Man WIth Subtitles - (Video)

Shades of Monty Python! This is a very clever video.

Subtitled Man - watch more funny videos

"Joe The Plumber" Advocates Assassination

Everybody's friend, "Joe the Plumber" is really getting gutsy. In a video posted by ThinkProgress.org, he advocates assassination of members of Congress who in his words, "talk about our military in a poor way".

I think that is called a "terroristic threat" especially when it concerns an elected official. Maybe the Secret Service or FBI needs to monitor this jerk a little bit closer.

Clean Coal Ad From The Coen Brothers

The oxymoronic expression "clean coal" has got to be one of the oddest re-branding efforts in history. The Coen Brothers directed this biting satire:

Kenneth From 30 Rock - Bobby Jindal - Seperated at Birth?

The title speaks for itself!

Bobby Jindal - Sad, Lame Response To Obama's Speech

If you look up "lame" in Wikipedia, I suspect there is a photo of Bobby Jindal. His GOP response to the Obama speech was about as amateurish and tired a piece of rhetoric as I have ever heard - and I've heard a lot of them!

It was a tired rehash of the "government can't do anything" that has been the Republican mantra for years. The problem is, back when the GOP was running the government, they tried to prove that point. The government is actually pretty good at a lot of things and unfortunately those are precisely what Bobby targeted.

A state that was devastated by a natural disaster would seem to be a state where people understood the value of things like monitoring nature. Without the Hurricane Prediction Center, Louisiana would have been even worse off with Katrina. That's why scoffing at spending money to monitor volcanoes seems silly. Of course we need to monitor them, and considering that there are several large US cities like Seattle and Portland who live in the shadow of very large volcanoes we absolutely should spend $140 million to monitor them!

He also tried to characterize $8 billion for high speed rail as an earmark. For who? Anyone who needs to travel? High Speed Rail had been far too long in coming to our country and $8 billion will only be a start for the actual cost. Here in my home town, our light-rail system cost almost $1 billion and it's just for the DFW Metroplex. That is not an earmark, it's a necessity!

Even conservatives thought it was lame. Juan Williams, conservative columnist said this.

"It came off as amateurish, and even the tempo in which he spoke was sing-songy. He was telling stories that seemed very simplistic and almost childish."

If Jindal is the great GOP hope for 2012, they are really out of ideas.

More Poison Chinese Goods! This Time It's Drywall.

Gee, it's been a while since I found a story of products from China that are poisoning Americans, but hey it's a new year!

The latest batch of tainted goods from China is that ubiquitous material , drywall. Seems we can't make enough drywall here in America (ironic statement for those who are irony impaired) so we have to import it from half way around the globe. But hey, it's cheap!

And the reason it's cheap is that it is made with substandard materials. The drywall board from China has a high sulfur content. So high that residents have noticed the smell and the following problems are happening with alarming frequency.

• Homeowners, building owners, or occupants in most cases will have seen continuous failures of their air conditioning coils, or HVAC units beyond anything normal.
  
• Homeowners, building owners, or occupants may have noticed corroded electrical wiring in their walls, in properties built, or remodeled since 2001.
  
• Homeowners, building owners or occupants may have experienced mild to severe upper respiratory problems, nose bleeds, headaches or other potentially serious medical conditions.

More on this story here on Huffington Post.

Wall Street's Bipolar Behavior

If you ever had any doubt about the bipolar nature of Wall Street, take the latest example. Last week Senator Chris Dodd mentioned the possibility of nationalization of banks and the market tumbled. This week, it looks like Citigroup will become in effect an nationalized bank and the market rallies. What gives?

My opinion is that the guys who make the trades on Wall Street are drinking way too much Starbuck's and not getting enough sleep. If they were anything but stockbrokers, they would be in treatment by now.

It is weird how our economy is influenced by a bunch of gamblers making side bets on the strength or weakness of various companies. The craps table that is the market has changed from investors, the kind of people who put money into a company because they believe it has long term potential, to slot players. These guys slam funds into whatever they think will bring a fast return and when the first pull brings up lemons, the flee for another opportunity.

Sean Penn Wins For Harvey Milk

Sean Penn won for his portrayal of Harvey Milk and it is justly deserved. His work was so convincing that watching him in the movie, I forgot he was Sean Penn and believed he was Harvey.

Glad to see him win and the film be recognized for its importance. He also gave a great shout out against the ban on gay marriage! Thank you Sean!

Oscars - Who Knew Hugh Jackman Could Dance?

Watching the Oscars tonight I was struck by one thing. Well, actually several things, so here goes.

