At least David Blaine is well spoken...

"When I came out of the box it was Oct. 19, so that was 36 days ago. So if you think about 36 days ago, which is when I came out, when I think about that span of time, I was in that box with no food and nothing and cold weather and hot temperatures, completely alone there for that entire span, so when I look back on it, it seems surreal. Because when I think about everything I've done in the last 36 days — from being in the hospital to recovering to starting to eat again to talking to my friends again to bathing, showering, and memories are so overwhelming — that when I look back on it, it makes the whole thing surreal."


Oh, wait...

Crap. Lucas died.

Well, not THE Lucas, of course, but the Lucas from Seaquest DSV. I have an action figure of him because Lucas is a name of which I am very fond.

Looks like it might have been a suicide.

My first and final thoughts on the Michael Jackson case

After this, it's over. I don't plan on addressing again, at least in much detail. Here are some thoughts/concerns:

--if he's convicted, do I have to sell my copies of Thriller and Off The Wall? I love those records. Hell, the Jackson 5 is one of my favorite bands of all time.
--the guy is innocent until proven guilty, but I think that most people out there assume he's guilty. What if he's just eccentric and we're sending him up the river because he's weird and sorta gross?
--why do we allow rich people to get away with such eccentricity (i.e. Michael Jackson and Howard Hughes? If I dangled my baby over a balcony, I might lose it to DFCS, right?
--why did they set the bond so low? He was outta there in 45 minutes or something.
--will Phil Spector and Michael Jackson get to share a cell if both convicted? Can they make an album or something? I smell comeback!
--I posed the question the other night to Ms. Comrade and Mame: can you think of anybody more famous (non-political) who's ever been on trial for something like this? Think about what a spectacle OJ was. Most people probably don't even know where he played football (City College of SF and USC for college; the Buffalo Bills mainly in the NFL, with two years at the 49ers). EVERYBODY knows who Michael Jackson is and what songs he's done and stuff, even with his ever-declining superstardom. The closest comparison I can come up with is, like, Madonna or Elvis or something. The guy is hugely famous. It will probably be our first "trial of the century." And for those of us who decry the media's fascination with this emerging case, I have this to say: yeah, it's not news in the conventional sense, but at least the media exposure makes a whole lot more sense than the OJ trial.

Stop drinkin' the Haterade...

...and read this eye-opening article about Republican attempts to label criticisms of the President as "political hate speech."

Bobby Brady=Bun E. Carlos

I can prove it.

"Michael Jackson started to cry."

Creepy.

A coupla few things

Emerson hits another one out of the park.

This guy likes the Pacific UV record...even though the bastard didn't pay for it! Still...it's good to get praise for your work, you know?

Check out this great review:

Pacific UV, Pacific UV (WARM Electronic Recordings)

You risk making dream-pop symphonies, and you risk a rudderless stream of pretty nothingness. But instead of the pretensions of Sigur Ros, these gents give us grand beauty, almost equally divided between wordless swells of sound and structured swells of sound. Such slackness will always rankle ears more attuned to rock’s strictures, but this music stays with you. And it will evoke memories of rock past: Imagine "Layla"’s coda as its own six-minute song, and you’ll have "Your Girlfriend in the Ivy." Anyone pining for the next My Bloody Valentine album that will never come will get seriously juiced listening to this group’s shimmering, slowed-down ardor.

Finally...someone got the "Layla" homage on that song! Seriously.

I just ate some pasta salad. I am washing it down with Powerade-flavored water. Blech.

Oh, one more thing

I found this site for some reason while looking for articles by conservative cutie-pie, Michelle Malkin. I don't know why, but I hope that this is a growing trend, Republicans realizing that their beloved GOP is on an out-of-control spending spree that is anything but conservative. I bet that half of the Republican party is really Libertarian. Maybe not half. How about 30%.

Just for the hell of it...

...here's conservative (well, Libertarian) talk show host Neal Boortz's take on the whole gay marriage thing. I wish more conservatives felt this way. I don't agree with him on everything, but it's a step in the right direction.

----------
GAY MARRIAGES. OH .. THE HUMANITY!

Oh boy. Here I go setting myself up for another few days of incredibly vicious hate mail from self-proclaimed Christians out there. Nothing gets those folks more angry at me then when I indicate that I don't share their hatred and fear of homosexuals. That's OK though. I can handle it.

