Friday Nite Retro

ARE YOU READY FOR THE WEEKEND, LEFT IN ABOITERS!??? Eh? Oh, sorry about that! I had these following clips playing pretty damned loud (Like they're MEANT TO BE!) and didn't realize that I was yelling at you! Let's see if they get you fired up as well. . .

Tonight's featured artist is a group from Boston who were at the forefront in mixing 1970s guitar-oriented rock with the new synth-oriented pop that would take off in the early 1980s. Fronted by Ric Ocasek,and backed by bassist Benjamin Orr, guitarist Elliot Easton, keyboardist Greg Hawkes and drummer David Robinson, they were. . .THE CARS!

Most of their singles included an Elliot Easton guitar solo, with the sound filled out by Greg Hawkes's synthesizers and the harmonies of Easton, Robinson, and Hawkes. Lead vocals were split, with Ric Ocasek taking about 60% and Benjamin Orr taking the remaining 40%. While Ocasek was the sole lyricist and main songwriter for the band, Orr would act as frontman in live appearances.

After a long period of local work, the band signed to Elektra Records in 1977. Their demo version of "Just What I Needed" would turn out to be the first single from the band’s debut album, The Cars, released in 1978 and reaching #3 on the Billboard Pop album chart. "My Best Friend’s Girl" and "Good Times Roll" soon followed, charting in the Billboard Top 40.

Just What I Needed


My Best Friend's Girl (Harry Potter video, but real audio - close yer eyes!)


Let the Good Times Roll (Another cheesy video - enjoy the audio)


Following the lead of Roxy Music, the band commissioned famed Playboy artist Alberto Vargas to design the sexy illustration for the cover of their second album, Candy-O, released in 1979. Hits from that album included "Let’s Go" and "It’s All I Can Do", both Top 40 hits.

Candy O


Let's Go


A more experimental album, Panorama, was released in 1980, charting only one Top 40 hit with "Touch and Go". Rolling Stone described the album as "Ocasek's art record, and not a very good one at all".

Touch and Go


In 1981, the Cars bought their own studio in Boston, Synchro Sound. The only Cars album recorded there was Shake It Up, an album that was recorded in happier times. It was their first album to score a Top 10 hit with the title track, and had another Top 40 hit in "Since You’re Gone".

Shake it Up


Since You're Gone


After a short breakup, the Cars reunited and released their most successful album, Heartbeat City, in 1984. The first single, "You Might Think", helped the Cars win Video of the Year at the first MTV Video Music Awards. Other hit singles from the album included "Magic", "Hello Again", and "Why Can’t I Have You". Their most successful single, "Drive", gained particular notability when it was used in a video of the Ethiopian famine prepared by the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation and introduced by David Bowie at the 1985 Live Aid concert at Wembley Stadium in London.

You Might Think


Magic


Hello Again!


Drive


After the resulting period of superstardom and another hit single, "Tonight She Comes", from their Greatest Hits, the Cars took time off again to pursue solo projects.

Tonight She Comes


In 1987, the Cars released their last album, Door to Door, but it failed to approach the success of their previous albums. They announced the group's breakup in February 1988. From Door to Door:

You are the Girl


Ocasek continues to perform as a solo artist, having released over seven studio albums. David Robinson has retired from music and spends most of his time with his restaurant. Benjamin Orr died of pancreatic cancer on October 3, 2000. In 2005, Elliot Easton and Greg Hawkes combined their talents with Todd Rundgren, Prairie Prince (The Tubes, Utopia), and Kasim Sulton (Utopia, Meat Loaf) in a revamped lineup, The New Cars, to perform classic Cars songs along with selections from Rundgren's solo work and some new original material.

From Benjamin Orr's mid-eighties solo effort, the hit, Stay the Night:


And a couple of Rick Ocasek's solo songs, Something to Grab For and Emotion in Motion:

Something to Grab For


Emotion in Motion


And that's a wrap for this evenings edition of FNR - I hope you had a great time, and we'll see you next week!

Craig Toons

“The Democrats may have control of the House, but the Republicans have control of the bathroom.”- Jay Leno

“My idea of getting lucky in a men’s room is when the motion sensor works on the faucet.” - David Letterman

“Thank you for coming out. It’s a hot day. … Man, people were sweating like the men’s room attendant when Senator Larry Craig walked in.” - Jay Leno

Stress Reliever

Feeling Stressed?
Tough day at the office?
Feel like slapping someone?
Click in the box and then move your mouse around.

Note to Sweaty Teddy - "Take a pill, dude"

Ted Nugent likes to talk tough and play with guns on stage. Things sure have changed since Vietnam. . .I wonder if he wipes his ass these days. On second thought, I really don't care to know. I mean, I've heard his concerts really stink, but. . .I just wrote it off to "has-been who doesn't know it yet" syndrome. . .

Craig - Then and Now. . .

Sometimes. . .it's better to receive than to give:

1999 -



2007 -

Stress management

Whenever you are having a rough day, try this stress management technique recommended in all the latest psychological journals. The funny thing is that it really does work and will make you smile.

1. Picture yourself lying on your belly on a warm rock that hangs out over a crystal clear stream.

2. You can feel both your hands dangling in the cool running water.

3. Birds are sweetly singing in the cool mountain air.

4. No one knows your secret place.

5. You are in total seclusion from that hectic place called "The World".

6. The soothing sound of a gentle waterfall fills the air with a cascade of serenity.

7. The water is so crystal clear that you can easily make out the face of the person you are holding underwater.

See? It really does work. You're smiling already!

