Britney Slithersnips speaks out about Obama

OMG! HES SO AWESOME. i mean like i was watching tv this morning watching cnn and he said JUST BELIEVE IN HOPE! WTF! do you here bush or hitler say shit like that? maybe im only 18 and this is the first time ill be voting but shuddup! i know what im doing.

i mean srsly ive been doing my own nails since i was 13 and i havnt had bubblegum stuck in my hair since i was 11. WTF i even know all about how not to get pregnant by doing anal or bjs- thats what my awesome teacher told us whos as awesome as the big O. ROTFL! hee hee ;) who needs condominiums? i bet the big O is hung too. lol :)

i emailed O and told him hes awesome and he texted me back and said ARE YOU SURE YOURE 18? i said shuddup, big O! akshully im 34d. hee hee! ROTFLMAO!

Internal memo from O to his campaign manager:

I don't care if she's 18/34d. Get rid of the bitch. She's a goddammed wigga ho. Why is it that the crackers that I despise the most are the ones who are going to vote for me?

Video of me and my naked black redneck chicks

As I mentioned here, a bunch of our anarchist hippy bantam hens hid under the shed and secretly hatched some chicks. Well, here's a video that Chas took of me talking baby talk to three of those little stealth chicks:



Watch the video if you want to hear what a South African accent sounds like.

There's more about these naked chicks on Chas' Farm Report.

Our Humming Bird Heaven

This year we have real invasion of hummingbirds. There are dozens and they are eating us out of house and home.

From my buddy Chas' Farm Report:

This video is about 1 minute and 45 seconds long. I was trying out my new Canon ZR-800 mini DV camcorder on our local hummingbirds. One of them seemed to be posing for me, and I was able to zoom in really close. It was hand-held, if I had a tripod I could have even zoomed in closer.

Read the rest of the post if you're interested in the technical aspects of his new camera.

Videos I watched in the past month

The Tudors (2007)4-Disc Series:

This superb and visually lush Showtime series provides a look at the world of the Tudors in the days when King Henry VIII (Jonathan Rhys-Meyers) was a handsome, charming, athletic 25-year-old. Inheriting absolute power at a young age, the king indulges his voracious taste for ladies-in-waiting, hangs out with his entourage of young nobles and makes momentous political decisions. The stellar cast includes Jeremy Northam and Sam Neill.

We watched disc one and decided not to bother with the others because it's so awful.

The Gay Deceivers (1969)

To avoid being drafted for the Vietnam War, two young men pretend to be gay in this comedy about fear, stereotypes and acceptance. When Danny Devlin (Kevin Coughlin) and Elliot Crane (Lawrence P. Casey) move into an all-gay apartment building in an attempt to keep up their charade, Devlin soon finds himself in trouble with his fiancée. Will the boys be able to keep up the act long enough to avoid going to war?

This was recently released on DVD as a "Sixties cult classic." Not brilliant comedy but still quite funny and very camp.

Bella (2006)

Two lost souls, Nina (Tammy Blanchard), a pregnant, unmarried waitress, and Jose (Eduardo Verástegui), an introspective yet troubled cook with a mysterious past, find solace in each other as their lives become unpredictably linked throughout the course of one incredible day. An uplifting story of love, hope and forgiveness, this remarkable tale is co-written and directed by Alejandro Gomez Monteverde.

This is a really good tear-jerker chick-flick.

Charlie Wilson's War (2007)

Texas congressman Charlie Wilson (Tom Hanks) sets a series of earth-shaking events in motion when he conspires with a rogue CIA operative (Philip Seymour Hoffman, in an Oscar-nominated role) to aid Afghan mujahedeen rebels in their fight against the Soviet Red Army. Julia Roberts, Emily Blunt and Amy Adams co-star in this fact-based political thriller directed by Mike Nichols and based on George Crile's 2003 book by the same name.

