Saturday, January 12, 2008

Hillary's Latest Misstep:
I Am LBJ, Obama Is MLK

Black progressives are not responding favorably to an interview Hillary Clinton gave to Fox News earlier this week in which she said that while Martin Luther King may have provided the inspiration for the civil rights movement, it was Lyndon B. Johnson who made the difference for having signed the Civil Rights Act into law.

The Clinton pull-quote getting the most play from the interview is this: "Dr. King's dream began to be realized when President Johnson passed the Civil Rights Act. It took a president to get it done."

From Jack And Jill Politics, in a piece titled "You Negroes Better Thank The White Man For Your Rights":
That's right. It wasn't the courage of King and local Montgomery residents standing up to legalized white supremacy in their hometown that began to change America, it was the white man. It wasn't Rosa Parks who had enough and refused to sit in the back of the bus that got things started, it was the white man. It wasn't John Lewis and others facing down billy clubs and tear gas in Selma, it was the white man. It wasn't Fannie Lou Hamer telling the racist Democrats at the 1964 convention that black people were sick and tired of being sick and tired, it was the white man. Why credit the people who gave their lives for the struggle when all credit is due to the great white father, in his ultimate, eternal benevolence, for finally deciding to recognize black people as human beings? I wonder where he got that idea?

Johnson didn't change America. Johnson reacted to the changes in America. For that he deserves some credit, but never mistake the man in the suit for the soldiers on the street. The difference is obvious: Johnson isn't the one whose life was ended by a sniper's bullet.


This is the kind of revisionist history I expect from the most extreme white supremacist kooks.

You can kiss that black vote goodbye. Between this and Bill claiming Hillary is tougher than Nelson Mandela, you have pretty much solidified the image that whatever happened in the 90s, you are now some out of touch rich white folks.

As a side note, one of the worst campaign strategies I've ever heard of in my life is associating your opponent with Martin Luther King Jr. Clearly, Hillary wants to lose.
You can watch the video of the interview here. For context, in the interview Clinton was read this quote by Barack Obama:
"False Hopes. Dr King standing on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial looking out over the magnificent crowd, the reflecting pool, the Washington Monument, sorry guys, false hopes, the dream will die, it can't be done, false hope, we don't need leaders who tell us what we can't do, we need leaders to tell us what we can do and inspire us."
When asked if she would like to respond to Obama's quote, the full quote from Clinton is:
"I would, and I would point to the fact that that Dr. King's dream began to be realized when President Johnson passed the Civil Rights Act of 1964, when he was able to get through Congress something that President Kennedy was hopeful to do, the President before had not even tried, but it took a president to get it done. That dream became a reality, the power of that dream became a real in peoples lives because we had a president who said we are going to do it, and actually got it accomplished."
Read in the full context of the interview, Clinton's response doesn't come across quite as bad as black progressives seem to be reading it, but she definitely made a grievous tactical error. If this "I am LBJ, Obama is MKL" meme gets wider play, expect Clinton's polling among blacks to plummet.

RELATED: Talking Points Memo delves into the full quote.

Labels: , ,


Friday, January 11, 2008

Itt Van A Gummimaci

I think I'll send y'all off for the weekend with the worstest most earwormish song since the Crazy Frog. Itt Van A Gummimaci is the original version (in Hungarian), but there's others: Jag Är En Gummibjörn (in Swedish), and Osito Gominola (in Spanish). You can also hear it in French, English, and German. Crazy Euros and their pop music. You. Are. Welcome.

Labels: , ,


Mass. Law Exam Flunker Apologizes

Remember the guy who sued the Massachusetts Bar Association after he failed their entrance exam because he refused to answer the question about gay marriage? Stephen Dunne's federal suit prompted a national discussion on First Amendment rights, predictably garnering him support from the religious right. Well, he's now apologized to the gay community in an email to Boston's Bay Windows.

In a follow-up interview with Bay Windows, Stephen Dunne says, "I’m an Irish immigrant to this country. And you know, it’s hard to ignore the fact that all communities into America are first discriminated against and attacked before eventually being accepted. In hindsight I see the parallels in the discrimination that were once felt by the Irish in this country, and to a large degree it’s opening up my mind and my heart to want to stop the discrimination that the gay community is confronted with. Because you know it happens to all of us at one point or another; but we have a tendency to have collective amnesia and we forget about it."

Read the interview, the guy comes across as genuine. Of course, cynics out there have to wonder if Dunne's change of heart isn't spurred by a realization of how unemployable (in Massachusetts, at least) his lawsuit may have made him. Once he does pass the bar, that is.


Labels: , ,


Health Dept Insider Says NYC Is On A "Witch Hunt" To Close Baths

Speaking freely during his last week working for the New York City Department of Health, Joshua Volle, the director of community HIV prevention planning and programs, predicts that NYC will in fact move to close down the city's commercial sex establishments. "They are very much looking at this from a medical model and the medical model says shut them down. They don't have the resources to do it, but their intent is to shut them down... These are my words, they are on a witch hunt." says Volle.

(Via - Gay City News)

Earlier this week on JMG: NYC Mulls Closing Bathhouses, Sex Clubs

Potential Alzheimer's Breakthrough?

Interesting news on Alzheimer's research:
An Alzheimer's patient improved "within minutes" of being injected with a new drug in a scientific breakthrough against the disease, it has emerged.

After being injected in the spine with a treatment for arthritis called etanercept, the 89-year-old could remember the date and his doctor's name and say where he was - which he had been unable to do only 10 minutes earlier.

The patient was given a further five injections one week apart and improved consistently, although he still had problems with simple maths and money.

A pilot study of 15 patients at the University of California, Los Angeles, last year showed an improvement of symptoms six months after treatment with etanercept. Scientists noticed that the effects took hold very quickly in 10 patients and set up a detailed investigation to measure the effect.
I should probably send this story to my mother, who screams, "It's STARTING!" every time she can't find her car keys. But I won't.

Labels: , ,


Rosanne Barr's Blog Disappears After
She Rips On Obama & Oprah

Rosanne Barr's blog is mysteriously "suspended" after the following quote appeared yesterday.
barak obama is an empty suit selling “hope” in lieu of Truth. Oprah Winfrey helped to elect Arnold Swartzenegger. I have no doubt that she voted her purse by doing this, as she is a large land owner in California, and that ilk fears Dems because they do not want to pay their “fair share” of Cali tax.

Oprah, you play the race card and the gender card too.

You are a closeted republican and chose Barak Obama because you do not like other women who actually stand for something to working American Women besides glamour, angels, hollywood and dieting.

