Street Art of the Day

Location - Berlin

Image via: http://www.contemporarynomad.com

Friday Seriousness Full of Beauty

Friday Silliness

Reporter Investigates Claims He Ruined His Family's Thanksgiving Dinner

Different Art of the Day

Format - Paint on Canvas

Image via: http://www.etsy.com

Hush

The Weekly Fluff

I'm sure you were entertained beyond your wildest dreams with yesterday's AT&T slap-down. To ensure your continuing interest in all things inane I care to share, we're back to another round of insipid information regarding our most beloved/be-hated Public Figures.

For now, let's ignore the Fiscal Cliff and focus on the other cliffs several Famous People are literally falling off of. (Shame on me for such poor grammar!)

Today's news brings us back to the legal travails of a young messed-up brat with two dysfunctional parents with whom she has been trapped one way or another. Of course The Brat is none other than Lindsay Low-Hand – arrested AGAIN for yet another fracas. This time in NYC. This time for slapping a woman at yet another club at another ungodly hour (4:00 am). In truth, this time I'm surprised. How many hours does this person spend at clubs? How many nasty fights can one get into every other month?  One of her last club run-ins was at a club in L.A. where Linds threw a drink at someone. Or someone threw a drink at her. It doesn't really matter. Drinks were involved; a club was the scene; the end result was more Bad Lindsay headlines. How is it possible to NOT write about this latest development although I am just as tired of the Lohan Drama as most of you may be at this stage. To avoid redundancy, HERE ARE THE DETAILS for your reading displeasure.

Need I write more other than to point the Flogging Whip in her direction? Aside from the obvious – she needs Rehab more than Charlie Sheen ever did (at least he doesn't steal jewelry or slap strangers – just his wives and girlfriends) – this train wreck is another low-life example of what happens when one lives in Fantasy Land about their importance, as well as ignoring Anger And Substance Abuse issues. I wonder what the courts on both coasts will do this time. I think she's had enough slap-on-the-wrists and may end up behind those locked cell doors longer than a minute this time around. We shall see, won't we?

On Familial Cliff news, Whitney Houston's beleaguered daughter, Bobbi, drove herself down an embankment the other day for driving in the wrong lane or something. She's fine, but her kinda brother-lovah, Nick Gordon, decided to follow Bobbi into Reckless Driving Territory by gunning his car into 80 mph in a 35 mph zone, thus catching the eye of police and adding to the latest Houston Drama. "They" say that Bobbi and Nick have broken-up. If so, both of them are doing a fine job of handling their emotions behind the wheel. All of this went down in Georgia. See? Not everything happens in L.A. when it involves car wrecks and speed.

According to the Most Reliable Former Mistress Big Mouth, Gennifer Flowers (remember her?), Mr. Willy-Nilly Billy Clinton supposedly called upon Mizzy Flowers in 2005 for a little in person "chit chat" of sorts wherein she turned him down, then told the media, and is claiming that had it not been for her "outing" Clinton during his first Prez Run as his "lover" for many years, no one would have known his name. What's a mistress to do? Stay silent? Nope. Not this one. If true, then Mr. Clinton's tendency to follow his Other Head than the brilliant one he uses to move the masses hasn't changed. I expected that there would be Another Woman (or Wimmens) on "the side" over the years, but to be so desperate as to contact the very person who blew your cover (among other areas) is beyond absurd. It is stupid. No wonder Hillary isn't going for another round as Secretary of State. Her next job has to be Set To Escape. Talk about tough negotiations!

And what about another Family-Over-The-Cliff? Halle Berry. Need I write more?

How about the latest on Kristen Stewart's "Ick" attitude toward her Not True Love, Robert Pattinson? As in, "Don't touch me" or "kiss me" or even smile at me – in public, at least. What a joke all of that pining-away was a few months ago. Hard Azz Stewart is back again to retain her "I'm so edgy" image while she shows-up at a variety of events attempting to look glam one day, then back to her I'm Wearing Pajamas Or Something Yucky Again style for other photo-ops. Sigh. Little Mizz Muppet has the Media as her puppet, it seems.

"The time is nigh" said Brad Pitt when asked by People Magazine when he and Angelina Jolie will finally wed. "Nigh"? Why doesn't he just speak his regular English to the press rather than always slipping a supposed "I'm edgy-cated" word into his sound bites. I love the English language. I'm usually impressed with those who use words other than what may be expected considering how the I-Net has begun to ruin what remains of comprehensible words. But Mr. Pitt will not, can not, say something simple such as "Soon" and leave it at that. Nope. He has to bring a "special" word and the kids into the dialogue. It's never that he and Angie WANT to marry. It's because "the kids" are "pressuring" them into it. How romantic.

Well, the time is more than nigh for me to bid adieu to this post. I shall return in less than a fortnight to bring joy, levity, and viable news from around the Interwebs to your Cranium Center just for kicks.

Have a lovely day (or whatever) ...

Image via: http://www.women24.com

Creepy Street Art of the Day

Artist - Skull Phone

Location - Los Angeles

Image via: http://www.thedirtfloor.com

Call Me

Who Deserves a Flog Today?

