tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-59083292011-12-05T16:02:46.317-05:00Stuff and Nonsense: Paranoia, Poetry, Politics, Popular Culture, Science and Assorted Weirdnesshanddrummerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12287658517906891463noreply@blogger.comBlogger15081100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5908329.post-55046820960217606512011-09-28T12:10:00.003-04:002011-09-28T12:14:59.605-04:00

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handdrummerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12287658517906891463noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5908329.post-69363789203248095592011-02-22T15:29:00.002-05:002011-02-22T15:32:16.285-05:00

handdrummerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12287658517906891463noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5908329.post-53207574094583838302011-02-22T15:29:00.001-05:002011-02-22T15:31:17.058-05:00

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q9614OGdf7w

handdrummerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12287658517906891463noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5908329.post-37298339840602889922010-12-17T13:47:00.003-05:002010-12-17T13:52:13.756-05:00

From Kolchak:Does Flo ever leave that insurance supermarket? Can she leave? When I saw her making a simulated motorcycle ride, I started to wonder. Is she a hologram? A ghost?Why are those animated bears so interested in toilet paper when they don’t seem to have bums?Those Vikings in that credit card commercial are running their cards through the reader the wrong way. The logo is visible,

handdrummerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12287658517906891463noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5908329.post-45778196462303893622010-11-09T14:23:00.003-05:002010-11-09T14:29:15.006-05:00

From Kolchak:So… where were we?During the recent unpleasantness—otherwise known as the 2010 mid-term elections—I found myself thinking about how they made decisions on Earth II.Earth II is a made-for-TV science fiction film from 1971. As a movie, it has a lot of problems, but I still have a soft spot for it. I recently bought a quick-and-dirty copy of the movie from the Warner Bros. Archive

handdrummerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12287658517906891463noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5908329.post-29527803926474495482010-11-02T16:53:00.002-04:002010-11-02T16:57:49.182-04:00

handdrummerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12287658517906891463noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5908329.post-65857129805311159612010-10-24T17:33:00.001-04:002010-10-24T17:35:06.582-04:00

handdrummerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12287658517906891463noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5908329.post-86274058488321413362010-10-23T03:13:00.003-04:002010-10-23T03:16:40.023-04:00

Ok all you Tea Party fools.. Time to put your pink doilies away and defend your slovenly thought out and recondite beliefs.. Bring it on....Intellectual denial and tomfollery not allowed...

handdrummerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12287658517906891463noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5908329.post-60161862704629258012010-10-23T00:40:00.003-04:002010-10-23T00:44:25.093-04:00

BOOOOOOOOOOGAR!!!!!!!!!!!We are back.So watch out cause I haven't learned any restraint while I was gone.. and I am pissed....

handdrummerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12287658517906891463noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5908329.post-33335643998636694462009-06-26T14:45:00.004-04:002009-06-26T14:53:53.693-04:00

From Kolchak:One reason why you haven’t heard much from me recently is because, I’ve been getting reacquainted with some old friends . I’m writing a four-issue revival of Tom Corbett, Space Cadet for Bluewater Comics. Tom Corbett, Space Cadet was a very popular television show in the 1950s. It was one of the first—if not the first—sf show to be a multimedia hit, spawning a comic strip, a series

handdrummerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12287658517906891463noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5908329.post-75062976798056359882009-04-16T13:12:00.002-04:002009-04-20T13:32:08.759-04:00

From KOLCHAK The 2008 presidential campaign even spilled into the normally resistant world of comic books—who cares about presidents when you’re destroying whole realities? --with at least three different publishers offering comic book biographies of the candidates. The ones I read—the Presidential Material series from IDW—were interesting and serious-minded, but never quite came together,

handdrummerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12287658517906891463noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5908329.post-68687074724815460032009-03-28T17:32:00.002-04:002009-03-28T17:34:43.606-04:00

BAM!

handdrummerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12287658517906891463noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5908329.post-61037853231055334532009-03-17T14:47:00.003-04:002009-03-17T14:49:27.938-04:00

handdrummerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12287658517906891463noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5908329.post-64582008259832351282009-02-20T10:25:00.003-05:002009-02-20T10:35:20.988-05:00

From KolchakWatchmen, the classic graphic novel by Alan Moore and Dave Gibbons, is about to enter an exclusive club—stories that were turned into movies even though they were generally considered to be unfilmable. I’m actually cautiously optimistic that Watchmen is going to be a good movie, but the transition isn’t going to be easy. Like Dune and Lord Of the Rings before it, Watchmen takes

handdrummerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12287658517906891463noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5908329.post-7538276572143589572009-02-10T15:08:00.002-05:002009-02-10T15:17:53.946-05:00

More for National Egotism Week....  25 fiction and poetry writers who have influenced me.1. William Tenn 2. John Brunner 3. Robert Benchley 4. Pablo Neruda 5. Robert Anton Wilson6. H. Beam Piper 7. Andre Norton 8. John Dos Passos 9. Spike Milligan 10. Edison Marshall 11. Clifford Simak 12. Tom Sharpe13. Steven Saylor 14. S. J. Perlman 15. Seamus Heaney 16. Cordwainer Smith 17. Robert Heinlein18.

handdrummerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12287658517906891463noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5908329.post-30557966014432965012009-02-10T14:06:00.003-05:002009-02-10T15:17:01.664-05:00

In celebration National Egotism Week, I recently posted this on my Facebook:1. My cat Xanthippe is named for the wife of Socrates. Like her namesake, she is opinionated and never silent. She is my one true love.2. I have a large teddy bear puppet named Tacitus.3. My grandfather Ramsey was a union organizer for the United Mine Workers. In his youth he marched with Mother Jones and was a card

handdrummerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12287658517906891463noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5908329.post-22521629875461818732009-02-05T08:42:00.002-05:002009-02-05T08:46:10.096-05:00

From Kolchak:The following are two headlines that appeared consecutively on CNN's bottom-of-the-screentext line this morning:Report: 'Shocking' number don't know obesity causes cancerGrand Slam promotion a home run, Denny's says

handdrummerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12287658517906891463noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5908329.post-8451319691548107132009-01-20T13:15:00.002-05:002009-01-20T13:16:32.049-05:00

handdrummerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12287658517906891463noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5908329.post-61353770232850017852009-01-20T13:08:00.002-05:002009-01-20T13:13:30.179-05:00

Former President George W. Bush..... Former President George W. Bush..... Former President George W. Bush..... Former President George W. Bush..... Former President George W. Bush..... Former President George W. Bush..... Former President George W. Bush..... Former President George W. Bush..... Former President George W. Bush..... Former President George W. Bush..... Former President George W.

handdrummerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12287658517906891463noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5908329.post-67166070873057465322009-01-20T02:18:00.003-05:002009-01-20T02:22:45.395-05:00

Keith Olbermann tells us what the NeoScum accomplished and why we need to hold this grudge until the scum who did this are all ground up and thrown into the dustbin of history

handdrummerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12287658517906891463noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5908329.post-79901077389141547322009-01-16T16:12:00.005-05:002009-01-19T15:50:37.306-05:00

Good Riddance.May I never see your fucking smurking face again, except during your sentencing at the upcoming war crimes trial.Go eat some pretzels.Worst President Ever!

handdrummerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12287658517906891463noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5908329.post-54327819478192676942009-01-14T12:46:00.001-05:002009-01-14T12:49:09.570-05:00

Patrick McGoohan (1928-2009)

handdrummerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12287658517906891463noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5908329.post-48519709680498916712009-01-09T14:04:00.002-05:002009-01-10T14:08:51.673-05:00

(Or, Kolchak gets into shape by jumping to conclusions.)I’m not a truck driver—and I’m sure that comes as a big surprise to everyone—but I drive the interstates often enough to have noticed a few changes in truck stops.One change I’ve noticed is that there aren’t as many truck stops as there used to be. Now, you’re more likely to find a travel center or a travel stop than a truck stop. I’m not

handdrummerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12287658517906891463noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5908329.post-55781554145010626732008-12-16T17:34:00.003-05:002008-12-16T17:38:55.232-05:00

One of the best covers I have ever heard....Check out their other stuff..  Phenominal group...Tip of the old sombrero to Kolchak for turning me on to these guys. I was having a truly horrible day...and it just went away....

handdrummerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12287658517906891463noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5908329.post-9365733254019244712008-12-15T15:46:00.004-05:002008-12-15T16:05:04.291-05:00

The only Christmas carol I can abide...Update:Of course I was immediately proven wrong about that as my bloggy buddy Neddie reminded all of us here."Bark us all bow-wows of folly"   Ain't it the truth...

handdrummerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12287658517906891463noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5908329.post-8850285871019648712008-12-01T13:38:00.004-05:002008-12-01T13:59:10.724-05:00

1.  Namania                      Habib Koite                                 2.  Toubala Kone              Amadou Et Mariam                3.  Here                              Salif Keita                                     4.  Diaraby                        Ry Cooder & Ali Farka Touré    5.  7 Seconds                      Youssou N'Dour                           6.  Diablo

handdrummerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12287658517906891463noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5908329.post-65677210358782052752008-11-15T15:48:00.004-05:002008-11-15T15:59:12.271-05:00

via ICanHazCheezburger.com:

handdrummerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12287658517906891463noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5908329.post-5769475530689616142008-11-06T12:14:00.002-05:002008-11-06T12:17:49.136-05:00

The Poet in the Box by Martin Espada   for Brandon  We have a problem with Brandon, the assistant warden said.He's a poet.  At the juvenile detention centerdemonic poetry fired Brandon's fistinto the forehead of another inmate.Metaphor, that cackling spirit, drove him to flip another boy's cafeteria tray onto the floor.The staccato chorus rhyming in his headtold him to spit and curse 

handdrummerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12287658517906891463noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5908329.post-7149897201234170002008-11-05T12:20:00.009-05:002008-11-06T18:52:04.846-05:00

