Good Point

From Pope Benedict XVI's most recent encyclical: "How did we come to conceive the Christian project as a selfish search for salvation which rejects the idea of serving others?"

Of course, he also attacks atheism as being the source of the "greatest forms of cruelty and violations of justice" in history. Gee, worse than the Crusades, or the Inquisition or clerical sexual abuse, or slavery, or terrorism? Or even the use of an unseen omnipotence to justify the denial of basic human rights right here in America? I think not.

More on the new encyclical can be found here. You can read the full text here.

The Future in Your Pocket, The Past in Your Mind

A while back, a rumor made the rounds in Khartoum, Sudan -- the same place where an English pre-school teacher has been arrested (and crowds bay for her execution) because she allowed her three and four-year old charges to name the class teddy bear "Muhammed" -- that if a man shook the hand of an infidel, his penis would fall off. The rumor spread via cell phone and text messaging. Apparently, many men took the rumor seriously. But what is amazing is that confluence of modernity and superstition. The rumor spreads via a wonder of science and technology -- yet the men who fell for this bit of ridiculous folklore simply couldn't reconcile the facts of science (even though the proof of its efficacy was right there in their hands) with their ancient xenophobic mindset.

Doesn't bode well for the future we all need to share.

The Wingnut is at it Again

Check out this little beauty from Pat Robertson. I'd think Christ might be more pleased if they expended this effort ministering to the poor and the homeless and the imprisoned.

Making Way

When faced with overwhelming power, the powerless learn to adapt.

The footage is from a marketplace in Bangkok.

"I'm Not There"

I can't say I understand it completely. I can't say that it is going to achieve any sort of commercial success. I can't even say that critics love it. Most do, but one of my favorite critics (Anthony Lane of the New Yorker) and one of my least favorite critics (Mick LaSalle of the San Francisco Chronicle) both disliked it. What I CAN say about "I'm Not There," Todd Haynes's new film "based on the music and many lives of Bob Dylan" is that not once during its two-hour, 15-minute running time did I ever want to look away from the screen. It is the most artful film I have seen in many, many years.

Be warned -- if you are looking for a faithful biography of Bob Dylan, this is not the movie for you. Many reviews I have read seem to feel the film presents different stages of Dylan's life, represented by the six different actors (including the luminous Cate Blanchett) who play Dylan. The truth is, these actors represent different aspects of Dylan's character as much as they represent stages of his life. He is seen in youth as an African-American boy (inhabited by the prodigiously precocious Marcus Carl Franklin) named Woody. (None of the Dylan characters in the film are actually named "Bob Dylan.") I'm not familiar with the details of Dylan's life as a child, but I'm pretty sure it didn't involve riding the rails as a pre-adolescent with a guitar whose case read "this machine kills fascists." Yet, these sequences still have a powerful ring of truth. They set-up the young Dylan as someone obsessed with his mission in life, his dreams and his goals, while grounding these aspirations with the sense of otherness Dylan must have felt, both as an artist and as a Jew in mid-century Minnesota.

The film jumps back and forth through time, skimming in and out of dreamy fantasies and hard-edged reality. We see Dylan the rebel, Dylan the dreamer, Dylan the outlaw, Dylan the petulant artist, Dylan the provocateur and Dylan the sage. And still we feel we have only scratched the first level or two of veneer.

Look for "I'm Not There" to score several Oscar nominations, including Best Picture, Best Director, Best Art Direction, Best Supporting Actress, Best Editing and perhaps even Best Screenplay. It will deserve them all. Every frame is filled with art. It's not a movie for everyone, but "I'm Not There" is easily the most impressive film achievement of the year.

How to Cover

With the resignation of Florida's Bob Allen, following his conviction on charges of soliciting sex for money in a public restroom, I have a suggestion for other closeted Republican lawmakers. (This should increase the blog readership, as there seems to be NO END of those!) Bob Allen, Larry Craig, Mark Foley, et al. all had horrendous records in terms of voting on gay rights issues. Their overcompensation didn't seem to keep the truth from getting out. In fact, given the events of the past year, I think the wise course of action for a closeted Republican would be to come out in favor of gay rights issues. Co-sponsor ENDA. Be grand marshall of the West Hollywood pride parade. Sponsor a constitutional amendment establishing same-sex marriage. That'll throw 'em off the scent.

The Real Straight Talk Express...

...is being driven by Joe Biden. Read this interview with the man. He's saying stuff that seems smart and solid and rational. Unfortunately, it reads like someone who believes he can't win the nomination, and therefore feels like he can really speak his mind. Look at some his responses in the most recent debate. He was among the most relaxed candidates on the stage, willing to joke in an off-the-cuff, non-scripted, non-focus group tested way.

This is a man who, in my opinion, has the best qualifications to lead this country -- but has almost no chance at getting the opportunity to do so. But I can hope. And donate. (Which I did.)

Why the Internet was Invented, part 2

To discover secrets we never knew existed. Click here.

Barack's Inner Dick

In his Sunday op-ed piece, Thomas Friedman suggests an approach to the Iran problem that marries the "let's talk" approach of Barack Obama with the "let's rumble" approach of Dick Cheney.

Money quote: "But Mr. Obama’s stress on engaging Iran, while a useful antidote to the Bush boycott policy, is not sufficient. Mr. Obama evinces little feel for generating the leverage you’d need to make such diplomacy work. When negotiating with murderous regimes like Iran’s or Syria’s, you want Tony Soprano by your side, not Big Bird. Mr. Obama’s gift for outreach would be so much more effective with a Dick Cheney standing over his right shoulder, quietly pounding a baseball bat into his palm."

Yo Ho, Yo Ho...

...a pirate's death for me!

Friedman Making Sense. Again.

I missed this column of 11/14 from Thomas Friedman. Don't you miss it. Money quote:

"REPUBLICAN CANDIDATE: “My Democratic opponent, true to form, wants to raise your taxes. Yes, now he wants to raise your taxes at the gasoline pump by $1 a gallon. Another tax-and-spend liberal who wants to get into your pocket.”

DEMOCRATIC CANDIDATE: “Yes, my opponent is right. I do favor a gasoline tax phased in over 12 months. But let’s get one thing straight: My opponent and I are both for a tax. I just prefer that my taxes go to the U.S. Treasury, and he’s ready to see his go to the Russian, Venezuelan, Saudi and Iranian treasuries. His tax finances people who hate us. Mine would offset some of our payroll taxes, pay down our deficit, strengthen our dollar, stimulate energy efficiency and shore up Social Security. It’s called win-win-win-win-win for America. My opponent’s strategy is sit back, let the market work and watch America lose-lose-lose-lose-lose.”

If you can’t win that debate, you don’t belong in politics."

No Need to Yell "Fore!"

...as these pants...

...will do a much more effective job of announcing your presence to the foursome in front of you.

More options at Loudmouth Golf.

Bob Allen is Convicted, Sentenced

Florida state representative Bob Allen (whose men's room troubles preceded Larry Craig's by several months, and documented by this blog here) was convicted last week and today was sentenced to six months probation and a $250 fine, plus $245 restitution for police costs. One of the conditions of his sentencing included a provision that he never enter the park where the offense took place. So he'll have to scratch that tea room off his list. But there must be non-stops from Miami to Minneapolis -- the men's room is hopping there.

Say It, Frank

A blistering opinion piece from Frank Rich in today's New York Times.

Money quote: "Americans know that the ideals that once set our nation apart from the world have been vandalized, and no matter which party they belong to, they do not see a restoration anytime soon."