At the time the policy of aiding anti-communist resistance forces in Afghanistan enjoyed considerable bipartisan support in the U.S. Nowadays, of course, the Democrats blame this policy for helping to create the Taliban. That was an unforeseen consequence and unfortunate but our aid also helped to bankrupt and demoralize the Soviets. When Charlie Wilson was asked how he felt about having aided in the formation of the Taliban he said: "You can't blame the Marines for teaching Lee Harvey Oswald how to shoot."

Wilson retired from Congress in 1996 after serving 24 years and now believes that he should have worked harder to steer Afghanistan away from the course that led it to today. "The part that I'll take to my grave with guilt is that . . . I didn't stay the course and stay there and push and drive the other members of Congress nuts pushing for a mini-Marshall Plan," he said. "And I let myself be frustrated and discouraged by the fact that (the Afghan) leadership was so fragmented that we were unable to do the things we needed to do, like clear the mines, like furnish them millions of tons of fertilizer to be able to replant the crops."

An excellent movie about the kind of patriotic Democrat who is fast disappearing.

December Boys (2007)

Daniel Radcliffe (of Harry Potter fame) stars in this drama set in the Australian outback during the 1960s. After living together for years at a Catholic orphanage, four teenage boys all born in December must face the likelihood of not being adopted. But while on vacation at a seaside resort, the boys become rivals as they compete for the affections of two prospective parents, a situation that ultimately teaches them the true meaning of family.

Based on an autobiographical novel. I do enjoy most Australian movies. They're seldom predictable and the scenery is usually spectacular. A wonderful movie.

The Day of the Triffids (1963)

It's bad enough when a blindingly beautiful meteor shower causes 99 percent of the world's population to lose its eyesight. But things only get worse when a crop of walking, flesh-eating plants begin preying on a sightless planet. Can a sighted sailor and an alcoholic scientist save the human race from becoming mere plant food? Steve Sekely directs this classic sci-fi picture based on the novel by John Wyndham.

I got this movie because one night we were talking about sci-fi movies and I discovered that Chas and Andy had never seen Triffids. Okay, it's not a very good movie although it was scary as hell when I first saw it as a kid 45 years ago. Nowadays the alien monsters look hokey compared with our modern CGI-generated monsters.

It stars Howard Keel - yes, the wonderful baritone (actually he was a basso cantante which he said was one of the greatest disappointments of his life.) He was the star of many Broadway shows before he went to Hollywood to sing in musicals such as Irving Berlin's Annie Get Your Gun in 1950, Show Boat in 1951, Kiss Me, Kate and Calamity Jane (with Doris Day) in 1953, Seven Brides for Seven Brothers in 1954 and Kismet in 1955. Sadly after that, when Hollywood stopped making musicals, the only work he could find was in B-movies - hence his role in Triffids.

The Brave One (2007)

Oscar winner Jodie Foster stars in this dramatic thriller as Erica Bain, a New York City radio host who decides to take the law into her own hands after losing her fiancé in a brutal attack. With a determined cop (Terrence Howard) hot on her trail, Erica hunts down the assailants one by one, seeking her own brand of justice. Directed by Neil Jordan (The Crying Game), this gritty tale also stars Naveen Andrews, Mary Steenburgen and Nicky Katt.

A kick-ass "vigilante justice" movie with a really pleasing ending. Most enjoyable. While we were talking about the movie after watching it, I discovered that Chas and Andy had never seen Jody Foster in Taxi Driver so I rented it.

Taxi Driver (1976)

Mentally unstable Vietnam vet Travis Bickle (Robert De Niro) drives a nocturnal cab through the sleaziest streets of pregentrified New York City and befriends a child hooker (Jodie Foster). Along the way, the morally righteous Bickle slowly loses his mind, turning into a well-armed, homicidal vigilante. De Niro, director Martin Scorsese and screenwriter Paul Schrader create a violently prophetic, gripping vision of urban decay and insanity.

This was a pretty amazing movie when it first came out and was hailed as "gritty, honest and authentic" but, on viewing it a second time, it seems overblown and melodramatic. I have also since discovered that it is less than honest. In the book all the pimps are black men but Scorcese changed them to white men (Harvey Keitel plays Foster's pimp) because he thought it was too "racist."

