BLATHER REVIEW

One Fine Morning In Mayfield

Sad News In the Blogosphere

A mighty hurricane may seem to be able to conquer all that stands in it's whirling path. But, when it meets a countering vortex -- one that's equal and opposite in every way to it's own force -- all that will remain of that exhausting encounter will be peace.

Acidman has passed away.

Godspeed, Rob.

UPDATE: In the top left corner is a Quicktime version of Rob's performance of his song "My Door Is Always Open". Click to play.

Famous Faces and mine

Rachel Ann points to this neat site where you can upload a photo of yourself and they'll come up with some famous people you kinda sorta resemble according to their facial recognition software.

So, of course, I uploaded this photo:

Here are the 10 faces they came up with:

1. Carrie-Ann Moss
Ooookay. This one came up first; a 73% match. Thankfully, she is the only female that showed up in the top 10 (although Brad Pitt's pretty effeminate-looking in photo #3). Good Moss quote: "After The Matrix, I cannot wear sunglasses. As soon as I put them on, people recognise me."

2. Tony Blair
Also a 73% match. Keeping in mind that they are matching one photo and not my actual face, this one struck me as a pretty good match. I don't think anyone would ever confuse me with Blair in person, though. Ideally, several different photos should be sent through and see if you get any of the same matches.

3. Brad Pitt
Now this one is just rediculous. Seeing a photo of Brad Pitt always reminds me of the Onion headline that went something like: This Day in History: Tiger Beat publishes it's first issue, the first in a long line of magazines designed for adolescent girls who want to look at photos of boys who look like adolescent girls."

4. Peter O'Toole
O'Toole is the only person on the list who anyone's ever told me that I resemble. And that was way back in college.

5. Ben Stiller
Not too bad of a match, I guess. I can't think of one specific feature that Stiller and I have in common, but the overall effect is kinda "familiar".

6. David Duchovny
Again, just going by the one photo I used, I can see how this one came up. But, believe me, Duchovny and I look nothing alike.

7. Art Garfunkel
See above. Being associated with Art in any way is an honor, though.

8. Gustav Ludwig Hertz
I can see how the shadows are affecting the selections. Nice to have a physicist on the list for a change.

9. Philip Roth
Interesting. I see no resemblence. I still haven't gotten around to reading The Plot Against America, an alternate history story where the Hitler-appeasing Charles Lindberg defeats FDR for the Presidency in 1940. The closest I've ever come to reading his work was watching the movie version of Goodbye, Columbus. Hated it. But, then, I was prolly 13 at the time.

10. Hrithik Roshan
Never heard of him. Apparantly he's famous in India or something.

Dick Morris to Joe Leiberman: Skip the Primary and run as an Independent, or lose

Newsmax reports:

Senator and former vice presidential candidate Joe Lieberman will lose the Democratic primary in Connecticut, political strategist Dick Morris predicts.

What’s more, if Lieberman then runs in the general election as an independent, he will be "so crippled” by his defeat in the August 8 primary, and his Democratic opponent Ned Lamont "so empowered,” that Lieberman will lose the general election as well and give up his seat in the Senate, says Morris.

"Indeed, by going through the primary and being defeated, he will give the GOP a good chance to win in Connecticut, which they would not have if he just ran as an independent,” Morris told NewsMax.

"But if he drops out of the primary, he will be re-elected as an independent.”

I have to disagree with Morris. First of all, Leiberman is so well regarded in Connecticut that, even though Lamont may indeed win the Democratic primary because the anti-Joe faction will be out in force on August 8th, Leiberman will win the general election if he runs as an independent.

Since Connecticut leans decidedly Democratic, a choice between Lamont and Republican Alan Schlesinger would almost certainly result in a win for Lamont. With Leiberman running as an independent, I suspect that most Republican voters will vote for Joe for two reasons: 1) Because they like him and, 2) to thwart the election of yet another short-sighted "anti-war" Democrat to the Senate. I also believe that most registered independents -- and a heck of a lot of Democrats -- will vote for Joe, as well.

Dick Morris backs up his prediction with this comparison:

Senator Jacob Javits, in 1980, "could have avoided defeat by not fighting the Republican primary against Al D’Amato and running as an independent. But D’Amato was so empowered by the primary win, and Javits so disempowered, that D’Amato won the general election with Javits running a poor third,” Morris told Political Wire.

