Editorial: Ahhh. You feel that? It's the feeling the "family" holidays are ending.

10P.M. What a holiday season is has been. It is shocking that I've played tackle football with friends (all are at least a few years younger than I am...) 2x since Thanksgiving. When you are my age, that is a lot of tackles and running for your life in fear of getting tackled or otherwise pummled by other bald guys, a marine, 6'7" brothas and even a human bowling ball. You heard that right, and I am fortunate enough to say so. And since this is an editorial I wanted to put football behind me once and for all for 2008. My fantasy teams sucked, the Jets got finished off today by the Phins and playing tackle football is over. It's been one of those years. The recent economic downturn has made it very difficult to blog a lot, but it's like a daily meditation so I keep it in the routine. Very few people I know of blog every day, and of those very few, I really can't say I know them much more than by what their blogs and miscellaneous writings reveal. Blogging is such a great area of interest that it has taken the place of television in my life. The profit potential is pathetic, so you know it must have a deeper meaning if this blogmaster would testify as such... Thank you very much if you have read this blog and continue to return. It is part of the allure, though mainly it's a blog filled with brainless banter and awful critiques... the point of it all is fuzzy, so I would be a liar if I said there wasn't some profit prowess involved. Defining the direction of my blog has been a fun endeavor, and on this, Daily Mael's 100th post, I can only conclude there isn't a clearly defined point yet. After 1,100 posts on another blog (over 4 years) I never found a clear point. That's why I have blog "friends" I am confident will, over time, become personal friends as there are few places Daily Mael goes without making friends.

What I have learned about the transfer from a personal blog to a blog I consider to have more potential requires more thought, but not less reckless abandon. This inverse relationship creates a tough balancing act. Do I involve friends or keep it a benign entity? Bowling Ball Steve was actually the first person I know outside of my personal "world of blog" to actually present what I refer to as "the bet". A few weeks back, our fantasy fb teams went head-2-head and were I to lose, and he to win, I would write a post about him. I wound up winning the week so it became a moot point, but I still liked "the bet" idea to begin with. The ironic part is, the bet was never even made, in fact it was only presented by my roommate, Detroit, not BBSteve - so I don't even know if he was down with that bet. And since it's the holidays, and since he's a pretty good poker player, and despite the fact he's a Bear's fan, and since he can help me in future business opportunities, and since he offered to buy me lunch just for playing in Sunday's football game he organized ((I kindly refused the bribe) to guarantee 12 players, and since I know he reads at least one blog, and because when I tried tackling him on a short-n-out pitch that I read perfectly & attacked & got carried 10 yards before being tossed to the ground where I belonged as he continued another 30 yards downfield - I'll give him 2008 kudos for all-around friendship achievement.

So you all know, this editorial post is not this site's norm. But it is late December and as always I like to mull over some of my most memorable times during the year. I have a pretty small immediate family, so I am not innundated with family outings - I'm single, so no dreaded in-law parties to attend, just a lot of emails, phone calls and a few fun get togethers in an otherwise weird December. I have rolled the $100k grant for this site over to a horse in the fifth race at Aqueduct tracks tomorrow night based on a hot-tip from a former boss. I normally don't like betting gray horses, but I'll b rootin' Hooter Troupe on! Ok, that is just more non-sense as I kill more time thinking of the other big things of 2008. Kinda holding my breath to see what will transpire at the Gaza strip on this, the 8th and final night of Chanukah. I've decided this story, while coming late in the year, overshadows the Bernard Madoff story and the car industry woes if it continues to escalate. Of course there were amazing stories too - such as the end of the Bush reign and the beginning of something new... the housing bust, oil and stock market turmoil, Palin, UFOs in Stephensville, Texas and the surging growth and power of Facebook. Sirius and MySpace and LT are going downhill fast. For a GOOD Year in Review, check out Reuters'.

As a special gift to Daily Mael readers, I would like to include a digital link to the 11th editon of Republic Magazine. It includes my fourth article to the magazine. In this issue I got a chance to do an information profile on a very interesting writer named G. Edward Griffin. I don't even know if I'm supposed to be offering this link, as this is a print magazine y'all should be buying to help support it's growth. There, I just saved you 5 bucks, now get back to work! Enjoy your short week, and if you like the magazine enough, buy a copy and mention my name. Hey, it worked for Radiohead in 2007.

Done. 11:15P.M.

Coming soon: Goals for 2009! You won't want to miss this, so come on back.
Picture: Taken a couple weeks ago at Brice Canyon, Utah by me!

Nothing Better Than Warming Up

It's one of those nights... stuck in the misery of choice-less boredom. I could head out to the valley, but I have to be up and out of the house by 9 tomorrow... that would never happen if I walked out side and into my car, so here I am - about to throw down more pictures of my recent trip.

They are uncharacteristically scenic. I like faces, but like I have already said - these are good...



This is a collection of the signs I took pictures of...


I was going to talk about a couple websites but these pictures took precedence.

Enjoy December

I was We were lucky, to have ditched town right before every state I we drove through got bombarded with winter goodness. When we got to Utah it was cold already - but the snow was slowly dragging a day behind us. The result was being able to capture the last bare pictures of 2008 up in Brice, Utah.


As we drove, we found places to get out and socialize a little with local creatures...


The higher we drove, the closer we got to the snow.


At first, I was more interested with looking at the scenery. That was until I started to understand the camera I was using to help document the adventure. It made a big difference because this camera was saving bits and pieces I was compeletey missing by making only quick glances. More of Utah coming, but first expect to see a post or two about some "dailies" I've been observing lately...

Took a Walk with Absurd

And wandered into a tiny museum in city called Hurricane, in Utah because of the guy who was begging us to enter.

We took a browse - this city with a rich in history and very few people was impressive...


It was a nice way to check out the surroundings and talk to people and get a feeling for where we were. But this was just a stop on the way to the big mountains up the highway, so onward we pushed.

Best 2008 Holiday Card I've Received So Far...

Just Getting Started

At this point in my recent vacation, we were just getting started. This was just a piss break from the first leg that turned into as nice a place as any to take a picture or two. For me, two, for Absurd - 30.

I don't even remember the exact point here, but I am sure he has it well-documented. And as co-navigator, I felt it was important to note that going "this way" was the Wrong Way. Fortunately, we got back on the hwy the right way and it was ON (as one waitress put it..) Like Donkey Kong!

Daily Mael 2008 Sports Round-up

This year comes to an end very soon (16 days?) and Tony Romo has screwed me for the 2nd straight December. His sack-taking ass will soon be a memory to my otherwise unstoppable offense. Oh yeah, and no traveling during fantasy playoffs if at all possible.

By the way, if you weren't sure, LT is done, lets be honest. However, the Chargers are using him like a wise franchise should - allowing him to bow out in grand style. LT is a class act, but I've been saying it since before week1, he's rounded the turn and is heading for home. His role is on the decline, but he is still productive enough to make SD a contender.

Anyway, screw Romo - and screw the Cowboys for that matter - I hate his game, I can't stand his grin and I hope he caught something from Jessica Simpson.

The Clippers began the season sucking it bad, but have since gotten rid of Cuttino Mobley, finally, and retrieved a true basketball stud - Zack Randolph. Nobody was more excited than I at the news - and so far he is showing he's as good as I have been telling people. I realize some people will never listen to my sports analysis, but this move will make the Clips a playoff contender this season. Believe in something, right? Right. Go Clips. I am still trying to erase my memories from ealier in the year when the Celtics rolled to another championship. Then the Timberwolves announce Kevin McHale will be the head coach - a great move for the franchise. I just wish sometimes the Celtics would breed anything but great basketball and hatred, but this has been the case more than not.