For a Lost Soldier (1992)

Set in the Netherlands near the end of WWII, this poignant story details the romantic relationship between an adult and a child. A lonely, uncertain 12-year-old boy finds friendship and first love with a Canadian soldier. Years later, as an adult frustrated by a lack of creative inspiration, he finds he can turn the painful ending of that relationship into a powerful new beginning. A difficult subject handled with style and feeling.

It's based on an autobiographical novel. I rented this movie not realizing that we had already seen it ten years ago but it was still worth seeing again. Brilliant but not recommended for anyone who cannot handle the Brokeback Mountain aspect of it.

Transformers (2007)

Based on the popular toys that transform from machines into giant robots, this live-action movie from Pearl Harbor director Michael Bay finds the planet Cybertron inhabitants engaging in a secret war for control of Earth's natural resources, which they desperately need for fuel. Able to disguise themselves as cars, airplanes, boats and more, the transformers prove a tough enemy in this film starring Shia LaBeouf, Josh Duhamel and Jon Voight.

I'm not much of a fan of comic book movies (although I enjoy some such as the Superman and Spiderman movies) but the boys like them so I rented this not expecting much from it. It was quite entertaining. Apparently it's based on Japanese comic books and it definitely has the look and feel of a Godzilla movie.

The Bubble (2006)

The movie follows a group of young friends in the city of Tel Aviv and is as much a love song to the city as it is an exploration of the claim that people in Tel Aviv are isolated from the rest of the country and the turmoil it's going through.

I got this because it stars the Israeli actor, Ohad Knoller, who also acted in Munich and Yossi and Jagger (in which he plays a soldier whose contingent guards a kibbutz and has to undertake a dangerous night-time raid on Palestinian terrorists.) Bubble was quite an eye-opener. I somehow did not imagine Israeli youngsters (including a soldier played by Ohad Knoller) taking drugs, going to "raves" and having romantic relationships with Palestinians. Again I can't recommend it for anyone who cannot handle the Brokeback Mountain aspect of it.

The Bucket List (2007)

When corporate mogul Edward Cole (Jack Nicholson) and mechanic Carter Chambers (Morgan Freeman) wind up in the same hospital room, the two terminally ill men bust out of the cancer ward with a plan to experience life to the fullest before they kick the bucket. In a race against the reaper, the new friends hit the tables in Monte Carlo, down obscene amounts of caviar and tear up the road in supercharged cars. Rob Reiner directs this comic caper.

Very entertaining.

The Other Boleyn Girl (2008)

Director Justin Chadwick's opulent historical drama stars Natalie Portman as Anne Boleyn and Scarlett Johansson as her sister, Mary -- beautiful, ambitious sisters vying for the heart of powerful but intemperate King Henry VIII (Eric Bana). Though both women are the monarch's mistresses, only one can become his queen consort -- but at what cost? The supporting cast includes Kristin Scott Thomas and Jim Sturgess.

I'm not sure how historically accurate this movie is but it was excellent. Johansson is always easy on the eyes and Portman is a becoming a really good actress.

Our naked redneck hippy anarchist chicks

After having a baby boom among the bantams in the past few years, we decided not to let them hatch their eggs this year because most of the chicks always seem to be useless roosters which have to be killed or else they will kill each other.

Bantams are not worth the effort to butcher - too much fuss for very little meat - and one year we had to butcher 23 roosters for dog food. The dogs of course were thrilled. We feed our dogs only raw meat which means they can eat every part of the chicken including the bones and fat. (Cooked fat is bad for dogs' livers and cooked chicken bones splinter.) But it's a lot of work butchering small birds.

So this year we've been confiscating all bantam eggs. Bantams are prolific egg-layers and they also tend to hide their eggs. Yesterday Chas discovered that three bantam hens were hiding under the shed which is raised up a foot or so from the ground. This morning, when he went to let the fowl out of the coop, out waltzed the rebellious naked redneck hippy anarchist bantams with a bunch of new babies.

They had been conspiring to make babies. Fortunately they hadn't used a homeless male to impregnate them but we do know who the father is. It's the black bantam rooster who struts around like a pimp on crack raping all the hens - even the big regular-size pullets. Yep, all the new babies are black.