When Americans find out that Obama backs right wing corporate racist anti worker bullshit, they will not vote for him, and the victory will go to the most racist right wing republican ever.... Mccain, who is a fascist!
Does Oprah have the power to get somebody's blog taken down? Spooky.

UPDATE: Barr explains: "Site crashed! it was picked up by perez and drudge and huffington and the huge number of hits blew it up! I always intended this site to remain under the radar, as it contains dangerous and inflammatory free speech (including spellling errors) on subjects ranging from politics, feminism, Goddess, zionism, Jesus Christ and his mother, the prophetess Miriam, kaballistic meditation, THE RUSH LIMBAUGH OF THE LEFT, JOHNNY ARGENT and some great fucking recipes! FREE THE REAL ESTATE BETWEEN YOUR EARS, AMERICA!"

Labels: , , ,


Mini Player

McDonalds, First Avenue, 8:30am

Customer on cell: He just jealous cuz I got all kinds of bitches and ho's ridin' my jock. I got all these bitches cuz I show them respect, you know what I'm sayin'? He just don't know how to treat a bitch.

I'd guess the customer was about 10 years old.

Labels: , ,


Salt Lake City To Get DP Registry

Salt Lake City's new mayor's first action is to enact a domestic partners registry.
Salt Lake Mayor Ralph Becker is wasting no time making good on a campaign promise. In his first official action as mayor he has proposed a domestic partner registry for same-sex couples and for opposite-sex couples who cannot or chose not to marry.

The measure will be voted on by city council on January 22. Despite being the home to the Mormon Church and in one of the nation's most conservative states, Salt Lake tends to lean left and a majority on city council say they will support the plan.

A number of councilors worked on the wording of the ordinance with Becker to make sure it complies with Utah's constitutional ban on same-sex marriage. Much of the bill's language was taken from the 2006 ordinance extending insurance benefits to adult designees of city workers. That measure already has passed judicial scrutiny.

A spokesperson for the mayor also says that the bill conforms with Utah state law granting cities the power to "preserve the health and promote the prosperity, improve the morals, peace and good order, comfort and convenience of the city and its inhabitants." Nevertheless, some state legislators say if the bill is passed they will scrutinize it to be sure it does not violate the constitutional amendment.
In Utah! Amazing.

Labels: , , ,


Courts To Consider Laptop Inspections

It appears that U.S. courts are about to reverse a 2006 ruling that customs officials cannot search the laptop computers of travelers without probably cause.
The government contends that it is perfectly free to inspect every laptop that enters the country, whether or not there is anything suspicious about the computer or its owner. Rummaging through a computer's hard drive, the government says, is no different from looking through a suitcase. One federal appeals court has agreed, and a second seems ready to follow suit.

There is one lonely voice on the other side. In 2006, Judge Dean Pregerson of U.S.District Court in Los Angeles suppressed the evidence against Arnold.

"Electronic storage devices function as an extension of our own memory," Pregerson wrote, in explaining why the government should not be allowed to inspect them without cause. "They are capable of storing our thoughts, ranging from the most whimsical to the most profound."

Computer hard drives, Pregerson continued, can include diaries, letters, medical information, financial records, trade secrets, attorney-client materials and information about reporters' "confidential sources and story leads."

But Pregerson's decision seems to be headed for reversal. The three judges who heard the arguments in October in the appeal of his decision seemed persuaded that a computer is just a container and deserves no special protection from searches at the border. The same information in hard-copy form, their questions suggested, would doubtless be subject to search.
Is there anything on your laptop you wouldn't be happy to have played at JFK?

Labels: ,


Morning View - Bellydelly Deli

I just like the name of this place. The Bellydelly Deli is on Broadway near 50th Street.

Labels:


HomoQuotable - David Ehrenstein

[From a March 17, 2007 column in the L.A. Times. Pertinent, in light of recent commentary regarding Barack Obama.]

"As every carbon-based life form on this planet surely knows, Barack Obama, the junior Democratic senator from Illinois, is running for president. Since making his announcement, there has been no end of commentary about him in all quarters — musing over his charisma and the prospect he offers of being the first African American to be elected to the White House.

"But it's clear that Obama also is running for an equally important unelected office, in the province of the popular imagination — the "Magic Negro."

"The Magic Negro is a figure of postmodern folk culture, coined by snarky 20th century sociologists, to explain a cultural figure who emerged in the wake of Brown vs. Board of Education. "He has no past, he simply appears one day to help the white protagonist," reads the description on Wikipedia.

"He's there to assuage white "guilt" (i.e., the minimal discomfort they feel) over the role of slavery and racial segregation in American history, while replacing stereotypes of a dangerous, highly sexualized black man with a benign figure for whom interracial sexual congress holds no interest.

"As might be expected, this figure is chiefly cinematic — embodied by such noted performers as Sidney Poitier, Morgan Freeman, Scatman Crothers, Michael Clarke Duncan, Will Smith and, most recently, Don Cheadle. And that's not to mention a certain basketball player whose very nickname is "Magic."

"Poitier really poured on the "magic" in "Lilies of the Field" (for which he won a best actor Oscar) and "To Sir, With Love" (which, along with "Guess Who's Coming to Dinner," made him a No. 1 box-office attraction). In these films, Poitier triumphs through yeoman service to his white benefactors. "Guess Who's Coming to Dinner" is particularly striking in this regard, as it posits miscegenation without evoking sex. (Talk about magic!)

"The same can't quite be said of Freeman in "Driving Miss Daisy," "Seven" and the seemingly endless series of films in which he plays ersatz paterfamilias to a white woman bedeviled by a serial killer. But at least he survives, unlike Crothers in "The Shining," in which psychic premonitions inspire him to rescue a white family he barely knows and get killed for his trouble. This heart-tug trope is parodied in Gus Van Sant's "Elephant." The film's sole black student at a Columbine-like high school arrives in the midst of a slaughter, helps a girl escape and is immediately gunned down. See what helping the white man gets you?" - David Ehrenstein, in his March 17, 2007 Los Angeles Times piece, Obama, The Magic Negro.


Labels: , ,


Gay Mayor Of Paris Warned About Al-Qaeda

Bertrand Delanoe, the openly gay mayor of Paris, has been given extra security after U.S. intelligence services informed the French that al-Qaeda may be targeting him for assassination. American sources monitoring internet traffic picked up references to Delanoe listing him as a target. Delanoe is running for a second term as mayor of Paris and is considered a contender for the 2012 French presidential race.

