HERE

"Natural men have a certain amount of grit about them. They sweat and they smell. Homosexuals often..."

Thu, 19 Aug 2010 19:44:08 -0400

“Natural men have a certain amount of grit about them. They sweat and they smell. Homosexuals often abhor this sort of thing and will also be incredibly particular about the cleanliness of the home. Does your man tweeze his eyebrows, trim his pubic hairs or use face moisturizers?”

- ChristWire, from their hilarious and certainly well informed list of warning signs that your husband may be gay. I’m confused, though… You see, I smell good — plus I tweeze and trim. But I don’t always keep my apartment clean, nor do I use face moisturizers. Does this mean I’m bi??

Hilarious protest and counter-protest signs by those who...

Thu, 19 Aug 2010 19:29:25 -0400

Hilarious protest and counter-protest signs by those who acknowledge the rightness of giving LGBT people equal protection under the law.

"Senate District 56 Republians [sic] exist to promote our Republican principals [sic], to help elect..."

Wed, 18 Aug 2010 18:02:00 -0400

“Senate District 56 Republians [sic] exist to promote our Republican principals [sic], to help elect Republician’s [sic] to the various offices which represent our area and reflect our beliefs. We in the district support each other and our neighbors to have government enable us to succeed, and not us enabling government to grow.”

- The Republican Party of Minnesota Senate District 56’s mission statement, as presented by its official website. (Update: They’ve fixed the misspellings since somebody who isn’t a Republican actually noticed. Knowing they would, I took a screenshot.) Naturally, the mission statement is poorly worded, with little regard for grammar and syntax — even forgiving the typos and misspellings. You might be asking: why is anyone talking about a local chapter of the GOP in Minnesota? Their executive, Joe Salmon, posted a video claiming that Republican women are more attractive than Democratic women. The evidence for? Mentally incompetent GOP icons like Sarah Palin, Michelle Bachmann, and Michelle Malkin. The evidence against Democrats? Just a few self-made women with law degrees and earned achievements, like Michelle Obama (Harvard), Hillary Clinton (Yale), and Janet Reno (Cornell). As Minnesota Democratic chairmen Bob Melendez responded, “The day when a woman was judged by her looks rather than her competence and intelligence should have passed three generations ago.” Even after taking the video down due to the outrage of marginally decent people everywhere, Joe Salmon had this to tweet: “It [is] really unfortunate to relearn that the other side is severely lacking a sense of humor.” Time for you to go to your room and let the grown-ups do the talking, little Joey.

On Ted Stevens

Wed, 11 Aug 2010 11:49:00 -0400

Former Senator Ted Stevens (R-Alaska) reportedly died yesterday in a plane crash during a ~~killing~~ fishing trip. In the wake of his death, the media will likely avoid ~~accurate~~ contentious discussion about Stevens’ record. So, we give you the real Ted Stevens, by his own deeds:

Ted Stevens repeatedly voted to reduce the government’s program roster and balance sheet — unless his own priorities were at stake. Ted Stevens used his position on the Appropriations Committee to funnel billions of dollars in federal revenue to his own state, making Alaska the highest recipient of federal money per capita in the entire country by the time he was booted from office in 2008. In doing so, Alaska leeched heavily off of the federal taxes paid by residents of other states. In 2005, apparently the latest year with complete data available, Alaska ranked as the third-worst “recipient state” in the country, receiving $1.83 in federal money for every $1 they paid in federal taxes.

Ted Stevens voted to defund alternative and renewable energy programs. Ted Stevens voted against factoring climate change into federal project planning. Ted Stevens voted repeatedly to open the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge up to oil drilling and pipeline construction — even despite the fact that geological studies placed the range of retrievable oil and natural gas reserves between none and hardly any. Ted Stevens voted to keep smokestacks exempt from toxic mercury emission regulations. Ted Stevens voted to build roads in old-growth national forests and to open them up for massive logging. In 2007, after years of actively sabotaging meaningful legislative action to combat climate change, Ted Stevens claimed he was “concerned about the human impacts on our climate.”

Ted Stevens voted no on a bill that would have outlawed job discrimination based on sexual orientation. Ted Stevens voted no on a bill that would have added a sexual orientation category to existing hate crimes laws. Ted Stevens voted yes on a constitutional amendment to ban LGBT marriage.

Ted Stevens voted no on a bill that would have provided funding for contraception and education to reduce teen pregnancies. Ted Stevens voted yes on a bill that would have prohibited minors from crossing state lines to receive an abortion.

These are just a few of Ted Stevens’ odious acts, and his death does nothing to mitigate the selfishness, lack of integrity, and dismissiveness that marked his life’s work.

Voting Record Sources: OnTheIssues.org; Wikipedia.org

Soundgarden at Lollapalooza and "new" song release

Mon, 09 Aug 2010 21:39:00 -0400

Dan and I were in Chicago yesterday to see Soundgarden at Lollapalooza, standing front and center. It was incredible to see them together again, and the music — no shock to the many who still listen regularly — hasn’t lost any of its dark and powerful beauty.

