Veep-Stakes II

So Mc Clain chose Alaska Governor Sarah Palin as his VP. Everyone in the right wing controlled media (the liberal media is a made up myth, trust me.....) thinks that is brilliant, gutsy, bold.

HUH?

She is nothing but Cheney without the Dick part.

You're From Where?...Part II

So have you been to Twatt, Orkney Islands, UK?:












Should we stop here??? (I have seen this sign actually):
















I'll pass on visiting lovely Muff, Ireland:












When motoring through lovely Yorkshire, England, enjoy the pudding in Wetwang, just down the road from Tibthorpe:















Dildo, Newfoundland, Eh?:












And finally, damn, now I have to be nice to my ex wife:

You're From Where?

Anus, France?:















did you say Fucking, Austria?:




















Herpes, France Maybe??:












That goes along with French Lick, IN, Knob Lick, MO and Intercourse, PA.

I'll stay here, thanks.

What I am Listening to Today

Two Violin Concerti by the Hungarian composer Ernst(Erno) von Dohnányi, one an early work from 1915 the other from his autumn years, 1949. Both tuneful, well written, compelling in their virtuosity and completely accessible. Violinist Michael Ludwig presents these wonderful works with sympathetic performances. JoAnn Falletta and the Royal Scottish National Orchestra provide a satisfying and elegant accompaniment, with a recording full of presence and excellent sound. These are wonderful, and fulfilling works that should be in the repertory. Cheap as hell on Naxos and available from the usual subjects: CD Universe (with the worst search feature of the three), HB Direct (better) and ArkivMusic (Best search feature by far).

Stupid Government Tricks

Drown, Get Rescued, Get Arrested

Veep-Stakes

“I think he can be ready, but right now, I don’t believe he is. The presidency is not something that lends itself to on-the-job training.” Joe Biden in 2007.

Biden talking McCain on “The Daily Show” in 2005: “I would be honored to run with or against John McCain, because I think the country would be better off.”

With friends like that.....

Maybe the first statement is right. In a world where campaigns are won or lost not on issues but stupid ass sound bites, Obama has given the Repubs some great cannon fodder.

Should be interesting. I was hoping for Bayh or Kaine.

Political Musings

Sadly, I think the 2008 presidential election is heading down the same sick path as the last two. A ratings and sensation hungry media, a fickle and ignorant public, emboldened, well funded evangelicals and cynical gays and lesbians combine to elect the lesser of two evils as they say. Although I see a ton of Obama signs and bumper stickers around, the polls suggest a tight race. The media pounces on every tiny misstep of Obama's making him look inexperienced. For some inexplicable reason, his rapturous reception in Europe was blasted as a "miscalculation" and defined him as "unpatriotic". The Evangelicals hate him as he is multicultural and worldly. The VFW and evangelicals love Mc Cain because he is not black and got shot down. I agree with General Wesley Clark, being a pilot and a POW does not in and of itself make you worthy of being President.

After the debate with the evangelical leader Rick Warren, Obama was blasted as being "professorial". When it was suggested that Mc Cain had heard the questions Obama was asked and thus had time to prepare a response, his campaign and supporters on FUX News said "the insinuation from the Obama campaign that John McCain, a former prisoner of war, cheated is outrageous." Let Obama make reference to his race and the FUX people would go gaga.

If McCain is inaugurated, the world will further look at the US as irrelevant and leaderless. Bluster talk, threats and "support the troops" blather will continue. Emboldened by the blather, the evil in the world will continue to thrive.

Greg and I were talking last night that our beloved little Nicaragua is sliding into a festering nightmare. Like the US they have idiots in power doing what they can to isolate and destroy the truly intelligent and capable. We don't really want to live there as we once dreamed.

But is this place any better?

Packards Invade Richmond, MO

When I first met Levan Thurman, my friend Bruce's dad, I knew I had met a kindred spirit. I spied his car books on the shelf and soon heard that one of his favorite marques was Packard. "Thurman Funeral Home (his 3 generation family business) always used Packard service cars, limos, ambulances and coaches". He had pictures of a lot of them, remembered them all and even remembered going to Freeport, Il to pick up a new coach from the body maker Henney. I contacted my friend Steve who is president of the MidAmerica Packard club and said basically "you have to meet his fellow".

So about a year or so later...we did. The MidAmerica Packard Club's recent drive meet went to Richmond, MO to meet Levan and see his collection of Packard service car memorabilia. We spent the greater part of the day at Jeffrey Kyles' restaurant in Richmond, enjoying a big buffet lunch (a reasonable $7.50) and listening to Levan speak about his life of work with Packard autos. After the presentation, the Packards headed off to the Ray County museum for a tour and refreshments. Bruce and I headed home, content in the knowledge that we made Levan's day, entertained a great group of people and deserved a big ass cocktail when we got home.