Labels: , , ,


Broadway Friday

-The Little Mermaid, which opens today, is being widely panned. From the Washington Post: "In director Francesca Zambello's confused production -- a morass of mechanical characters, syrupy new songs and gaudily irrelevant set pieces -- all the warmth and charm of the film manages to get away. The bloated, 2 1/2 -hour show -- an hour longer than the 1989 movie -- represents a low watermark for the Disney-on-Broadway franchise."

- On January 26th, The Phantom Of The Opera becomes the first Broadway show to run for 20 years. In January 2006, the show passed Cats to become the longest-running show in Broadway history. On its 20th anniversary, the show will have had 8139 performances. The worldwide gross of Phantom is estimated to be over $5 billion.

- Alan Palmer's Fabulous Divas of Broadway will have its New York premiere Off Broadway at Luke's Theatre. Previews begin February 13. "Creator and actor/singer Alan Palmer delivers a hilarious and touching look at growing up in the business while portraying 18 different stars of the stage. In rapid succession – and a non-stop turnover of gorgeous costumes – he brings to life such legends as Ethel Merman, Carol Channing, Liza Minnelli, Angela Lansbury, Julie Andrews, Judy Garland and Chita Rivera and such Tony-winning stars of today as Christine Ebersole, Patti LuPone, Sutton Foster, Kristin Chenoweth and Beth Leavel."

Top Ten Broadway Grosses Last Week
Wicked - $1,494,991
The Lion King - $1,294,953
Jersey Boys - $1,229,925
The Little Mermaid - $1,130,940
Mary Poppins - $1,080,290
Cyrano De Bergerac - $905,526
The Phantom Of The Opera - $893,398
Les Misérables - $878,076
Spamalot - $828,149
Mamma Mia! - $816,353

Labels:


Thursday, January 10, 2008

Cuomo On Obama

"It's not a TV crazed race. Frankly you can't buy your way into it. You can't shuck and jive at a press conference. All those moves you can make with the press don't work when you're in someone's living room." -Clinton supporter New York State Attorney General Andrew Cuomo, during a radio interview.

The stronger Obama gets, the more we'll see of this. Even from the Dems. Fuck, even Karl Rove's race-baiting today was smoother than this. Cuomo defended himself by saying he meant "shuck and jive" as a synonym for "bob and weave." Yeah.

Labels: , ,


HomoQuotable - Camille Paglia

"Hillary's willingness to tolerate Bill's compulsive philandering is a function of her general contempt for men. She distrusts them and feels morally superior to them. Following the pattern of her long-suffering mother, she thinks it is her mission to endure every insult and personal degradation for a higher cause -- which, unlike her self-sacrificing mother, she identifies with her near-messianic personal ambition.

"It's no coincidence that Hillary's staff has always consisted mostly of adoring women, with nerdy or geeky guys forming an adjunct brain trust. Hillary's rumored hostility to uniformed military men and some Secret Service agents early in the first Clinton presidency probably belongs to this pattern. And let's not forget Hillary, the governor's wife, pulling out a book and rudely reading in the bleachers during University of Arkansas football games back in Little Rock.

"Hillary's disdain for masculinity fits right into the classic feminazi package, which is why Hillary acts on Gloria Steinem like catnip. Steinem's fawning, gaseous New York Times op-ed about her pal Hillary this week speaks volumes about the snobby clubbiness and reactionary sentimentality of the fossilized feminist establishment, which has blessedly fallen off the cultural map in the 21st century. History will judge Steinem and company very severely for their ethically obtuse indifference to the stream of working-class women and female subordinates whom Bill Clinton sexually harassed and abused, enabled by look-the-other-way and trash-the-victims Hillary." - Camille Paglia, in her Salon.com essay endorsing Barack Obama.

Here's the Steinem op-ed piece referred to by Paglia.

Labels: , , , ,


NYC AIDS Deaths Lowest Since '84

Finally, some good news regarding HIV.

According to the latest Annual Summary of Vital Statistics, the "definitive registry of births and deaths in New York City", deaths in NYC from HIV/AIDS fell nearly 15% in 2006 . In 2005, the death toll was 1419. In 2006, 1209 New Yorkers died from AIDS complications, the lowest number since 952 died in 1984.

Researchers attribute the continuing decline to several factors, including a lower infection rate among injecting drug users - partly due to syringe exchange programs- increased health services for injecting drug users, a declining population of injecting drug users, expanded HIV testing and referral to care, and slower disease progression among people receiving antiretroviral therapy.

Nevertheless, the report said, HIV mortality is still concentrated among NYC's minority populations, with roughly 34 percent of HIV deaths occurring among black men and 21 percent among black women. Eleven percent of HIV deaths occur among white men and 3 percent among white women.

First good news on HIV in ages, isn't it?

Labels: ,


Pentagon Now Says Speedboat
Incident Possibly Faked

I knew it. And you knew it. And now even the Pentagon has to admit that the speedboat incident is fishy.

The list of those who are less than fully confident in the Pentagon’s video/audio mashup of aggressive maneuvers by Iranian boats near American warships in the Strait of Hormuz now includes the Pentagon itself.

Unnamed Pentagon officials said on Wednesday that the threatening voice heard in the audio clip, which was released on Monday night with a disclaimer that it was recorded separately from the video images and merged with them later, is not directly traceable to the Iranian military.

That undercuts one of the most menacing elements from the Pentagon’s assertion that Iranian forces threatened the Navy ships: The voice on the radio saying, “I am coming to you. … You will explode after … minutes.”

Why does the Pentagon hate America?
.

Labels: , , ,


John Kerry Endorses Obama

Herman Munster John Kerry has endorsed Barack Obama.
Senator Obama is being endorsed by a fellow senator, John Kerry, the Democrats' 2004 presidential nominee who lost to George W. Bush that year with John Edwards as his running mate and gave up his own plans for a 2008 run a year ago.

Mr. Kerry, a senator from Massachusetts, planned to announce his support today at a rally with Obama at the College of Charleston, arguing that the Illinois senator can best unite the country, said a Democrat familiar with the decision. Mr. Kerry was timing his announcement before South Carolina's January 26 primary, a contest that has taken on extra importance for Mr. Obama after Senator Clinton beat him in New Hampshire.

Mr. Kerry lost the South Carolina Democratic primary in 2004 to Mr. Edwards, the former North Carolina senator who now is running third in the 2008 campaign behind Mrs. Clinton and Mr. Obama.

Besides any potential help for Mr. Obama, the endorsement was a slap at Mr. Edwards, Mr. Kerry's former running mate. The two had their differences during the campaign over strategy and spending, and Mr. Edwards has said he would have been more aggressive in challenging the unsubstantiated allegations of the Swift Boat Veterans for Truth questioning Mr. Kerry's military record.

