the liberal slut

I'm back! AND... I've moved!

2008-01-30T23:44:00.000-08:00

so... i realized that i havent blogged in about... oh, four years.

apparently elections make me blog.

SO... come on over to my new blog here!

you may experience my witty analysis of this glorious election season.

sex advice will still be given freely.

love,

theliberalslut

the bay area is fucked

2007-04-29T12:29:00.000-07:00

commuting is going to be a bitch.

exiting off the emeryville onramp

580-80 interchange

stage fright

2007-04-25T07:50:00.000-07:00

i was just going through my blog from almost 2 years ago and found an unanswered sex question from 2005! for shame. i know its been a long time and hopefully this person has already dealt with this issue long ago, but here goes..

Anonymous said...
Dear L.S.
My erection works just fine when I'm alone but not so much when I have company. And then you're in the crunch and you just want sooo badly for the damn thing to work but it just doesn't and it's just useless. Then you're a man attached to a failed erection right in front of a woman who was kind enough to want to see it in the first place.
Any advice?

dear anonymous,

this is a common enough problem involving putting too much pressure on yourself and thinking too much about "the proble," thus reinforcing the same problem. you think to yourself "ok, keep the erection, keep the erection!" and so the erection fails. it may be that youre a bit of a rebel, and you never want to do what you are "supposed" to... so trying to force an erection is never going to work.

my advice is to just ignore the thing. kiss, make out, do all the fun things. focus on her. if you dont have an erection yet dont worry about it, just keep making out. let it stay in the very bad of your mind and try not to let the thoughts about it take over. if you feel them coming into your mind, start focusing on her soft skin, her hair, her breasts, eyes, whatever. get out of your mind and get into your body. this should help you to truly relax and let yourself be in the experience without focusing too much on whether or not you are going to be "successful." remember, your penis knows what to do. dont try to control it, just let it be, and it will be a happy guy!

relax. remember that when you are alone at home, you are relaxed, and thats when it works. try to recreate that home feeling of comfort and safety. light candles, favorite music, etc. but most of all, stop putting pressure on yourself, because that will definitely not work! its always hard to feel safe and relaxed with a new romantic partner, as well, so maybe when you find yourself in a "relationship," one where you feel comfortable and accepted, this will not occur anymore. in the meantime, just focus on the beautiful woman you have with you, and if that doesnt work, you can always please her in other ways ;)

~ tls

back again

2007-04-25T07:37:00.000-07:00

my boyfriend's mom sent this to me and its pretty cool - made me want to post it. so here i am!

Read my VisualDNA™ Get your own VisualDNA™

2006-12-31T16:36:00.000-08:00

i am under construction right now. please check back again later.

in the meantime, look at pretty pictures below.

cute

2006-09-26T23:23:00.000-07:00

2005-11-02T12:27:00.000-08:00

zambezi sunset

victoria falls

elephants

monkey at great zimbabwe

very large termite hill

something else entirely

2005-08-19T16:16:00.000-07:00

ok, so no one has been asking me for sex advice. cmon people!

in the meantime, here's something fun that happened outside my work today.

link

SAN FRANCISCO - An explosion in a utility chamber under a downtown shopping district critically burned a woman, sent a manhole cover flying and shattered windows at a Polo Ralph Lauren clothing store, authorities said.

Sprinklers doused a flaming awning outside the store as panicked workers were evacuated from skyscrapers, stores and buildings around the Crocker Galleria area, said fire spokesman Peter Howes.

"It sounded like a big poof, then there was a lot of smoke," said Tom Demartini, a construction worker who was sitting in his truck outside the store. He said he heard the explosion and saw the sidewalk rise up six or seven inches.

No utility workers were present when the explosion buckled the sidewalk and shot a manhole cover 25 feet across the street, according to Fire Chief Joanne Hayes-White.

kind of exciting for a friday.

the complicated clit

2005-06-15T21:35:00.000-07:00

Q: What if masturbation just doesn't do it for you? I've tried a number of times, but nothing, not even direct clitoral stimulation when I'm turned on does it for me. It's not interesting or pleasurable in the least--it's about as interesting as brushing my teeth, and even if I'm lubricated and very aroused, penetration with a finger isn't really comfortable. I've learned more about my body through masturbation (ie, where the clitoris actually is), but I've never gotten any pleasure out of it.

I've done some sexual experimentation with my boyfriend, basically "dry" sex, which doesn't do much for me either. If I'm turned on, it starts out rather pleasurable and arousing, but I'm nowhere near an orgasm, even if he's touching and sucking my breasts, neck, and ears which are the biggest turn-on for me. By the end I usually start to get a bit sore though and just want it to be over. He really wants to please me, but I don't know how he can. I'm not very experienced--I've been with him for awhile, and he was the first guy I ever kissed. So I don't know exactly what I want or what will be good for me. I'm committed to staying a virgin until marriage, so sex (including oral) is not an option. I'm still not sure about fingering, but I honestly don't know if I *can* have an orgasm.

My boyfriend says he doesn't want to do things if I don't enjoy it too. I feel pretty comfortable with him, and we've talked about it, but I'm still not sure. Rubbing feels better than nothing, even if I don't get a lot of pleasure out of it. I wonder if it may improve with time or if there's something I can do to make it feel better. At the same time, I also worry that nothing sexual (beyond kissing/making out) is ever going to be pleasurable for me.

A: Sorry for the delay; I just got back from Mexico :)

Your problem is not unusual. Many women find direct clitoral stimulation to be uncomfortable or even painful. The clitoris contains somewhere around 8000 nerve fibers (a higher concentration, by far, than anywhere else in the body). The very energetic movements that we tend to associate with sex (the porn style: “do me hard baby”) often come from a male sexual perspective; fast and hard stimulation is often what makes men climax. But there is a whole separate set of rules when you’re talking about the female anatomy. Stimulating all those clitoral nerve fibers too vigorously (like with direct stimulation or “dry-humping”) is very likely to not “do it for you,” and can often be a rather unpleasant experience.

I suggest that you address the matter at hand (pun intended) from an entirely different perspective. Play with the intensity and amount of pressure that you apply. A very light touch can feel completely different than energetic rubbing. Try getting the tip of your finger very wet, and stroking it softly, barely touching, against the very tip of your clitoris. Do this slowly. If it feels uncomfortable, make your touch even lighter, softer, slower, wetter. See what it feels like. Move your finger around the area, on the top, the sides, etc. Indirect pressure can be amazing. Ask your boyfriend to try touching you like this.

And have fun with it! Sometimes if you are concentrating really hard on a goal of “feeling good,” it can take a lot of the pleasure out of sex play. I know that this was the case with me for a long time. Your mind is going: “Ok, this needs to feel good, but it doesn’t feel good, what’s wrong with me? Will I EVER find this pleasurable? Aaagh!” There’s all kinds of pressure, because you want to feel good, and you want to please your boyfriend by making HIM feel like he’s making you feel good, and then it’s just no fun at all. And the more often you experience this frustration, the more your brain finds it to be a chore instead of a treat.

Ask your boyfriend to spend a looong a time stimulating your nipples (and neck, ears, etc) before any clitoral contact is made. Just feel how good that feels. The longer he spends on that, the more lubricated and turned on you will become, making your body more receptive to the joys of clit play.

Something else you can try is tricking your brain by playing little games. Try to resist it feeling good at ALL. Dare your boyfriend to make you moan, and then try as hard as you can to not feel any pleasure, and not make any noises. Or, ask him to tease you, and to tell you that he is NOT going to touch or rub against you down there at all, no matter how much you beg. These kinds of tricks can have the effect of releasing the pressure of trying to achieve something, and then your brain can sit back and let your body just enjoy the sensations. Even if they are just mildly pleasurable feelings at first, once you are able to relax and let the sensations flow through you, you may well find that they start to build.

Another thing you might ask yourself is whether you have any guilt around sex? If you want to wait until marriage for intercourse, do you think that you feel bad when you do any kind of sexual experimentation? I have no idea, so I am just throwing this out there. But guilt can be another major turn off for yourself. If you feel bad about doing it, then how can you enjoy it? If this is the case for you, think about where your guilt lies, work it out in your head, and try to let it go (easier said than done, I know).

So try these little tricks, and I think that you will find that you’ll never be sore from dry-humping again… unless you want to be ;)

risks and benefits

2005-05-13T13:00:00.000-07:00

Q: how do you tell a female friend that you really like her without risking the friendship? not quite sex advice, but getting there.

