The Dumbing Down of America

I had a co-worker stop by my office this morning to discuss the tsunami that ,at the time, was coming from the Japan earthquake heading for the U.S.

She asked me if I thought it would affect the Gulf of Mexico. I could only sit there slack-jawed. I could not believe that someone would think that there was a straight shot from the Pacific Ocean to the gulf. I explained to her that there is a land mass called Mexico and Central America between the two bodies of water. "Oh," she said and walked away.

The mind reels.

bc

Fat Tuesday

I have to post this from Greg here. I can't add a thing.

Greg Dworkin (that's me):

"These aren’t hearings on homegrown or domestic terrorism (Oklahoma City and Atlanta Olympic bombings and cold-blooded murder of Dr. George Tiller all had nothing to do with Muslims.) They are singling out one group for scapegoating. Peter King’s fear and bigotry hearings raise the question “on how many simultaneous fronts is the GOP willing to look extreme?” Let’s see, there’s the budget in DC, immigration in AZ, union-busting in WI, Boehner defending anti-gay bigotry in the defense of DOMA, repeal of the only true health reform in a generation, birtherism by Presidential candidates Gingrich and Huckabee, social issue legislation in lieu of jobs legislation... wow, are Republicans really that tone-deaf? Are they really willing to alienate anyone who’s not a rich conservative white guy with a job? Apparently by their actions, yes, they are. My guess is that King’s hearings are just a little more than the market can bear. But who knows, really? It’s the GOP, after all. See Terri Schiavo hearings, 2005."

bc

I Just Don't Have Anything To Say

My blogging has been non-existent because, well, I don't know. I get worked up over things I see on my TeeVee and read in my newspaper and the interweb but can't seem to be able to put anything down here at this site.

There is so much bullshit being passed around for "intelligent" commentary. Since their big wins in last November's elections the GOP has gone completely off the rails. They ran on the promise of job creation, but since then they have gone after women's reproductive rights, deficit reduction and labor unions. None of this will create a job for anyone except the lobbyists and propagansists that feed the GOP's message machine.

bc

Listening to Records Again

I grew up in the heyday of vinyl records. Albums and album rock to be exact. I have missed my albums.They are sequestered in a closet in the spare bedroom.

For Christmas my wife gave me the CD "The Promise" by Springsteen. I have enjoyed it but it makes me want to listen to "Darkness on the Edge of Town" and my only copy is vinyl. So I got out the turntable and listened to it. I had forgotten how good vinyl sounds. No compression, just good warm sound.

After that I had to dig out a few other gems to listen to:

One Size Fits All - Frank Zappa and the Mothers of Invention
Station to Station and Low - David Bowie
Deceptive Bends - 10cc
Sunburst Finish - Be-Bop Deluxe

bc

When boy, when are you going to get your act together

When I first saw this movie I was 23 years old and thought I knew everything. I never imagined that I would one day feel the same way as Strother Martin does in this scene.

Arizona, where the American Dream went to die

Arizona, where the American Dream went to die

Thank you Will.

Keep This In Mind Tea Party Folks

From Matt Taibbi's article in Rolling Stone Magazine:

""They're all worried the government would shut down," says Littleton, the head of the Ohio Liberty Council. "I don't care if it shuts down! So what?" Whether the Republican establishment led by Boehner can keep the support and approval of Tea Party leaders like Littleton over the next year or so is, right now, the most fascinating story line in all of American politics. The whole system of entrenched Beltway hackdom that Boehner represents is at stake. The GOP leadership largely succeeded this past fall in appropriating the political energy of the Tea Party for its own ends, pulling off a brilliant coup by using Tea Party rage to push through the long sought-after extension of the obscene Bush tax cuts. This was always going to be the model of how Republican Party hacks would deal with the Tea Party: Bash the living hell out of hated blue-state Gorgons like Nancy Pelosi and Barack Obama, jack off the mob by incorporating the Tea Party's Constitution-and-liberty rhetoric, hand the Tea Party those reforms that the GOP's big campaign contributors want anyway (most notably, tax breaks for the rich and deregulation of big business), and then cough up a note from the doctor or some other lame excuse when the time comes to actually cut spending."

So, Let Me Get This Straight

We traded in a strong Speaker of the House (who happens to have a pussy)





For a real live pussy.

Say Hello To The 112th Congress!

Brought to you by Fox News. They succeeded in getting this new group of firebreathers elected. Don't look for Fox to hold any of them accountable.

The Cost Of Media

I was thinking on the way to work today about how much media costs us today. I remember when cable TV was installed in town back in the day. I think the cost was around $20 a month. Everyone thought that was just outrageous!

Now we pay on average anywhere from $60 for basic cable to $150 a month if you want premium channels, HD content and internet service.

Add to that cell phone and smartphone service. That also is anywhere from $50 for basic service to $150 a month if you have 2 or more lines with a data plan.