My decidedly old school recommendation wishlist for the new administration. I look forward with wonder and delight (and probable amazement) to President Obama's actual choices.Agriculture:  Kathleen SibeliusAttorney General: Robert Kennedy, Jr. Commerce: Michael BloombergDefense: Wesley Clark  (when he becomes eligible)Director of National Intelligence: Jane HarmanEducation: Graham SpanierEnergy:

handdrummerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12287658517906891463noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5908329.post-14637308257522296602008-11-05T12:04:00.002-05:002008-11-05T12:06:20.980-05:00

 Joy, Shipmate, Joy! by Walt Whitman    Joy! shipmate--joy!(Pleas'd to my Soul at death I cry;)Our life is closed--our life begins;The long, long anchorage we leave,The ship is clear at last--she leaps!She swiftly courses from the shore;Joy! shipmate--joy! 

handdrummerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12287658517906891463noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5908329.post-85016184464111379482008-11-04T23:06:00.000-05:002008-11-04T23:07:03.658-05:00

YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES

handdrummerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12287658517906891463noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5908329.post-20883324146126576602008-11-04T13:13:00.005-05:002008-11-04T16:28:42.228-05:00

Just back from voting.  At 11am I was number 526 to vote. In 2006, I was number 178 at 4 pm. 2004, around 425 at that same time. This is shaping up to be a VERY high turnout.All going smoothly in my precinct except for the common error of dividing the alphabet evenly at j/k and expecting even length lines.  From the personal experience of years of convention registration work I can tell you  that

handdrummerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12287658517906891463noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5908329.post-5701617954221726332008-11-04T10:21:00.002-05:002008-11-04T10:25:41.386-05:00

A reminder:Vote Vote Vote Vote Vote Vote Vote Vote Vote Vote Vote Vote Vote Vote Vote Vote Vote Vote Vote Vote Vote Vote Vote Vote Vote Vote Vote Vote Vote Vote Vote Vote Vote Vote Vote Vote Vote Vote Vote Vote Vote Vote Vote Vote Vote Vote Vote Vote Vote Vote Vote Vote Vote Vote Vote Vote Vote Vote Vote Vote Vote Vote Vote Vote Vote Vote Vote Vote Vote Vote Vote Vote Vote Vote Vote

handdrummerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12287658517906891463noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5908329.post-87221044170197069192008-11-03T14:43:00.001-05:002008-11-03T15:07:25.979-05:00

Create a playlist at MixPod.comSince we had a singing shout out to Barack Obama earlier this month, we thought it only fair to do the same for John McCain. Enjoy John.

handdrummerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12287658517906891463noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5908329.post-78820646072139267782008-11-03T13:32:00.002-05:002008-11-03T13:57:57.623-05:00

from my post to the Blatt on July 5th:-------Obama will win by 323 to 215 electorial votes. The Dems will hold all the states they had in 2004 and add AK CO IN IA MT NM NV OH VA and possibly NC.In the Senate, the Dems will pick up 10 seats in AK CO ME MN MS NC NH NM OR VA, leaving themselves one vote short of being fillibuster proof.In the House, the Dems will have a net pick-up of 18 seats. They

handdrummerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12287658517906891463noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5908329.post-32074224285254062762008-10-22T16:30:00.004-04:002008-11-05T18:46:39.263-05:00

via Doghouse Riley over at Bats Left/Throws Right:The Republican National Committee paid more than $150,000 for clothing, makeup and accessories in September that apparently went to Gov. Sarah Palin and her family, according to an article on Politico.com.That included $9,447.71 to Macy’s, $789.72 to Barneys New York, $5,102.71 to Bloomingdales; $49,425.74 to Saks Fifth Avenue and $4,902.45 to

handdrummerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12287658517906891463noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5908329.post-51452972482021554962008-10-21T09:09:00.002-04:002008-10-22T11:35:10.284-04:00

From KOLCHAK:Barack Obama’s campaign for the presidency is nothing less than a history-marking event, regardless of how it turns out. For those of us who attended Catholic school in the 1960s, however, the campaign is not entirely unfamiliar. If you were attending Catholic school at that time, you could subscribe to a comic book called Treasure Chest. As you might imagine, given

handdrummerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12287658517906891463noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5908329.post-55407562020315840402008-10-16T13:42:00.005-04:002008-10-16T13:55:29.267-04:00

 Obama is as white as he is black. And he is neither as well.This song hits exactly the right tone about something that has always baffled me about the subject of race in America. Oh I understand the "reasoning" about a "drop" of the fatal blood and all that. But if being white is so superior you'd think that well, the "good" would overcome the "bad'. Seems to me. Of  course that doesn't stop

handdrummerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12287658517906891463noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5908329.post-796407863264285452008-10-16T12:59:00.003-04:002008-10-16T13:00:54.563-04:00

From the end of last night's debate

handdrummerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12287658517906891463noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5908329.post-34734932385683568192008-10-10T12:55:00.000-04:002008-10-10T12:56:45.948-04:00

handdrummerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12287658517906891463noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5908329.post-79072878145144121022008-10-09T23:56:00.004-04:002008-10-10T00:01:11.792-04:00