KLSD Listeners Show Their Support

San Diego listeners turned out in force to let Clear Channel know that they support the progressive talk radio format. I'd like to note that, despite the common misconception, Clear Channel has actually been rather open to progressive talk and has added it in many markets across the country. They haven't done this for love; there are profits to be made, and the format DOES bring in the dollars. . .From KLSD's site, via Randi Rhodes:

Thanks to the hundreds of listeners who showed up Monday morning outside the KLSD studios at a rally organized by citizens, Democrat and labor groups to support the Progressive Talk format.

Between 300 and 400 KLSD listeners attended a grass roots organized event in front of the KLSD studios in Murphy Canyon to show their support and to help save the format.

CLICK HERE for the Video of the Rally

CLICK HERE to see pictures from the Support KLSD Rally.

Program Director Cliff Albert and Morning Host Stacy Taylor told the crowd that Clear Channel has been looking into the possibility of changing the format to another talk format, possible sports talk. But that no decision has been made and the show of support by so many listeners was gratifying.

Albert said that while various options are under consideration, they want the Progressive voice to remain heard loud and clear in San Diego.

Please feel free to send us an email at support@1360klsd.com and express your thoughts and opinions.

Thank you for listening and supporting your local Progressive Talk Station.

Here's a video clip for the station featuring Stacy Taylor, who fills in for Randi Rhodes on Air America from time to time:



Show these folks some love, and sign their petition to Clear Channel!

Katrina - Two Years Later

Tomorrow marks the two year anniversary of Hurricane Katrina, and still there are tens of thousands of families without homes. 30,000 families are scattered across the country in FEMA apartments, 13,000 are in trailers, and hardly any of the 77,000 rental units destroyed in New Orleans have been rebuilt. Here are some of their stories:



There is something very specific you can do to help. Sign the petition urging the Senate to pass the Gulf Coast Recovery Bill of 2007 (S1668). The bill is expected to come to a vote after Labor Day. Its passage will be an important step toward rebuilding the infrastructure in the Gulf Coast region.

Sign the petition: HERE

Please pass the video on and encourage people to sign the petition. It's important we all support the Gulf Coast region's right to return home and put the needed resources toward rebuilding these families' lives.

Editorials on Gonzo's Exit

The Democratic National Committee compiled a list of national editorials hailing Attorney General Alberto Gonzales' resignation Monday:

Kansas City Star: Gonzales put politics above the law. "Bush's attempt to turn the tables -- accusing critics in Congress of creating a 'harmful distraction' -- only shows his own lack of respect for the separation of politics and justice....Bush's defiant rebuke to Gonzales' critics -- a group that includes some leading Republicans--raises doubts about his ability to select an attorney general who will restore professionalism and morale in the Justice Department." [Kansas City Star, 8/27/07, ]

St. Petersburg Times: Gonzales made justice the servant of politics. "President Bush has it backward. In announcing his acceptance of Alberto Gonzales' resignation, Bush complained his attorney general's 'good name was dragged through the mud for political reasons.' Actually, it was Gonzales who tarnished the reputation of the Justice Department by subordinating the interests of justice to the service of politics....The rule of law is not some empty slogan. It is the foundation of this nation, and the next appointee needs to understand that his fealty is to the law and not to the man who gave his career a boost. The political reality is that Bush is a lame duck president with an inner circle that is emptying out." [St. Petersburg Times, 8/28/07, ]

Journal News (New York): Lessons in accountability. "'I have lived the American dream,' Gonzales said in announcing his resignation yesterday. For the rest of the nation, which has suffered too long Gonzales' tortured memory and disregard for our civil liberties and sensibilities, it has been more like a nightmare. Good riddance." [Journal News (New York), 8/28/07, ]

Chicago Sun-Times: Revive justice: Replace Gonzales with someone who will protect our liberties. "We're glad to see Albert Gonzales go -- finally. On his watch, politics colored the workings of the Justice Department through the firing of nine U.S. attorneys. And Americans' dearly held rights to privacy were systematically trashed by warrantless wiretapping. Enough of that. Gonzales, whose resignation this newspaper called for in March and again in July, should have quit months ago....Realistically, we can't expect much of a change. Gonzales did, after all, do Bush's bidding. He got the president's steadfast support in return. On Monday, Bush spoke bitterly of how Gonzales' good name was 'dragged through the mud for political reasons.'" [Chicago Sun-Times, 8/28/07, ]

Seattle Times: Gonzales' gift: His resignation. "It is a sad commentary that Alberto Gonzales' greatest service to the nation during his tenure as U.S. attorney general is his resignation....The Bush White House played a role too in the obfuscation, successfully urging former advisers not to testify. Gonzales' resignation should not dissuade Congress from its search for the truth. That Gonzales crossed the line so easily and apparently so often is a lesson that history deserves." [Seattle Times, 8/28/07, ]

Another (yawn) Republican with a taste for. . .rooster?

