Habanera For The End Of The Era

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Have A Happy New Year Folks!



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Bad Checks Tee

Errol Englebrecht design circa-1985

Happy Kiss My Ass, Horsley Style

Sebastian Horsley, my favorite irreverent Dandy, writes on his views of Christmas and what pisses him off about it.

"...Christmas we meet ourselves as we really are. That's why it's so hard to bear for the depressed. The day glows like a fire through dimpled cottage windows in an unforgiving season. But for those who can only peep through the curtains, for those who will never be invited in, it only opens even wider that empty gulf of yearning between other people's happiness and your own cold despair.

What about those on the inside? What about those who descend into the bunker of the family? It shouldn't take Christmas for us to recognise that Santa Claus definitely had the right idea. Only visit people once a year and make sure, while you are at it, that you don't actually meet them.

But aren't we forgetting the true meaning of this day: a joyful celebration of the birth of Jesus? Isn't it strange how the whole world observes Christ's birthday while absolutely nobody observes his beliefs.

Jesus was a great and radical philosopher. Here was a truly autonomous mind; here was someone who was prepared to do his own thinking, no matter what the price. A Jewish thinker enrolling in the school of the Greek cynics, he drew on traditions of outspokenness, shamelessness and unconventionality. He spoke of anarchy, anti-materialism and identification with the poor.

His message, quite simply, was that family and personal property must go. Only then could we have peace on earth and goodwill to all men. So we celebrate Christ's birthday by gathering our families together and stockpiling mountains of possessions to wage war on one another over TV schedules and who will clear up.

Gentle Jesus, meek and mild? No one made more trouble than this baby. The ass-like cult of Christianity that stands around his manger is the antithesis of the man. Christ was an anti-Christ. He was a true radical."

Carol of The Bells

OK, last post b4 Santa catches me on the computer... this version of Carol of The Bells, one of my favorite holiday songs, is a bit over-the-top with the Celtic Women here, but sometimes it's needed. I also like the claymation version.


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An Elf Song

I really like this song and thought I'd share - this one from Zooey Deschanel and Will Ferrel in Elf

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The Christmas Controversy

I have wondered about this particular image and sought out what I could find on the internets.

Huckabee and Stewart on Marriage

The Daily Show With Jon StewartM - Th 11p / 10c

Mike Huckabee Pt. 2

Barack Obama Interview
John McCain Interview

Sarah Palin Video
Funny Election Video

Personally I think legal marriage should be abolished but this video with Mike Huckabee is one of the reasons I love Jon Stewart and his interviewing style. I really appreciate the challenges he offers to Huckabee's antiquated way of thinking.

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Unknown Hinson

“Ever womern’s dream and ever jealous husband’s nightmare.”

NC Psychobilly artist, Unknown Hinson, will be playing New Year's Eve at The Lincoln Theater this year. Could be playing hits such as "Peace, Love and Hard Liquor", "Pregnant again", "Fishcamp Womern", or"Alkyhol Withdrawal".
Don't let the camp fool you, this guy can play!





Liquid Chicken!



Master Of Love's Advice

His music and his message are undeniably clear:
“Rawk is the devil’s music.
You youngerns need to burn yore hippie rawk rakkerds,
and learn how to act by listenin’ to the chart-toppin’ message of my lyrics
and show-stoppin’ sound of my guit-tar playin’.”

The Future Is Unknown

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I think I found -The One-

BUSH HOGGING FOR ?????? - $35 (Triangle)

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Reply to: sale-934750807@craigslist.org
Date: 2008-11-26, 6:51AM EST


Will bush hog for items of value or $35/hour. Love to bush hog. 919-201-1910

THIS is the person I've been wanting to hook up with! I have SO MUCH bush hoggin' to do!

.

Land of the Lost and Sleestak Obsessions

Doesn't it look like the Sleestaks should be carrying Marilyn Monroe and singing "Diamonds are a Girl's Best Friend"?