These are the people Sarah Palin is bringing out. My God. If I were McCain I'd hang my head in shame that I'm depending on them for their votes. Unbelievably foul human beings.

handdrummerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12287658517906891463noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5908329.post-2860938934486583652008-10-09T23:29:00.002-04:002008-10-09T23:46:06.442-04:00

And all McPalin can talk about is Bill Ayers, a former radical activist who is now a Distiguished Professor of Education at the University of Illinois in Chicago. A man who has worked closely with that known bunch of radicals The Annenburg Education Foundation (snark). A man who was named "Chicago Citizen of the Year" in 1997.The economic world is crashing down around us largely because of the

handdrummerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12287658517906891463noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5908329.post-32869697692263375512008-10-09T14:26:00.001-04:002008-10-09T14:27:59.184-04:00

via TPM:Ode to Sean Hannityby John CleeseAping urbanity Oozing with vanity Plump as a manatee Faking humanity Journalistic calamity Intellectual inanity Fox Noise insanity You’re a profanity Hannity

handdrummerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12287658517906891463noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5908329.post-81955159488793711772008-10-06T11:51:00.003-04:002008-10-06T11:58:51.810-04:00

Feel the Love.John McCain voted to support Bush over 90% of the time. Has your life gotten better under Bush? Has the country been made stronger?John McCain, the original Bush Baby.Go ahead George, you can burp him now.

handdrummerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12287658517906891463noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5908329.post-26641760905168386852008-09-30T02:04:00.003-04:002008-09-30T02:45:42.114-04:00

HE'S BACK!Bring out the fatted neocons. Line up  innocent conservative students so that their lives, spirits, and careers may be properly crushed by inappropriate leftist mental touching. Fire up the zamboni. Let the merrymaking begin.Michael Berube, Penn State's own  member of David Horowitz's axis of academic evil  and the ONLY person who has ever been able to make it possible for me to both

handdrummerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12287658517906891463noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5908329.post-28142183471403254402008-09-28T17:35:00.004-04:002008-09-29T12:45:36.098-04:00

At some point, when faced with a particularly hard hitting point from Mr. Biden, Ms. Palin will quietly begin to cry. Brushing away her tears she will then make a speech about how much she loves America and that she trusts in God to show her the way.This will not be an accident. It is standard Rovean politics.Mark my words.

handdrummerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12287658517906891463noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5908329.post-50103969663836416502008-09-27T01:39:00.003-04:002008-09-27T01:59:11.119-04:00

60/40 ObamaBad news for McSame who needed a clear win in the debate that was about his supposed strong suit, foreign policy.Obama responded with quiet strength when attacked. McSame looked like a chipmunk on meth at some points and as if he was falling asleep at others. He never looked at Obama, averting his gaze in a most curious manner. Obama always turned toward him and looked at him when

handdrummerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12287658517906891463noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5908329.post-47267046629062510572008-09-25T17:26:00.001-04:002008-09-25T17:28:08.197-04:00

How Alaska's Proximity to Russia is RelevantAn excerpt from Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin's interview with Katie Couric to be aired later tonight on the CBS Evening News:COURIC: You've cited Alaska's proximity to Russia as part of your foreign policy experience. What did you mean by that? PALIN: That Alaska has a very narrow maritime border between a foreign country, Russia, and on our other side, the

handdrummerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12287658517906891463noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5908329.post-61534936288716362562008-09-25T14:29:00.002-04:002008-09-25T14:41:45.450-04:00

McSame was a central figure in the first major Republican buyout to save their rich buddies' asses. I guess that's what he means by using his expertise to solve this crisis.And for the record, McSame has made exactly one vote in the Senate this year. He wasn't present for the GI Bill vote nor for the economic stimulus package vote. What makes this vote so special? My guess, he wanted to get the

handdrummerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12287658517906891463noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5908329.post-2992141368229555522008-09-25T13:22:00.001-04:002008-09-25T13:24:27.033-04:00

handdrummerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12287658517906891463noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5908329.post-17105654566095133392008-09-23T20:52:00.000-04:002008-09-23T20:54:34.304-04:00

From the 2008 platform of the Republican Party, presented at its convention early in September:"We do not support government bailouts of private institutions. Government interference in the markets exacerbates problems in the marketplace and causes the free market to take longer to correct itself. We believe in the free market as the best tool to sustained prosperity and opportunity for all."

handdrummerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12287658517906891463noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5908329.post-21005101208960053402008-09-23T17:38:00.002-04:002008-09-23T18:29:31.588-04:00

Elite -- (NeoCon-ese) 1. (adj) Uppity, not keeping to one's place,2. (n) One who tries to move beyond his place

handdrummerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12287658517906891463noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5908329.post-35916623947961595502008-09-23T16:51:00.001-04:002008-09-23T17:35:52.647-04:00