The Flogging Whip is in a tizzy against AT&T. I suppose I "should" be grateful that I have electricity and a working phone and Internet connection unlike so many of the Sandy Hurricane "victims" who waited for-effing-ever to regain the simple power of Electricity. However, I'm not in that hell at the moment, living, instead, with the constant threat of earthquakes and fires in my part of the world. Therefore, in a moment of "Grace" from natural disasters, I will flog away at what I discovered to be the most frustrating, impossible-to-fathom experience with a company that is supposed to be available to its customers 24/7, 365 days a year according to their website. No, they were NOT available beyond an automated voice which was where every single number I had for the company sent me after rounds of speaking into the non-listening ears of "That Voice" which continued to tell me after answering tons of questions IT asked that the offices where I needed to speak to a HUMAN BEING was/were "closed." And one of those offices was "Repair." 

Let's start from the beginning so that you'll understand the ire I have developed within less than a week. On the day prior to Thanksgiving, while traveling, I received an automated call from AT&T, the phone service I have been with for a very long time. The message indicated there was something awry with my account and I needed to contact "them" ASAP to avoid disconnection of my landline. First, the call was unnecessary as all is well with my account. Second, calling a person on the Busiest Travel Day In America requesting a call-back is rather lame. Who has the time or, in some cases, the ability to conduct personal biz on a holiday getaway day? Of course by the time I received the message their offices were "closed." I felt uneasy with the issue hanging in limbo, and attempted to reach someone on Thanksgiving Day. I expect most biz's to be closed on holidays if not part of the hype of Black Friday and the early-this-year door openings of Target, Walmart, and so on. After getting shut-down following calls to at least 6 different numbers for Customer Service, Billing, I gave up, assuming Friday, a non-Holiday, would bring a HUMAN BEING to my ear on my next round of attempts to speak to someone. Not so. On Friday, the same runaround occurred. Sent back to the same automated system and told once again that no one was available to take my call. Now this was becoming absurdly frustrating. Isn't AT&T a SERVICE company? So, I decided to try my luck at reaching other divisions beyond Billing to find out if I could be routed to a Human, which is why I eventually chose "Repair." Same crap. "That office is closed." WHAT? If anyone had a repair problem the DAY AFTER Thanksgiving, AT&T wasn't "there" to handle the problem. I could not believe it. I then tracked-down more numbers – local and 800 – to resolve the issue. Same ending. Unbelievable. I then went to their website to have a discussion with their operators who were advertised to be available 365 days a year for all issues. I found more numbers, tried to set up a Live Chat with a rep, only to be told on their website that "Chat is closed for the holidays." Furious, I stomped around the home where I was visiting until the smoke began to clear from my Ears of Wrath. On Saturday, I called 5 of those numbers again. Same automated nonsense and more of "This office is closed." Somehow, through an entirely different number I stumbled on, a PERSON actually answered and I was able to resolve the problem. However, the rep, unlike the usually pleasant personnel I have dealt with at AT&T in the past, was defensive about my plight…letting me know it was a holiday time period. So what? Friday wasn't a holiday. Nor was Saturday, so why the attitude after I calmly explained how many times I had tried to find a person. I mentioned "What would have happened if my phone had problems and I needed immediate repair – even via remote?" The rep may as well have yawned in my ear and told me to STFU. I explained that had I not FINALLY located SOMEONE to speak with that Saturday, I would have canceled my account. One would think a Customer Service rep would have apologized for the chaos and would have said the soothing words of concern to retain a customer who was obviously feeling jacked-around. Not this woman. She could not have cared less. I decided to let my anger go and to be thankful for at least having the problem off my list and mind. Strange, but yesterday I received a call from AT&T to ask me if I had been satisfied with the problem resolution. This time I had a true pro on the line who listened to all of my complaints, including the near-cancellation. I was treated like a valued customer and, for an apology, a deal was arranged to knock a few dollars off my monthly bill. Nice gesture. However, within minutes of finishing the call, AT&T's Sales Department called to try to sell some of their "stuff" to me – such as Wi-Fi (I'm with a different company for that), a cell phone, you name it. Again, Un-Effing-Unbelievable. If a Service Provider does not provide service, I believe it's time to look around for a better company, don't you? In the interim, if you are an AT&T customer, try not to have a repair or billing problem around the holidays. Just climb up their phone line polls and cut them off. Then we'll see how quickly someone shows-up to fix the problem.

"MagicJack" anyone?

Rant over.

Another Traditional Touch of Art

Artist/Photographer - Man Ray

Format - Photography - Vintage

image via: http://pictify.com

Relax, Take It Easy

Holiday & Travel Recovery Step 1

No weighty words today.

Traditional Art of the Day

Image via: http://www.etsy.com

The Shadow Of Your Smile



Listless & Dickless

Did you watch the Liz & Dick mess last night? Unfortunately, I did. Having already expected a non-Liz Taylor-sized performance from our Favourite Mess, Lindsay You-Know-Who, I was most distracted by the appalling script. The lack of key moments which defined their relationship not only to each other beyond the endless, bland kissing scenes, but how they were seen by The World beyond a quick shot of a newspaper headline where the Pope denounced their "sin."

I have to say it was The Worst Script - Evah!

Where was the classic paparazzi shot of Mizz Taylor and Mr. Burton canoodling on a yacht which proved to everyone that they were having an affair? No where. How about at least one "Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf" rehearsal scene? Was it too much of a writer and director's stretch to add a moment of one of their most brilliant performances?

Where were the nastier put-downs that Burton loved to say to La Liz that warmed her heart so much? Beyond "pudgy hands" we had nothing akin to what was often repeated by both to be his endless ruthless nastiness to win her love. Otherwise, it was lots of rolling around in beds and hotel rooms that looked the same from scene-to-scene where they kiss and kiss and kiss in every country one can imagine.