More pictures coming in from the post-production of Land of the Lost remake. This was one of the most frustrating of my Saturday morning favorites from Sid&Marty Krofft - too many stumblings when the T-Rex was chasing, too many problems with Chaka causing trouble. Should have ditched the little furry guy long ago. Now the remake is with Will Ferrell and due to be released next June. But can they capture the magic of the original opening theme?


I love trolling for sleestaks in our modern society:




So I'll leave you with a holiday theme - they would have made nice Christmas cards..


More Monet-style paintings of sleestaks

Keith Norval Opening Tonight at Artspace

Keith Norval
is having an opening reception during this evening's First Friday Gallery Walk.
It's entitled "The Corporate Art Show".
Keith was a face I often saw pulling odd shifts at Pullen Arts Center and now he has his residence at Artspace and the opening will be in the Upfront Gallery. I love his work!

December 5 – 27, 2008
Opening Reception: December 5, 6-10pm

"This new series of oil paintings by Keith Norval explores the theme of business through animals. With the current state of things (environmental destruction, factory farming, extinctions) it seems animals would be better off if they had some kind of representation. Piggy lawyers, corporate crocs, rhinos in suits, business monkeys, motivational chickens, and mad cows - this show aims to give them their own voices."

Southern Culture On The Skids

Am going to try and catch them tonight at the Lincoln Theater in Raleigh.
If not, they'll still be in hometown territory December 13th at
The Cats Cradle on the other side of the tracks in Carrboro.
For Trailerbilly RocknRoll, Rick Miller's guitar really says it all.
For a sneak listen to a couple of tracks, tune into my playlist.

"Affectionate, banana pudding-loving look at white trash culture"

IndyWeek

DVD Rentals in November

Futurama: The Beast with a Billion Backs
SpongeBob SquarePants: Who Bob What Pants
Flubber
Harold and Kumar...Guantanamo Bay
Californication: Season 1: Disc 2
Strings
The Triplets of Belleville
The King of Kong
The Point

New Tequila Bar Downtown Raleigh

Opening maybe this weekend?? Creative menu, chilled atmosphere, reposados and anejos!

Misery Loves TV

One of my favorite reads, SFGate columnist, Mark Morford, has captured questions I had myself after the release of a recent study by the General Social Survey on the correlation between unhappy people and their TV habits.

"...Why are studies like this not more accurate? Why are studies like this not more comprehensive? They manage to get 30,000 people on the phone and all they ask them is, "Are you unhappy?" followed by "How much TV do you watch?"

And then they hear this heavy sigh and a long pause as the person on the other end of the line pours himself a giant tub of gin and flicks something hard and yellowish from the corner of his consciousness, and says:

"A lot, actually, especially reality TV -- gotta love reality TV, especially those shows that make you feel soiled and sad and are so debasing you'd have to be a tree fungus not to feel a little bit better about yourself after watching them -- which I don't, actually, feel any better that is, which is pretty sad, so the answer is yes, I'm unhappy, and I watch a lot of TV."

"Very good, sir. Thank you so much for your ti--"

"Wait. I also dream about being eaten alive by giant angry candy corns, and then being reborn as a small squash, fated to be chopped up and boiled in a vat of peasant soup in rural China. Who's calling, please?"

Mark Morford's article

It's Official!

Breaking News Alert
The New York Times
Monday, December 1, 2008 -- 12:32 PM ET
-----

It's Official: U.S. Economy in Recession

The National Bureau of Economic Research, a panel of academic
economists charged with the official designation of business
cycles, said that the United States economy has been in
recession since December 2007, when economic activity peaked.

Read More:
NY Times Article

Blog Personality Typealyzer

Ha, found on Wonkette a reference to a site that analyzes your blog, catagorizing its author as one of the 16 Myers-Briggs Personality Types.