Democratic challenger Bruce Lunsford has closed to within a statistical tie with Republican incumbent Mitch McConnell in their U.S. Senate race, according to a new poll by SurveyUSA released Tuesday.With six weeks remaining until election day, McConnell, the Senate minority leader, now holds a 49%-46% lead over Lunsford, which is within the poll's 3.9% margin of error. Compared to an identical

handdrummerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12287658517906891463noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5908329.post-77096709684054399192008-09-22T20:39:00.003-04:002008-09-22T20:43:42.091-04:00

from IndianExpress.com:Sacked staff of Italy-based firm lynch CEO in Greater NoidaPragya KaushikaPosted: Sep 23, 2008 at 0150 hrs IST Greater Noida, September 22 Sacked employees of an Italian auto-parts maker bludgeoned the chief of the company’s India operations to death following a violent disagreement with the management on the firm’s premises in Greater Noida’s Udyog Vihar on Monday

handdrummerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12287658517906891463noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5908329.post-82212205821641060192008-09-22T19:43:00.002-04:002008-09-22T19:45:36.635-04:00

“Opening up the health insurance market to more vigorous nationwide competition, as we have done over the last decade in banking, would provide more choices of innovative products less burdened by the worst excesses of state-based regulation.” — John McCainMy God, the man hasn't a clue.....

handdrummerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12287658517906891463noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5908329.post-55499645529707142452008-09-22T14:59:00.005-04:002008-09-23T17:37:49.646-04:00

from NYT:By WILLIAM GRIMESPublished: September 20, 2008 For the “Star Trek” faithful, it was a historic event. Gene Roddenberry, the creator of the series, showed up. So did the science fiction writer Isaac Asimov, not to mention fans dressed as Klingons, Tribbles and Bele from the planet Ceron. NASA delivered a scaled-down lunar module and a spacesuit. It was January 1972, and the first Star

handdrummerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12287658517906891463noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5908329.post-64144475022541531912008-09-20T21:14:00.006-04:002008-09-20T21:30:19.988-04:00

The multiple melanoma McCain has been treated for is one of the most life threatening types of cancer. Yet he refuses to allow his medical records to be scrutinized. How can we determine his fitness for office? If the cancer were to reappear, the treatment he would have to undergo is so debilitating he would become unfit for office. That makes Sarah Palin's lack of qualification for office even

handdrummerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12287658517906891463noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5908329.post-46565539231238808172008-09-19T17:29:00.004-04:002008-09-19T17:35:08.082-04:00

From MoJo:Here's the list of the McCain aides and bundlers who have worked for the high-finance greed-mongers McCain has pledged to take on. So far, it seems, none of them have been cast out of the campaign. If McCain were serious about his outrage, he might throw these money-changers out of his own temple.Phil Anderson: American Council of Life Insurers, Aetna, AIG, New York Life, MassMutual,

handdrummerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12287658517906891463noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5908329.post-27774011894414281082008-09-19T15:11:00.002-04:002008-09-19T16:06:51.036-04:00

From Kolchak:Much like Number Six himself, I'm back in the Village.Production has started on the remake of The Prisoner, the cult classic TV show from the 1960s, and, so far, even a hardcore fan like yours truly can't find much to complain about. There are still some questions that need to be answered--which is only fitting for The Prisoner, I guess--but the producers of the new show may actually

handdrummerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12287658517906891463noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5908329.post-51889641575086630782008-09-19T14:25:00.003-04:002008-09-19T17:45:44.311-04:00

It's National Talk Like a Pirate Day. Go forth and plunder, me hardies!

handdrummerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12287658517906891463noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5908329.post-52147130834669352102008-09-18T17:45:00.002-04:002008-09-18T17:51:19.151-04:00

from Lawyers, Guns and Money:This story is getting better all the time.It's pretty clear from the interview that McCain is a very tired old man who was having trouble concentrating, while being interviewed by a native Spanish speaker with an accent who was speaking pretty fast. And even though she asked him four separate times if he would invite Zapatero to the White House, and helped him out a

handdrummerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12287658517906891463noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5908329.post-72475766489833415582008-09-18T17:36:00.001-04:002008-09-18T17:41:11.517-04:00

From Boing Boing:The Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF) filed a lawsuit against the National Security Agency (NSA) and other government agencies today on behalf of AT&T customers to stop the illegal, unconstitutional, and ongoing dragnet surveillance of their communications and communications records. The five individual plaintiffs are also suing President George W. Bush, Vice President Dick

handdrummerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12287658517906891463noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5908329.post-73125860116624762182008-09-18T16:30:00.001-04:002008-09-18T16:32:17.116-04:00

handdrummerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12287658517906891463noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5908329.post-76264442478300037112008-09-17T22:05:00.001-04:002008-09-17T22:07:31.078-04:00

handdrummerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12287658517906891463noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5908329.post-5546047955941968242008-09-17T21:19:00.002-04:002008-09-17T21:27:39.168-04:00