Former Angel and big hitter, Willie Mays Aikens was released from prison after serving 14 years of his 20 year sentence for selling crack to a FBI entrapper ho in the early 90s. He got the raw deal, but is being released because of a change in the crack laws. Flashing back to 1983, I remember when he went to jail for crack, 3 years after being the 1st (only) ball player to ever drill back to back multi-homer games in a World Series. I'll never forget the moment when I asked my parents "what is crack?" Willie helped me make the right decision and I was really glad to hear of his release.

A ton of sports figures died in 2008 ... probably not more than usual, but one sure sign I am getting older came when I realized there were a lot more of these sports folks who died that were players with names and faces I remember from when I was growing up. Even worse was the staggering % of these who died due to their involvement with drugs or alcohol.

2008 March Madness in Las Vegas was horrible. This is just a reminder and I will not be going back in 2009 even if I discover a brick of gold or it's equivalent by February.

I did not watch a single event of this summer's Olympic Games. I don't know what country received the most or least medals, and I don't care. I didn't watch any of the major sports all-star games, but nothing new there.

After scoring 3 TDs in the 2008 Turkey Bowl, fellow old geezers and I beat the younger, far more out of shape team, proving once n for all that it is NOT all about fantasy sports. Go outside, you lazy fucks! Reality check: Fact is, pride is useless, particularly in the face of losing 50 bucks...

(I hate Tony Romo, coming soon from the creator of I hate Tom Brady)

Taos is Nice...

Won't be seeing many sights like this for a while...

All aboard! Get yer ass on the TRAIN!

Should be skiing but we are on our last leg and heading home. I don't know which way to go.


Just a quick look ... wait til you see the Canon pix, tough guy!

typing with gloves is tough

So now i am in New Mexico. Thing would only be better if I wasn't wearing gloves while typing but - well - the fingers are cold and need warming.

Hiked through several National Forests, and just missed entering a sweet one - Four Corners which touches four of the states right at their joining middle - Colorado, NM, Utah, Arizona. No signs of John McCain or John Stockton - but plenty of buffalo and American Indians. I was scared at a bull I stupidly pointed a camera at - when he looked directly at me I jumped back in the car and yelled "Punch It!" and off we went.

I'm tired - but getting ready to go get a beer and discuss the happenings with Mr. Absurdity who has done a fine job navigating this trip thusfar. Being on the road with someone can really test one's nerves - but we're two easy going peeps and no carnage or road rage has occurred. We got an $80 year round pass to enter National Forests - which have averaged nearly $25 each to enter. OMG the sites. The people. The animals - the moon and sunsets have been crazy fun... sorry if you want to see the pics I just haven't been able to even come close to messing with them yet. Oh yeah.. saw an amazing fireball streaking across the sky tonight - turned green and disappeared off into the distance - wow. Made my trip that much more fantastic.

What's up in Illinois?

Spotted our first Walmart of the trip today in a dive-town in New Mexico... drove through a montrously large American Indian reservation all day. Got some postcards and little nic-naks...

And what is that? Oh, beer. Right.. later!

Live from Moab, Utah

Updates are slower than expected as some of the motels have had REALLY slow, like terribly slow wifi, so after checking out my horribly disappointing fantasy results yesterday (fuck you, for the 2nd year running, Romo,) I slammed the laptop shut, leaving the DM in the dark. UNBELIEVABLE pictures coming your way, but that won't be til oh... next week. But they are worth the wait and if you helped with a donation, I took one picture especially for you. Cash is always a problem so thanks again.. Well, lets see,what have I seen... numerous national parks that are mind blowing and happily uncrowded. A night at a hotel at a casino in Mesquite, NV - I didn't sleep til' 3 as I played some nickle machines while getting free drinks. At one point - around 2am, I got into a conversation with some locals- and our pregnant bartender (bless her heart) had set me up with 3 beers on one serve cuz some jerk was a dick to her. Thanks to Mr. Dick and preggo-in-a-super-smokey-casino bartender. Couldn't risk gambling, so settled on talking to some locals at a blackjack table - while he won 800 bucks just shootin' it with me. Unreal, he didn't know how badly I wanted to cry, so I went to bed- he even offered to "put me on the payroll" if I hung out longer while he won, and I'm like "dude, I'm not your BJ muse, go get a hooker with your cash!" zzzz. Woke up hurting but I didn't have to drive so all was good. Otherwise, a couple decent dives/seedy dump diners, truck stops, a snow blizzard about two hours ago coming through hwy 95 and two breath-taking hikes that almost made my lungs explode cuz we're at 10,000 ft elevation... almost slammed three deer to their bloody demise, but thank you anti-lock break system. Took a picture of a woodpecker, because there was one sitting next to me wondering if he could have one of my Wheat Thins. "No problem lil' man." Most of the steakhouses are closed for winter down here... but I still think Utah is a decent place. Little drama, beautiful to no end. We're near Cortez, Colorado - so maybe tomorrow or the next day, then ... well, hopefully I'll have some Wifi along the way for more updates. Thanks for reading, see ya!

Great New Pictures: Meteorites from the Lone Rock, SK Strewn Field

One of the Greatest Things I Ever Did Was Meet a Canadian

When I got to S Korea in 2003 to teach English for the year, I met a Canadian dude named Beard. I didn't know what to make of him at first, but I took nothing for granted because I was loving every second of being in a foreign land and I had all the time in the world to get to know him. And over the course of my time there, I really got to find out there really are good people out there in this world. His then-girlfriend, now-wife came to visit him and even she was cool. There was no question this was a smart guy, smarter than me for sure, but at the same time, he was a very down to earth guy who wasn't afraid to show his weaknesses, yet still defend them to a respectable level. Is that even possible? Was I just being too trust-worthy? It didn't matter because I blew his mind in one way that will always make us friends - I had the one thing from home he missed most besides his girlfriend - a "j". We had a few laugh-to-the-verge-of-tears moments together with our other Korea teachers and friends. Eating doc-kalb and ho-duc and singing karaoke... at 3 in the morning, drunk. It's all too nostalgic to get into at this point in history, but today he sent me a link to a fantastic website that has pictures from that meteorite that smacked down close to his part of Manitoba, Canada.

I had emailed him immediately after I first heard about it, because as curious as I am about such things, there is no such thing better than having a good friend in an area of newsworthy interest in another part of the world. Thanks for the link, Beard!

Pictured: "The first meteorites were located by Ellen Milley, a PhD candidate at the University of Calgary, in a frozen fish pond near the agricultural community of Lone Rock, Saskatchewan. (Photograph: Bruce McCurdy, Edmonton Space & Science Foundation / Royal Astronomical Society of Canada)"

The Plight of the Fiscal Liberal

It gets really annoying to hear people who say they are social liberals, fiscal conservatives, liberal-liberal with a twist of conservative-reformation-primordial decaf. As if to sound that they believe in tightening up their control of money while being able to hang out with all the cool people.

Stop it!

Just stop. Everything we understand about money is tweaked (unless you already have a grip on how to make it already...) and it's going to get worse and it's going to evolve so that everyone who thinks they know is not going to know and - too bad. This as big of a prediction as I can make, we're all playing with Monopoly money as it is, it was a matter of time before the shit hit the fan, and that time is now. Splat. I've met a lot of people along the way, all of whom make more money than I do, who have expressed this much and way more. Don't be afraid, adjust accordingly. Go on a road-trip.