First, Hugh Jackman can sing and dance! So not only is he a symbol of pure testosterone as Wolverine, but he is light on his feet and sings pretty well. What would be great is to actually give him a good song or medley to sing instead of the disjointed mess that featured him and Beyonce in top hat and tails. Their performances were just fine, but the musical score sounded like a record that was skipping. The songs moved from one to another without any rhyme or reason and without any sense of cleverness or skill. What a pity that the Academy Awards continue to do insipid musical numbers to celebrate the world's best music and movies. Why not get the people who do the pictures to write something for this show instead of throwing this crap together?

Second, much as I like Bruce Vilanche, he needs to stop writing the Oscars. I could phone this stuff in and he gets paid for it. Amazing!

Third, the new "format" of the awards is as ungainly and cumbersome as ever, the problem is all the stiff teleprompter readings by Hollywoods best actors doing their worst work live on TV. But maybe that is just Bruce at work again? I love you Bruce, but please!

And finally, a nod to the glamorous wardrobe this year, only a few celebs wore those, "what were they thinking" outfits. Classic good taste still can't be beat.

China's Gleaming Towers Stand Empty!

The miracle that was Beijing during the Olympics seems to be a distant dream now. The Bird's Nest stadium with it's incredible architectural design sits empty. This year there was one event scheduled for it, a soccer game whose teams decided to change venues since the 90,000 seat stadium would feel empty with the 10,000 people attracted for an average game.

The stadium built for baseball that opened last spring is being demolished to make way for a shopping center. The Aquatic Center has become a site for sound and light shows, with dancing fountains in the pool where the events took place.

Everywhere in downtown Beijing the shiny new buildings that pierce the sky may sparkle at night with computerized light shows, but during the day they are empty husks. Some have no tenants whatsoever according to an article in the Los Angeles Times.

The scene sounds like downtown Houston a few years back when the first oil bust happened. Many of the skyscrapers are literally "see through" buildings, with completed outer walls and windows but nothing inside. The Chinese boom has ended with a thud.

The sad part is that 1.5 million people were displaced from their homes to build the venues for the games. Equally as bad is the fact that many of the entrepreneurs who spearheaded these projects saw the problem approaching and simply took the money and fled the country.

I guess there are Bernie Madoffs everywhere?

Fashion Week In New York - What A Bunch Of Crap!

OK guess I gotta turn in my gay card? I just watched a video of some of the shows at this years "Fashion Week" in New York and I almost threw up. I have never seen such a pile of unmitigated crap in my life.

Let me qualify this. First the designs could have been pulled fro the pages of Vogue in 1966. Hats and dresses that would make Emilio Pucci cringe. The whole show I watched might have well have been the Braniff stewardess collection, and if you remember that you are both old and... well just old!

The day-glo fake fur coats and hats look like something rejected by the Muppets and the feedbag hat with eye holes for the model to see from reminds me of the episode of "I Love Lucy" where the girls go to France and their husbands give them gunny sacks and horse feedbags as "high-fashion" originals.

What a joke these designers are playing on the public, They dress a bunch of sickly aneorexic women up like clowns and pass it off as fashion. The critics rave, because if they don't they won't get invited to next years show and the public is told crap is genius. Sheesh!

Watch the video and try not to throw up.

Further Proof Sarah Palin Is A Jerk

If you ever needed proof that Sarah Palin was a jerk, the new biography of her, "Trailblazer" gives this interesting detail when it came to banning books. Back in 1996 she grilled the local library director about the appropriateness of certain books.

"Daddy’s Roommate," was one she felt should be hidden behind the desk and distributed only if a special request was made. According to an entry on Thinkprogress.org her campaign manager had this to say.

I found it to be a sensitive book about showing love for additional family members. I took the book to show the other council members and said I felt it was inoffensive and suggested for everyone to read it, but there were not takers. I said, ‘Sarah why don’t you take it home and read it.’ I could tell by her body language she cringed at the idea.I was shocked. It blew my mind that she wouldn’t look at it. [p. 77]

Ah, condemning something before even looking at it, true Trailblazer behavior!

Fingers Crossed

I’ve got my fingers crossed. For a lot of reasons .

First I am hoping that the economy can turn around. I know we often speak of the economy as something separate and apart from our lives, but it really is our lives, at least the way they relate to the world of commerce and finance. Until that time when we all board the Enterprise and money is no longer an issue, we will continue to be part of the economy.

Specifically the LGBT economy, and yes there really is one, has ground to a crawl just like the rest of the country. If you don’t believe me, talk to a few friends about how secure they feel in their jobs, or with their current financial position. If you are like me, you will hear the same kind of trepidation that is reflected in the stock market and on the news.