A: it's ok that it's not a "pure" sex question;) i should have made it more clear that all questions are welcome, not just those to do with sex. who doesnt need romantic advice?!

life is short. it's worth it to ask for what you want, especially love. you might not get it... but if you DONT ask, you DEFINITELY wont get it. in this case, as long as you do it diplomatically, i believe the possible benefits far outweigh the risks.

hang out with her. have a great time. watch movies, dinner, whatever. at an appropriate moment (over dinner, or when you're ending the evening, or whenever you feel there is an opening), say something like: "hey, i want to talk to you about something. i have been thinking recently that maybe this friendship could progress to something more. what do you think? it's not a big deal, and either way i will be fine, but i just wanted to put it out there." try to be casual with your words as if its something kinda silly, and just a thought you have been pondering, so that she doesnt get too intimidated. dont express how MUCH you like her, at least not in the initial conversation. that way, if she is not interested, she can tell you so without feeling guilty about hurting your feelings, and the chances are low that the friendship will be sacrificed.

this is a common issue, and definitely a sensitive one. you do NOT want to lose a good friendship, because ultimately, when the shit hits the fan, its your friends who will be there.

MISSION STATEMENT

2005-05-13T03:13:00.000-07:00

May 12, 2005

this blog has thus far been devoted to liberal politics. i have gotten many, many comments saying "yeah, yeah, we like the liberal stuff, but where's the damn slut?"

i have not posted in a long time. politics depresses me now. since bush "won" the election in '04, reading the news has become increasingly painful each day. and posting outrageous stories about our fearless leader and his henchmen is no longer funny, it's just sad. and scary. right now, i would rather leave these disturbing topics to the experts, like atrios and kos.

and so, i am changing my blog format to...

A SEX ADVICE BLOG!

(update: go to my new blog at bastet13.blogspot.com for new and improved sex advice)
i am an expert of many things, and sex is definitely one of them (as is no doubt indicated by my blog name). i have been reading a lot of sex advice columns recently, and when i read the answers given, often i think to myself "well shit, i could do better than THAT." and then today i thought "well, dammit, why don't i?"

i have a medical background, and give my female friends women's health advice all the time. i have experience with psychology, and give my friends mental health and relationship advice all the time (i have even earned the title of online psychologist on a board i belong to. and i am a slutty bisexual scorpio, and give my friends advice about sex. all the time.

i am not a judgmental person. partly because i've always been pretty compassionate, and partly because there's very little that surprises or shocks me, because i've done most of it myself. therefore people tend to feel comfortable coming to me with their secrets, stories, fears and problems. i listen and i truly care.

so here it is folks. the official unveiling of my sex advice blog. and i don't even need to change the name.

how it works

you (my loyal readers) can post questions or issues in the comments section of this post, or you can email them to me. i will then post them, along with my advice, here.

if you want to post your questions anonymously, you can absolutely do so. if you email them to me, i will NOT disclose your identity online or anywhere else. this is meant to be a completely confidential forum for people to talk about things that they may not feel comfortable discussing anywhere else.

it's also, of course, meant to be fun ;)

there is no topic too scary for me. no person i cannot relate to. gay, straight, bi, transgendered, polyamorist, sadomasochist... even republican :p all of your questions are welcomed. even if they don't have to do with pure sex. you have some weird bumps "down there" that you're worried about? ask. you hate your current method of birth control and don't know what to do? ask. you're having a little too much fun with drugs, and want to talk about it? ask (trust me, i've been there).

comments from others are also welcome. all i ask is that the comments be respectful and considerate. any derogatory or abusive comments will be promptly deleted.

so c'mon folks. give it to me. i promise, i won't disappoint ;)

another horoscope

2005-04-14T11:11:00.000-07:00

watch out

Scorpio

The World Cow Chip Throwing Contest will be held this week in Beaver, Oklahoma. If you've got the time and inclination, I suggest you attend. It would be especially fortuitous if you not only watched the festivities, but also got a chance to compete. One way or another, Scorpio, you're going to have urges to sling dung--either the metaphorical or actual variety--and it would be far better to do it in a setting where such activity is sanctioned. That way, no reputations will be tweaked and no one will get hurt. If you can't make it to Beaver, Oklahoma, you should maybe arrange your own Cow Chip Throwing Contest in the nearest pasture. If you're an urban dweller, it would be worth driving out to the sticks.

quote of the day

2005-04-14T03:35:00.000-07:00

"i prefer people's aftertastes." ~ anonymous fatass

horoscope

2005-04-12T03:51:00.000-07:00

from the onion this time.

Scorpio: (Oct. 24—Nov. 21)
Hope can sustain a person through excruciating personal trials, but unfortunately, there's no real reason to believe that the new Star Wars movie will be tolerable.

dammit.

feria urbana

2005-03-22T16:02:00.000-08:00

my amazingly talented friend is going to be selling her jewelry in this show.

check it out!

ah, lovely times square

2005-03-21T15:13:00.002-08:00

i find this picture beautiful, in that disturbing capitalistic sort of way.

also the starbucks sign makes it look like it says "jews," which is cool.

red is worse than black

2005-03-02T14:26:00.000-08:00

thurmond strikes (struck) again

U.S. Sen. Strom Thurmond and his staff tried to get the FBI to build a case against civil rights leader Martin Luther King Jr. in 1965 on the grounds that King was "controlled by communists," according to a recently released FBI memo on the late senator from South Carolina.

(snip)

Dan Carter, a nationally known civil rights historian at the University of South Carolina, attested to the power of the communist smear upon the civil rights movement.

"As late as 1962 or 1963, a majority of Americans actually believed that communists were involved or were instigators of the civil rights movement," he said.

Moreover, he said, the segregationist White Citizens Councils - in their appeals to Northerners - stressed the supposed communist leanings of civil rights workers rather than segregation.

"The segregationists played the anti-communist card," Carter said. "It was the one card they could deal to both Northerners and Southerners."

horoscope

2005-03-02T14:22:00.000-08:00

scorpio

In the coming days, Scorpio, you will almost certainly become pregnant--if not by literally conceiving a fetus, then by germinating the metaphorical equivalent. Do you have any idea about what's getting ready to sprout within you? I hope so, because if you do, it means you're attuned to the secrets that have been ripening in the fertile depths. But if you don't know anything about the new life that's stirring, drop everything and find out. You need to be a fully conscious participant in the gestation.

quote of the day

2005-02-25T11:05:00.000-08:00

"as you know, i'm all about sperm exposure."

~ anonymous co-worker

do movies teach us nothing?

2005-02-16T11:11:00.000-08:00

The robot soldier is coming

"They don't get hungry," said Gordon Johnson of the Joint Forces Command at the Pentagon. "They're not afraid. They don't forget their orders. They don't care if the guy next to them has just been shot. Will they do a better job than humans? Yes."

The Pentagon predicts that robots will be a major fighting force in the American military in less than a decade, hunting and killing enemies in combat. Robots are a crucial part of the Army's effort to rebuild itself as a 21st-century fighting force, and a $127 billion project called Future Combat Systems is the biggest military contract in American history.

the end is nigh.

public health? or violation of basic human rights?

2005-02-15T17:33:00.000-08:00

this is really interesting.

the emergence of a new potentially drug-resistant hiv strain in nyc is prompting many gay/aids activists to start discussing the possibility of aggressively monitoring others' sex lives.

i'm going to paste basically the whole ny times article here for those of you who arent registered with that website.

what do you all think?

... as news of a potentially virulent strain of H.I.V. settles in, gay activists and AIDS prevention workers say they are dismayed and angry that the 25-year-old battle against the disease might have to begin all over again.

While many are calling for a renewed commitment to prevention efforts and free condoms, some veterans of the war on AIDS are advocating an entirely new approach to the spread of unsafe sex, much of which is fueled by a surge in methamphetamine abuse. They want to track down those who knowingly engage in risky behavior and try to stop them before they can infect others.

It is a radical idea, born of desperation, that has been gaining ground in recent months as a growing number of gay men become infected despite warnings about unsafe sex.

Although gay advocates and health care workers are just beginning to talk about how this might be done, it could involve showing up at places where impromptu sex parties happen and confronting the participants. Or it might mean infiltrating Web sites that promote gay hookups and thwarting liaisons involving crystal meth.

Other ideas include collaborating with health officials in tracking down the partners of those newly infected with H.I.V. At the very least, these advocates say, gay men must start taking responsibility for their own, before a resurgent epidemic draws government officials who could use even more aggressive tactics.

"Gay men do not have the right to spread a debilitating and often fatal disease," said Charles Kaiser, a historian and author of "The Gay Metropolis." "A person who is H.I.V.-positive has no more right to unprotected intercourse than he has the right to put a bullet through another person's head," he said.

While not endorsing specific strategies, even mainstream organizations like the Gay Men's Health Crisis support the idea of trying methods that would have been anathema a few years ago. "It makes a community stronger when we take care of ourselves," said Ana Oliveira, the organization's executive director, "and if that means that we have to be much more present and intervene with people who are doing this to themselves and others, then so be it."

For many others, however, even talk of such steps provokes hand-wringing. "We don't want public health vigilantes going out and taking matters into their own hands, particularly if it means breaching the confidentially and civil rights of people with H.I.V.," said Jon Givner, the director of the H.I.V. Project at the Lambda Legal Defense and Education Fund. "Frankly, I find it pretty scary."