The Massachusetts Supreme Court has ruled that the state cannot discriminate against gay and lesbian couples in the recognition of marriages. The Massachusetts legislature now has 180 days to come up with a way to give homosexual couples the same rights that heterosexual couples enjoy under Massachusetts law. So, to put it in the common vernacular, it looks like gay marriages will soon be legal in Massachusetts.

OK .. here we have a judicial action, soon to be a judicial action which is sure to be controversial. My first and really my only concern here is whether or not the action taken by the Massachusetts Supreme Court could lead somehow to a threat to my life, liberty or property, either through force or fraud. Try as hard as I might, I couldn't dream up the scenario where this would happen. Just which one of my rights is violated if, through the operation of law, the estate of a deceased gay man can pass to his gay partner? What do I lose if a lesbian can file a joint federal income tax return with her lesbian partner in marriage? Nothing .. that's what ... nothing. Not a thing.

So can someone tell me on just what basis I'm supposed to rant and rave against the idea of the law recognizing a committed relationship between two people who truly love each other but who happen to be of the same sex? Just what have I lost here? What am I going to lose if every state in the union steps forward and legalizes, as they say, "gay marriage? Every single right that I have under the law today I will have under the law after gays and lesbians get their state issued marriage licenses.

Some of you are going to tell me that this is an affront to your religious beliefs. I respect that. But those are religious beliefs and have no role in the operation of government. Your religious beliefs are between you, your God, your family and your church. They are not to be guidelines for the operation of your government. Our government was founded on a principle of equal treatment under the law. Your religion may not be comfortable with that concept. Fine. Live your own life in strict accordance with your religious principles if you wish, but don't try to use the police power of government to compel others to live by them also.

You may also tell me that you don't think that children should be raised by homosexual couples. I'll agree with you on that. I firmly believe that children need mothers and fathers. A young girl or boy has many lessons to learn before they're kicked out of the next, and some of those lessons are uniquely designed to be taught by mothers, some by fathers. Do you want a law recognizing the value of children being raised by mothers and fathers; a law banning adoption by same-sex couples? Fine. I'm with you there too.

Some of the people who will object loudly to this decision will go to the corner store today to purchase their copy of People magazine and then wander off to their homes in time to catch Entertainment Tonight on the tube. They will ooh and ahhhh over the latest news and gossip about their favorite celebrities. These are the same celebrities who engage in a series of four-month marriages. They're also the same celebrities who get pregnant and then wonder out loud in anxiously awaited interviews about whether or not they'll get married to the father at some time in the future. Maybe so, maybe not. The Hollywood crowd has made a mockery of the idea of marriage and of raising children in mother-father households. If you want to focus your righteous rage somewhere ... try Hollywood.

There is a solution here. State governments could set up two distinct legal relationships between adults. There could be marriages and there could be civil unions. The laws of the state would grant certain privileges and rights to people who have formed state-recognized civil unions. These would be the rights and privileges generally afforded to heterosexual couples today. As for marriages? Let the church's handle those. Create a system whereby governments recognize civil unions, and churches recognize marriages. If people want to be "married" let them go to a church and have their civil union recognized and blessed by the church. Otherwise, you simple remain "partners," but with all of the legal rights and privileges that the government grants to those who's unions are recognized by a church.

In the meantime ... unless you can tell me how the Massachusetts decision is going to effect your rights under the law, it's my position that you have nothing to gripe about.

---------------

Can you believe this guy?

Here's the Daily Show's take on him. "Fix That Flag" is unbelievable. Just freakin' unbelievable.

Thank God David Brooks is writing for the Times now...

...because we get superlative, totally necessary editorials like this doozy about Lucky magazine. I guess he doesn't want to write about Iraq and stuff because that's not going too well. I'm so glad that he's not just writing for the execrable Weekly Standard anymore!

What a waste of space...and it doesn't even make much sense. As my co-workers noted, it's like The Onion's Jackie Harvey come to life.

Sleazy.

Look up "sleazy" in Webster's and you're sure to find a picture of Tom Delay. Watch (or read) this NBC story on his fundraising practices. Thanks to JP! for the tip-off!

