Occupation of Wall Street - Haven't Heard of It? Not Surprised.

for the past several days a really grass roots effort to make a point has been going on and the media has been largely ignoring it.  A group of predominately young activists have set up camp at Liberty Square in the financial district of New York City.  Essentially they are occupying Wall Street.

Why?  Well these are the folks who stayed in school, got saddled with a load of school loans and debt and now emerge into a world where there is just not that much opportunity.  A place where the super-rich control the money and banking and the average American is just SOL.

There are people who have just awakened to the realization that our economic system is being perverted for the benefit of a few very powerful people who have gamed the system for their own purpose.  They have discovered that we are living in a 3rd world economy masquerading as the 1st world. 

Harsh assessment?  Well that is the assessment the people occupying the financial district have made and I tend to agree with them.  My fear is this is only going to get worse and I am amazed that more people haven't heard about it.  If you want to learn more and support the cause go here.

Due to media blackouts and police harassment of the media, this revolution is not being televised, so far.

Cure for Cancer? Might Just be A Virus!

Cancer research is of interest to me.  Not just because my mother died of the disease but because my father was a research scientist pursuing a cure for liver cancer.  Though his years of research did yield some interesting results, they were nothing like this.

Researchers at  Penn State College of Medicine have discovered a virus that seems to destroy cancers. Specifically they found that the virus, adeno-associated virus type 2 (AAV2) which is benign in humans is deadly to HPV a precursor to cervical cancer.  Additionally, they found that in the lab the virus destroys human breast cancer cells very efficiently.

More here on Raw Story.

Caught on Red Light Camera? CERN Finds Particle Traveling Faster than Speed of Light.

The theoretical speed limit for all things in the universe has apparently been broken.  CERN, the European Organization for Nuclear Research have clocked neutrinos traveling faster than the speed of light.


According to an AP report:

"CERN says a neutrino beam fired from a particle accelerator near Geneva to a lab 454 miles (730 kilometers) away in Italy traveled 60 nanoseconds faster than the speed of light. Scientists calculated the margin of error at just 10 nanoseconds, making the difference statistically significant. But given the enormous implications of the find, they still spent months checking and rechecking their results to make sure there was no flaws in the experiment."

If this can be verified it will change the way we understand physics and rethink the laws of nature. 

My hope is this leads to warp drive technology. Star Trek here I come!

Texas Miracle - Not So Much (VIDEO)

Two new videos from Second City. These are funny and sadly true!

Tomorrow is Sexual Freedom Day

Sept 23, 2011 is Sexual Freedom Day.  So what does that mean? 

Well here is some background.  I am a board member of the Woodhull Sexual Freedom Alliance, a non-profit human rights group founded on the principal that sexual freedom is a basic human right.  That means all people should have the following:

• Freedom to express their unique sexuality.
• Open and unrestricted access to accurate sexual education and health information.
• Freedom to make their own decisions about their bodies.
• Freedom to enjoy sexual dignity, privacy and consensual sexual expression.
• Freedom to express sexuality free from censorship, & irrational governmental policies regarding obscenity and indecency.

This is the start of what could be a long list but the point is we as a nation need to start looking at our sexuality as part of the human rights agenda.  To try to separate it is to become  bogged down in an existence of cognitive dissonance, where we try to keep separate our sexuality and the rest of our lives.  To live a full life it all has to be integrated and that means personally and in society at large.

Our nation has taken adolescent approach to sex for too long.  It is time we grew up and started being frank and honest in our discussions of sexuality and human rights. Part of the foundations mission is to provide a safe space for that discussion.

To learn more about Woodhull Sexual Freedom Alliance check out our website. 

Now what can you do for Sexual Freedom Day?  Well for starters try discussing the concept with friends.  Without dialogue, we will remain mired in our old ways and as far as sexuality is concerned, I don't want to remain an adolescent.  Come and grow up America!  Life is much more fun and fulfilling as an adult.

Ed Wood Move Over!

I am a connoisseur of awful films.  I love the bad dialogue and rotten effects of films like Ed Wood's "Plan 9 from Outer Space".  So how did I miss this one?

The Room, by actor-writer-director-producer Tommy Wiseau came out back in 2003 and not surprisingly I missed it.  Having seen a few clips, I have to say this is first rate schlock.  This film takes wooden acting to new levels, and it's $6 million budget must be a high mark for bad movies.  Watch this scene on a rooftop which is one of the highlights of the movie. (Warning, it is painful to watch)



It's no Robo Geisha, but it comes damned close!

Ben & Jerry's Introduces Schweddy Balls Ice Cream

Alec Baldwin's character on SNL gets his own flavor of Ben & Jerry's.  Check out the new flavor, Schweddy Balls, here.

Gamers Solve HIV Mystery Scientists Could Not

Score one for the geeks in Mom's basement playing games.  Apparently they figured out how a key protein is structured in HIV by playing a game. From a story in PC Magazine:

"Using an online game called Foldit, players were able to predict the structure of a protein called retroviral protease, an enzyme that plays a critical role in the way HIV multiplies. Unlocking the build of the protein could theoretically aid scientists in developing drugs that would stop protease from spreading.

Developed by researchers at the University of Washington, Foldit turns scientific problems into competitive games. Players were charged with using spatial and critical thinking skills to build 3D models of protease. Few of these players had any kind of background in biochemistry. "

Better living through gaming?  

Motorcyclist Who Was Saved by Bystanders Thanks Them in Video

Why the Tea Party Must be Defeated

Not to raise the alarm, but the whole Tea Party mess is really just conservatism in disguise. These folk hate government of any kind and government programs, at least on the surface. If they have their way, you can count on every function of the government being affected, especially social programs, civil rights and education. Don't believe me? Watch this compilation of quotes from Tea Party darlings in congress and state government. Pay particular attention to Rick Perry's statements.

Wonder Why Palin Hasn't Declared as a Candidate? New Book Might Reveal Why.

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

Bullied by Gays - Tragic Stories of Straight Kids Pain

With all the attention on bullying it is about time someone looked at the problem of straight youth being bullied by LGBT kids.  The site, Bulliedbygays.com tracks these tragic cases. Take time to visit and read the list of names.

Anti-Rick Perry Attack Ad That Never Aired...Until Now!

Kay Bailey Hutchison had this ad produced and it never aired.  This needs to flood the internet and let everyone know how corrupt and rotten Rick Perry is.

Rick Perry Lies Again - Took Much More Than $5000 from Merck

Perry's pants are on fire again. This time from his response to Michele Bachmann in the Tea Party Debate.  He claimed to have only gotten $5000 from pharma company Merck. The same company who manufactured the HPV vaccine he mandated for all Texas pre-teenage girls.  Though the intent may have been honorable, his claim that he only took $5000 from Merck is not.  It is a lie.

Perry received at least $23,500 from Merck and the company also gave $500,000 to the Republican Governors Association, a group Rick Perry headed two times and has been the recipient of cash from that group.

