Bull Flatulence Causes Vertigo

Thursday's Child Has "Fartigo"
But Food Animals are Happier!

Pooterville, GA.--With the recent, and most unfortunate, rash of exploding cow barns, scientists have been discovering that cow farts are largely constructed of the highly flammable and explosive Methane gas, which is why the barns explode, even with the simplest of static sparks. Imagine! A simple poot doing that! Now they are discovering that the gas causes vertigo if exposure is excessive.
One amusing footnote is that the child upon whom the study was performed was born on a Thursday, which prompted the cute but precocious boy to name the condition..."fartigo", which brought guffaws, chortles, gasps, and various other forms of proto-language. So now when people say that "Thursday's Child has far to go", it just might help you to remember the bravery of this young child of Thursday who, almost single-handedly, brought proper ventilation to America's fine slaughterhouses...who have not had a very good year due to bad karma.

Dubai Ports World: It's a Snow job

All actions of the Bush Administration are geared toward fattening the wallets of one or more of their inner circle...usually at the expense of everyone else. Bush is selling short our security in order to please Treasury Secretary John Snow, who stands to rake in millions.

Not in the inner circle? Feeling no tangible benefits from the Bush years?

Quit voting for the crooks!

"Genius" behind Bush's Amazing Residency on 2008 Selection

The Fox That Cried Wolf

Karl Roverer, the so-called "genius" behind the so-called "successful" Bush residency, is still with the use of the hindbrain, from which he now predicts a stunning Republican victory in 2008, according to infamous catamite to the Reich, Matt Drudge, and slick Fox-fed opportunist, Bill Sammon -- neither of whom bear the least resemblance to Nostrodamus.

Mr. Sammon is hawking his new book, which is running with the title, "Strategery", which, for all we know, is but a vain attempt to legitimate one of Bush's copious blunders, in much the same way that Bush's whipping boys keep repeating "nucular" -- a move which only moves the speaker down into the sub-cerebral bushosphere.

Drudge, Rove & Sammons. Foxes that cry wolf. On cue. Pavlov's foxes. Ring the bell and turds as words begin to flow into a sort of cloaca of consciousness, or unconsciousness, the aggregate of which we refer to collectively as simply BushWorld.

BushWorld! Where the Tao fears to tread, and Nature knows no Reason.
BushWorld! The darkening of the Light.
BushWorld! Where the world is an oyster for the Topnazis to molest with their mouths, and spit up on the poor.

It's a stratragedy. Written by a shakespoon.

"An Army of Davids": Ed Cone interviews Glenn Reynolds

The other morning I woke up from a dream where I was sitting, chatting with Ed Cone. It was a very pleasant conversation, although I forget what we discussed. Perhaps we discussed why Michelangelo named his sculpture "David" instead of "Dave". Not sure. Probably blogging stuff.

This has nothing to do with anything, except, perhaps, the way bloggers intermingle on the psychic plane. I did hear someone last night say that the Internet was God, and that it was God as the Internet, which saved this woman's life. I wish I had paid more attention to the discussion.

But back to the coming Edwardian Age, when all things Edward rise to the top, just as all things George step down. Happens all the time.

But along with the Army of Edwards comes "An Army of Davids", which, if you haven't heard, is a new book by blogfather, Glenn Reynolds, who most know as Instapundit. Somehow I think that if he would have chosen the name, "Blogtivedanta" or "Anonymoses", he wouldn't have become nearly so popular. But he is not a stupid fellow, and now this unstupid fellow has penned a collection of words for the paper world. And Edward Cone has reviewed it.
He also interviewed Mr. Reynolds, which can also be read at the same post.

As a David and a blogger, I must say that I feel compelled to buy the book, although there are other bloggers' books in front of him. Perhaps I shall open a bookstore that carries only books by bloggers. Think I'll let it ripen a bit first though.

Have you ever felt unfocused? Do you ever get the sense that your host is scintillant with unfocusizationality? Well, if you do, I want to join your camp, for we can win this one. Sometimes, in fact, I feel like Mister Shandy himself, with my life but one series of absurd digressions.