"Lieberman’s correct course of action is to withdraw from the primary and run as an independent. It is the only way he can get re-elected.”

I think that the Javits example is a poor one. D'Amato and Javits faced off in a Republican primary, and Republicans preferred D'Amato. While the then 76-year-old Javits was popular with the electorate at large -- and New York leaned Democratic -- D'Amato won as a conservative Republican largely because he was on the Republican ticket with Ronald Reagan in 1980. With no Presidential race to provide "coat tails", Leiberman will be re-elected or rejected on his own merits.

I also disagree that Leiberman will be "so crippled" by a primary defeat since Ned Lamont's candidacy is seen as a single-issue campaign. While the activist base may support Lamont and his "salute" to the "patriotism and wisdom of Congressman Murtha", I don't believe his support among Connecticut voters as a whole will at all "cripple" Leiberman's reputation and popularity.

But the plot thickens.

Former Senator Lowell Wieker was elected Governor as an independent back in 1990 on a platform of solving Connecticut's fiscal problems without implementing a state income tax. He won and almost immediately supported implementing a state income tax. Wieker -- largely despised in Connecticut (and who was a Howard Dean booster in 2004) -- supports Ned Lamont in the primary. But, if Leiberman wins the primary, Weiker may run against him as an independent.

So, consider this: Leiberman runs as a Democrat, Schlesinger as a Republican and Wieker as an independent. Would the state's Republican voters still vote for Leiberman if they believe that many of the anti-Leiberman base may vote for the anti-war Wieker in the general election? Could Wieker siphon off enough Democrats from Leiberman making the election of a Republican to the Senate possible?

In this senario Leiberman may indeed be in trouble. But, if Joe loses, it wont be the hugely unpopular Lowell Weiker that would win. Nosiree. It'd be the Republican Alan Schlesinger. And the moonbats would have to be taken away in straight jackets.

iN hONOR oF THE jAPANESE pRIME mINISTER'S VISIT AND tRIP TO gRACELAND NEXT WEEK

When Cats Attack, pt 4

Lewis lives! Via the Connecticut Post:

After months of legal wrangling, the cat dubbed by some in the media as the "Terrorist of Sunset Circle" has learned its fate.

If he were in any way cognizant, Lewis would be relieved.

Lewis will continue to live, though that privilege comes at a high price. The feline, who had been facing the possibility of being euthanized, will never again be allowed to leave the home of his owner, Ruth Cisero of Fairfield.

For her part, Cisero must complete two years probation and 50 hours of community service.

Today's Top Story

UPDATE: Michelle Malkin has some good World War II era "loose lips sink ships" themed posters and a few new photoshops. If you haven't already, check 'em out. I always liked this one:

And check out this beauty from graphic artist extraordinaire Stephen Macklin.

UPDATE II: Annika. The anti-Luckovich.

And Heeeeere we go again...

Well, it's been one month since Jesse MacBeth had his lying ass handed to him on a stick. Apparantly that commie Chavez shill, Oscar Heck, missed all the fun because he's put out an urgent plea to watch that amazing video.

BWAHAHAHAHAHA!!!

Oh, and check out the title of his previous article: Would you trust someone whose notions are based on fallacies or on reality?

You can't make this stuff up.

Oh wait, yes you can.

Tip o'the tam to Allahpundit.

Good Day, Bad Day

The more I eat the more I want to eat, and the less I eat the less I want to eat. I forgot to eat yesterday.

Actually I had some small breaded fish fillets with tartar sauce at some point. But when I got up this morning I was feeling pretty yukky. I took a shower. Dry heaving from the taste of toothpast in the back of my mouth didn't exactly settle my stomach. I thought about making some scrambled eggs, but, while my stomach was empty and hungry, I was also kinda on the verge of dry heaving again. Sorry for the details. I lied down for a nap.

Anywho, today was day 2 the 19th annual Fairfield County Irish Festival. Lawruh came by to pick me up at around 1:30 or so. I had to get some food in me or pretty soon I was not going to be able to stand up anymore. Weak and light-headed, we stopped at McDonald's. I got a double cheeseburger, small fires and a coffee. My first mistake was forgetting to say "hold the mustard".

I got through half of the burger and gave up. The mustard was just too sickening a taste for my gag reflex to tolerate. My second mistake was trying to drink the coffee. I hadn't had a cup of coffee in about two months and the acidity was too much for me. I drank less than half of it. Then I knew that I could go no further until I had a large liter-sized bottle of ice cold water. Oh, that hit the spot.