A New Low Round

Today, after two weeks of an intense work project, I was able to get back out on the golf course. I went with a fresh attitude: I wasn't going to get upset at bad shots. After all, golf isn't my living, and stressing out over a poor swing wasn't going to make the next one any better.

So I stepped onto the first tee at the Marriott Desert Springs Valley course with no expectations. (And, as it turned out, no warm-up. My original tee time was 1:30, and I'd never be able to complete the round before dark, so I got to the course early and asked if I and my playing partner could get out any earlier. "Only spot I have for two is going out right now." So now was when we went.")

On the first hole, I hit an acceptable tee shot, a weak fade, but in the fairway. After a pulled second shot, I hit a chip to four feet and sank the putt for an opening par.

Hole number two I striped my drive straight down the middle, but pulled my approach again, chipped not quite as well and two-putted for a bogey.

Number three was a par five. A decent drive and second shot, but my approach went right, and I chipped and two-putted for another bogey.

Bogey on number four. My drive was good, but didn't quite carry over some rough. My second shot came up just short, but I stubbed my chip. Chipped again and one-putted.

On number five I got back on the par train with a solid drive, a solid 6-iron pin high and two putts for par.

Number six was a par three over water. Solid three-wood pin high and two putts.

On number seven, my 3-wood off the tee was a little left, but I was still only 120 yards out. Unfortunately, I mis-hit my 9-iron into the lake and ended up with double bogey.

Number eight is a par three over water. Hit my hybrid pin high but right, though I was able to make a nice up-and-down for par.

On the ninth, I pulled my drive left and had a terrible lie above a bunker. It was a pretty severe uphill lie and the ball was sitting down, and I had a sketchy stance. Fortunately, I got solid contact with a 3-wood and advanced the ball to 110 out. (That was probably my best shot of the round.) Hit a 9-iron pin high and two-putted for par, closing out the front nine with a 41.

Started the back nine with a solid drive and a good 3-wood. From 70 yards out, I hit a solid half-wedge to four-and-a-half feet. Unfortunately, I couldn't convert the birdie putt and settled for par.

On 11, I made par, thanks to a good pitch and a one-putt.

Bogeyed the par-three 12th. I was on the green in regulation, but made a very weak first putt and it took me two more to get down.

On the next hole I let my drive drift right, but got lucky with a 7-iron and was on the green in regulation, about 12 feet away. Made the putt for birdie!

Parred 14. Bogeyed 15. Par on 16. Par on 17.

At this point, I was pretty sure I was on my way to a new low round. I didn't know that if I even made bogey I would break 80! My drive was a bit of a flare, but I was still in the fairway, about 170 yards from the green. By this time, darkness was falling, and I was worried about the fading light. That's no excuse, however, for the shots that followed. I'm not sure if I pulled the shot, or if my alignment was off, but the ball flew high and far -- right into the pond left of the green. Dropped and left my wedge a touch short, leaving the ball on the fringe of the green. A chip and two putts meant a triple bogey seven. Still, my back nine score was a 40, for a total of 81, besting my previous low of 82.

Granted, I played the round from the white tees, so the course played only 6023 yards, but I'm still quite pleased. Breaking 80 is next!

Two Movie Recommendations

Hit one of my favorite theaters last night, the Camelot in Palm Springs and caught two new movies, both well worth seeing.

The first, "For the Bible Tells Me So," is a documentary looking at the effects of religion on the lives of a variety of families with a gay child. The Rev. Gene Robinson, the new Episcopal bishop of New Hampshire (whose consecration caused an uproar that is still resonating), and his parents are profiled, as are Chrissy Gephardt and her family, but the other families are not ordinarily in the public eye. Though each story has its own unique elements, the basic narrative is the same in each -- a family of faith is shocked and/or disgusted when one of their children comes out to them (one when he was just 16, most while in their 20s, but Gene Robinson waited until his 50s to break the news), and after a period of challenge, comes to some sense of resolution. Not always acceptance, but at least resolution, except for one tragic instance.

Intercut with these stories are interviews with a variety of clergy, as well as footage from many right-wing types, including Pat Robertson and Jimmy Swaggert, and a very clear and concise cartoon explanation on the causes of homosexuality.

Though the film definitely has an agenda, it is remarkably even-handed and fair-minded. (As opposed to, say, the films of Michael Moore.) Should be required viewing for every parent.

The second feature was Ang Lee's newest, "Lust, Caution." Set in China during the Japanese occupation of WWII, the movies tells the story of a group of student actors who become resistance activists. Gorgeous photography, wonderful performances, but best of all a very strong, compelling story. Go see. (But be warned, the sex scenes are quite realistic and relatively graphic.)

Have you heard any of these stories?

Over the past few weeks, I have heard or read of several stories like these:

No photography.

Honest mistake=six weeks' detention--so far.

Not born in the USA.

Apparently we can't get the rest of the world to hate us enough by what we do over there that we have to treat them like shit when they come HERE.

Find Your Match

Ran across an interesting new online service. Glassbooth.org asks you first to assign points to the political issues that interest you most, then to rate your support or opposition of certain positions. The site will then show you which presidential candidate's positions most closely match yours. What's cool is that you can then drill down into each position, and Glassbooth gives you backup quotes from the candidate to show what they have said about each position.

It Has Already Happened. Again.

A chilling story in this month's Esquire magazine, recounting the story of two former Bush administration officials who were part of a diplomatic process in which Iran was making major concession to resolve MIddle East issues -- concessions the adminstration rebuffed.

License and registration, please

One of the bigger dustups tonight centered around an answer by Hilary Clinton as to whether she supported NY Governor Eliot Spitzer's plan to issue driver's licenses to undocumented workers. The brouhaha is not so much about her answer, but as to whether she was caught saying two different things on the same issue, but that's neither here nor there. Chris Dodd was especially clear in his opposition, saying driving was a privilege.

But if part of the problem of illegal workers is that they are undocumented, giving them driver's licenses is a step in the right direction, documentation-wise.

Yum.

Now all I need is the $15-25 million.

Tear Down the Ghetto Walls

In the post-Stonewall era, the gay community has made enormous strides. From a time when our sexuality had to be hidden because it was not only socially unacceptable but also illegal to now, when gay people are highly visible (Ellen, Barney Frank, David Geffen, Philip Johnson -- just to name four people at or near the peak of their respective professions), the Supreme Court has struck down antiquated sodomy laws as unconstitutional, and we can get married (at least in Massachusetts), the gay community has come farther in the past 40 years than any of us might have imagined.

Granted, we still have a long way to go toward achieving civil equality. (Social equality may never come, but we'll have to live with that.) The military in this country still prohibits gay people from serving openly. There are dozens of states where we can be fired or denied housing simply because of our sexuality. Most states in the union have passed constitutional amendments defining marriage as being solely the territory of heterosexual couples.

With the changes we have gone through, something has changed about our community. The ghettos (I use that term not in a perjorative sense) are disappearing. Where we once needed the Castro and Chelsea and Provincetown and West Hollywood as safe enclaves, the greater visibility we have gained since 1969 has shown the straight world that we are everywhere, and that we have valuable contributions to make as citizens.

As usual, of course, Andrew Sullivan has said it better than I can.

