Posted 20:57 by Grote 0 comments

Politics! Politics! Politics!

First off, is anyone else sick and tired of the Stand Online commercials? I know smoking is bad and all that's why I don't do it.... often (I enjoy a good cigar now and again). But really, do we need these ham-fisted tactics? People are gonna smoke whether you want them to or not. If I want to fire up a cigar, I'll fire up a cigar and if you're nice to me I won't blow smoke in your face. While I think governmental buildings should be smoke free, if a bar wants allow smoking it should have the right to do so. If you don't want to deal with the smoke then DON'T GO THERE. The loss of revenue (or increase of revenue) should help make their decision about whether they should keep smoking or not.

Texas Democrats took off for Alberque, N.M. to as a delaying tactic in redistricting move by the republicans. WTF? I'm against gerrymandering and all but cut me a frickin break here people. So rather than debate and compromise like sensible adults we're going to run away? Wow and I thought I worked with a bunch of children.

This Texas represenative was unavailable for comment

If you haven't been paying attention to the news lately the 9/11 report has been released. Kinda. You can read it here. If you don't have time to read all 858 pages, let me sum up for you. No smoking gun per se, but that there were multiple clues ignored and "inadequate attention was paid to the likelihood of a major domestic terrorist attack". Here's the real problem. Some of the report is classified and instead of mentioning the country where the hijackers came from, Saudi Arabia, the report mentions a "middle-eastern country." *Sigh* Guess this way, we can keep gas prices down.

Wanna get into the futures market? Don't go into the agricultural market that's old-school. Get into Terror Futures! That's right folks, you can put money down on where Osama and company will strike next. Arafat assinated? Hey! I had that square too! Payoff baby! I knew I should have bet on the King of Jordan being assassinated.
Yes you can even sign up now. What's really scary is the logo. 1st the acronym, I only know one woman named Pam *shiver* let's not go there. 2nd, the logo is an illuminated triangle with the world on one side and graph chart on the right! Damn the Illuminati they're everywhere! Fnord.

And finally... Governor Gray Davis has been officially recalled. He says he's going to fight "like a Bengal Tiger." Great. Does this mean he's going to throw three interceptions and get blown out in the fourth quarter? Thanks folks! I'm here all week tip your waitstaff!

Footnote: I searched for about three days to try and find a sound clip of Comicus shouting "Politics! Politics! Politics" during his standup routine, sadly it was in vain.

Posted 13:38 by Grote 0 comments

About F-ing Time!

In this Wahington Post article, is a report that the U. S. Justice Department is going after Clear Channel Broadcasting. Clear Channel is this century's Standard Oil, in my town Dayton, OH Clear Channel owns the two "new rock" stations. I can also pick up the two Cincinnati stations who also play new rock. Guess what, there was a time when all 4 were playing the same song! Given it was more than a few seconds off but it was that dumb Nickleback song "How you remind me" or whatever that whiner song is. What surprised me was there was a clear channel station that played Tom Petty's song: The Last DJ, which was taking direct aim at Clear Channel (or at least that's what *I* got from the song). Needless to say I only heard it two or three times. The only thing that sucks about this investigation it takes away an issue from my future Presidential Run. I was going to run under the Bull Moose Party (the party of Teddy Roosevelt, when he unsuccessfully ran for President in 1912) and promise to go after monopolies like Clear Channel as soon as I found ol' TR's "Big Stick." Ah well such is life.

Posted 19:06 by Grote 0 comments

Cthulhu on Ghostbusters??

I was persuing the Straight Dope today and found a pretty much over long article about the Necronomicon. Anyway, I scrolled to the bottom and apparently a writer of The Real Ghostbusters had written a Cthuhlu episode that was part of their run. You can read it here. Huh?? Wha? I missed that episode or didn't realize how really geeky some of these writers are. I think I need to find this episode.....