Some Pics of "The Packards Invade Richmond"













Bob Aller's 1954 Long wheelbase Ambulance












Dr Tom Thomas' 1953 Mayfair and Jeff and Tina Pachl's 1955 Clipper Custom Constellation














Jack and Denise's 1940 Super 8 Seven Passenger Sedan















Levan in action














Photo of 1939, 1940 and 1941 Coaches owned by Thurman Funeral Home












Levan with a brand new 1948 Packard 8 Limo

Thanks to Levan, Jeffrey Kyle's Restaurant, Ray County Museum, Mid America Packards and to Bruce for a fun and educational Saturday.

Her Majesty on YouTube

Her Majesty Puggles, QOP, SRA is on YOUTUBE!

Her Majesty Meets the Dog Cancer Ride People


More info or to follow the the Dog Cancer Ride, click here.

Dog Cancer Ride

Support A Worthy Cause: National Women's History Museum

I received this email in response to yesterday's post on Julia Child. A worthy cause and a simple way to make a difference. ~ Pato

I noticed your post on Wednesday about Julia Child’s work with the Office of Strategic Services and took great interest in your quote from Linda McCarthy. The National Women’s History Museum is one of my clients and we’re working with them right now on a campaign to secure a home for the museum, which has been an online-only museum for more than a decade now.

I thought you might be interested in learning more about it. This has been an historic year for women - from Hillary Clinton’s run for the Presidency to Dara Torres’ improbable 5th Olympic bid. Right now, Congress has the opportunity to celebrate this remarkable year by providing a permanent home for the National Women’s History Museum (NWHM) adjacent to the National Mall.

The NWHM’s members have been working for 11 years to secure a permanent site for the museum, which will be the first comprehensive repository for women's history.

NWHM has indentified a vacant lot adjacent to the National Mall and now needs Congress to authorize their purchase of this federal property at fair-market value. Representative Carolyn B. Maloney (D-NY) introduced House Resolution 6548 on July 17, 2008 to approve the purchase of land. Now, your local Representative needs to hear from you so that this legislation will pass before Congress adjourns for the year.

Would you be interested in joining us in being a part of the Right Here, Right Now campaign to tell Congress to recognize this historic year by passing HR 6548? Click here to send a letter or email to your Representative and check out our attached Right Here, Right Now badges at http://www.nwhm.org/rightnow/righthererightnow.html to show support for the campaign.

Please let me know if you have any questions and/or would like more information about H.R. 6548 or the NWHM. Hope we get a chance to work together on this initiative.
Best,

Erin

Erin Skinner

Juila Child... Spy

Somehow I suspected this....

Way before becoming famous as the French Chef, Julia Child worked for the Office of Strategic Services which was the predecessor to the CIA. She and some colleagues were assigned to solve a problem that was plaguing the U.S. Navy during World War II. Sharks would hit the underwater mines thus setting them off and warning the approaching German U-boats of the deadly trap.

"So", said Linda McCarthy Curator of the National Women's History Museum exhibit, "Clandestine Women: The Untold Stories of Women in Espionage", "Julia Child and a few of her male compatriots got together and literally cooked up a shark repellent," that was used to coat the explosives.

I bet she even told them "bon appétit"!

Food Pictures

The garden is going great guns. Corn, okra, peppers, squash, zucchini, and tomatoes out the ass. Speaking of which....



















I love Butt Cheek tomatoes, look odd but damn are they the best!

And this, my fellow fatties is half, yes HALF! of a fresh made pork tenderloin sandwich from Jerry's Woodsweather Cafe here in KCMO.




















This, a plate of home made fries and a coke are a grand total of $7.50. Jerry's is the epitome of greasy spoon, located beside the railroad tracks in the most industrial, warehouse district of town. Place is packed, place is wonderful and the food is glorious and 45,000% unhealthful. The tenderloin is so damn big, that the fries come on a separate plate, no room for them. Greg went with me and he was salivating over the 4 inch high piece of pineapple upside down cake...home made... $1.75.

Glad I go there only occasionally, it is bad for my diet!

Jerry's Woodsweather Cafe 1414 West Ninth St KCMO.

Try an omlet for breakfast, if Jerry is in a good mood, there will be at least 5 eggs in the dang thing.. maybe more. I will always be fat with this bounty around!

Mamma Mia!

Once upon a time, I was a movie hound. My now lost friend Jim and I used to catch every new release and some of the more interesting "art films" that showed up a our local cineplexes. For some reason, I have shied away from the cinema lately. Not much has grabbed me and made me part with my money to spend a couple hours in a dark room with other popcorn munching fans. From the looks of the upcoming attractions previewed at my cinematic soiree last night, I will not be back in the theatre for a while.