Perry shares a pillow in bed with Merck and that fact may be his undoing in the primary.  Of course it wouldn't be the first time Republicans ignored less than ethical ties with businesses, but at least it has put a bump in the road to the election for the big-haired boy from Texas.

Vacation Plans - Avoid Iran, Uganda, Saudi Arabia & Belize?

Most folks know how dangerous it is to be LGBT in countries like Uganda where lawmakers are constantly trying to pass a law proscribing the death penalty for "aggravated homosexuality".  Iran recently hanged three men for the crime of "lavat" or sex between men.  Considering the sex in question was consensual it is particularly disturbing news.  And Saudi Arabia, well it's no surprise that being gay there is not a good thing, but Belize?  The sleepy little coastal Central American nation has long been a tourist destination for US travelers, however a little research shows that Belize criminalizes homosexuality.

In an interview in the Guardian, Belize Minister of Works, Anthony "Boots" Martinez is quoted as saying:

"My position is that God never placed anything on me for me to look at a man and jump on a man. I'll be clear on it … How would you decriminalise that, I am sorry, but that is law. Not only is the law made by man, that is a law made from the Bible. Why you think God made a man and a woman, man has what woman wants, and woman has what man wants, it's as simple as that. I'll fight tooth and nail to keep that law."

 So next time you think about spending some time on the beach, consider Key West or South Beach.

DFW Sets Record For HEAT!

We're number one!  Well at least for the number of days over 100° F.  Back in 1980 I thought the summer could never get hotter.  That year we had 68 days of 100°+ weather but this year we broke the record.  Today will mark the 69th 100°+ day and counting.  I expect to see at least a couple of more before we cool down into the 90's.

More troubling is the overnight low temperatures.  Not only did we have a record number of highs, but the low temperature sometimes never dropped below the 80's and that will add toward making 2011 the hottest year on record for DFW and most of the country.  According to some reports parts of the country haven't had heat this bad in 140 years of reporting.

Now the question is, what is causing it?  Well, even though our kicked-in-the-head idiot Governor doesn't believe it, man-made factors contributing to global warming are the most likely cause of the trend.  Meanwhile, the power companies are playing blackmail games by threatening to shut down plants if they don't get laxer emissions regulations. 

The coal burning power industry has seen the handwriting on the wall for decades and has refused to modernize or innovate with any real results.  Our power companies have reluctantly moved into wind and solar, but lacking a real kick in the butt, they will continue to pollute, since it makes the most profit in the short term. 

Meanwhile, I am enjoying the soul searing heat and trying to decide how best to landscape in sand and desert plants.  I get the feeling we are seeing a desertification of our state, and it will not be pretty, especially for agriculture.  Good thing we built that new bridge over the Trinity, of course that river might just dry up before long.

Batch of New Exoplanets Discovered

Really nifty story about the search for new planets, including one that is at the right distance from its star  to support liquid water.

Perry Looks Lame During Debate

I only watched a few moments of the "Tea Bagger Debate" last night, but that's all it took to see that Rick Perry is not looking as good as he did.  As I suspected the more you know about him the less appealing he looks, even to the "true believers" at the debate.

When Michele Bachmann hammered him on the HPV vaccine issue, saying  he forced vaccinations for teenage girls because the vaccine maker, Merck donated to Perry's campaign, all he could do was get indignant.

"It was a $5,000 contribution that I had received from them. I raise about $30 million. And if you’re saying that I can be bought for $5,000, I’m offended.”

Bachmann snapped back, "Well, I’m offended for all the little girls and the parents that didn’t have a choice.”

Perry was pretty much on the defensive all night.

Meanwhile the crowd showed its true colors when Wolf Blitzer posed the hypothetical question whether a very sick 30-year-old man who had refused to get health insurance should be left to die. The Tea Baggers began shouting "Yeah!"

I was horrified and turned the television off.  If that is the kind of citizen who supports the GOP, then the Republican Party has lost any shred of soul it may have had.  As my grandfather once said, "if I ever touched the polling lever for the Republicans, it would burn my fingers." Amen Mr. Rambo, Amen!

Michele Bachmann Says the Darndest Things!

Sometimes I forget how absolutely crazy Michele Bachmann is. How the hell did she get elected?

Arctic Sea Ice at Lowest Levels Recorded

Directly from a report from the Universityof Bremen:

Alerting message from the Arctic: The extent the the Arctic sea ice has reached on Sep. 8
with 4.240 million km2 a new historic minimum (Figure 1). Physicists of the University of
Bremen now confirm the apprehension existing since July 2011 that the ice melt in the Arctic
could further proceed and even exceed the previous historic minimum of 2007. It seems to be
clear that this is a further consequence of the man-made global warming with global
consequences. Directly, the livelihood of small animals, algae, fishes and mammals like polar
bears and seals is more and more reduced.

 The full abstract of the report is here.  Also interesting is that CNN reported this without any caveats or weasel words.  The press may be finally getting behind what science has been saying all along.  Global warming is real and it is caused by man.  Now what are we going to do about it?

GOP Debate - Condensed Version

Buzzfeed has this great compilation of the talking points at the recent GOP debate.  Sound familiar?

New Picture of Saturn

The universe is more beautiful and amazing than we can imagine.  This new picture of Saturn from the Cassini Probe looking back toward the Sun is so beautiful it looks artificial, but it is not.  Enjoy and be awestruck.

In the Company of Men

After spending the weekend at the Utah Rebellion, a men's leather gathering in Salt Lake City of all place, I really appreciate spending time with my leather brothers.  Though not all of the men at the gathering were gay, some were bi and even straight, I do sincerely appreciate having the time with the guys.

That special camaraderie and intimacy leatherman can share, and I am talking about in public not private, is very special.  There is a bond that makes me feel like I am with family.  They are the brothers I never had, they are the comrades in arms I never experienced.  My leather brothers can exchange big bear hugs without a second thought.  Equally they can be mischievous rabble-rousers and can joke about almost anything.  No matter how caustic their comments you know it is meant in the spirit of fun.  These are all guys who would come to the aid of a fellow leatherman and never ask questions.  They are buddies with benefits.  They are witty yet coarse, cerebral yet physical.

Spending tie with them makes me feel more part of the community than doing any kind of activism or service.  Just hangin' with the guys feels great.

I was recently asked to define leather for an article being written for publication.  I found myself at a loss, but I can tell you now that to spend the weekend in the company of leathermen you will know it when you see it.  You will know it when you experience it.

Thanks to everyone in Salt Lake City who made my stay so much fun!

9-11 Security Theater

This film by Joe Hollier really sums up the exact points I have made many times before.  He does it with wit and clarity and it bears watching every time you consider how many freedoms we have given up in the name of security.  I was terrified on 9-11.  That fact meant the terrorists did their job and it worked.  They created terror and in the wake of that terror we willingly sacrificed far to many freedoms, far to much money and far too many of our military.  Watch and think about it.

Security Theater from joehollier on Vimeo.

