Racism, Lou Dobbs, Birthers, Stupidity.

Obama Haters Becoming Increasingly Racial in Their Rhetoric

Newsflash: You don't have to not be white to have a hatred for white people. (You also don't have to not be American to dislike America/ns).


Apparently, it's not "dead": Dobbs finds "new developments" to report about Obama birth certificate "controversy" on CNN

Weenie weenie weenie. Me me me. I'm a victim. Boo-hoo. Only "Papa Bear" defends me!

Why don't you watch your own bloody show, Dobbs? Then you'll know that the birthers' bullshit was debunked while you were out.


Colbert Vs. Crazy: Stephen Takes On 'Birther' Movement

Yes Orly Taitz, the Obama administration IS the equivalent of Hitler's or Stalin's. Obviously. I mean he is the one that preemptively attacked and invaded other countries, bolstered hatred of Moslems in America, and sent innocent civilians to Guantanamo because they looked like a terrorist. That was absolutely Obama. Redunkulous.

Newsflash: If the parents of the US Presidents had to be born in the United States in order for the person in question to be deemed eligible to be the president, we'd have never been able to have presidents to begin with. Hello, nation of immigrants?

Last Supper

Last night Sabine, Arjan, and I went to The Farm on Adderley for a final dinner out before they fly back to Amsterdam by way of London. The food was good as always, Sabine and I again ordered the same dish: filet mignon with a red pepper toast sauce and carola potatoes. Mmm. So good. What makes this restaurant the better choice of the street (IMO) is most definitely the food, specifically the rotating, seasonal menu and its general lack of greasiness. The atmosphere is nice, too, all that brick and candlelight. The wine was meh, that might have been because it was the wrong bottle for what Sabine & I ordered, but I hope it went nicely with Arjan's fowl. No room for their desserts, but we figured we would later, so pints of ice cream were picked up and then consumed while watching Little Britain.

I'll be sorry to see them leave, it's been a real delight to have them here. Sabine is such a sweetheart.

Don't piss off the crows

Too tired to write a full entry, but this is neat:

The Crow Paradox

You have a light on your butt!

Save the firefly, don't flash the neighbors. Silly firefly, you should be outside!

Coney Island: Really Fun. REALLY OPEN.

Wait a minute here. Wait just a gosh darn minute. Coney Island = OPEN? (omg omg omg!) And the Cyclone, too?? Hot damn!

And then: are you fucking shitting me? These concerts are FREE??! Pissed I missed Creedence Clearwater and Gladys Knight. But, there's Frankie Valli, Connie Francis, frackin' Blondie, Pat Benatar, and the Donnas! Holy shit man, holy shit.

Unexpected Sunshine!

Omg, omg, gorgonzola mashed potatoes, omg! And black angus ribeye. And delicious shallot and red wine sauce. Yum-diddly-um! And Washington Merlot (forgot to write down the name! blast!)

What an absolutely delightful day I had! Love art. Saw so much art today. Walked so much today. Conversed so much today. And with such wonderful company! Sabine and Arjan are a delight, Sabine is darling as always, and Arjan is very nice. It's such a pleasure to have them stay here.

Started off with a nice breakfast together, then off to MoMA for so many hours and so many floors, and so many ideas bobbing around in my head and chock full o'inspiration. Oppenheim, de Kooning, Picasso, Flavin, Miro, Oldenburg, Giacometti, Dali, Mondrian, Matisse, de Chirico, Magritte, Duchamp, Boccioni, van Gogh, Goldin, Walker, etc. etc. etc. I don't think I've ever had such an appreciation for "modern art" as I did today. It's about bloody time! I always knew this time would come, just like the time when I overcame my museum boredom at Pratt and it was like a light turned on. Maybe it was because the last time I was at MoMA I was bitter, distracted, had a migraine, and wasn't allowed to photograph the Manets. The first time I went was with Eric and Jeff, and I definitely enjoyed it then. I don't know. Maybe this time I couldn't help but recognize nearly every name I looked at, nearly every room had at least one work of art I had studied in my art history classes, and just knowing that I knew what the hell I was looking at and knew something about it before I even had to read the bloody info card was a heady feeling indeed. It feels delicious. (And I found a Cindy Sherman poster on sale, score!)

