The Theme from “Shaft” Performed by a British Ukulele Orchestra. Now that's globalization for ya no? you betcha!
neatorama
plus while on the Anglo-theme: John Lydon (formerly Johnny Rotten of The Sex Pistols) stars in a new television advertisement for Country Life butter.
http://www.270towin.com/
check poor 1984 - red states, blue state
Political Partyhttp://www.thesmartset.com/article/article09300801.aspx
The trashing of the White House that was Andrew Jackson's inauguration.
By Tony Perrottet
The symbol of American statehood a wreck. Drunken revelers in the lobby. Boozers romping through the bedrooms. And all this 140 years before JFK moved in.
Very sad. "insane recklessness by both banks and ordinary Americans:"
http://culture11.com/blogs/theconfabulum/2008/10/02/foreclosure-alley/
she didn't poop her pants. so basically she did great!
i was watching cnn - they had the little "turn the dial to say who you like or did not" for undecided voters in ohio and it showed women vs men. which is irrelevant because neither elects the president - i would have preferred an overall like/don't like graph at the bottom but...
she did well. she rescued herself from the couric interviews. but as i was watching the cnn undecided voters graph biden topped out many more times than palin did. in general she flatlined - especially on Iraq and other foreign issues. palin topped out ironically when she supported traditionally democratic ideas - anti-wallstreet, anti-corporate, anti-iraq-war, whenever she spoke for change (does she really have such a mental block about the last 8 years?), her ticker went up. i think all of those points might be good for
her but not, in the end, good for mccain or the republicans.
i think this will go down similarly to the first obama-mccain debate, no one was particularly thrilled and will call it a draw or a palin upset due to her low expectations but in a day or two or next week the polls will catch up and eventually side with biden, same as the ohio in studio undecideds did during the debate itself.
(plus - don't know what it looked like on other channels but on cnn there was this huge black box right in the middle of the screen between the two debaters - it looked like some kind of black out box for something indecent - what was that?)
* - hey - I sent my initial reaction above to Andrew Sullivan at The Atlantic right after the debate and guess what - he quoted a line from it on his blog! anonymously but hey - that's still kinda sweet. look a little more than halfway down on this page :) http://andrewsullivan.theatlantic.com/the_daily_dish/2008/10/your-reaction.html
and finally the day after polling data on who "won" the debate:
CNN Biden 51 Palin 36
CBS Biden 46 Palin 21
FOX Biden 61 Palin 39
"The Great Schlep aims to have Jewish grandchildren visit their grandparents in Florida, educate them about Obama, and therefore swing the crucial Florida vote"
Expect all her usual offensive loveliness :)
The Great Schlep from The Great Schlep on Vimeo. Paid for by the Jewish Council for Education and Research, www.jcer.info,
not authorized by any candidate or candidates committee.
Leonardo DiCaprio, Halle Berry, Jennifer Aniston, Tobey Maguire, Eva Longoria Parker Ellen DeGeneres, Forest Whitaker, Dustin Hoffman, Demi Moore, Sarah Silverman, Jonah Hill, Ashton Kutcher, Courteney Cox, Laura Linney, Natalie Portman, Jamie Foxx, Usher, Kyra Sedgwick and will.i.am.
homer simpson tries to vote
Brigade homeland tours start Oct. 1
3rd Infantry’s 1st BCT trains for a new dwell-time mission. Helping ‘people at home’ may become a permanent part of the active Army
"the 1878 Posse Comitatus Act forbids the deployment of the United States Army on United States soil for domestic law enforcement. This was put into place to prevent a military dictatorship..."
Army Times Article in full below:
The 3rd Infantry Division’s 1st Brigade Combat Team has spent 35 of the last 60 months in Iraq patrolling in full battle rattle, helping restore essential services and escorting supply convoys.
Now they’re training for the same mission — with a twist — at home.
Beginning Oct. 1 for 12 months, the 1st BCT will be under the day-to-day control of U.S. Army North, the Army service component of Northern Command, as an on-call federal response force for natural or manmade emergencies and disasters, including terrorist attacks.
