Because it's Friday, and this chick is funny....
Friday, October 10, 2008
Labels: All Posts, General Bullshit, Politics
posted by Dustin @ 12:57 PM,
Don't Vote.
Thursday, October 2, 2008
posted by Dustin @ 3:25 PM,
Copping Out
Thursday, September 25, 2008
So, I must say that John McCain's most recent attempt to puss out has frustrated me. For whatever reason, be it that he's not ready to debate Obama or that he's trying to move the debate to when the veeps are scheduled to meet (because if Sarah isn't ready to handle Katie Couric, she sure as shit can't handle Biden, and Katie skewered her yesterday), McCain's decision to hide behind the wall street bailout effort and skip tomorrow's debate is anything but straight talk.
With 39 days left till America chooses her next president, Johnny boy needs to show us he can multitask. If I were one of his supporters I'd be furious.
Ok, rant over...for now...
Posted with LifeCast
posted by Dustin @ 5:42 PM,
I could....
Thursday, September 4, 2008
Kiss John Stewart with tongue for this segment...
posted by Dustin @ 8:47 PM,
Frakking September.
Wednesday, September 3, 2008
Anyone know how three quarters of this year blew by? Was I sleeping? Drunk? Just ridiculously distracted? Whatever the reason, here we are, in September of 2008. Summer is flirting itself away, we can't wear white anymore, and the 2008 Presidential Election is right around the corner. I know it's cliche, but the older I get, the more clearly I understand what I've been told all my life: as you age, a year becomes a shorter and shorter period of time.
Well, it's been an eventful Summer. I traveled quite a bit for work and play, including another jump to India, and a quick trip to Washington for my grandfather's 80th birthday. More recently, we thought about moving downtown, until we realized that the housing downfall has caused our home value to fall pretty dramatically, making it foolish to think about selling right "just 'cause". So here we'll sit for a while - marginally disappointed, but more or less over it.
In other news, I've just sent off for my absentee ballot to vote in the election. I get the joy of voting anytime I choose between about two weeks from now and mid-October, due to yet another trip to India in early November that will keep me from hitting the polls. While I'm relatively certain my mind is made up (like, approximately 190% made up), I'll probably hold off till October to "pull the lever", as it were. I'm both addicted and more than a little bit worn out by the election at this point. The nomination of Sarah Palin adds for some drama to keep things interesting, but I'm convinced most people know what they're going to do. Part of me wishes we could just get it over with. Oh wait, I'm going to.
And finally, for this post, I've finally taken a step and begun the process of scheduling studio time. Actual studio time. Not, fucking around in my home "studio" studio time. Nah, working with a producer/engineer, session musicians, tens of thousands of dollars of gear, etc. I'm not sure where it will go, but the new stuff I've been writing is stronger than anything I've ever done. And I've got the connections to do something with it, if it turns out good enough. I've said before that I don't have the gumption (see a good definition of gumption here) to spend a few years playing at shitty clubs for the door. But if someone heard some of my stuff and thought they could make me an overnight success, I'd be in. If not, c'est la vie. Same thing goes, except I think I could be persuaded to put in some effort this go around. Maybe that means building an online following. Maybe that means some selected shows. Dunno. But I'm itching to lay down some tracks, and ready to do it right. We'll see how this goes.
Currently in Memphis, Tennessee
Currently listening to The Republican National Convention, ugh...
Labels: All Posts, General Bullshit, Politics
posted by Dustin @ 7:30 PM,
Because I haven't posted in a few days and this shit is funny...
Friday, August 22, 2008
posted by Dustin @ 9:24 AM,
Friday Funny
Friday, August 8, 2008
A text message conversation between John McCain and Paris Hilton...
Currently in Memphis, Tennessee
Currently listening to Queen - A Night at the Opera
Labels: All Posts, General Bullshit, Politics
posted by Dustin @ 9:33 AM,
Why I'm Voting Republican.
Tuesday, June 17, 2008
Labels: All Posts, General Bullshit, Politics
posted by Dustin @ 11:34 AM,
Here's to hoping the dems can get it together...
Friday, May 9, 2008
posted by Dustin @ 1:35 PM,
Even at my most frustrated...