They are making a movie about the man who invented the intermittent windshield wiper and was screwed over by the Big Three automakers. He battled in court for years, losing most of the money he won on legal fees but proving a point. I would have taken the money and ran.. but then there would be no fodder for a movie. And that could be a good thing. There is another flick about a minority kid who overcomes southern racism to win big on the football field..Yawwwwwwwwnnnnn... not again. Star Wars XCIX (that is 99 for the Roman Numeral challenged)is upon us and Batman is back...again.

But, being in a bit of a funk, and deciding the world is crap, I did what millions have done when times are tough and went to see a silly, bright, cheery, happy ending musical "Momma Mia". The fact that Bruce wanted to go was the deciding factor...he'd buy the popcorn!

The plot is simple. 20 year old Sophie lives a challenging but happy life with her single mother, Donna, running a rustic hotel on a breathtaking Greek island. She is preparing to marry her Scottish boyfriend Sky who has captivated her and is willing to stay on the island and make the hotel a success. One thing is missing from her idyllic life, she wants to find her father before her wedding. Finding her mother's diary from when she was born, she secretly invites three of her mom's old flings to the wedding. She is sure she will instantly know her father when he sees him and will have her dream fulfilled to have him give her away.

You know the rest....

Starring Meryl Streep, Pierce Brosnan and Colin Firth and a whole slew of Greeks, the lighthearted story is told using hit songs from ABBA including "Dancing Queen", "Money Money Money", "Mamma Mia", "Winner Takes it All", "SOS" and others.

What can I say??, good clean fun, not long, fabulous scenery, happy ending... worth a shot. Streep was good, Brosnan and the other men not as good. Julie Waters as Donna's friend Rosie was a hoot.

Worth a trip to the theatre for sure. Not sure why so many critics have panned the movie; yes it is not a ground breaker and is not controversial,yet "Mamma Mia" is certainly better than that flimsy contrived "Rent" ever was.

Besides, a little ABBA never hurt anyone.

Always..Patsy Cline

Again, my favorite theatre venue, the American Heartland Theatre, has mounted a winner. As a “community theatre”, AHT is far from cutting edge, no controversial plays, few deep moral issues and usually a happy ending is required. At the same time it is consistently professional, entertaining and certainly far above the level of a high school play, drawing a large, diverse and loyal audience.

The current winning production, “Always…Patsy Cline”, is not new to the stage or to the AHT. One of the most successful of its type in the country, “Always..Patsy Cline” has played to sold out audiences around the country since its premiere in Houston in 1988. Of course, who doesn’t love the subject? Patsy Cline is a legend, her songs and story are as fresh and fascinating today as they were in the late 50’s. Cline’s natural talent, emotions, ability to communicate and her “realness” made her a star then and a legend today. Imagine a music star today, even a country music star, taking a commercial air flight, hailing a cab and showing up at the venue, alone trailing her luggage and the music for the band. That was Cline, always down to earth, even while fame and fortune were at her feet, ready to sit down with the band or the crowd, drink a beer and tell and laugh at the latest jokes. Instead of running from her simple, hard luck background, she thrived on what it taught her.

“Always..Patsy Cline” is more than just a musical review of Cline’s short lived career (she died at age 30 in a plane crash in 1963) but is a reflection on the lady herself, her charm and ability to mesmerize an audience. The show is based on a true story about Cline’s friendship with a fan from Houston named Louise Seger, who befriended the star in a Houston night club in l961, and continued a correspondence with Cline until her death. The show’s title was inspired by Cline's letters to Louise, always signed "Love ALWAYS... Patsy Cline.”

The main stage is the concert hall and thus the show is set around the 1961 concert in Houston. At both sides, a 1960’s kitchen and sitting area provide the setting for Louise to reminisce about her friendship with Patsy, how they met, her impressions of Patsy and her constant hounding of a local DJ to play her songs. Becky Barta has made a specialty of playing Patsy Cline and does a remarkable job of portraying her gutsiness and vulnerabilities. She can belt the songs out with the same musicality and gusto as Miss Cline.

Cathy Barnett literally steals the show as Louise Seger. Barnett is a former stand-up comic who makes excellent use of her improvisational skills and knows how to work a crowd. Some of her ad libs seem planned, but others do not. Either way, the audience last Thursday loved her sassy, flirtatious way of interacting with the crowd. Since Greg and I have front row seats and the stage is not separated from the audience, we get to interact a lot. Louise told me I have nice legs!

“Always..Patsy Cline” has been extended until the 17th. The AHT goes from strength to strength, but it will take a lot to top this one.

Back

Well, it has been a week since I had an entry so I guess it is time to come back. So here is what you missed:

The Palace still stands, and is still filled with insanity.

The garden grows, we have corn and okra, tomatoes are in abundance, but my squash is dead. I think I took too good of care of it and the stems got rotten and killed the plant. Oh well.

We had a primary election and no one cared.

My Dr said I will live, much to many people's regret.

And best of all, Zane sent me this which sums up my feelings 15,000%

Outrage Fatigue