Tuesday, May 30, 2006

Song of the Day

What a Friend We Have In Jesus
by the Mennonites
or the Baptists
or the Anglicans
or the Episcopalians
or how about Aretha Franklin...

Monday, May 22, 2006

Douglas Coupland

Go here for an amusing and creative review of Douglas Coupland's latest novel, JPod. NY Times, of course. Probably if you click around you can get back to the page that will let you read the first chapter...

Never mind. The link for the first chapter of the novel is wrong. It takes you to a few poems by Jane Kenyon from her Collected Poems. But you could go there too...

Digg! diigo it

bad potes

even bad potes need a nite out
an occasional vacational
from riddim and rime
meter and time
and syntaxical crime

yessir bad potes need an escape
claws from their pockets
from lint in their bellies
dust bunnies and hellish
hot dogs and relish

why even bad potes need luvluvluv
cuz they can’t pote their way
out of wet paper bags
or pauper pote rags
or spell-chek flags

it ain’t easy bein bad
a dillery dallery drudge of a drag
from pillar to post
a merciless roast
the wretch the wreck the hungry ghost

Digg! diigo it

Saturday, May 20, 2006

Yoni School (US) Election Watch Pt. 3

More on Gore

Among those said to be pushing Mr. Gore are billionaire venture capitalist and high-tech entrepreneur John Doerr and Laurie David, a global-warming activist and producer of the film, and wife of "Seinfeld" and "Curb Your Enthusiasm" creator Larry David. "When people see this movie, I know they're going to see the real Al Gore, and they're going to demand that he run," Ms. David says. But, she adds, he changes the subject whenever it comes up, and had to be talked into making the movie when she pitched it.

Mr. Gore has begun assembling a Nashville, Tenn.-based operation to help with the demands on his time. He has hired longtime friend and top aide Roy Neel to head the office, and environmental activist Kalee Kreider, from a Washington public-relations firm, to handle communications. Mr. Feldman says their work will focus on global warming, not on maneuvering for 2008.

Yet the talk of a political second act for the man who won the 2000 popular vote, but lost in the Electoral College after a U.S. Supreme Court ruling, exceeds anything before 2004, when Mr. Gore could have sought a grudge match against President Bush.

In recent weeks, he has been on the covers of Vanity Fair, Wired (its headline: "The Resurrection of Al Gore") and American Prospect, a liberal Democratic magazine. Defeated politically, he nonetheless makes Time's list of the world's 100 most influential people; Mr. Gore is featured under the headings "Heroes and Pioneers" and "America Takes a Fresh Look at 'Ozone Man'" -- the derisive nickname coined by the first President Bush in 1992 after Mr. Gore's previous environmental book, "Earth in the Balance," came out.

"His star will never be higher than it is right now with his movie coming out," says Democratic consultant Karen Skelton, Mr. Gore's former political director.


From the Wall Street Journal, May 8/06 by Jackie Calmes

Thursday, May 18, 2006

Yoni School (US) Election Watch Pt. 2

















Al Gore For President in '08


I'm telling you...I told you...I predicted it...

The buzz is growing for an Al Gore nomination. Check out Howard Kurtz's bloggy thing in the Washington Post. Kurtz starts out by talking about Gore's appearance on Saturday Night Live. The video clip is available here.

This is way better than Joe Who returning to lead the Permanently Constipated Party back in the 90's.

Not that I didn't like Joe when all was said undone. But "I like Joe" doesn't have quite the same ring as "I like Ike".

How about "I'd like to see Al Gore the Republicans in '08!"?

Wednesday, May 17, 2006

Best American Fiction of the Last 25 Years

I was going to put this on DoveTale blog, but we're trying to keep Sher's post on top for a while, so it's here. From the New York Times.

Don't wait too long to go to this page cuz I think they take them down after about 2 weeks.

The thing that bought my eye about this list was the number of novels by Don DeLillo. I've always meant to read him...Underworld in particular...but haven't yet got around to it.

Soon...as they say in Jamaica mon.