I'm going on a 10-day road-trip Friday and though I should be home working I will instead be driving through canyons, prairies and cities throughout cattle country and more. It's going to be incredible. But is there a point? Wait for the pictures and prose...8 states, 10 days. Tic... toc...

Support the Daily Mael Roadtrip!

*** UPDATE ***
I leave Friday, and even though I met my goal of $100 in donations, that only covers my first 3 travel days - ANY pledge helps! Thank you again for your help, it's GREAT that people have come to my blog and decided to help out...
DM


OK - Here goes...
I tried this once on my last blog (to help support my annual blog fees) and actually got some help from readers. However, I didn't feel as strongly about that site as I do this new one. This site certainly doesn't have much of a fanbase, but give it some time. It is growing. Meanwhile, help a brother out by reading the following outline and make a choice.

From Dec. 5th - Dec. 14th I'll be on a roadtrip hitting on 8 different states.

California to NV to Utah to Colorado to Oklahoma to Texas to New Mexico and back through Arizona and homeward.

The route me & Absurd selected is voted amongst the best drives in America, and I'll be bringing updates on THIS blog - real time! I can't promise exactly how many updates I'll be offering up along the trip, it depends on where I can get i-net access for the laptop. But you will be on my mind for most of the trip. :X For those of you who don't know me, when I go on a trip, I talk to locals, I eat their food, I look at their surrounding beauty and admire it with respect. I want to write while doing this, and since I want to have the best trip I want to make sure I can do this with some added inspiration - YOU!

I'm working on a shoe-string budget and would like to ask anyone feeling in the holiday spirit to donate via Paypal if you are so inclined. Any and all donors will get publicity from Daily Mael in the form of links in future posts and big, big props from yours truly.

My goal is very modest, so even if you have 2 dollars to donate - by all means, it's the same as getting a larger donation - fully accepted and well-received.

So - I have a goal of raising $100 bucks - which will cover motel costs for three of my nights on the road. So like I said - every penny makes a difference and it will be going to a great cause - ROAD TRIPPING.

You don't owe me a dime, and I'll love you all just the same if I don't get any donations - but keep in mind that I certainly wouldn't ask if I didn't feel that the cause was worthy.

Goodbye Lil

Lil was a little like my own grandmother
Actually, she was more like my only grandmother

I remember the smell of her apartment
Back when Sol would tell us boxing stories & sing us songs he sang when he was in the war
While she cooked a strictly Kosher meal
Sol was the greatest old guy you'd ever want to meet

Lil was my best friend's grandma
Since all of my grandparents were gone even before I came around
I don't know if she knew, or if she just sensed that I could use her humanity in my life
But she took me in as a regular part of the family
She loved me, and my parents were good friends with her
Sol passed away many years ago, maybe 10 or so years at least
For as great of a man Sol was, it says so much for the strength of Lil for all she weathered since
She passed away yesterday and I just found out, have a great Thanksgiving

Then in a conversation later...
Daily: So i have a funeral to attend Sunday "blech", not a big fan of the funeral
Absurd: Think the Irish have the best idea - have a wake and celebrate the good times
Daily: Ahh ... right.. I like that. We Jews are OK with it... particularly helps that she was 96. There will be an awesome deli spread there, no-doubt though for me, it brings up a lot of memories... I'm sad, but it'll be a funeral to go and celebrate some of those memories with friends and family. I guess the difference there is there won't be any kegs of beer.. but rather - if they have any sense - wine.

The whole emotional scene today reminded me of a poem I read by a rather unknown poet:

Departure

William Stafford radiated peace and love,
sweetly stirred up others
suddenly departed from this sphere
without the clamor of the press
or the gong of his acclaim.

The news reached me when the heat of his August death
had turned into November chill,
but I buried him in my hearth on some lofty mound
where I knew his words would not end like the seasons.

by: Marilyn Hochheiser (undated)

Whaaaaa?

Easily the worst news of the day is my car needs fixin'. But in the meanwhile I can't wait until Turkey. Yes, loads of Turkey. And sleep. Lots of sleep.

Just found this trailer, looks SPOOKY...

Apparently, 2012 stars John Cusack and Amanda Peet cast in lead roles. This was also rumored to have been the biggest deal to come across after the writer's strike ended.

I have to admit though - this trailer is eerily similar to Day After Tomorrow, Independence Day, Apocalypto, War of the Worlds and Armageddon all mixed into one. Oh yeah, don't forget 10,000 BC. Spoilers Here. I read the spoilers, and I will give you my review now. Save your 10 bucks and apply it to the costs of digging a deep hole in your backyard. Then jump in the hole after you are finished and have your neighbor dump all the dirt on your head. There, you are now safe to go about your business.

Nic Harcourt Walks Away From 118k

KCRW's DJ Nic Harcourt is leaving public radio. As he puts it: "The bottome line is I've been in public radio for 10 years, and regardless of how great my job is, I make public radio money, and I have two 5 year-olds. I have to think about their future... I'm going to be busy. I'm looking forward to building some equity"

read more | digg story

The 16th Amendment

This is from US Constitution dot Net:

16th Amendment
In 1895, in the Supreme Court case of Pollock v Farmer's Loan and Trust (157 U.S. 429), the Court disallowed a federal tax on income from real property. The tax was designed to be an indirect tax, which would mean that states need not contribute portions of a whole relative to its census figures. The Court, however, ruled that the tax was a direct tax and subject to apportionment. This was the last in a series of conflicting court decisions dating back to the Civil War. Between 1895 and 1909, when the amendment was passed by Congress, the Court began to back down on its position, as it became clear not only to accountants but to everyone that the solvency of the nation was in jeopardy. In a series of cases, the definition of "direct tax" was modified, bent, twisted, and coaxed to allow more taxation efforts that approached an income tax.

Finally, with the ratification of the 16th Amendment, any doubt was removed. The text of the Amendment makes it clear that though the categories of direct and indirect taxation still exist, any determination that income tax is a direct tax will be irrelevant, because taxes on incomes, from salary or from real estate, are explicitly to be treated as indirect. The Congress passed the Amendment on July 12, 1909, and it was ratified on February 3, 1913 (1,302 days).

Today is End The Fed day in Downtown L.A. I'll try to snap a few pictures and pass out copies of the new Republic magazine. I have about 70 issues left for passing out to the crowd + 2 for me + 3 for my mom (one for each of her bathrooms).

Today also happens to be the anniversary of JFK's assassination.

The Mask Class

This past weekend I was part of a mask making class for children with varying degrees of autism. I met a lot of good people that day. I networked a little bit - but this was a small part of the events - which included helping Spavs with setting up, instructing, painting, cutting, prodding, smiling, and telling the story behind the masks, and then finally, we cleaned up and left.

The idea was for each family to interact and develop a mask that was representative of aspects of their life. With the different formulas for making the masks, needless to say, no two came close to looking alike. After making the masks, everyone ate (we kept working) and then to finish it off, each family got an opportunity to tell everyone else the meanings behind the details on their family mask. It was a super feel-good moment and it didn't feel like work at all.



The macaroni n cheese at the pot-luck looked amazing, but we held out (attempting to stay professional) and wound up getting fancy salads at some place in Westwood... I then took the opportunity to introduce Spavs to Diddy Reese. Hellooooooo cookies.

Ford IS Trying

DEARBORN, Mich., Nov. 13, 2008 – Ford Motor Company garnered two “Best of What’s New for 2008” awards today from Popular Science, the world’s largest science and technology magazine. Ford’s new EcoBoost engines and the industry-exclusive Easy Fuel capless fuel filler both won awards in the automotive category.