We got to the Festival at about 2:45 and, lemme tell ya, that's one long steep hill between the parking area and the festivities. Sister the Elder had already arrived and she foundd us right away. Cousin B couldn't join us, unfortunately, as he was in Virginia to attend a graduation ceremony.

Hungry and weak, but still pretty queazy, I decided not to try to eat anything else yet. We looked around the merchandise tent. Books, CDs, clothes, jewelry and all sorts of other Irishy stuff. Didn't buy anything, of course.

The Fairfield Gaelic Pipe Band was great, as always. Even though the main tent was pretty huge and had open walls, when you get a dozen or so bagpipers blasting away it's pretty darn loud. Add the pounding of the snares and bass drums and it's quite an experience.

Then one of my favorite bands, The Highland Rovers, played for about an hour and a half. Great music. I decided to try and eat something, but all I ended up getting was a cup of watermelon Italian ice. Very tasty.

The highlight of the day is almost always the dancers from the Lenihan School of Irish Dance. They come out in seperate groups based on age and experience and their outfits -- especially the younger girls' -- are adorable. The dancers range in age from about 9 to late-teens, but there are also the "veterans". The oldest of them seemed to be in her 60s. Seeing Riverdance on tape is fine, but it can't compare to seeing the dancers up close and personal with their shoes pounding in unison on the hardwood platform.

I finally got down a slice of pizza and a Pepsi and was beginning to feel better. Then the air got very heavy and humid. It wasn't a hot day today. It was overcast and actually kind of cool. Humidity like that just saps my energy anyway and my blecchy condition was exacerbated a bit.

Anyway, we looked around some more and sampled another band in another tent. Sister the Elder wanted to by me a ring for my birthday, but the ones I liked didn't fit well. So, eventually, we decided to call it a day. I finally had some dinner a little while ago; a chicken pot pie. Feeling much better now.

All things considered, I had a good time at the Irish Festival. If you're there next year, look for me, I'll be there. I'll be the guy wearing a green shirt.

Math Problem

If there were four flies on a table and I killed one, how many would be left?

One. The dead one.

Anywhoay, I'll be at the annual Fairfield County Irish Festival tomorrow if anyone wants to join me. Great fun, great workshops, great music. A fun time is guaranteed for all. :)

Had lunch at the Drum-Stik-BBQ today

Now, fer anyone who doesn't know Bridgeport or southwestern Connecticut, that just may seem like a silly way to spend the afternoon.

Then again, most people don't live in Bridgeport, or even southwestern Connecticut. Whatever. I had the most scrumptuous chicken swandwich and they even gave me too much ketchup for the fries.

Dam, that's good eatin'. The old haunts are still the best...

Okay, time for a poll (of sorts)

With the Star Trek themed fund-raising going on at NRO, Jonah takes us on a trip down memory lane with a link to his review of Enterprise. After going on a bit about T'Pol as the follow-up to 7 of 9, he writes:

But before we smash our church-lady tea sets at the sight of rich unguents being smeared over that Vulcan torso, let's not forget that the original Trek (cue harp music) was never above a little T&A — or a lot of it. The Federation memo requiring all female officers to wear miniskirts (officially, they were called "skorts") was hardly a nod to their ergonomic benefits. Hell, Yeoman Rand was essentially a clipboard with blonde hair and long legs.

So, now I wanna ask my faithful readers, old and new and in-between: Who was the bestest babe EVER in Star Trek, the original series?

I'll get us started by voting for Dr. Helen Noel as portrayed by Marianna Hill in the episode Dagger of the Mind.

This is the best photo I could find and, believe it or not, it doesn't do her justice:

Any more nominees? They may be recurring characters or one-hit-wonders. Whatever. Who would you choose to be stranded on Ceti Alpha 5 with?

P.S. Chicks are welcome to chime in, too. Jenelle, I'm looking in yer direction... ;)

UPDATE: Thanks to Richard, a.k.a Finchster, the poll is open! VOTE!

When Cats Attack, pt 3

So, remember Lewis, the "Terror of Sunset Circle"?

Well, Lewis has got nothin' on Jack. Jack scares the bejeebus out of bears. Heh.

Just fer shoots n' giggles...

Here we go again...

Have at it at your discretion....