NEW YORK (CNNMoney.com) -- Stocks plummeted Wednesday, with the Dow industrials falling 449 points in its second worst session of the year, as the government's emergency rescue of AIG amplified fears about the stability of financial markets. The Dow Jones industrial average (INDU) lost 449 points, or 4% and fell to the lowest level since November 2005. The Standard & Poor's 500 (SPX) index lost

handdrummerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12287658517906891463noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5908329.post-2639630427538665742008-09-17T14:51:00.002-04:002008-09-17T15:05:56.577-04:00

from NYT:During the last week, the McCain campaign has unabashedly engaged in the active spreading of mistruths and falsehoods. It said that Barack Obama supported “comprehensive sex education” for children in kindergarten (“dishonest” and “deceptive” said The Washington Post); that Mr. Obama used the colloquial expression “lipstick on a pig” to describe Sarah Palin (G.O.P. Senator Orrin Hatch

handdrummerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12287658517906891463noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5908329.post-79240247642231501192008-09-17T14:18:00.004-04:002008-09-17T14:25:47.553-04:00

If McSame and his friends had had their way, it would be your Social Security money that would be going down the tubes in the Stock Market today. The market  that they all deregulated with the  Gramm-Leach-Bliley Act.That's the Phil Gramm that says we are a bunch of whiners and that the recession is all in our heads. The Phil Gramm who is the architect of McSame's economic policy. And the Phil

handdrummerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12287658517906891463noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5908329.post-61043500491088114072008-09-15T13:12:00.003-04:002008-09-15T13:36:12.074-04:00

Robert Kennedy Jr. via Huffington Post:Fascist writer Westbrook Pegler, an avowed racist who Sarah Palin approvingly quoted in her acceptance speech for the moral superiority of small town values, expressed his fervent hope about my father, Robert F. Kennedy, as he contemplated his own run for the presidency in 1965, that "some white patriot of the Southern tier will spatter his spoonful of

handdrummerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12287658517906891463noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5908329.post-40543916178207088122008-09-07T23:54:00.000-04:002008-09-07T23:55:00.077-04:00

handdrummerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12287658517906891463noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5908329.post-75152445461657409232008-09-05T19:44:00.002-04:002008-09-05T19:47:29.293-04:00

From FactCheck.Org:FactChecking McCainSeptember 5, 2008He made some flubs in accepting the nomination.We checked the accuracy of McCain’s speech accepting the Republican nomination and noted the following:McCain claimed that Obama’s health care plan would "force small businesses to cut jobs" and would put "a bureaucrat ... between you and your doctor." In fact, the plan exempts small businesses,

handdrummerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12287658517906891463noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5908329.post-6555186074252293672008-09-05T12:37:00.002-04:002008-09-05T12:39:28.619-04:00

Pay particular attention to her coments about the "sacred" mission in Iraq. This video is from three months ago.

handdrummerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12287658517906891463noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5908329.post-57390637544202027352008-09-03T15:06:00.004-04:002008-09-03T15:19:18.711-04:00

from AlterNet:Since the McCain campaign apparently didn't even bother Googling Sarah Palin before picking her to join the Republican ticket, we've taken it upon ourselves to compile some important -- and terrifying -- revelations about Palin.Yesterday AlterNet ran a piece titled "Top Ten Most Disturbing Facts and Impressions of Sarah Palin." And in only 24 hours, almost as many exaggerations,

handdrummerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12287658517906891463noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5908329.post-42847808952031434382008-09-02T18:18:00.000-04:002008-09-02T18:19:31.528-04:00

handdrummerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12287658517906891463noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5908329.post-85382098926123528492008-09-01T01:21:00.004-04:002008-09-01T01:24:12.388-04:00

What Bush and McSame were doing while New Orleans drowned. Remind them of it.Often.

handdrummerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12287658517906891463noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5908329.post-8449870809354793952008-08-31T20:29:00.003-04:002008-08-31T20:45:45.368-04:00

via Reuters:Gustav disrupts McCain's Republican convention (Poor Baby. Of course a couple of million 'evacuees'/refugees might argue about who is having what disrupted)* Bush, Cheney to miss Republican convention(Much to McSame's relief we might add)* Most convention work suspended for Monday(Well the country is better off for that at least)* McCain may address Republicans from Gulf area(But only

handdrummerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12287658517906891463noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5908329.post-44780429116831576372008-08-31T15:35:00.006-04:002008-08-31T15:56:41.359-04:00

Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances.  -- The First Amendment to the Constitution of the United States of AmericaThe whole country is a "free speech zone".  Get it

handdrummerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12287658517906891463noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5908329.post-87174937909128158722008-08-31T14:17:00.004-04:002008-08-31T15:32:50.250-04:00

from Glenn Greenwald: Conclusive evidence of Federal involvment in the raids in Minneapolis.from OpEdNews:Protesters here in Minneapolis have been targeted by a series of highly intimidating, sweeping police raids across the city, involving teams of 25-30 officers in riot gear, with semi-automatic weapons drawn, entering homes of those suspected of planning protests, handcuffing and forcing them

handdrummerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12287658517906891463noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5908329.post-22023807475222061782008-08-28T13:21:00.003-04:002008-08-28T13:27:59.021-04:00