Whether such ideas gain acceptance, the fact that activists are even thinking about curbing gay sexual freedom is a huge shift.

In the early years of the AIDS epidemic, gay men protested attempts to close down bathhouses and strenuously opposed efforts by health officials to trace those infected with the virus. Until now, those advocates, driven by concerns about privacy and the stigma associated with the disease, have successfully fought off efforts to impose a traditional public-health model for tackling the spread of the virus.

"You have to remember that was the era when Jesse Helms and others were saying that gay people got what they deserved, and that the government shouldn't spend any money to help them," said David Evans, an H.I.V. treatment advocate who writes about prevention. "There was a time when people thought, 'Oh my god, they're going to put us in camps.' "

ah, good times.

mother nature - smart and mean

2005-02-14T15:22:00.000-08:00

Rare and Aggressive H.I.V. Reported in New York

A rare strain of H.I.V. that is highly resistant to virtually all anti-retroviral drugs and appears to lead to the rapid onset of AIDS was detected in a New York City man last week, city health officials announced on Friday.

It was the first time a strain of H.I.V. had been found that both showed resistance to multiple drugs and led to AIDS so quickly, the officials said. While the extent of the disease's spread is unknown, officials called a news conference to say that the situation is alarming.

more good news

2005-02-14T15:15:00.001-08:00

on valentine's day, israel and palestine make love, not war

Abbas Declares War With Israel Effectively Over

The new Palestinian leader, Mahmoud Abbas, said in an interview this weekend that the war with the Israelis is effectively over and that the Israeli prime minister, Ariel Sharon, is speaking "a different language" to the Palestinians.

some good news

2005-01-30T10:35:00.000-08:00

U.S. Is Close to Eliminating AIDS in Infants

In 1990, as many as 2,000 babies were born infected with H.I.V., the virus that causes AIDS; now, that number has been reduced to a bit more than 200 a year, according to health officials. In New York City, the center of the epidemic, there were 321 newborns infected with H.I.V. in 1990, the year the virus peaked among newborns in the city. In 2003, five babies were born with the virus.

Across the country, mother-to-child transmission of H.I.V. has dropped so sharply that public health officials now talk about wiping it out.

but

Much of the developing world continues to be ravaged by AIDS, however. In sub-Saharan Africa, more than two million people died of the disease last year. "We have had incredible progress," said Dr. Lynne Mofenson, the chief of the Pediatric, Adolescent and Maternal AIDS Branch of the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development, part of the National Institutes of Health. "But if you think about the U.S. and New York and then you think about Africa, it is like a tale of two cities, a tale of two epidemics."

i wonder if this will make ANY difference at all

2005-01-29T01:16:00.000-08:00

Diebold Election Systems, a target of many electronic-voting critics during the 2004 U.S. election, announced Thursday it has completed the design for a printer that would give its e-voting machines a paper trail.

Voter-verified paper trails would virtually eliminate machine error in which votes aren't counted, says Will Doherty, executive director of the Verified Voting Foundation. In the November 2004 election, one county in North Carolina lost more than 4500 votes when a misunderstanding occurred over the capacity of the e-voting machines used there.

yeah, it was only 4500 votes...

so much death is coming this weekend

2005-01-28T15:27:00.000-08:00

this makes me scared and sad. i knew it was coming but it seemed so far off... how did it become the end of january already?

BAGHDAD (AFP) - Iraq sealed its frontiers and imposed other draconian security measures to counter insurgents whose deadly campaign of intimidation threatens the country's historic election.

(snip)

But the roar of bomb and mortar blasts rumbled across the capital as it braced for a violent final day before Sunday's election.

(snip)

US President George W. Bush again appealed for Iraqis to brave the death threats and vote.

wise words indeed, coming from the man who used his family's money and influence to dodge serving his own country in wartime.

into the rain

2005-01-28T09:31:00.000-08:00

it was sunny where i was coming from... and then i drove into the storm. but on the way i got to see this.

driving home

2005-01-27T20:46:00.000-08:00

god i love traffic

60 years ago it was snowing too

2005-01-27T15:08:00.000-08:00

Dusted by falling snow and surrounded by barbed wire, world leaders mourned the victims of the Holocaust on Thursday, the 60th anniversary of the liberation of the biggest Nazi death camp at Auschwitz-Birkenau.

"The snow was falling like today, we were dressed in stripes and some of us had bare feet," Polish survivor Kazimierz Orlowski, 84, said.

(snip)

Among the more than 30 heads of state attending the ceremonies were the presidents of Israel, Germany and Russia -- loosely representing the victims, perpetrators and liberators.

hmm... any important countries missing? i guess not.

link

my day in san diego

2005-01-26T01:35:00.000-08:00

the hotel pool during a break. i hope there isnt an emergency.

then a night out with some colleages. i went to this "hooters" establishment i've heard so much about for the first time. quite silly, but fun.

a crappy picture (cell phone cam) - but i want to post it anyway

then we hit up a place called dick's last resort, where the waitstaff is delightfully rude, pitched battles amongst the tables using arsenals of balled up paper napkins is commonplace (it was great; i felt like i was in junior high), and dunce caps with vulgar expressions are prevalent.

a colleague hoarding ammunition

a dunce cap
(for those who cant see it clearly, it says "i jerk-off to disney movies")

good times.

a christian view of the bush administration

2005-01-26T01:15:00.000-08:00

arrogance is the opposite of faith

i came across a great speech given by dr. robin meyers at an oklahoma university peace rally

an excerpt (you can check out the entire speech here)

--- When you claim that Jesus is the Lord of your life, and yet fail to acknowledge that your policies ignore his essential teaching, or turn them on their head (you know, Sermon on the Mount stuff like that we must never return violence for violence and that those who live by the sword will die by the sword), you are doing something immoral.

--- When you ignore the fundamental teachings of the gospel, which says that the way the strong treat the weak is the ultimate ethical test, by giving tax breaks to the wealthiest among us so the strong will get stronger and the weak will get weaker, you are doing something immoral.

--- When you use hatred of homosexuals as a wedge issue to turn out record numbers of evangelical voters, and use the Constitution as a tool of discrimination, you are doing something immoral.

--- When you favor the death penalty, and yet claim to be a follower of Jesus, who said an eye for an eye was the old way, not the way of the kingdom, you are doing something immoral.

--- When you dismantle countless environmental laws designed to protect the earth which is God's gift to us all, so that the corporations that bought you and paid for your favors will make higher profits while our children breathe dirty air and live in a toxic world, you have done something immoral. The earth belongs to the Lord, not Halliburton.

--- When you talk about Jesus constantly, who was a healer of the sick, but do nothing to make sure that anyone who is sick can go to see a doctor, even if she doesn't have a penny in her pocket, you are doing something immoral.

i also found some very cool leftist christian websites: progressive christians uniting and the christian left

to read over these sites gives me faith in humanity... and the capacity of religion to preach real love and real tolerance.

anyone know of some others?

democrats sock it to condi

2005-01-26T01:09:00.000-08:00

of course she will probably be confirmed anyway, but still... i like to see the democrats not being the spineless, over-gracious pussies that they have been for the past 4+ years. and it all started with barbara boxer - god i love my senator.

In a contentious debate that contrasted with the bipartisan embrace extended to Secretary of State Colin Powell at his confirmation four years ago, Democrats said Rice helped create a situation that would keep U.S. troops in Iraq for years.

Massachusetts Democratic Sen. Edward Kennedy called Rice "a key member of the national security team that developed and justified the rationale for war, and it's been a catastrophic failure, a continuing quagmire."

Sen. Mark Dayton of Minnesota said Rice "misled the people of Minnesota and Americans everywhere about the situation in Iraq, before and after that war began." He added: "I really don't like being lied to repeatedly, flagrantly, intentionally."

it's too bad - and not surprising - that a black woman has to be the scapegoat for this mess. but at least someone is being sorta kinda held accountable. sigh. i continue to go on hoping.

from my hotel window

2005-01-23T23:27:00.000-08:00

so i get to san diego and hear explosions. i think "has the war started?" i look out my window and i see this.

is there a holiday that i dont know about?

quote of the day

2005-01-23T23:19:00.000-08:00

"hey, i can say anything i want! in this country. for a little while."

- anonymous friend, responding to someone telling him to shut up

so glad i'm not at o'hare right now

2005-01-22T18:30:00.000-08:00

Hundreds of airline flights were canceled Saturday and fleets of road plows were warmed up as a paralyzing snowstorm barreled out of the Midwest and spread across the Northeast with a potential for up to 20 inches of snow driven by 50 mph wind.

link

what kind of smart are you?

2005-01-21T16:51:00.000-08:00

this is an interesting little quiz.

You scored as Interpersonal. You enjoy being around people, like talking to people, have many friends, and engage in social activities. You learn best by relating, sharing, and participating in cooperative group environments. People like you include salespeople, consultants, community organizers, counselors, teachers or any other helping profession.