In what can only be termed as the latest entry in a never-ending epidemic of closet perversion within the Republican party, Senator Larry Craig of Idaho (YES, you DID, Lar. .)pled guilty to a misdemeanor disorderly conduct charge. He paid more than $500 in fines and fees, and avoided a whopping 10-day jail sentence by admitting to what he termed as "a misunderstanding". . . So much for the theory that Idaho is TOUGH on gays - if you just remember to deny deny deny, they'll not only keep you out of jail but will actually let you live:

After he was arrested, Craig, who is married, was taken to the Airport Police Operations Center to be interviewed about the lewd conduct incident, according to the police report. At one point during the interview, Craig handed the plainclothes sergeant who arrested him a business card that identified him as a U.S. Senator and said, “What do you think about that?” the report states.

Craig was detained for approximately 45 minutes, interviewed, photographed, fingerprinted and released, and police prepared a formal complaint for interference with privacy and disorderly conduct.

According to the incident report, Sgt. Dave Karsnia was working as a plainclothes officer on June 11 investigating civilian complaints regarding sexual activity in the men’s public restroom in which Craig was arrested.

Airport police previously had made numerous arrests in the men’s restroom of the Northstar Crossing in the Lindbergh Terminal in connection with sexual activity.

Karsnia entered the bathroom at noon that day and about 13 minutes after taking a seat in a stall, he stated he could see “an older white male with grey hair standing outside my stall.”

The man, who lingered in front of the stall for two minutes, was later identified as Craig.

“I could see Craig look through the crack in the door from his position. Craig would look down at his hands, ‘fidget’ with his fingers, and then look through the crack into my stall again. Craig would repeat this cycle for about two minutes,” the report states.

Craig then entered the stall next to Karsnia’s and placed his roller bag against the front of the stall door.

“My experience has shown that individuals engaging in lewd conduct use their bags to block the view from the front of their stall,” Karsnia stated in his report. “From my seated position, I could observe the shoes and ankles of Craig seated to the left of me.”

Craig was wearing dress pants with black dress shoes.

“At 1216 hours, Craig tapped his right foot. I recognized this as a signal used by persons wishing to engage in lewd conduct. Craig tapped his toes several times and moves his foot closer to my foot. I moved my foot up and down slowly. While this was occurring, the male in the stall to my right was still present. I could hear several unknown persons in the restroom that appeared to use the restroom for its intended use. The presence of others did not seem to deter Craig as he moved his right foot so that it touched the side of my left foot which was within my stall area,” the report states.

Craig then proceeded to swipe his hand under the stall divider several times, and Karsnia noted in his report that “I could ... see Craig had a gold ring on his ring finger as his hand was on my side of the stall divider.”

Karsnia then held his police identification down by the floor so that Craig could see it.

“With my left hand near the floor, I pointed towards the exit. Craig responded, ‘No!’ I again pointed towards the exit. Craig exited the stall with his roller bags without flushing the toilet. ... Craig said he would not go. I told Craig that he was under arrest, he had to go, and that I didn’t want to make a scene. Craig then left the restroom.”

In a recorded interview after his arrest, Craig “either disagreed with me or ‘didn’t recall’ the events as they happened,” the report states.

Craig stated “that he has a wide stance when going to the bathroom and that his foot may have touched mine,” the report states. Craig also told the arresting officer that he reached down with his right hand to pick up a piece of paper that was on the floor.

“It should be noted that there was not a piece of paper on the bathroom floor, nor did Craig pick up a piece of paper,” the arresting officer said in the report.

On Aug. 8, the day he pleaded guilty to disorderly conduct in the Minnesota court, Craig appeared via satellite at a ceremony that took place in Idaho in which former Idaho federal Judge Randy Smith was invested into his new position as a judge on the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals.

In October 2006, Craig’s office publicly denied allegations that he was a homosexual made on a gay activist Web site — blogactive.com. Craig’s office told the Spokane Spokesman-Review that the charge was “completely ridiculous,” saying that the allegations had “no basis in fact.”

I'm guessing that they now have some "basis in fact". It's gotta be rough to be a member of the GOP with repressed homosexuality, passing laws condemning the homosexual agenda by day and trolling for trouser trout in public restrooms by night.

Another One Bites the Dust

Okay - I'm late! I heard the news at 6:30 this morning on my way to work. Since it's already been covered in every angle. . .I'm pouncing on the cheap shots post! ;)

"Fredo struggles to retain his grip on W's sphincter"

"Don't take me half the way!"

"Gonzo's future way to earn beer money - no different than his whoring for Bush!"

You Tell Me

It's Monday morning once again, and time to have a ball as you roll merrily along pondering a witty entry for today's edition of "caption this photo":

Keith Knight dead at 51

No more franks for Finkelstein

Keith Knight, who is perhaps best known for his role as counsellor-in-training Larry Finklestein in the film ``Meatballs,'' has died. He was 51.

The Sault Ste. Marie, Ont., native whose passion for acting saw him work professionally on stage, film and television for nearly 30 years, died Wednesday night at his home in Toronto of brain cancer. ``Meatballs'' is the 1979 Canadian comedy that marked Knight's feature film debut and cast ``Saturday Night Live'' alum Bill Murray in his first starring role.

Knight's other film credits include ``Looking for Angelina,'' ``Owning Mahowny,'' ``My Bloody Valentine,'' ``Hog Wild,'' ``Gas'' and ``Class of 1984.''

He appeared in dozens of community theatre productions in his hometown in the mid- to late-1970s - ending with an award-winning performance at Theatre Ontario - before launching his professional career in 1978.

He was appearing in a Blythe Summer Festival production in Blythe, Ont., when he auditioned for ``Meatballs.'' The film's producers liked his work so much that they bought out his theatre contract so he could appear in the comedy.