That fear is the real problem. Roosevelt was absolutely right about “nothing to fear but fear itself”. In this age of 24 hour blather that passes for news the fear meter is really ratcheted up. It is that fear that slows everything down. If you are afraid of losing your job, you pull back on spending. When you do that stores where you shop pull back on things like new orders and employees, the salon you patronize lays off a stylist, the café drops a couple of waiters, the bookstore closes and the newspaper gets fewer advertisers and sooner or later it affects you. It’s a downward spiral that is driven somewhat by big factors like tight credit and a lot by small factors like fear.

I am no Pollyanna, though I think I might look pretty good in gingham. I do not believe we can just all go out and start spending and crank up the local LGBT economy as if my magic. I do believe we can minimize the effects by being rational and perhaps turning off FOX or CNN for a while and just calm down.

There is about to be almost $800 billion flowing into the nation’s economy for projects like rebuilding roads and fixing our infrastructure. Additionally, there are plans afoot to help out people who are crushed by mortgage debt left over from the housing bubble.

It’s not going to be a quick fix, but it is a start. Getting money flowing again is what it is all about. That’s why the banks are being rescued and why automakers are working out plans to stay in business. ON a local level, we haven’t been hit as hard as many communities, but still people are in financial trouble and their problems affect us all.

The LGBT community has traditionally been in a better position to whether recessions better than our straight friends, but that was before we started having gaybies and buying homes in the suburbs. Still many LGBT people have a bit more disposable income than those with large families and the financial obligations they bring.

Why does this matter and what the heck can we do about it? Well, here is my suggestion.

First don’t be foolish. Have a prudent reserve of some kind. I once heard a figure that showed most American’s are one paycheck away from the street. Perhaps having a couple of months rent saved up is a good idea.

Second, don’t cower in fear. If you succumb to the fear the news is selling you will find yourself in a state of inertia. That does no one any good.

Third, find a way to help others. A little volunteer work goes a long way, and local LGBT service organizations are hurting from lack of donations. They can always use extra hands and that costs you nothing but a little time. You’d probably spend that time watching the news and being afraid.

Fourth, when you do spend money, patronize LGBT and LGBT friendly businesses. There are lots of them in Dallas both in the gayborhood and elsewhere.

Finally, take a few minutes to find those things in your life that really are important. I know I am often caught in a whirlwind of meaningless minor irritations that blind me to the good things that I have. A loving partner, a large family of choice, a couple of enigmatic cats, and an outlet for my creativity.

If all this sounds like a recipe to avoid depression, it is. The economy can sink or float on how we feel, and why should we let ourselves or our economy sink into depressions. As Auntie Mamie said, “Life is a banquet and most poor suckers are starving to death! “

Peanut Butter Recall Information

So many products have to be recalled from the contaminated peanut products of Peanut Corporation of America that the FDA built this widget to help you search. Enjoy!
FDA Product Recall List

Time For A Real Health Care Program

Let's talk about health care. Now there is a conversation stopper, at least in Congress. Seems no one wants to seriously approach the issue for fear of being attacked by lobbyists and the health care industry. And there is the problem. Health care has become an industry not a healing profession.

I was raised in a hospital. My father was a director of the laboratories at a local medical center and a microbiologist and hematologist. I spent much of my formative years hanging out at the lab and the hospital and seeing the work that was done there.

At that time, in the bucolic past, hospitals were concerned with healing not making money. Oh sure, they had administrators who made sure they didn't go broke, but most hospitals were supported by non-profits like denominations or charitable foundations. They concerned themselves with doing the work.

Somewhere along the way, that all changed and hospitals became big business. Now they are no longer owned or supported by the churches or charities but by large health services firms who still hide behind the charity name but in reality are in it for the bucks.

What that leaves is a big gaping hole into which millions and millions of Americans are falling, there they become, "the uninsured"! 14,000 a day are losing their insurance and that is bad news for all of us.

It's time Congress moves beyond the stimulus package and gets on with the real reform of the health care system we have in our country. It is so badly broken that we are receiving the kind of care you would expect in a third world country in many cases. We pay more for health care than almost any other developed country and get less for our money. Why? The elephant in the room is "profit".

Insurance companies spend millions to deny coverage to maximize profits. Hospitals spend millions building luxury rooms and fancy lobbies to impress the wealthy who can afford the best and latest treatment and the poor are relegated to overcrowded ER's where they often wait until they die from life threatening complications. It's all about money. If you have it, you can have good health care and if not, too bad.