Last Week I Gave the Top 20 Best-Selling Automobiles

And since Ford was at the top of the list (F-150), somehow managing 4 cars in that list, production has slowed significantly to the point where they may need a bailout. People might call California as a Bell Tower for the country, but clearly Michigan is what they mean. Michigan has set a lot of precedents the country uses as a barometer, from the failing auto industry to cities formerly as prosperous as any other now kicked as low and dirty as possible.

But Fordism is not done. I don't believe it should be bailed out - I feel there is a steady trend for a possible comeback and all it takes is one strong idea. Something that CAN beat out the Smart car...

Here's a Classic Henry Ford quote Hunter S. Thompson used in his book Kingdom of Fear that will or should give the reader pause. Michigan has always had it's finger on the pulse of how America operates:

"A campaign for war is made upon as definite lines as a campaign for any other purpose. First, the people are worked upon. By clever tales the people's suspicions are aroused toward the nation against whom war is desired. Make the nation suspicious; make the other nation suspicious. All you need for this is a few agents with some cleverness and no conscious (sic)and a press whose interest is locked up with the interests that will be benefited by war. Then the "overt act" will soon appear. It is no trick at all to get an "overt act" once you work the hatred of two nations up to the proper pitch."

How L.A. and Surrounding Cities Voted on Prop 8

One of the architects of Google Search Engine has helped the launch of the new search engine Cuil earlier this year.

Our Philosophy
The Internet is getting bigger and more disorganized every day. Cuil’s goal is to solve the two great problems of search: how to index the whole Internet—not just part of it—and how to analyze and sort out its pages so you get relevant results.

Cuil’s founders worked with other search engines and knew that tinkering with old systems wouldn’t work. A fundamentally different approach was needed. So we’ve developed new architecture and algorithms that can handle the exponential growth of the Internet and organize results that reflect its enormous complexity.

Cuil believes:

Who cares what they believe? Nobody has even mentioned this site since summer - could this be Google manipulating? Nahh.. I'm going to give it a try, but it never looks cool trying to look cool. I'm just looking for the Google alternative and Dogpile is too slow.


On another topic- this is the only Gilmore Girls I have ever watched - but it's pretty fun...

November 10th: Today In History 1898

Alfred Waddell, the Wilmington firebrand, told his listeners the night before the election in 1898, "If you find the Negro out voting, tell him to leave the polls, and if he refuses, kill him, shoot him down in his tracks. We shall win tomorrow if we have to do it with guns" (Outlook, November 19 1898).

Aka: Wilmington Insurrection of 1898, The Wilmington Race Riot occurred when white Democrats overthrow Wilmington's elected Republican government. The coup d'état resulted in the burning and destruction of the Daily Record, an African American newspaper, 14 blacks killed (# varies depending on the source), 25 blacks wounded, and three white men killed.

This horrific blemish on American policy - which called for resignation of many Republicans and the implementation of a white supremacist city government - was formally renounced by the S. Carolina Democratic party in January 2007, about the same time Barack Obama was becoming a more well-known name.

This has been the only recorded incident of a municipal government being overthrown in American history. But there are many facts on this incident that are kept alive by pastors and public persona to help recount details of this story so to avoid exaggerations or deletion of the details.

Considering the current political state of affairs, it gives rise to the hopes and changes offered by our presidential elect. After 100 years +, this is one event that must be passed down to all generations, particularly if you were like me and didn't pay attention to your high school history teachers. I only vaguely remember learning about this event, but it's amazing to see how times have changed - of course McCain was still a 54% winner in South Carolina (McCain also won his homestate of Arizona with a 54%-47% margin).

Speaking of Max Bialystock...

And while we are on the video run (2-block November video month!) I thought I might add in one of, if not the most, disturbing videos of all-time. I'm convinced this video was made to bomb but completely backfired when KROQ propelled it to one of their most-played songs of 1981.

Viewer discretion is advised...

I'm guessing you can figure out the title to this song...

Here Comes Another Article! Issue #10 of REPUBLIC

ISSUE #10 :: NEW!! - Grand Theft America

"This special issue of Republic exposes the scam behind the Senate's failed bailout plan and its ties to the corruption in Washington and the FED. Features include: Birth of the Beast - G. Edward Griffin, Interview with a Bankster - G. Franchi, Consequences of Greed and Uncontrolled Power - M. Lemieux, Lipstick on a Bailout - Ron Paul, How to Maintain Prosperity in These Hard Economic Times - P. Mottahedah, Surviving Martial Law - H. Williams, Hard Drives and Lost Lives - J. Mael, Restoring the Republic - L.B. Bork, End the Fed Action(11/22/08) - G. Franchi, Monthly Paul:The Morality Hazard of the Fed - M. Nystrom, Senate Shennanigans - M. Badnarik, Grand Theft America - M. Vonasten, Tough Times Present Tough Choices - T. Cryer, Special Report:100 Items to Disappear First in a Calamity."

I'm hoping everyone orders their copy of this issue, it's important, Mr. Ron Paul wrote a great piece for this issue and my editor, Gary Franchi, has done another amazingly great job to get this issue out. I'm glad to be part of this growing publication; support the growth of Republic Magazine by ordering a copy now!

Sometimes a Blog Can Be Your Best (online) Friend

I'm now a blogger of 6 years, sometimes my blog is the only place I can turn when I feel like "getting it out", though I have learned sometimes it is best to channel this energy into something I find more worthwhile than the typical whining and bitching.

Maybe I'm from a different school from most of my writer heroes, maybe I just don't get it yet. I'm old, but not too old to think I know it all. I was never a solid student, I'm not the brightest fantasy sports manager in the world. But I know a lot.

I possess a confidence that even I don't understand sometimes, but I don't question it. I have a big picture view of the world, and to get to that pic picture view, there are many tiers of, shall I call it, experiences that make up this rhythmic set of circumstances.

For beginners, I'm a blogger and I tried fooling myself into believing I was a Citizen Journalist. As change sweeps the nation, a world looks on, possibly in disbelief, but overall, the world is going to improve.

I'm glad it's over - but I didn't go out to celebrate though I easily could have. I'm happy we got a very intellectual "visionary" in place to take over for a totally chaotic schema. Or is it? Damn it is so confusing to tell what is best anymore.

Obama says he's willing to work with those who oppose him. If there is a problem, everyone will be all over it, but hopefully it will be his success that goes along with his future legacy. It felt like the 80s waiting in line to vote. It was actually a good line to be in and I met a lot of my neighbors. It made me want to move to be honest, but maybe because I know that is just an inevitability. Right. Well, I completely lost focus on what I really wanted to say, but I felt it was time for me to say a little something about my feelings today. It's been one emotional ride, a historical one - and hopefully we are not as doomed as a lot of people tried to make us feel today. While I haven't been on the Obama ticket entirely, it is going to be an interesting four years. Let us ride, and hope other countries begin to reassess what America is about while we recover here at home from a long, drawn-out election process. 2008 is history in the making. I also happen to be 8-1 in one of my fantasy football team, an awesome first that I'm working hard on every week. Let's ride!

Exercise your rights today...

One girl I know says "what about my right NOT to vote?"

I said "That is perfectly fine... USE your right. Exercise your freedom to NOT vote. But remember how local the voting process really is."

She said "What does that mean?"

I took this opportunity to seize the moment:

"Look - I understand you don't want Coke and you don't want Pepsi. I get it. But voting is a numbers GAME, and it starts right there in that Santa Monica voting booth. NOT voting, yeah, that is your right. Don't expect to hear any commercials sponsored by the people who want to exercise their right to not vote. The past two elections, the % of people who voted was low and I remember hearing the #s at polling places was the lowest in memory, maybe the lowest ever. That apathy is what the Republicans took to their advantage. Things got so strange, they were shuttling hoards of handicapped to vote in those Red states - it ended strange in 2000 with the whole Florida crap, and then nobody took to Kerry in 2004 which led us to the point we at now.