Prostitots - Kiddie Beauty Contest Kids Dressed Like Hookers

And we wonder why our culture sexualizes children?

StoryCorps Animation - 9/11 Stories

It is not often that a piece of animation will make you cry, but this StoryCorps interview set to animated images is very moving.

High School Students Confront Fred Phelps Cult - With Song!

This story made be feel great. I wish things had been this way when I was in high school. It is a sure sign things are getting better.

When the Kansas hate group known as the Westboro Baptist Church announced they would picket Bay Area schools and Jewish institutions, students at Gunn High School decided they could not sit by quietly. Learn more and get involved: http://www.niot.org .

Flash Mob for Trevor Project in LA

I love these things!  Great fun and get a lot of attention.  This one is for the Trevor Project and happened at Universal Studios CityWalk in Los Angeles.



And for more information about the teen suicide and the Trevor Project watch this informative video as well. Far too many LGB youth are at risk of suicide - 4 times more likely than their straight counterparts.

Paige Elliott Phoenix - Transgender Performer Has The X Factor - Australia

Thanks to Towleroad for finding this clip. Really cool video clip of Paige Elliott Phoenix on X Factor Australia. He comes out about his transition from female to male just prior to knocking the judges over with his great performance.

Happy Labor Day - Time to Thank Unions for What They Have Given America

Contrary to the crap the Tea Party will tell you we have lots to be thankful in this country for unions.  Here are a few examples:

1. Unions Gave Us The Weekend: Even the ultra-conservative Mises Institute notes that the relatively labor-free 1870, the average workweek for most Americans was 61 hours — almost double what most Americans work now. Yet in the late nineteenth century and the twentieth century, labor unions engaged in massive strikes in order to demand shorter workweeks so that Americans could be home with their loved ones instead of constantly toiling for their employers with no leisure time. By 1937, these labor actions created enough political momentum to pass the Fair Labor Standards Act, which helped create a federal framework for a shorter workweek that included room for leisure time.

2. Unions Helped End Child Labor: “Union organizing and child labor reform were often intertwined” in U.S. history, with organization’s like the “National Consumers’ League” and the National Child Labor Committee” working together in the early 20th century to ban child labor. The very first American Federation of Labor (AFL) national convention passed “a resolution calling on states to ban children under 14 from all gainful employment” in 1881, and soon after states across the country adopted similar recommendations, leading up to the 1938 Fair Labor Standards Act which regulated child labor on the federal level for the first time.

3. Unions Won Widespread Employer-Based Health Coverage: “The rise of unions in the 1930′s and 1940′s led to the first great expansion of health care” for all Americans, as labor unions banded workers together to negotiate for health coverage plans from employers. In 1942, “the US set up a National War Labor Board. It had the power to set a cap on all wage increases. But it let employers circumvent the cap by offering “fringe benefits” – notably, health insurance.” By 1950, “half of all companies with fewer than 250 workers and two-thirds of all companies with more than 250 workers offered health insurance of one kind or another.”

4. Unions Spearheaded The Fight For The Family And Medical Leave Act: Labor unions like the AFL-CIO federation led the fight for this 1993 law, which “requires state agencies and private employers with more than 50 employees to provide up to 12 weeks of job-protected unpaid leave annually for workers to care for a newborn, newly adopted child, seriously ill family member or for the worker’s own illness.”

So next vacation or next weekend even, sau thank you to a union member for giving you the day off!

Inflatable Airplane from the 1950's - Video

What an awesome idea and cockamamie at the same time.  Pity this one never become commercially viable.

More Rick Perry Gay Rumors - This time NAMES!

An article in the San Francisco Gate contained this blog post by one of their contributors.  Watch it and then let me know if you or someone you know has had sex with Rick Perry.  That rent boy is out there somewhere!

American Family Association - Re-criminalize Homosexuality

Why the American Family Association, a recognized hate group, is still getting press is beyond me.  Now these bigots are calling for the reinstatement of sodomy laws!  This kind of crap is one of the biggest arguments against "states rights".  That phrase is code for just plain discrimination.  AFA would hae us living in a nation divided by modern day versions of Jim Crow Laws, but this time they would be against LGBT people.  Don't believe me, watch this:

Catholic Priest Calls Homosexuality Evil in Full Page Newspaper Ad

Found this on JoeMyGod.com, a wonderful blog.  Seems a Catholic priest in El Paso has decided to use his parish budget to take out a full page ad in the El Paso Times to condemn homosexuality.  As amazed as I am at the whole hypocrisy of the idea of an institution rife with child molesters and very sick closet cases trying to make moral pronouncements, the tone of the missive is particularly un-Christlike.

"Engaging in depraved and unnatural sexual acts will lead directly to the ruin of both the homosexual's body and soul," [Father Michael] Rodriguez writes. "Our very anatomy cries out against the lie that homosexual acts are 'ok.'" Rodriguez closes his screed by saying we live in a "godless society" that condones homosexuality. "Reflect, first there are (a) individuals committing mortal sins of a homosexual nature; next, evil extends its tentacles to (b) society as a whole accepting homosexual and homosexual activity as 'normal"; and finally, iniquity's victory is all but sealed when (c) laws are enacted which impose the putrid homosexual ideology on everyone, while those who, rightfully resist it, are ridiculed, attacked, and persecuted..."

 Luckily  Joe also included Father Rodriguez contact information.

Bachmann Sees Messages From God in Earthquake & Hurricane

A person's faith is one thing, but when a politician starts making prophetic announcements like the recent earthquake and hurricane are messages from God about Washington policy, I really draw the line.

Michele Bachmann has actually come out and said that the recent natural disasters are "warnings from God" that politicians need to change their policy.

"I don't know how much God has to do to get the attention of the politicians. We've had an earthquake; we've had a hurricane. He said, 'Are you going to start listening to me here?'"

This is the kind of politics that I would be less surprised to see in the Middle-East coming from a fundamentalist Islamic leader than from an American politician.  Once again, this demonstrates how much alike the right-wing in this country and the Islamic radicals in the Middle-East really are.

Crazy eyes indeed.

Jet Ski in the Streets of Newark

Courteous jet skier pulls over to let Truck pass in Newark, NJ after Irene. 

Shipping Something About The Size of a Human Body?

A great video from FedEx. Enjoy.

Jedi Kitties! Too Cute Video of the Day.

Thanks Malcolm for finding this, it made my day a little brighter.  I love kitten puppetry! (humane)

Rabbi Blames Quake on Gays

OK, I admit I got punked by the story about Pat Robertson blaming Metrosexuals for the quake,(thanks Tim for catching this) but this one checks out.

Rabbi Yehuda Levin, an ally of the National Organization for Marriage who last month blamed the murder of an 8-year-old Brooklyn boy on the passage of marriage equality in NY, has posted a new video in which he claims yesterday's earthquake on the east coast was because God is angry about homosexuality.