NBC may have stepped away from the realm of hard news a long time ago (much to my chagrin), but they are good at digging up dirt on folks. Check out this story.

Propaganda

Can anyone help me with the veracity of this email, sent to a friend by his pro-Bush parents? Some of it seems a little wild. Here goes:

------------------

Isn't it Interesting?

"Since President Bush declared an end to major combat on May 1..." The USA Press
has been quick to point out any set-backs or negatives in the plans related to
Iraq. In almost every case where one of the media pundits outlines a set-back,
they begin their story with the phrase, "Since President Bush declared an end to
major combat on May 1..."

Here are some things that have happened in Iraq that the major media has not
bothered to report:

Since President Bush declared an end to major combat on May 1

1...the first battalion of the new Iraqi Army has graduated and is on active
duty.

2... over 60,000 Iraqis now provide security to their fellow citizens.

3... nearly all of Iraq's 400 courts are functioning.

4... the Iraqi judiciary is fully independent.

5... on Monday, October 6 power generation hit 4,518 megawatts-exceeding the
prewar average.

6... all 22 universities and 43 technical institutes and colleges are open, as
are nearly all primary and secondary schools.

7... by October 1, Coalition forces had rehabbed over 1,500 schools - 500 more
than their target.

8. ... teachers earn from 12 to 25 times their former salaries.

9...all 240 hospitals and more than 1200 clinics are open.

10...doctors' salaries are at least eight times what they were under Saddam.

11...pharmaceutical distribution has gone from essentially nothing to 700 tons
in May to a current total of 12,000 tons.

12...the Coalition has helped administer over 22 million vaccination doses to
Iraq's children.

13...a Coalition program has cleared over 14,000 kilometers of Iraq's 27,000
kilometers of weed-choked canals. They now irrigate tens of thousands of farms.
This project has created jobs for more than 100,000 Iraqi men and women.

14...we have restored over three-quarters of prewar telephone services and over
two-thirds of the potable water production.

15...there are 4,900 full-service connections. We expect 50,000 by January
first.

16...the wheels of commerce are turning. From bicycles to satellite dishes to
cars and trucks, businesses are coming to life in all major cities and towns.

17...95 percent of all pre-war bank customers have service and first-time
customers are opening accounts daily.

18...Iraqi banks are making loans to finance businesses.

19...the central bank is fully independent.

20...Iraq has one of the world's most growth oriented investment and banking
laws.

21...Iraq (has) a single, unified currency for the first time in 15 years.

22...satellite dishes are legal.

23...foreign journalists aren't on 10-day visas paying mandatory and
extortionate fees to the Ministry of Information for "minders" and other
government spies.

24...there is no Ministry of Information.

25...there are more than 170 newspapers in Iraq

.

26.... people can buy satellite dishes on what seems like every street corner.

26...foreign journalists and everyone else are free to come and go.

27...a nation that had not one single element-legislative, judicial or executive
-- of a representative government, does.

28...in Baghdad alone residents have selected 88 advisory councils. Baghdad's
first democratic transfer of power in 35 years happened when the city council
elected its new chairman.

29...today in Iraq chambers of commerce, business, school and professional
organizations are electing their leaders all over the country.

30...25 ministers, selected by the most representative governing body in Iraq's
history, run the day-to-day business of government.

31...the Iraqi government regularly participates in international events. Since
July the Iraqi government has been represented in over two dozen international
meetings, including those of the UN General Assembly, the Arab League, the World
Bank and IMF and, today, the Islamic Conference Summit. The Ministry of Foreign
Affairs today announced that it is reopening over 30 Iraqi embassies around the
world.

32...Shia religious festivals that were all but banned, aren't.

33...for the first time in 35 years, in Karbala thousands of Shiites celebrate
the pilgrimage of the 12th Imam.

34...the Coalition has completed over 13,000 reconstruction projects, large and
small, as part of (a) strategic plan for the reconstruction of Iraq.

35... Uday and Queasy are dead -- and no longer feeding innocent Iraqis to his
zoo lions, raping the young daughters of local leaders to force cooperation,
torturing Iraq's soccer players for losing games...murdering critics.

36...children aren't imprisoned or murdered when their parents disagree with the
government.

37...political opponents aren't imprisoned, tortured, executed, maimed, or are
forced to watch their families die for disagreeing with Saddam.