Thursday, April 10, 2008
Even when I'm furious at the injustices and stupidity for which our government is sometimes responsible, I'm glad to live in a nation that, while not anywhere near we need to be on issues of sexuality and sexual orientation, at least we don't have to deal with this kind of insanity:
By MAGGIE MICHAEL, Associated Press Writer
Wed Apr 9, 4:37 PM ET
CAIRO, Egypt - An Egyptian court convicted five men Wednesday on charges of homosexual behavior and sentenced them to three years in prison, officials said.
Defense lawyer, Adel Ramadan, said the judge found the men guilty of the "habitual practice of debauchery" — a term used in the Egyptian legal system to denote consensual homosexual acts.
The convictions were confirmed by a judicial official, who spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to talk to journalists.
Homosexuality is not explicitly referred to in Egypt's legal code, but a wide range of laws covering obscenity, prostitution and debauchery are applied to homosexuals in this conservative country.
The five men were arrested in what human rights groups describe as a crackdown on people with the AIDS virus, using the debauchery charges as a means to prosecute them.
Four of the five men tested HIV-positive after all were forced to undergo blood tests in custody, Human Rights Watch says. The New York-based rights group issued a statement Tuesday signed by more than 100 other organizations around the world condemning the prosecutions.
Ramadan, a lawyer with the Egyptian Initiative for Personal Rights, said the five men were abused and tortured over the past several months to "extract confessions" from them.
In addition to their prison time, the men were sentenced to an additional three years of police supervision, meaning they will have to spend every night at a police station, from 6 p.m. to 6 a.m., the lawyer said.
Ramadan said the four HIV-positive defendants were shocked by their convictions.
"Two of them cried, screamed and shrieked," he said. "The other two, they remained silent, but I saw anger in their eyes for the injustice they have been exposed to."
Ramadan said he appealed the verdict to Egypt's Court of Cassation, the country's highest appellate court.
Dozens of human rights groups have criticized this trial and other similar ones as being driven by ignorance and fear of AIDS. They have warned that the convictions could undermine AIDS prevention in Egypt.
The five convicted Wednesday were among 12 people arrested in a sweep that began in October, when police arrested a man during an altercation with another man on a Cairo street, Human Rights Watch said.
After one of the men said he was HIV-positive, authorities opened investigations into other men whose names or contact information were uncovered in interrogations of the first group of men, Human Rights Watch said.
Egyptian police have denied making any arrests because of a person's HIV condition.
In mid-January, four other HIV-positive men from the group of 12 were sentenced to one-year prison terms on similar charges of debauchery. Three others from the 12 were not prosecuted, Human Rights Watch said.
Currently in Memphis, Tennessee
Currently listening to Angels & Airwaves
posted by Dustin @ 8:40 AM,
Damn that pesky Constitution...
Friday, April 4, 2008
I'm clearly feeling a little political today. This is about a year and a half old now, but I'd wager things haven't gotten any better. Feel free to draw your own conclusions.
posted by Dustin @ 8:09 PM,
From a side email discussion...
The now-infamous John Yoo torture memo, which states that torture isn’t really torture unless it kills the suspect, and that President Bush’s wartime authority trumps torture law, is creating quite a firestorm. Constitutional professor Jonathan Turley joined Keith Olbermann on Thursday’s Countdown where he once again repeats his claim that President Bush broke the law and that the Democrats were afraid to pursue charges because they know it would trigger impeachment hearings and that scares them to death.
Turley:”…It’s really amazing, Congress, including the Democrats, have avoided any type of investigation into torture because they do not want to deal with the fact that the president ordered war crimes. But, evidence keeps on coming out. The only thing we don’t have is a group picture with a detainee attached to electrical wires.”
Personally, I'm offended by the fact that we can impeach a president for a blowie on the side, yet the top two politicians in our country are guilty of virtually every war crime in the book and stay in office and out of prison. It’s probably the single most embarrassing thing about being American in 2008. And I choose the word "embarrassing" very much on purpose, because while I'm proud to be an American, I am not proud of the last seven and a half years of governing and foreign relations. Not in the slightest.
Thoughts?
Currently in Memphis, Tennessee
Currently listening to Alice In Chains - Angry Chair
posted by Dustin @ 8:44 AM,
40 Minutes Well Worth It...
Tuesday, March 18, 2008
Earlier today, Barack Obama spoke to a crowd in Philadelphia. The main purpose was to make clear his stance on controversial remarks made by his former pastor, Jeremiah Wright. I tend to make my political commentary on this blog as scarce as possible, but I had to share this.