Logical/Mathematical

82%

Interpersonal

82%

Verbal/Linguistic

79%

Intrapersonal

68%

Musical/Rhythmic

61%

Visual/Spatial

57%

Bodily/Kinesthetic

29%

The Rogers Indicator of Multiple Intelligences
created with QuizFarm.com

via fiat lux

o'hare

2005-01-20T17:34:00.000-08:00

being stuck in chicago is not fun. but at least there are some visually entertaining things to distract me.

i like to imagine that this dinosaur is killing people.

i went back and forth on this thing like 4 times already. i have nothing to do. except post pictures, apparently.

i hate him

2005-01-20T17:12:00.000-08:00

Bush vows to spread liberty around the globe

makes it sound like a communicable disease.

from the air

2005-01-20T17:04:00.000-08:00

view from my window on a flight from minneapolis to chicago.

i forgot to take a picture of the snow in minneapolis (it was really beautiful). but better late than never.

quote of the day

2005-01-19T22:12:00.000-08:00

"fear is the new black."

-jon stewart, discussing the security measures being taken for the inauguration

not even a nickel

2005-01-19T01:44:00.000-08:00

Not One Damn Dime Day is tomorrow, thursday, january 20.

let's all do our part to consume more TODAY so we can stock up for tomorrow. after all, it's the american way!

as you can see, i'm feeling sarcastic. yet optimistic enough to post this.

NOT ONE DAMN DIME DAY

Since our leaders don't have the moral courage to speak out against the war in Iraq, Inauguration Day, Thursday, January 20th, 2005 is "Not One Damn Dime Day" in America.

On "Not One Damn Dime Day" those who oppose what is happening in our name in Iraq can speak up with a 24-hour national boycott of all forms of consumer spending.

During "Not One Damn Dime Day" please don't spend money, and don't use your credit card. Not one damn dime for gasoline. Not one damn dime for necessities or for impulse purchases. Nor toll/cab/bus or train ride money exchanges. Not one damn dime for anything for 24 hours.

On "Not One Damn Dime Day," please boycott Walmart, KMart and Target. Please don't go to the mall or the local convenience store. Please don't buy any fast food (or any groceries at all for that matter).

For 24 hours, please do what you can to shut the retail economy down. The object is simple. Remind the people in power that the war in Iraq is immoral and illegal; that they are responsible for starting it and that it is their responsibility to stop it.

"Not One Damn Dime Day" is to remind them, too, that they work for the people of the United States of America, not for the international corporations and K Street lobbyists who represent the corporations and funnel cash into American politics.

"Not One Damn Dime Day" is about supporting the troops. The politicians put the troops in harm's way. Now 1,200 brave young Americans and (some estimate) 100,000 Iraqis have died. The politicians owe our troops a plan -- a way to come home.

There's no rally to attend. No marching to do. No left or right wing agenda to rant about. On "Not One Damn Dime Day" you take action by doing nothing. You open your mouth by keeping your wallet closed.

For 24 hours, nothing gets spent, not one damn dime, to remind our religious leaders and our politicians of their moral responsibility to end the war in Iraq and give America back to the people.

quote of the day

2005-01-18T13:19:00.000-08:00

"I would drive 10 hours, 20 hours - I would drive to California - to have my vote counted for once."

SAAD ALGHARABI, an Iraqi expatriate who registered to vote.

i dont know if even that would get his vote counted... i have a sneaking suspicion that mine wasn't...

happy birthday dr. king

2005-01-17T19:39:00.000-08:00

there are 2 songs that i must always listen to on this, my favorite holiday, martin luther king jr day. they are both somewhat cheesy, but they give me chills everytime.

some lyrics.

Early morning, April 4
Shot rings out in the Memphis sky
Free at last, they took your life
They could not take your pride!

-u2, pride (in the name of love)

I just never understood
How a man who died for good
Could not have a day that would
Be set aside for his recognition
Because it should never be
Just because some cannot see
The dream as clear as he
That they should make it become an illusion
And we all know everything
That he stood for time will bring
For in peace our hearts will sing
Thanks to Martin Luther King

Happy birthday to you
Happy birthday to you
Happy birthday

-stevie wonder, happy birthday

may the dream continue to live.

thought for the day

2005-01-17T19:37:00.000-08:00

"Compassion is not religious business, it is human
business, it is not luxury, it is essential for our
own peace and mental stability, it is essential for
human survival."

H.H. The Dalai Lama

via my mom

babel in babylon

2005-01-16T15:54:00.000-08:00

silly and naive, i know, but i would think that a nation whose majority supports displaying the ten commandments at every government and educational building extant in the us would have a bit more respect for such an immensely historically significant biblical city.

the anthropologist in me cringes to read this.

U.S.-Led Troops Have Damaged Babylon, British Museum Says

American-led troops using the ancient Iraqi city of Babylon as a base have damaged and contaminated artifacts dating back thousands of years in one of the world's most important archaeological sites, the British Museum said Saturday.

For example, military vehicles crushed a 2,600-year-old brick pavement, and archaeological fragments, including broken bricks stamped by King Nebuchadnezzar II, were scattered at the site, a museum report said. The dragons at the Ishtar Gate were marred by cracks and gaps where someone tried to remove their decorative bricks, the report said.

flaming weapons

2005-01-16T15:07:00.000-08:00

homosexual terrorists. america's worst nightmare. an integration of the two "issues" which seem to have won chimpy the election.

amusing then that this would come up.

The U.S. military rejected a 1994 proposal to develop an "aphrodisiac" to spur homosexual activity among enemy troops but is hard at work on other less-than-lethal weapons, defense officials said on Sunday.

The proposal, disclosed in response to a Freedom of Information request, called for developing chemicals affecting human behavior "so that discipline and morale in enemy units is adversely affected."

"One distasteful but completely non-lethal example would be strong aphrodisiacs, especially if the chemical also caused homosexual behavior," said the document, obtained by the Sunshine Project. The watchdog group posted the partly blacked-out, three-page document on its Web site.

house of flying daggers

2005-01-16T03:19:00.000-08:00

i just saw this film tonight; i must say it was amazing. really beautiful. incredible cinematography. brilliant fight scenes. zhang ziyi is stunning as usual. i want her clothing. and she kicks serious ass. so do several other people. its worth seeing on the big screen for sure.

love is fucked up

2005-01-15T23:20:00.000-08:00

quote of the day

2005-01-15T13:38:00.000-08:00

war is hell

"It will speak volumes to the accused, it will speak volumes to our Army, it will speak volumes to our country, it will speak volumes to the world."

CAPT. CHRIS GRAVELINE, the prosecutor in the case against Specialist Charles A. Graner in the Abu Ghraib prison scandal, urging the jury to reach a guilty verdict.

this can't be good

2005-01-15T13:19:00.000-08:00

China Promotes Another Boom: Nuclear Power

China plans to build reactors on a scale and pace comparable to the peak of the United States' nuclear energy push in the 1970's.

better late than never

2005-01-14T16:21:00.000-08:00

via act

We're just beginning to understand the impact of the aggressive campaign of misinformation, repression and intimidation that was unleashed by corrupt Republican officials and partisans in 2004. Here are just a few examples:

(View the originals of these flyers by clicking here):

In Lake County, Ohio, a fake letter appearing to come from the Lake County Board of Elections was sent to newly registered voters saying that registrations gathered by progressive organizations (including ACT) are illegal and those voters would not be able to vote.

The week before the election, flyers were circulated in Milwaukee under the heading "Milwaukee Black Voters League" with some "warnings for election time" including that anyone convicted of any offense, however minor, is ineligible to vote; that any family member having been convicted of anything would disqualify a voter; and that any violation of these warnings would result in ten years in prison and a voter's children being taken away.

A flyer designed to look like an official announcement from McCandless Township in Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, was designed to misinform voters on a partisan basis. The flyer claimed that "Due to the immense voter turnout that is expected on Tuesday, November 2 the state of Pennsylvania has requested an extended voting period" encouraging people to vote on November 3rd.

In honor of Dr. King and the 40th anniversary of the Voting Rights Act, please sign your name to our demand for electoral reform nationwide.

he didn't MEAN it...

2005-01-14T09:29:00.000-08:00

President Bush says he now sees that tough talk can have an "unintended consequence."

In the week after the September 11 attacks, Bush was asked if he wanted bin Laden, the terrorist leader blamed for the attacks, dead.

"I want justice," Bush said. "And there's an old poster out West, that I recall, that said, 'Wanted, Dead or Alive."'

Recalling that remark, Bush told the reporters: "I can remember getting back to the White House, and Laura said, 'Why did you do that for?' I said, 'Well, it was just an expression that came out. I didn't rehearse it.'