That's $110 to $300 a month just for TV, internet and wireless phone service!

How did we get to the point where we spend as much for entertainment and communications as we used to spend for a month of groceries when cable was first installed?

bc

I'm Impressed

I haven't heard of this band before I saw them on SNL this weekend.



The girl has some pipes.

You're welcome.

bc

Everything You Need To Know Before You Vote

...is in this one 30 second commercial.



See you at the polls.

bc

The SawsAll Does It All

I started in the upstairs bathroom last weekend. I took the trusty sawsall and just cut out the entire shower. What I found was as bad as I had expected. I have 2x10 floor joists and 3/4" plywood for the floor. On top of that was 1/4" lewon plywood and ceramic tile. The leak(s) from the shower had gotten between the lewon and the 3/4" plywood. It was quite rotten so I just pulled up all of the tile and lewon.

As a side story, we have had problems with palimino bugs in the kitchen. The kitchen is underneath the bathroom. Well, I could never find where the bastards were coming from. These pests need moisture to survive. The kitchen and underneath the house are dry. When I pulled down the shower I exposed a nest of the bugs! That is where they were getting their moisture. So, at least that mystery is solved.

Also, the water pipes that go to the shower come in from the ceiling of the bathroom, down the shower wall and, for some reason, into the floor under the shower. Where the hell were they going? They went to the bathtub on the other side of the room. I cannot fathom why it was plumbed this way because the tub and the sink are on the same wall. But instead of coming off of the sink to the tub, the plumbing was routed under the floor from the shower.

Anyway, the 3/4" plywood where the shower was will have to be replaced but only one piece. So that's pretty good. However we have not decided whether to just replace the shower or do we do a complete change up of the layout of the room. The bathtub is a deep soaker tub with jets and it only gets used two or three times a year. I don't see any reason to keep it. A shower is all we need.

I Don't Want To Do This...

...but it must be done.

The shower in the upstairs bathroom has been leaking. So I'm going to tear it out and see what's what underneath.

I'm afraid.

I've got the feeling that this is going to end up being a complete renovation.

$$$$$$$$!

Oh,yeah.

bc

Had To Share This

I have read that this was done in one take. If it was it is truly amazing.



Also, John Lennon rules!

Jon Stewart's "Postcards From The Pledge"

I had to share this...

The Daily Show With Jon Stewart	Mon - Thurs 11p / 10c
Postcards From the Pledge
www.thedailyshow.com
Daily Show Full Episodes Political Humor Tea Party

They are not even trying. Really, it just insults my intelligence that they think that I am stupid enough to buy their into their "pledge" to the American people. These are the same people who got us into this mess in the first place. Who didn't lift a finger to help get the country back up on it's feet. Who said "no" to everything for two years, not because of their principles but because it is politically expedient to oppose everything. What did they have to lose? Rush Limbaugh gave them cover on January 20,2009 when he said, "I hope he fails". That was his signal to the loser Republicans that he had their backs if any of them want to follow him.

Behold!

Nothing like a fresh coat of paint to make you fall in love with your house again.

Geez

Just when I thought the American people couldn't get any stupider.

"The number of Americans who say President Obama is a Muslim has nearly doubled since March 2009, according to a new poll from Pew out today. The poll finds that 18% of Americans say the president -- who, it should be said for the record, is a practicing Christian -- is a Muslim. That's up from 11% who said the same thing in March of last year.

At the same time, a new poll from Time magazine shows a widespread distrust of Islam among Americans, and an overwhelming opposition to the Cordoba House project in Manhattan. The Time poll also found that 24% of Americans say Obama is a Muslim.

No group is more convinced of the president's Muslim faith than conservative Republicans. The Pew poll found 34% of them say Obama is a Muslim, which is an increase from 18% in the March 2009 survey. The number is not that much different from Republicans overall -- 31% of all Republicans surveyed by Pew said Obama practices Islam, and 24% of "moderate and liberal" members of the GOP said the same thing."

I take it that Muslim is the new "nigger".

bc

William The Bloody Strikes Again

TBogg goes after Bill Kristol one more time. With feeling. And more cow bell.

Kristol can suck it.

bc

Has It Been A Month?

Today is the first day of August or as we say here in the South, "the dog-days of August", even though we have been in high heat and humidity since I posted the first of last month.

I have been very busy working on "This Damned Old House". Just finished painting the exterior. I am currently sanding the old paint off of the front porch floor so I can stain it. I rented a floor sander that got 98% of it done but the remaining 2% has been a very slow process. I am hoping to get it ready for stain within the next few days.

The house looks great but now all I see when I look at it is the black stains on the roof. I have found that can be cleaned off with a combination of bleach and Tri-Sodium Phosphate. That is next on my agenda.

I'll post a picture when it is all complete.

bc