The video is about 40 minutes long, but it's entirely worth it. Not because I think Barack is the solution to all the world's problems, but because the last five minutes of the speech, having built up the context over the first 35, brought me to tears. And whether you think Barack is the best choice for our next president or an inexperienced opportunist, any politician that can inspire my generation to act and can activate emotion in the way he does is worth hearing out. Natch.
posted by Dustin @ 3:42 PM,
Primary Voting Snafu...
Friday, February 1, 2008
So I'm traveling to San Francisco all next week, which is very cool. First, because I'm getting some pretty intense training for a new talent management product offered by one of our vendor partners. Second, because its San Francisco. There are, however, two downfalls to this. #1 - I'm traveling all day on Super Bowl Sunday. Granted, I don't give a rats ass about the game, but I'd love to be able to see both the Jacko and the Timberlake Pepsi commercials when they first hit (I know, I'm such a queer). Far more importantly is downfall #2 - I'll be out of town during Super Duper Tuesday. This is a problem for me. Especially since I've been out of town the whole time early voting was going on, and much to my chagrin, the Shelby County Election Commission decided to end early voting a day early, meaning I can't vote today. Alas, no primary voting for me.
So I implore those of you Tennesseans (and others, of course) to get out and vote next Tuesday. Tennessee is a swing state on both sides of the red/blue isle, so your vote makes a difference. Get'r done.
Currently in Memphis, Tennessee
Currently listening to Crazy-ass Britney's Newest Record
Labels: All Posts, Politics, Travel
posted by Dustin @ 12:49 PM,
Skunk of the Union Address.
Monday, January 28, 2008
Pleh.
If he says "nucular" one more time I think I'll just shit.
Currently listening to King George W. the First
posted by Dustin @ 8:27 PM,
Weekend in Review...
Monday, January 7, 2008
Saturday was a day of relaxation, for the most part. The only thing of interest (aside from an hour or so at Banana Republic) was the ABC/Facebook Presidential Debate. I'll be short and say that it was pretty interesting and solidified my preferred candidate(s) even further. 'Nuff said on that.
Saturday evening, the dog started coughing again. And she coughed. And coughed. She gets in the spells where she'll cough indefinitely if she's not calmed down, so all through the night we were up every 45 minutes to an hour to comfort her. Oy veh. For anyone who says caring for a pug isn't as tough as child rearing............
Yesterday was cool. A friend of mine from India is in town on a project, and we got to hang out for a few hours. Madhu and I were introduced by Lasitha, about whom I've written in earlier blogs. I showed him around town a bit and we ate at a local cajun place here called The Bayou. Indians generally like cajun cuisine, since its spicier and less bland than other American food.
Last night it was nice to have some new television to watch for the first time since The Writer's Strike began. Extreme Makeover:Home Edition had a psychic come in and make sure the ghosts in a house were okay with them demolishing it. That was a first. Desperate Housewives picked up where it left off and was its typical fabulous self. After that I watched about three minutes of the series preview for Cashmere Mafia before dismissing it as a cheap attempt to fill the hole Sex in the City left in our hearts. As much as I love Lucy Liu, it just didn't grab me.
Yeah...that's about it. Not the most "rockstaresque" weekend in the history of the world, but that's fine by me. I may be spending this coming weekend in LA, so perhaps a laid back couple of days is a good thing. More on that to come....
Currently listening to The Howard Stern Show
Labels: All Posts, Culture, Friends and Family, Politics, Relaxation
posted by Dustin @ 8:23 AM,
Last Note on Iowa...For Now, Anyway...
Friday, January 4, 2008
For the first time in this presidential race, I actually had an epiphany: regardless of who wins the presidency, we're going to have a leader that actually speaks English for the first time in eight years! I know that sounds petty, but I remember watching the '04 debates and feeling bad for W and his inability to form an intelligent sentence. Now, I certainly don't share the values of Huckabee and his clan, but at least the man speaks our language. And damn it if he's not likable.
And hats off to Mr. Barack Obama. His acceptance speech hit the notes of a truly inspirational leader, not unlike Jack and Bobby Kennedy or MLK in rhythm. Just in case you didn't stay up late enough to hear it:
And I've got to see this as a sign of incredible evolution in US politics. We're still eleven months from choosing a president, so I won't be quick to say he's won the fight, but just the fact that for the first time in American history we have a truly viable African American presidential candidate says a lot about where we've come and where we're going.