38...millions of long-suffering Iraqis no longer live in perpetual terror.

39...Saudis will hold municipal elections.*

40...Qatar is reforming education to give more choices to parents.*

41...Jordan is accelerating market economic reforms.*

42...the Nobel Peace Prize was awarded for the first time to an Iranian - a
Muslim woman who speaks out with courage for human rights, for democracy and for
peace.

43...Saddam is out of power.

44...Iraq is free.

THE TRAVESTY OF ALL OF THIS is the USA PRESS DOES NOT REPORT THESE FACTS TO THE
PEOPLE!

---------------

What exactly is the "USA Press?" Don't you think Fox News would cover this? And define "free" (#44). The way I see it, Iraq is under a strange form of semi-martial law and occupied by a foreign state. A lot of people don't have jobs, power, water, etc. How free is that? Oh, well...let the debunking begin!

The Rundown

Phew! A lot has been happening at BG Central. Here's what I've been up to in the past few days:

I saw Master and Commander. It was awesome. Not for everyone, to be sure, but pretty great in my book.

I saw Elf. I thought it was hilarious. "You sit on a throne of lies." Brilliant!

Went to the Georgia-Auburn game. Mixed feelings about this one, but for the first time ever I found myself rooting for Georgia over AU. Weird. I chose wisely...Auburn played like crap. I hope they can pull it out over Alabama!

We went to the Imperial Fez in Atlanta, where you eat with your hands and watch good belly dancers (for a change). You also drop about 60 bucks or so, but it's worth it. I know it's not politically correct, but lamb (cooked with artichoke) is delicious. So was the eggplant mush and the potato stuff. And don't forget the sweet, yet meaty b'stella, a concoction featuring cornish hen and cinnamon. I've decided that the only way I will eat from now on is on soft, squishy carpet, shoes off, sitting on pillowy couches.

Mame's parents came over on Saturday: her father came for the game and her mother came for the antique shopping. A good time was had by all. I told a rather profane story about Buttermouth and the Waffle House. I think it went over pretty well, considering the preponderence of the f-word.

I wrote a paper. I wrote another paper.

Bill and I wrote a new Bunny Kitty song and recorded it in, like, four hours. Strangely, it's one of our best, comprised entirely of drum loops, omnichord, and casio with some Stipe-y vocals from Bill "Bunny" Benson. Working title: "Aaper." Look for a Christmas release. No, really!

This makes me happy.

A line from today's episode of Yu-Gi-Oh!

"I devoted my life to my two great passions: numbers and penguins."

Mullet Mania!

Today on Cops, I saw more mullets than I've ever seen in my life. Location? Minneapolis!

I like Wes Clark, BUT...

...his reputation of being a careerist suck-up may actually be sort of true. After all, he wants to mess with the 1st Amendment and support a flag-burning amendment to the constitution. He gave a statement on this at an American Legion...hmmm. Honestly, I feel so strongly about this issue that if he keeps it up, there will be no chance of me voting for him.

Happy Birthday to Mame!

My dearly beloved is turning 20 something today, and I just thought I'd give her some quick "props." I love this woman sooo much that I actually cleaned up the living room in my own half-assed way. And I helped the Lowe's guys install a dryer. And I bought her Skid Row's first album on LP, autographed by Sebastian and Snake. You want to know how much I love this lady? I bought her a fucking SKID ROW album! I think that just about sums it all up.

Happy Birthday!

Thank God for Emerson.

He keeps sending me great stories like this one.

Let's see Wes Clark do the butt-stomp!

Hey, I'd vote for Mario. That motherfucker has saved the princess, like, 300 times! He'd have no problem cleaning up the Iraq situation personally, provided there were lots of 1-UPs and Fire Flowers.

Sigh...

...after an exciting, laundry-filled weekend (in which, unfortunately, the dryer broke down for good), I have entered one of the busiest weeks of my life. Blogging will be light. I'm sorry.

Happy Birthday, Mom!
Happy Birthday, Mame!

Out.

Like the Kool-Aid Man said..."Oh yeah!"