``Meatballs,'' budgeted at $1.6 million and shot in Haliburton, Ont., earned more than $25 million in the first six weeks of its release, making it, at the time, the top-grossing Canadian film of all time.

Knight, who was featured on a 47-minute commentary included in a DVD release of the film, ate more than 100 hot dogs during filming of a hot dog-eating contest.

He appeared as defence attorney Uriah McFadden in Platinum Image Film's production of ``Looking for Angelina'' in 2004. That film, shot in Sault Ste. Marie, was released on DVD last fall.

The director of ``Looking for Angelina'' was ``shocked and overwhelmed'' when he learned about Knight's death.

``He brought a lot of choices and interpretations to the character,'' said Sergio Navarretta.

``He was very much a team player. He was very accommodating and willing to take on the challenge of shooting it live in sequence and working through those gruelling days.''

In the 1981 feature ``Gas,'' Knight appeared alongside Howie Mandel and Donald Sutherland.

Knight performed at the Shaw Festival in Niagara-on-the-Lake, Ont., in the early 1980s in ``Cyrano de Bergerac,'' ``The Music Cure'' and ``Too True to Be Good.''

His television credits included roles in ``Queer as Folk,'' ``The Littlest Hobo,'' ``Road to Avonlea,'' ``Seeing Things'' and ``Street Legal.''

He appeared in more than 160 television commercials pitching goods for Laura Secord, Water Pik, Bounce and Lotto 649.

In latter years, Knight switched to voice work in animated shows, including ``The Busy World of Richard Scarry,'' ``The Blazing Dragons,'' ``Ace Ventura'' and ``Rupert the Bear.''

Knight is survived by his wife, Jenifer McCullough.

In honor of Peacechick Mary

The screen at Knock Knock went black about a week ago. As I have not been getting out and about as much as I used to, this sad event was off of my radar screen. I had noticed that Mary hadn't commented much lately, and she was a regular in that field on this humble blog. It's my understanding that some personal issues had arisen, and she felt the need to pull the plug. I think nearly all of us who have blogged for awhile have been to that junction at least once or twice.

That being said, Mary will be greatly missed in the blogosphere. We wish her nothing but happiness and satisfaction, as well as closure on what has troubled her so as of late. I consider her to be one of the best friends that I've never met, and, in her honor, I have preserved her blog's address and name. I took this action to preserve the site should she ever wish to return, and to prevent some shiftless web marketer from using it as a re-direct address (we've all seen that).

If you wish to keep Knock Knock in your blogrolls, it will still be there. I will not use the site or name in any way, other than to hope that Mary will someday return and find her old home in one of our blogrolls so that I may return it to her. That, and hope, is all I can do. . .

The Daily Groan. . .

1. Two antennas met on a roof, fell in love and got married. The ceremony wasn't much, but the reception was excellent.

2. A jumper cable walks into a bar. The bartender says, "I'll serve you, but don't start anything."

3. Two peanuts walk into a bar, and one was a salted.

4. A dyslexic man walks into a bra.

5. A man walks into a bar with a slab of asphalt under his arm and says: "A beer please, and one for the road."

6. Two cannibals are eating a clown. One says to the other: "Does this taste funny to you?"

7. "Doc, I can't stop singing 'The Green, Green Grass of Home.'"
"That sounds like Tom Jones Syndrome."
"Is it common?"
"Well, It's Not Unusual."

8. Two cows are standing next to each other in a field. Daisy says to Dolly, "I was artificially inseminated this morning."
"I don't believe you," says Dolly.
"It's true, no bull!" exclaims Daisy.

9. An invisible man marries an invisible woman. The kids were nothing to look at either.

10. I went to buy some camouflage trousers the other day but I couldn't find any.

11. A man woke up in a hospital after a serious accident. He shouted, "Doctor, doctor, I can't feel my legs!"
The doctor replied, "I know you can't - I've cut off your arms!"

12. I went to a seafood disco last week...and pulled a mussel.

13. What do you call a fish with no eyes? A fsh.

14. Two fish swim into a concrete wall. The one turns to the other and says "Dam!"

15. Two Eskimos sitting in a kayak were chilly, so they lit a fire in the craft.. Unsurprisingly it sank, proving once again that you can't have your kayak and heat it too.

16. A group of chess enthusiasts checked into a hotel and were standing in the lobby discussing their recent tournament victories. After about an hour, the manager came out of the office and asked them to disperse. "But why," they asked, as they moved off.
"Because", he said, "I can't stand chess-nuts boasting in an open foyer."

17. A woman has twins and gives them up for adoption. One of them goes to a family in Egypt and is named "Ahmal."The other goes to a family in Spain; they name him "Juan." Years later, Juan sends a picture of himself to his birth mother. Upon receiving the picture, she tells her husband that she wishes she also had a picture of Ahmal. Her husband responds, "They're twins! If you've seen Juan, you've seen Ahmal."

18. Mahatma Gandhi, as you know, walked barefoot most of the time, which produced an impressive set of calluses on his feet. He also ate very little which made him rather frail and with his odd diet, he suffered from bad breath. This made him.... a super calloused fragile mystic hexed by halitosis.

19. DejaMoo: The feeling that you've heard this bull before.

20. ...And finally, there was the person who sent twenty different puns to his friends, with the hope that at least ten of the puns would make them laugh.
No pun in ten did.