After talking to Frank about creating gridlock, I realized a lot. Gridlock will come in the form of increased %s county by county. This is of course you can't stomach a vote for Obama. He's clearly going to take California, but by what percentage? It appears there's a landslide in the making this time because we're hearing about all the people that never cared, caring. And they are caring because they know what has happened has sucked. With so many people who actually say this election matters, it's going to be an interesting ride. I don't want to be that guy at the party who eat mushrooms when everyone else had just taken lsd. Not tomorrow. Obama, McCain or a gridlocker. Not voting got the country nowhere."

I don't think she was expecting that response. For a minute there I think she actually believed I had a clue about what I was talking about so she said she would vote. But like the clever pigeon she is, she would not tell me who she would actually sink her marker in to. They still use those poke things right? I really don't want to vote in a booth that looks like an ATM machine. But I do want to get some free coffee.

Best Selling Cars 2008

Nov 3 (Reuters) - The following are the 20 top-selling vehicles in the U.S.
through October of 2008 as reported by the automakers.

Total sales of the top 20 vehicles fell 9 percent or -437,401 units to
4,443,849.

Following is a list of the top-20 selling vehicles, ranked by total units.
RANK VEHICLE 2008 2007 '07 RANK % Chng
1 Ford F-Series P/U 436,022 588,952 1 -26.0
2 Chevy Silverado-C/K P/U 402,191 526,575 2 -23.6
3 Toyota Camry 386,118 398,868 3 -3.2
4 Honda Accord 333,011 332,815 6 +0.1
5 Toyota Corolla 307,071 317,796 4 -3.4
6 Honda Civic 304,297 278,764 8 +9.2
7 Nissan Altima 241,529 239,800 9 +0.7
8 Chevrolet Impala 231,841 270,504 7 -14.3
9 Dodge Ram P/U 213,684 301,689 5 -29.2
10 Ford Focus 175,958 145,977 15 +20.5
11 Honda CR-V 171,193 184,003 11 -7.0
12 Chevrolet Cobalt 168,940 169,400 14 -0.3
13 Chevrolet Malibu 151,429 108,930 26 +39.0
14 GMC Sierra P/U 145,067 174,621 12 -16.9
15 Toyota Prius 142,365 150,572 16 -5.5
16 Ford Escape 135,558 139,911 17 -3.1
17 Ford Fusion 128,381 123,729 20 +3.8
18 GM Pontiac G6 126,494 121,278 28 +4.3
19 Toyota Tundra 121,451 162,348 23 -25.2
20 Honda Odyssey 121,249 144,718 21 -16.2

Fun Link

I found this on a website today, and I regret to tell you I forgot the url...

But the link is so damn good.

Paint like Jackson Pollock.

Living What You Love

It's been an almost overwhelming month.

Now it is Sunday, only hours away from the 10am NFL kickoff. But it's also a brand new month, but October 08 will go down as one of the most interesting of the year. I was busy, not particularly with writing, but I was out and about. I was just awoken from my slumber from the drippity drips of rain. Pitter patter. I should be sleeping but I can help but stop for a moment to ponder on this October.


I did so many things this month, met a bunch of folks and I had a lot of fun. Not to brag, but I played basketball every Sunday this month, I have two decent fantasy football teams and today I'm drafting my 2nd fantasy basketball team, though I doubt I'll have a whole lot of time to manage either team. I was busy working (love the job), working on my car, planning a class (will explain when done...), going to art shows, trippin the light fantastic, reading an amazing book (review coming) and watched the kickoff to a new NBA season. The Clippers are already screwed.

Oktoberfest was AMAZING. I'm including several pictures from that night on this post (two weeks after the fact) and I will have a good story about a local civil battle between one of my neighbors and his attached neighbor. Spoooooky.

Oktoberfest is an event that happens at Alpine Village annually, and it's an incredibly large event (in L.A. terms... ) with very large lines to get beer. If you get lucky, sometimes the girls in line will show you their boobs just for the hell of it because that is the atmosphere this event promotes.

October - so full of surprises; women dressed like sexy nurses and AP even grew a goatee. Oh well, I don't know why I felt like getting all cheesed out on this post - but there you have it. Some Oktoberfest love. I know... I have to get more animated when I take pictures...

I hate being in pictures!

New Chemical Brothers Single: Midnight Madness

I wrote a sweet article/review about the Chemical Brothers "We Are The Night" album last year. I made one mistake by stating the "Push The Button" album was released in 2006 (actually it was 2005, sorry electro-geek squads) - but anyway, here's the NEW single by the awesome band. It's called Midnight Madness. More next month when the bros release their new album.

I have to appologize to some fellow bloggers...

I'm trying to figure out how to build up this site. One thing I'm trying to do is go a little ape with blog-rolling any site I find in some way amusing. I want to build a community of some sort...

One of the major fault-lines with being dedicated to Blogger blogging services is that there is not the option to use categories. The sidebar on this site was customized and I wanted to keep it as uncluttered as possible.

Meanwhile, I decided to use a popular linking site called Blogrolling. A great service that makes linking other sites and blogs super simple, despite the lack of categories.

The other day I was going to add a site on my list and found out Blogrolling is down. Apparently, users are being held hostage, or as blogmaster (?) Ross states:

I will not be party to implementing the business model that killed Blogrolling, rather - I’d love to be part of the community that helped turn it into a shining success.

It appears that for the time being, all users (rather than just stopping NEW profile additions to the site,) are being stuffed so the site can figure out a method of making money off the 6 billion links they have helped building a community on. Student loans must be due...

So, to all the people I promise to add to my site, I'm searching for a method that can help me with these issues and I will try to effectively add as many blogs, in a semi-organized manner as soon as I can.

I Don't Know How This Turned Into an Obituary Column

But it is a daily, of sorts.

And I remember a long time ago I discovered a bad mother f'er named Dolemite. Rudy Ray Moore was a man who played it to the bone so hardcore that if you are my age, or younger, and had parents who were easily offended it took you much longer to discover the wonders of Dolemite. Doesn't matter as long as you were able to get a peek at some point. To me, he was less plastic than even Richard Pryor. More hated, more descriptive, more Black, and funnier than most any black or white man to ever walk the Earth. That is about as tough a compliment I can give in his passing at 81 this week.



This guy was the sex, the fight and the drip from the faucet and everything else in the kitchen sink...

Now to the Catskills: Greene County Daily Mail

Props to Greene County for having proven compliance in their state regulatory results for having proven PROPER voter registration. With HUGE expectations on voter turnout for this election only a couple weeks off, more attention and accolades deserve to be given for a job well-done. As Thomas Burke (d) states, such compliance isn't easily achieved:

"All election commissioners will tell you that the biggest problem is to find inspectors, and one of the reasons is the changing workforce,” he said. “It's a problem, and it’s a problem all over."

Ok - you might think "so what", but fact is, when little counties and districts nationwide get their act together, it just makes for a better process. A process indeed in heavy decline. The nature of voting has changed in all aspects and as a microcosm (my favorite word these days) of the electoral process, Greene County is doing their part.

From the obituary column, a fond farewell to Percy Omar Goff, a lifetime resident of Lexington, NY, passed away on October 21, 2008 at the age of 88. He was married to wife Christine 51 years and was a logger and farmer. I don't claim to know him, but apparently he has lots of family to miss him for me. Seems like the type of guy I'd have liked to have met... there is now a job opening for a logger in Hudson for anyone interested.