Off to picnic lunch in Central Park, crazy crazy animals. I don't know what was up, but that squirrel and that little bird were NOT afraid of us, and kept coming back time after time. Nutters!

Then a walk downtown, Broadway was blocked for pedestrians, which was super sweet, chairs set up and live music playing. Off to Chelsea, a rest in a playground, my "type" at seventeen sitting on the bench next to me (Arjan, "do you want to go back?" kidder!), wander round for galleries, more Flavin, interesting video installation (wide open space, many films at once, on the same topic, from different cameras and spaced at different times, showing different frames of thought).

Ambled through the High Line, what a treat! I wish they would carry that to the actual streets of the city! Mother and child asleep, a diaper on the child's head. Cobble stones below peaking through the asphalt. No rain (unlike weather predicted), blue skies, rays of sunshine streaming between distant clouds across the Hudson.

A meander to find Gay St. It was a lot less gay than I recall. I don't know why, but I remembered cobble stones. Cobble stones there were none. Houses not as cute in the daylight. Poo-poo! But I found it, my navigation skills at least are good.

Busy restaurants, adorable inns, a party of elderly ladies at Lips. Meander, meander, and finally the Cornelia Street Cafe, getting there just in time to snag the last available table. Bottle of wine, conversation, steaks all around. Deelish. And, to top off the wonderful day, a group of men singing 'Duke of Earl' on Bleecker. Priceless!

Birth Certificate, Shmirth Shertificate

'Birther' Debate Never Ends
I want to be able to say that I can't believe congress is actually putting forth a bill about this whole birth certificate brouhaha. I want to say I can't believe that some military wing-nut was allowed to leave his post just because they do not believe Obama to be of "natural birth." I really want to, but after the last 8 years it really isn't so hard to believe anymore. Revolting, to be sure, idiotic, no doubt, but I can't say I'm not surprised.

So I tweet about this and some bloody asswipe of a kid keeps bombarding me (and a number of others all tweeting against Lou Dobbs) with the same bloody link. A link to an article of stupendously biased proportions. I don't even know if I want to link to it, but I do like to know what the enemy's thinking, so here it is not hyperlinked: http://bit.ly/4uUBoT

Lou Dobbs can suck it. "Mr. Independent" my ass. He's catering to the "whacko ring" now (to use the words of Chris Matthews, who still plays very good hardball). (audio clip here) Goodness. What a bunch of sorry saps, bitter about Obama being president, trying to hang onto whatever they can to bring him down and invalidate his presidency. I don't know what all this "if Obama would only put an end to this by producing a birth certificate" crap is all about, either. The birth certificate was already proven real and shown in June, people! 

Here's the bloody birth certificate THEY'RE looking for:

And a hip hip for Rachel Maddow! Rachel Maddow Discusses 'Birthers' with Washington Independent's Dave Weigel

Bridget Jones 3: Milkin' It

So this story came out a few days ago, but apparently there's a third Bridget Jones film being made. The second was enough, thanks. Honestly, the first alone was perfect. But obviously there was the other book, so a second film made some sense (based also upon Jane Austen, but 'Persuasion' rather than 'Pride & Prejudice'). This new one's supposed to be about Bridget having a baby. I don't believe there was a Jane Austen about that, let alone a Helen Fielding. I don't see how this movie could have any plot, they've already done everything to keep Darcy and Bridget apart in the first two. So what now, Darcy will be impotent and "Bridge" will go to Daniel Cleaver for some idiotic reason? Colin Firth said he wasn't even interested in reprising the role. And as far as I'm concerned, a Mark Darcy without Colin Firth is no Darcy at all. Not the case for Fitzwilliam Darcy. I much prefer that Darcy to be not so boyish, more mysterious. No offense to Mr. Firth, believe you me, I absolutely adore the BBC P&P w/Ehle and Firth, I own it, I re-watch the 5th episode the most to take in the loveliness that is Firth. But a BJ3 sans Firth would be inconceivable.