I could go on. I won't. It was a shameless exploitation by Lifetime on every level. I hope the network made a few dollars on the endless advertising which interrupted the program almost every five minutes so that we could be treated to ten minutes' worth of back-to-back commercials? Otherwise, less curious souls would have turned off the TV within the first 20 minutes and gone on to other TV options, such as a PBS expose' on the mating habits of snakes - or something.

Although Lohan, as we know, was a terrible choice to play Taylor, I'll give the writer and director a Certificate Of Exile from the TV/Film Biz first.

What a waste of everyone's time.

Otherwise, welcome back to the non-holiday world on this Monday in November.

Image via: http://dashgifs.tumblr.com

Street Art of the Day

Artist - Armo

Format - Paint and Digital Typography

Image via: http://wildstyle-artist.blogspot.com

Follow Me



More Sunday Tidbits

Let's check-in with what you know and don't want to know...

Go to hell: Greedy Little Bastards

Why not blame it on Taylor? Foolish Conspiracy

Anyone have a whistle they want to blow? A Bit Of History

Need more proof that Palin is an ass? Here You Go

Further indications that McCain has no brain: Little Minds Go A Very Small Way

Why, oh why, can't we all be this perfect? Goopy Pretention Abounds

Why don't they just get married? It Makes Sooo Much Cents

Hello out there in GOP-Land: Pop Goes The Weasel

Soon your ears will be glowing: Waste Not Want Not?

Aha! Time to rethink the Human 'Mid-Life Crisis': Interesting Observation

That's it for today.

RIP Larry Hagman

Many remember Larry as JR on Dallas. I liked him best in I Dream of Jeannie. 

Strange Street Art of the Day

Image via: Who The Eff Knows?

With Or Without You



To Catch A Thief



Why did I include this in the blog today? Well, it was 4:00 am when I posted it, which means I was bored and looking for adventure. I also happen to love Cary Grant and this particular scene.

Saturday Satire #1,000,000,000



Obama: 'Second Term Will Be Like Breaking Bad Times Homeland Plus The Sopranos'

Street Art of the Day

Artist - Banksy

Material Girl(s)



Madness

Good morning/afternoon/evening/middle-of-the-night. To those who celebrated Thanksgiving yesterday, I ask, "Are you still hungry or did you overdo it again?" I didn't over-do it, but I'm not hungry and feel as if I am now carrying a baby or a large soccer ball around in my body today. Wow! What great mashed potatoes!

Anyhow, today I have to flog the immense focus on Black Friday - the major shopping day in America which shows just how materialistic we can be and to what lengths we will go to find a deal. Camping-out in front of a store for A WEEK to be First In Line was how some people spent their time and their holiday. Gee. What fun. Let's grab a beach chair, wrap ourselves in fleece and heavy sweaters with bulging scarves and WAIT to buy a flat-screen TV or an iPad or a new cell phone...because electronics is where it's at for most of those who hunkered-down for the "event."

I loathe crowds. I especially dislike shopping unless I'm in and out of a store within an hour. I understand the Lure Of The Deal, but I don't have that Shopping Madness gene in me. As local news covered the literally blocks-long lines surrounding the stores that opened their doors at midnight, or have done so already in the early hours, I was amazed to see people having fun dining on paper plates for their Thanksgiving Dinners that were kindly brought to them by friends and relatives. Most were fairly young, so for some it was akin to Burning Man or any other days-long crazed event in the strangest places.

But c'mon! Don't people have better things to do - such as playing Chess with Grandpa or hanging-out at home on the couch to watch TV or play a videogame? Or, hold your breath, WORK? Some of these Black Friday Waiters must have some form of income or why else would they be shopping - deal or not? Did they use their vacation time to sit on concrete or plop down a tent (as many did) in the Urban Jungle?

Can't we have a respite between one holiday and another? Oh sure, I realize people want to get  their holiday shopping done as early as possible, but WHEN did Thanksgiving become so commercialized? From what I've read, it was in the mid-70's when the day after Thanksgiving became a popular day to shop. I gather spending too much time with relatives triggered a need to fill-up on material possessions to plug the holes in what many find to be an Obligatory Dinner with those they dislike. Having spent a strained day pretending to be civil and "happy to be with family" the need to make ones' self feel Truly Happy is to run around crowded malls and stores, gathering anything in sight that has a discount label.

I have felt this way about the commercialization of Christmas for a very long time. My attitude is not at all new. But now that TV commercials for Christmas began popping-up the day after Halloween this year I decided it had gone too far. With endless news coverage of The Shoppers for today, the disgusted engine that is My Heart began to pound.

If you must be among the throngs, then so be it. I, however, am quite content to stay away from packed parking lots and crowds that could stampede me to death. No TV or cell phone or cashmere sweater is worth it - in my not-so-humble opinion.

Why not let Thanksgiving just BE and allow Christmas it's own space rather than blending the two. It's enough that we have two major holidays back-to-back, not including the 3rd, The New Year and all of the parties that go with it. You may agree with me unless you are now lovingly watching your new Flat Screen HD TV that you managed to pluck from another shopper's hands for half the usual price. Right? Wrong. Those prices could happen any time of the year if only the merchants Just Let It Happen. Perhaps their sales would be up and consistent if prices were reasonable 365 days a year.