Today's naked redneck chicks' post

Today's naked redneck chicks' post

Black anger

Yes, it is justified but it's counter-productive. Why can't American Negroes learn from the South African experience? Black South Africans had just as much justification to be angry and vengeful but surprisingly, even to me the eternal optimist, the "bloodbath" that Western leftists had predicted for decades didn't happen. Instead black South Africans decided to just get on with it.

So, why do black Americans keep harping on the past and their grievances? Sure, they're entitled to be aggrieved but whining and moaning are unattractive and simply alienate people. It may be a righteous reaction but it's not practical. American Negroes would serve themselves much better by being grateful that segregation is finished and that there are legal protections against all forms of racial bias.

They would gain more respect and improve their own lives much more by simply making the most of the fact that they live in a society where they can be and do and say and think whatever they want. But many chose instead to be negative and pessimistic.

Why? Is it because they realize that freedom has a price? Yep, the price of true freedom (not anarchy) is responsibility and accountability and lots of people aren't willing to pay that price. They would rather be irresponsible slaves.

Politics - passion vs pragamatism

To me politics is all about compromise, being practical and achieving what is possible.

I'm not saying that we don't need passionate people like Jefferson and Reagan to inspire us but they're unique and only come along now and then. The rest of the time us ordinary mediocrities muddle through as best we can.

McCain is not a visionary like Jefferson or a grand orator like Reagan but he is a very traditional Republican like Teddy Roosevelt, Coolidge, Eisenhower, Ford and Bush Sr (who are regarded as RINOs nowadays; some conservatives even think of Bush Jr as a RINO.) Reaganism and the domination of the GOP by religious conservatives was a 20 year blip in the 160 year history of the GOP.

Maybe the religious right will one day again dominate the party but I doubt it will ever be a permanent arrangement. The different factions within the GOP will always be vying for domination but, in the end, practical politics nearly always trumps the game. Maybe another Reagan will rise but even he will be again be a temporary anomaly and then we'll go back to be the party of ordinary middle-class mediocrities.

Look, I disagree with a lot of Mac's views (global warming blah blah etc) but he has a basically conservative character, is a patriot, and stands for what I regard as Republican first principles: strong defense, free markets, reasonable non-confiscatory taxation, states' rights and old-fashioned middle-class values.

So, to me, disliking Mac means disliking traditional Republicanism which I grant is messy and unsatisfying to ideologues. Religious conservatives and libertarians (and even Jeffersonian classical liberals like me) will never be totally happy with the GOP but most of us will be fairly content with the fact that the GOP is at least not radically leftist like the modern Democratic Party.

Right now the numbers are just not there for an ideological conservative or libertarian to win so, to me, McCain is the ideal candidate because I don't think we can beat Obama without moderate Democrats and independents. Not all of us are defeatists who believe that "it's a Democratic year." Some of us still want to win but it's hard when some team members are playing for the other side.

The sensible thing for ideologues to do right now is have a bit of patience and compromise. I'm not suggesting that people throw away their ideals. I'm just saying cool your criticism and bide your time. It's not your time right now. Your continual criticism simply demoralizes the rest of the team who want to make sure Obama does not get into the WH.

But, if you're not willing to be pragmatic and compromise your ideological passions just a little bit and just for a little while, why be a spoiler? Let the rest of us ordinary mediocre, non-ideological Republicans try to win please. And if you feel that the GOP no longer represents your views at all, then conservatives could join the Constitution Party and libertarians could support Bob Barr.

Meanwhile my buddy, Chas, chimes in on the discussion: What it means to me, to be Republican.

Are you a Republican or what?

Look, I'm not here to make people toe the party line. I'm a true liberal (not the fake kind who are really socialists) and I'm easy-going and just not into manipulating other people. But....

Whether you like it or not, McCain is our flag-bearer. He was not my first choice. Fred Thompson was (and I'll be the first to admit that Fred the actor had me fooled from the get-go.)