I also could not be prouder of my generation (Y) and the generation after me (Millenials) in Iowa who actually went beyond the Myspace and Facebook primaries and viral social networking hooplah to actually show up for caucus. If we'd have done that in '04 things may have turned out differently.
Anyway, it was a good sign for the remainder of this campaign. Even though nothing will be certain for some months, its really good to see people supporting candidates that seem to be as passionate about change as we are.
Congrats, Mr. O.
posted by Dustin @ 9:34 AM,
Obama and Huckabee Win in Iowa
Thursday, January 3, 2008
Talk about opposite ends of the spectrum.
One could ask "what are Iowa conservatives thinking?". But then again, Pat Robertson won in Iowa. So I guess it may not matter that much in the long run after all.
posted by Dustin @ 8:55 PM,
On the Iowa Caucuses...
I don't generally use this medium for political rants, but as Iowans are flocking to the polls (well, meandering is more likely), I figured I'd spit a bit of what's on my mind as the primary season begins:
First, for the evildoers....er...uh...elephants, that is.
I'm not sure if I blacked out for a bit, but when the hell did Mike Huckabee gain traction? Up until a couple of weeks ago, he'd barely earned an honorable mention in the media, and here he is neck and neck with Mitt Romney. I'm both marginally confused and at least as much petrified by this phenomenon. Should it truly come down to Huckabee and Romney for the red ticket, the religious right will strive to elect either a bishop of the Mormon who is a continual supporter of the "clearer every day" Iraq failure or an ordained Baptist minister Arkansas redneck who thinks everyone with HIV/AIDS should be quarantined to "cure" the epidemic. Oy veh. I'd like to say there's no way America would elect a fundamentalist right-wing nut job to the top spot, but then again, we RE-ELECTED one in '04.
And I suppose I'm okay with Rudy Giuliani falling out of grace...After all, if his response to 9/11 proves that he's such a great leader and protector of American turf, was 9/10 just a vacation day? Aside from being America's Mayor, what other qualifications does he have to run the most powerful nation (for now anyway) in the world?
Okay, enough for the elephant side of the game and onto the jackasses.
It's intriguing that the top Democratic contenders in Iowa are a black man and a woman. In previous elections, the current standings would have been more likely to give a "nice thought, thanks for playing" nod to Barack and Hillary and usher in the good-looking white man, John Edwards, into the nomination. But then again, there are those rumors that his dear ailing wife is nothing more than a beard (I won't be tacky enough to blog about that possibility....today, anyway).
I think I could actually support any of the three in the general election, but I'm torn for the primary. There are, of course, arguments to be made for both Hillary's experience on the hill and Barack's fresh new viewpoint. Likewise, there are arguments AGAINST Hillary's Washington-drone affect and Barack's lack of world exposure. If you haven't read Barack's second book, The Audacity of Hope, I highly recommend it. Whether or not his brand of change politics is as cavalier as it sounds in the book, at least he has clear ideas of how we can move forward. And Hillary did play an important role in her hubby's presidency, which although briefly tainted by a few blowjobs and a joint, will likely be remembered as a great one (at LEAST for the economy and global relations).
I do have one philosophical issue with Hillary, in that her election to the presidency would mean that America's number one has been either a Bush or a Clinton since 1989. I'm not sure how big of a deal to me that is, but something about dynastic presidencies feels at least a little undemocratic. Especially if she serves two terms followed by a *gasp* Jeb Bush bid....Eek.
Then, of course, there is Mr. Edwards himself. The only thing I've heard about him lately is how concerned people are over his ability to lead the nation while caring for a terminal wife. Hell, Betty Ford abused alcohol right through Gerald's presidency, and W himself has looked rosey-cheeked more than once or twice in the last few years. A sick first lady hardly means he can't do the job. Although I'd like to be able to support someone for what they CAN do, as opposed to settling for someone who "is at least better than the other guy".
Certainly these thoughts don't necessarily represent my entire outlook on the process or the individuals currently involved. Just the thoughts I'm having at this moment. I will be interested to see what comes out of Iowa today, though.
Currently listening to Rufus Wainwright - Going to a Town
posted by Dustin @ 6:30 PM,
Sicko
Wednesday, January 2, 2008
Currently listening to Pink Floyd - Comfortably Numb
Labels: All Posts, Culture, General Bullshit, Politics
posted by Dustin @ 3:13 PM,
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