It is not the first time an active-duty unit has been tapped to help at home. In August 2005, for example, when Hurricane Katrina unleashed hell in Mississippi and Louisiana, several active-duty units were pulled from various posts and mobilized to those areas.
But this new mission marks the first time an active unit has been given a dedicated assignment to NorthCom, a joint command established in 2002 to provide command and control for federal homeland defense efforts and coordinate defense support of civil authorities.
After 1st BCT finishes its dwell-time mission, expectations are that another, as yet unnamed, active-duty brigade will take over and that the mission will be a permanent one.
“Right now, the response force requirement will be an enduring mission. How the [Defense Department] chooses to source that and whether or not they continue to assign them to NorthCom, that could change in the future,” said Army Col. Louis Vogler, chief of NorthCom future operations. “Now, the plan is to assign a force every year.”
The command is at Peterson Air Force Base in Colorado Springs, Colo., but the soldiers with 1st BCT, who returned in April after 15 months in Iraq, will operate out of their home post at Fort Stewart, Ga., where they’ll be able to go to school, spend time with their families and train for their new homeland mission as well as the counterinsurgency mission in the war zones.
Stop-loss will not be in effect, so soldiers will be able to leave the Army or move to new assignments during the mission, and the operational tempo will be variable.
Don’t look for any extra time off, though. The at-home mission does not take the place of scheduled combat-zone deployments and will take place during the so-called dwell time a unit gets to reset and regenerate after a deployment.
The 1st of the 3rd is still scheduled to deploy to either Iraq or Afghanistan in early 2010, which means the soldiers will have been home a minimum of 20 months by the time they ship out.
In the meantime, they’ll learn new skills, use some of the ones they acquired in the war zone and more than likely will not be shot at while doing any of it.
They may be called upon to help with civil unrest and crowd control or to deal with potentially horrific scenarios such as massive poisoning and chaos in response to a chemical, biological, radiological, nuclear or high-yield explosive, or CBRNE, attack.
Training for homeland scenarios has already begun at Fort Stewart and includes specialty tasks such as knowing how to use the “jaws of life” to extract a person from a mangled vehicle; extra medical training for a CBRNE incident; and working with U.S. Forestry Service experts on how to go in with chainsaws and cut and clear trees to clear a road or area.
The 1st BCT’s soldiers also will learn how to use “the first ever nonlethal package that the Army has fielded,” 1st BCT commander Col. Roger Cloutier said, referring to crowd and traffic control equipment and nonlethal weapons designed to subdue unruly or dangerous individuals without killing them.
The package is for use only in war-zone operations, not for any domestic purpose.
“It’s a new modular package of nonlethal capabilities that they’re fielding. They’ve been using pieces of it in Iraq, but this is the first time that these modules were consolidated and this package fielded, and because of this mission we’re undertaking we were the first to get it.”
The package includes equipment to stand up a hasty road block; spike strips for slowing, stopping or controlling traffic; shields and batons; and, beanbag bullets.
“I was the first guy in the brigade to get Tasered,” said Cloutier, describing the experience as “your worst muscle cramp ever — times 10 throughout your whole body.
“I’m not a small guy, I weigh 230 pounds ... it put me on my knees in seconds.”
The brigade will not change its name, but the force will be known for the next year as a CBRNE Consequence Management Response Force, or CCMRF (pronounced “sea-smurf”).
“I can’t think of a more noble mission than this,” said Cloutier, who took command in July. “We’ve been all over the world during this time of conflict, but now our mission is to take care of citizens at home ... and depending on where an event occurred, you’re going home to take care of your home town, your loved ones.”
While soldiers’ combat training is applicable, he said, some nuances don’t apply.
“If we go in, we’re going in to help American citizens on American soil, to save lives, provide critical life support, help clear debris, restore normalcy and support whatever local agencies need us to do, so it’s kind of a different role,” said Cloutier, who, as the division operations officer on the last rotation, learned of the homeland mission a few months ago while they were still in Iraq.