Posted 22:36 by Grote 0 comments

Hunter S. Thompson

Admittedly, I've never read any of his books, or seen Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas, but I've always enjoyed and appreciated his commentary on the sports and sometimes political world on ESPN.com's Page 2 even if I didn't agree with it. In his latest article he talks more about the latter. You can read it here, but the meat of the article can be summed up with this paragraph:

The American nation is in the worst condition I can remember in my lifetime, and our prospects for the immediate future are even worse. I am surprised and embarrassed to be a part of the first American generation to leave the country in far worse shape than it was when we first came into it. Our highway system is crumbling, our police are dishonest, our children are poor, our vaunted Social Security, once the envy of the world, has been looted and neglected and destroyed by the same gang of ignorant greed-crazed bastards who brought us Vietnam, Afghanistan, the disastrous Gaza Strip and ignominious defeat all over the world.

Fact of the matter is, he's right. I'd like to say that maybe the American Public will wake up, vote in elected officials that care more about the country than their pocket books, but I know better. Someone once told me that the U.S. might be going through what England went through 100 years ago as its empire crumbled, I disagree. I think we're probably looking at another fall of the Roman Empire.

Posted 23:17 by Grote 0 comments

There and Back Again.....

I'm thinking of taking some vacation time at the end of September/1st week of October and actually travelling somewhere for a week or so. So I'm looking for suggestions. Early leader is Washington D.C., but that just might because I have a degree in Political Science with a minor in History. Anyway if you've got suggestions (consider a somewhat limited budget) in either what to see in D.C. or you really need to go to (fill in the blank), feel free to e-mail me. I'll keep you updated on details as they come available.

Posted 22:58 by Grote 0 comments

Foucault Lite -or- The Da Vinci Code

I just finished The Da Vinci Code the other day and i have to say it was a fairly enjoyable book. The author laid out the same clues/puzzles that the characters were working on and gave the reader enough time (a page or two) to crack it before our heroes did. A good example would be 13-1-1-2-21-8-5-3 was found written next to a dead body. What special sequence are the numbers part of? (Highlight for answer) The numbers are the first 8 numbers of the Fibonacci Sequence 1-1-2-3-5-8-13-21. Anyway, the book deals mostly with two very real groups the Priory of Sion (of which Leonardo Da Vinci was a part of) and Opus Dei(which take a very fundamentalist view of the teachings of the Catholic Church). Anyway if a good mystery about the Holy Grail is what you're looking for, than pick this book up and give it a shot.

Posted 21:59 by Grote 0 comments

Many Apologies

Gosh it's been almost 3 weeks since I lasted posted something on here. A thousand apologies, I'll try to be post more often (Including the somewhat massive posting tonight).

Best. Movie. Evar.

Ok, not really but Pirates of the Caribbean is a pretty fun movie. You can't go wrong with Pirates, Zombies, and Monkeys. Especially when there is a ZOMBIE PIRATE Monkey! Still it's a fun movie, Johnny Depp stole the show as Capt. Sparrow, and the CGI switch from real Pirates to Zombies in the moonlight was well done. The sword fights were well choreographed, especially the first one between Depp and Orlando Bloom (cheers go to Klaus Badelt who wrote the music and timed it with the clangs of swords).

Finished Foucault's Pendulum

Honestly, I enjoyed the book but its not the lightest material in the world (nor the heaviest, it just leans more to the heavy side). If you like the Knights Templar and a good ol' conspiracy theory then this is the book for you. For me personally, it was either a page turner that I couldn't get enough of or it just came to a direct standstill plot-wise. I'll definitely return to it though for a second read-through I'm sure I missed some subtle hints.

Pat Robertson turning to "Supreme Prayer"

Most of you know by now, while I'm mostly in the middle, I lean a bit to the right. But not as far as some of the "Religious Reich"(I'm searching for a picture of the Illuminati: New World Order Card, if anyone can help that be great. Thanks.) members such as Mr. Robertson. He's asking his viewers to pray that three of the High Court's members step down. Saying that one is an 83 year-old (presumably John Paul Stevens), one has cancer (Ruth Bader Ginsburg, who's a cancer survivor), and the third has a heart condition (???). Apparently, he didn't much care for the Court legalizing Sodomy. Stealing a line from Keith Olberman, "Unfortunately for Robertson, I don't think God is part of the 700 club's demographic."