"I don't know if you'd call it a regret, but it certainly is a lesson that a president must be mindful of, that the words that you sometimes say. ... I speak plainly sometimes, but you've got to be mindful of the consequences of the words. So put that down. I don't know if you'd call that a confession, a regret, something."

i guess if you don't say anything that makes sense, then you don't have to worry about that...

for example:

Four years as president have changed [Bush]. "They say my hair is grayer. But I come from a pretty white-haired gene pool. At least half of it."

huh?

sister moon

2005-01-14T09:23:00.000-08:00

this is exciting

Information from the first contact with the surface of an alien moon is arriving at radio telescopes around the world.

(snip)

The mysteries of Saturn, the sixth planet from the sun, have always enticed researchers. Scientists are perplexed why Saturn, a gas-giant composed primarily of hydrogen and helium, releases more energy than it absorbs from faint sunlight. Titan is also the only moon in the solar system to retain a substantial atmosphere, one even thicker than Earth's.

ah, numbers

2005-01-13T21:45:00.000-08:00

Tsunami Facts vs. Florida Hurricane Facts

Via Converger's diary at Daily Kos

Number of deaths due to four Florida hurricanes in 2004:
117

Number of deaths due to Aceh earthquake and tsunami in 2004: 120,000+

Homeless due to Florida hurricanes:
11,000

Homeless due to Aceh earthquake/tsunami:
5,000,000

US government aid to help Florida hurricane victims:
$2.04 billion

US government aid to help Aceh earthquake/tsunami victims:
$35 million

Estimated cost of George Bush's upcoming inaguration celebration, not including
security costs:
$40 million

US government direct cost, per hour, of the US war in Iraq:
$9 million

christian fanatics disappointed

2005-01-13T17:52:00.000-08:00

judge orders textbook stickers removed

the stickers read: “This textbook contains material on evolution. Evolution is a theory, not a fact, regarding the origin of living things. This material should be approached with an open mind, studied carefully and critically considered.”

In a statement, the school board said it was disappointed by the ruling and will decide whether to appeal. A board spokesman said no decision had been made on when, or if, the stickers would be removed.

“The textbook stickers are a reasonable and evenhanded guide to science instruction and encouraging students to be critical thinkers,” the board said.

um... ok. whatever. just take the damn stickers off.

bush lies, nobody cares

2005-01-13T01:18:00.000-08:00

best... president... ever...

The U.S. force that scoured Iraq for weapons of mass destruction -- cited by President Bush as justification for war -- has abandoned its long and fruitless hunt, U.S. officials said on Wednesday.

The 1,700-strong Iraq Survey Group, responsible for the hunt, last month wrapped up physical searches for weapons of mass destruction, and it will now gather information to help U.S. forces in Iraq win a bloody guerrilla war, officials said.

awesome, nothing like a good bloody guerrilla war.

"I felt like we would find weapons of mass destruction ... like many -- many here in the United States, many around the world," Bush told ABC's Barbara Walters, according to excerpts from an interview airing on Friday.

Bush said "we need to find out what went wrong in the intelligence gathering," and that the invasion was "absolutely" worth it even if there were no weapons of mass destruction.

meanwhile, back in iraq:

Car bombs rock Mosul, White House says Iraqi elections far from perfect

The northern metropolis of 1.5 million people has become a battle terrain for insurgents and Americans, with the January 30 polls seen as a referendum on who truly controls the city.

sometimes i forget how ludicrous this situation really is. then i remember.

horoscope

2005-01-12T16:15:00.000-08:00

scorpio

I beg you not to do what Robert Chamberlain did in his room at a Motel 6 in Chenango, New York last May. Please don't buy 14 jars of petroleum jelly and smear the stuff all over yourself, the walls, and the furniture. On the other hand, Scorpio, I do recommend that you become as slippery as possible in the coming week, metaphorically speaking. Don't stay too long in one place, don't commit yourself to long-term plans, don't get stuck in dogmatic perspectives, and don't get pinned down, period.

hillary rocks

2005-01-12T09:23:00.000-08:00

Sen. Clinton Chides Bush on Women's Health Policy

Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton said the Bush administration was making it hard for the poor to receive the full range of reproductive health services by putting too much emphasis on abstinence to combat AIDS.

Speaking at a dinner to hundreds of women's rights and health activists on Tuesday night, the New York Democrat urged advocacy groups not to give up "despite the less-than-friendly atmosphere we currently face in Washington with the current administration."

you go girl!

an interesting (and scary) article about women and AIDS can be found here.

excerpt:

In the United States, new AIDS cases among women rose at seven times the rate for men from 1997 to 2002. Women now account for 26 percent of AIDS diagnoses. According to the current Newsweek magazine, that's nearly four times the proportion they made up in 1986. Girls account for the majority of new HIV infections among teens.

(snip)

Most Americans picture an AIDS patient as white, affluent, male and homosexual. The face of AIDS in America today is black, poor, female and heterosexual.

The disease is decimating Asia and Africa, and that could happen here unless the trend is reversed. Using condoms during sex greatly reduces the risk of disease. But it is difficult to persuade a drug-addicted, abused woman or a teenager eager to please a boyfriend to insist on it.

Treatment helps contain HIV-AIDS but more research is needed. As long as people with AIDS are on the fringes of society, don't expect major demand for funding. Perhaps when the disease strikes the middle class in bigger numbers, that attitude will change.

on my way to work this morning

2005-01-11T11:49:00.000-08:00

i love nyc

2005-01-11T11:46:00.000-08:00

online credit card statement

2005-01-11T11:29:00.000-08:00

i just like this. i feel so bicoastal.

quote of the day

2005-01-08T23:06:00.000-08:00

"if a federal judge won't let me kill it, then i'm taking it in the carpool lane!"

-anonymous friend, on the politics of freeway driving with his pregnant wife in the car

one nation's horrific disaster is another's "opportunity"

2005-01-04T11:46:00.000-08:00

colin powell gives us a silver lining.

Secretary of State Colin Powell said Tuesday the outpouring of American aid and humanitarian help in the region devastated by the tsunami may also help Muslim nations see the United States in a better light.

"What it does in the Muslim world, the rest of the world is giving an opportunity to see American generosity, American values in action," Powell said.

i'm so glad we were given this opportunity to fight the war on terror in yet another way. god truly smiles on our great nation.

and i'm sure the world sees that whole $350 million we're giving as really impressive, after the billions we gave to florida last year after the hurricanes. of course that WAS a swing state.

i also love powell's rejection of the us response:

"Who criticized us? It wasn't the countries in the region," he said.

yeah... um, they didnt have electricity...

something you can do

2004-12-30T21:10:00.000-08:00

there are so many websites and organizations out there to which you can donate to benefit the victims of the tsunami. i wish i was educated enough to know which ones are the best, but alas, i am not. i do know that doctors without borders is an excellent organization, and are on the scene. you can donate to them here.

i can also steal a list of organizations from my friend zaypop. it can be found here.

i'll cut and paste them as well.

ColomboPage
Sri Lankan Paper
www.colombopage.com

American Jewish World Service
45 West 36th Street
New York, NY 10018-7904
800-889-7146
www.ajws.org

American Red Cross
International Response Fund
PO Box 37243
Washington, DC 20013
800-435-7669
www.redcross.org

CARE USA
151 Ellis Street NE
Atlanta, GA 30303
800-422-7385
www.careusa.org

Catholic Relief Services
PO Box 17090
Baltimore, MD 21203-7090
800-736-3467
www.catholicrelief.org

Direct Relief International
27 South La Patera Lane
Santa Barbara, CA 93117
805-964-4767
www.directrelief.org

International Medical Corps
11500 West Olympic Blvd., Suite 506
Los Angeles, CA 90064
800-481-4462
www.imcworldwide.org

Oxfam America
26 West Street
Boston, MA 02111-1206
800-776-9326
www.oxfamamerica.org

Mercy Corps
PO Box 2669
Portland, OR 97208
888-256-1900
www.mercycorps.org

Operation USA
8320 Melrose Avenue, Ste. 200
Los Angles, CA 90069
800-678-7255
www.opusa.org

speechless

2004-12-30T21:05:00.000-08:00

i really have nothing to say. this is so horrific.

it's kinda weird to not be able to blame the bush administration for this one...

117,000 lives lost as of this posting.

the world is about to learn more than it ever wanted to know about microbiology.

a before-and-after picture of the shoreline of banda aceh in indonesia:

i have been thinking about just how goddamn lucky i am. this sure puts the bush victory into perspective, doesn't it.

why can't we have a do-over?

2004-12-27T13:15:00.000-08:00

yushchenko claims win in election do-over

i can't believe the former soviets have a better grasp on democracy than we do...

still, pretty cool news.

quote of the day

2004-12-26T11:36:00.000-08:00

you all must listen to this now

2004-12-23T16:53:00.000-08:00

the beatles + the beastie boys = the beastles!

it's fucking awesome.

link via fiat lux

a special kind of christmas present

2004-12-23T16:47:00.000-08:00

ok, this is just scary

The first cloned-to-order pet sold in the United States is named Little Nicky, a 9-week-old kitten delivered to a Texas woman saddened by the loss of a cat she had owned for 17 years.

