Help

Boing Boing has info. Most important is the message -- don't just go to help and get in the way, don't send crap that would be easier bought by relief organizations, just send money so these relief organizations can buy supplies and stuff.

And That's Not A Real Guitar Cord; He's Flipping Us Off Again

I'm really hating this fucker now. I'll let you all to make your own Nero comparisons.

Bat Guano to Take a Break Tonight

Realized I need to just sleep tonight. Too frazled to do SwaG!, if that could be possible. Dirty Dub will fill in, so things should be SwaG!y.

FEMA list of ways to help. Red Cross.

Not Good

Thought that New Orleans was going to be messed-up but fine yesterday. But it's not over. Water -- fouled with gas, oil, sewage and fire ants (fucking "balls" of fire ants) -- is still rising. Looting. Area under martial law. Don't forget likely poisonous snakes and alligators driven out of flooded swamps into the city.

How bad is it? It's bad enough that Bush has cut short his vacation and gone back to Washington. It's a Terri Schiavo-level emergency.

There's one SwaG! fan and friend who was crazy enough to stay down there. Last we heard yesterday afternoon she was fine, her house was fine. Another refugee, maybe two, should be on their way here. Phones, cell phones, of these folks not working. Got some weird text-to-voice message of a robot just saying "OK WILL CALL" last night.

I feel so fucking safe and happy knowing much of the National Guard is in Iraq now protecting our freedom.

Red Cross.

New Orleans Not Destroyed, Citizens Reported As Cocky

From here:

SHEPARD SMITH: You’re live on FOX News Channel, what are you doing?

MAN: Walking my dogs.

SMITH: Why are you still here? I’m just curious.

MAN: None of your fucking business.

This is the best news I've seen all day.

Update: Oops, this happened yesterday.

Fuck

Ninth Ward, poor neighborhood of New Orleans, under 6 feet of water, pumps failing, CNN says. That's where Quintron and Miss Pussycat live, in the "Spellcaster Lodge." I was there last Halloween for a packed puppetshow/concert. Hope they got out. Fucking sad to think that the Flossie and the Unicorns puppet stage is now likely underwater.

Help

An important message on how to help.

Yeah.

From here, a Metafliter thread on Katrina starts out with someone called ColdChef being a bad mother, saying he's not leaving New Orleans. Then he reconsiders. Is now in Baton Rouge.

My wife and I have spent the past few hours crying about all the restaurants and bars and bookstores and art galleries that we're likely to never see again. It's like the death of a friend, both literally and figuratively.

Fuck

This is serious...

We've been to New Orleans at least once a year since 1997. Friends are down there -- were down there. They all got the fuck out. But their homes could be destroyed, or at least pretty messed-up.

You see mass tragedy happen to other places and people, and you think that's awful. But when you get to know the town and the people, you take it personal.

Found Photos

I could look at this all day.

Sometimes I Feel Like Everett True

Sometimes I feel like Everett True.

All In The Grave

Livejournal blog of a now-dead US soldier.

I Hate Those Dumbasses In The Audience Too, Sometimes

Jack White Gets Pissed

What If God Wanted Pasta Sauce?

I'm seriously considering changing my religion from None to Pastafarianism. Boing Boing has the roundup on this growing spiritual movement.

And for those who know not of the Flying Spaghetti Monster...

Worse Than Nixon

Bush's poll numbers now worse than Nixons'. ARG poll has Bush's approval rating at 36%. The month before it was at 42%. It's falling fast, it's falling far. At this rate we'll have the Republican congress impeaching him this time next year, just to save their asses for November.

Robert Moog RIP

Go here.

HST Roundup

Roundup of photos and stories on HST sendoff.

Okay, some are saying it's a little too tacky, too Hollywood, too excessive. Blame Depp. But it's his two million. Thompson probably would've rather had something more homemade, full of dynamite and likely to cause minor injuries among the crowd.

Boom

BBC story on HST fireworks, with photo and video.

I Belive it was Rob Cordry of the Daily Show Who Said That What Is Notable About This President Is That He Just Doesn't Give A Fuck

CINDY SHEEHAN couldn't have picked a more apt date to begin the vigil that ambushed a president: Aug. 6 was the fourth anniversary of that fateful 2001 Crawford vacation day when George W. Bush responded to an intelligence briefing titled "Bin Laden Determined to Attack Inside the United States" by going fishing. On this Aug. 6 the president was no less determined to shrug off bad news. Though 14 marine reservists had been killed days earlier by a roadside bomb in Haditha, his national radio address that morning made no mention of Iraq. Once again Mr. Bush was in his bubble, ensuring that he wouldn't see Ms. Sheehan coming. So it goes with a president who hasn't foreseen any of the setbacks in the war he fabricated against an enemy who did not attack inside the United States in 2001.