Here vs There

At least he's staying on script. . .

Murray hits the clubs. . .in a golf cart!

Damn it!! Yet another of my heroes has fallen. . .okay, maybe more of a stumble. At least compared to such contemporaries as Belushi, Farley, and Hartman.

Bill Murray was pulled over in downtown Stockholm, Sweden early last Monday morning, and refused a blood-alcohol test. His refusal automatically incurred a blood test, per Swedish law. This will take up to two weeks for results.

Okay. He DID smell of alcohol, he WAS driving a golf cart through town (Legal in Sweden by-the-way), and refused the breath-alyzer.

On the other hand, this incident occurred in an extremely liberal country where DD arrests normally result in mere fines. And, not to trivialize drinking and driving, the man was driving a GOLF CART - I cannot fathom him causing injury to anyone with that mode of transportation! As long as he wasn't packing plastique and mumbling about gophers, FREE WILLY!

The golf cart had been on display for a week outside the downtown hotel where Murray and other VIPs attending the Scandinavian Masters golf tournament were staying, and Murray apparently drove the golf cart to the trendy Cafe Opera nightclub, less than a mile away, and was pulled over on his way back to the hotel.

The tournament head noted that the vehicle wasn't intended for guests but added: "I don't hold any grudge against Bill Murray for borrowing our cart for a while." HELL no, you don't! You have "Mr.Caddyshack" playing in your tournament and he HAD to borrow your golf cart to hit the local clubs? You'd think someone would have offered him a limo ride there. . .

Lost and Found

It was a good week for families of missing World War II veterans:

The mangled remains of a vessel found in the Bering Sea are likely those of a World War II submarine that disappeared with a crew of 70 off the Aleutian Island of Kiska.



Mountain hikers have discovered remains believed to be those of a missing World War II airman resting atop a glacier not far from where an aviation cadet's body was found two years ago, authorities said Monday.

I'm not terribly surprised that the ship remained undiscovered for so long. That's a remote and deep section of ocean. One could also call the mountainous California location of the missing airman remote and unlikely, yet it's hard to imagine such areas still existing in our world today. At least for a mid-western guy like me. . .

Also not surprisingly, there were no human remains found with the ship while the two airmen were discovered frozen and intact. Just "food" for thought for anyone considering an armed forces career . . .

Couey faces execution

John Evander Couey is a lucky man. Now, I know what you're thinking. . .Good's finally completed the task of losing his mind - we've seen that coming for years now.

Alas, no. My sanity, which is often cause for concern, particularly among conservative types, is maintaining it's frail grip, have no fear. Allow me to explain exactly why that I feel that this man monster is indeed so lucky, after having just been sentenced to death for the horrible murder of Jessica Lunsford.

First of all, I do not reside in the state of Florida. And, if I did make my home there, I have two young daughters of my own whom I love dearly and wish to personally see to adulthood. Therefore I would not personally mutilate, torture, and finally take the life of this piece of shit. It's called for, it's just, and I would feel great up until *I* was made to pay for my removal of him from this planet. He's lucky in that regard. . .

Secondly, this disgusting repeat-child-offender will be kept away from the general prison population until his state-determined "expiration date". So, instead of wondering when some other inmate will kill him for his despicable crime, he'll get to live in relative peace. Oh, he'll have hope. Much like Jessica did, as she poked her fingers through the first of two plastic bags that he had stuffed her in before throwing a foot of dirt on top of her while she was STILL ALIVE. She desperately wanted to live; but Couey denied her that life. Soon denial will be returned to him.

And third, he's already lived a long life on this planet. FAR longer than Jessica had a chance to. However twisted, bent, and broken his psyche may have been during those years, he HAD those years. Jessica shall not, by his own hand. His time among us was wasted - Couey has a criminal record that includes 24 burglary arrests, carrying a concealed weapon and indecent exposure. He was designated a sex offender for exposing himself to a 5-year-old girl in 1991.

And in early 2005, he kidnapped nine-year-old Jessica from the reasoned safety of her own bedroom. He then raped her in his nearby trailer, killed her to cover his tracks, and buried her alive in a shallow grave less than 150 yards from her home. Couey told Jessica he was planning to take her home, but did not want her to be seen, and so persuaded her to get into a trash bag. Couey then knotted another trash bag over her head, placed her in a hole and shoveled dirt on top of her.


When they found her, with her two fingers poked through the first plastic bag, her other hand was still grasping her favorite stuffed animal, a dolphin won for her at a state fair by her father, which Couey allowed her to bring with her when she was abducted. This was her only available friend that she had as her oxygen-starved lungs failed her and she left this world. She deserved so much more than you have been given.

Kucinich Girl

First there was "Obama Girl", then "Hot for Hill". . .it was only a matter of time before this one showed up:

The Elephant

In 1986, Mikele Mebembe was on holiday in Kenya after graduating from Northwestern University.
On a hike through the bush, he came across a young bull elephant standing with one leg raised in the air. The elephant seemed distressed, so Mikele approached it very carefully.

He got down on one knee and inspected the elephant's foot and found a large piece of wood deeply embedded in it. As carefully and as gently as he could, Mikele worked the wood out with his hunting knife, after which the elephant gingerly put down its foot. The elephant turned to face the man, and with a rather curious look on its face, stared at him for several tense moments. Mikele stood frozen, thinking of nothing else but being trampled. Eventually the elephant trumpeted loudly, turned, and walked away. Mikele never forgot that elephant or the events of that day.