The kitten cost its owner $50,000 and was cloned from a beloved cat, named Nicky, that died last year. Nicky’s owner banked the cat’s DNA, which was used to create the clone.

the kitten IS pretty adorable (what kittens are not?) but the whole cloning your dead cat thing is a little bit disturbing.

and she can't be THAT sad if she has $50K to blow!

weekly horoscope

2004-12-22T16:09:00.000-08:00

SCORPIO

A few years ago East Timor was described as an "unimaginable, apocalyptic ruin" by UN peacekeepers. More than 200,000 people had died during a 25-year struggle to separate from Indonesia. But after finally gaining its independence, the new nation is now prospering in peace. With this as your inspiration, Scorpio, identify the most intractable and painful problem in your life. Now imagine that in the next ten months, you will transform it as dramatically as the people of East Timor did theirs.

quote of the day

2004-12-21T17:32:00.000-08:00

more funny stuff from our commander in chief

"Beneath that rough and gruff, no-nonsense demeanor is a good human being who cares deeply about the military and deeply about the grief that war causes."
PRESIDENT BUSH, on Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld.

what kind of neo-pagan are you?

2004-12-21T14:21:00.000-08:00

Take the quiz: "Neo-Pagan Type Identifier - Redux"

Wiccan

You believe in the existence of deity, as a god or goddess, or a duality of the two depending upon tradition, you work with elementals and other natural spiritual beings and draw your practice from various cultural beliefs. Your interests probably include parapsychology, magic(k) , witchcraft, community, and the occult or unseen world. Your practice may include meditation, divination, energy working, spell-crafting, and formal ritual work.

moblogging

2004-12-20T22:38:00.000-08:00

so i was just in nyc and took a bunch of pics with my camera phone (since my digital camera died). they came out kinda weird, but i like the way they look. so i'm going to make you look at them too.

oh, this is so good

2004-12-20T17:34:00.000-08:00

Bush won't "negotiate with himself"

In Washington, there are plenty of ways to say "no comment," but President George W. Bush offered his own formulation, after he refused to "negotiate with myself in public."

Asked to explain one facet of his Social Security policy, Bush agreed but said, "I will try to explain how without negotiating with myself. It's a very tricky way to get me to play my cards. I understand that."

the continuing political "humor" that we can expect to be treated to over the next 4 years is definitely a silver lining.

bush expresses brilliance and consistency yet again

2004-12-20T17:27:00.000-08:00

i love this headline:

Bush: Iraq Bombers 'Are Having an Effect'

"And so the American people are taking a look at Iraq and wondering whether the Iraqis are eventually going to be able to fight off these bombers and killers," Bush said.

which bombers and killers is he referring to, i wonder.

and here's a great "blooper":

He said he understands why Americans have doubts about Iraq's ability. "They're looking on your TV screen and seeing indiscriminate bombings, where thousands of innocent — or hundreds of innocent Iraqis are getting killed ..."

i mean... only a few... and they were mostly bad eggs anyway... um, yeah.

Bush said he favored diplomatic approaches — rather than regime changes — in Iran and North Korea, two nations that the United States have troubling nuclear programs. He said diplomacy "must be the first choice, always the first choice of an administration trying to solve an issue of ... nuclear armament."

sigh. the blatant hypocrisy makes me tired... so very, very tired...

horoscope for the week

2004-12-15T13:50:00.000-08:00

scorpio

This year the Boston Red Sox won baseball's World Series for the first time in 86 years. The team thereby dispelled "The Curse of the Bambino," which had plagued the franchise since it traded away Hall of Famer Babe "Bambino" Ruth in 1918. Of the 25 players on the Red Sox roster in 2004, five were Scorpios and five were Geminis. The Scorpios included four premier talents who were instrumental in breaking the curse: Johnny Damon, David Ortiz, Curt Schilling, and Pedro Martinez. I believe this vignette foreshadows your fate in 2005, Scorpio. You too will banish a jinx that has burdened you for far too long. And Geminis (like Boston's star Manny Ramirez) may be valuable allies. Here's a symbolic holiday gift you might consider buying yourself: a Boston Red Sox good luck charm.

of course, the sox victory was not good luck for kerry the way i thought it would be... so i dont know if i trust this horoscope...

although i can think of several jinxes i would LOVE to banish... hmm, we'll see...

quote of the day

2004-12-11T04:43:00.000-08:00

scary

"It is difficult for me to conceive of how a small country like Canada could meet the prescription drug needs of approximately 280 million Americans without putting our own supply at serious risk. Canada cannot be the drugstore of the United States."
- UJJAL DOSANJH, Canada's health minister.

vote... for F911

2004-12-08T18:14:00.000-08:00

i received an email from michael moore today (i'm on his mailing list). fahrenheit 911 has been nominated by the people's choice awards as the "favorite film of the year." you can vote for it (or any other movie) here. it's kind of silly, but as moore says:

...the People's Choice this year, along with a Spiderman superhero and a lovable green ogre, is a film that apparently continues to resonate throughout the country. The truth about Iraq, Bush, terror and fear. The election has not altered or made irrelevant, unfortunately, a single one of these issues. That they (and the film that dealt with these issues) are still at the forefront of the majority of the public's minds should give serious pause to Mr. Bush as he brags about a nonexistent "mandate" and begins to spend his "political capital."

so go on, click here!

here is the full text of the email:

December 8, 2004

Dear Friends,

May I take a break from our post-election despair to share with you a little piece of happy/silly/cool news?

"Fahrenheit 9/11" has been nominated by the People's Choice Awards as the American public's "Favorite Film of the Year." The five nominees were chosen from a poll of thousands of Americans in mid-to-late November. The other nominees for best film are "Spiderman 2," "The Incredibles," "Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind" (with Jim Carrey), and "Shrek 2." It is the first time ever a documentary has been nominated for best film by the People's Choice Awards.

The People's Choice Awards are considered, among all the awards shows, to be the one which most accurately reflects the "mainstream" public opinion in the United States.

OK, now, here's the best part: YOU get to vote! Online. Now. Just go to http://www.pcavote.com/voting/film/f01.shtml, click on the little circle next to "Fahrenheit 9/11" in the "Favorite Movie" category and press the "vote" button. Voting is going on now and continues only through this coming Monday, December 13, at 3:00pm ET, so send an e-mail to your friends and let them know they can vote, too. Winners will accept their awards live on CBS on January 9.

Now, normally I wouldn't make a very big deal out of something like this. It's nice and I'm honored, but it's not exactly the number one priority on any of our minds these days. In fact, when we found out we were nominated over a week ago, I didn't even think to tell you about it or put it up on our website.

But then a group of top Republicans took out a full page ad in USA Today (and placed a similar one in the Hollywood trade magazine, Variety) proclaiming that "An election is over, but a war of ideas continues." The point of the ad was to say that while they, as right wing conservatives, were proud of getting rid of Kerry, there was still one more nuisance running around loose they had to deal with -- me! They also issued a not-so-subtle threat to the Academy Awards voters that, in essence, said don't even THINK about nominating "Fahrenheit 9/11" for Best Picture. And Bill O'Reilly recently bellowed that if the Oscars recognize my work this year, Middle America will boycott Hollywood.

Oops. I guess he spoke too soon. Because now along comes Middle America's favorite awards show, the People's Choice, and the People's Choice this year, along with a Spiderman superhero and a lovable green ogre, is a film that apparently continues to resonate throughout the country. The truth about Iraq, Bush, terror and fear. The election has not altered or made irrelevant, unfortunately, a single one of these issues. That they (and the film that dealt with these issues) are still at the forefront of the majority of the public's minds should give serious pause to Mr. Bush as he brags about a nonexistent "mandate" and begins to spend his "political capital."

He may have been (barely) the people's choice on November 2 (Ohio recount excluded), but now the people get to vote again, this time for a movie. It's about the best we can do right now, and, trust me, it won't be long before we start the real work we need to do to get our country back.

Again, go to http://www.pcavote.com/voting/film/f01.shtml if you want to vote for our film. I promise, if we win, to give a nice and polite speech.

Yours,

Michael Moore
http://michaelmoore.com
mmflint@aol.com

another weirdly accurate horoscope

2004-12-03T15:01:00.000-08:00

from sfgate

Scorpio

You’re the one who’s being less than honest now. Admittedly you have to be, but it’s no excuse to question others relentlessly.

horoscope

2004-12-01T20:44:00.000-08:00

scorpio

December 01, 2004

After weeks of working at your top speed and putting your best efforts into what you're doing, the higher-ups in charge are finally sitting up and taking notice. Prepare to receive your appreciation.

i have been interviewing for jobs for weeks now, and today i was offered the one i wanted the most, one where i had to impress a bunch of "higher-ups," vps and such.

yay.

some good news

2004-11-30T01:14:00.000-08:00

High court won't review Massachusetts gay marriage law

The Supreme Court sidestepped a dispute over gay marriage on Monday, rejecting a challenge by conservative groups to the status of Massachusetts as the only state that sanctions same-sex marriages.

