he announced.

It has long been the custom to compare a popular piece of legislation to motherhood and apple pie. Evidently, that is no longer the standard. Worse, Republicans are now confronted with a John Kerry-esque predicament: They actually voted for motherhood before they voted against it.

it's not like there are any pressing issues these days for Congress to consider.
(hello, anyone remember Iraq? FISA?)
thinkprogress has more details, plus video!!
TGIF, indeed...

never, ever.....ever

Cindy McCain again refusing to release her tax returns.

this is pretty outrageous considering the tizzy that the Republicans whipped themselves into back in 2004 when Theresa Heinz Kerry refused to release her tax returns.
here's the NYT Ed Board taking McCain to task last week:

The portrait of Mr. McCain's finances is particularly skimpy because his wife, Cindy McCain, has chosen not to make her separate tax returns available. Mrs. McCain, the daughter of a multimillionaire Anheuser-Busch distributor, is not the candidate, but the need to gain public trust and to air potential conflicts of interest is vital. Four years ago, we urged Teresa Heinz Kerry, the wealthy wife of the 2004 Democratic nominee, to release her tax returns.

There is no question that Mr. McCain benefits from his wife's money, including his low-cost use during the campaign of a corporate jet owned by a company headed by Mrs. McCain.

(h/t huffpo)

humpday interlude

My Morning Jacket - Wordless Chorus

kill. me. now. ...

please.

all but over

the Dem. primary is finally all but over. Obama won big in NC & only lost bt 2% in IN, in the latest night yet in this primary season. now it is only up to Hillary to bow out gracefully. news this morning is that she has canceled all public appearances today & has loaned her campaign over $6.4 million more. not a good sign in any light. keep your eyes peeled today, it's sure to be interesting on many levels.

one good thing about late night political coverage is that the pundits have alot of time to fill & tend to let their guards down as the night progresses & fatigue sets in. on MSNBC last night Tweety & Timmeh admitted that they (the MSM) have been giving McCAin a pass as the focus has been soley on the fight between Obama & Clinton. something many of us have been pointing out for some time now. (C&L has the clip here)

Obama wins NC

& wins big. are we there yet?

OMG!...MBV in NA!

okay, that sound you just heard was me screaming like a giddy school girl, as I just learned that My Bloody Valentine has announced their North American tour dates.
here's the announcement & schedule via pitchfork:

09-22 New York, NY - Roseland
09-23 New York, NY - Roseland
09-25 Toronto, Ontario - Ricoh
09-27 Chicago, IL - Aragon Ballroom
09-30 San Francisco, CA - The Concourse
10-01 Los Angeles, CA - Santa Monica Civic
10-02 Los Angeles, CA - Santa Monica Civic

& in case you need a reminder ...

(but you really shouldn't)
tickets for the Chicago show go on sale this Sat. @ 11am

Panderer's Box via TDS

hmmm, looks like Hillary borrowed Fred Thompson's red
pick-em-up truck in Indiana. see, she's totally one of us.

firehouse, NYC

free radicals

much, too much has been made of Obama's tenuous association w/former Weather Underground member Bill Ayers. However, the MSM has dutifully ignored John McCain'smuch closer ties to another 70's radical... namely G. Gordon Liddy. As McCain scolded Obama: "I think not only a repudiation but an apology for ever having anything to do with an unrepentant terrorist is due the American people."
of course, that is unless the tables are turned.

Liddy spent more than 4 years in prison for his role in the 1972 Watergate burglary. That was just one element of what Liddy did, and proposed to do, in a secret White House effort to subvert the Constitution. Far from repudiating him, McCain has embraced him.

Last November, McCain went on his radio show. Liddy greeted him as "an old friend," and McCain sounded like one. "I'm proud of you, I'm proud of your family," he gushed. "It's always a pleasure for me to come on your program, Gordon, and congratulations on your continued success and adherence to the principles and philosophies that keep our nation great."
Liddy was in the thick of the biggest political scandal in American history—and one of the greatest threats to the rule of law. He has said he has no regrets about what he did, insisting that he went to jail as "a prisoner of war."

(via Chicago Tribune)

of course just like the Rev. Hagee connection, there is the standard blackout on this in much of the MSM. kudos to the Trib for at least printing it. fat chance that it catches fire anywhere else.

Brian Cox @ TED

prepare to get your science geek on as Dr. Brian Cox talks about the work being done on the Large Hadron Collider at CERN. head on over to the TED site for hours of more & varied talks by a variety of speakers from over the years. brilliant stuff.

Obama on MTP

this is a great clip from today's Meet The Press, wherein Barack Obama cuts through the Gas Tax Holiday hokum proposed by both Hillary & McSame. no one, except the oil companies, benefits from this. I sincerely hope that the general public is not falling for this scam.

hoodoo guru

this story from yesterday's Kentucky Derby is just tragic & heartbreaking:

"The cheers for the winner's 4 3/4-length victory were cut short when Eight Belles, the runner-up, collapsed while galloping out near the second turn. She broke her two front ankles and was euthanized on the track minutes later."

but then when you discover this little tidbit, it just gets too darn creepy:

'Hillary Clinton last week put her money on Eight Belles to win the race:

"I hope that everybody will go to the derby on Saturday and place just a little money on the filly for me," Sen. Clinton told supporters in Jeffersonville, Ind., ABC News reports. "I won't be able to be there this year - my daughter is going to be there and so she has strict instructions to bet on Eight Belles."'

did you all just feel the hairs on the back of your neck stand up? yeah, me too.
(if I were a betting man, I certainly wouldn't wager on Hillary)

Saturday Night Special

the Jam - Going Underground

NYC morning

W 73 & Broadway