And I just found out that there’s a bit more of that music to go around. A previously unreleased song (“Black Rain”) premiered yesterday on Seattle’s 107.7 The End radio station. The track is from their Badmotorfinger sessions about twenty years ago and clearly bears the sonic hallmarks of that album. Listen here.

Investigation: Conservatives have been conspiring to rid Digg of progressive stories

Fri, 06 Aug 2010 17:30:00 -0400

Investigation: Conservatives have been conspiring to rid Digg of progressive stories:

Is it surprising that right-wingers — some of whom are the most batshit crazy conspiracy theorists around — would themselves conspire to censor progressive information and ideas?

Not really. This is what they do. Their highest principle is to gain power by whatever means necessary. They frequently point fingers without basis, only to be found guilty of the same alleged crime.

See the Shirley Sherrod ‘racism’ case, for example, in which Sherrod — and, by stupid-person extension, the entire Obama administration — stood accused of being secretly racist towards white people, when all the facts of the story point towards racism on the right. (Often, the media has moved on by the time the facts come out, though thankfully this was not the case with Sherrod.)

I suspect they are able to assume that others conspire in part because they themselves have such a strong predisposition towards conspiracy. Plus, it’s one of the only ways to ram through a completely illogical and insane agenda and/or to tear down a pretty reasonable one (e.g., the public option = government taking over your healthcare decisions). With bankrupt ideas and arguments, conservatives are repeatedly resorting to poisoning the well with disinformation.

Seriously, connect the dots.

Tue, 03 Aug 2010 13:26:00 -0400

I think the above exchange speaks for itself. Whoever is commenting here on behalf of FAIR Vodka needs to start thinking A LOT more deeply. It’s surprising really, given that FAIR is supposedly all about being conscious, with a stated commitment to fair trade and sustainability.

Update: Read Congressman Weiner’s related op-ed in the New...

Fri, 30 Jul 2010 11:17:00 -0400

Update: Read Congressman Weiner’s related op-ed in the New York Times.

Congressman Anthony Weiner (D-NY) is the new breed of progressive. Much like Alan Grayson, he’s principled, media savvy, and courageous. Contemporary Democrats are famous for running scared even though the other side is repeatedly shown to be bluffing about everything under the sun — their supposed intellectual prowess, their supposed political acumen, their supposedly innocent motivations.

What I’m about to say is very nearly true: Republicans lie and front about everything. They adopt double-standards as a matter of momentary political convenience everyday. As Congressman Weiner rails against in the above video, Republicans demand and receive concession after concession, and then they vote no anyway. In the Senate, Republicans have broken all filibuster records by a longshot, to the point where the media literally say, without explanation or further comment, that bills require 60 votes to pass in the Senate. (They don’t!) Naturally, in 2005, when Democrats filibustered a small percentage of Douche-In-Chief George W. Bush’s pernicious and insidious lifetime nominations of federal judicial appointees, Republicans waged a media war painting Democrats as “obstructionist,” and that was just the nicest thing they said.

Ironically, all it takes is a little courage and principle to win elections. Democrats have recently gotten by on the increasingly obvious ineptitude of Republicans. But that tactic doesn’t win large-enough majorities to steamroll the habitual filibuster of the unity-at-all-costs Senate GOP, and it doesn’t get the right kinds of Democrats in office. Meanwhile, it depresses their voter base, which is forced to infer that Democrats will never enact uncompromising progressive (read: effective, nuanced, realistic, and compassionate) policies, even though that is exactly what our country- and world-in-crisis require. And that depressive effect on Democratic and Democratic-leaning voters is exactly the GOP’s mission!

So I say: Fuck yes, Mr. Weiner. Keep it up.

If you liked the brutally intense Inception score...

Thu, 29 Jul 2010 12:10:00 -0400

If you liked the brutally intense Inception score...:

… as much as we did, then you might find this interesting.

An awesome demo by PETA in tourist-land Times Square, NYC....

Tue, 27 Jul 2010 22:44:00 -0400

An awesome demo by PETA in ~~tourist-land~~ Times Square, NYC. That’s Joshua Katcher, a.k.a. The Discerning Brute, wrapped up on the right.

—Dan

(via reddragons) The comments in red ain’t perfect, but...

Tue, 27 Jul 2010 12:04:00 -0400

(via reddragons)

~~The comments in red ain’t perfect, but you get the point.~~ Really, just that “logically impossible” comment isn’t quite true.

"We are familiar with groups whose abuse we expose attempting to criticize the messenger to distract..."

Mon, 26 Jul 2010 11:29:00 -0400

“We are familiar with groups whose abuse we expose attempting to criticize the messenger to distract from the power of the message. We don’t see any difference in the White House’s response to this case to the other groups that we have exposed. We have tried hard to make sure that this material does not put innocents at harm. All the material is over seven months old so is of no current operational consequence, even though it may be of very significant investigative consequence.”