Mr. Edwards responded to the endorsement with a statement released today in Chapel Hill, N.C.: "Our country and our party are stronger because of John's service, and I respect his decision. When we were running against each other and on the same ticket, John and I agreed on many issues."
How big is this endorsement for Obama? According the Washington Post: "Kerry's endorsement is the first major blow in the battle between Clinton and Obama for Democratic establishment support in the post-New Hampshire primary nomination fight."

Labels: , ,


Karl Rove's Four Reasons Clinton Won NH

In a column in today's Wall Street Journal, evil GOP mastermind Karl Rove lays out four reasons he thinks Hillary Clinton won in New Hampshire:

Mrs. Clinton won a narrow victory in New Hampshire for four reasons. First, her campaign made a smart decision at its start to target women Democrats, especially single women. It has been made part of the warp and woof of her campaign everywhere. This focus didn't pay off in Iowa, but it did in New Hampshire.

Second, she had two powerful personal moments. The first came in the ABC debate on Saturday, when WMUR TV's Scott Spradling asked why voters were "hesitating on the likeability issue, where they seem to like Barack Obama more." Mrs. Clinton's self-deprecating response -- "Well, that hurts my feelings" -- was followed by a playful "But I'll try to go on."

You couldn't help but smile. It reminded Democrats what they occasionally like about her. Then Mr. Obama followed with a needless and dismissive, "You're likable enough, Hillary."

Her remarks helped wash away the memory of her angry replies to attacks at the debate's start. His trash talking was an unattractive carryover from his days playing pickup basketball at Harvard, and capped a mediocre night.

The other personal moment came on Monday, when a woman in Portsmouth asked her "how do you do it?" Mrs. Clinton's emotional reply was powerful and warm. Voters rarely see her in such a spontaneous moment. It was humanizing and appealing. And unlike her often contrived and calculated attempts to appear down-to-earth, this was real.

Third, the Clintons began -- at first not very artfully -- to raise questions about the fitness for the Oval Office of a first-term senator with no real accomplishments or experience.

Former President Bill Clinton hit a nerve by drawing attention to Mr. Obama's conflicting statements on Iraq. There's more -- and more powerful -- material available. Mr. Obama has failed to rise to leadership on a single major issue in the Senate. In the Illinois legislature, he had a habit of ducking major issues, voting "present" on bills important to many Democratic interest groups, like abortion-rights and gun-control advocates. He is often lazy, given to misstatements and exaggerations and, when he doesn't know the answer, too ready to try to bluff his way through.

For someone who talks about a new, positive style of politics and pledges to be true to his word, Mr. Obama too often practices the old style of politics, saying one thing and doing another. He won't escape criticism on all this easily. But the messenger and the message need to be better before the Clintons can get all this across. Hitting Mr. Obama on his elementary school essays won't cut it.

The fourth and biggest reason why Mrs. Clinton won two nights ago is that, while Mr. Obama can draw on the deep doubts of many Democrats about Mrs. Clinton, he can't close out the argument. Mr. Obama is an inspiring figure playing a historical role, but that's not enough to push aside the former First Lady and senator from New York. She's an historic figure, too. When it comes to making the case against Mrs. Clinton, Mr. Obama comes across as a vitamin-starved Adlai Stevenson. His rhetoric, while eloquent and moving at times, has been too often light as air.

Via Chris Crain comes a recording of a Rove speech to the Christian News Service during which Rove describes Obama's "You're likeable enough, Hillary" comment as coming across this way: "He looked like a smarmy, prissy little guy taking a slap at her. I think that helped her." I'd actually have to agree with that. Gah, I agree with Karl Rove. Kill me now.

Labels: , , ,


Wingnuts Take Star Trek To Planet Atheist


As Pam puts it, Gene Roddenberry would be rolling over in his grave, had his ashes not been shot into space. Painfully, painfully bad. Wait for the biology lesson in the middle part.

Labels: , , , ,


Bill Richardson Quits Race

Bill Richardson has ended his bid for the Democratic nomination. He's prime veep material for either Clinton or Obama as he could bring in the massive Latino vote. Aside from his atrocious sleep-walking performance during the Visible Vote forum, during he said he thought being gay was a choice (a position he backed down from the next day), I like Richardson very much.

Labels: ,


Morning View - Squash In Grand Central

The Bear Stearns squash tournament is taking place inside Grand Central. There's a big bleacher area set up, but most people are just taking a peek and then heading out.

Labels:


Open Thread Thursday

Who's your favorite not-quite-a-big-star actor? (Not b-list, necessarily, but not somebody who gets their name above the title.) I like Chiwetel Ejofor, the British actor who starred in Children Of Men and Kinky Boots. He was fantastic in the miniseries Tsunami: The Aftermath. I also love Toni Collette from Little Miss Sunshine and Muriel's Wedding. Oh, she too was in Tsunami: The Aftermath. That series had great casting.

Labels:


Wednesday, January 09, 2008

Glamorous Restaurants Of Times Square

I should note that I have dined in almost all these establishments. And to be precise, in Times Square there are actually two Applebee's, two T.G.I. Friday's, and three Sbarros.

Labels: , ,


More Sabre Rattling Over Iran

Dubya is continuing to raise the stakes in his latest attempt to convince us that we're long overdue to invade Iran.
JERUSALEM (CNN) -- The war of words between United States and Tehran continued Wednesday, with President Bush repeating his assertion that Iran is "a threat to world peace."

President Bush and Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert at the airport in Tel Aviv on Wednesday.

The two countries have been trading accusations since a weekend confrontation involving Iranian boats and U.S. Navy warships in the Strait of Hormuz. The United States claims Iranian vessels deliberately sped toward its warships despite warnings to stay away.

Bush's criticism of Iran came Wednesday during a news conference with Israeli PrimeMinister Ehud Olmert in Jerusalem. Bush is in the region to encourage the peace process between Israel and the Palestinians.

Bush called the incident "a very dangerous gesture" by Iran and warned the Islamic republic against any escalation.

"We have made it very clear, and they know our position, and that is: There will be serious consequences if they attack our ships, pure and simple."
Because the U.S. Navy needs to be worried about Iranian speedboats. Wake up people, THEY COULD HAVE JET-SKIS!!

Labels: , ,


HRC's Best Places To Work

The Human Rights Campaign has released its Best Places To Work 2008 list.
A total of 195 companies that achieve this honor will use the 2008 “Best Places to Work for GLBT Equality” seal to distinguish their company as a fair-minded employer. The seal is given to companies who score a perfect 100% on the Human Rights Campaign Foundation’s Corporate Equality Index which measures policies and practices implemented to promote fairness and equality in the workplace for GLBT employees.
This is just a recap of the top scoring companies from last fall's Corporate Equality Index.