Tennessee just pulled a major upset over Miami at the Orange Bowl, where Miami hadn't lost for 26 games or something. Crazy. This makes the SEC East picture even fuzzier. Georgia killed Tennessee who beat Miami who beat Florida who beat Georgia. Tennessee also beat Florida, so right now I'd have to give the Vols the edge. Next week's Auburn-Georgia matchup should be interesting. The Away team always wins, so it's Auburn's turn this year. We'll see.

God, I hate Miami...I'm so glad they lost. Screw them and their dirty football (they had some major penalties like roughing the punter, two personal fouls, and one unsportsmanlike conduct).

Hmph.

I want to write something really funny or stirring or interesting right now, but my brain feels like mush. I just read an article on how to feng-shui one's cubicle. I have decided my cubicle is un-feng-shui-able. Not that I believe in that stuff anyway. I'm just that bored. All I've been doing today is backing up data on CDs. Believe it or not, surfing the intrynet for five plus hours is not all it's cracked up to be. I remember surfing the web using Mosaic in 1994, sifting through page after page of frames and flashing text, searching for such tasty morsels as REM lyrics, tour dates, pictures of naked women. It was very exciting. Now it all seems rote. Where excitement once dwelled, there is only drudgery (said with a deep Eastern European accent...Romanian?).

Last night, after band practice, we all rode bikes to the Flicker Bar for a couple of cold ones. To be honest, the beer didn't go down so smooth, but it was fun all the same. I haven't ridden a bike in three years or so. I was worried I was going to wreck, but after about 10 seconds, it was smooth sailing. It is just like riding a bike...

I'm surprised we didn't get hit by a car. There was a lot of dark clothing present.

Do yourself a favor...

...and follow the links Wes has posted here. They are pictures of a joint KKK/House of Prayer march concerning the Ten Commandments. Crazy stuff.

Oh, and take time to read some of Wes' blog. He's one of the good ones.

And for extra fun, check out Rick Ross's evisceration of relationship guru John Gray. You know...the Men Are From Mars guy. Apparently, his degrees are worthless, and he's been lying on his resume for years.

Yeah!

Snopes.com takes on the Ten Commandments zealots...and wins!

This guy just looks like a killer...

What a strange crime: two real-estate agents were murdered in a model home, allegedly by Mr. Thick Face. Pretty sad stuff. I was watching the news when the cops pulled up to his grandmother's house, right after he had made a hasty exit. I hate to say it, but it was kind of exciting.

I don't understand this.

But this is hilarious. Click on "Oh the Humanity," "Interviews I Could Get," or "Take Two Tablets" for hilarity.

Also, North Korea and the US are going to hold talks right here in Athens, GA! Pretty cool, huh?

And the Bush Administration and the Cheney Energy Task Force stick it to, well, everybody who cares about air quality. Way to go, Dick!

Could the war have been averted? Not that we had any reason to trust the Hussein regime, but it's an interesting thought.

This'll make you soooo happy...

From the Council of Conservative Citizens website (emphasis mine):

The Nicole Syndrome

Is there something neurotic about blondes named Nicole that makes them pant after brooding black men?

Celebrity magazines are reporting a budding romance between actress Nicole Kidman and half-negro, half-Jew musician Lenny Kravitz. Kidman and Kravitz have been spotted together at several trendy venues, which means they want to be photographed as a couple.

In one photo that appeared in a recent US magazine, Kravitz, with a ring in his nose and hair in corn rows, bore a chilling resemblance to the most infamous Negro Nicolephile-- O. J. Simpson.

Hey, Kidman, don't stick your neck out for this one!

Remember that the new governor of Mississippi, Haley Barbour, attended one of their barbecues. Remember that George W. Bush and Dick Cheney and Rudy Giuliani campaigned for this man. Racism is good and alive in Mississippi and the GOP higher-ups, including our two presidents, are tacitly endorsing it. Fuck all of them. Republicans, defend the actions of the president! Bring it on, motherfuckers!

Oh...when did OJ put his hair in corn rows? Did I miss this?

What I'm listening to at work these days...

The BeeGees--Best of..., vol. 1 (still!)
Yes--Fragile
Various Artists--Pow City! Fabulous Shakers Soul Party
Big Star--Third/Sister Lovers
Teenage Fanclub--Songs from a Northern Britain
Fleetwood Mac--Rumours
early Lou Reed demos and stuff (crappy, but compelling...)

Just thought I'd let you know.