Twenty years later, Mikele was walking through the Chicago Zoo with his teenaged son. As they approached the elephant enclosure, one of the creatures turned and walked over to near where Mikele and his son Tapu were standing. The large bull elephant stared at Mikele, lifted its front foot off the ground, then put it down. The elephant did that several times then trumpeted loudly, all the while staring at the man.

Remembering the encounter in 1986, Mikele couldn't help wondering if this was the same elephant. Mikele summoned up his courage, climbed over the railing and made his way into the enclosure. He walked right up to the elephant and stared back in wonder. The elephant trumpeted again, wrapped its trunk around one of Mikele's legs and slammed him against the railing, killing him instantly.

I guess it wasn't the same elephant. . .

Friday Nite Retro

I'll be out this evening. I hope you enjoy these tunes from Rhett Miller and the Old 97's!

Designs on You


Murder or a Heart Attack


King of all of the World


Come Around


Here it is & Rollerskate Skinny

"Son of a . . ."

Porky Pig Says. . .

Findlay Flood - The Epic YouTube Film

A group of kids filmed their escape from the floodwaters in Findlay, Ohio. Here is their story:

Part I - The Escape


Part II - The Streets


Part III - Hope


Part IV - Bail Out


Part V - Trouble With the Transport


Part VI - Selfish Mr.Smith

Texan puts toddler in dryer

This guy needs some serious mental help - I haven't heard if he was under the influence of anything or not, but either way. . .

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I actually endured this at the age of 5. Many of you may recall that back in the sixties, dryers operated in much the same manner as the washing machine - open the lid it stops, close the lid and it starts right back up. There's a reason why they changed that switch method! I had gone down to the basement, grabbed our cat, and set down on the open lid of the dryer to pet her. Apparently, I fell backwards into the dryer, which resumed it's unfinished cycle!

Needless to say, my Mom heard the banging and howling and extricated us post haste! Next time I'll tell you about my encounter with the electric fence that same summer. . .;)

The "Surge Propaganda Campaign"

A conservative group called "Freedom's Watch" is making a 15 million dollar ad buy to get misleading propagandistic ads on the air in 20 states. The ads falsely conflate the Iraq war with 9/11 in subtle visual ways. They're meant to confuse the American public into supporting Bush's failing "surge" policy. And who is the point man for this conservative pro-war group? None other than Bush's former press secretary, Ari Fleischer:

Mike Pence is an IDIOT

Here's the proof:



Now. . .VOTE FOR BARRY WELSH NEXT YEAR!!!!

Iraq Vs Vietnam

George Bush finally came around today, admitting and even trumpeting the similarities between the Vietnam War and the. . .I'm not even sure what to call it anymore, Bush's Bain, The War for Oil. . .well, that thing going on in Iraq. I noted that there were a few comparisons that he forgot to mention:

1. No members of the Bush or Cheney families served in either one of these military theaters.

2. In a word: "quagmire".

3. Johnson refused to run again; Nixon resigned; we're waiting. . .

4. Asia - chopper evacs from rooftops; Iraq - "coming soon"

5. Lowest approval rating in history for a sitting president.

6. People in the streets protesting - marches on Washington DC.

7. Guaranteed election of a Democrat in the next presidential election (sweaters optional).

8. Cheney, Rumsfeld, Wolfowitz, et al.

9. The great silent majority (but the new one's starting to roar).

10. You can take all of the letters from vice-president Spiro Agnew's name and spell "grow a penis". Dick Cheney IS a dick.

Arch Angel Institute - A Rebuttal

Kevin Leininger's News Sentinel column yesterday focused on the Arch Angel Institute's conversion of this former Fort Wayne Women's Health Clinic into a "center for people who want to put God's laws first" (Read as "people who feel they have the right to make your personal decisions for you")

I am extremely tired of these religious fundamentalists who wish to impose their "faith" on others. They are no different than the Islamic jihadists who commit acts of aggression against others in the name of their faith. True followers of Christ, two of which I was raised by, follow his example and live by the principles that he taught to his followers - "Live by my example. Do not dictate how others should live their lives, spend your days sharing my message of compassion for your fellow man and helping him without judgement."

The Roe v Wade issue has been used as a wedge issue for far too long in our country. It's all a matter of how the conversation is framed - I honestly don't know anyone who is "pro-abortion", but I know alot of people who believe in a woman's right to make her own reproductive decisions. That is a VERY personal decision, her right as a woman and a U.S. citizen. Whether or not it follows YOUR personal views is irrelevant. Your rights and beliefs are just as important as mine, or anyone else's, and no individual or authority has the right to interfere with how you choose to live your life.

Bryan Brown, a former leader of Northeast Indiana Rescue and the founder of the Arch Angel Institute, envisions his organization as a counter-balance to the ACLU whom he claims is "anti-Christian". That ACLU's mission is to protect our civil liberties as American citizens. If anyone is trying to step on our rights, they will step in, regardless of your religion or lack thereof.

Mr.Brown apparently also believes that our courts and very society are biased against Christianity. After the fundamentalist far right's successful mission to elect George W. Bush TWICE, as well as appointing solid conservatives to the supreme court, all in the name of "faith and values", I really don't understand what that opinion is based upon. Is he worried about the repercussions from the new great silent majority that are slowly pulling our country back in the other direction?