Signed,
Almost Scroogey

Image via: popularairsoft.com

RIP Deborah Raffin

It is with sincere sadness that many of us who worked (and had been friends) with Deborah over a very long time period in audio and/or book/film/TV production, discovered this morning that she passed away last night from Leukemia at the still-very-young age of 59. She will be missed by many. For anyone who is unfamiliar with her influence on the Audiobook Industry in its infancy, please do her legacy a favour... Google can truly be your "friend."

It's That Time Again

Happy Thanksgiving to everyone!

Street Art of the Day

Image via: http://theberry.com

Riders On The Storm

Travel Musings

Tis the busiest Travel Day in America. Thanksgiving is tomorrow, and those of us who have places to go and relatives to see are preparing our luggage and heads for the potential duress of feeling as if we are cattle at the end of a Sadomasochists' icy prod. For those who fly, it's the Invasive TSA "pat-down" routine, along with the Long Lines for tickets, Baggage Check, etc.

For others who take trains, like me, it's a group of possible High School Dropouts who have been given positions of what they see as "Power" to yell at the top of their mighty lungs to Stay In Line HERE for the train that goes THERE while they literally stomp-strut their way down a line barking orders to a bored and restless crowd of travelers. It's not as bad as the TSA routine; however, a few weeks ago, while traveling, I was amazed to see how suddenly angry and Bully-Like the Union Station "officials" were behaving toward people who had done nothing more than buy a ticket to get on a train to go somewhere. By the way one woman in charge of the crowds acted, one would think she was handling a group ready to be thrown into a bus and sent off to jail. Rude doesn't begin to describe her tone and body language.

I thought the Show Of Power was an isolated situation, as I've been traveling from Union Station for years and have never seen or heard so many "authorities" treat the crowds like trash. So, I ignored her and went on my way as I was not part of any line and had free reign to go to my platform and wait unfettered by Monsters Of No Power Behaving Badly. However, once my train was on its way and all was calm and easy-going, suddenly two burly Sheriffs in their Sheriff Clothes made an appearance in the car I was in and stood with arms folded and sour expressions, glaring at all of us with a jaundiced eye. Were they looking for someone? Did they need to send an Intimidation Message to the nice people on the Commuter Train or what? The longer they stood with their feet planted far apart and their buzz cuts sizzling at the edges, I realized they were passengers, too, and got off the train at the next stop. Nevertheless, what was that Unnecessary Show Of Hulk all about?

I like to know the populace has protection from violence and so on. That's fine. But when the employees of airlines and trains and local government treat innocent passengers like dirt, that's when all of the caution turns to resentment.

Later today, as I wait for my second train and have a bit of time to roam around the gorgeous Union Station in L.A., I'll do my best to stay out of the way of the Lines Of Cowering Innocents while Big-Mouthed Hate-Their-Jobs employees start throwing both their excessive physical and self-appointed Important I'm In Charge Here weight around just for kicks. Should you have to travel this year, I hope you have a decent experience. It seems like "The Help" on airlines and trains need a few lessons in diplomacy these days.

Time to pack and get on with what will inevitably be a long day with or without Burly Policemen and Overzealous Amtrak Women tossing around a very wet and cold washcloth with which to slap everyone who passes by.

Oh well. At least the view from the train will be pretty. If you like visions of rusty rail cars sitting in abandoned lots near creepy-looking warehouses for half of your trip.

See you later...

Image via: http://projects.ajc.com

Street Art of the Day

Image via: http://www.brooklynpaper.com

America

Tired of Fighting

It must be that a very intense discussion regarding Hamas vs. Israel has zapped all of the writing inspiration from what is left of my brain, but I'm just Not. There. Today. I've attempted three different posts on the conflict, only to erase all of them.

Bottom line: I'm tired of The Middle East conflicts over religion, revenge and territory.

I'm sure most of you are as well.


Therefore, I have nothing to say or write that hasn't been written.

Thus, I won't waste our time.

Enjoy the music and/or art. I'll be back tomorrow, I hope, as I'm embarking on another trip in the early afternoon and will be gone once more for almost a week. But, being away usually doesn't stop the writing. Staying home and becoming ensnarled in all kinds of conversations and other events do.

Have a great day, and welcome to the new address: www.thedailyflogblog.com.

At last, after two years, we are "official."

Image via: http://www.csmonitor.com

Street Art of the Day

Location - Spain

Format - 3D

Image via: http://leiulf.com

I Heard It Through The Grapevine

The Weekly Fluff

It's been a very fluffy time period in Gossip Land. So banal, in fact, that almost everything one can write about the public figures/celebrities who grace the inky-dusty covers of tabloids is akin to "old news." BUT, we're going there regardless, just so those of you who eschew such tripe will have an opportunity to peak behind the curtains of PR shenanigans.

As expected, the reviews for Lifetime's atrocity, Liz & Dick, have been brutal, if not hilarious. The Hollywood Reporter captured what many had known from the inception: it was an horrific idea to attempt to turn Lindsay Low-Hand into La Liz Taylor and expect anyone to believe a mumbled word she utters. Read THIS and you'll know what I'm talking about. It's a wonderful review if you enjoy reading the truth.

Speaking of "truth" and Lindsay Low-Hand in the same paragraph is also a joke. The media carries on in its lambasting of Lindsay's denial of knowing she has a half-sister via her father's philandering's when questioned during last week's GMA interview. Of course she knew. Of course she lied about it. She loathes her loathsome father and is certainly way too Hollywood Royalty in her mind to acknowledge another member exists in the Lohan lineage who may one day out-crack the well-known Crackie. Or something.