And so it is with great struggle that I force my fingers to stray back to the topic of "An Army of Davids"...which now, upon tertiary mentation, strikes me as a tad too militant for my tastes. I mean...why "Army"? Why not Peace Corps or Coast Guard? I guess "A Coast Guard of Davids" would sound a little Bunuelian for ricecake America. And yet that might be preferred to "A Coast Guard of Osamas"...which is how many are portraying the Fox/Chickenport Vulnerability Act, or whatever they are calling it -- which, from a systemic POV, would seem to weaken the boundary subsystem, and thus threaten the whole in question.

What no one is saying though is that America would not have to entertain such options had we not squandered and plundered the treasury. But now that the Norquistians of the world have succeeded in drowning America in their evil little bathtub, corporations are having to slough off pensions, and America is having to hand over our largest points of vulnerability to those who could do us harm.

As someone who tries to be universally xenophiliacal, I think it would be foolhardy to summarily discount the notions brought forth by the Bush Administration that it would be fine to hand over ports to the UAE, who, in the main, have been friendly. My own, albeit limited, experience with citizens of Dubai have been cordial and even delightful. These are not animals. These are industrious human beings, but, for what it's worth, quite devout in their religion.

But could these people harm us? Sure! I suppose, if they wanted to. I am not naive enough to think that they would spare us just because a few of their citizens had nice dinner conversations with some Americans back in the 70s.
Nor am I naive enough to think that they are all as polite and pacifistic as the ones I met. But having met them, and having had a pleasant concurrence, I would tend to say that we could give them a chance...and probably also have checks and balances just to prevent temptation from bribes or other untoward activities.

So I stay out of the debate. And digress once again.

"The Army of Davids" apparently has little if anything to do with real armies, but rather speaks to the issue of individual empowerment as witnessed by the rise of blogs, which though often singularly wrought, commands audiences as vast as what could once only be garnered by Goliaths of Industry.

'Bout damn time!

But this new paradigm is not about Davids replacing Goliaths, but rather a world flattened such that both are on more equal footing.

I really do need to shut up and eat something...

Samara and Samara and Samara

The lucky west gets their civil war.

Here's a post I did on Feb, 2004...

Sparks fly between Sunnites and Shiites

Insurgents Attempting to Ferment 'Civil War' in Iraq Sought Al Qaeda Help (washingtonpost.com)Terrorists spark fear of civil war in Iraq as 50 die in car bomb

See Gurdjieff quote on psychic hatred and organic hatred...

"These two schools of the Mohammedan religion are called there the "Sunnite" and the "Shiite".It is very interesting to note that the psychic hatred of each other formed in the psyche of the beings who belong to these two independent schools of one and the same religion has, on account of their frequent clashes, now been transformed completely into an organic hate.

Beings of certain European communities have during recent centuries greatly contributed to their incitement to the rise of this particular transformation on that strange being-function.

And they have employed and continue to employ this incitement in order that the animosity between the beings who follow these two independent schools of one and the same religion, should increase and that they should never unite, since if that were to happen, there might soon be an end there for those European communities.

...And hence it is that accidentally arisen "newly baked" communities always rub their hands and rejoice when sparks fly between these Sunnites and Shiites, because they then count on a long and secure existence for themselves."
-G. Gurdjieff, "Beelzebub's Tales to His Grandson" circa 1950

King Crimson Slips Silently into Queen City

King Crimson

You'd think that when a King came to the Queen City, there would be trumpets and sackbuts ablare. But fanfare, courtesy and honoring sustained achievement are not what nouveau-riche Charlotte is much good at. In its stead we see American Idols who bodies of work lie before them, and we cheer them on, in hopes that they too may become Clay Aiken, and bring fifteen more minutes to this fame-starved metropolis.

The new is seldom good, as it has yet to to be time-whittled. And so, like Goodwill itself, much dreck has to be touched before a diamond emerges.

Like today. The King is coming, with decades of gold in his crown, and the Queen is still sifting for Clay.

Nothing wrong with Clay. A very nice boy. Used to cut my grass. But Robert Fripp never cut my grass, and I would be very hesitant to ask him. Perhaps I could convince him that it was part of "the work".



Maybe not. At any rate, if you are interested in seeing a musical legend in an intimate setting, you could do worse than appear at tonight's concurrence.