Typealyzer.com

Psychocosmos is an

ESTP - The Doers

The active and play-ful type. They are especially attuned to people and things around them and often full of energy, talking, joking and engaging in physical out-door activities.

The Doers are happiest with action-filled work which craves their full attention and focus. They might be very impulsive and more keen on starting something new than following it through. They might have a problem with sitting still or remaining inactive for any period of time.

Analysis

extraverted-sensing-thinking-perceptive

Outgoing
Diplomatic
Charming
Witty
Fun
Generous
Observing
Socially sophisticated
Resourceful
Troubleshooter
Unpredictable
Action oriented
Clever

but, but.. I consistently test out as the polar opposite of the Perceptives, INFP??

introverted-intuitive-feeling-perceptive

Quiet
Sensitive
Perceptive
Creative
Idealistic
Committed to people and causes
Spiritual or Philosophical
Capacity for deep caring
Likes harmony
Guided by strong inner sense of values

Hold Out Until the Nuts are Available

I find this interesting because I posted only days ago that I was thinking about Graham Chapman (who played Brian in Life of Brian) and that fun clip.
This week, NYTimes places it in their 'Critics' Picks'
and in the Triangle's Independent, I venture to Free Will Astrology:

SCORPIO (Oct. 23-Nov. 21): At one point during the comedic film *Life of
Brian,* set in ancient Rome, the hero Brian is working as a vendor selling
snacks to spectators at a gladiator match. "Wrens' livers," he says.
"Jaguars' earlobes. Wolf nipple chips. Get 'em while they're hot." A
potential buyer turns to him and asks, "Got any nuts?" Brian says, "I
haven't got any nuts. Sorry. I've got larks' tongues. Otters' noses. Ocelot
spleens." Judging from your current astrological omens, Scorpio, I suspect
you may soon be in a position analogous to the spectator. You will really
want plain old basic nuts, but someone will be trying to get you to sample
the wrens' livers. My advice? Steer clear of exotic stuff you don't have an
appetite for. Hold out until the nuts are available.

The very word "secrecy" is repugnant in a free and open society.

April 27, 1961

By John F. Kennedy
Waldorf-Astoria Hotel
New York City

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The very word "secrecy" is repugnant in a free and open society; and we are as a people inherently and historically opposed to secret societies, to secret oaths and to secret proceedings. We decided long ago that the dangers of excessive and unwarranted concealment of pertinent facts far outweighed the dangers which are cited to justify it. Even today, there is little value in opposing the threat of a closed society by imitating its arbitrary restrictions. Even today, there is little value in insuring the survival of our nation if our traditions do not survive with it. And there is very grave danger that an announced need for increased security will be seized upon by those anxious to expand its meaning to the very limits of official censorship and concealment. That I do not intend to permit to the extent that it’s in my control. And no official of my Administration, whether his rank is high or low, civilian or military, should interpret my words here tonight as an excuse to censor the news, to stifle dissent, to cover up our mistakes or to withhold from the press and the public the facts they deserve to know.

For we are opposed around the world by a monolithic and ruthless conspiracy that relies primarily on covert means for expanding its sphere of influence--on infiltration instead of invasion, on subversion instead of elections, on intimidation instead of free choice, on guerrillas by night instead of armies by day. It is a system which has conscripted vast human and material resources into the building of a tightly knit, highly efficient machine that combines military, diplomatic, intelligence, economic, scientific and political operations.

Its preparations are concealed, not published. Its mistakes are buried, not headlined. Its dissenters are silenced, not praised. No expenditure is questioned, no rumor is printed, no secret is revealed.

No President should fear public scrutiny of his program. For from that scrutiny comes understanding; and from that understanding comes support or opposition and both are necessary. I am not asking your newspapers to support the Administration, but I am asking your help in the tremendous task of informing and alerting the American people. For I have complete confidence in the response and dedication of our citizens whenever they are fully informed.