Says Levin: "We saw today an earthquake. The Jerusalem Talmud tells us that one of the reasons that God brings earthquakes to the world is because of the transgressions of homosexuality. The Talmud states, 'You have shaken your male member in a place where it doesn't belong. I too, will shake the earth.'"

 The YouTube video that accompanied the article was removed from YouTube for hate speech.

Rick Perry Lies - Watch The Video!

Hurricane Irene - Be Prepared! Video From FEMA

Roger Williams Sees Welfare Recipients as Livestock

I am not making this up.  I suspect he was trying to use donkeys as a metaphor for the Democratic party, but his dialogue seems directed specifically at the kind of "welfare queen" myth that Regan started.  Williams sees the poor and those in need of government help as donkeys and he figures his supporters will as well.  This is outrageous class warfare stuff and I thing the GOP knows exactly who they are targeting, the base and in this case the bigots.

Don't Think BDSM is a Sexual Minority? Think Again.

For folks who labor under the illusion that their sexual proclivities toward BDSM do not make them a sexual minority, this is a wake up call.  Sex in almost any form is still a big taboo in this puritan country.  Take the case of the chancellor of the University of Northern Virginia.  David Lee looks pretty good for someone 63 years old, and he is still very sexually active including various BDSM activities in his life.

Unfortunately, being a little indiscreet and posting a picture of yourself flexing on the internet is enough to get you into a brouhaha of epic proportions. David and his partner Regina Biscoe posted pictures of themselves and their home dungeon online where they were discovered by snooping press folks and voila a scandal!

Lee resigned his post over the incident which quite frankly has nothing to do with his performance as chancellor or anything else other than his sexual preferences. It's time we grew up as a nation and took a mature attitude toward people's sexuality.  The continued use of consensual sexual behaviors as leverage by the press or others to cause a scandal is just plain juvenile.

Puritanical attitudes toward sex in this country drive politics and policy that should have nothing to do with what is essentially private behavior.  It's time we began understanding that what happens between consensual adults is not news. 

The only exception I make to this is when the person or persons engaged in these activities is activley working to deny the rights of other sexual minorities.  Now that is a cause for outrage and scandal, not for their sexual behavior but their hypocrisy. 

Orthodox Rabbis Play Lesbian/Gay Matchmakers - Oy Vey!

In an announcement that seems more like something out of a very cruel and twisted sitcom, Orthodox Rabbi Arale Harel has started a matchmaking service.  Unlike Dolly Levi, the Rabbi is pairing up gay men and lesbians so they can procreate, with the caveat that they will seek conversion therapy.  The service is for "religious homosexuals and lesbians"and is thankfully available only in Israel for now.


Oy vey!

The Great Texas Desert?

That is what it seems like here in Dallas this year.  After 56 days of 100+ temperatures and no end in sight it is a valid question, "is Texas becoming a desert?"

I did a little digging and found that the Chihuahuan Desert in South West Texas gets just under 17 inches of rainfall on average and though this is far more than some other spots in Texas, the amount of water that evaporates from the area far exceeds the rainfall (evapotranspiration), thus the desert conditions. This year in Dallas we have had only a little over 20 inches of rain and none in the forecast.  That puts us over 11 inches behind our yearly average.

Though in Dallas this year we had a wet spring, right now the primary color of the landscape is brown.  My grass is a nice crispy tan and most likely will stay that way until the fall.  It makes me wonder if I shouldn't pull out the lawn and out in a rock garden like the folks in Las Vegas do.  No water needed, and the desert plants  used for landscaping do just fine even through a few harsh winters. 

Maybe we could just add a few casinos and become the entertainment capital of the South?

Uganda May Push Forward with Anti-Homosexuality Bill

Despite the rumors that the Uganda "anti-Homosexual" bill was dead, it looks like the Ugandan Parliament is pushing forward with it. This law would be deadly to many Ugandan LGBT people and has been uniformly condemned by most developed countries in the world.  Sadly, a group of right-wing evangelicals in this country have helped move this bill forward.

Pukkelpop Festival Storm Disaster

At the Pukkelpop festival in Belgium last night a very intense storm wreaked havoc on the concert goers and campers.  A stage collapse, reminiscent of the Indiana State Fair disaster last week, and reportedly 5 people were killed.  This video clip shows a band onstage performing to rain soaked crowds, when debris from the storm gust front begins pelting the stage.  As it begins to hail, concert goers and performers flee.  Not a good place to be in a big storm.  Why the concert continued is a mystery to me.  Guess Belgium doesn't get severe storms?  Sad and very scary event. The remainder of the 3-day festival has been cancelled.

The Texas Miracle? Not So Much.

The Texas Miracle, that's the phrase you will be hearing more and more of in coming months as our Governor Rick Perry makes his run for the White House.  The whole "miracle" thing makes for a catchy political phrase, but there is no miracle going on here in Texas. 
You will hear Perry point to how great Texas has fared during the recession, but you will never hear him say we still have higher unemployment than 25 other states including New York, most of New England and  our neighbors to the north, Oklahoma.  Nor will you hear Governor Perry relate how much of the employment in our Miracle State is in low paying jobs.  37% of the jobs created in the past year are at or below minimum wage.  The Texas miracle for jobs?   Well, we lead the nation in minimum wage earners - 550,000 of them to be precise.

And the climate for business in Texas, it's terrific unless you want an educated work force.  Out of all 50 states we rank number 41 for jobs requiring a post-secondary education.  Luckily, Perry and the Texas legislature are cutting an additional $2 billion from the state education budget.  I guess that is being done to attract more low-tech companies or perhaps just to put us on a level playing field with a 3rd world country.

But hey, we have lower taxes than most other states!  So, the rich can keep even more money and the poor, well they will have more to spend on things like health care.  Now in health care we top the list, the list of most people without health insurance.  A whopping 26.9% of Texans have no health coverage.  It's a miracle we don't have more considering Rick Perry's attitude on government spending.
Meanwhile as an LGBT Texan, I would like to relate to you the Miracle Worker's positions on a few points salient to our community.
Take a look at the basics, like our state's Sodomy Law (2106).  Well, Perry says, “I think our law is appropriate that we have on the books," to heck with the Supreme Court, whom he dismisses as “nine oligarchs in robes".  Every time proposals to expunge the law have been put forward, he has declined to support any of them.

He even criticized the federal hate crimes law for including LGBT people saying that President Obama overstepped his authority by “making homosexuality a protected class”.  Tell that to any of the hundreds of Texans who have been victims of gay bashing.  I suspect they would all be delighted to be part of a protected class, considering they were attacked strictly because of their sexual orientation.

He also comes down squarely against same-sex marriage.  "Gay marriage is not fine with me," Perry said in an interview Tony Perkins of the Family Research Council.  If you will remember that group was recently classified as a hate group by the Southern Poverty Law Center.  Nice folks, and the same ones Governor Perry palled around with during his prayer day extravaganza in Houston.  So if you are gay or lesbian and you want to marry, Perry suggests, “…if there’s a state that has more lenient views than Texas, then maybe that’s a better place for them to live.”