Concert Tonight!
8PM
Neighborhood Theater
511 E. 36th St.Charlotte, NC 28205
704-358-9298


I have a long history with the King, and have enjoyed his music and philosophy since the first album, and his prior work with Giles. Over the decades, I have had a number of favorites. Starless, Lizard, Poseidon, and Heavenly Music Corporation jump out from the early days. For some reason, I thought that I could woo women by reciting "In the Wake of Poseidon". It had a modicum of success I suppose. Certainly better than "Tie a Yellow Ribbon" or "D.O.A.".

King Crimson and I share birthdays with Gurdjieff, with whom Fripp had a protracted involvement, and about which I'd like to inquire, should we have a moment.

I realize I will have to miss American Idol's showcase of the men, but somehow I think I will survive. One can take only so much devolution.

BACK TO ANONYMOSES' HOMEPAGE

Thangs overheard in Charlotte, North Carolina

Charlotte

Inspired by the New York version, I have set out to collect thangs overheard around cheer. Thangs such as:

"Assum serium scrotage you got air bugs." (That's some serious scrotage you got there bud.)

"Suck my cat" (Something like that.)

What da hao yaw goan du nao? (What the hell are you all going to do now?)

"Shiiite" (Expletive deleted)

"I eat me some taters but got the squirts." (I ate some potatoes but got the squitters.)

"I had me dis gurl wunst who node how to cook corn pone proper." (I had a girl once who knew how to cook corn pone properly.)

"Yeaite" (Yes, all right.)

"It it'n what you do dat matters. It's who ya do." (It isn't what you do that matters. It's who you do.)

"That dut'n make any scents." (That doesn't make any sense.)

"Tuaabi robi samich." (Two Arby's roast beef sandwiches.)

Rush Limbaugh Admits Bush & Cheney are Uninterested in WMDs

Wantwit and hakenkreuz pickthank, Rush Limbaugh, admitted on his fool's parade today that his proreptious, pseudopresidential paracoitae are indeed unconcerned about finding WMDs. Shocking!
Rush is such a pussy. A bigger wuss has never darkened the airwaves. Shame on him for dissing the White House! When he dies he will go to Hell. Swear! Find him in the ring of opportunism.

Cheneyquiddick: Hunting Monica

Poor Dick Cheney. First he pulls a trigger, then he pulls a Chappaquiddick, and now we hear he may have also pulled a Monica.

Pull!

But where's the blue dress? A google search only shows Pamela Willeford in a red and white dress. And everyone knows...where there is red and white, there is also blue.

But where is she hiding it? In her butt? (Just kidding! Don't look.)

A dick will do what a dick will do.
I feel sorry for secretive Dick, and his secretions.

Give him a pass on this one, and beseech that he never do it again.

How Bush Raped freedom And democracy

The Height of Roodness

Using Altrustic Concepts for Selfish Ends

Look out Iran! Bush is coming and he's toting Freedom® and Democracy®. And while the American People cherish these concepts, we also cherish them in their highest sense, and not as a convenient lie in order to perform a bait-and-switch slight-of-hand whereby freedom and democracy become merely Freedom and Democracy, which are products designed to separate you, our enemy, from your life.

So now we see Condoleeza Rice asking for a 75 million dollar down-payment for spreading Democracy® over the humanity-strewn sands of Iran -- now that we've done such a killer job of it in Iraq and Palestine. Makes me think of an advertisement idea.

WAR: It's a killer job

or maybe

WAR: The Killer Job

But alas, it is probably already taken. At least I am consoled by Woody Allen, who once almost said: "I used to be an Ahmadinijad addict, now I'm a Bush addict."

As long as we can find new customers for our addicting products -- and slough off those pesky pensions -- the Economy® will do just fine.

The 2005 Koufax Awards: Best Writing

This category seeks to recognize the best overall writing by a lefty blogger. In some cases, nominations were specific for a particular blogger on a group blog. In other cases, the entire blog, whether a singular or group effort, was nominated. I attempted to follow the intent of the nominator.

Mary Beth Williams, the editor, says that "voting will open soon, hopefully next week. For now, get familiar with the best political writing in the blogosphere."