Snippet of Interview with Colin Firth:

Would you do a "Bridget Jones 3"?
In the abstract, it's unthinkable. I don't really plan in the long term about anything. I can't think where a sequel could go. I think this time one would have to think of it as a sequel, unless Helen wrote another book. The only way which I could possibly imagine it being interesting is that if it showed us in a state of advanced decrepitude really - a heavily deteriorated Mark Darcy. I think we're on the way. And Daniel Cleaver and Bridget really puncturing the fairy tale completely might be a way to take it. But I've been ready to move on to other things for quite a while now, actually. I'll be quite content to live my life without another one.

So I knew that 'Candyman' was based on 'Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy,' but apparently the music video is, too.

Priceless:

And much more demure:

Music (yay!)

And to add to the ever-expanding list of shows I'd like to see, Mirah is playing in October as well, and the night before Placebo to boot. That weekend shall be awesome! Talk about a harken to the past, and specifically one individual that got me into these bands in the first place. Too bad she's out in San Fran.

So this All Points West line-up looks aMAZing. Yeah Yeah Yeahs, Ting Tings, MGMT, Beastie Boys, Echo and the Bunnymen (Coldplay, Tool, Black Keys, etc. etc.), even bloody Janeane Garofolo.

Except it costs more than I'd like to spend. And even more money spent because surely they'll have overpriced meager portions of crappy food for sale. And no outside food or drinks. And you can't leave once you enter. And you have to label your eye contact solution. And all that stuff is too much bullshit to deal with for 12 hours. 

I still want to go, though. For the music.

To Do II

1. Write on objects with random materials

2. Print out "found" type photos AND SO

3. Ink! (Buy it!)

4. Book Cover

5. Magazine layout & typespec

Back West

Everyone's gettin' hitched.

All these kids from high school keep getting different last names on facebook, posting wedding photos, announcing engagements, sending wedding e-vites, and makin' babies.

It's specifically the Oregon bunch, too. Sure, a couple here and there from Oberlin (not that I can think of any specific couple at the moment*), but every time I log onto facebook, someone else from high school is tying the knot or poppin' out a little person.

I should be used to this, considering one of my good friends got married when we were still 18 and popped out a baby boy at 20, and goodness knows I have this innate biological urge to do the same, but it still shocks me to see people my age wearing a big white dress and giving vows. Shocked because the years are passing so fast, and it is nearly starting to be that time.

Honestly though, I think I'm more shocked at the boys my age getting hitched then I am the girls. Little girls daydream of big white flowery weddings, of walking down the aisle with their fathers, of big frou-frou dresses and lipstick (for me, it's all about the merry widow, don't need more than a courthouse to wear one either). But not these boys, all I've encountered (with one or two exceptions) are commitment-phobes that have a deadline in their head to the relationship. I declare shenanigans!

The boys in Oregon seem less flighty. Maybe it's because Oregon brings out the parenting instinct. I don't know how it does it, but it does. It's one of those places you want to raise babies in. All that nature, clean air, good schools, little houses, no sales tax, happy little homes with happy little lawns, happy little fences, and happy little trees. Not that I'm ready to raise babies, nor that I want to wait as long as my parents did, I'm just sayin' Oregon = settling down. Or maybe it's just the severe lack of it in New York City that makes Oregon stand out in such contrast. Not that there aren't an incredible amount of young couples with baby bjorns in my neighborhood that look just a couple years older than I. I don't know where I'm going with this anymore. The only point I wanted to make is that all these kids from my high school in Oregon (and NOT New York) are settling down with college sweethearts and the like, and it surprises me but also warms my heart.




*UPDATE: M&E. duh.

Not down the drain, silly spider!

Save the spider, flash the neighbors.

Torchwood Revisited

Obviously could not contain myself. Finished 'Children of the Earth.' Glad I paused when I did, between the third and fourth episodes, feels almost like a before and after. Shit hit the fan in the fourth, and couldn't stop myself, had to know what happened etc.

***SPOILERS***

Ugh. Can't say it wasn't good. Tragic, absolutely, but still good. Gwen got a little weepy at the end there with Jack, irked me a bit considering he'd offed his own grandson. But she's preggers, can't help the tears.