Oh well. Not such Big Newz that a Lohan lies. Remember her mother's interview with Dr. Phil a few months back wherein Dina Lohan slurred her way through various versions of words to tell Uncle Phil she doesn't "party" with Lindsay when, later that week she was out and about with her Little Darling? And Dina blames her daughter's misfortunes on "Los Angeles" and its culture. Many laughed, as NYC is where the Lohan action is at these days.

But, enough of the easy shots. Let's get even easier with Gossip Targets In Summation:

According to almost everyone, James Franco is a snobby overachieving self-absorbed, self-important jerk. Jessica Simpson Lie-po'ed herself into trimness, citing it's her diet (for which she is paid to advertise a certain product), not anything else. Hmmmm. Sean Peen (typo – and it's going to stay) is reportedly romancing The Machine that is Florence. Yawn. Count that one out in 5-4-3…. Rihanna's weird plane trip carrying journalists has been in the midst of major meltdowns as she doesn't give interviews, only German Meat Crackers and an Australian passenger/journalist who was so bored/crazed/drunk/awake that he decided to run nude through the aisles to possibly entertain the unhappy passengers. What is this "Rihanna Plane Trip" all about? No one has quite figured it out yet other than another PR stunt gone wrong, especially if you're a vegetarian. Perhaps Rihanna is just trying to woo Chris Brown back into her web by flying circles around the sky until he comes back to her on the fly. I know. That was an awful sentence. I'm keeping that, too, as this is an awful post. Must be consistent, you know.

Let's see, what other crap can I remember? Oh, yeah, Ashton Kutcher and Mila Kunis are still going strong. No word from Demi Moore's deathbed yet. Justin B and Selena G are having Puppy Love Fights. On one day, off another. Be still my heart. Well, it IS STILL as that news just knocked my heart rate down a notch to almost not beating from the I Don't Give A Damn messages my brain Is sending to my Staying Alive Valves.

Bruce Jenner may be on the verge of filing for divorce from Kris Kar-Kash-in, having finally realized after 21 years of marriage that his cajones flew out the door the moment he said "I do." Now, after enough public humiliation to satisfy the most Humble Submissive, the vision of his manhood has apparently been haunting his dreams. Go Bruce! We know you can run like the wind. Just remember the Wheaties cover where you were in your prime and Go For The Gold before Kris beats you to it. But hold on! Bruce is denying the allegations. He claims that everything in his family is "fine" or "doing well" or another one of those vague rebuttals. Of course he wouldn't want Kris to know what he's doing. If he thought his manhood was lost, one day he could wake up to the tangible reality of such.

Oh! The Biggest Newz Of All must not be ignored! Duchess Kate and Duke/Prince William very well might be "with child." By the look on Kate's face in recent days of Out & Abouts she seems to be a tad nauseated more than usual. I understand it's tough spending so much time with The Royal Family and turning green from time-to-time is not uncommon; however, if I were a Betting Woman I would wager one or two crowns that she is preggers. We shall soon find out, "we" have been "told." Is this going to be a Merry Christmas Gift to The Monarchy?

Our American Monarchy, the Kennedy's, must be happy now that Taylor Swift has swiftly moved-on to another teenager with whom she can introduce to the fine art of pottery shopping. Another 18 year-old, but this time one who is in The Biz and knows what it's like to Be A Star! At least he doesn't have to be signed-out of his dorm to go for a weekend date with The Stalker. It's Harry Styles from the band/group, One Direction. I can assure you that in the very near future, he'll be going in Another Direction. Buh-Bye! Taylor only dates anyone for a few months before the Angels That Surround Her Snowy White Halo yank the guys away so that her heart can break all over again and her bank account will grow. Angels have their priorities, too, you know.

Anything else of non-importance going on? If so, you won't find it here. I'm done for the day.

Thanks for stopping by!

Image via: http://gethiredfast.com

Unusual Art of the Day

Format - Light Art Photography
Image via: http://www.dailymail.co.uk

Touch The Sky

Sunday Tidbits #95,174

Are you ready for the weekly strut through the Interwebs? Here we go...

Interesting take on Top Newz writers/contributors: Look Out Maureen!

I feel so sworry for these po' guys: Big Boys Do Cry

And so do Little Boys: What's With The Pant-Skirt?

He's at it again: McCain The Pain

If we were Pelicans we'd ride First Class: It Pays To Be Blown Away

Want a Cliff-note on the Israeli-Hamas conflict? Here It Is

Isn't it ironic? Can You Live Without It?

All is well in Broadwell hell? Damage Control Or Just A Stroll?

More Duchess Kate bashing? Kate & Kim Are Party Twins?

Even the Universe has a "Homeless" population: Is It Lonely?

That's it for today.

Street Art of the Day

Location - Los Angeles

Format - Stencil & Paint

Details and Image via: http://www.cartwheelart.com

Endless Quest

Saturday Satire

Obama: 'I Will Allow 10 States To Secede, But No More'

Street Art of the Day

Location - Brighton, UK

Image via: http://www.wild-about-travel.com

Mystery Guitar Man With Kazoos

Raising Cain

What's going on with John McCain these days? He's running around Washington yelling to anyone who would listen that Susan Rice is not "qualified" to be Secretary of State; that SHE is responsible for the initial, unclear, speculations and supposed erroneous reasons the CIA brought out for the Benghazi attack on the U.S. Embassy which killed four, including U.S. Ambassador Christopher Stevens.