Well, Governor Perry, as one of "them" let me tell you something and since I understand you didn't do very well in college,  I will put this in simple language even you can understand.

I have lived in Texas all my life, and I am not about to move and relinquish my state to a wise-cracking hate-mongering empty suit like you.  I know lots of the people you so flippantly dismissed as "them" and I will let all my gay and lesbian, bisexual and trangender and straight brothers and sisters know just the kind of man you are. In fact I encourage them to let all their friends on Facebook and Twitter know this as well.  I will be damned if I will see your intolerant and ignorant face in Washington as anything but a tourist, and personally I would be just as happy if it was you who left Texas.  Now that would really be a miracle!

America Spreads It's Craziness to Australia

Fundamentalists are not content to spread their brand of crazy here in the US.  Now they are going overseas to let people know just how intolerant and psychotic their faith is.  Sorry Australia, she somehow escaped from the asylum.

The Folks Rick Perry Prays With

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

Brand New Hotel to be Imploded in Las Vegas

MGM Resorts has requested permission to demolish the still unopened Harmon Tower in the City Center complex.  Construction defects found altered plans for the 49 story hotel and it was topped out at 27 floors.

The company is in litigation with the construction contractors Perini Building Company who says they can fix the structural problems.  Clarke County is considering the request.  

Of the many hotels that have been imploded in Las Vegas to make way for bigger and newer properties, I would guess this is the first one that was demolished before a paying guest even set foot on the property.  Know when to hold 'em and know when to fold 'em or in this case implode them!

S&P Downgrade Proves Boon for US Treasuries

As I suspected the S&P downgrade had little to do with real economics and more to do with politics and retaliation for being hauled before Congress.  Though the Ratings agency lowered US Treasury ratings to AA+ from AAA, the market for those bonds is stronger than ever. 

Motivation becomes the real question for their downgrade, and I am still banking on the whole revenge aspect.  What is even stranger is their upgrade of China.  Read more at Bloomberg.

10 Things You Need to Know About Rick Perry

The Twisted Logic of Rick Perry

In a desperate attempt to cover the fact that most of th4e jobs Perry claims to have created in Texas were at or below minimum wage, he made this amazing statement.

"How many times have you heard the story about a minimum-wage worker who made their way up to upper management? The mail room employee who eventually ended up running the company?"

He spouted this tripe at the National Conference of State Legislatures last week. 

By making a statement so grossly over general, he might as well have been saying, "how many times have you heard the story of a child born in the US who ended up running a company?"  He is just plain ridiculous.

The Insanity of Eugenics is Still With Us

As a fan of Star Trek I am familiar with the whole "Eugenics War" concept.  The idea was that mankind began trying to breed a superior race of humans by selective breeding. If the idea sounds familiar, it might be because the Nazis tried it with the whole "Master Race" thing, but what a lot of people don't realize is that Eugenics is not a foreign concept.

Back in 1898 there was a world's exposition held in Omaha, Nebraska of all places.  The Trans-Mississippi Exposition was a grand affair that featured exhibits from around the country and across the globe.  Much of the entertainment was provided by ethnic exhibits of strange peoples from far off lands, however one of the exhibits featured the idea of "better families" for a better future.  The exhibit showed how superior breeding could result in superior human beings.  The term Eugenics had yet to be coined.

Several scientists were working on the idea of selective breeding of human beings around the turn of the 19th century.  The idea caught on and states began enacting Eugenics Laws which prohibited anyone who was "epileptic, imbecile or feeble-minded" from marrying or in some cases undergo forced sterilization.

Sadly these grotesque laws stayed on the books well into the 20th century in some states.  Not surprisingly, much of their implementation was racially motivated.

Case in point, Elaine Riddick of North Carolina who had an unplanned pregnancy at 13 and after delivering the baby was forcibly sterilized on the ruling of the Eugenics Board of the State of North Carolina in 1968.  Today she is fighting for compensation for this inhuman act.  She was deemed "feeble minded" and given no choice in the operation. 

So the next time you hear the word "eugenics" or see some story about the inhumanity of the Nazis and their selective breeding, pause for a moment to remember that they were not acting alone, and that our country participated in that same kind of "human experimentation".  Seeking to create a master race, whether by decree of some megalomaniac dictator or by scientists is equally misguided.  Natural selection as far as human beings are concerned has worked very well for thousands of years, and tinkering with it has been shown to produce some pretty bad results.

Another Anti-Gay Republican Caught in Gay Sex For Money Scandal!

Is this even news? Yes, when it is a man who voted against LGBT rights issues and specifically voted for a constitutional amendment to ban same-sex marriage. 

Meet Indiana state Representative Phillip Hinkle (R). He responded to a Craigslist ad and offered a young man $80 plus tip to spend "a couple of hours of your time" at the Marriott hotel.  His tip was to be $50-$60 for a "really good time".

Furthermore in an article in the Indy Star, the object of the Representatives affections was offered an iPad, BlackBerry cellphone and $100 cash to keep quiet.

Ah family values at work again.  Family Values = cheat on spouse, pay for gay sex, try to cover it up, deny it in the media.

Colbert Super PAC Strikes a First and Hilarious Blow!

Stephen Colbert is actually producing ads for the Iowa Straw Poll. His choice for GOP candidate...Rick Parry. (With an "A") Write in's that are misspelled are tossed out. Nice work Mr. Colbert! I salute you!

Banning Books Still Booming in US

OK, pardon the alliterative headline, sometimes I just get carried away.  The story is far from amusing, though.

The school district in Republic, Montana has declared that Kurt Vonnegut's novel "Slaughterhouse-Five" was unsuitable for high-school students because, and I quote, "they teach principles contrary to the Bible". 

Let that sink in a while. 

The last time I checked we still have a constitutionally mandated separation of Church and State, so just because a book runs "contrary to the Bible" should make no difference.  Yes, it is violent and brutal and thought provoking, and just the kind of story that will catch a teenagers interest and actually make him or her THINK!

Of course the good folks in Republic don't want their kids thinking, that might lead to actual intelligence and God forbid they develop that! 

It seems to me that God's gift of our wonderful brains should be used and developed, not wasted and allowed to rot.  I seem to remember something in the Bible itself about that.

S&P Downgrade - Retribution for Congressional Scrutiny?

Unless you live under a rock, you know about the credit downgrade by Standard and Poors of the US credit rating.  We dropped from AAA to AA+.  Not surprisingly they gave one reason which specifically blames the GOP.

Compared with previous projections, our revised base case scenario now assumes that the 2001 and 2003 tax cuts, due to expire by the end of 2012, remain in place. We have changed our assumption on this because the majority of Republicans in Congress continue to resist any measure that would raise revenues, a position we believe Congress reinforced by passing the [debt ceiling] act.