Brown also erroneously claims that Congress is debating the reinstatement of the “fairness doctrine,”(They overwhelmingly blocked the FCC from reinstating this in July of this year) which he labels as a "response to the popularity of conservative talk radio and the utter commercial failure of liberal programming". The "popularity" of conservative talk is based solely on market share and ownership - Clear Channel owns nearly all of the radio stations in America, which gives them most of the market share. And they make the decision on what to air. To their credit (it pains me to say that), they are now actually running progressive talk in a number of markets, many of which have shown numbers where lefty talkers such as Randi Rhodes and Ed Schultz are beating out righty's such as Limbaugh and O'Reilly.

Mr.Brown would be well-served by researching his positions before undertaking another interview. There is a clear difference between "talking points" and the facts. . .

Fox Attacks: Iran

More on election fraud

Are strange bedfellows sharing a voting booth? Critics in California are again questioning county election officials' cozy relationship with voting machine manufacturers.

"ES&S sold nearly 1,000 voting machines in California without telling the counties that bought them that they had never been certified for use in this state," CA Secretary of State Debra Bowen announced in a statement released today.

"Given that each machine costs about $5,000, it appears ES&S has taken $5 million out of the pockets of several California counties, that were simply trying to follow the law and equip their polling places with certified voting machines."

You may need to register to read the first story linked above - DO IT. . .and share the information you find there!

Presidential Candidate's views on Education

I received this via e-mail today:

Hi John

My name is Jimmy Atkinson. I am the owner of OEDb: Online Education Database, a Web site devoted to education. In our recent feature article, we investigated the views on education of the major 2008 U.S. presidential candidates -- http://oedb.org/library/features/comparison-presidential-candidates-on-major-education-issues. I thought you and your readers at Left in Aboite might be interested in having a look. Let me know if you have any feedback.

Thanks,

Jimmy Atkinson

OEDb: Online Education Database

http://oedb.org/

And while we're discussing our children:

The Bush administration, continuing its fight to stop states from expanding the popular Children’s Health Insurance Program, has adopted new standards that would make it much more difficult for New York, California and others to extend coverage to children in middle-income families.

When NOT to hyphenate your name. . .

Who'll Stop the Rain?!

This isn't actually a picture taken here in Indiana today, but it COULD be! The forecast calls for more of this tomorrow. . .and Wednesday. . .and Thursday. . .and. . .well, you get the point.

When we suffered through one of the driest summers on record here in the midwest, we never realized that all of the missing precipitation was merely being banked by Mother Nature for one enormous show in late August. . .she must be a fan of the "wait for it" school of theater. All I know for sure is that my dead lawn looks rather depressing, floating underneath the numerous ponds that have developed all over it. The mulch that I so carefully applied earlier in the summer has made a desperate escape attempt; riding the swirling streams of water halfway into the yard, and smothering what grass defiantly dared to grow during the long dry spell - a double herbicide, indeed.

I am certain that our gutters should be functioning normally; I installed gutter guards on them myself, and my wife cleared all of the tree debris from the roof in June. Yet that roaring sound coming from the front door turned out to be rainwater pouring off of the top of the gutter and assisting the mulch in it's futile efforts to return to the mother tree! I care not to investigate, and shall not until all has dried out once more.

My sleep last eve was fitful and disturbed. I kept awaking to a loud, oddly familiar, growling sound from the depths below our bedroom. Fearing that a bear, or at the very least a large raccoon, had invaded the basement, I wisely remained in bed secure in the knowledge that the beast would likely drown down there if the sump pump fail. . .oh! Well, I hadn't heard the wretched thing run in nearly 3 months!!

The lake in our back yard (Not from the rain; it's always been there) seems to be getting closer. I just looked out the back door, and I swear that it's 50 yards closer to the house! I fear that sleep tonight may be a challenge again; and wish I wasn't such an avid reader of Stephen King . .at least the growling will bother me no more. Thank heavens we disposed of the water bed several years ago - I would wake up screaming in a cold sweat for sure!

I'm certain that this was all bound to occur sooner or later. We live in a town called Fort Rain, the local weather service is called NOAA, our esteemed state representative is named Moses, and we're famous for our Three Rivers Festival. You can't say that we weren't warned. . .

Good night. . .I hope.

Leahy to BushCo - "You're in comtempt"!

Sen. Patrick Leahy, chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee, today threatened to hold members of the Bush administration in contempt for not producing subpoenaed information about the legal justification for President Bush's secretive eavesdropping program. "When the Senate comes back in the session, I'll bring it up before the committee," said Leahy, "I prefer cooperation to contempt. Right now, there's no question that they are in contempt of the valid order of this Congress."

On June 27, Leahy's committee subpoenaed the Justice Department, National Security Council and the offices of the president and vice president for documents relating to the NSA's legal justification for the wiretapping program.

White House lawyer Fred Fielding once again today claimed that the administration needed more time to review the requested documents, but Leahy was having none of it. "We've waited waited long enough. It has been almost two months since service of the subpoenas, three weeks since the time they asked for additional time. And still, we have nothing at all," Leahy said.

Leahy further indicated that the committee would continue to seek recently resigned White House adviser Karl Rove's appearance on the U.S. attorney firings. "I don't think he had a valid claim of executive privilege, because all the testimony has been that it wasn't discussed with the president. If it wasn't discussed with the president, there's no executive privilege," he said. "And they've just lost the other claim they could make that he's too important to the operation of the White House to be able to take time to testify. That's not going to be the case anymore."