Labels: ,


Good Work Wednesday

CHICAGO: The AIDS Foundation of Chicago, through its Global Grants Initiative, will provide up to 10 partial-support scholarships for individuals to attend the XVII International AIDS Conference in Mexico City, Mexico, August 3-8, 2008. Download the application here. The deadline for nominations is 5:00 p.m. on Thursday, January 17, 2008.

NYC:
Will Clark's Porno Bingo tonight is a benefit for SWISH, Straight Women In Support of Homos. "The fun starts at a special time - 7pm with drink specials (the debut of the SWISHtini!), catering courtesy Pete Adrian of The Grey Dog’s Coffee, special prizes, massages, and Broadway cabaret performance by Jamie Lloyd, Jason Bowman, and Chris Adaseiwicz." $10 suggested donation at the door goes to SWISH.

LA:
The L.A. Gay & Lesbian Center is looking for a few good women! The Center is currently seeking nominations for its annual Lesbians and bisexual women Active in Community Empowerment (L.A.C.E.) Awards, given each year to local lesbians and bisexual women who’ve made significant contributions to the LGBT community through their professional or volunteer work, or both. Submit your nominations here.

NYC: "Shelter," an exhibition following LGBTQ youth living in a homeless shelter, is on display at Exit Art in New York City. Photographer Lucky Michaels chronicles the lives of the inhabitants of the shelter, Sylvia's Place, which is named after gay rights activist Sylvia Rivera. Michaels serves as the subjects' counselor, documenting them in moments of rest, play, and confrontation. Exit Art is located at 475 10th Ave. at the corner of West 36th Street. Admittance is free, but a suggested donation of $5 would be welcomed. For hours of operation and more information, visit ExitArt.org or call (212) 966-7745.

NYC: Tomorrow at Gay Men's Health Crisis: Join AIDS housing advocates from around the city to discuss important issues in AIDS housing, receive policy updates, and become involved in campaigns. Meetings are sponsored by NYCAHN and are open to all GMHC clients. For more information please contact Kristin at 212.367.1234. 10 am – 12 pm , Room: 405.

Labels:


Taking It Personally

My dear friend Father Tony, a man who is "no stranger to those venues providing the probabilities of good friction for the price of a beer or a 'six month membership'", has responded in his typically eloquent fashion to my post about the possible closure of NYC's commercial sex establishments. Go read Tony's take on personal responsibility, it's beautiful.

Labels: , ,


Australia's Glam Reaper

Twenty years ago, Australia's Department of Public Health launched a disturbing HIV awareness campaign featuring the Grim Reaper mowing down people in a bowling alley. Here's their update, this time featuring local drag star Mitzi Macintosh as the Glam Reaper.

Interesting clip, but, uh...Doogie Howser?

Labels: ,


Canada Bans Gay Organ Donors

Over the objections of many doctors, Canada's health department has banned gay men from donating their organs.
A Health Canada regulation that bans most gay men from donating organs is scientifically unjustified, virtually unenforceable and could worsen critical transplant shortages, a prominent Toronto AIDS doctor says.

The regulation, which took effect in December and closely resembles blood-donor guidelines, prohibits organ donations from sexually active gay men, intravenous drug users and hepatitis victims.

Both strictures are unfair to thousands of conscientious gays, says Dr. Philip Berger, head of family and community medicine at St. Michael's Hospital.

"What about a gay monogamous couple, (Health Canada) is not going to let them donate? It's ridiculous," says Berger. "It's been known for 20 years that the risk factor is not in being gay (but) in risky sexual behaviour."

Heath Canada officials did not respond to numerous requests for interviews yesterday.

Berger says "it's what the individual does in their sexual lives, whether gay or straight, (that) puts them at risk."

"To exclude bona fide donors because they've had sex with another man ... would exclude a lot of people who are no risk at all. Zero risk."

Berger says the "unreasonable" restriction is bound to reduce the supply of transplant organs at a time when the need is growing more urgent.
You have to wonder how much the recent news about spiking HIV trends and the rise in other STD's among gay men may have impacted this decision. FDA guidelines ban American men who have had sex with another man in the last five years from donating organs. (Section IV.E.1).

Labels: , ,


And Now Fort Lauderdale

JMG reader Andy reports today that Coliseum, the last big gay dance club in Fort Lauderdale, has closed. The legendary Fort Lauderdale Copa closed after 30 years in 2005 due to damage from Hurricane Wilma. I think there may be one or two smaller gay places with dance floors still around, but they are 2am clubs, not one of the 'til-the-break-of-dawn dance palaces like Copa that made La-De-Da famous. Who remembers Tacky's, Backstreet, or 21?

I would have thought that at least Fort Lauderdale, arguably the gayest city in the country, would be immune to the wave of club closures sweeping the country. I was last at Coliseum for New Year's Eve 2005. Had a great time. Sad face.

I'm curious, what big gay dance clubs are left in this country? Are there any megaclubs left, the kind that can hold thousands? I think the new Town in DC might qualify, but I haven't seen it yet.

Labels: , , ,


Daily Grumble

In the winter, the warmer it is outside, the colder it is in my apartment. You see, in apartments that have steam heat, city law only requires the buildings to light the boiler when the temperature falls below 55° between 6:00 am and 10:00 pm and 40° between 10:00 pm and 6:00 am. And since it's 57° outside right now, the heat is off and it's about 57° in my apartment.

On the other hand, when it was 15
° last week, it was about 85° in my apartment. The only way I have to regulate the heat is to open a window. Even when I have the radiators turned down, as I often do, there's still a steam pole in the corner of every room in this 100-year old building. Bother.

TRIVIA: New York City has the largest commercial steam heat system in the world, which mostly serves the office buildings of midtown and downtown. ConEd's roots go back to before the New York Steam Company combined with Consolidated Gas, the company which owned Edison Electric.

Labels:


Larry Craig: The Cop Started It

Larry Craig's new defense is two-pronged.

1. The cop started it.

2. It can't have been disorderly conduct because the law requires two or more victims for a disorderly conduct charge.
The undercover police officer who busted U.S. Sen. Larry Craig in a gay-sex sting in an airport bathroom stall couldn't have been offended by the senator's notorious foot-tapping - after all, the officer invited the action by tapping his own foot, lawyers for the congressman said in a brief filed Tuesday.