Now if you watch Fox News you will never see this quote, and though I do believe it was brought on mainly because of the insane debates over raising the debt ceiling I also thing it is a little pay-back from S&P.  They were hauled in before a Senate subcommittee a week prior to the downgrade for testimony in the mortgage crises.  During that hearing they were criticized for giving good ratings to the bundled mortgage products that caused the burst of the housing bubble.  I suspect their timing is as much retaliation as anything.  Time will tell.

Fair Park Fountains -Cool Vision on a Hot Day

The new fountains on the esplanade at Fair Park are spectacular by any measure.  This footage was from 2009 and the water choreography is wonderful.  Enjoy and imagine sitting in the midst of the cool spray!

Water Flowing on Mars - Video from NASA

This is very exciting to see what is very likely flowing water evidence on Mars from the orbiting observatory.

Last Pink Triangle Passes Away - Rudolph Brazda RIP

Rudolph Brazda, the last known gay survivor of the Nazi concentration camps has died.  His story is important and luckily he was interviewed for a French documentary recently.  The following clip is a wonderful legacy from this survivor of the Nazi persecution of gays and lesbians during World War II.

American Family Association Tries Rewriting History Again - Hitler & Nazis & Homos Oh My!

In the magical land of Oz that Bryan Fischer of the American Family Association live in Hitler and the Nazis were all gay.  Never mind the facts that Hitler had gays purged from his ranks, or that he sent gays to concentration camps to be exterminated, the AFA wants you to believe that WWII was because of those nasty homosexuals.  No wonder this is considered a hate group.  Enjoy this 4 minutes of hate if you can keep from throwing up.  It's good to know our enemies.

Mayor of Vilnius Fights Illegally Parked Cars

Interesting way to make a point, don't park in the bike lane, no matter how much money you have!

Evolve Already - Video to President Obama

Hug The Gay Away? More Ex-Gay Tripe.

NPR has been doing a delightful expose of the whole bogus ex-gay therapy industry.  Much of the attention to this discredited "therapy" comes from the fact that Michele Bachmann's husband runs one such practice.  Now Salon.com has expanded the look into one of the fringe treatments offered by these hucksters, "cuddle therapy".

I have previously blogged about the bizarre practices of the group called JONAH (Jews Offering New Alternatives to Homosexuality) and it's founder Allan Downing. He has been accused of having clients stand naked in front of him and masturbate.  This would somehow desensitize them or some such clap-trap.  What it most likely did was give Downing a nice thrill.

Meanwhile, the Journey into Manhood, a weekend retreat where men hug, wrestle and then beat pillows with baseball bats.  All part of some sort of connecting with their absent fathers crap.  For the record, my father and I were close, he hugged me and we spent lots of time together, and I am still gay.

It's a good thing that these bunco artists are being reexamined, because apparently exposing them in the news and on the Daily Show didn't take.  These therapists are most likely, in my opinion, troubled gay men who can't reconcile their attractions with their rigid fundamentalist beliefs, so they act out by trying to project their "cure" on other unhappy gay men.  The problem is not because they are gay, the problem is because they cannot accept their sexuality and that is a sad truth for a lot of people both straight and gay.

Electro-Pimping - New Trend, Sugar Daddy Sites

Imagine a site filled with beautiful young girls all seeking help paying off their college loans, student debt, etc. No need to imagine, a site called SeekingArrangement.com is just that.  A web site full of young women seeking sugar daddies to help them pay off their college loans.  In earlier times we would just call these people prostitutes and more recently the term I use would be sex worker.  It's an honest profession and I have no problem with it as long as those who engage are doing it of their own volition.

Truth be told I have friends who are sex workers and I love and respect them.  My problem with this new version of the oldest profession is it's wink-wink, nudge-nudge pretending that what is going on here is not just plain old sex work.  The bigger problem is many of these women are doing this because they can find no other way to pay off their gigantic student loans.  Seriously, I am not making this up!

The site operates in the grey area of the law since it doesn't explicitly detail sex for money services.  Perhaps this will be a growing trend, who knows.  It is a pity that the burden of student loans is so great that graduates feel forced into these kinds of arrangements.  Like I said, sex work is a valid career choice, but my problem is the coercive aspect of the transaction and the illusion that it is anything but what it is.

Oh well, you say "ba-nah-na," I say "ba-nan-uh." We live in interesting times.

Sean Hayes Returns to TV Sitcoms

One of my favorite actors, Sean Hayes will be returning to television in a new sitcom on NBC.  Details have not been announced, but I will be delighted to see him back.  His most memorable role was that of "Jack" on the ground-breaking sitcom, Will & Grace.

Can't wait!

Huffington Post/AOL Uses Photo from Folsom Street Fair to Illustrate Singapore Caning

OK, this is just bad journalism and a slap in the face to human rights advocates and the BDSM community. Huffington Post/AOL ran a story today about a tourist in Singapore who groped a woman in a nightclub and was sentences to a caning.  As anyone who understands the brutal system of justice in Singapore knows caning as practiced by the police there is not consensual and leaved permanent scars and often broken bones. 

To use a photo from a celebration of consensual BDSM/Leather as an illustration is either just ignorant or intentionally misleading. 

I would expect better from Huffington Post, but I guess truth is not an issue anymore since they sold to AOL.

News Corp Still Under Scrutiny - This Time FBI

Attorney General Eric Holder will meet with families of 9/11 victims to discuss the possible hacking of their deceased loved one's phones voice messages.  According to a story in the Guardian:

"The allegation that News of the World reporters attempted to gain unauthorized access to victims' voice mails was made in an article in the Mirror earlier this month. The paper said the journalists had approached a former New York police officer working as a private detective and asked him to do the hacking, which he declined to do....

Title 18 USC section 1030, barring unauthorized access to protected computers, could also be invoked in relation to the mainframe computers on which the phone companies store voice mails."

 Should any of these allegations hold true, the whole of News Corps business in the US may be affected.  Advertisers will be loathe to associate their products with Fox News or any other News Corp entity. 

Rick "Frothy Mix" Santorum Goes to New York - Wants to Overturn Same-Sex Marriage

Rick Santorum thinks he can march into New York and overturn same-sex marriage.  He is staking his campaign on this one so I certainly hope there are a few LGBT New Yorkers who will greet Mr. Frothy Mix when he arrives.

Gender Neutral Bathrooms at UT

Very good news.  University of Texas in Austin is adding gender neutral bathrooms to all new building projects.  Dallas Voice as more.

Oslo Tragedy May Be Work Of Radical Christian Fundamentalist

From an eyewitness account or the shooting at the children's camp:

"I heard screams. I heard people begging for their lives and I heard shots, Erik Kursetgjerde said. "He just blew them away. I was certain I was going to die ... People ran everywhere. They panicked and climbed into trees. People got trampled ... [He] would tell people to come over, 'It's OK, you're safe, we're coming to help you.' And then I saw about 20 people come towards him and he shot them at close range." 

With that image in my head I was very saddened to see that the shooter who may also be directly related to the bombing attack on Oslo was a far-right Christian Fundamentalist. He is said to have very conservative political views and was vehemently anti-Muslim. Anders Behring Breivik is in custody and charged with the shootings on Utoya island where the camp was built.  He came into the camp wearing a police uniform.