But I will say that I think this is a good thing. My partner and I are planning our first ever cruise. (At least it's MY first ever cruise.) Many people have asked if we are going on a gay cruise. The answer is no, and the reason is two-fold. First, gay cruises are overpriced. Second, ghetto walls can only be torn down from the inside. The more we separate ourselves from the rest of society, the less that broader society feel our presence. Yes, it would be nice to be able to hold hands on deck without thinking that the Kansas families on the Lido deck are staring at us -- but if the Thompsons from Topeka never see a gay couple that doesn't look like the flamboyant types the media point their cameras at during Pride parades, how are they going to learn exactly what it is they are being asked to tolerate.

The New York Times had a story in today's issue on this same basic topic.

Count the Laterals

And you thought the Stanford-Cal final in 1982 was the craziest play you ever saw. To that I say, "ha!" Check this out.

Out and Moving On

Click here to find an interesting blog post by Glenn Greenwald about an out candidate for Senate in North Carolina.

Core Issues

Poll: Bullshit Is Most Important Issue For 2008 Voters
Only the truth is funny.

Dumbledore is Gay!

According to J.K. Rowling (who now has more money than God, but not quite as much as Oprah), her character Albus Dumbledore, the headmaster of Hogwart's School of Witchcraft and Wizardy is gay. Of course, anyone who'd been watching closely already knew this: if the fact that he never mentioned (or seemed at all interested in) women, and seemed to have a boyhood crush on rival wizard Gellert Grindelwald, the robes would be a dead giveaway.

I'm waiting for the Christianists to start their usual hissy, this time bemoaning how awful it is for children to hear that the kindly leader, the wizard who fought ceaselessly against evil, is a pooftah. I wouldn't be suprised to hear some go on about the tragedy of a gay man being in charge of children -- even fictional ones.

"One thing in common...they got the fire down below..."

First it was Jesus in the tortilla, now it's the pope in the bonfire. Some believers have latched on to the photo above left as evidence that the late Pope John Paul II is speaking from the grave. Aside from the fact that we're talking about 1/250th of a second where the flames SORT of resemble the late pontiff -- why has no one thought to suggest that this Harry Potter-esque incarnation means JP2 didn't pass muster with St. Peter and is currently residing in the hotter of the two afterlifes?

But this picture is my favorite instance of supernatural messianic appearances in the natural world:
(And that's not your imagination -- the file cyles, underlaying the original image with an actual image of Jesus, in order to highlight the similarities.)

Expediency vs. Rationality

Schwarzenegger did it again. He vetoed the same-sex marriage bill passed by the State Assembly. His reasons for doing so, I'm sure, are entirely politically-motivated. My guess is he believes in equality, but also loves the power of his office and can't keep that office if voters think he's mocking their deeply-held religious beliefs by allowing abominations (specifically, two people of the same gender committing to a legally-recognized partnership of mutual support) to be state-sanctioned. Instead, he hides behind the skirts of the courts and says, let them decide.

This column from The Daily Californian (the UC Berkeley student paper) gets it mostly right -- not just exhorting Schwarzenegger to lead and do the right thing, but by succinctly laying out the logical reasons why signing the law would in fact have been the right thing to do. I guess we'll just have to let the courts lead, and listen to the right squawk about "activist" judges.

Read This

From Andrew Sullivan's blog blog.

A reader in Iraq gave him some encouraging news from inside the country. Money quote: "An Arab democracy is being formed here. Forming political parties and coalitions is the new growth industry. It is staggering just how enthusiastically Arabs take to this sort of thing."

Quote for the Day

From novelist/philosopher Rebecca Goldstein (wife of one of my favorite writers/thinkers, Steven Pinker): "(Spinoza) really does believe that we can save ourselves through being rational. And I believe in that. I believe that if we have any hope at all, it's through trying to be rigorously objective about ourselves and our place in the world. We have to do that. We have to submit ourselves to objectivity, to rationality."

Read the full interview with both here.

"Our crucible moment"

An interesting, reflective column from Thomas Friedman.

Money quote: "Never has so much national unity — which could have been used to develop a real energy policy, reverse our coming Social Security deficit, assemble a lasting coalition to deal with Afghanistan and Iraq, maybe even get a national health care program — been used to build so little. That is what historians will note most about Mr. Bush’s tenure — the sheer wasted opportunity of it all."

"I am one with my BlackBerry."

Sometimes, I think my cell phone is vibrating. I feel it in my pocket. I reach for it. But it's not vibrating. It's just an illusion. Apparently, I'm not alone in having such hallucinations. Money quote (that I think also best explains the genesis of the phenomenon): "As human beings, we're so tapped into our community, responsiveness to what's going on, we're so attuned to the threat of isolation and rejection, we'd rather make a mistake than miss a call," said B.J. Fogg, director of research and design at Stanford's Persuasive Technology Lab. "Our brain is going to be scanning and scanning and scanning to see if we have to respond socially to someone."

Marriage is Mainstream

According to this story from the Associated Press, advice columnist Dear Abby (actually Abby's daughter, who has assumed the mantle) has come out foursquare in favor of same-sex civil marriage. Money quote: "Women were once considered chattel, and slavery was regarded as sanctioned in the Bible. However, western society grew to recognize that neither was just. Canada, Belgium, the Netherlands and Spain have recognized gay marriage, and one day, perhaps, our country will, too."

How much more mainstream can you get? If Abby is on our side, I think a majority will share her opinion.

Attend the Tale of Sweeney Todd

I don't know how it happened, but I've become a Stephen Sondheim fan. I'd never much cared for his music. Oh, I liked a few songs here and there: "Send in the Clowns" when I was young. (Always loved the highly dramatic and/or tragic.) "Ladies Who Lunch" and "Not Getting Married" were a couple of others I dug. Then I saw "Company" in New York last year, and an interesting DVD version of "Follies." Those got me listing over to Stephen's side, but it was last night's production of "Sweeney Todd" at the Geary Theater that put me over the edge. I'd never seen the show before, had heard a few of the songs, but it had never drawn me. But in John Doyle's brilliant pared-down staging (in which the nine-member cast is also the orchestra), I was transported into the grand guignol world of the penny-dreadful story of the Demon Barber of Fleet Street.

Tickets are available at half-price on GoldstarEvents.com. I suggest you go.

"I love the arctic in October...when it sizzles."

Fox News, it seems, has finally admitted that global climate change is real. But rather than joining the consensus that we ought to do something about reversing it, they believe it's just what we need because it will give us access to previously untapped oil reserves. More here.

How Much is that Coatamundi in the Window?

New license laws for exotic pets in Britain. Sign me up for an ocelot.

The Manx Turns 40

My middle brother, like my father, is exceptionally handy. A guy who can fix or assemble almost anything. (I, on the other hand, rely heavily on the maintenance and repair professionals of the world. When it comes to home improvement, for example, my skills top out at jiggling the handle. Get much beyond that and I call in the pros.) When he was in his early 20s, he bought a kit to build a Meyers Manx, the quintessential California dune buggy. (Seen above.) I remember his search for a VW bug which had suffered significant body damage, but still had its frame intact. (Building a Manx involved primarily the Beetle frame and drive train -- the body was tossed.) I can recall the bare frame of the Beetle in our garage on Randolph Street, sliced in two in order to shorten the wheelbase. I remember the fiberglass body (orange, I think) being bolted to the new frame, and new, dramatic, upturned exhaust outlets being added to the air-cooled VW engine. My brother then had a doorless, topless vehicle that he used to run on the dunes and beaches near our coastal home.