I found myself detesting Jack Harkness. But then I remembered my whole Snape Debate, and how I'll defend Snape to the bitter end. It was for the greater good, however the difference here is that Dumbledore asked Snape to kill him, and Stephen certainly did not ask his "Uncle" Jack to do the same. Yet similarly it was for the greater good. The lives of three million children certainly seem to outweigh the life of one. And it was afterall the greatest sacrifice he could have done. You think he wanted to kill his only grandchild? He did what he had to. Same with Frobisher. Killing his own family seemed to be a much better option than letting them be used as happy chemical highs for the 456 (what a bunch of kidheads!). As Bridget Spears said about Frobisher while visiting Lois Habiba in her cell, "he was a good man, because when the history of this is written...I think they'll forget how very good he was. I want you to remember him like that. If ever you think of John Frobisher just remember that it wasn't his fault." This could, obviously, be applied to Jack Harkness as well. But holy shit that scene with Frobisher's family is tragic.

You know what, poor Jack. Poor bloody Jack. First his lover dies, then he kills his own blood to save the world at the expense of losing his daughter's love and trust forever, and goes off again into the unknown totally alone.

He'll probably make an appearance in Doctor Who. I'd be shocked if he didn't.

Hate the bloody PM though, what a douche. Dumbass. Dipshit. You name it, Brian Green is it. If he'd only let Torchwood do their thing from the beginning instead of getting their death warrants, half the shit wouldn't have had to go down (but then there'd have been no mini-series, and where's the fun in that). I don't know how they would do more Torchwood after this. Gwen is the only one around from the original cast. Sure, she said she'd offer Lois a job, but everyone else is bloody well dead and buried or lost in space. I know people are asking for more, but I just don't see how it can continue. Which is also tragic.

Torchwood

Savor it slowly, or gobble it all up? It is so delectable. I finished the third episode, waiting for the fifth to become available before I watch the fourth. The 456 (have not seen them, don't know if one does or not, shh!) seem to be an elephantesque crab, and reminiscent of Independence Day aliens (scene in Area 51 using Dr. Data to speak etc.).

In any case, I am enjoying the new episodes tremendously.


Badass. A pregnant Gwen whoops some butt, Ianto comes out of his shell, and Harkness bares (nearly) all.

Ugly World

I don't know if it's just because I was watching CNN at the doc's today, or if I got more absorbed than normal in my news-reading, but a whole lot of ugly happened today. Uuuuuuh-guh-leeee.

Protests muted in Iran, earthquakes, more bombs, "cyber war," blatant racism. Baah humbug!

C'mon world, lighten up! Peel off your hatred robes and hug! Wipe off that scowl! (Also, the last I checked, this wasn't pre-1954).

Pool Boots Kids Who Might "Change the Complexion"
Blogger the Field Negro on the topic



But apparently the Vox Pop statue story is getting more news-worthy. (?) CNN is apparently covering it now. Although CNN covers anything. Not that a decapitated statue doesn't warrant an official FBI investigation or anything....

Protect Coney Island!

Puke. This makes me sick. The idea of giant hotels built upon historic buildings is revolting. Revolting! Let's revolt! 

photographie

Done: dumb blonde pin-up.

Next: yukata photoshoot.

When: not today.

Back to logo designing! 

Whoopsydunkle!

Sondre Lerche in September, and Placebo in October! Woot!

And apparently Placebo tonight, too. (Too late! Had class in any case...even if it did let out early I didn't find out till just now...how could I have missed that!). 

Did listen to Placebo recently, actually (recently = last few months). Before that it'd been ages. Apparently there are new albums to be listened to (which is a prerequisite of course to seeing them again). Would be fun. Makes me think of Allie and Eliot. Maybe I'll dress up all punky-goth like I did the last time I saw them when I was 16. (ha.) Where are my fishnets and MAC red lipstick? In Oregon, of course. With the mini skirts. Of course.

Red, White, and Blue Dog

Our house is pretty much the only one on the block sans flag. (Father said, "too bad you don't have a Dutch flag to wave. Better yet, why not British?"). White wine, mango sorbet, and summer breezes were enjoyed on the front porch in the afternoon. Haven't had alcohol so early in the day since...I don't even know, fourth year? Then last minute packing for overnight in Mount Vernon.

Daughter to mother conversation inside train station as they walked toward the stairs to platform:
"Why can't we stay inside?"
"What difference does it make?"
"This girl I know fell on the tracks here."
"She what?"
"Well, she jumped. And it wasn't here, it was on that side [points to opposite platform]."
....