Justices had been asked to overturn a year-old decision by the Massachusetts high court that legalized gay marriage. They declined, without comment.

(snip)

Foes sought ‘protection’ from state court
Their attorney, Mathew Staver, said in a Supreme Court filing that the Constitution should "protect the citizens of Massachusetts from their own state Supreme Court's usurpation of power."

Federal courts, he said, should defend people's right "to live in a republican form of government free from tyranny, whether that comes at the barrel of a gun or by the decree of a court."

i love it. gay marriage is not only immoral, disgusting and evil, now it's tyrannical too! please, won't you save me from those 2 fags down the street? i think they mean to take over the world...

more arab love for america

2004-11-29T23:39:00.000-08:00

bin laden's closest advisor gives some advice

Ayman al-Zawahiri, in tape broadcast by the Arabic-language Al-Jazeera television network, said there are two ways to deal with Muslims -- "either with respect, or as if our lives and property are available for you to invade.

"You can elect Bush, Kerry or Satan himself, it doesn't matter to us," he said. "What's important to us is the U.S. policies toward Muslims."

He said he was offering advice that he expected American people to ignore.

smart guy.

why didn't kerry do this?

2004-11-29T23:25:00.000-08:00

Premier's Camp Signals a Threat to Ukraine Unity

DONETSK, Ukraine - Regional leaders supporting Prime Minister Viktor F. Yanukovich, the embattled president-elect of Ukraine, pushed back firmly on Sunday against the opposition candidate's quest for the presidency, signaling an intention for the eastern section of the country to seek autonomy next month if the political impasse persists.

In a show of political will that illustrated the extent to which the nation is divided, as many as 3,500 officials from 17 regions convened an informal congress in the afternoon and voted unanimously to seek autonomy by public referendum if the opposition continues its quest to make Mr. Yushchenko president.

damn... so close

2004-11-22T15:04:00.000-08:00

this disappoints me somewhat. does that make me evil?

A plane that had been scheduled to take former President George H.W. Bush to Ecuador crashed Monday morning in Houston, Texas, killing all three crew members.

The aircraft, a Gulfstream-II jet, departed from Love Field in Dallas and crashed on approach, one-and-a-half miles from the airport, shortly after 6 a.m. (7 a.m. ET).

It burst into flames when it hit the ground, and fire crews rushed to the scene.

tackiest... video game... ever

2004-11-22T01:58:00.000-08:00

jfk reloaded

A new video game to be released on Monday allows players to simulate the assassination of U.S. President John F. Kennedy.

The release of "JFK Reloaded" is timed to coincide with the 41st anniversary of Kennedy's murder in Dallas and was designed to demonstrate a lone gunman was able to kill the president.

republicans kill intelligence bill

2004-11-21T19:44:00.000-08:00

this is scary

House Republican leaders blocked and appeared to kill a bill Saturday that would have enacted the major recommendations of the Sept. 11 commission, refusing to allow a vote on the legislation despite last-minute pleas from both President Bush and Vice President Dick Cheney to Republican lawmakers for a compromise before Congress adjourned for the year.

The decision to block a vote on the landmark bill, which would have created the job of a cabinet-level national intelligence director to oversee the C.I.A. and the government's other spy agencies, came after what lawmakers from both parties described as a near-rebellion by a core of highly conservative House Republicans aligned with the Pentagon who were emboldened to stand up to their leadership and to the White House.

rebellion?

i feel queasy.

quote of the day

2004-11-20T09:48:00.000-08:00

actually, it's from july 26, 1920.

As democracy is perfected, the office represents, more and more closely, the inner soul of the people. We move toward a lofty ideal. On some great and glorious day the plain folks of the land will reach their heart's desire at last, and the White House will be adorned by a downright moron.

- H. L. Mencken

gratuitous birthday post

2004-11-20T09:44:00.000-08:00

i'm 29.

that is all.

dear president bush

2004-11-18T16:37:00.000-08:00

Dear President Bush,

Thank you for doing so much to educate people regarding God's Law. I have learned a great deal from your campaign and try to share that knowledge with as many people as I can. When someone tries to defend the homosexual lifestyle, for example, I simply remind them that Leviticus 18:22 clearly states it to be an abomination. End of debate. I do need some advice from you, however, regarding some other elements of God's Laws and how to follow them.

1. Leviticus 25:44 states that I may possess slaves, both male and female, provided they are purchased from neighboring nations. A friend of mine claims that this applies to Mexicans, but not Canadians. Can you clarify? Why can't I own Canadians?

2. I would like to sell my daughter into slavery, as sanctioned in Exodus 21:7. In this day and age, what do you think would be a fair price for her?

3. I know that I am allowed no contact with a woman while she is in her period of menstrual uncleanliness- Leviticus 15:19-24. The problem is how do I tell? I have tried asking, but most women take offense.

4. When I burn a bull on the altar as a sacrifice, I know it creates a pleasing odor for the Lord - Leviticus 1:9. The problem is, my neighbors. They claim the odor is not pleasing to them. Should I smite them?

5. I have a neighbor who insists on working on the Sabbath. Exodus 35:2 clearly states he should be put to death. Am I morally obligated to kill him myself, or should I ask the police to do it?

6. A friend of mine feels that even though eating shellfish is an abomination - Leviticus 11:10, it is a lesser abomination than homosexuality. I don't agree. Can you settle this? Are there 'degrees' of abomination?

7. Leviticus 21:20 states that I may not approach the altar of God if I have a defect in my sight. I have to admit that I wear reading glasses. Does my vision have to be 20/20, or is there some wiggle-room here?

8. Most of my male friends get their hair trimmed, including the hair around their temples, even though this is expressly forbidden by Leviticus 19:27. How should they die?

9. I know from Leviticus 11:6-8 that touching the skin of a dead pig makes me unclean, but may I still play football if I wear gloves?

10. My uncle has a farm. He violates Leviticus 19:19 by planting two different crops in the same field, as does his wife by wearing garments made of two different kinds of thread (cotton/polyester blend). He also tends to curse and blaspheme a lot. Is it really necessary that we go to all the trouble of getting the whole town together to stone them?Leviticus 24:10-16. Couldn't we just burn them to death at a private family affair, like we do with people who sleep with their in-laws? (Leviticus 20:14).

I know you have studied these things extensively and thus enjoy considerable expertise in such matters, so I am confident you can help. Thank you again for reminding us that God's word is eternal and unchanging. Please feel free to consult the evangelicals or the replacement for Attorney General Ashcroft about any of these issues if you wish.

Your adoring fan,

(insert name)

a long post about arafat, israel, and palestine

2004-11-18T13:54:00.000-08:00

so i haven't posted anything about arafat's death, though it saddened me tremendously. my online time has been limited recently.

i found it interesting that the media was so positive about arafat while covering his death and his funeral, portraying him as a true hero... especially in the current political context of anti-islam/anti-terrorism. it's cool that they recognize and talk about his contributions to the world.

yesterday's ny times quote of the day

"It's not really a matter of Arafat at all. It's us, Jews and Arabs, and we need to sit down and settle this mess, without the Americans. After all, we lived together for 3,000 years or so."
RAMI ZADA, an Israeli engineer, on prospects for peace.

i've heard reports that bush has said he will be making the israel-palestine conflict his main focus for his second term. oh gods... if that is so, palestine will likely be leveled to the ground by 2008. he needs to stay the hell out of it. i think it would be better to wait 4 more years than to go in now. i shudder at the possibilities.

something optimistic

one of the benefits of that now well-known website, www.sorryeverybody.com, is that it made a lot of non-americans realize that not all people in the US support bush and his policies. similarly, there is an israeli organization called courage to refuse. on monday, they sent out their courage to refuse monthly report, which says this:

Yasser Arafat's death is not only an end of an era. It is also the end of Israel's greatest excuse for evading from putting an end to the occupation.

The late Palestinian leader's responsibility for the destruction of the peace process and for the enflaming of the bloody violence in the region, enabled the Israeli public and its leaders to shirk Israel's own responsibility for this very deterioration.

But with this excuse gone, the parties' true colors will be shown: the Palestinians will have to prove that their willing to quit terrorism. Israel will have to prove that it is really willing to put an end to the occupation.

This is the moment in which the Israeli Left should say to its government: we will not give a hand to the continuation of the occupation. Soldiers in a democratic state mustn't stain their conscience and sacrifice their lives in order to execute a policy that not only is endangering in vain lives of innocent civilians, but also is dooming their state to lose its basis as a Jewish and a Democratic country.

the basic mission statement of courage to refuse is encapsulated in a document entitled combatant's letter

We, reserve combat officers and soldiers of the Israel Defense Forces, who were raised upon the principles of Zionism, self-sacrifice and giving to the people of Israel and to the State of Israel, who have always served in the front lines, and who were the first to carry out any mission in order to protect the State of Israel and strengthen it.