Later, my brother sold the Manx -- but quickly took on another project, creating a "Baja Bug" by customizing another Beetle by abbreviating the hood, enhancing the engine and adding wide tires designed for traction in sand. Sort of like this one, but blue.
All this reminiscing was brought on by a story in the New York Times about the 40th anniversary of the Meyers Manx, the original dune buggy kit car. Who knew they'd end up being collectible?

On Top of the World

When I was a boy, camping with my family or, later, visiting our houseboat at Trinity Lake in the far northern reaches of California, I would occasionally see a fire lookout station -- the mountaintop shacks where people would spend a summer by themselves, watching the surrounding landscape for signs of forest fires. I always thought it would be interesting to sit up there, perched, all alone, observing. I would read and look up to scan the horizon. I'd cook whatever I wanted, and on rare occasions be visited by a passing hiker.

Today's New York Times has a story on a real life tower lookout. Interestingly enough, his life sounds just about like my fantasy.

Editing is one thing...

...mutilation is another.

Flipping through the channels tonight, I ran across one of my favorite movie comedies, Mel Brooks' "Blazing Saddles." It was playing on the Country Music Channel, CMT. I can understand some editing to satisfy the FCC, but if there is one word that you can't cut from "Blazing Saddles," it's "nigger." The whole point of the movie is how an all-white town in the post-Civil War era deals with the arrival of an African-American sherriff. And what's the main word they cut? Of course. It's like airing "Citizen Kane" and cutting "rosebud." It's just not the same movie.

At peace with himself -- at war with the world

During the run-up to our ongoing Iraqi fiasco, President Bush had a sit-down with Spanish prime minister Jose Maria Aznar (speaking of which, can you imagine the ribbing a kid would get in the US if his parents named him "Joseph Mary"?) in which he talked about his plans for the imminent invasion of Iraq, and Aznar pleaded with Bush to show a little more patience an to build a stronger coalition against Saddam. Bush, however, with his spine of steel (connected to a mind of oatmeal) was stuck on "stay the course." When hasn't he been, is my question.

Money quote: "Bush quickly waved away any such tantalizing possibility, along with all the rest of the concerns and proposals voiced by his staunchest ally next to British Prime Minister Tony Blair. Instead, he sternly warned that any foreign leader who continued to oppose him would be punished. Indeed, displaying his usual flair for diplomacy, he mocked the Spanish leader's worries about the growing rift between the United States and its traditional allies across the Atlantic. "The more the Europeans attack me," gloated the president, "the stronger I am in the United States."

God vs. Skippy

And they say it with a perfectly straight face. Did they ever stop to think that despite the disparity in scale (a hundred years or so vs. billions of years, not to mention the presence of different elements), new life might be appearing in the peanut butter -- but is microscopic?

Remember, at least TWO of the Republican presidential candidates don't believe in evolution.

Achieving Mencken's Vision

H. L. Mencken waxes prophetic about the presidency:

" . . . all the odds are on the man who is, intrinsically, the most devious
and mediocre — the man who can most easily (and) adeptly disperse
the notion that his mind is a virtual vacuum. The presidency tends, year
by year, to go to such men.

As democracy is perfected, the office represents, more
closely, the inner soul of the people. We move toward a lofty
ideal. On some great and glorious day, the plain folks of the land will
reach their heart's desire at last, and the White House will be adorned by a
downright moron."

Roosevelt Was Right

He said, "the only thing we have to fear is fear itself." Though when he spoke those words in 1933, he spoke of the fear Americans were feeling in the wake of a depression bank panic, his words ring true today as American Christianists call repeatedly upon the fear of God's wrath. Look what godlessness is doing to our country, the would-be theocrats say. This video is a great example of how insidious this thinking has become.
This choir is singing at the "Value Voters" debate, at which all the major Republican presidential candidates appeared. (They wouldn't deign to debate in front of black people, Hispanic people or gay people, but they all trotted out for the creationists.)

Fear seems to be the coin of the realm for the current administration. (I won't even call them Republicans anymore, as the Bush, Cheney and the neo-con crowd have become a cabal unto themselves.) Fear of terrorism, fear of sexuality, fear of death -- all are used to prop up the President and maintain his power. Ultimately, what they seem to want is for voters to put their trust in an invisible god and cede their power as citizens to men and women who pretend to speak for this distant deity. That leaves a lovely vacuum for them to seize even more authority of a government that was designed to be "of the people, by the people and for the people." Contrary to another great president's words, this ideal may indeed perish from the earth if those same people don't start using their brains.

Home Futures

Apparently there is a new market opened at the Chicago Mercantile Exchange, with contracts being sold there based on the price of real estate. Take a look at this blog post, which outlines where traders at the CME think housing prices are going, based on the bets they have made. Kind of scary. These guys are putting real money that prices will be down significantly over the next five years.

More on Larry Craig?

Here you are, my two faithful readers, seeing that -- after almost two weeks of radio silence -- another post has appeared on the Feast. And what does it seem to be about? Larry Craig. Sorry, I'm just not interested in OJ. On the other hand, Frank Rich is also still interested in Larry Craig. What's more, now that the New York Times has decided to make all content in the paper available on the Web (it used to be that some columnists could only be read through TimesSelect, a pay version of the online edition), you can read it.

Money quote: "What Mr. Craig did in that men's room isn't an offense either. He didn't have sex in a public place. He didn't expose himself. His toe tapping, hand signals and "wide stance" were at most a form of flirtation. As George Will has rightly argued, if deviancy can be defined down to "signaling an interest in sex," then deviancy is what "goes on in 10,000 bars every Saturday night in our country." It's free speech even if the toes and fingers do the talking."

An Interesting Metaphor

Read this.

Move over, Tuvan throat singers...

How does one guy (with one mouth) make all these different sounds?

Expensive Gas=Slimmer Waistlines

According to a new study, a rise in gasoline prices may lead to a reduction in the rate of obesity. Money quote: "The study found that an additional $1 per gallon in real gasoline prices would reduce U.S. obesity by 15 percent after five years."

Get on the Judy Train

Before it's too late, hurry down to the Plush Room and get yourself a ticket for Judy Butterfield's new show, "How Long Has This Been Going On?" Pretty soon she might be a star and you'll never have a shot at getting this up close and personal with her. Better yet, bring some friends, and you can all be stunned by the artistry of cabaret's new wunderkind. Just 17 years old, Judy Butterfield has an assuredness and a stage presence that belie her tender years. More than that, she displays the kind of fearlessness that is vital to any true artist. She stands on stage completely confident in who she is and what she has to offer. She is, simply put, a budding star. What does she have to offer? Plenty.

Unlike most kids her age, Butterfield has fallen in love with the American songbook. She sings tunes from George Gershwin, Cole Porter, Jermore Kern, Rodgers and Hart and others. She begins the evening with "Skylark," delivering a lovely version of that haunting song and closes with a Curtis Mayfield tune, "Please Find Me Someone To Love." Along the way, she makes two stops, one for Dylan's "It Ain't Me, Babe" and the Beatles' "If I Fell." But other than those three numbers, the playlist was almost entirely from the 20s, 30s and 40s. (But I must admit, I think the Dylan and Beatles numbers were my favorites of the evening -- she did what a true artist does: helped me to experience the familiar in a fresh way.)

The show itself is well put-together; her patter is funny without trying too hard to be funny, just personal enough, and draws you through the evening in an elegant, economical manner. It's really a terrific show.

My only criticism is that when Butterfield is being gentle with a song, she can have a a pitch problem or two. But that will fade as she gains experience. Besides, her pitch and tone are lovely when she's really singing out.