Very tragic situation.

Most Annoying Video Clip Ever - Nyan Cat. Enjoy!

OK this one just amazes me.  It's gone viral and for the life of me I cannot understand why.  More annoying than the Hamster Dance web page from many years ago if that is even possible.  Warning, it isn't pretty even with the rainbows.

DADT Repeal Certified by Military

From Stars and Stripes:

The Department of Defense will certify Friday that the military is ready for the repeal of the controversial "don't ask, don't tell" law, setting the stage for openly gay troops to begin serving in the military in late September, U.S. officials confirmed.

The certification comes after months of training for military personnel to prepare them for the presence of openly gay uniformed colleagues for the first time in history, and starts the 60-day waiting period before the law is completely removed.

Under rules outlined by Congress in December, the president, defense secretary and chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff were required to certify that the services are ready for the dramatic personnel change before the law could be repealed.

Stephen Colbert - "It Gets Better"

Colbert tells a very real and encouraging story.

Al Franken Exposes Focus on the Family's False Testimony in DOMA Hearings

BREAKING: Murdoch May Resign from News Corp

From a report just posted on Think Progress:

According to reports by CNBC, Rupert Murdoch is considering stepping down as CEO of News Corporation amid the hacking scandal in the United Kingdom and potential investigations in the United States. British police yesterday arrested Rebekah Brooks, the former CEO of News Corp.’s News International group who resigned amid controversy just days ago. Britain’s two top police officials also resigned under a cloud over the past two days amid growing allegations of improper relationships between Scotland Yard officials and News International employees.

Whistle Blower at News of the World Found Dead

The man who first blew the whistle on the News of the World hacking scandal has been found dead in his home.
More from Sky News.

Alleged "Gay Conservatives" Offer Help to Michele Bachmann

The group calling itself GOProud consisting of allegedly LGBT conservatives now says it will reach out to Michele Bachmann to help her improve her image with LGBT voters.  The group says they want to discuss issues important to LGBT voters with the candidate.

This is the Michele Bachmann whose husband runs an ex-gay treatment program, who says:

• “It’s part of Satan I think to say that this is “gay.” It’s anything but gay.”
•  “If you’re involved in the gay and lesbian lifestyle, it’s bondage. It is personal bondage, personal despair and personal enslavement.”
• “Don’t misunderstand. I am not here bashing people who are homosexuals, who are lesbians, who are bisexual, who are transgender. We need to have profound compassion for people who are dealing with the very real issue of sexual dysfunction in their life and sexual identity disorders.”

These guys would be like Jews wanting to help Hitler understand the problems of the German Jewish population in the 1930's.  They are either a fake organization or the most pitifully self-loathing group of closet cases I can imagine. But I am not opinionated or anything.

Phone Hacking Scandal Leads to Fox News!

I hate to be a "I told you so" kind of guy, but hey, I told you so.

The whole phone hacking scandal that is rocking Rupert Murdoch's media empire may have begun with...(wait for it)...Fox News. 

According to the blog Raw Story:

A former producer with Fox News claimed in a lengthy essay gaining new traction this week that the conservative television station has a "Brain Room" in its New York headquarters which enables employees to view private telephone records with ease.

If this pans out it will mean one of the cornerstones of the News Corp cabal will be very vulnerable and perhaps guilty of criminal activities. Might mean buh bye Fox!  Before dancing the Schadenfreude Polka, there is more to learn.  Keep your ears open.

Blood Bank Bans Man for Looking Gay

First off, the whole banning gay men from donating blood is so 1980's.  We have excellent screening tests now for blood and I seriously doubt that simply banning gay men from donating blood makes the supply any safer.  When drunks and homeless people regularly sell plasma for their survival, you have to question how that is safer.

Meanwhile, in Gary, Indiana a man was donating blood when he was informed he did not qualify because he "looked gay" and therefore was ineligible because homosexuals are not allowed to donate blood. The man, twenty-two-year-old Aaron Pace, is not gay.  Go figure?

Rebekah Brooks Arrested, Can Rupert Murdoch be Far Behind?

Rebekah Brooks, the stubborn executive at New International who refused to resign was arrested as she arrived at a police station to assist in the investigation of the New of the World hacking scandal.

She is the latest executive of the Murdoch medial empire to be cuffed by police as the scandal threatens to spread to the US. Already the FBI is investigating allegations that News Corp operatives tapped cell phones of 9/11 victims. The trail may lead to Fox News and perhaps Rupert Murdoch himself.

Whatever happens the story is getting bigger and bigger and I predict it will topple the Murdoch media empire or at least change it drastically.

"Iron Man" Style Hand Cannon - For Real

A clever inventor, Patrick Priebe, has created a palm sized laser cannon that looks like something out of Iron Man.  Small but very powerful it can pop balloons and make fabric smolder.  Not much...yet!

Dow Jones CEO Latest Casualty of Murdoch Scandals

New Corp is teetering.  First News of the World goes down, then the Rebekah Brooks, head of News International resigns and now Les Hinton, CEO of Dow Jones and the Wall Street Journal resigns.  All due to the hacking crimes of NOTW and other Murdoch papers.

This adds fuel to the rumor that the scandal may spread to the US and the extensive media holdings of Rupert Murdoch here.  Additionally, the FBI has launched an investigation of News Corp to determine the extent of any illegal activities that might have taken place in this country. There are allegations of phone hacking of 9/11 victims and bribes to former NYC police officers.

I would imagine the folks over at Fox News are quaking a bit, considering rumors of their own shady practices this could be ugly for them as well.

Debt Talks - Why the GOP Won't Budge and Why We are in Trouble

It is understandable why President Obama is frustrated with the debt ceiling talks.  He is dealing with a modern version of the Roman god Janus.  Janus had two faces one looking to the future and one to the past.  The GOP has two faces as well, one the more rational conservative like Mitch McConnell (R, KY) and the other the far less rational Tea Party face of Eric Cantor (R, VA). 

The whole thing boils down to politics, but the most risky kind imaginable.  Right now Moody's, the credit rating service, has said it may downgrade US securities.  That would be a real blow to a slow recovery.  It would mean higher interest rates and a loss of confidence from our lenders, like China who has already warned against defaulting on our debts. Yet apparently that means nothing to the Tea Party. 

The problem is the Tea Party folks have little grasp of the realities and complexities of how our economy works.  To them it's just a simple balance sheet of income and debt.  Well as any company accountant will tell you, that might work fine for a check book, but things are far more complicated in the world of big money.

The more rational conservatives know we have to raise the debt ceiling in order to keep growing and to eventually grow our way out of our recession. They raised the debt ceiling several times without a whimper during the Bush administrations and never gave it a second thought.  Now that they are out of power things have changed?  Not really, only the players names and parties. 