Get ready for a chilly, rainy weekend in the Catskills with highs in the 50s Saturday.

Sadly I was not able to find a blogging section for this daily, and a pretty weak sports section. Despite these shortcomings the Catskills seems like a reasonably mellow place to live...

And the Weathers Gooooood

I'm a total sucker for Mick Jones. Clash, of course, but really for me it was a very awesome 80's sound with BIG AUDIO DYNAMITE that rocked me a little bit. I didn't know quite how to do it all the way in the 80's but I learned.

So anyway, if you ever loved that British crap like I always have, you should listen to this song. Or watch it and listen or whatever. The band is Carbon Silicon and this song is The News. It is not exactly a NEW song, I've just listened to it a lot the past few weeks because we could all use a little good news. Both my fantasy football teams couldn't survive this past weekend, and I have more injuries both on my body and on my fantasy teams than I care to share with you.

Maybe I'm showing my age but if this is just good.



And fuck Tony Romo for not playing with an injured PINKY!! ARRGGGGH!

This is a Thank You Letter to Frank McEnulty

Without getting linked to this article, I never would have read the words my mind was TRYING so desperately trying to articulate.

I realize that when I ' m drunk I shouldn't type, but I just want to once again thank him for the fine job he has done in raising awareness. Not awareness to vote for him (though it would most excellent if more people did) is of most importance here. The issue is to listen to others when they speak. Practice your listening skills because when you go to the market, since when do you only have two different brands of cookies to purchase?

The choices are overwhelming, yet the person you are voting for is most likely going to be one out of two...

one out of two.

McDonald's or Albertson's tonight?

Well... Whole Foods just moved into the neighborhood one block away and fucked that all up.

Here is Frank McEnulty's linked words in NON-link format:

545 PEOPLE
By Charlie Reese

Politicians are the only people in the world who create problems and then
campaign against them.

Have you ever wondered why, if both the Democrats and the Republicans are against deficits, we have deficits?

Have you ever wondered why, if all the politicians are against inflation and
high taxes, we have inflation and high taxes?

You and I don't propose a federal budget. The president does.

You and I don't have the Constitutional authority to vote on appropriations. The House of Representatives does.

You and I don't write the tax code, Congress does.

You and I don't set fiscal policy, Congress does.

You and I don't control monetary policy, the Federal Reserve Bank does.

One hundred senators, 435 congressmen, one president, and nine Supreme Court justices 545 human beings out of the 300 million are directly, legally, morally, and individually responsible for the domestic problems that plague this country.

I excluded the members of the Federal Reserve Board because that problem was created by the Congress. In 1913, Congress delegated its Constitutional
duty to provide a sound currency to a federally chartered, but private,
central bank.

I excluded all the special interests and lobbyists for a sound reason.
They have no legal authority. They have no ability to coerce a senator, a
congressman, or a president to do one cotton-picking thing. I don't care if
they offer a politician $1 million dollars in cash. The politician has the
power to accept or reject it. No matter what the lobbyist promises, it is
the legislator's responsibility to determine how he votes.

Those 545 human beings spend much of their energy convincing you that what they did is not their fault. They cooperate in this common con regardless of party.

What separates a politician from a normal human being is an excessive amount of gall. No normal human being would have the gall of the Speaker of the House, who stood up and criticized the President for creating deficits. The president can only propose a budget. He cannot force the Congress to
accept it.

The Constitution, which is the supreme law of the land, gives sole
responsibility to the House of Representatives for originating and approving appropriations and taxes. Who is the speaker of the House? She is the leader of the majority party. She and fellow House members, not the
president, can approve any budget they want. If the president vetoes it,
they can pass it over his veto if they agree to.

It seems inconceivable to me that a nation of 300 million can not replace
545 people who stand convicted -- by present facts -- of incompetence and
irresponsibility. I can't think of a single domestic problem that is not
traceable directly to those 545 people. When you fully grasp the plain
truth that 545 people exercise the power of the federal government, then it
must follow that what exists is what they want to exist.

If the tax code is unfair, it's because they want it unfair.

If the budget is in the red, it's because they want it in the red.

If the Marines are in IRAQ, it's because they want them in IRAQ.

If they do not receive social security but are on an elite retirement plan
not available to the people, it's because they want it that way.

There are no insoluble government problems.

Do not let these 545 people shift the blame to bureaucrats, whom they hire
and whose jobs they can abolish; to lobbyists, whose gifts and advice they
can reject; to regulators, to whom they give the power to regulate and from
whom they can take this power. Above all, do not let them con you into the
belief that there exists disembodied mystical forces like 'the economy,'
'inflation,' or 'politics' that prevent them from doing what they take an
oath to do.

Those 545 people, and they alone, are responsible.

They, and they alone, have the power.

They, and they alone, should be held accountable by the people who are their bosses provided the voters have the gumption to manage their own employees.

We should vote all of them out of office and clean up their mess!



Charlie Reese is a former columnist of the Orlando Sentinel Newspaper.

Neal Hefti, Dead at 85

Wow, news spreads insanely quick so you may already know about this, but I just found out and decided to dedicate a post to his life's two most recognizable compositions.

The Theme to Batman
The Theme to The Odd Couple



Both shows had an impact on my life as I tuned in to every episode and I remember loving every minute.

I bet you either didn't know there are lyrics to the Odd Couple theme, or if you do, you don't know the words... Here you go...

The Odd Couple (Sammy Cahn and Neal Hefti)

No matter where they go
They are known as the couple.
They're never seen alone
So they're known as the couple.

As I've indicated
They are never quite separated,
They are peas in a pod.
Don't you think that it's odd.

Their habits, I confess
None can guess with the couple.
If one says no it's yes
more or less, with the couple.

But they're laugh provoking;
Yet they really don't know they're joking.
Don't you find
When love is blind
It's kind of odd.

A Daily Mael View of the Charleston Daily Mail

NOT that I have been bored with the doings in my home town in Beautiful Southern California, but I have been writing some pretty political stories lately and I'm taking this opportunity to seize on my newly discovered interest in what is happening in other cities around the nation. Heck, while I'm at it I'll go world-wide in this little project.

I am going to just post my observations of the front page of websites that have 'daily mail' in their title. Every time I think of these ideas, I forget about them or give up on them, but this has been an idea I have a feeling might be fresh for me. I'm sure it will come off sounding like either me TRYING to be pretentious or me trying too hard, so take it for what you want. I want to know what's going on in Charleston today.

Naturally, I immediately went to the BLOG section and found some interesting posts.

Don Surber, WVU - Mike Casazza and Marshall-Jacob Messer covering sports is the blogging staff.

3 Bloggers, 1 Newspaper. Hmmm, makes me wonder why it took two girls to fill one cup so I had to read on...

Turns out I started with Messer's blog, and judging by his picture, I'm wonder if that just a nickname he picked up along the way.

Maybe its just that writing to Herd fans is difficult to endure, but man, there are only 9 posts and they are long-winded ones at that.

The NFL is heading into week #7 - Helllllllllo?
NBA fantasy basketball is starting drafts this week. Knock-knock.
Do you remember when Chris Hanson chopped his (fortunately NON-kicking foot) off in the Jaguar locker room trying to axe a log of wood?
Not a single word about Randy Moss getting screwed after his career year?

Messer is obsessed with Marshall, so you really can't blame the Daily on this.

I moved on to Don Surber's blog and was happy to see there is a possibility that the blog responsibility at the Daily might actually be a paid gig.

He asks great questions:

Question: Why doesn’t Madonna like Palin?