I can't wait to see how Butterfield develops as an artist; it will be fascinating to see her again in five or six years. Depending on the course she takes with her career however, that could be at the Oak Room in New York, on a Broadway stage, or even an arena. The girl's got a lot going for her.

An Effort in Futility

Larry Craig has decided to attempt to withdraw his guilty plea for disorderly conduct in the men's room at the Minneapolis airport in June. Given the nature of the testimony (and, I imagine, the power of his attorneys), I suspect Craig could achieve an acquittal, or get the charges dropped altogether.

His problem is, being cleared in a strictly legal sense (in this instance, at least) will do nothing to help him in the court of public opinion. People aren't stupid. They know what Craig went into that restroom looking for. If he truly had suffered a "manifest injustice," as his lawyers are claiming, wouldn't he have mentioned it to his wife and/or staff?

Tales of Power

I never thought I'd think of John Ashcroft as one of the good guys, but read this story from the New York Times. It discusses some of the materials in a forthcoming book by Jack Goldsmith, former head of the Office of Legal Counsel. There is much here to anger those who see the continuing abuses of power by the Bush/Cheney cabal (most notably the continuing evidence that, once Bush has made up his mind about something, nothing can deter him -- not facts, and certainly not legality).

But my favorite bit is the story of how, after then-Attorney General Ashcroft was visited in the ICU by AG Alberto Gonzales and chief of staff Andrew Card in an attempt to get Ashcroft to renew a secret terrorist surveillance program, Ashcroft's wife expressed her displeasure at these men's attempt to capitalize on her husband's weakened state: “Mrs. Ashcroft, who obviously couldn’t believe what she saw happening to her sick husband, looked at Gonzales and Card as they walked out of the room and stuck her tongue out at them. She had no idea what we were discussing, but this sweet-looking woman sticking out her tongue was the ultimate expression of disapproval. It captured the feeling in the room perfectly.”

NOTE: photo is NOT of Mrs. Ashcroft

Bush Knew

There are those who defend President Bush's handling of the lead-up to the Iraq war by saying that he never actively lied. Perhaps the intelligence he got turned out to be wrong, but he never said something he knew to be wrong. Well, according to an article in Salon, the CIA told him specifically that its best sources showed Saddam had no WMDs. George (Bush, not Tenet), however, had already made up his mind. The article quotes a report from two CIA officers who provided the report.

Money quote: "The officers continued to insist on the significance of Sabri's information, but one of Tenet's deputies told them, "You haven't figured this out yet. This isn't about intelligence. It's about regime change."

The CIA officers on the case awaited the report they had submitted on Sabri to be circulated back to them, but they never received it. They learned later that a new report had been written. "It was written by someone in the agency, but unclear who or where, it was so tightly controlled. They knew what would please the White House. They knew what the king wanted," one of the officers told me."

Redefining "Traditional"

As the Republican presidential candidates fall over themselves to attack the recent Iowa county court decision overturning the state's anti-same-sex marriage law, they all talk about defending traditional marriage. Interestingly, most of the Republican candidates have been divorced, which hardly fits the definition of "traditional," at least as I was taught it. Salon's Glenn Greenwald has an interesting piece on the subject. Money quote:

"The only reason this glaring contradiction can be maintained is because most of the media and huge numbers of voters even outside of the "Value Voters" sphere have convinced themselves -- driven by obvious self-interest and oozing self-centeredness -- that the only rule of "traditional marriage" is that you need a man and a woman and provided that rule is complied with, all other types of marriages and divorces qualify as "traditional.""

Retrofuture

For those of you who have never heard of Flickr, it's a photo-sharing website. People can upload photos, classify them, and share them with anyone who visits the site. (The only photos I've ever uploaded were pictures of the snow-covered course at Bandon Dunes in January -- visit flickr.com and search for "bandon dunes snow" if you want to see them.)

If you click to this page on Flickr, you'll find some of my favorite images -- a collection of designs that were supposed to have become part of our world by the year 2000. Check 'em out.

Avenue Q meets K Street

Once again, good art is true art.

You Really Ought to Give Iowa a Try

With all the bad news recently (including Larry Craig's reinforcement that homosexuality is shameful) about gay life, finally a positive sign. An Iowa court ruled today that the state cannot bar same-sex couples from obtaining marriage licenses. Money quote from the ruling: "Couples, such as plaintiffs, who are otherwise qualified to marry one another may not be denied licenses to marry or certificates of marriage or in any other way prevented from entering into a civil marriage pursuant to Iowa Code Chapter 595 by reason of the fact that both persons compromising such a couple are of the same sex." (I'm still looking for a link to the full text of the 63-page ruling.)

The Transcript

Here is the transcript of the arresting officer's interview with (soon to be former) Senator Larry Craig. Denial, denial, denial. But it seems clear the officer has heard it all before.

UPDATE: Here is a link to an audio transcript of the interview. You can really hear the cop's disgust and Craig's mendacity.

Schadenfreude & Sympathy

As the Larry Craig debacle continues to play out, I am struck by several emotions.

First, schadenfreude. I have to admit there is part of me that loves seeing this man who has spent a career fighting against equality for gay people being unceremoniously outed by his own actions. This man has a zero rating from every gay rights group, and has been a long time friend of the radical right. He's not only a self-hating gay man, he's on the wrong side of environmental and civil rights issues, as well. He seems to have lived his entire life in the 1950s, where forests were meant for clearcutting and queers are for bashing. He has approached his sexuality in a very 1950s, Roy Cohn sort of way: closet yourself deeply and seize as much power as possible in order to protect yourself and persecute others as a way of reinforcing your own degraded self-worth. The closet is a poisonous place. The air in there is foul and thin, leading many to employ highly-questionable survival techniques.

Which leads me to my second emotion, sympathy. I feel very badly for Larry Craig that he has had to live a secret life in order to achieve his personal goals. He knew when he first felt the pangs of same-sex attraction that they would be inconsistent with a public life -- at least in the early 70s, when he first ran for office. Things have changed over the years, but once Craig got on the married with kids political train, getting off would be very difficult, and most likely career-ending. This is not to excuse his reprehensible behavior in fighting against equal civil rights for gay people, but at least I can understand his desire to hide. Being gay in this country isn't easy. As the religious right and conservatives like Mitt Romney dump Craig overboard faster than you can say "let he who is without sin cast the first stone," the gay community ought to step up and tell Craig, "You are welcome with us -- come and enjoy the rest of your life. Cast off that old shell and remake yourself into a better, more honest, happier person."

The third emotion I'm feeling is anger at the justice system. Exactly what did Craig do wrong? He was cruising for a hook-up. He wasn't engaging in sex. He wasn't even pursuing someone who was rebuffing his advances. Read the police report and you'll see that the arresting officer encouraged Craig in his actions, first by not saying "excuse me" when Craig was peering into the stall where the cop was sitting, and second by tapping back when Craig tapped his foot while in the adjacent stall.

The only crime here is Craig continued dissembling and denying his true nature.

Another Republican with a Secret Life, part 2(00+)

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Life Imitates Art?

Now that Atlanta Falcon Michael Vick is going to plead guilty to dogfighting charges, I'm wondering if we can look forward to a real-life incarnation of "The Longest Yard". Guards vs. inmates -- but this time on ESPN.

The Beat Goes On -- but not indefinitely

An interesting story on NPR yesterday, highlighting the work of a scientist from the Santa Fe Institute who has postulated a mathematical formula behind lifespan. The basic question addressed is why some species live longer than others. Why do elephants walk the earth for six or seven decades, while mice (of whom elephants are supposed to be afraid) kak out after only two or three years?