So, the majority of Republicans picked Mac and the way I see it is, if you don't accept that, then you're a sore loser and a spoilt brat.

If you genuinely can't support him; that's fine with me but then leave the GOP. Go support Barr or the Constitution Party nominee. Either you are on the team or you're not. Criticize Mac all you want but don't call yourself a Republican because you are sabotaging our team.

If you genuinely don't like him, that's fine. I'm not going to try to convince you otherwise. But, get real, you have to accept him just the way he is. He is what he is and he's not going to change or adapt to your expectations the way Obama does.

Obama will throw his grandmother under the bus if she stood in the way of his narcissistic ambitions - and he did. McCain may not be an unblemished saint but he is at least true to his convictions and constrained by common human decency.

I completely understand conservatives' objections to McCain and can sympathize to an extent but I'm a realist and know that Mac is the lesser of two evils - as is the GOP - compared with the alternative.

It's only politics not the Final Judgement. Whatever happens is temporary. It's not the end of the world as some of Mac's most fanatical "Rapturist" and "Millennialist" and "Theocratic" conservative enemies seem to think - or even wish.

Human beings muddle through and the compromises and accommodations inherent in democracy are particularly messy and unsatisfying. Adults make the best of bad situations and get on with life.

It's time for those who do not like McCain to get out if the GOP. We (and he) can defeat the idiotic Obamessiah and his imbecilic pot-head peacenik Obamaniacs with a coalition of pragamatic Republicans and conservative Democrats and independents - the middle class "Silent Majority. "

McCain: in the end it's matter of character

McCain is an American. Obama is a cosmopolitan commie (or maybe even an alien from Uranus.) It's that simple.

The strangest thing about many of the anti-McCainites in my small corner of the blogosphere is that they literally worship Dubya and were till recently Romneyites or, amazingly, Rudyites! Ironically Bush and Romney (and obviously especially the pro-choice Giuliani) are IMO as "liberal" or more so than Mac.

Their main objections to Mac seem to be 1) that Mac called Falwell and Robertson "agents of intolerance" which is not an untenable opinion and pretty obvious to anyone who is not a biblical literalist; 2) his "amnesty" bill which may not have been perfect but at least was an attempt at a bipartisan solution to a problem which must be addressed and 3) the Gang of 14 - which is particularly ironic considering that they got Roberts and Alito confirmed.

It's getting to the point where I can no longer regard most of the socalled "religious conservative" anti-McCainites as adults. They are as emotional and irrational as leftists.

That said, I do not agree with Mac 100% but, as Reagan said, "My 80 percent ally is not my 20 percent enemy." Maybe I only agree with him less than 80% but, when it comes to the Prez, I'm a single-issue voter: America first! which is not what Obama or anyone on the left believes.

I'm not a "conservative." I'm a classical Lockean liberal/Whig Americanist (if I may coin a word) and McCain is both a true American and an Americanist. Obama and most extremists on both sides are neither true Americans nor Americanists.

I love pigs

I don't keep pigs on my farm is because the only reason to husband them is to eat them and I don't like eating pigs - not because I'm part Jew but because, if you have ever known pigs, you will know that they are as intelligent and affectionate and as loyal as dogs - and anyway pork is tough, dry and tasteless. (Okay, I'll confess that ham and bacon are delicious and life isn't always fair - to pigs or people.)

My grandfather had a dairy farm outside Bloemfontein in the Orange Free State, South Africa but he also kept chickens and pigs. Every time that we went to the farm when I was still a little nipper, the first thing I did was head for the pig-sty. I just adored those pigs. Of course pigs are not saints and, one day soon after one of the sows gave birth to a new litter, little Joseph, the son of the black kitchen maid, crawled into the sty and was killed (and eaten) by the sow.

One of the myths about pigs is that they are dirty. Nope, they're actually very clean and will bathe often if given access to clean water but, being practical critters, they make the most of whatever filthy sty one houses them in although they would prefer it to be clean. That's why I enjoyed this story so much.