I not only could not stifle controversy among your readers--I welcome it. This Administration intends to be candid about its errors; for as a wise man once said: "An error does not become a mistake until you refuse to correct it." We intend to accept full responsibility for our errors and we expect you to point them out when we miss them.

Without debate, without criticism, no Administration and no country can succeed and no republic can survive. That is why the Athenian lawmaker Solon decreed it a crime for any citizen to shrink from controversy. And that is why our press was protected by the First Amendment-- the only business in America specifically protected by the Constitution--not primarily to amuse and entertain, not to emphasize the trivial and the sentimental, not to simply "give the public what it wants"--but to inform, to arouse, to reflect, to state our dangers and our opportunities, to indicate our crises and our choices, to lead, mold, educate and sometimes even anger public opinion.

This means greater coverage and analysis of international news--for it is no longer far away and foreign but close at hand and local. It means greater attention to improved understanding of the news as well as improved transmission. And it means, finally, that government at all levels, must meet its obligation to provide you with the fullest possible information outside the narrowest limits of national security.

And so it is to the printing press--to the recorder of man's deeds, the keeper of his conscience, the courier of his news--that we look for strength and assistance, confident that with your help man will be what he was born to be: free and independent.

The Mitch Mitchell Experience

I have been remiss in noting the passing of Mitch Mitchell, the last remaining member of The Jimi Hendrix Experience. He was found dead in his hotel room on the 12th, apparently of natural causes at 61. He was still an active touring drummer, having completed a tour days before he died. Here's a great clip of him doing an extended drum solo.



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Dating Like Minds

The NYT has compiled excerpts from a dating site for fans of Ayn Rand -

The Atlasphere

"Connecting Admirers of The Fountainhead and Atlas Shrugged"

Personal Ads

waitingfordagny, Chicago, Illinois
I want to meet a serious woman who both challenges me intellectually and inspires me to noble things by her beauty.

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Michael, Naples, Florida
Long ago a very dear friend, Angie, turned me on to Ayn Rand and Atlas Shrugged.

Parenthetically, she also turned me on in other ways. Alas, our relationship remained Platonic.

Contact Me If You … : are Angie.

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dpvabc, Edmonton, Canada
My name is Daniel. I consider myself to be a born-again egoist and I have dedicated the rest of my life to self-improvement. People see me as a socially inept loner because I tend to avoid superficial conversation but actually I love talking to people who like to think (the problem being I don’t know very many).

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mxjohnxm, Greenville, South Carolina
“One can’t love man without hating most of the creatures who pretend to bear his name.”

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mattqatsi, East Dundee, Illinois
If I Could “Do Lunch” With Anyone: Ronald Reagan and Newt Gingrich … Do I really have to explain?

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thustotyrants, Selden, New York
[I am] short, stark, and mansome.

You should contact me if you are a skinny woman. If your words are a meaningful progression of concepts rather than a series of vocalizations induced by your spinal cord for the purpose of complementing my tone of voice. If you’ve seen the meatbot, the walking automaton, the pod-people, the dense, glazy-eyed substrate through which living organisms such as myself must escape to reach air and sunlight. If you’ve realized that if speech is to be regarded as a cognitive function, technically they aren’t speaking, and you don’t have to listen.

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Zak, Long Island, New York
I am rational, integrated, and efficacious. So far, I’ve never met a person who lives up to the standard I hold for myself (except online).

I take my relationships seriously. I am simply not attracted to many of the women in this world. I do not “hook-up” with girls. I only kiss those who deserve, and so far I have only encountered one who did. I would love to find someone I can learn something from; someone who challenges me to think; someone I can feel like I’ve won, rather than lowered myself to.

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lostpainting, Hagerstown, Maryland
Please note: If you’re overweight, I won’t date you. If you believe in God, I won’t date you. If you vote for Democrats, I won’t date you.

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Chinoy, Manila, Philippines
My individualism takes precedence at all costs, if not at all times.

Contact Me If You … : do not conform to the dictates and whims of any of the world’s religions, simply because your soul’s independence is paramount.