The answer seems to be in heartbeats. Smaller animals tend to have much faster heart rates than do larger mammals. But what's really interesting is that every species (save humans, who -- through medicine and hygiene -- have expanded our life spans) seems to get 1.5 billion heartbeats. The mice, whose hearts beat so much faster, use up their allotment in a few years, while elephants and whales spread their 1.5 billion heartbeat ration over decades.

All For General Jesus

I still remember when Christianity was about love of one's fellow man, humility and forgiveness. (At least, if one ignores things like the Inquisition and the Crusades.) More and more, it seems to be about xenophobia, violence and warfare. This story from the Washington Post looks at a summer camp where kids live boot camp-style to learn how to be warriors in the battle against Satanic influence. Guess the Lord needs a new generation of intolerance.

Apologies

Been missing the usual collection of half-baked ideas, strong opinions loosely held and links to the interesting and unusual resources on the Internet? Me too.

Not to worry. The Rational Feast will return soon with more of what all 26 of my semi-regular readers have grown to tolerate. But for now, I'm on deadline (and have been for the past week, hence the dearth of posts), and you will have to wait the tiniest bit longer.

Yes Surge, No Surge

An interesting piece in Salon about how the Bush Administration has been spinning (mostly successfully) the effects of the surge of US forces in Iraq. Even with no real reduction in violence and the impending collapse of the Maliki government, we are still being told the surge is working.

Money quote: "The reporters and editors who gave U.S. headlines such as "U.S. Death Toll in Iraq in July Expected to Be Lowest in '07" (New York Times) were being assiduously spun. Bush officials were undoubtedly pushing the information that produced these headlines in an attempt to give Republicans in Congress some good news to take back to their constituents during the August recess.

In late July, CNN interviewed Lt. Gen. Raymond Odierno, war propagandist-in-chief in Baghdad, about the casualty numbers, reporting: "Lt. Gen. Raymond Odierno, commanding general of the Multi-National Corps-Iraq, called the development in recent weeks "an initial positive sign." "This is what we thought would happen once we get control of the real key areas that are controlled by these terrorists," Odierno said at a press conference. At the same time, he said, "I need a bit more time to make an assessment of whether it's a true trend or not."

Odierno's performance was unconvincing to anyone who knew the score. He was speaking on July 24, well before the month had ended. By the time all the casualties were counted and reported (not until early August), icasualties.org was giving the July toll as 80, only one less than in March, during the opening stages of the surge.

Worse, comparisons to previous months in the spring don't take into account the searing summer environment. Baghdad in July is one of those torrid colonial locales of which Noel Coward was speaking in his 1923 song when he wrote that only "mad dogs and Englishmen go out in the midday sun." The dip in casualties is always substantial in July, since guerrillas usually prefer not to operate with heavy explosives when it is 120 degrees Fahrenheit in the shade.

And as a tally noted on Foreign Policy magazine's blog, the number of U.S. troop deaths in July, compared with previous years of the war, is anything but a turn for the better:

July 2003: 48
July 2004: 54
July 2005: 54
July 2006: 43
July 2007: 80"

Bob Allen Update

According to Florida state representative Bob Allen, it turns out he wasn't looking for a hook up in a public restroom, he was actually afraid of being mugged by a gang of black men. That, and he was afraid of the weather and was seeking shelter in the public loo. We'll see what a jury thinks of those excuses.

Revenge of the Nerds, Part 245,290

Don't miss this article about hackers at the Defcon convention who outed a Dateline NBC reporter trying to gather some undercover footage of the annual hackers/security event.

My Thoughts Exactly, 2

You can see a larger version here.

Don't I Know It

A piece in today's New York Times documenting the growth in sales of reading glasses. As all we boomers reach 50, presbyopia sets in and we need a little something perched on the ends of our noses. I for one don't really mind the grey hair and wrinkles that come with age. Well, maybe I mind a little, but it doesn't piss me off the way functional defecits like losing my ability to read small type or hear conversations clearly do.

Working for a Living

Here's an interesting concept for starving (or in this case, covetous) artists: make a painting of what you want -- an iPhone, spicy buffalo wings, a check for a million dollars -- then sell the painting for the exact cost of that item. So the iPhone painting goes for $649.71, the wings canvas is $12.70, etc. Here is the artist couple's website.

Three Jeers for Barry

I happened past the Giants-Dodgers game on TV last night, hoping to catch a Barry Bonds at-bat. It's not that I really care about baseball that much. Nor do I care if Bonds breaks Henry Aaron's all-time home run record. In fact, I hope he doesn't. I just wanted to see how the crowd was reacting to him.

When a fly ball off a Dodger's bat soared out to left field where Bonds camped itself under it, the crowd at Chavez Ravine erupted in a chorus of boos. When Barry came to bat in the next inning, there were scattered bits of applause, and here and there a cheer or two. Mostly, though, the crowd jeered Barry. (Though they booed in unison when, after a single pitch, the Dodgers decided to walk Bonds with first base open.) They boo him at bat, they taunt him in the field, they despise him in as many ways as they can think of.

So what happens when Barry finally breaks the record? (It does seem a foregone conclusion.) At home, he'll likely get an ovation. (But nothing like what Aaron got.) But on the road? Where he'll be for the next four days? Will the crowd acknowledge the record positively? Or will the Southern California fans break out in a chorus of jeers? And what will that mean for baseball, when its most hallowed record is broken by a man so universally despised that a crowd of strangers can't even summon up a cheer or two on an historic occasion?

Alberto is the Key

Here is an interesting piece from Salon, focusing on the reasons why Alberto Gonzales has not been fired by Bush, even with his mendacity laid bare.

Money quote: "Following the notion of the unitary executive, in which the departments and agencies have no independent existence under the president, the White House has relentlessly politicized them. Callow political appointees dictate to scientists, censoring or altering their conclusions. Career staff professionals are forced to attend indoctrination sessions on the political strategies of the Republican Party in campaigns and elections. And U.S. attorneys, supposedly impartial prosecutors representing the Department of Justice in the states, are purged if they deviate in any way from the White House's political line."

"Sex for the Motherland"

A scary piece.

Falconry!

A travel package for an Irish castle (where some of "The Quiet Man" was filmed), includes falconry lessons. Question is, does the kitchen cook what your bird catches for you? "And for our main course, sir, field mouse pie."

Why the Internet was Invented

So we can all share in the wonder of 1500 prisoners in a Phillipine prison performing the main dance sequence from Michael Jackson's "Thriller."

Martha Gets Wired

In the most recent issue of Wired magazine, Martha Stewart talks with Mark Frauenfelder about how to keep one's technological life organized.

Money quote: "It's about using your hands and your mind to make things work better. Whether you're a programmer or a seamstress, it's all about new techniques, simplifying old techniques, and consolidating steps. Making things go faster — but not worse. Better."

More Federal Overreaching

Every day, it becomes more and more clear that George W. Bush and his cabal want their very own empire. The flagrant abuse of executive privilege, flouting of the rule of law (or rather, having the law apply one way to them, and another way to everyone else), now this. Federal agents raided a medical marijuana outlet, because even though the operations are legal under state law, marijuana is still classified as a dangerous drug under federal law. This is what our federal law enforcement is spending its time on?