Some brigade elements will be on call around the clock, during which time they’ll do their regular marksmanship, gunnery and other deployment training. That’s because the unit will continue to train and reset for the next deployment, even as it serves in its CCMRF mission.
Should personnel be needed at an earthquake in California, for example, all or part of the brigade could be scrambled there, depending on the extent of the need and the specialties involved.
Other branches included
The active Army’s new dwell-time mission is part of a NorthCom and DOD response package.
Active-duty soldiers will be part of a force that includes elements from other military branches and dedicated National Guard Weapons of Mass Destruction-Civil Support Teams.
A final mission rehearsal exercise is scheduled for mid-September at Fort Stewart and will be run by Joint Task Force Civil Support, a unit based out of Fort Monroe, Va., that will coordinate and evaluate the interservice event.
In addition to 1st BCT, other Army units will take part in the two-week training exercise, including elements of the 1st Medical Brigade out of Fort Hood, Texas, and the 82nd Combat Aviation Brigade from Fort Bragg, N.C.
There also will be Air Force engineer and medical units, the Marine Corps Chemical, Biological Initial Reaction Force, a Navy weather team and members of the Defense Logistics Agency and the Defense Threat Reduction Agency.
One of the things Vogler said they’ll be looking at is communications capabilities between the services.
“It is a concern, and we’re trying to check that and one of the ways we do that is by having these sorts of exercises. Leading up to this, we are going to rehearse and set up some of the communications systems to make sure we have interoperability,” he said.
“I don’t know what America’s overall plan is — I just know that 24 hours a day, seven days a week, there are soldiers, sailors, airmen and Marines that are standing by to come and help if they’re called,” Cloutier said. “It makes me feel good as an American to know that my country has dedicated a force to come in and help the people at home.”
———
Correction:
A non-lethal crowd control package fielded to 1st Brigade Combat Team, 3rd Infantry Division, described in the original version of this story, is intended for use on deployments to the war zone, not in the U.S., as previously stated.
I've always liked Bill Maher. He's hilarious and usually very perceptive. I even didn't think the quote from the 911 era that got him fired from his show at the time wasn't particularly untrue or offensive. He has never been one to skirt controversy but with his new movie he is darn near begging controversy to run him over with a bus.
he's go the usual movie website with the trailer:
http://www.lionsgate.com/religulous/
and then he's also got this site http://www.disbeliefnet.com/ - a parody of beliefnet.com, which is actually quite a moderate forum for believers of all sorts that i think makes a real effort to balance the fundies and the liberals and ration them out equal space. for instance i always really liked this post on beliefnet - 'I Prayed for Their Souls Since I Could Do Nothing for Mine'
The story of a Russian Orthodox priest with a drinking problem--and a special ministry.
By Kyriacos C. Markides
expect to hear tons and tons of controversy over this film, espescially as talk radio and Fox News will end doing their usual service as free advertising in the name of moral outrage.
for those south jersey and philly folks of a certain age this can bring back a flurry of fond memories:
click to hear the original radio jingle! :)
"only a few decades ago, every New Jersey kid, young and old, would associate Asbury Park with beaches and entertainment.
Long torn apart by class and race conflicts, and further destroyed by corruption and greed.. the last few years have seen Asbury become one of those alleged cities making a comeback.
But if that comeback is occurring is still a matter of debate. With half-completed projects, investors that pull back their money, abandoned buildings dotting the landscape, and cookie-cutter townhouses in the making; in Asbury Park.. there ain't no garuntee of a comeback."
http://current.com/items/88809883_failed_and_forgotten_asbury_park_nj
Trenton Police say a man who calls himself Emperor El Bey must get rid of the two horses he's keeping in his urban backyard. El Bey says his half of the duplex is an embassy for the sovereign Abannaki Aboriginal Nation and immune from Trenton ordinances.
http://www.wcbs880.com/pages/2933151.php?
well, i don't think that's very fair - they should find someone else due to her "conflict of interest."
http://www.wnd.com/index.php?fa=PAGE.view&pageId=76645
of course, the website that the article is on is hardly objective itself :(
secondly in preperation for tomorrow night's VP debates:
Palin Proved to Be Formidable Foe in Alaska Debates
Despite Gov. Palin's recent travails, Democrats seem to be raising expectations for her performance. "We've looked at tapes of Gov. Palin's debates, and she's a terrific debater," Obama campaign manager David Plouffe told reporters Saturday. "She's obviously a skilled speaker. We expect she'll give a great performance next Thursday."
She was a sensation as a candidate for governor two years ago, excelling in about a dozen debates during a primary bid against a sitting governor and later in the general election against a former governor attempting a comeback. In both rounds of voting, she was in a three-way race, the only woman running against two older men. A newcomer, she radiated "change" -- and stood out with trademark attire, such as a chic scarlet blazer that became almost her debate uniform.
he impacted me in many ways. maybe later i will share some stories from him and me in this post. most of him is now in the grand canyon:
here is ablog dedicated to his memory:so i decided this blog is nice and all but it needs a regular boost of personal info from me, every body's uncle matt. I'm gonna do it towards the end of each month (besides any other stories like the flip story or whatnot).
well, September is almost over and it was rough month but now that it's done im so glad - with each passing week i could feel another weight drop off my shoulders... like, i could physically feel it drop off! so I'm going to do a run down of all that has come to pass - to include:
my DUI hearing
my Bankruptcy hearing
my Social Security hearing
and some other stuff i did:
the entire drunken history channel: http://www.youtube.com/user/DrunkHistory
All from http://weburbanist.com:
Abandoned buildings, properties and places take on remarkably different aesthetic character and are treated differently from one culture to the next - particularly in Asian nations where beliefs about the cultural roll of architecture or the whims of a dictator can vary greatly. From South Korea to North Korea, Cambodia to Thailand and Azerbaijan to Hong Kong here are seven amazing oriental and subcontinental abandonments from the Near East to the Far East, from skyscraper hotels and pod cities to shopping malls and amusement parks and everything in between.
1) The Lawless Kowloon Walled City, Hong Kong
This spa in Isreal is offering a massage where you get to feel all sorts of snakes crawl on your body - indiana jones would NOT approve - “People either like it a lot or they hate it,” the spa owner says. oh, really?
http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,1844564,00.html
who does this make you think of - the smile most of all?
From The New York Times Magazine
Wanna know all about uma thurman's cool dad? check it out below:
yes, she graced our fair city this weekend, she was also at tony lukes for a photo op in the Daily News with willow :)
FWD: Obama is the Antichrist
http://www.charlotteobserver.com/104/story/220041.html
"Mayor of Fort Mill, South Carolina forwards email claiming the presidential candidate could be the harbinger of the apocalypse."
from www.snopes.com:
Contrary to popular belief, the New Testament book of Revelation (not "Revelations," as it is commonly rendered) does not provide a laundry list of signs for identifying the appearance of an anti-Christ. In fact, it neither uses the term "anti-Christ" nor describes such a figure —Chapter 13 of that book merely recounts the appearance of "beasts," who are depicted in animalistic terms (as rendered in the King James version of the Bible):
via the buzzfeed: "The New York Sun has an interesting article about how prepared salad bars can be misleading in terms of nutrition and calories. Don’t let me anywhere near that section of Whole Foods if I’m actually hungry. At least there’s some sense of portion control when you order a Popeyes meal combo."
... but is it really fair to pick on whole foods when tons of supermarkets have these?
lets remember:
Whitest Kids U Know: It's illegal to say...
All Things Considered, September 27, 2008 - "As a member of the multiplatinum rock band Red Hot Chili Peppers, Flea wouldn't seem to need higher education to further his career. But the bassist has just enrolled as a freshman at the University of Southern California's music program."
http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=95101406
Plus some other silly funny pics I haven't seen yet:
https://www.voteforchange.com/
Finding out how to vote is now quick and easy.
Using this tool you can:
* 1. Register to vote.
* 2. Request to vote absentee.
* 3. Find your polling location.
This should only take about 3 minutes.
https://www.voteforchange.com/