It's high time our health care system got back to providing health care and got out of the business of generating profits for investors. There are better things for people to invest in.

How about this? We set up a National Health Insurance Fund. Everyone is eligible and they can either join it , the payments for this are taken out of taxes and or payrolls just like payroll tax. If they opt out, they can buy their own health insurance and deal with a private company.

All hospitals and doctors are required to accept the NHIF insurance and the government pays the going rates for care. Meanwhile, rich folk can see whatever expensive specialist they want and stay in whatever spa/hospital they want at their own expense, but those institutions will not receive any government money or tax breaks.

To facilitate the transition, the government will have to hire lots of people who will be put out of work when the private health insurance companies get out of the business.

It works for Medicare, for the Veterans Administration and for every other civilized country, why not ours. Meanwhile businesses, freed from having to provide health care can become competitive in the world market again and unions can stop having to spend funds managing health care programs thus lowering their dues. Everybody wins, but the middle men making big bucks off the poor health of Americans. I weep for them, but only a little.

Japanese Finance Minister Shows Up Blotto At Press Conference

If you wondered how bad things were for the economy of Japan, all you had to do was take a look at the Japanese Finance Minister, Shoichi Nakagawa at a press conference yesterday. I was watching Rachael Maddow's show and I didn't even have to wait for her comment to know that Mr. Nakagawa was sloshed!

The guy claimed he took an overdose of cold medicine, but I think he was drowning his sorrows at one too many Karaoke bars. Nakagawa, today resigned! Cold medicine or Johnny Walker?
You decide.

Space Debris Rains On Texas

NASA says it isn't but after having watched the space shuttle disintegrate a few years ago, this sure looks like space debris burning up in the atmosphere. My guess is it is the remnants of the Russian communications satellite and the Iridium satellite that collided over Siberia. Why NASA isn't owning up to it is a mystery, the FAA issues a warning to pilots about debris.

Watch it yourself and decide. The video is from near Austin in Williamson County.

Dubai Starts To Crumble

I love playing the game Jenga. In it players try to remove as many blocks from a stack as possible and then place them on top making the tower higher and higher. The game ends when someone pulls one too many blocks from the tower and it falls.

Well I have long thought Dubai was a big-money version of that game. The fantastic architecture and obscene lifestyles of its residents always made me nervous. I wondered when someone would pull the last block out and the whole thing would come crashing to the ground.

Cover your head, because it looks like the blocks are falling.

People from all over the world who flocked to Dubai to live the high-life are fleeing the emerate and headed home. According to a report in the TimesOnline, more than 3000 cars have been abandonded at the Dubai airport, many with keys in the ignitions. Mostly big SUV's and a few Mercedes were abandonded by foreigners buried in debt on their lavish new homes. The value of those has plumeted in recent days and the once-booming economy slowed to a snail's pace.

According to the report, Christmas was the worst day. Over a dozen abandonded cars in the parking lot of the airport that day!

Bubye Dubai!

Bush Ranks In The Top Ten WORST Presidents In History

Here's a surprise, a group of historians were asked to rank the greatest and the worst U.S. presidents in history and George W. Bush was right in there. In the bottom 10!

C-SPAN released its second Historians Survey of Presidential Leadership made by a cross-section of 65 presidential historians who ranked the 42 former occupants of the White House on ten attributes of leadership. The top? Abraham Lincoln.

Down at the bottom was, no surprise, James Buchanan. Dubbya ranked right above Millard Fillmore, number 7 from the bottom.

US Military Censors Details Of Torture Information From The President!

Seems the military has been playing lots of non-consensual games in their little dungeon at Gitmo. The problem is, other than they have been torturing people, is they are refusing to give an uncensored account of their SM games to the Commander in Chief!

For the faint at heart I will warn you to read no further.

Lawyers for Binyam Mohamed a British resident and current Guantanamo Bay detainee have been trying to prove his innocence and prove that the techniques used by the US Military were torture. The problem comes when a British High Court ruled against releasing documents describing torture techniques used against Mohamed while in U.S. custody, reportedly because the documents also prove British collaboration in his torture.

The Center For American Progress has more.

Here is the kinky part. According to a source with the London Telegraph,

The 25 lines edited out of the court papers contained details of how Mr Mohamed’s genitals were sliced with a scalpel and other torture methods so extreme that waterboarding, the controversial technique of simulated drowning, “is very far down the list of things they did,” the official said.

It's time these amateur sadists got out of the SM business and left it to real sadists like me. Guess they never heard of "safe, sane and consensual"?