Coffee then Q-S-2-1-car w/story rounds (Gregor the ankylosaurus and Sandra the pterodactyl) and limericks (...). Everything green! Fresher air! No sirens! No honking! Stars! Twas splendid. A crowd of people, some familiar, and some not. Delicious edibles (delectable tomatoes), white sheets on the grass displaying images of what looked like lifeforms under a microscope. MJ in pixels. Life stories shared. Cookies ingested. Music played and Hide and Go Seek. A Twilight Zone marathon. Awoke to poor thirsty Blue Dog. Breakfast. Caffeine, please! Exquisite Corpse. My camera unused and left behind.

Les Papillons

Learn your butterflies:

Don't trust those, they're different for a reason. [You should know by now!] Bad butterflies.

The good butterflies are good. Splendid, beautiful, marvelous, and s'wonderful. Stick to those, even if they cannot yet be found.

Palin: it's a trick!

This one pretty much sums up my fears:
Palin: Really Retreating Or Just Reloading?

Excerpts:

With what appeared to be a smile of delight, she began explaining why she would not "go with the flow" and complete her term in office. It would be the easy way out to serve as a "lame duck," she said, and she was not that sort of person. She wasn't a quitter. And so, she said, she had decided to ... quit....

This leaves two paths ahead for Palin, who will leave office in three weeks.

Choice One: She can go home to Wasilla and try to remake the life she had there before politics (or at least statewide and national politics) blew it up. This might have the much-to-be-desired effect of removing her from the late-night comedians' hit list, the incessant tabloid chatter and the endless round of recriminations with John McCain's 2008 campaign team. Just this week, Palin had won the dubious distinction of being named "Sitting Duck" of the year by the National Society of Newspaper Columnists.

Choice Two: She can stop worrying about the intricacies of the Alaska budget and the internal squabblings of the Legislature in Juneau and concentrate on putting together a campaign for 2012. After all, she is one of the three Republicans mentioned most often as her party's preferred candidates for Next Time (along with Mitt Romney and Mike Huckabee, who both ran in 2008). Among Republican primary voters, she had the highest personal approval rating of any 2012 Republican prospect in a recent Pew Research Center poll, and it was over 70 percent....

What is so pressing? She needs time to build a staff that is loyal to her alone, as we can see from the endless replays of the internal wars of the McCain-Palin campaign in 2008 in Vanity Fair and Politico this past week. She must show she can raise tens of millions of dollars before the primaries, and hundreds of millions after that. And most desperately, she has to develop a more resilient media sensibility that can turn both fawning and savaging attention to her purpose.

Assuming the soon-to-be-former governor wants all this, and has prepared herself for the sacrifices ahead, she is making a hard-headed decision to reach for the brass ring and to do it now.

Palin Resignation

Sarah Palin Resigning As Alaska Governor

Excerpts:

Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin made a surprise announcement Friday that she is resigning from office at the end of the month. Palin offered little explanation about why she plans to step down, raising speculation that she will focus on a run for the White House in the 2012 race....

"Once I decided not to run for re-election, I also felt that to embrace the conventional Lame Duck status in this particular climate would just be another dose of politics as usual, something I campaigned against and will always oppose," Palin said in a statement released by her office....

Palin was first elected in 2006 on a populist platform. But her popularity has waned as she waged in partisan politics following her return from the presidential campaign. Her term would have ended in 2010.

Palin said she planned to make a "positive change outside government," without elaborating. She also expressed frustration with her current role as governor.

"I cannot stand here as your governor and allow the millions of dollars and all that time go to waste just so I can hold the title of governor," Palin said.

Later, on Twitter, she promised supporters more details: "We'll soon attach info on decision to not seek re-election ... this is in Alaska's best interest, my family's happy ... it is good. Stay tuned"

Palin's decision even took Parnell by surprise. He said he was told on Wednesday evening, and was not aware that any presidential ambitions were behind the move.

Tiptoe Through the Tulips

Okay. This video is infinitely more hilarious.




It is fairly obvious that Tiny Tim used this as a reference.

60 seconds got together and they decided to become a minute OR scaredy cat

Imagination can be stronger than reality. Ideas of possibilities run amok until reason and rationality kick in.

Don't pick that fruit: it isn't ripe yet. It looks better than it tastes.

ça ne fait rien