Those lawyers also contend the Idaho Republican should have his guilty plea to a disorderly conduct charge thrown out because what he did last June wasn't a crime. The reason: The state's disorderly conduct statute says the conduct in question has to alarm or anger others - plural - and Craig's actions affected just the undercover officer.

"In short, the facts here simply do not constitute the crime of disorderly conduct," the lawyers wrote in a 96-page brief. "The conduct ... viewed in its worst light, does not rise to the level of disorderly as that conduct is contemplated under Minnesota law."

Despite Craig's voluntary guilty plea, if the facts don't support the charge, the plea is inaccurate and should be thrown out, the brief contends.

The filing with the Minnesota Court of Appeals is the latest in what has become perhaps the biggest misdemeanor case in Minnesota court history. Law-yers representing Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport, which is prosecuting the case, have a month to file their reply.
Fuck! This is the story that just won't die, innit?

Labels: , , ,


Hillary Upsets Obama In New Hampshire, McCain Trounces Field

Defying pollsters and pundits who had all but crowned Barack Obama, yesterday Hillary Clinton pulled off a stunning upset in the New Hampshire primary, winning narrowly with 39% of the vote to Obama's 37%. McCain repeated his 2000 win in NH, besting Mitt Romney by 5%. Clinton's own team had been prepared for a loss. It appears that Obama actually won the most delegates, 12-11.

MANCHESTER, N.H. — Hillary Rodham Clinton is back.

With solid support from registered Democrats and the backing of women who deserted her in Iowa, Senator Clinton beat Senator Barack Obama of Illinois with a margin that — if not particularly wide — was enough for her campaign to claim a resounding victory. The political intensity of her victory was magnified by a weekend of polls and rapturous packed rallies for Mr. Obama that suggested Mrs. Clinton was in dire shape, particularly after Mr. Obama’s drubbing of her in Iowa.
Sample headlines from around the web:

-Clinton Escapes To Fight Another Day (NY Times)
-Clinton Wins Back Women (CNN)
-The Comeback Kids: Clinton, McCain (TIME)
-Clinton Squeaks Out Win (SF Chronicle)

I have no idea where we'll be by Super Tuesday, but a month ago I never would have bet that Obama would be where he is now.

Next up for the Dems:
Jan 15 - Michigan (on 12/01/07 the DNC took away their delegates)
Jan 19 - Nevada caucus (approved by DNC)
Jan 26 - South Carolina Primary (approved by DNC)
Jan 29 - Florida Primary (penalized by DNC for breaking party rules, resulted in losing their delegates)

Here's an embiggenable map to the primary season.

Labels: , , ,


Tuesday, January 08, 2008

Ron Paul Is Finished

The New Republic today dug up more of Ron Paul's loathsome old newsletters. They are almost unimaginably offensive and no one is immune as the newsletters attack gays, blacks and Jews with equal relish. From the lengthy New Republic post:
The newsletters were particularly obsessed with AIDS, "a politically protected disease thanks to payola and the influence of the homosexual lobby," and used it as a rhetorical club to beat gay people in general. In 1990, one newsletter approvingly quoted "a well-known Libertarian editor" as saying, "The ACT-UP slogan, on stickers plastered all over Manhattan, is 'Silence = Death.' But shouldn't it be 'Sodomy = Death'?" Readers were warned to avoid blood transfusions because gays were trying to "poison the blood supply." "Am I the only one sick of hearing about the 'rights' of AIDS carriers?" a newsletter asked in 1990.

That same year, citing a Christian-right fringe publication, an item suggested that "the AIDS patient" should not be allowed to eat in restaurants and that "AIDS can be transmitted by saliva," which is false. Paul's newsletters advertised a book, Surviving the AIDS Plague--also based upon the casual-transmission thesis--and defended "parents who worry about sending their healthy kids to school with AIDS victims." Commenting on a rise in AIDS infections, one newsletter said that "gays in San Francisco do not obey the dictates of good sense," adding: "[T]hese men don't really see a reason to live past their fifties. They are not married, they have no children, and their lives are centered on new sexual partners." Also, "they enjoy the attention and pity that comes with being sick."
Referring to a one-time movement by black activists to rename New York City after Martin Luther King, the newsletter suggests these alternative names: Welfaria, Zooville, Rapetown, Dirtburg, and Lazyopolis.

These latest revelations will surely be the end of Ron Paul, no matter how he tries to spin the authorship of these pieces. And just last night I watched in disgust as Paul received a fawning reception from Jay Leno on the Tonight Show.

For his part, Ron Paul endorser Andrew Sullivan isn't convinced that Paul wrote the pieces, saying, "Do these sound like Ron Paul to you? I've listened to him speak a great deal these past few months and either he has had a personality transplant or he didn't write this." Sullivan adds, "I've supported Paul for what I believe are honorable reasons: his brave resistance to the enforced uniformity of opinion on the Iraq war, his defense of limited constitutional government, his libertarianism, his sincerity. If there is some other agenda lurking beneath all this, we deserve to know. It's up to Ron Paul now to clearly explain and disown these ugly, vile, despicable tracts from the past."

What an "ugly, vile, despicable" place we've come to when a man like Ron Paul is the top recipient of Republican campaign donations. Just when you think we've hit rock bottom, somebody digs another hole.

Labels: , ,


Dykes On Bikes® Wins Trademark Case

The U.S. Supreme Court today turned away a challenge to the trademark application by Dykes On Bikes, the traditional lead group at gay pride parades nationwide. The trademark was challenged by a men's rights advocacy lawyer who claimed the term denigrated men and was "scandalous and immoral" - grounds for denying a trademark. Dykes On Bikes applied for a trademark several years ago in order to stop an offshoot group from selling t-shirts.

In his challenge, Michael McDermott of Dublin, California charged that men were illegally excluded from the streets during the annual Dyke March and that awarding the trademark would be contrary to "widespread documented understanding of the term 'dyke' as describing hyper-militant radicals hateful toward men."

Rev dem motors!
.

Labels: , , ,


Julian Bond Joins Florida's
Marriage Equality Fight


NAACP head Julian Bond has joined the fight against Florida's coming statewide ballot on marriage equality.
Julian Bond, an icon in the civil rights movement for nearly 50 years and longtime national Chairman of the NAACP, has stepped into a leadership role with the Fairness for All Families Campaign the statewide coalition effort to defeat the deceptively named "Florida Marriage Protection" Amendment.

The campaign's Honorary Board members includes: Former U.S. Attorney General Janet Reno, U.S. Representative Debbie Wasserman Schultz; former Department of Elder Affairs Secretary and past AARP President Bentley Lipscomb; Florida NAACP President Adora Obi Nweze; Howard Simon, Executive Director, Florida ACLU; Rev. Nancy Wilson, Worldwide Moderator, Metropolitan Community Churches.