Bored Kangaroo

I guess his name is Randy. . .

You Tell Me

When you get up too early on a Monday morning and stop by your favorite fast food joint, you're bound to see some interesting sights. . .I have my own theories about these two, but since it's Monday morning, YOU tell ME!

Stripping for the Environment

Nearly 600 volunteers have stripped for the camera on a melting Swiss glacier high in the Alps for a publicity campaign to expose the impact of climate change.

Greenpeace, which commissioned the photo shoot by world-renowned photographer Spencer Tunick, says the volunteers turned up under blue skies near the foot of the Aletsch glacier, a protected UNESCO World Heritage site.

Nicolas de Roten of Greenpeace Switzerland counted almost 600 people in attendance. "It's relatively chilly but that doesn't seem to be disturbing them," he said.

Greenpeace says the human body is as vulnerable as glaciers like the Aletsch in southern Switzerland - which is shrinking by more than 100 metres a year - and the world's environment.

Shrinking was probably an unfortunate term to use in this story. . .

What can Brown do for You?

Sorry about that new monitor or that antique porcelain doll you just bought on Ebay. . .

Revenge by Gadget

Attention loud cellphone talkers, overzealous horn honkers, inconsiderate cab drivers and other everyday pests. Your days may be numbered.

Thanks to the falling cost of microcontroller chips and the lure of easy online sales, inventors are turning out record numbers of gadgets. One growing subset of these inventions: products that help people neutralize antisocial behavior at the push of a button.

Students at MIT's Media Lab demonstrate new inventions and gadgets that carry social applications or have social aims.The brains behind these devices range from entrepreneurs in suburban Los Angeles to graduate students at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.



British inventors are exporting a new product for people who hate lousy drivers -- it's a luminescent screen that fits in a car's rear window and, at the driver's command, flashes any one of five messages to other motorists.

These include a smiley face, a sad face and phrases like "Back Off" and "Idiot." (Since the product's U.S. debut, the company says it also has received several requests for images of offensive hand gestures.)

Some products, like the "Outdoor Bark Control Birdhouse," which aims to quiet loud dogs, came about by accident. Though the technology has been around for five years, the manufacturer, Radio Systems of Knoxville, Tenn., initially sold it as an indoor training tool for pet owners. But the company says it began getting requests from customers for an outdoor version that could be used on annoying neighborhood dogs. When a market analysis showed 60% of consumers would welcome a covert way to shut up somebody else's canine, the company decided to proceed.

Mike Taylor, a Radio Systems executive, says the company doubled the bark controller's range to 50 feet, then asked a focus group to help figure out a way to camouflage the unit so neighbors wouldn't know what it was. After flirting with fake rocks and footballs, the company settled on a somewhat unlikely design -- a brightly painted Bavarian-style birdhouse. "I was the first user," says Mr. Taylor, who says he tested the prototype on an obnoxious neighborhood German shepherd. "I'm sleeping pleasantly now."

Several years ago as an engineering graduate student at the University of California, Berkeley, Eric Paulos built a device called the "I-Bomb" that emits an electromagnetic pulse that disables all electronics in its range (a similar device was depicted in the movie "Ocean's Eleven").

While Mr. Paulos says he has operated the I-Bomb only about half a dozen times in front of audiences -- he considers it a work of performance art -- he says he continues to get emails from would-be manufacturers and marketers and, more oddly, people who live nearby and just want to borrow it. One such message: "My neighbor is playing loud music, I just want it to stop."

Southern Man -vs- Sweet Home Alabama

Over the last couple of weeks, I've had the misfortune to hear "Sweet Home Alabama" way too many times. . .I even had to suffer through the movie of the same name on a charter bus. Okay, the movie wasn't all that bad. . .for a chick-flick, but that song. . .it just annoys me to no end.

"Now, Watergate, it doesn't bother me. . .does your conscience bother you, now tell me true"

Watergate certainly DID bother most of America. A president who lied, cheated, and stealed and then had the nerve to say "it's NOT illegal if the president does it".WOW - deja vu. . .

"Da-dant, da da da-dant da da da-dant. . .turn it OFF. . ."

But the line that REALLY pisses me off is the jab at Neil Young and CSNY: "I hope Neil Young will remember, southern man don't need him around anyhow".

You see, Neil penned a nice little song about racism and the good-old-boy system of doing things that prevailed in the south for far too long. And, instead of moving forward like most of their southern brethren, these asshats instead defended the very things that Neil (and the rest of America) was protesting by saying "phht! We don't need you and we'll defend a lifestyle that the rest of the country has atoned for and moved on".

When I see people rally around this song at taverns, wedding receptions, etc. . .it turns my stomach. I realize that the vast majority of people have no clue as to the true meaning of the song, and are merely reacting to the infectious guitar riffs and rallying cry. I have no problems at all with regional pride; but please pay attention to the lyrics that you are mouthing. You might be unpleasantly surprised by the sentiments behind a seemingly innocent and innocuous song. . .

"Southern Man"


Here's a video with clearer audio and a MUCH clearer representation of Neil Young's message:


Much like the very state of our democracy itself, successful results rely upon an informed populace. Whether in politics or music, look beyond the feel-good banners and Orwellian presentations and peer into the real message that's being imprinted into your brain. You know, in your heart, what is correct. What is fair. What matters. . .how you would want to be treated!