The GOP sees a chance to make political hay out of this and the Tea Party has caught on to it and rather than seeing it as a tactic, they see it as a line in the sand.  They have been watching way too much Fox News, and have lost their grip on reality.  That is evident when complete whack-jobs like Michele Bachmann can be considered presidential material.  The unfortunate thing is the GOP embraced the Tea Party folks figuring they could be reigned in and join the fold.  They can't.

It all reminds me of the point when the GOP decided to play to the evangelical crowd.  The fundamentalists had been quietly practicinig their brand of religion for a while and no one gave them a second thought. The GOP saw them as an opportunity and courted their leaders forming the inappropriately titled "moral majority".  That dance with the devil brought a radical edge to the Republicans that still exists, only now it takes the face of Tea Baggers. 

Obama has his work cut out to negotiate with this modern day Janus.  Once face looking to conservative principals and the other glued to Fox News.  God help us all!

Meet Rick Perry's Freinds on Prayer Day - Mostly Hate Mongers

Take a look at who Rick Perry is aligning himself with.  People who believe Oprah is the devil and gays are plotting to take over the world. They also believe the Holocaust was God's doing to punish the Jews.  In other words, wackos and hate mongers. Hope you don't vomit.

Conservative Marriage Vow Pledge - Slavery = Better off Black Children

The Family Leader, a notorious anti-gay group has backtracked on their "Marriage Vow".  Apparently they are taking too much flack for their bumbled wording about African American families.

“...sadly a child born into slavery in 1860 was more likely to be raised by his mother and father in a two-parent household than was an African-American baby born after the election of the USA’s first African-American President.”

Even conservatives were wary of signing a document this wacky.  Now the Family Leader has tried to cover their tracks with this statement:

“After careful deliberation and wise insight and input from valued colleagues we deeply respect, we agree that the statement referencing children born into slavery can be misconstrued, and such misconstruction can detract from the core message of the Marriage Vow: that ALL of us must work to strengthen and support families and marriages between one woman and one man. We sincerely apologize for any negative feelings this has caused, and have removed the language from the vow.”

 Strengthen marriage?  Well the rest of the pledge includes condemning Sharia law, downsizing government, keeping gays out of the military,  and stopping illegal immigration.  Sounds a whole lot more like a GOP platform than a vow to protect marriage.  More from the SPLC on this bunch, who aligns themselves with the hate-group, the AFA.(American Family Association)

Ron Paul - Buh Bye!

So Ron Paul, the perennial Libertarian/Republican/Whatever candidate for President is giving it another whirl. He announced today he is not seeking reelection so he can gird his loins for the 2012 Presidential run.

The 75-year old doctor has been known for his obstinacy in the House and gained the nick name, "Dr. No".

He is running somewhere around 6th in the polls for Republican candidate, behind unannounced candidate Rick Perry.  Though he may have been one of the founding forces in the Tea Party, I seriously doubt he will get the GOP nod for president. 

My guess is he might run as an Independent or Libertarian or even better just not run at all. I think this will be pretty much the last we hear from Mr. Paul, though his offspring may still be a factor in the future.

Amazing Magnetic Boy? Amazing What People Believe - Video Bunco

This actually made a news story. Supposedly, it's a Brazilian boy who is a natural magnet. The video purports to demonstrate this.

Any young magician knows this parlor trick. A little moisture on the skin can make smooth objects stick, But apparently reporters are easily fooled. Watch:

Hugh Grant on The News of the World Hacking Scandal

Surprisingly, actor Hugh Grant was one of the first to expose the News of the World hacking of celebrities phones.  This interview on British TV is very interesting and the confrontation between one of the reporters who did this is revealing of the motives of the News Corp organization.

Murdock Editor Will Be Arrested!

Former-News of the World Editor Andy Coulson will be arrested on Friday morning, according to The Guardian, over suspicions that he played a direct role in the phone hacking scandal that has brought down the paper. Phone hacking by the paper included a cell phone of a murdered girl and deleting messages left for her and her parents.  Amazing!

This scandal is growing by the moment and Murdock's closing the paper is a shabby attempt to distance himself and his media empire from the crimes.

Murdock's "News of the World" Folds!

Plagued with scandal and pending legal actions for hacking into the cell phones of celebrities and crime victims, Rupert Murdock's tabloid, News of the World is closing.  The best selling London daily will cease publication this Sunday.

From the LA Times:

Earlier this week, Britain was rocked by reports that a private investigator hired by the tabloid had illegally accessed – and deleted – voice mail messages on the phone of a 13-year-old girl who was kidnapped and later found murdered.

That incident and many others including alleged hacking into military and government phones has brought a boycott of Murdock's papers in the UK. 

Murdock also owns Fox News as part of his News Corporation empire.

Political Fundraising. Obama Raking It In - GOP Trickling Down.

From the number of fundraising calls I get, I can tell you that President  Obama has his reelection campaign in full swing. Hardly a week goes by that I don't receive a letter or call from the campaign. Add to that the regular fundraising for the DNC and it's pretty easy to tell that the Democrats are cranking the cash machine at full speed.

Meanwhile, over at the GOP/Tea Party things are not so smooth. With a field of a dozen or so candidates it's hard for any one person to raise the massive amounts of cash needed to mount a campaign against an incumbent. The Republican front runner, Mitt Romney pulled in a cool $18 million in the first quarter, but the GOP itself is bogged down in $18.5 million in debt.

Add to that a recent poll that showed 60% of probable voters said they were entirely or somewhat comfortable with a Mormon candidate.  And that kind of information can only be disheartening to both Romney and Huntsman (the other Mormon presidential candidate).

I know it will be a tough election cycle and I am somewhat confident that President Obama will win reelection but I have to wonder what the GOP will pull from its bag of tricks to level the playing field?  One thing is certain, it won't be Sarah Palin!

Connecticut Adds Transgender Protections

From Raw Story:

Democratic Connecticut Gov. Dannel Malloy signed legislation Wednesday that is designed to prevent discrimination based on gender identity or expression.

The new law adds the phrase "gender identity or expression" to all existing state sex discrimination laws, making Connecticut the 15th state to specifically protect transgender people.

Video - Massive Haboob Engulfs Phoenix, AZ

Haboob is Arabic for Dust Storm. Amazing video.

More Crap from the Christian Right? Dangerous Gays!

This was too good to miss.  Found this on Joe.My.God.  Enjoy or fume.  Me, I did the latter.

Fireworks at Fair Park - July 4, 2011

Had a great time last night except for the heat, but that comes with living in Texas.

Tried out my new iPhone and shot fireworks, enjoy!

Have a Bang Up 4th!

Fred Astaire with some 4th of July Fireworks as only he could do it!


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The Fabulous Step Brothers with Foot Fireworks

ON sorry about the alliterate headline, but on July 4 back in 2001 the last surviving member of the tap dance sensation known as the Step Brothers passed away.  Luckily for us their magic has remained on film and now on the web.  OK the images are stereotypical,but get beynd that and enjoy their artistry and amazing energy.