What happened to conservatives loving states' rights? Californians made marijuana for medical use legal. The feds say the system is abused and people who aren't sick have easier access to pot. They're absolutely right. But I don't think a majority of Californians really care.

Why don't we retrain those Feds to investigate terrorism?

A Sign of Inequality

This may be a bit of good news in the fight for marriage equality. A judge in California has ordered that a man must continue to pay alimony to his ex-wife, even though she has entered into a legal domestic partnership with another woman (and even took her new spouse's last name). This indicates domestic partnerships are not equivalent to marriage, which seems to be what the California Supreme Court is attempting to determine. If the two legal relationships are seen as equal in rights and responsibilities, the court could conclude there is no need to open marriage to same-sex couples. But since they are not equal (at least in terms of alimony, in this judge's opinion), the court may be more willing to order civil marriage be opened to all couples.

The New Yorker Agrees

David Denby of The New Yorker shares my opinion of the excellence of Pixar's latest offering.

Money quote: "At a time when many Americans have so misunderstood the ethos of democracy that they hate being outclassed by anyone, when science is disdained as dangerous and expertise as élitism, this animation artist, working in a family medium, has made two brilliant movies that unequivocally champion excellence. “Ratatouille” suggests that some omnivores are better than others. There’s nothing to do but get over it."

Double Standard

Read this piece from Slate by Glenn Greenwald -- but only if you want to be pissed again at the hubris and double-dealings of our president and his morally-bankrupt administration. In the piece, Greenwald quotes from a document he discovered in which the US protested offenses against human rights taking place in Russia.

What was Bush saying about the Russians way back in 2001?:

"Authorities continued to infringe on citizens' privacy rights. Government technical regulations that require Internet service providers and telecommunications companies to invest in equipment that enables the [Foreign Security Service] to monitor Internet traffic, telephone calls, and pagers without judicial approval caused serious concern.?

"(P)roceedings took place behind closed doors and the defendants and their attorneys encountered difficulties in learning the details of the charges."

"(T)orture by police officers usually occurs within the first few hours or days of arrest and usually takes one of four forms: beatings with fists, batons, or other objects; asphyxiation using gas masks or bags (sometimes filled with mace); electric shocks; or suspension of body parts (e.g. suspending a victim from the wrists, which are tied together behind the back). Allegations of torture are difficult to substantiate because of lack of access by medical professionals and because the techniques used often leave few or no permanent physical traces."

But when we do it, it's in defense of freedom and liberty, so it's OK, right George? What a joke. It will take years to undo the damage this man has done to our once-great country.

What are the odds of getting this side effect?

In this litany of potential side effects for new drugs, "compulsive gambling" is a new one on me.

The New Breed of Terror

As if Islamic terror wasn't enough, now we have to deal with Christianist terror. This story from the Houston Chronicle tells the story of a man who believed God wanted him to kill a gay man: "I believe I'm Elijah, called by God to be a prophet," said 26-year-old Terry Mark Mangum, charged with murder June 11. " ... I believe with all my heart that I was doing the right thing." Just like any good jihadi.

Connie Champagne IS Judy Garland!

We are all on this Earth for such a brief time that it’s vital we waste absolutely none of it. A friend of mine just saw a show in New York and wrote to me saying “that’s two hours I’ll never get back.” On the other hand, there are theatrical experiences one has where the time you invest is repaid with interest: they persist in memory, and you recall them with pleasure, reliving the wonder or the laughter or the insight the performers gave you while you sat in the dark.

Connie Champagne’s latest effort, “Goodbye Yellow Brick Road,” in which she appears as Judy Garland, is just such a magical theatrical experience. Playing now in the tiny Theater 3 at San Francisco’s New Conservatory Theater Center, “Goodbye Yellow Brick Road” transports you into a world where Judy Garland is alive, well – and still completely in love with music and performing. This is Judy Garland as if aging had been suspended, but time continued to roll on, and Judy discovered new songs that she could make her own. If Judy lived, wouldn’t it make sense for her to do highly dramatic, highly theatrical numbers? Of course – and though you might not think of Queen’s “Bohemian Rhapsody” or Aerosmith’s “Dream On” as fitting within the Garland oeuvre, they sound exactly like the sort of thing she ought to have done had she lived.

Champagne and her creative team draw from a wide variety of contemporary music, from Tom Waits to Neil Finn to Janis Ian (a touching interpretation of a song I didn’t know, “When I Lay Down”) to modern Broadway tunes from “Grey Gardens,” “Nine” and “Hedwig and the Angry Inch.” And they become perfect songs for Judy.

This may be the most brilliant bit of theater I’ve seen since “I Am My Own Wife.” The brilliance comes from Ms. Champagne’s imagination (and that of her collaborators, director F. Allen Sawyer and musical director Joe Collins) in the invention of a Judy Garland that is at once classic and completely contemporary. A character that is brimming with vivacity, yet still wounded and insecure in the way Garland was. (A brief note: though I certainly appreciate the genius of Judy Garland, I would never call myself a true “fan.”)

Champagne’s impersonation of Garland isn’t precise – but it’s perfect nonetheless. Having recently watched several episodes of Garland’s TV show from the 60s (I’m not a Garland fan, but I live with one), there are gestures and physical ways of being that I think are missing from this show. But at its heart, Champagne’s performance is essentially true, which I think is some of the highest praise that can be given to any work of art. For the entire evening, I felt as if Garland herself, still hungry for the stage, had managed to project her essence into Connie Champagne in order to get just another hour or two in the spotlight.
Of course in one sense, the truth of Garland lies in artifice: she gave the public all she had, but ultimately her stage persona was still a work of art, and it is this tension between genuineness and artifice that made “Goodbye Yellow Brick Road” so compelling to me. Champagne gave us a rare treat – a visit from a Judy Garland who would look at modern life and music in the way she might have had she been able to catch some real magic and stay 44 for ever.

I took in the Connie Champagne show on Friday, and followed it up with a similar sort of show on Saturday: “Kiki and Herb: Alive From Broadway!” Kiki and Herb are Justin Bond and Kenny Melman, a San Francisco duo that made it to Broadway with a show based on their creation, a boozy chanteuse and her “homosexual Jew ‘tard” pianist. Kiki is supposed to be in her 70s, I believe. Yet, like Connie’s incarnation of Judy, she’s not stuck in the past, and loves finding contemporary numbers to perform.

Unlike Connie Champagne, “Kiki and Herb” is ALL about artifice and irony and winking knowingness. There’s no sincerity here – that wouldn’t be hip. But when it comes right down to it, sincerity is what you need – on some level at least – to truly connect with an audience. And that is where Connie Champagne delivers.

Kiki and Herb you can skip – but don’t miss Connie Champagne as Judy Garland in “Goodbye Yellow Brick Road.”

Stunning

Annie Leibovitz is still the greatest living portraitist, and this photo shows why.

The Police Report

Click here to read the arresting officer's report on Bob Allen. Seems to me like the officer led Allen on a bit, initiating verbal contact with him. Doesn't cut the hypocrisy, but doesn't make Allen out to be such a "predator."

Allen Again

Keeping you all up to date on the latest Republican hypocrite, it turns out Florida state representative Bob Allen also authored a bill extending the definition of "lewd and lascivious" acts to include masturbation performed in front of anyone, not just minors.