Cinders the saddleback pig is afraid of dirt:

A pig called Cinders will front a campaign to highlight the plight of British pig farmers after she overcame her fear of mud with the help of a pair of bespoke boots. The six-month-old saddleback, above, suffers from mysophobia - the fear of dirt. Her owners, Debbie and Andrew Keeble, of Thirsk, North Yorkshire, asked a designer friend to create the boots, which have been made with no footwell, allowing her trotters to slip straight in. Now the couple, who run an award-winning sausage company, have chosen her as mascot for their fair-price campaign for pork.

All I can add is, poor little Cinders the future pork sausage.

Sunday music: New Jerusalem

My last year of school was at an Episcopalian high school where we sang a hymn in assembly every morning before classes. I grew to love their hymns. I think they have some of the best music of all the churches. (I'm not counting Bach's sacred music or the classical Masses of Mozart and the other great composers some of which is the most beautiful music ever written.)

My favorite Episcopalian hymn is "New Jerusalem." The words were written by the poet, William Blake,(1757-1827) and the poem was set to music by C. Hubert H. Parry (1848-1918.) Blake is one of my favorite poets. He also wrote:

Auguries of Innocence

To see a world in a grain of sand,
And a heaven in a wild flower,
Hold infinity in the palm of your hand,
And eternity in an hour.

Blake was also a graphic artist. Here's is his depiction of God as an architect:























And this is his depiction of Jacob's Ladder:






















Here is the poem:

"New Jerusalem"

And did those feet in ancient time
Walk upon England's mountains green?
And was the holy lamb of God
On England's pleasant pastures seen?

And did the countenance divine
Shine forth upon our clouded hills?
And was Jerusalem builded here
Among those dark Satanic mills?

Bring me my bow of burning gold
Bring me my arrows of desire
Bring me my spears o'clouds unfold
Bring me my chariot of fire

I will not cease from mental fight
Nor shall my sword sleep in my hand
'Til we have built Jerusalem
In England's green and pleasant land.

Here's a video (a snippet from the movie, "Chariots of Fire) featuring the hymn:

Our local hero: Steve Prefontaine

This month our sleepy little part of the world will be jumping. This coming Sunday the Prefontaine Classic, one of the most important track and field meets in the United States will be held in Hayward Field at the University of Oregon in Eugene, the largest city in southwest Oregon.

Originally started as the Hayward Field Restoration Race, in 1975 the name was changed to Prefontaine Classic on the namesake of the legendary University of Oregon distance runner and Olympian Steve Prefontaine who was killed in a car accident a week prior to the meet. The meet is also referred to as the Nike Prefontaine Classic as Nike has been the title sponsor since 1978.

Then, from June 27th till July 6th, the Olympic Track and Field Trials will be held in Hayward Field. All this is happening because of Prefontaine.

Although track and field (especially sprinting not long-distance) was one of my favorite sports in my youth, I drifted away from it and stopped paying much attention to it until I moved to the Coos Bay Area. But there's no way you can avoid it here. Steve Prefontaine was born here in Coos Bay in 1951 and was raised here until he went to U of O in Eugene. Everybody my age went to school with him and the street where he lived is named after him. Everyone calls him "Pre."

Pre was considered to be among the greatest long distance runners of the modern era and held the American record in the five distance track events from the 2000 meters to the 10,000 meters. He set the American record in the 5000 meters race which took him to the 1972 Summer Olympic Games in Munich but he failed to win any medals.

His track coach at U of O was Bill Bowerman, the founder of Nike, and Pre had an ongoing battle with the Amateur Athletic Union which did not regard him as an "amateur" because he had accepted free clothes and footwear from Nike.

Pre prepared for the 1976 Summer Olympics in Montreal but died May 30, 1975 at the age of 24 in a car accident. He was buried here in Coos Bay. (Coincidentally, the name of the Canadian athlete who carried the Olympic torch into thr stadium in Montreal was Steve Prefontaine.)

There are two movies about Pre: Prefontaine (1997) and Without Limits (1998) in which Donald Sutherland played the role of Bill Bowerman. I have seen the latter (it's excellent) and have just ordered the former from Netflix.