Adventus: Robert Jeffers - Alas, A Blog: Ampersand - Alicublog: Roy Edroso - All Facts and Opinions: Natalie Davis - AmericaBlog: John Aravosis - Anonymoses - Attytood: Will Bunch - Baghdad Burning: Riverbend - Bitch Ph.D. - Blood & Treasure: Jamie Kenny - Bob Harris - Body and Soul: Jeanne d'Arc - Booman Tribune: SusanHu - Booman Tribune: Blksista - Booman/European Tribune: Oui - Bootstrap Analysis: Nuthatch - Bouphonia - Bradblog - Busy, Busy, Busy - By Neddie Jingo - The Cassandra Pages -

Casual Asides: DJ Waletzky - The Carpetbagger Report - Cool Beans: Bean - The Countess: Trish Wilson - Courting Destiny - Creek Running North: Chris Clarke - Daily Kos: Hunter - Daily Kos: Armando - Daily Kos: Devilstower - Daily Kos: Georgia10 - Daily Kos: Grand Moff Texan - DC Media Girl - The Democracy Cell Project: Casey Morris - Driftglass -
Echnide of the Snakes - Effwit - Enemy of the State - Eschaton: Atrios - European Tribune: Jerome a Paris - Ezra Klein - The Fat Lady Sings - Feministe: Jill - Feministe: Lauren - Firedoglake: ReddHedd - First Draft: Athenae - Frogs and Ravens - From Pine View Farm: Frank - From the Rooftops - Girl Scientist - The Green Knight - The Heretik - How to Save the World - Hullabaloo: Digby - Hullabaloo: Tristero - I Blame the Patriarchy: Twisty Faster - Informed Comment: Juan Cole - James Wolcott - Jeremy Blachman - Kid Oakland - King of Zembla: Simbaud - Lance Mannion - Legal Fiction: Publius - Lawyers, Guns and Money: Scott Lemieux - The Left Coaster: Paradox - Left I on the News: Eli Stephens - Liberal Street Fighter: Madman in the Marketplace - The (liberal) Girl Next Door - Liberty Street - Looking for Someone to Lie To Me: Michael Roston - Mad As Hell - Mahablog: Barbara O'Brien - Majikthise: Lindsay Beyerstein - Making Light: Jim Macdonald - Making Light: Teresa Nielsen Hayden - The Marj Memoirs - Matt Yglesias - Michael Bérubé Online - The Moquol - MyKeru - My Left Wing: Gottlieb - My Left Wing: Shanikka - My Left Wing: Maryscott O'Connor - My Left Wing: Caliberal - My Left Wing: Weeping for Brunnhilde - Neil Shakespeare - The Next Hurrah: Meteor Blades - Norbizness - Obsidian Wings: Hilzoy - Old Fashioned Patriot - Once Upon a Time: Arthur Silber - One Good Thing - The Opinion Mill - Orcinus: David Neiwert - Pandagon: Amanda Marcotte - PastPeak - The Poor Man: The Editors - Random Thoughts: Unfair and Unbalanced: Susan Nunes - Red Tory - Respectful Insolence - The Reaction: Michael J.W. Stickings - Rigorous Intuition - Rittenhouse Review: Jim Capazzola - Rox Populi - The Rude Pundit - Sadly, No!: - Saint Nate's Blog - Set Free - Shakespeare's Sister: Melissa McEwan - Suburban Guerrilla: Susie Madrak - Sufficient Scruples - Sisyphus Shrugged: Julia - Talking Points Memo: Josh Marshall - The Tattered Coat - Timothy Burke - Thou Shall Not Suck: Unholy Moses - TomDispatch - Washington Note: Steve Clemons - Unclaimed Territory: Glenn Greenwald - Unqualified Offerings: Jim Henley - Washington Monthly/Political Animal: Kevin Drum - WhirledView: Patricia Lee Sharpe - Whiskey Bar: Billmon - Winding Road in Urban Area: Jaye Ramsey Sutter - Working for Change: David Sirota - Yep,Another Goddamn Blog: Jurassic Pork

The Importance of the Importance of the Importance of Living

Great-grandmother

Strange the things we discover while looking for other things. Today, while searching the net for certain concepts contained within the perennial classic guide to living -- "The Importance of Living", by nobel Laureate, Lin Yutang -- I was led to a column called "The Importance of The Importance of Living", by Linda Nicholls, who, among other things, is a great-great-grandmother. I'm not sure of the recency of the photo, but lordy, if it is recent, I would have to proclaim the importance of The Importance of The Importance of Living, at least to the degree to which it may have contributed to the remarkable preservative by-products. For, as Ashley Montagu discovered, evolution is the degree to which we retain youthful characteristics and flexibility. Apes suck at this. We are different. And so in differing degrees.