..and he still owns a large block of stock options in the scum.from BBC:A Nepalese man and relatives of 12 others who were killed in Iraq four years ago are suing American firm KBR on charges of human trafficking. The men were recruited in Nepal to work in a hotel in Jordan, but were later told they would have to work at a US air base in Iraq, their lawyers said. Twelve of the men were kidnapped

handdrummerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12287658517906891463noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5908329.post-30922113564203817622008-08-28T13:15:00.001-04:002008-08-28T13:17:59.618-04:00

from BBC:China's state-owned oil firm CNPC has agreed a $3bn (£1.63bn) oil services contract with the government of Iraq. The two parties renegotiated a 1997 deal to pump oil from the Ahdab oilfield, the Iraqi oil minister said. Under the new deal, output from the oilfield will be 110,000 barrels per day, up from the 90,000 barrels forecast in the original deal. The deal is the first major oil

handdrummerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12287658517906891463noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5908329.post-70163117028361004262008-08-28T12:58:00.005-04:002008-08-28T13:32:53.558-04:00

from Treehugger and BBC:After yesterday’s ominous news that North American permafrost (and presumably European and Asian, as well) stores 60% more greenhouse gases than we thought, here’s another siren announcing that we are rushing full speed ahead towards a climatic tipping point: Scientists are reporting that the extent of sea ice in the Arctic is at the second lowest point on record.

handdrummerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12287658517906891463noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5908329.post-85490893177379267942008-08-26T12:32:00.001-04:002008-08-26T12:35:33.819-04:00

from Seeking Alpha:“The truth that survives is simply the lie that is pleasantest to believe.” H. L. MenckenWe have often questioned why our most reliable market (and economic) indicators have been pointing toward a recession for more than a year (and in one case, three years) even as government statistics have shown the economy to be growing and inflation relatively benign. This week we examine

handdrummerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12287658517906891463noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5908329.post-12444863018296941462008-08-26T12:16:00.003-04:002008-08-26T12:22:40.459-04:00

McCain said in 2006 that he would repeal Roe v. Wade. His campaign website calls for overturning Roe, returning the issue of abortion to the states, and then building "the necessary consensus to end abortion at the state level." "I will be a pro-life president and this presidency will have pro-life policies," he told Pastor Rick Warren this month. Planned Parenthood and NARAL have both given him

handdrummerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12287658517906891463noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5908329.post-16482571103890339932008-08-26T12:16:00.000-04:002008-08-26T12:17:17.213-04:00

handdrummerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12287658517906891463noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5908329.post-22605612250561161972008-08-26T11:52:00.002-04:002008-08-26T11:54:59.563-04:00

from Grist:Joe Biden, Barack Obama's running mate, has earned an 83 percent lifetime score from the League of Conservation Voters during his 35 years representing Delaware in the U.S. Senate, voting fairly consistently with environmentalists and the mainstream of his party. In 2007, while running for president, he said "energy security" was his top priority, and argued that he was well-suited to

handdrummerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12287658517906891463noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5908329.post-27614278198366924512008-08-26T11:09:00.001-04:002008-08-26T11:11:36.968-04:00

from TerraDaily:Climate change could release unexpectedly huge stores of carbon dioxide from Arctic soils, which would in turn fuel a vicious circle of global warming, a new study warned Sunday.And according to one commentary on the research, current models of climate change have not taken this extra source of greenhouse gas into account.Scientists have long known that organic carbon trapped

handdrummerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12287658517906891463noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5908329.post-39763687439885847092008-08-25T15:48:00.000-04:002008-08-25T15:49:36.970-04:00

from the platform of the Democratic Party:We believe that each American, whatever their background or station in life, should have the chance to get a good education, to work at a good job with good wages, to raise and provide for a family, to live in safe surrounding, and to retire with dignity and security. We believe that quality and affordable health care is a basic right. We believe that

handdrummerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12287658517906891463noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5908329.post-74776280289778950062008-08-18T18:55:00.001-04:002008-08-18T18:56:18.432-04:00

Inflation is BackWith the economy front and center, people are starting to worry about inflation. Even dirt is not dirt cheap any more. A bag of dirt (marketed as "premium topsoil") is about $4.99 now, up a dollar from last year, a 25% increase. Items like 40-pound bags of dirt, which are very heavy and don't generate much revenue per pound, tend to get hit hard by higher transportation costs due

handdrummerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12287658517906891463noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5908329.post-80721292407260038252008-08-15T14:00:00.001-04:002008-08-15T14:07:24.697-04:00

from CRP:During World War II, soldiers crouching in foxholes penned letters assuring their sweethearts that they'd be home soon. Now, between firefights in the Iraqi desert, some infantrymen have been sending a different kind of mail stateside: two or three hundred dollars -- or whatever they can spare -- towards a presidential election that could very well determine just how soon they come

handdrummerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12287658517906891463noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5908329.post-40807144022198466732008-08-03T20:47:00.002-04:002008-08-03T20:51:52.430-04:00

from the dreaded (and dreadful) NewsMax:This new book -- "The Case Against Barack Obama" -- will be released next week. It is published by the same group that brought you "Unfit for Command: Swift Boat Veterans Speak Out Against John Kerry." This new book about Barack Obama could change the outcome of the election. Oh OH!  These slimy  sleezemongers are at it again. What do you want to bet Mr.

handdrummerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12287658517906891463noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5908329.post-46215705701455407902008-07-31T22:12:00.002-04:002008-07-31T22:15:32.737-04:00

from New York Times Magazine:For the last two decades, most of your fiction has veered toward science fiction, which has disappointed literary critics like Harold Bloom. I can’t be bothered with Bloom. A lot of people think some of my best writing is in science fiction, and they are just as significant as bloody Bloom.

handdrummerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12287658517906891463noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5908329.post-61964001158050185012008-07-13T01:53:00.010-04:002008-08-27T20:55:24.579-04:00

McCain chief economics whack-job Phil Grammfrom IHT:By Michael Cooper BELLEVILLE, Michigan: Senator John McCain has spent the week trying to tell people that he feels their economic pain. So it was more than a little unhelpful when one of his top economic advisers was quoted as saying that the United States was only in a "mental recession" and that it had become a "nation of whiners."The adviser,

handdrummerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12287658517906891463noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5908329.post-44794792151987153242008-07-07T16:16:00.003-04:002008-07-07T16:22:29.319-04:00

from MoJo:Where Credit Is Due: A Timeline of the Mortgage Crisis By Nomi Prins A field guide to the loan sharks and politicos who got us into the predatory lending messIt's interesting how often a certain Arizona Senator's name and the names of prominent advisors to same appear in this mess. One thing for sure, it goes a long way toward validating McCain's self description as knowing nothing

handdrummerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12287658517906891463noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5908329.post-89847574759405439872008-07-05T16:54:00.006-04:002008-08-27T20:55:26.906-04:00

To sow fear and confusion amidst my enemies, I will make my election predictions far in advance this year. Of course many things can change between now and November and I might rue this audacity, but as of today, this is how I see it.Obama will win by 323 to 215 electorial votes. The Dems will hold all the states they had in 2004 and add AK CO IN IA MT NM NV OH VA and possibly NC.In the Senate,

handdrummerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12287658517906891463noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5908329.post-32219181203580747032008-07-05T15:37:00.005-04:002008-08-27T20:55:26.098-04:00

It seems that half of the refined products that we import to cover the daily shortfall of oil production vs usage,  is used to make refined products we then export. Yes half the so called shortage is really just pass thru. When will we realize that Big Oil doesn't care a whit about our security and are purely interested in ripping as much profit from the system as they can before it all comes

handdrummerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12287658517906891463noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5908329.post-15664686287479284392008-07-04T12:23:00.010-04:002008-08-27T20:55:29.108-04:00

Photos of Jesse Helms at the height of his career as a race-baiting hate-mongering neo-nazi in the US Senate RALEIGH, N.C. - Former Sen. Jesse Helms, who built a career along the fault lines of racial politics and battled liberals, Communists and the occasional fellow Republican during 30 conservative years in Congress, died on the Fourth of July. He was 86.Helms died at 1:15 a.m., said the Jesse

handdrummerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12287658517906891463noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5908329.post-16607606727372488382008-07-01T15:10:00.002-04:002008-07-01T15:14:11.926-04:00

An English translation of the Bengali lyrics for the Dancing video below:Stream of Lifeby Rabindranath TagoreThe same stream of life that runs through my veins night and dayruns through the world and dances in rhythmic measures.It is the same life that shoots in joy through the dust of the earthin numberless blades of grassand breaks into tumultuous waves of leaves and flowers.It is the same life

handdrummerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12287658517906891463noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5908329.post-79454756331952522232008-07-01T14:55:00.002-04:002008-07-01T14:57:33.473-04:00

Sing Along.

handdrummerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12287658517906891463noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5908329.post-36357061819786408412008-07-01T14:15:00.005-04:002008-07-01T14:49:02.260-04:00

This has just got to be the best thing I have ever seen on the intertubes. So utterly, utterly joyous. And as you may have guessed from my recent posts,  joy is rather thin on the ground these days. It just proves that the best anti-depressant is hanging out with happy people. Where the Hell is Matt? (2008) from Matthew Harding on Vimeo.Click on the link for a larger image player.

handdrummerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12287658517906891463noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5908329.post-62958846446355830232008-06-25T14:50:00.001-04:002008-06-25T14:55:11.251-04:00

from the Toronto Star:WASHINGTON-James Hansen returned to Capitol Hill a hero yesterday, but certainly not a conquering hero.The soft-spoken scientist, hailed as the “whistle-blower for the planet,” tried to quiet a standing ovation from environmentalists here with a typically blunt admonition.“It is not a time to celebrate,” said Hansen, 20 years to the day since he became the first leading

handdrummerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12287658517906891463noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5908329.post-88854359189193309032008-06-23T18:17:00.004-04:002008-08-27T20:55:25.384-04:00

As for you Mr Bush, you and your little cabal of thieving, duplicitous venal war criminals are not fit to lick the boots of a true patriot like General Taguba.From McClatchy:General who probed Abu Ghraib says Bush officials committed war crimesBy Warren P. Strobel | McClatchy Newspapers WASHINGTON — The Army general who led the investigation into prisoner abuse at Iraq's Abu Ghraib prison accused

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