"Julian Bond has long been a voice for fairness and equality and we are proud to have him speaking out against this harmful amendment that singles people out for discrimination and make it harder for Floridians to take care of their love ones," said Barbara A. DeVane of the Florida Alliance for Retired Americans and a member of the Fairness board.

The Fairness for All Families Campaign is a coalition of more than 200 organizations and community leaders representing seniors, business leaders, consumer groups and social justice organizations working together to oppose the effort to take away benefits and enshrine discrimination in Florida's constitution.

The addition of Julian Bond to the Fairness for All Families Campaign comes at a time when newspaper editorial boards across the state are actively opposing the amendment and describing the harm to all unmarried Floridians including seniors, public employees and others who rely on domestic partnership benefits to protect their loved ones.
Three cheers for Julian Bond!

Labels: , , ,


JMG & The SF Gay Men's Chorus

Well, sorta kinda. Ish. Very ish.

Years ago I belonged to an online chat forum populated by aspiring writers, artsy types, and other regular mo's. One of the forum members I befriended was Steve Schalchlin, the award-winning musical theater writer and performer that I have mentioned here many times. Some of you know Steve from his hit Off Broadway shows such as The Big Voice: God Or Merman.

Steve is a longterm AIDS survivor and he and I spoke many times about the horrors of the epidemic and the people we have lost. Discussion on the forum also often turned to the topic of dating, as those things usually do, and when questioned by Steve and other participants about my very long-running singleness, I would usually reply flippantly that I was burned out on losing people and was now officially "dead inside".

Steve was intrigued by the concept of the emotional surrender implied by the phrase "dead inside" and thought it could make an interesting platform for a song. He asked me for some sample lyrics and being the great songwriter that he is, he immediately discarded my very lame attempt and went to work. A few months later, he sent me an audio file of his performance of Dead Inside and I was instantly wrecked. He nailed it. Last year he recorded another version using noted Chicago-based transgender cabaret singer Alexandra Billings. You can download the demo of the recording here, or listen below in the embedded player.

But here's the big news. Steve has worked Dead Inside into a "cantata for peace" titled Pantheon Bar & Grill which will be performed in December by the San Francisco Gay Men's Chorus with a full orchestra at Davies Hall as half of their annual Christmas concert.

From Steve's blog:

I began writing this piece four years ago, beginning with a core of four lyrics written by my friend, Rev. Peter Carman, who you might remember is the pastor of Lakewood Baptist Church in Rochester, New York.

Beginning with those songs, I began adding numbers one at a time as pondered the philosophies of relentless non-violence and watched the conflicts in the Middle East. If you're been reading this blog and following the videos, you've seen some of the songs: My Thanksgiving Prayer and Holy Dirt are but two.

One new song, which you might enjoy listening to, examines the deadening result of violence on the soul. It's called "Dead Inside" (title inspired by my friend and blogger, Joe.My.God.) and the demo recording is sung by Alexandra Billings.

[snip]

And as exciting as it has been for me to have written the scores for two off-Broadway shows, the idea of sitting in a huge concert hall and having my songs sung by a 250-voice choir accompanied by an orchestra on a major anniversary of the community I love so very much is about as thrilling a notion as I can possibly imagine.

So a song (sort of) about me will be sung by the SF Gay Men's Chorus. Weird, exciting...but also, more than a little unnerving. I hope to make it out there for show in December, if I get brave enough, that is. Congratulations to Steve Schalchlin on his exciting news.

Labels: , , , , ,


Alycia Lane Fired

Alycia Lane, the Philadelphia CBS newscaster arrested last month during a traffic altercation in which she called a female cop a "dyke bitch" has been fired. From the KWY-TV president: "After assessing the overall impact of a series of incidents resulting from judgments she has made, we have concluded that it would be impossible for Alycia to continue to report the news as she, herself, has become the focus of so many news stories."

Labels: , ,


NYC Mulls Closing Bathhouses, Sex Clubs

Via Duncan Osbourne at Gay City News comes word of a six-page internal memo from the NYC Department of Health which explores the city's options in closing down bathhouses, sex clubs, and commercial sex parties.
After saying for years that new HIV infections among gay and bisexual men are high, but stable, a city health department memo given to Gay City News is asserting that new HIV infections among those men are increasing.

"New York City is now experiencing an increase in syphilis and an increase in HIV infection in men who have sex with men," Dr. Thomas Farley, a special advisor to Dr. Thomas R. Frieden, the city's health commissioner, wrote in the November 2007 memo.

The six-page memo, titled "Policy Regarding Bathhouses and Other Commercial Sex Venues in New York City,"was drafted for Frieden and explores the options for dealing with sex clubs and bathhouses.

"In view of this increase it is appropriate to re-evaluate New York's current policies regarding commercial sex venues to see if policy changes could reduce the spread of these infections," wrote Farley, previously a professor and department chair at Tulane University's School of Public Health and Tropical Medicine.
The memo outlines four possible options for the city:
1. Continue current policy. Allow bathhouses to operate without inspection in private areas; close (or threaten to close) gay bars and other venues in which sex takes place in public.

2. Continue current policy for bathhouses, but attempt to enforce this policy with sex clubs and "private sex parties." Make greater efforts to close sex clubs and "private se parties" that have fixed locations, regular hours of operation, and charge a fee.

3. Attempt to close all commercial sex venues. Use the Sanitary Code to close all commercial sex venues, including bathhouses currently in operation.

4. Modify Sanitary Code to permit bathhouses and sex clubs to operate under City regulations designed to promote safe sex. Allow bathhouses to operate under strict safe-sex rules, and allow "private sex parties" to either become permitted bathhouses under these rules or risk closure as in option 2.
Using the classified ads of HX Magazine, the city memo notes the following commercial sex operations currently in business (other than bathhouses):

- 26 mentioned regular schedules (ranging from monthly to 3 times per week),
-15 mentioned that the parties were for sexual activity,
- 9 specifically listed entry fees,
- Several described specific features such as showers, saunas, massage tables, and "play areas"
- 12 specified patrons should be Black, Latino, or "men of color" (none specified white).

The memo concludes:
It is possible (but by no means guaranteed) that the Public Health Council may be persuaded to modify the Sanitary Code to allow local health departments to permit sex establishments to operate under local code rules. If this were possible, DOHMH could establish rules that draw the best features of rules from other cities. Included in those rules should be the following:

-Safe sex required
-Mandatory safe sex rules posted
-Patrons required to sign safe sex rules as condition of entry
-No private areas allowed; adequate lighting required
-Bathhouse staff must monitor and maintain log of observations
-Patrons ejected from bathhouse for breaking rules
-Mandatory offering of rapid HIV testing
-Monthly unannounced inspections by health department staff
-Bathhouse must allow health department to survey patrons periodically to evaluate sexual practices.