Answer: She’s jealous of a younger, prettier woman who has a man who loves her.

Just kidding. I know not why, nor do I really care.

But then he starts spreading his Glenn Reynolds love and once that got old I realized what kind of media we're getting out Charleston, WV. Herndon, where are you when I need you!? Ok, so Charleston clearly doesn't believe in blogs after all.

So I went to Mike Casazza looking for answers. Guess what I got? A regularly updated sports blog. I give Mike props for giving Steve Slaton some love, but honestly, all this blog did was clarify that Messer really is a nickname, and the Charleston Daily Mail is anything but daily. Wake up! This could actually be a paper with a little more perspective. Whys would a paper in 2008 be afraid to have a BLOG section?

The #1 story on the front page of the paper was the all too familiar rise in social security story similar to the one I keep reading about here in L.A.

But the story that really hit home was #4 on the top story marquee. The Kanawha County school board voted 4-1 to randomly test teachers for drugs.

Kanawha County school districts ranks 14169 out of 19379 nationally. And now they want to insert a costly program that will take money away from the classrooms and PARENT awareness only to be used to belittle the teachers. This was the brainchild of Pete Thaw, who also came up with another "winner" by suggesting all teacher salaries to be publicly posted online. Who would want to work in that kind of regime? The only thing melting here is Thaw's sanity.

Citizen Journalist Loses Cock

The mystery of Brooklyn Boychick's life revealed.


March changes everything, and something happened one March morning in the not so distant past. That morning Brooklyn Boychick woke up with a nasty hangover with no milk for his Kashi cereal. "Damn if there was ever a need for a Captain Kirk Bloody Mary this was it. May as well live life in a desert if I can't even get a fuckin' drink served to me this very moment." Irrational thoughts overcame Brooklyn whenever he sensed a Saturday about to be squandered hastily at a typewriter not clicking. In a rush, he accidentally knocked over the full-length mirror in his room and as he stood over the fallen reflection of his ceiling he noticed a void that begged for closer inspection. Brooklyn's Peter, Paul and Mary were missing from the reflection, and discovering this fact was less than music to his ears, or even whispers from a futuristic sex slave for that matter.

It was at this moment he was done getting his mind blown by Yochai Benkler; he got dressed and hit the streets to go find what was missing. He started with Larry.

"That is a damn shame!" was the last thing Brooklyn wanted to hear from his best friend. But it was the only offering by his best friend; Larry is a man with convictions. "Man, if I don't find my shit, I can forget about going to the Stripper Steakhouse with you Saturday." It was no consolation cover-up to the real heartache at hand. Finally, Larry urged Boychick to "go talk to that Jewish girl you've been spending too much time with lately. I hear there's nothing a Jewish girl wants more than her man's cock n balls for her own."

Larry had taken on a girl from Germany and married her on the spot in 2002. "Thanks Larry, the real problem here is my cock is missing. I don't want to get involved in your warped political views, I just want to be myself again. You know damn well there's no match on that dating site for non-penis having writers." Larry seemed a little uncomfortable, if not completely convinced there wasn't more to the picture. "It just sounds like, you know, like King Missile. I am concerned on three levels. One, you are either on a lot of drugs, and by that, I mean to include alcohol is a drug. Or two, you are too old or uninterested in life as it exists around your every day." Three. Yes, three would be tough to swallow. Brooklyn was already aware what three meant. Larry was damn sure he knew if three was the answer to this riddle Brooklyn was telling the truth. "Brooklyn are you 100% sure this isn't something you could have avoided?" As he left Larry's over-valued estate he purchased at peak of the housing boom a couple years ago, Brooklyn put his head down and told Larry, "I'm a little surprised at your doubt in me, man. But don't worry, it's not your problem. Anyways, I always kick myself when I listen to your advice." Brooklyn had always known Larry to run businesses the way GW runs the country - a yes-man with a deathwish and horse blinders on each eye. He would be no help on this front.

"Stop calling me or I'll slap you with a restraining order Brooklyn. You are sick and nobody really gives a shit to hear your conspiratorial bullshit anymore. It was cute when you thought you knew what you were talking about, these days it just gets more desparate and pitifully pathetic than you realize. Prosaic my ass!" Raintree was pure scum, a Valley girl who played him to the bone in 2007 - and all the while making this cock-less guy beg for more. "Look Raintree, you know I'm not actually blaming YOU for this, right?"

"If you are looking for answers Brooklyn, you should have thought about that last year when you had a chance with me." Brooklyn never liked looking back, so off he went, without bothering to close the front door or say goodbye. As he fled the scene he heard the screams of an insane woman. "My cats!!"

Mom and dad were logical cock culprits, what with all the shit they had pulled on him growing up. He sat in front of Pizza Goy for a good 20 minutes pulling tiny hairs out of his prematurely punished scalp. But something was telling Brooklyn this story had already been told once before. It wasn't five minutes later when Brooklyn was forced to put his head down in defeat on the hard concrete to take a nap. A few minutes later he woke up paralyzed with fear and he decided to walk over to a local coffee shop with a pen and pad thinking he'd sketch the missing member and post it on city light posts. There was something welling within him, a bitter reminder of what could have been, when suddenly there was heart piercing bang and a brewing commotion before his eyes. "I'm going to kick your ass!" he heard. When he glanced over to the left he noticed a beligerantly angry driver, and a very confused black man on the ground next to a mangled bicycle. The strange conversation happened in the middle of the street, where the casual onlookers shouted directives: "No Fighting Guys!" and "Calm down." Apparently, the driver cut off the biker and thought the biker told him he would shoot him were a gun handy. So he ran him down with his small cock supplement. It all reminded him of a weekend he spent at a bagel shop on Main Street in Santa Monica last year. The smell of those bagels was unforgettable and triggered more possibilities.

So he began to think about his network as a diagram. At first it was a drawing of his phallice and the connections it had to the extensive forms of collaboration that over the years may potentially have had transformative consequences. "Too deep?" he pondered. Then came a descriptive synopsis. And with that came forth a page long rant, and for the first time in what seemed to be ages, he felt a growth. Filled with hope, he checked under his bermudas only to set off a massive disappointment and then a massive alarm. A curious woman sitting next to him on the outdoor lounge with her child on a leash noticed Brooklyn slyly pulling down his trousers and freaked. She hurridly ran inside the shop to get the manager. Luckily, the leash got mangled in the revolving doorway, causing a delay when the tyke's cranium was split when the sharp wing flew past the center shaft. Unaccomplished, and still incomplete, and now in a hurry to avoid litigation, Brooklyn grabbed his shit and took off into the mid-day traffic in search of more clues.

With all the hope in the world, this will be continued...

Publish Her Love and I'll Buy You a Bloody Mary

I figured enough of the bad, in with the good... I have a spot where I go on Sunday mornings during football season and it's the best place for me and some buds.

Why?

Televisions everywhere and pseudo-dj and OMG - coffee. More on that in a second.

One morning I had a fantasy (football team) that was on a roll...

You want to know where this place is, don't you? Well I won't tell you because the place is already packed out it's dark, Buffalo lovin' ass. Everybody and their Bill's loving mother already goes there so YOU WON'T. Not on my watch.

But they do serve bloody marys in pint glasses and they are nice n spicey just like our "regular" server Bridget.

And the first week of football this season she curled herself around one of the empty chairs at our table, looked at us with those amazing blue eyes and softly asked us - "What do you guys want? Breakfast? You know we only have one fucking coffee machine and 20 cups to serve them in today, right?"