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Lewis, London, U.K.
I love intelligent, sassy girls, particularly those working in consulting or investment banking (but other fields are great too). Really, nothing is hotter than an accomplished girl in a suit, as long as she is willing to settle down and have my children. I want a girl who will support my ambitions against the naysayers in society.

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Rob, Stanford, California
Ayn Rand ignited the fire within me that was searching for the right spark. My every action is guided according to my philosophy, and my philosophy is the philosophy of Ayn Rand.

I am interested in meeting someone that truly embodies the values and virtues of Objectivism. I have found very few women that have not already been beaten down to a flimsy, irrational, empty pulp. I have changed many girls’ lives, but no one has blown me away yet.

I never “hook-up” randomly, I never kiss a girl that doesn’t deserve mine. I have yet to find a girl deserving of my falling in love with her. But “other people” are secondary values no matter what, so finding someone is not a priority for me.

.

Yes, We're All Individuals!

Something got me to thinking about Monty Python and Graham Chapman.
I like this clip.

Morning Yoga

I am still befuddled.
Yesterday, I finally went into my morning yoga class after missing a couple of weeks.
It was about 5 minutes to start time I was the last to arrive. My teacher actually came all the way out into the lobby to greet me. She hugged me, told me how good it was to see me. (?)
Welcomed me back and asked where I'd like to be, the front or the back of the room (in a round Quaker church)? I said the back was fine..but I've always taken what was available. After I took off my shoes I went into class and swore i saw someone moving to the front to make room for me.
I hope the teacher didn't make someone move just for me? It was like I was Norm and just entered the bar. She began and not 5 minutes into class the woman to the right of me interrupted and introduced herself to me. She even told me she was glad I was able to 'be there today'. No sarcasm. Geez, really folks, the rumors of my death have been greatly exaggerated! I only missed a couple or 3 weeks? I've been going off and on for 14 years here. I began to question my reality. I thanked her and went back to the lesson. The lesson began with a talk on Saucha, Sanskrit for Purity.

"Shaucha is a way to achieve purity through practice of the five yamas of non-violence, truthfulness, non-stealing, control of the sensual drive, and non-greed. Practicing these yamas is a cleansing process to clear away negative physical and mental states of being... and in turn, to achieve a "pure" state of being, a physical and mental state of being that is better prepared for higher states of consciousness.
Saucha is cleanliness of body, heart, mind and environment. It is directly translated as that and nothing else. This involves making choices about what you take in as food, through all channels, mouth, ears, eyes and mind. "

The class actually started with rest, then we went into a myriad of 'squeezing' exercises to literally wring our organs. I reckon I could use some spleen wringin'..

Then after 90 minutes of that, we ended class and before I could roll up my mat and try to scoot out, Jane to my right stops me. "I'm so glad you were able to join us today! Take care!"

I guess they like me, they really like me.

Movie Quote

"We're a bisexual nation living in denial. All because of a bunch of nerds. A bunch of nerds who got off a boat in the 15th century and decided that sex was something to be ashamed of. All the Pilgrims did was ruin the American Indian orgy of freedom."

Krista Now, Southland Tales

Thanks, Liz, for helping me remember about the Southland.

See Emily Play

Finally! Someone uploaded the 'real' See Emily Play video, not the one showing Pink Floyd (sans Syd Barrett) dancing on a lawn.
Does anyone know which Alice movie this is? "Free Games For Alice" search self-references the video.

For those of you playing at home, move onto Dark Side of the Moon and remember to cue it up right after the MGM lion roars for the third time at the beginning of The Wizard of Oz.

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A Visual Guide To The Financial Crisis

Raleigh Represents

"The fact that an opinion has been widely held is no evidence whatever that it is not utterly absurd; indeed, in view of the silliness of the majority of mankind, a widespread belief is more likely to be foolish than sensible."

Bertrand Russell, Marriage and Morals