Etc., etc.

HST Countdown Conitnues

I had no idea how big this sucker is.

The tower — intentionally built just taller than the Statue of Liberty — was erected in a field between Thompson's home and a tree-covered canyon wall. It was shrouded in tarpaulins for days, but his widow, Anita, said it was modeled after Thompson's Gonzo logo: a clenched fist, made symmetrical with two thumbs, rising from the hilt of a dagger.

I hope they leave it up for future generations to ponder.

HST Countdown Begins

BBC Washington Post

Hunter S. Thompson's Final Party

"Based on Hunter Thompson's comments in a 1978 BBC documentary, fireworks launchers will arc his ashes from a 153-foot structure capped by a double-thumbed, red Fiberglas fist."

Someone Tell The President The War Is Over

Need help shedding your unreality? Read this.

Shedding the Unreality

The Bush administration is significantly lowering expectations of what can be achieved in Iraq, recognizing that the United States will have to settle for far less progress than originally envisioned during the transition due to end in four months, according to U.S. officials in Washington and Baghdad.

The United States no longer expects to see a model new democracy, a self-supporting oil industry or a society in which the majority of people are free from serious security or economic challenges, U.S. officials say.

"What we expected to achieve was never realistic given the timetable or what unfolded on the ground," said a senior official involved in policy since the 2003 invasion. "We are in a process of absorbing the factors of the situation we're in and shedding the unreality that dominated at the beginning."

Rednecks

Rednecks.

Rednecks!

Hot Electronica from the 1920s

I was playing "Popcorn" by Hot Butter, the big '70s moog hit, and someone called saying they thought it was the first electronica tune.

Well, no, it wasn't, if you're talking about music made with nothing but circuits, anyway.

Pink Elephants Everywhere

"Pink Elephants On Parade" with music by Sun Ra, video by Disney.

Hummingbird Vs. Preying Mantis

BWAH-HA-HA-HA!

No TV For George On This Vacation

When he's watching South Park and this comes on, well, that's just gonna be one big buzzkill.

Fucking Motherfuckers Fucking With Our Fuck

WFMU gives a roundup on the latest FCC shenanigans. They've been quiet about naughty words and boobies for a while now, but look out... Penny Nance, a representative of America's Taliban, is now getting paid with your tax dollars to do advising for the FCC.

Worship Jesus Worship Satan

Christianity vs. Satanism mp3s -- start with the Drunken Preacher. "Shit! Ahm a sonovabitch!"

Happy Bday PCL.

All The Little Girly Men Agree

Cornell study reports:

Threaten a man's masculinity and he will assume more macho attitudes, according to a study by a Cornell University researcher.

"I found that if you made men more insecure about their masculinity, they displayed more homophobic attitudes, tended to support the Iraq War more and would be more willing to purchase an SUV over another type of vehicle."

The Pictures Tell The Story

Looking For Love In All The Wrong Places

Bullshit? No Shit!

From a CNN insider:

"Hopefully this will finally give CNN an excuse to dump him from the network," the trusted staffer e-mailed this morning. "The fact is, he probably should have been canned a long time ago. It is a bit silly that for revealing the identity of a CIA agent, CNN does nothing to him...but for using a swear word, oh, THEN we suspend Novak (and most likely will get rid of him, as public pressure continually mounts)."

If you don't know by now, that's all about this.

Case Closed

Our President, George W. Bush, is an idiot.

From the linked story:

Bush wants public schools to teach "intelligent design," also known as creationism lite.

He said he gave no "litmus test" to Roberts before nominating him to the Supreme Court.

Said about baseball player after player tested positive for steroids, "He's the kind of person that's going to stand up in front of the klieg lights and say he didn't use steroids, and I believe him. Still do."

And about Karl Rove, "Karl's got my complete confidence. He's a valuable member of my team," Bush said. "Why don't you wait and see what the true facts are?"

True facts just don't matter to this fool.

Go-Go Pictures

Here. Of course, I'm portrait #26.

Go-Go Guerrillas! Go-Go!

WIDR made just over $500 at the Go-Go Guerrillas dance party Friday. Thanks to all who came out. You all boogied like Luther the Anthropoid. If we ever do this again, we'll have to isolate the vibrations of your pounding feet from our sensitive needles.