These rules would not guarantee that condoms are used every time, but if enforced consistently should increase condom use to high levels. These rules would likely be accepted by gay activists and AIDS service organizations, but could be viewed as inappropriate by the general public in the city. Bathhouse owners would resist changes because the loss of private areas will likely lead to a loss in business. The policy change must be accompanied by a commitment to a permanent enforcement mechanism, because if enforcement becomes lax over time it could result in an increased risk of HIV transmission.
Obviously, closing these establishments is not the answer, as the city's own document notes: "[T]his is likely to be challenged in court and will cause anger among gay activists and some AIDS service organizations. Many will argue that closing bathhouses will disperse men to other locations where sexual activity may be riskier."

If you want to teach gay men to fuck safer, WHERE ELSE to teach them but in the place where they are fucking?

Labels: , ,


Heckler To Clinton: Iron My Shirt!


A front-row heckler interrupted Hillary Clinton's speech to supporters in New Hampshire last night, shouting "Iron my shirt!" and waving a sign with the same message. An unseen man in the rear of the auditorium did the same. Clinton handled the man with aplomb and sent him off with, "If there's anybody left in the auditorium who wants to learn how to iron his own shirt, I'll talk about that." Good for her.

Well, maybe. Commenters all over the web are claiming that the man's seating and lighting make it seem posssible that the heckler was planted to drum up sympathy from female voters. Apparently the "iron my shirt" chant is frequently used against feminists. Hmmm.

In even dumber Clinton news, closet case and top Hill-hater Matt Drudge is claiming that a Clinton campaign insider has told him that she will drop out of the race if she loses the New Hampshire primary today. Yeah, that ain't happening.

Labels: , , , ,


Swag Tuesday

In a switch from our usual media giveaways, today's Swag Tuesday booty (heh) is Boy Butter, the popular lube from the company owned by friend-of-JMG Eyal Feldman. Boy Butter has made quite a name for itself in the few years since Eyal created it.
History was made in December of 2005 when Boy Butter's chemists created an industry first; the first stable water based cream form personal lubricant ever. Traditionally cream lubricants are oil based and therefore not conducive to safe sex. By the Summer of 2006 a successful spin off, You'll Never Know It Isn't Boy Butter , the first cream lubricant to be water based and condom safe and as full of kitsch as the original Boy Butter. " The tub versions remained popular but our new squeeze bottles quickly shot up to become our bestsellers.

Boy Butter and You'll Never Know It Isn't Boy Butter has been mentioned or seen on popular TV shows such as Mad T.V., The Daily Show, Logo's Noah's Arc, Saturday Night Live, E's Talk Soup, Talking Sex with Sue Johansen, and Showtime's the L Word. The product maybe be fun and kitschy but the lubricants are amazing, the epitome of creativity and utility.
You can order your own Boy Butter here and here is a cute video of Eyal himself describing his product. Enter to win Boy Butter by commenting on this post. Please remember to leave your email address. Publicists: if you'd like to take part in Swag Tuesday on JMG, please email me.

Labels:


Monday, January 07, 2008

(Don't) $top The Presses

Yesterday 400 newspapers around the country arrived with Parade Magazine's cover story on Benazir Bhutto which asks, "Is Benazir Bhutto America's best hope against al-Qaeda?"

Parade
is printed several weeks in advance and the publishers decided the interview was "important enough" to distribute even though her assassination had already occurred. And totally not because it would have cost them a buttload of money to pull the issue. For real.

Labels: ,


Manhattan Monday

- Last year almost 2000 NY'ers responded to the MTA's "If you see something, say something" anti-terrorism campaign. One repeated theme was callers reporting Muslim men seen using counting devices, presumably to find the most crowded trains. Turns out the men were using prayer-counters as they mentally recited the "many names of God." The counters are sold in Islamic shops all over town.

- Mayor Bloomberg has decided to sell the list of Gothamites owing on their water bills to collection agencies. About 15% of city residents don't pay their water bills on a "regular basis." The city is owed $600M.

- In March, the Port Authority will be introducing unlimited rides passes for the PATH train. Weekly: $18. Monthly: $54.

- The deadline to register to vote in New York's Feb. 5th primary is this Friday. It's too late to switch your party affiliation, something I was considering doing just so I could vote against Huckabee.

- The window-washer who last month fell 47 stories from an Upper East Side apartment building not only lived, he's now expected to have a "substantial recovery." Falls from a 3-story height are fatal 50% of the time, so experts are speculating that the window-washing platform may have provided some sort of parachute effect. The man's brother died in the fall.

- Hundreds of protesters are expected to pack this week's public meetings about the plan to raze the amusement area of Coney Island and build a glitzy $1.5B hotel and entertainment complex.

- Felons are eligible to join the army, but not the NYPD. I'm all for rehabilitation, but I think I'm OK with this.
.

Labels:


Pat Robertson: We Prayed Away The Nuke!

Remember last year when Pat Robertson said that Jeebus told him that a terrorist attack on the U.S. involving a nuclear weapon would occur in 2007? Now he says, “All I can think is that somehow the people of God prayed and God in his mercy spared us."

Whew! That was close!

According to Robertson's latest chat with the Flying Spagetti Monster: "The Lord was saying that there's going to be violence and chaos in the world." Shocking! Also: "We will see the presence of angels and we will see an intensification of miracles around the world, which I think is going to be a wonderful thing."

Jeebus has once again hipped Robertson the name of the next president, but this time he's not telling who it is. "I'll just keep that to myself and look with horror at what may be happening."

Labels: , , ,


Another Words List

Last month Merriam-Webster picked "w00t" as their word of the year for 2007.

Now the American Dialect Society has waded in with their own list. Number one for the ADS: "subprime". Runners-up were "Facebook," "green," "Googleganger" and "waterboarding".

A Googleganger is somebody else with your name that shows up when you self-Google. My Googleganger is a teenaged British chess prodigy. Who's yours?

Labels:


Now I Know Where Those
Smudges Are Coming From

I've learned that Shelley cannot be left alone with nature programs. Or plastic bags, as last night I was woken up when she climbed into a bag I'd left on the sink and went berserk when she got her head stuck through the handle loops.

I'm thinking I might need to cut back on how much I feed her. She's getting a belly like Daddy.

Labels: