All dem faces

I always hate it when this happens and it happened yesterday. "It" is someone approaching me who knows who I am because I work at the 'brary. Especially yesterday with this elderly lady. She had just finished using the internet and used it successfully. She was either in my internet class or I helped her before. I don't know which because I can't remember. I don't know why it is but people's names and faces just flitter away from my little brain unless I see them almost every day. I don't want you to think I sit here all day in a stupor and can't identify or communicate with regular patrons. It's not like that. It just pains me to have a nice lady come up to me and be pleased as punch with her new abilities, new abilities I helped her gain, and I don't know her from Adam. Maybe someone else helped her and she's confused but I doubt it.

The abominable presidency

Sorry for all the politics but there's so much good stuff out there.

Pasting feathers together and hoping for a duck

I guess there is a new book out about the fiasco in Iraq. In fact, it's even called Fiasco.

Martha Gellhorn

"As for her work, Colette probably hit a nail on the head when she told Gellhorn: "You judge what you're doing even as you're doing it; that's fatal." In her journalism this didn't matter, but writing fiction she found it impossible to follow Hemingway's advice - "Stop thinking." Her consciousness had been raised too high, about everything, since infancy. The problem was: "When I start to think, I freeze.""

Who hates who?

Here is a handy chart, which I first saw on good ole Metafiler, provided by Slate.com which will help you learn who hates who in the middle east.

"Free speech" zone

Here's a nice article by Todd Dvorak, written for the AP, on arrests of dissenters at Bush events.

The setting sun through heat from a wild fire

Found this on the website of Editors and Publishers.

Howdy

Last week I downloaded a Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young recording from their current tour. The last time Neil hooked up with his old friends I was less than enthused. I would much rather he had gotten back on the Horse and barnstormed across the country. This time I was less bothered by him hooking back up with the guys. I don't know why and I'm sure he don't care.

So far I have only listened to the first disc (of three!) and it's pretty good. There's a lot of energy and Neil plays some sick guitar solos on a couple songs. What really caught me was how many songs they played off Young's new album "Living with War." The songs are good to begin with but with the harmony of the CSN&Y thrown in they really gather some strength. There is also a version of "Long Time Gone" sung by Crosby that is rreally fun to listen to. His voice sounds really strong.

Here is the song list from the first set:

Flags Of Freedom
Wooden Ships
Woodstock
Long Time Gone
Military Madness
Wounded World
After The Garden
Living With War
The Restless Consumer
Shock And Awe
They Want It All
Feed The People
Immigration Man
Families

Not too bad. After hearing this disc I thought I might want to drive down to Atlanta and see the show. Then I saw the ticket prices. Holy cow, they start at fifty and go up. You can't sit on the floor for less than $113. Tack on the Ticketmaster rapeage and you've got one expensive ticket. Highest price you can pay? $203. Do you get a massage with a happy ending for that price? Criminy. So, I won't be attending the CSN&Y show in Atlanta. Too bad, it probably would be fun.

The hit man

There's this really odd person who lives in my apartment building. He doesn't seem to work, he drives a BMW and never talks to anybody. He also wears sunglasses all the time. My neighbor across the hall thinks he's a serial killer. I think he either kills for the CIA or is a hit man. I mention this because he is here in the library, right now. If you never hear from me again you know what happened. I've loved all of you.

Brain...trying...to...explode

From the AP: "President Bush cast the first veto of his 5 1/2-year presidency Wednesday, saying legislation easing limits on federal funding for embryonic stem cell research "crosses a moral boundary" and is wrong."

Howdy

I see Hizbollah and Israel are getting some good killing in. You can check Yahoo! news photos for some awesome shots of death and destruction. God bless modern weapons and communications. Forty years ago all we would have had is Time magazine for this stuff and we would have had to wait a week. Over the weekend CNN was in full crisis mode. Nothing helps their ratings more than a good natural disaster or civilian casulties in the middle east. My friends over at Antiprotester are claiming that previous acts by Hizbollah are enough reason for Israel to kill as many civilians as they like. Oops, was that an anti-Israel remark? Have you seen the picture of Israel kids writing on artillery shells? Our potty mouthed president isn't doing shit to stop the violence. Of course he is of the faith that believes Israel must eventually dismantle or destroy the dome so Jesus can come back. What better way to guarantee this than a major conflict? Is that conspiracy? Well, we'll see if this worthless president of ours gets off his ass and does something to stop this conflict. Anything? George? Mr. president, sir? Jews and Arabs are slaughtering each other, care to step in?

I was over pulling some books for a display and I saw the cover of the new Newsweek magazine. It featured a giant fireball behind an airliner and across the bottom of the page were the words, "Beirut Airport, July 2006." That date just jumped out at me. Here it is, six years after Y2K and this nonsense is taking place. The usual war of words between the two sides are echoing in my head, "If they release A we will stop B." The other side, "If they stop B then we can negotiate the release of A." Over and over, back and forth, again and again. Maybe old Jerusalem should be sold to Disney and once they remove the area's soul then maybe all of this will end.

If you do one thing, do it well

I know you don't want to hear once again how much I despise Ticketmaster. I bet these guys would blame it on my leftist leanings. But, just as a thought experiment, pretend there is a musician and his name is Tom Waits. Let's also say that you have been listening to him for 23 years and you've never seen him play live. Pretend that you are logged in to Ticketmaster and have a lock on two fifth row seats and then Ticketmaster keeps asking you for your credit card number even though you already have a number stored with them because it "speeds up service." OK, say that you put your number in and then you get a message back that says "this number is already stored." No shit, you think, I know that. Quit asking me for my number, it's already stored! After three minutes of this your tickets get released. You try again and get one balcony ticket. This attitude was not created in a vaccuum, baby.

Thank god there were about four of us trying to get tickets. Wendell and I had the same problem but Chris and Lindsay got through.

The headbutt as seen around the world

This is amusing.

School's been blown to pieces

I came across just the funniest song I have heard in a while. Ask yourself what it would sound like if Gwar covered "School's Out" by Alice Cooper. It would sound something like this.

Yikes

Today I was told that I look like a younger version of a local lawyer, William Deihl.

"not really a reversal of policy"

Hey look! The Bush administration has decided to obey a law. Bless their hearts, I hope they got someone there that can help them with this since it is new territory for them.

Howdy

What I did over my weekend:

1) First I went and saw the new Pirates of the Carribean movie. I laughed, I oohed and awed at some great special effects and I left satisfied. Not a great movie but a fun summer movie and it's going to make a gazillion dollars. There is one special effects moment where you see from shore the pirate ship, the Flying Dutchman go under the waves like a submarine. It looks incredible.

2) Almost wet myself laughing when I read that boring soccer is due to leftist policies. I recommend giving those jokers a looksee every now and then. They are part of that crowd that calls you a traitor if you don't believe the way they do. They butt-crazy but they fun.

3) Watched the final overtime segment of the final of the World Cup. Something does need to be done about world cup soccer. Scoring needs to increase. They don't need to go the way of the NBA but 5-4 or 3-2 would be nice. Of course, watching the World Cup finals you can't help but ask yourself, "Can your heart explode if you get head butted in the chest hard enough?" Another thing I noticed was how wild the crowd was. The noise was constant and you never were in any doubt as to how the majority felt about a particular play.

4) Woke up early Saturday to watch the women's finals at Wimbledon. I hadn't done that in a while. I enjoyed the match although I ended up rooting for the spunky Bulgarian who ended up losing.

More on the traitor baloney

I've seen the blogs where people are accusing print journalists of betraying their country merely because they are doing their jobs. They claim that the articles on torture and our surveilence threaten our security. My, how hard these people work on pissing away their own liberties. I've seen these articles and these articles give very little detail other than cerain programs exist. Using Babe Ruth here is an analogy of the amount of information given in the stories on domestic spying and the sifting of bank data as reported by the NY Times: "Babe Ruth hit a huge home run today." Here is what the right wing whack jobs want you to think is being reported: "Today, Yankee slugger Babe Ruth, batting in the number 4 spot in the line up hit a towering home run into the upper deck of right field late in the game, giving the Yankees a 3-1 lead which they did not relinquish."

My gift to you

I've found an interesting blog on the website of National Book Critics Circle board of directors. It's a mouthful but it's good and it's here.

He Hate Me

No, that's not true. He just despises dissent. Love that comment on my last post. I guess four years in the military is not enough. I have to go again in order to speak my mind. I'm not allowed to support human rights for people who haven't had a chance to defend themselves. Supporting human rights for all, even the worst of people, is support of terrorism? Fuck you, if you think so. They are guilty because George said so? Unbelievable. The two most powerful people in this country are chicken hawks on par with John Wayne yet my opinion is out of line. I don't get it. Sure, 9/11 was horrible. George Bush's incompetence was part of the reason it happened yet now anything he does is fine. What is it about criticizing these guys that brings out such bile from their supporters? I reckon it may be because they are wrong and they have to shout louder and get meaner in order to stifle dissent. Well, screw you pal, your president is horrible and you are wrong.

Crawford

His name was Crawford and he had the darkest skin of just about any dark-green Marine I met during my four years in the Marines. When we spent the month of July in Honduras he turned so dark one Marines in my platoon said Crawford turned purple.

Crawford was country as hell. He talked slow and with a purpose and for some reason, when he got to California he took an interest in NWA. My most distinct memory of him is laying on his bunk listening to his walkmen. He's playing it so loud that I can almost make out the swear words pouring out of Ice Cube's potty mouth. Crawford sees me, slips off his headphones and says to me as slowly as any farmer in northern Michigan or Mississippi, "Yo, McDonald, check this shit out. It's dope."

"No thanks, Crawford. All they do is swear."

"No, it's dope. Trust me."

"Maybe later."

"All right. You just let know when you want to hear it because it's dope."

Lock 'em up

I still can't believe this jerk off is the U.S. attorney general. Yup, that's right. The U.S. attorney general arguing that the president has the authority to hold human beings in limbo as long as he wants. I feel safer.