I forget about Engrish.com sometimes

I want this shirt.

Wow!

I just listened to the most fascinating documentary, called "The President Calling." It was produced by American RadioWorks for NPR, and it documented the presidential tapes of Nixon, Johnson, and Kennedy, particularly relating to some big issues, though there was one tape of LBJ talking about his pants cutting into his nuts like "sitting on a wire fence."

I encourage everybody to sit back and listen to the full hour-long program.

Just think: over half of the tapes have yet to be released!

One more thing...

There were reports of rampant GOP intimidation and meddling at the polls in the Mississippi election. Hmmm...I thought only Democrats did that stuff. If you only listened to Rush and Sean Hannity, you might actually believe that was true. Well, it's not. This shit happens on both sides and should concern everybody.

And I feel even stronger about my George W. Bush is a racist comment because I just remembered his fucking of Liberia and his failure to do anything, well, anywhere in the world where people aren't white.

I'm pissed off

Not just because Haley "Racist piece of shit" Barbour won the gubernatorial election in MS, and not because no one once commented about it on this blog, even though this is a former RNC chairmen who hung out with white supremacists this year and acted like it was no big deal!...it's Mississippi: no one cares about MS, right? Well, I care. And I really care that while soldiers were dying in Iraq, the peace talks between the Sri Lankan govt. and the Tamil Tigers were breaking down, Yassir Arafat was once again fucking up the Palestinian Authority, and a bunch of other shit was happening, Dick Cheney and George W. Bush found time to campaign for the RACIST VOTE in Mississippi...not to mention St. Rudy "Fucking" Giuliani, who was somehow beatified because he gave decent press conferences after 9/11...such courage! What a fucking joke! Everybody hated the guy before 9/11! Apparently, composure equals courage...what a crock of shit...

Anyway...we now have a guy as governor of Mississippi who obviously doesn't care about black people, who make up half the state's population. And we have yet another tacit endorsement of racism by our president, who also went to Bob Jones University and didn't call them out on their bullshit. Remember how long it took him to come out against ol' Trent Lott? Our president might as well be a fucking racist if he thinks these are good people.

I'm calling him out: Mr. President, you are a racist. Haw! It's fun to say it!

And has anybody ever noted that Christian conservatives are always the most vehemently pro-capitalist people around, even though the rampant consumerism borne of American capitalism is decidedly anti-Christian...or at least anti-family and anti-traditional values, in my estimation? Just thinking right now...

It's late. I need to sleep.

Dear Mississippi,

Please come to your senses and don't vote for that racist piece of shit, Haley Barbour. He hangs out with white supremacists and thinks it's no big deal. A state with a population as diverse as yours should not allow this to happen.

Love,
Big Gray

Ha!

The Kroger version of Velveeta is called "Nice and Cheesy!"

A new haiku

Sociotropic
And probit analysis
Words that make me puke

Mission Accomplished?

John Dickerson from Time on "Bannergate."

The Brutal Ballet

Did anyone else catch the fight between "Pretty Boy" Floyd Mayweather, Jr. and Phillip "The Time Bomb" Ndou? It was probably the best boxing match I've seen in at least two years...hell, five years. Ndou only won one round, but he fought with ferocity and courage that won him a few new fans, including myself. He was all wild swings, though, with little defense, and Mayweather was unbelievable accurate. This guy is not usually an offensive fighter, known for his precision more than his power. Well, he had both power and technique going for him in this bout, as he dismantled Ndou's flurry of long jabs (100 punches thrown in the fifth round by Ndou!) with steady, solid right hands and--I'm not making this up--like, a 52% power punch landing percentage. Unreal. The aforementioned fifth round was, as Larry Merchant wisely noted, easily the best round of boxing (from both combatants) we'll see this year. Wow.

Having said all this, the first fight of the night, between "Smoke" Gainer and Juan Manuel Marquez was one of the most disgustingly boring and lame fights I've ever seen. Marquez was all over Gainer, who, literally, landed 16 punches over the course of the fight, which, thankfully, was ended after an unintentional headbutt opened up a gash on Gainer's head. He was miserable and would have sustained a bigger beating if Marquez hadn't been so worried about seeming overconfident. It's got to be creepy to have an opponent who does nothing but bounce around and not make any real attempt.