Also, the Updike novels, the Rabbit Angstrom series. I've only read the last one, but really liked it.

Finally...the #1 novel is Beloved by Toni Morrison. Never read it...but the review included in this article is by Margaret Atwood!

Digg! diigo it

Tuesday, May 16, 2006

Thought-Provoking

Woman stands at a bus stop in the driving rain
holding three empty 5 gallon water jugs...

Digg! diigo it

Wednesday, May 10, 2006

Song of the Day

Rosalita by Bruce Springsteen.

I remember one of my brother's good friends on the beach at Port Elgin wearing a t-shirt with the words: Bruce Springsteen is God.


Update June 5/07: The fact is, there is nothing...nothing at all like seeing Springsteen and the E Street Band perform this song live. Even after 30 years (!) an aura of unrestrained joyousness emanates from the band when they play Rosalita.

Sunday, May 07, 2006

Song of the Day

Home at Last by Steely Dan.

I'm not sure I woke up with this song...that was so long ago. But it's been coming back repeatedly all day. Even that may be inaccurate. It's been an underground current frequently bubbling to the surface.


Friday, May 05, 2006

Politics as Usual

Soooo....Stephen Harpie snubbed Malton McGuilty in favour of John Snory then went to Quebec City to kiss Jean Charade's freckled butt...

Canajun politics, eh?

I can't wait to get my 1% GST reduction. I think I'll buy a lottery ticket with it. No Encore.

Thursday, May 04, 2006

A Shot From the Blogosphere

Lifted from the comments section of The Daily Kos:
How many members of the Bush administration does it take to change a light bulb?
  1. One to call Fox News so they can broadcast a story denying that the light bulb needed to be changed in the first place

  2. One to attack the patriotism of anyone who says the light bulb needs to be changed

  3. One to blame Bill and Hillary for burning out the light bulb

  4. One to arrange the invasion of a country rumored to have caused the light bulb to burn out and to find the stockpile of light bulbs

  5. One to give a billion dollar no-bid contract to Halliburton for the new light bulb

  6. One to arrange a photograph of Bush, dressed as a janitor, standing on a step ladder under the banner: Light Bulb Change Accomplished

  7. One administration insider to resign and write a book documenting in detail how Bush was literally in the dark

  8. One to viciously smear 7

  9. One surrogate to campaign on TV and at rallies on how George Bush has had a strong light-bulb-changing policy all along

  10. One to arrange a Press Conference where Bush will tell everyone that he is the "Decider" and he decided all alone that the light bulb needed changing

Tuesday, May 02, 2006

Update on Minnie Van Nice

OK, OK, I haven't had a chance to get around to this.

Last week, Minnie spent four days at the Body Shop getting a makeover...mud pack, manicure, pedicure, new paint, new parts.

While she was gone, I admit I was unfaithful...After all, I gotta make a living. Insurance covered the cost of a rental.

You should have seen the rental! A 2006 GMC Z71 pickup with full-size box and extended cab. Completely...totally...indubitably loaded. Man what a rack! What a smooth ride!

This thing did everything but drive itself, and it nearly did that. Over the four days I had it I didn't even discover all the options, I'm sure. But here are some: completely adjustable seats...forward, backward, up, down, reclining, heated, adjustable lumbar support; the rear-view and driver's side mirrors were light-sensitive so you didn't have to adjust them at night -- bright lights dimmed the mirror and as the lights moved farther away, the mirrors brightened; LED turn signals, of course, in the mirrors; LED compass and thermometer in the rear-view; OnStar; fully adjustable heat/AC -- for driver and passenger; built-in phone; stereo controls in the steering wheel; blah blah...

The thing that most blew me away was the stereo...naturally...Bose speakers, beautiful sound. CD and cassette, which was very nice. But get this...the volume automatically adjusted itself depending on whether you were on the highway or city streets! Way cool!

The only thing this pickup didn't have was a lock for the gas tank, which is odd. Because when all is said and done, that's just what the GMC Z71 pickup truck is: one big gas tank.
Help! I've written and I can't get up!