In fact, McCain is SO intent on calling-out Rice for being a liar and inept and everything else he feels she is or isn't, that he didn't bother to show up to the actual Benghazi Briefing in Washington on Wednesday. Yes, he's THAT passionate about the issue!

Has John McCain finally lost his marbles and wants to go home? If so, I can assure him that many in The Beltway would be thrilled to see him go. What has he done for anyone lately other than embarrass himself and his already embarrassing GOP party? I thought he was trying to be an "Elder Statesman" in the waning days of his once-promising political career. Now he is acting like a bitter, deranged man who has drunk too many cups of tea filtered with limes rather than lemons with honey. Bitter Is As Bitter Does.

Is John secretly filing a Secede Petition along with others in the U.S. who have devolved into 2nd Grade behaviour now that they didn't get their way on Election Day. Leaving a country one doesn't want to live in for various reasons is fine. Go. I have written that I would be willing to leave the U.S. if a very rigid, anti-social programs and Back To The 50's mindset prevailed in the elections. But to be so blatantly childish to expect one's state to "secede" simply baffles me. Weren't these people The Patriots wringing their hands over what they feel is no longer "their" country, stomping their feetsies in The House to block anything the Democrats wanted to do just like Good Ole' Americans are supposed to do if they disagree with policy? Nope. Instead, they want to break-up The Union; cause an internal war; create anarchy in the midst of Mother Nature's own version of Anarchy Over The World in the form of natural disasters and misplaced peoples? Aren't things chaotic enough?

No, apparently. Crazy Is As Crazy Does and once more the uber-Conservatives are showing their narrow-mindedness with this ridiculous "Secede" thingy. Leave the country, then, if you don't like Obama and his policies. Don't rip up the country you supposedly hold so dear. Stay in your Little Bubble of Bigotry and Greed and try again another year.

Meanwhile, back we go to John McCain's insane antics. No, he doesn't really want to go home. He wants to remain relevant in Washington and appears to be panicking. Below is an excerpt from Ryan Grim's Huffington Post article today which may explain why Mr. McCain is going into a spiral-of-sorts:

….in January, the Arizona senator will lose his top-ranking committee seat due to term limits. The only ranking Republican spot available to him next session will be on the Indian Affairs Committee.
Unless, that is, the Senate creates a brand-new select committee. On Wednesday, McCain, flanked by Sens. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) and Kelly Ayotte (R-N.H.), proposed just that: a select committee with extensive authority to investigate the Benghazi, Libya, attack and the U.S. government's response.

The Republican most likely to hold the ranking spot on such a panel would be, of course, John McCain, giving the Arizona senator a new burst of relevance.

McCain, who lost the 2008 presidential race to Barack Obama, undermined his effort to create the select committee on the same day he proposed it, when he skipped a private congressional briefing on Benghazi and instead held a press event to complain about not getting briefed enough on Benghazi -- and then became aggressive with a reporter who questioned him about it.
 
 
Aha! The Indian Affairs Committee? Oh, what a slap in the face that would be, eh?
 
Now it all makes Crazy Sense. John doesn't want to be called Sitting Bullshit and made to smoke a Peace Pipe.

Image via: http://www.leftcoastrebel.com (Reuters)

Unusual Street Art of the Day

Artist - Max Zorn

Format - Tape

Image via: http://www.maxzorn.com

Young Turks

Who Deserves a Flog Today?

Young Smirky-Smirk NBC-Nepotized Journalistic-Type Guy, Luke Russert, deserves more than a basic flog for his condescending, "offensive" question-suggestion yesterday to House Minority Leader, Nancy Pelosi. If you haven't seen the exchange by now, or haven't read about his rudeness, let me tell you that sexism is alive and well in the Supposed Evolved New Generation of young men who get jobs because of who their father was/is. Or any other close relative. Luke decided to bring ageism into a question laced with sexism during Mizz Pelosi's press conference wherein she announced that she will remain in her position in The House, whipping her colleagues into shape once more as she heads into her 26th term in Congress. Young smirky-faced Luke has seemed to be a nice guy, liked by the NBC executives and staff who adored his legendary father, Tim Russert, whose sudden death from a heart attack in 2008 shocked everyone, leading to much of the substance regression-digression that has been happening at NBC over the years. Tim had credibility; was the long-time moderator of Meet the Press, as well as NBC's Washington Bureau Chief, and had a quirky sweet smile that was contagious. His son, however, wears a perpetual smirk. I'm not sure if he's always on the verge of finding whatever story he is reporting to be a giggle-of-sorts, or if that's just the way his mouth moves, but whatever the cause, he certainly proved his immaturity and lack of experience by asking a distinguished female politician why she wouldn't step down from her seat as Minority Leader of the 113th Democratic House Caucus to "make way" for younger colleagues. As Pelosi so charmingly remarked, no one has asked the same question of House Majority Leader, Mitch McConnell, whose age is in the same range as Pelosi. I'm surprised her remarks were as civil as they were considering how the women standing behind her at the podium booed Luke as one does to a comedian who has just made a very bad joke. That kind of not-so-well-received response. Sure, it's a valid question in a strange way, as Pelosi pointed-out in-between her artfully expressed put-downs to Russert -  but, again, why even think it, Luke? I waited a day to comment on Russert's rudeness, wondering if we would see different headlines today on whether or not NBC will ask Luke to apologize (as apologizing is all the rage these days), but thus far, only quiet whispers of a few of his mentor-elders at the network taking him to task, whereas others are patting him on his Russert back for having the guts to ask the Former First female Speaker of The House (i.e.; in their eyes, "Grandma") why she won't, in essence, get down to what other "older" women do, which must mean stepping-aside for the sake of crocheting – or something. Having brunches. That sort of "Grandma" thing. What the boys in the backrooms at the networks must have forgotten is that when Grandma feels like packing a punch, she'll do it better than the grandchildren any day. Why? Because she has experience with little Azzhats like Luke and can take them down with just one steely look. It will be a long time before Young Luke can pull that off – especially if That Smirk doesn't go away.