Frankly, I think Yutang's classic should be read along with Tzu's "Art of War" and Clauswitz' "On War", by those who would choose war as a "viable" option. The "Tao te Ching" and the poems of Rumi would also be useful reads before hurling your citizens into a death and more death situation. Instead of yanking from the top shelf, too many leaders these days pull from much lower shelves. Even the bottom shelf.

Mister Yutang reminds us of the worth of non-soldiers, who are at least as worthy as soldiers and soldier-type folk, for whom taking (or giving) orders is a way of life. But this is but a small part of large life, and one that is to be looked at as unfortunate. Civilization, as Erich Fromm noted, began as an act of disobedience...but may end in an act of obedience.

Fascism feasts when all are of one mind. But who are the enemies of multiculturalism?
Yutang shares Whitman's love for the cosmic and free individual. Groupthink can go to Hell.

Yutang, more importantly, celebrates the importance of humor, particularly as regards political ideologies. When he wrote the book, in the late 30s, Germany was the big offender. Ultra-conservatives East and West are the big offenders today.

The world needs to lighten up. Let the sunshine in!

While the world, buying their philosophy from the bookwall at Wal-Mart, becomes ever purpose-driven, Yutang helps us understand the meaninglessness of such inventions.
While the true purpose of life, which relates to the laws of Heptaparaparshinokh, gets buried among the plethora of infantile fantasies.

A wise man won't be busy, and a busy man can't be wise.

The heavens weep...

for Aunt Betty Lou

Peace of the Orchard

I finally sat down to watch Cider House Rules last night (which, by the way, is a great story and movie) when onto the screen strutted my little sister. Well, someone who looked a whole lot like my little sister, only many years ago. She was sticking out her tongue at Tobey McGuire. (The actress, not my sister.)

As I watched, and thought about my dear sister, I began to think about my father's sister, whose light is sadly fading. And I remembered how tenderly she and father discussed the deaths of shared friends. I fear such tenderness is a dying art, as the world spirals into increasing meanness and war. I will miss basking in the light of these exemplars of our greatest generation.
After watching "Cider House", I did some research on the actress who so resembled my own sister, and soon found her name: Paz de la Huerta..."Peace of the Orchard".
May there indeed be peace in the orchard of the world, sisters. And may the light in which we have long basked, shine through us, the next generation.


Paz de la Huerta

My grandmother, shown here, looks astonishingly like my sister.

Surprise! The billions in Drug Ad Sales works! But too well?

Ever see a Lunesta ad?
Ever spend an hour on TV where you didn't see a Lunesta ad?
The gentle butterfly will lull you to sleep...just as long as you ignore the small print.
The large print giveth, the small print taketh away...
(Any sleep medicine carries the risk of addiction.)

Now we see that there is a rash of sleeping pill addiction.

Oops Lunestacalypse!

Remnants of a Sunday Afternoon

On Sundays, we like to explore things unrelated to the mondial, quotidian, workaday world. But sometimes, midnight chimes with scores of screens gathering in huddle at the bottom of my browser. Rather than flushing them down the memory hole, today I will transfer them onto the blog for future reference. I shall let alt+tab determine the order...