Oh Bridget, everybody at our table has dibs on you. We say we go there for the games, but you make it so much more... especially when you bring me that bloody mary with soft hands far more sure to deliver than Bernard Berrian.

I was happy to hear she has a blog, so go read it. She'll tell you where she works, maybe. That is if she wants more shmucks like us wandering in, stealing the big tables and ordering coffee all morning so she can make her pre-determined tip... Her blog has some crappy music and amazing poetry, I swear she's full of surprises. She likes Kombucha, like me, and reads some J. Krishnamurti and Buk... Don't worry baby, this isn't a stalker love letter, just a shout out. See you next Sunday!

OK OK OK... I like Radiohead. I just didn't wanna make her sound like I thought her to be my soulmate.

Couldn't Have Asked for a Better Day OJ

Don't be fooled by the deceiving title of this post, this day, this week, this month so far has been riddled in fools gold and animal mentality.

What saved me? Sleep. What hurt me? Well, nothing except a little too much working out. My body is sore but my mind is aching because I had the radio on in the background all day. So I got the full low-down, over and over by the many views, angles and representations from DJs all over talk-radioville about the verdicts slapped down on O.J. Simpson.

Already feeling in a down mood didn't help rehashing all the facts. Listening to the judge read the 12 guilty decisions was difficult to swallow for some reason. And then I was even more shocked at my own sympathetic mood when I heard details of how Juice got up after the first guilty verdict was announced, eyes bloodshot, mouth agape, staring at the bench and slowly nodding his head as if he suddenly realized the people had finally caught up with the ever allusive former football star. For you number readers, the un-lucky number 13 was everywhere - 13th September, 2007 was the day of the crime; 13 day trial; 13 hours the jury deliberated; 13th anniversary of O.J.'s acquittal for his "real" crimes against humanity.

I read someone say how O.J. is a hero who in a rage slashed Nicole Brown and Ron Goldman to their demise. Hero status is gone, buddy. This sadness was addictive. Most people don't listen to this much talk radio anyway, so I guess this makes me a bit sick, but I just can't get over what a menace this man has been to the world. He has been tied together by the F.B.I. to a massive drug ring while living in Florida from 1999-2001, a story that got lost in the shuffle after 911. We were already forced to believe, by vote of a jury, that O.J. was not guilty of committing murder and if that wasn't bad enough, he allowed a known drug trafficker to live in his Florida guest house, delivering his children to school while fulfilling drug deals. 911 happened and though O.J. was never brought down on anything criminal, his participation in heavy cocaine use was brought to light. What a dad.

But whatever, that stuff is just more indication into the world this guy lives in and that so many find so attractive. Using his star power to meet the people who want to run on a fast highway protected by lies and money. When being a legendary football player, and then an actor who was for the most part adored by America, O.J. is a fucking loser who has constantly had his feet entangled in fucked up activities. Last night at 10 pm I awaited to hear the verdict, and I was not let down. But today I got sad, sad that O.J. might live the most tragic life of any living person in the world. It has been filled with negativity, grounded only by the beauty of his two children, this man is a modern day monster. His meaningless tears and pleas for freedom are done. He is a 61 year old bastard and his only chance for a life of freedom is a pardon by our equally nutty president.

I almost want him to get out in 15 years so the world can see his disintegrated, withered soul one last time, and he can walk the streets where people can call him names everywhere he goes.

Watch Bill Maher Tonight

Obama, McCain and Bush are bailing out the Wall Street crooks - THAT AIN'T RIGHT!

Hey there if you found me from either Facebook or RTR

So I had a couple articles printed in a magazine this month that link to this site. PLUS, I have a few of you that may have found me via Facebook. I really must appologize [singing: we're sooo sorry...] but I have been too busy with work and writing more articles that I've been reluctant to write here. Mainly because I don't want to get political here until I begin to fully utilize Photoshop and my camera. HOWEVER, I thought I would include a couple pictures from my FIRST Monday Night Football game this past week. I'm a Jets fan, so I made the trip to San Diego to watch us get our asses kicked hard. It was a little embarrassing to walk the walk of death to go take a piss in my Jets hat, but it was fun and Charger fans aren't as brutal as Raider Nation. I did almost get my ass kicked in the parking lot by a drunken nutjob. Literally, his friend had to pull him out of my face before he pummled it to shreds. This animal needed a tranquilizer, and I was very nervous for the rest of the walk back to the car. Too bad my Aussie friend Tom wasn't around, that guy would have been toast.

The first picture was a dude fighting a cop who wouldn't let his fat-ass on an overcrowded train that was taking us up to the game. It was hilarious, and it was nice of the officer to not arrest him after all the names he called him.

The 2nd pic is just a view of me approaching Qualcom. Nice stadium!

Hey Douche

R.I.P. George Putnam

George Putnam died yesterday, and though many of you don't know it, if you grew up in California back in my day, you would certainly have heard Putnam's voice. In fact, as some well respected DJs note, he is ingrained in our minds though we may never have even known it.

A life-long conservate Democrat, George made this amazing video about pornography and censorship in the 60s, it's about 10 few minutes long, but amazing and worth the timeout. Take a look:

Keith...

Olberman is pissed and though I don't usually get too political, this is one scathing commentary that I hope John McCain reads and addresses. The latter being supremely unlikely, but shouldn't it be that way?

Just an old hemp video

The Olympics Are Gone

And so I thought I'd drop a China memory of mine... I was hiking through the mountains near Tsing Tao in 2003... when I came upon this dude.



I was shaking my fist in anger because the man with no teeth was having NONE of my barters/haggles. I wound up paying full-price for a Coke Cola knockoff.

Burning Man Just Finished Day Two

Why am I NOT here?



The dancing doesn't seem all-together as peaceful and synergized as one might expect, but - hey... wait a second... I think that girl is my former roommate!

Joe Eszterhas Triumph - Big Claims

The report that director of some of the worst movies in the history of the industry, Joe Eszterhas, has given his life over to God is amazing. Amazingly lame. Hey - giving life to God is a wonderful thing and is not to be knocked. But to read the story of the man who made Showgirls without a GOOD LORD expression overruling any other emotion was all I needed to comment.

Remember Big Shots? The 56 year old has left Malibu and went back to Ohio where he belongs. He states shock at how out of touch Hollywood producers are with most Americans. No.

No...

This can't be. Producers surely know more than most about the "everyday" man, right? This guy, Eszterhas, can do no right. He is a Hollywood monster who made movies that "explored" the dark side of life. Flashdance comes to mind.

In Jade there are some amazing goofs in an otherwise horribly pathetic movie. Horribly made (by William Friedkin), and even worse writing that couldn't be overcome anyway. Whoever was buying this man's scripts was obviously in love with Joe's partying lifestyle. Millions of dollars were paid to this man whose finest moment was Sharon Stone's croth shot in Basic Instinct. That sure reached out to the common man he speaks of. And now represents...

Hey, the guy has written a lot, and he knows how to get paid:

His Salary History
One Night Stand (1997)
$4,000,000
Jade (1995)
$2,500,000
Showgirls (1995)
$2,000,000
Sliver (1993)
$3,000,000
Basic Instinct (1992)
$3,000,000 ** Highest amount ever paid for a script at that point in history.
Big Shots (1987)
$1,250,000
Flashdance (1983)
$275,000

Crossbearer: A Memoir of Faith, was recently written by the now-sober bad director. His throat cancer is "cured" and though he only has 1/4th of his larynx left, he apparently doesn't have a problem getting publicity. Prepare yourself for his version of a sober Jesus movie or really horrible knock off to Passion of the Christ. Somehow I have a feeling he will try to push one more out using left over tar in his lungs.