Rant over.

Looking for the video? Here It Is

Street Art of the Day

Location - Granada

Image via: http://sjmackie.wordpress.com

How Could I Not Play This?

Today's Satire Surprise (NSFW)

Warning: Could be offensive to 'serious' Christians - Must have a sense of humour - Enjoy!

Street Art of the Day

Artist - Common Cents

Location - Los Angeles

Image via: thedirtfloor.com

Cry Me A River - And Other Tunes

Heads-Up, Pants Down

Alright. Okay. We have a Bigger Scandal brewing in the U.S. Military today than we had yesterday. Of course, you know what I will write: There Goes Those Menz Of Power again who have difficulty remaining faithful to their spouse(s). That line was kind considering the snarky-snarks I could include; however, I'm a bit confused by this Big Hot Mess; thus I'll simply attempt to recount what I'm gleaning from the Headline Blazing articles zooming all over the Interwebs and via The Hosts/Anchors of TV Newz Outlets who are all a-buzz with something new to discuss now that the election is over.

Here is how I'm absorbing the information: A geeky-looking retired Four Star General became the CIA Director. After his promotion, he began an affair with a woman he had known for several years. They emailed sexy words to each other. They met for what we assume was sex somewhere over a two-year period behind the backs of their spouses. The now-disgraced former General and CIA director resigned from his position amid the mounting evidence of his affair via the FBI's investigation into "harassing" emails another woman associated with the Geeky Guy claims were sent to her by the man's "mistress."

No one has yet come forward to explain exactly what the nature of the relationship between the Other-Other Woman and the now-former CIA Leader was/is/could have been. No one has actually explained why the New Woman In The Scandal felt so threatened that she had to contact a friend in the FBI, but she did and all hell broke loose. Add that to the new fact that another (currently active)  Military General who is a friend of the Other-Other Woman exchanged approximately 20-30,000 reported "flirtatious" emails and/or documents related/directed/or something, to the woman who is a Florida Socialite with minor ties to the military. Now this New Player-General, who was slated to be promoted to a higher position via Prez Obama is also married and probably won't receive his promotion because he has been a Bad Boy, although at this point no one really knows (or will say) precisely how far the association with the Socialite (who is also married) went.

The FBI, in an effort to find out if Classified Information was exchanged/hinted-at between the Former General/CIA Chief and The First Other Woman, descended upon her abode (where she has not been seen since the Word Got Out about the affair) wherein they confiscated boxes and things to look into. Meanwhile, The Other Woman's husband had to cancel a Birthday Party for his wife when the Newz Broke about the Scandal ala Military Pants-Down. Supposedly. I don't know what's true. Now it is reported that The Other Woman was with her husband at a chic "getaway" kind of place when Everything (?) was revealed. Huh?

Re: The Socialite may be more than a basic freaked-out person who received emails from a possible jealous First Other Woman, but one who had been carrying-on an "inappropriate" email correspondence with The Other General who is a friend of her family. In fact, all concerned (meaning the spouses and Socialite and Other General) were so close they would have parties together.

Still with me? Probably not. I'm confused as hell. Well, not really. Seems to me that the Bottom Line is Menz Can't Be Trusted, nor can Wimmen Seeking Power. Odd thing about all of this is that both women look like twins. And one of them IS a twin.

Hmmm. I smell a pattern.

Stay tuned…

The picture above features the Two Stars of this post; General John Allen and Former General David Petraeus.
Image via: news.nationalpost.com

Street Art of the Day

Image via: http://www.thisiscolossal.com

The Man Who Sold The World

A Fist Full of Potential Hollers

Here we go again. The dratted Fiscal Cliff debacle. And here we may go again if Obama doesn't STOP pandering to his sworn enemies in Congress over the social programs involved in their former and future negotiations. Before I go further, the following may enlighten those who require a refresher: Read This

Tedious, yes? Important? Yes! I refuse to accept anything less than an end to the Bush Tax Cuts. I also refuse to accept Obama's possible willingness to negotiate away what many of us voted for when we cast our ballots for him. As The Savior Of The Middle Class, he better get his boxing gloves out of whatever dank basement they are buried in and bust the chops of The Usual Suspects…or else I'll show up at his weekly Basketball Game with extremely sharp elbows despite me height. I am an excellent guard and can make a basket against guys twice my height. Sometimes it's not so terrible being short. You can slip under long legs and disorient the players as they feel the brush of cold air whirling beneath their shorts.

Yep. I have been known to play Basketball. I have a wonky "pinkie" finger to prove it from an unfortunate break from a direct hit on it from a basketball two days after I lost my health insurance to have it set in the proper way. But that was ten or so years ago and this is now, so LOOK OUT Obama. I'll happily crash your weekly game to get what half of the country wants: YOU to tell the GOP to eff-off once and for all, okay? "Can't we all just get along" doesn't work anymore – and it didn't for most of the past four years. Do YOU GET IT?