- Julian Assange, founder of WikiLeaks, rebuking the White House’s knee-jerk contention that last night’s carefully planned leak of over 90,000 documents relating to the war in Afghanistan has harmed America’s national security. (Broken record, anyone?) What’s it like to live in a world where somebody — anybody — is acting as an intelligent, truth-seeking watchdog over the military and foreign affairs elements of world governments? I’m excited to find out. —Dan

"I like pigs. Dogs look up to us. Cats look down on us. Pigs treat us as equals."

Tue, 20 Jul 2010 17:45:00 -0400

“I like pigs. Dogs look up to us. Cats look down on us. Pigs treat us as equals.”

- Winston Churchill. I think the dogs and pigs are just being nice.

dashedlines: Arrested Development Action Trailer HD...

Tue, 20 Jul 2010 00:35:24 -0400

dashedlines: Arrested Development Action Trailer HD TV

“I’m going to war!”

"Health-care spending in the last year of life by the top 1 percent of Americans is nearly twice the..."

Mon, 19 Jul 2010 13:30:00 -0400

“Health-care spending in the last year of life by the top 1 percent of Americans is nearly twice the annual income of the typical American household.”

- Ezra Klein - The Economics of Dying in One Graph (via rubenfeld). If I find myself dying at a time when my life has been well lived, then my death will be a short, inexpensive process — in other words, a dignified one.

Judging by the above trailer for new feature film Bold Native...

Mon, 19 Jul 2010 13:25:49 -0400

Judging by the above trailer for new feature film Bold Native (official website), we finally have an intelligent fiction-film representation of the animal liberation movement in America. As many art house films do, Bold Native is touring the U.S. on a limited basis. Lucky for me, the film is playing in New York on Monday, July 26th. If you’re in the New York City area, RSVP here and buy your tickets here — I just bought mine! Only $11, a steal in New York.

—Dan

old-school-epiphany : glasscoffin: vegun: ianpaxson:...

Fri, 16 Jul 2010 11:07:00 -0400

old-school-epiphany : glasscoffin: vegun: ianpaxson: capsuleloft

As this comic points out, the reason why people oppose gay marriage has little to do with “reason” at all. It’s about emotion — an inter-related swirl of envy, insecurity, fear, and a resulting hatred. This is cosmically hilarious, since the first thing that comes to mind for anti-gay bigots when they hear the word “gay” is a so-called “fag” — a limp-wristed, feminine man who isn’t really a “man” at all, who doesn’t do “manly” things like, I don’t know, destroying and killing things just to prove they can. All these “manly” people fearing the “limp-wristed fags” — the humor is all too apparent, and still it’s too sweet for my taste.

There is no good reason to oppose gay marriage. There is no “good-faith debate” here about public policy, where competing sides have comparably plausible or persuasive cases to make. The reality is that the people who oppose gay marriage — who refuse to get out of the way of others’ harmless happinesses and fair treatment under the law — have a psychological problem and should be classified as such.

—Dan

xveganivanx: fuckyeahvegheads: (via pranbandi) there’s no way...

Thu, 15 Jul 2010 11:15:14 -0400

xveganivanx: fuckyeahvegheads: (via pranbandi)

there’s no way this is true.

@xveganivanx: You’re correct — Beggin’ Strips are not vegan. Too bad :-/

Flying Lotus in MmmHmm, featuring Thundercat. Directed by...

Thu, 15 Jul 2010 11:00:44 -0400

Flying Lotus in MmmHmm, featuring Thundercat. Directed by Special Problems. Commissioned by Warp Films. Track taken from the album ‘Cosmogramma’, out now.

This is an incredible music video. I usually find “psychedelic” to be a disappointing term, because nothing ever seems to live up to the promise of a mind blown. But I think the term applies here.

One of our projects, The Yolk, is back for Summer 2010. The...

Wed, 14 Jul 2010 14:37:00 -0400

One of our projects, The Yolk, is back for Summer 2010. The Yolk is an underground music venue and lounge that creates intimate, one-of-a-kind live music experiences featuring below-the-radar artists that we love. RSVP on Facebook and join us for a good time!

REDWING BLACKBIRD played The Yolk last summer and they were so wonderful that we jumped at the chance to have them back. This time they’ll be joined by fantastic acts OUT LIKE LAMBS and BOY WITHOUT GOD.

As always, The Yolk brings you great up-and-coming bands in an intimate setting — and, of course, there’s also our famously awesome rooftop to enjoy. So mark your calendars for the 23rd — we’ll see you then!

:: Performances by REDWING BLACKBIRD, OUT LIKE LAMBS, and BOY WITHOUT GOD
:: Friday 7/23 @ 170 Tillary St #403 in Brooklyn
:: 9pm Doors, 9:30pm Music
:: FREE (optional $5 donation to pay the bands)

BAND LINKS
http://www.myspace.com/redwingblackbirdnh
http://www.myspace.com/outlikelambs
http://www.boywithoutgod.com/

(via The Yolk)