We, combat officers and soldiers who have served the State of Israel for long weeks every year, in spite of the dear cost to our personal lives, have been on reserve duty in the Occupied Territories, and were issued commands and directives that had nothing to do with the security of our country, and that had the sole purpose of perpetuating our control over the Palestinian people.

We, whose eyes have seen the bloody toll this Occupation exacts from both sides,

We, who sensed how the commands issued to us in the Occupied Territories destroy all the values that we were raised upon,

We, who understand now that the price of Occupation is the loss of IDF’s human character and the corruption of the entire Israeli society,

We, who know that the Territories are not a part of Israel, and that all settlements are bound to be evacuated,

We hereby declare that we shall not continue to fight this War of the Settlements.

We shall not continue to fight beyond the 1967 borders in order to dominate, expel, starve and humiliate an entire people.

We hereby declare that we shall continue serving the Israel Defense Force in any mission that serves Israel’s defense.

The missions of occupation and oppression do not serve this purpose – and we shall take no part in them.

it's so inspiring to me to know that so many of my fellow jews are so dedicated to human rights and the rejection of oppressive power structures.

it's gonna be really, really hard, but i believe there is hope for this situation yet. i do.

oh, and by the way, GODDAMN israeli men are hot! ;)

picture of the day

2004-11-17T21:15:00.000-08:00

bush cabinet defections - trickle turns to stream

2004-11-15T13:15:00.000-08:00

and the resignations continue...

Powell and Three Others Leaving Cabinet

Secretary of State Colin Powell and three other Cabinet members have resigned, escalating the shake-up of President Bush's second-term team.

(snip)

With the resignations earlier of Attorney General John Ashcroft and Commerce Secretary Donald Evans, at least six of 15 Cabinet members are leaving, a musical-chairs act that assures Bush a significant Cabinet face-lift with his second inauguration over two months away.

(snip)

"Secretary Powell's departure is a loss to the moderate internationalist voices in the Bush administration," said New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson, a former U.N. ambassador in the Clinton administration. "Hopefully, his replacement will be a pragmatist rather than an ideologue."

dont hold your breath, richardson.

For many months, Powell had been viewed as a one-term secretary of state but he has always been vague about his intentions. He had said repeatedly in recent weeks that he serves at "the pleasure of the president."

Powell's role in shaping foreign policy was one of promoting moderation and traditional diplomatic alliances with friendly nations. His influence was measured, though, since most of Bush's other senior advisers generally took a harder line and they often prevailed.

i like colin powell. although he HAS sold his soul to the devil, he has always seemed to me to be somewhat geniunely bothered by it.

hmm, i wonder why bush's cabinet is, for lack of a better word, FLEEING so rapidly? i can't IMAGINE why.

thoughts?

oh, and another frightening headline:

Rice Is Top Candidate to Replace Powell

National security adviser Condoleezza Rice emerged as the likely candidate on Monday to replace resigning Secretary of State Colin Powell, Republican sources said.

pro: first black female secretary of state
con: she's eeeeevil.

quote of the day

2004-11-15T13:12:00.000-08:00

"If at first you don't secede; try, try again!"

-Randi Rhodes

if you dont have anything nice to say

2004-11-12T13:16:00.000-08:00

... well then, say it anyway!

the say something nice about john ashcroft contest.

mmm... liberty...

2004-11-12T13:08:00.000-08:00

this week's village voice cover

pic via francesca

reading bin laden

2004-11-11T14:24:00.000-08:00

i was just reading the transcript of bin laden's speech on november 1. should i be scared because i pretty much agree with everything he says? except of course for the parts about allah and killing.

bin laden, granted, is pretty nutty, but he does makes some excellent points.

read it here.

some excerpts:

No one except a dumb thief plays with the security of others and then makes himself believe he will be secure. Whereas thinking people, when disaster strikes, make it their priority to look for its causes, in order to prevent it happening again.

But I am amazed at you. Even though we are in the fourth year after the events of September 11th, Bush is still engaged in distortion, deception and hiding from you the real causes. And thus, the reasons are still there for a repeat of what occurred.

(snip)

As for [911's] results, they have been, by the grace of Allah, positive and enormous, and have, by all standards, exceeded all expectations. This is due to many factors, chief among them, that we have found it difficult to deal with the Bush administration in light of the resemblance it bears to the regimes in our countries, half of which are ruled by the military and the other half which are ruled by the sons of kings and presidents.

... the policy of the White House that demands the opening of war fronts to keep busy their various corporations - whether they be working in the field of arms or oil or reconstruction - has helped al-Qaida to achieve these enormous results.

And so it has appeared to some analysts and diplomats that the White House and us are playing as one team towards the economic goals of the United States, even if the intentions differ.

(snip)

It is true that this shows that al-Qaida has gained, but on the other hand, it shows that the Bush administration has also gained, something of which anyone who looks at the size of the contracts acquired by the shady Bush administration-linked mega-corporations, like Halliburton and its kind, will be convinced. And it all shows that the real loser is ... you.

(snip)

And it's no secret to you that the thinkers and perceptive ones from among the Americans warned Bush before the war and told him: "All that you want for securing America and removing the weapons of mass destruction - assuming they exist - is available to you, and the nations of the world are with you in the inspections, and it is in the interest of America that it not be thrust into an unjustified war with an unknown outcome."

But the darkness of the black gold blurred his vision and insight, and he gave priority to private interests over the public interests of America.

(snip)

So I say to you, over 15,000 of our people have been killed and tens of thousands injured, while more than a thousand of you have been killed and more than 10,000 injured. And Bush's hands are stained with the blood of all those killed from both sides, all for the sake of oil and keeping their private companies in business.

fucked up, isnt it.

right vs rights

2004-11-11T13:03:00.000-08:00

planned parenthood has a silly little video up - a parody of queer eye for the straight guy using 5 right wing hardliners as the "gang." it's amusing.

check it out here.

"Feminism is a socialist, anti-family, political movement that encourages women to leave their husbands, kill their children, practice witchcraft, destroy capitalism and become lesbians."
- Pat Robertson

quote of the day

2004-11-09T20:54:00.000-08:00

"the democrats are so lame. they couldn't steal the election... they couldn't even mug a sock puppet."

horoscope for the week

2004-11-09T20:50:00.000-08:00

from freewill astrology

Scorpio

According to philosopher George Santayana, "A fanatic is one who redoubles his effort when he has forgotten his aim." Let's make sure that doesn't become an apt description of you in the coming weeks, Scorpio. I have no problem with you redoubling your already-intensive efforts. In fact, I encourage you to take your dogged, concentrated approach to new levels that are unprecedented even for you. Just make sure that you never get sidetracked by fantasies of revenge or other irrelevant diversions. Stay hyper-focused on your worthy, noble goals. Show all of us the meaning of enlightened obsession.

i love whitehouse.org

2004-11-09T15:43:00.000-08:00

VICTORY 2004: PRESIDENT'S ACCEPTANCE SPEECH INVITING THE 55 MILLION AMERICA-HATERS WHO VOTED AGAINST GOD TO BEND OVER AND TAKE IT LIKE A PRISON BITCH

THE PRESIDENT: Thank you all. Thank you all for coming. We had a long night – and a great night. (Applause.) And now, just hours later, here I am already addressing a beautiful crowd of paranoid, fist-pumping, soon-to-be tax-exempt gazillionaires. (Applause.) Yes, as I look around I see that there are finally no self-loathing Negroes in front or behind me, which can only mean one thing: the election is OVER! (Applause.)

(snip)

Thanks first to my wife, who proves every day that Zoloft-laced Smirnoff Ice gimlets can indeed drown out the screams of thousands of Islamiac babies I done pan-fried because they got caught between my divine wrath and Paul Wolfowitz's funny-lookin', but nonetheless lethal little cock.

(snip)

In closing, before I get down to the hard work of bleeding money from social programs in order to underwrite the McJesus Industry, re-segregating the public school system, gang-banging Mother Earth for short-term profit, convincing blue collar labor monkeys that their tax cuts aren't just Band-Aids on a slit throat, and most of all, feeding the Southern Military Welfare State more tax dollars by inventing more Middle Eastern meat-grinders, I wanted to give a little shout-out to all the 48 percent of Americans who supported Senator Droopy McGook-Killa:

I formally invite all of you to commence unquestioning worship of yours truly. If, on the other hand, you nice sodomites in Jew York, San Fag Crisco, and Mick-cago got diaper rash from my holy mandate (and super-sexy popular vote), please, by all means, move your chickenshit asses to Canada, or France, or some atoll in the South Pacific. Because, let's face it, the Democratic Party is the party of scaredy-cat cowards, and crybabies. A party where the broads shave thrice daily, and the men got cunt lips. So run for the border my friends... the GOP and I wouldn't have it any other way.

Thank you, and God Bless George W. Bush's America!

(Applause.)