More than the Fiscal Cliff, other typical incongruous elements are afoot which require monitoring. If you chose not to read the above link, perhaps this one will provide a variety of informative opinions and details which affect your life – whether in the 1% or 99% of America. I highly recommend taking the time to see what the hell is going on. Read It And Steep

Other than all of the above serious stuff, how's your Monday coming along? I'm still waiting for Blogger and GoDaddy to get my new domain name together. Wish me luck.

Image via: http://www.treezzy.com

Street Art of the Day

Artist - El Mac

Format - Mural

Image via: http://www.curiositiesbydickens.com

Another Day In Paradise

Sunday Tidbits #76,151

For your Sunday pleasure, it's time to skip through the debris of the Interwebs....

Oh dear. What planet did she say she was on? Forget What She Said But Believe Her Now?

I say let's go over "the cliff": The New Yorker Says Otherwise

Someone needs new glasses: Trick Or Eeeek!!!

Others need new lives: A Heap Of Trash

Do you feel old yet? If Not, Here's Your Chance

Now we know how the rich get richer: Tight-Wads

It's becoming a very colourful world: Thanks, Japan

Wow! Why didn't the GOP jump on this one? Too Much Fun?

That's it for today!

Unusual Art of the Day

Artist - Rupp

Format - Sculpture

Image via: http://blog.vandalog.com

Saturday's Special Tune & Video

The Weekly Fluff

OMG! OMG! Justin Baby-Eater and Selena No-Go-With-Real-Menz have ended their "relationship" of two years! What happened? Did Justin begin following in the break-steps of his idols who "Rap" by picking-out girls from the concert audiences to join him for a little backstage action? OR, did Selena decide it was time to tear up their contract and move on to a Real Guy instead of a Carbon Copy of a young Lesbian? Only the Tabloids Know For Sure cuz' they are always right about everything they report.

And man-oh-man, did retired General Petraeus, new CIA Chief, end up betraying us and his wife by dallying in the Pastime Of Menz Of Power by having an affair! Those uniforms soldiers and high-ranking officials wear cause some women to swoon until they have flattered their prey into bedtime play. And all this time we thought the General only had Eyes For Spies In the Skies. However, the woman with whom Petraeus found so pleasing has a military background, which means by now seeing a man in uniform wouldn't have been such a lure. Oh well. Just another day in Scandal-Vice.

BTW, has anyone seen or heard from Angelina Jolie or Brad Pitt lately? (Not counting his tour de farce of a Chanel ad.) How do they just disappear like this? No recent photo-ops? No blaring headlines? Oh, wait! Yes, someone sent a little fax out that Brad is "upset" that Angelina likes to "secretly" watch her ex, Jonny Lee Miller's new TV program, Elementary, behind Brad's back after supposedly telling him that she found the show to be quite awful. Wow! Let's shiver in our Uggs for the future of their faux union Epic Romance! There be trouble in that household (wherever it may be at the moment). Look out! More breakup rumours will and do abound. Yawn.

According to everyone's favourite "to diss on" celebrity, KIRSTIE Alley, not only is John Travolta ("love of her life") not at all gay, but she once hit on Patrick Swayze (another "love of her life") and he turned her down. Not to let a day go by of late, KIRSTIE also claims she was a victim of Domestic Abuse somewhere along her marriage/relationship days. I saw the article yesterday, but today a Google search brings-up nothing. So take that comment of mine with a grain of CO$-Deletion-Salts. All I want to know is why she is refusing to stop talking about her life with increasing TMI? Oh, right. She's selling her Memoir. But, did losing on DWTS again send her into a Sugar Rush? I want to like KIRSTIE. Really I do. So, if you're out there, my dear, Stop The Talking and start walking off those unnecessary pounds. No one likes to watch a once-pretty person with a once-nice body continue to pray to the doughnuts at every bakery in town.

BREAKING NEWS! Katie Holmes claims that she's still a good ole' "Midwestern" girl and has even had "Box Wine" and liked it. Well, if that's true, remaining in Tommy's Controlling Box should have been easy to handle, but I gather the wine became bitter and flat. Hmmm. I once liked Mustang Malt Liqour when I was growing-up "back there" and now the thought of it makes me sick. Perhaps it has something to with the fact that I once drank too much of it at a party where I lost my virginity to a guy I never saw again who wore a cool red and blue Tennis Sweater and was a True Preppie. I don't recall anything else other than awkward rolling around in a nearby cabin bed. Such is how my "First Time" went. TMI? Second yawn.

Finally, what would a roundup of Celebrity/Public Persons' Scandals And Gossip be without another Lindsay Low-Hand crisis: If you haven't been inundated with the Latest Newz on that front, just know the LAPD has her in their cross-hairs for "lying" to them when she said she wasn't driving last summer when her car rear-ended a truck and she not-so-deftly changed places with her assistant to make it seem as if he had been driving. Also on the docket-of-sorts is another examination of her Sticky Fingers with regard to the Jewelry Heist she almost pulled-off at a shop last year and received the usual slap on her increasingly bloated wrist. The problem here is that Lindsay feels "victimized" (reportedly) by the LAPD. Hah! Oh darling, the only "victims" in your sphere are the ones who take the fall for you.

Am I missing anything else of importance? Probably. But I want to have another cup of tea and take a shower after writing all of this balderdash.

Have a fun/restful whatever…and, as always, thanks for stopping-by.

Image via: http://alpinfun.blogspot.com

Different Art of the Day

Artist - Tom Lacoste

Format - Light Photography

Image via: http://inspir3d.net