1. Daddy, please, don't. It wasn't his fault.
He means so much to me
Daddy, please don't! We're gonna get married,
just you wait and see...
[Stephen Macklin & Citizen Grim]

2. Well, that was then
and now it's today
Do you remember
what I used to say....?

3. If you twist and turn away
If you tear yourself in two again
If I could, you know I would,
If I could I would let it go
[Stephen Macklin]

4. She was a girl from Birmingham
She just had had an abortion
She was a no one who killed her baby
She was a bloody disgrace!
[Freedom's Slave]

5. The legend lives on from the Chippawah on down
and the lake that they call Gitchigumi
The lake, it is said, never gives up her dead
when the skies of November turn gloomy
[Stephen Macklin & Disillusionist]

6. Waltzing Mittilda whipped out her wallet,
Fifty boys smiled in dismay.
She took out four 20s 'cuz she liked round figures
Everybody stayed for the day...

7. In my little town I grew up believing
that God keeps His eye on us all
and he used to lean upon me
as I pledged allegiance to the wall
[Stephen Macklin]

8. There's no living in my life anymore
The seas have run dry and the rain's stopped falling.
Please, don't you cry anymore!
Can't you see?
[Disillusionist] Good one, D! :)

9. Sometimes I know that it's never enough
Survival if fine, satisfaction is rough
I'll try
with an angel tonight....

10. Another day is at end
Mama says she's tired, again
and Papa can't even begin to tell her.
I hardly know what to say...

Exrta credit:

11. Early one morning the sun was shining
I was laying in bed
wondering if she'd changed at all,
if her hair was still red.
[Stephen Macklin]

You know the drill...

Iraqis can take pride in their joy that Zarqawi is dead. They've earned it.

It's interesting that the word on the street was that Zarqawi had come into bad graces with al-Qaeda because he was targetting innocent Iraqi bystanders because, I mean, targetting innocent bystanders is what al-Qaeda does, afterall.

But, apparantly, Iraqis are not Spaniards. They'd lived and died for decades under the boot of Saddam and were having no more of that rot. Thankfully, it may have been the @#$%-terrorism-and-the-camel-it-rode-in-on resolve of the Iraqi people that led, finally, to Zarqawi's demise.

Al-Qaeda has failed in Iraq. And in Jordan. And, soon enough, anywhere else that has had to endure it's "leadership".

Europe (and the rest o' you "peaceniks"), take note. Appeasement leads to slavery and shame. Victory leads to freedom and peace.

Sic semper tyranus.

Yeah, I'll Give It Another Stab If You Will

Ooookay. Last one was a bust. Apparantly no one knows who Leonard Cohen, Bob Dylan, Cheap Trick, Elvis Costello, Melissa Etheridge, Blondie, Sylvain Sylvain, the Stranglers, Bow Wow Wow and the Kinks are.

So, here's Name That Tune -- Blather Review Edition -- Volume 2.

Now, come on. I know you can get these.

And, as a reminder, as Annika says:
"You could google the lyrics, but I don't know how you'd sleep at night if you did so. Anyways, if you do google, don't post the answer because someone else might want to guess."
So let's try again...!

1.
You run around town like a fool
and you think that it's groovy
You're givin' to some other guy who gives you the eye
You don't give nothin' to me

2.
The soldier blues were trapped on a hillside
the battle raging all around
The sargeant said "we got to hang on, boys,
We gotta hold this piece of ground"
[Sis the E]

3.
Hangin' out on 2nd Avenue
eating chicken vindaloo
I just want to be with you
I just wanna have something to do tonight
[Freedom's Slave]

4.
Now every cheap hood strikes a bargain with the world
and ends up making payments on a sofa or a girl
with "love" and "hate" tatooed across the knuckles of his hands
as he slaps his kids around 'cuz they they don't understand

5.
I went to my doctor yesterday
She said I seem to be okay
She said "Paul, you better look around
How look you think that you can run that body down?"