Photo is Allen's booking photo from Brevard County jail, taken last night.

p.s. I love the slogan on the flprogressive blog: "The Republican Party: Come for the Torture, Stay for the Pedophilia"

More On Allen

An update on the Bob Allen case. (I just love hypocrisy exposed -- though I feel very sorry for his family.) Turns out Florida state representative Bob Allen authored a bill to increase the penalty for child molestation to life without hope of parole. Money quote: "One of the sexual predators said it the best: 'I want to do better. But, sir, it's like if someone tried to sit you down guaranteeing you'll do 15 sessions of counseling, and in that 15 sessions I'm going to talk you out of your sexual preference and get you to do something else.'"

Another Republican with a Secret Life

Will they never learn? Yet another elected Republican is caught in a sex scandal. This time it's Florida state representative Bob Allen. He was observed cruising at a public restroom, going in and out three times, then offered to perform oral sex on an undercover police officer for $20. Allen was arrested (this all happened earlier today) and will likely be released on bail soon. Allen calls it a "very big misunderstanding," but I find it interesting that, on his office web site, he lists his favorite recreational activity as "water sports."

He is innocent until proven otherwise, but it's not looking good for the guy. Maybe if he, and Ted Haggard and Mark Foley (what is it with Florida and closet cases, by the way?) had come out and used their energy to fight for equal rights, we'd be a few tiny steps closer to a world where they (and the rest of us) would be able to express their sexuality in a healthier environment than public loos, and with more appropriate companions than underage pages or rent boys.

(The photo, by the way, is credited to "Mark Foley." But it's merely a coincidence.)

Can It Get Any Worse?

This seems to happen over and over with the Bush Administration: they ignore science and rational thought to pursue only their own political aims. Every day comes another reason why this is the worst, most reprehensible set of criminals ever to occupy the White House. Leading us into a trillion-dollar war which has cost over 3000 American lives, plus tens of thousands crippled by injuries, ignoring international treaties (and human decency) to institute a program of torture, suspending habeus corpus, asserting a right to arrest and imprison any person the President chooses to call an "enemy combatant"...it just goes on and on. Bloody depressing is what it is.

Is Golf Really Penal?

The game of golf is generally thought of as a penal one. More than penal. Cruel, even.

Then I happened to catch a few minutes of a show on The Golf Channel that recapped the 2005 Masters Tournament (won by Tiger Woods, thanks in part to the amazing chip on 16). In it, the announcers mentioned a player who'd "hit into a bush and had to take a one-stroke penalty for taking an unplayable lie." And I thought -- one stroke isn't really much of a penalty. The rules of golf could just as easily require a golfer to have to hack at a ball that is visible and within reach until it is back in a better spot. Even if you lose the ball entirely, the penalty is still just one stroke. It could penalize you ten strokes for losing a ball, not just one. So let's have no more complaining that golf is a penal game.

Frustration Building?

Need to take out your anger on a specific person, but don't fancy the jail time that might come with actual assault? Then order yourself a dozen or so photo golf balls imprinted with the image of your favorite nemesis and whack away! That double bogey might not seem so bad if it means you get to smack Dick Cheney in the kisser a couple more times.

I'm Back

Apologies for not posting for the past few days. There was a technical problem with Blogger (the service I use to create and host the Rational Feast), and I just got it figured out today.

I Changed My Mind

I know I said I didn't want an iPhone. Apparently I was lying. Once I actually got my hands on one (at the Apple store yesterday), I now want one more than ever. Why? Well, there IS part of me that would like the attention of being the first on the block to have one (it was fun having a Honda S2000 when they first came out), and to receive the attention that would come from using it in public for the first week or so, but I think the real reason is how much I dig the interface, the easy synch between my iBook and iPhone (contacts and calendar), plus the mapping feature. And it's thinner than my Razr -- which at one time was the coolest phone in the world and is now almost as ubiquitous as obesity.

Why Humans Yawn

A theory. Key point? It actually serves to increase our alertness.

Is that a shoe Bush is holding?

And when will it fall? Seems a full pardon could be in the offing for Scooter, so he can get his money back (like he actually paid the fine!) and practice law again and be able to say he's not a convicted felon.

The Science of Gaydar

The title of this article in New York magazine is misleading -- it's not really about how people can tell whether someone is gay or not, it's about the science surrounding all the little things that seem to go along with being gay: the tendency to have a counterclockwise hair whorl, or more tightly packed fingerprints or the greater likelihood of being left-handed or ambidextrous.

But I'm not doing the article justice -- it's filled with all sorts of fascinating research and insights. Two of my favorites:

"Because many of these newly identified “gay” traits and characteristics are known to be influenced in utero, researchers think they may be narrowing in on when gayness is set—and identifying its possible triggers. They believe that homosexuality may be the result of some interaction between a pregnant mother and her fetus. Several hypothetical mechanisms have been identified, most pointing to an alteration in the flow of male hormones in the formation of boys and female hormones in the gestation of girls. What causes this? Nobody has any direct evidence one way or another, but a list of suspects includes germs, genes, maternal stress, and even allergy—maybe the mother mounts some immunological response to the fetal hormones."

"In a universe in which we look for purpose in order to appoint value, what is the purpose of my gayness? Dean Hamer sees one possible answer in the fraternal-birth-order studies. “In Polynesian cultures, where you’re talking about very big families, it was typical to have the last-born son be mahu, or gay,” he says. Explorers described young boys who looked after the family and sometimes dressed as girls. “They suspected that their families had made them that way. But you just can’t take a guy and make him clean up and have him become gay. He’s got to have some gayness inside. Maybe that’s the biological purpose to the mahu: taking care of Mom.”

"Would you like a chutney Squishee?"

Twentieth-Century Fox is taking product placement in movies to a whole new place -- off the screen. In support of "The Simpsons" movie, they've negotiated with 7-11 to rebrand about a dozen 7-11 stores -- into "Kwik-E-Marts," the convenience store that's most convenient to Homer and his family. In addition to the signage change, the stores will sell products created on the show: Duff Beer, KrustyO's and Squishees. It's like the "Tron" episode, where Homer is transported into another world -- one of three dimensions. Now the show is nudging itself into our world.

Knock Me Over With A Feather

Bush has commuted Scooter Libby's jail sentence. By so doing, he sends the message that says: "Scooter was playing a political game. We're in charge of that game and we change the rules however we like. Or hadn't you noticed?"

Yet another reason to distrust these men. As the Bush administration has shown over and over again, if you are connected and/or powerful and/or rich, the laws that apply to ordinary people do not apply.

"Stay on target! Stay on target!"

Here is another story of an evangelical who believes natural disasters are God's punishment for society's permissiveness, especially in terms of gay rights. This one happens to be English, and says the floods in his country are part of the wrath of the almighty: "Our government has been playing the role of God in saying that people are free to act as they want," the Right Reverend David Cow, Bishop of Carlisle said, adding that the introduction of recent pro-gay laws highlighted its determination to undermine marriage.

My question is, what's wrong with God's aim? If the Supreme Being doesn't like homosexuality, surely He has the power to send an earthquake to the Castro, or destroy Chelsea with a firestorm of lightning. Yet, he leaves what many evangelicals would describe as dens of iniquity completely alone, and instead kills innocents and inundates the Bible belt of America, where so many of His supporters live?

How do these guys keep a straight face when they promulgate this bullshit?

Opinions Keep Changing

A new CNN poll shows that, for the first time ever, a majority of Americans believe sexual orientation can not be changed. According to the CNN/Opinion Research poll, 56% of Americans believe gay people cannot change their desires, even if we wanted to. In 1977, only 13% felt sexual orientation was unchangeable.

More Coveting

These make me wish I had more shirts with French cuffs.