"Clint Hall" CLINT, in the parish of Ripley, upper-division of Claro, liberty of Knaresborough; 2 miles from Ripley, 7 from Knaresborough, 8 from Ripon.--Pop. 412.This was anciently the seat of Sir William Beckwith, of Clint, Knight; part of the old house is yet remaining, called Clint-Hall, a very ancient stone building, with an arched portal, situated on a lofty eminence, commanding an extensive prospect. Some remains of the moat, that once surrounded this ancient mansion, are still discernible.
The Aldbrough Sundial
"Thorp Perrow"

"Thorp Perrow" images
"Millichope Park"
MASHAM:
Geographical and Historical information from the year 1890. Aldbrough Manor and estate, including Greens and Nutwith Cote, is the property of John Timothy D'Arcy Hutton, Esq., Marske Hall, The monks of Fountains possessed lands and had a grange at Aldbrough, which were seized by Henry VIII. at the Reformation. About the end of the 16th century, Aldbrough was sold to Sir Roger Beckwith, and it was purchased from this family by an ancestor of the present owner soon after 1743. The hall, situated on the banks of the Yore, about two miles from Masham, is a handsome stone building, consisting of a centre and two wings, refronted about 20 years ago. (Note: We think there is a difference between Aldbrough and Aldborough. Here we think it should be Aldborough, which is more westerly.)
Nutwith Cote, the residence of Mr. Thomas Phillips (see: Kenneth Phillips), is an ancient house, and has evidently once been the abode of some person of consequence. The walls of one room were hung with Spanish leather, bearing embossed devices and figures of angels, bacchanalians, grapes, &c., in gold, but a portion of this has been removed, and the remainder is hidden beneath coats of paint and paper. The house belonged to the Beckwiths, and was at one time the residence of Sir Patrick Mackie, a lieut.-colonel in the Scotch army, who died here in 1647. There was formerly a comb manufactory here; and upon the common is the site of a Roman camp.
The earliest provision for educational purposes was the bequest of Isabel Beckwith, of Well, who, by will dated 14th June, 1735, left the sum of £100 for the benefit of a Free School at Masham for teaching five poor boys, preference being given to such as bear the name of Beckwith.
"Duncombe Park" (Note the Palladian architecture, and its similitude wih Tayloe's Mt. Airy in Virginia. They also have Alcibiades' Dogs.
Duncombe Park images
Newby Hall from the River Ure
"Newby Hall" images
Basildon Park (note the dogs)

alcibiades dog
The Barberini Venus, Newby Hall
Sculpture Gallery, Newby Hall
Sterne's Coxwold - Shandy Hall (See "Tristram Shandy" by Laurence Sterne...soon to be released as a movie.)


The Borthwick Institute of Historical Research at the University of York.

"Sunrise" over Super Bowl

If you're not planning on watching the Super Bowl, Turner Classic Movies has a wonderful option. Watch FW Murnau's "Sunrise".

"One would hesitate to call any film the finest of its era," wrote William K. Everson in his influential book American Silent Film, "though as a climax to the art of silent film, one could certainly defend that statement if it were applied to Sunrise."

As a rare gem, Sunrise also lends itself well to taping for your archives. Great film, great director.

Tarheel Tavern #50 - The Ogre Edition - is up!

...and you can dive in by clicking right about HERE.

and don't miss his excellent front page.

How to make Alec Baldwin out of Claude Akins and Roy Blunt

Women always ask me: "How can I make Alec Baldwin"? Usually I have no response, and throw up my hands...which is a lot better than throwing up on your hands. But today, I have discovered the answer: Morph trucking actor Claude Akins and Congressman Roy Blunt. (Some people claim they are the same person, so you may want to morph pictures of the two, rather than morphing their actual bodies, which may indeed be the same one.

Above is what happens when you morph their pictures...

Democrats let Republicans Seize Alternative Energy, Innovation

Republicans Seize the Future, but is it a Snake Oil Symphony?

What could have been a winning formula for Democrats was usurped last night, and the result is that The Republican Party will now be synonymous with alternative energy, innovation, creativity. Yet another miracle is born in our topsy-turvy BushWorld.

You snooze, you lose. Poor Democrats. Poor Paddy Dignam.

Now, if the Democrats can hold Bush to his word, they too might be able to ride the coattails and be seen as at least marginally important in the development of alternative energy, innovation and creativity, as well as the future -- four categories that were once strongly identified with the Democratic Party.

Meanwhile, Democrats are busy becoming Republicans by embracing God, Guns and Goofiness.

For his part, Governor Tim Kaine gave a very good response with more substance and authenticity than Mister Bush, thus propelling this talented Democrat favorably into the national spotlight.