6.
Jesus died for somebody's sins but not mine
Meltin' in a pot of thieves, a wild card up my sleeve
Thick heart of stone, my sins are my own
they belong to me,
me
[Freedom's Slave]

7.
While you were lost in France we stranded in the British Isles
left to fall apart amongst the passports and the files
We never asked for miacles -- but they were our concern
Did you really think we'd sit it out and wait for your return?
[Freedom's Slave]

8.
Ain't it just like the night to play tricks when yer tryin' t' be so quiet?
We sit here stranded, though we all do our best to deny it
and Louise holds a handful of rain, tempting you to defy it
Lights flicker from the opposite loft
[Col]

9.
Outside, in New Orleans, the heat is almost frightening
But my hotel room, as usual, is freezing and unkind
On TV they prosecute anyone who's exciting
So I put on my overcoat and went down to find...
[Col]

10.
Come over to the window my little darling
I'd like to try to read your palm
I used to think I was some kind of gypsy boy
before I let you take me home

Extra credit:

11.
I was saying "Let me outta here!" before I was even born
It's such a gamble when you get a face.
It's fascinating to observe what the mirror does
But, when I dine, it's for the wall that I set a place
[Freedom's Slave]

Have at it, peeps!

Name That Tune -- Blather Review edition

Here's a nice li'l meme from Annika. I'll give the first four lines of 10 songs that I'd have on my iPod if I had an iPod. You name the song's title and artist. I'll strike underline them if and when they're identified. Most are prolly pretty easy.

And as Annika said:
"You could google the lyrics, but I don't know how you'd sleep at night if you did so. Anyways, if you do google, don't post the answer because someone else might want to guess."
Have at it!

1.
We're drinkin' and we're dancin' and the band is really hap'nin'
and the Johnny Walker wisdom runnin' high
My very close companion, she's angel of compassion
and she's rubbin' half the world against her thigh

2.
I'm a-walking through the summer night
jukebox playin' low
Yesterday everything was going too fast
today it's moving too slow

3.
I been up to my knees in the California beach
there's only one place I know where to find you
All you southern girls got a way with your words
and you show it

4.
There's a hand on the wire that leads to my mouth
I can hear you knockin' but I'm not comin' out
Don't wanna be a puppet or a ventrilquist
'cause there's no ventilation on a critical list

5.
I know a place, it's an old abandoned shack
on a road that goes to nowhere, ain't nobody comin' back
We can go there tonight, we can talk until dawn
Oh, baby, something else: we'll leave the radio on

6.
I was all alone with the scent of a bone
and my heart was stuck in this emptiness zone
I had not a care, though I wanted to hear
the voice of a maiden who was playing down there

7.
When Monday morning comes along
and I'm talking to you on the telephone
and saying these sweet words to you
Would you mind if I ask to spend this night with you?

8.
I saw an orange robe burning
I saw a youth on fire
I saw metal machines that were turning
on a generation that hadn't yet tired

9.
I can't dance and I can't sing, I can't do anything
I can't even find my way around town
And I'm fifteen and a fool, can't you see
so don't fall in love with me

10.
Man made the buildings that reach to the sky
Man made the motorcar and he learned how to fly
But he didn't make the flowers and he didn't make the trees
and he didn't make you and he didn't make me

Extra credit:

11.
I lit my purest candle close to my window
hoping it would catch the eye
of any vagabond who passed it by
and I waited in my fleeting house
[Sis the E]

Much ado...

There seems some buzz today about Francine Busby. She's a California Democrat who -- some are claiming -- was encouraging voter fraud when she said to a group of Spanish-speaking supporters that "You don't need papers for voting". You can get the gyst (and a link to a very short mp3 of Busby's words) over at Michelle's.

Sorry, but I'm not hearing that. Someone apparantly asks, in Spanish, if there was any way that they could help her campaign even though they are not registered to vote. Busby replies:

Oh, well sure, everybody can help. Yes, absolutely.

The, um... uh... You can all help. [Voice of translator.]

Yeah, you don't need papers for voting. You don't need to be a registered voter to help.

Clearly, Ms Busby was simply saying that they don't need to be registered voters in order to help her campaign. The words speak for themselves, I think. And, if you have any doubt, just listen to her voice as she speaks those words. Her meaning will be pretty darn obvious.

Ugh

My landlady wants to do a "walk-through" on Sunday just to be sure that the house is in good condition. Well, as good as a condition that it ever was, anyway. So Im trying to give room a good spring cleaning.

Unfortunately, its been very muggy the past few days and everytime I lift a finger I begin to sweat. We had a downpour last night which cooled things off a bit. But now the humidity is rising again and I just heard some thunder rumbling in the distance. Its not as bad today as it was yesterday, but its still pretty uncomfortable to move heavy boxes of record albums from the upstairs to the downstairs.

Whew. Still a long way to go, too. Cold water, thats the ticket. Lots of cold water.