Hypno-Bachmann

I couldn't help myself...

Despite the dismal field of candidates, I watched the last GOP debate the other night that was sponsored by corporate partners CNN & The Tea Party, Inc. 

I still think the Republicans have no chance to beat Obama if Mitt Romney isn't the nominee. He's the only one remotely electable. Some of the candidates are more far out than others, though. Ron Paul is partially immersed in a Libertarian fantasyland. I completely agree with some of his ideas, but then he goes into illogical extremes with his fictional idea of individual "freedom" which always trumps the good of society.

However, Michele Bachmann, a Congresswoman from a district of crazy people in Minnesota, is out somewhere on her own planet. Besides being one of the most untruthful politicians in DC, she basically wants to eliminate secular government & institute a theocracy based on her own warped view of reality.
It always amazes me how many of these government-hating Republicans want to be career government employees... 

Anyway, I had the image of her iconic Newsweek cover sitting on my desktop, because I knew I could make something crazy w/ it.  ...so, I threw this animated GIF together of "Hypno-Bachmann".  


Don't look at it too long or she will suck out your soul.

Nature Sounds Mixer

In my post about my week at the beach, I mentioned the symphony of natural sounds we would take in as we sat by the fire each night.

Cape May Vacation

I forget how I came across it, but I've bookmarked this awesome website. It's a sound mixer that can be used to create custom soundscapes.

Free Nature Sounds Mixer

http://naturesoundsfor.me/

There are 4 tracks to mix & you can use a variety of natural and rythmic sound samples.

I've used the mixer to make a virtual version of the audial environment that I experienced relaxing by the bay.

1. Beach
2. Crickets
3. Fire
4. Wind in Leaves

^ This is what I'm listening to right now.
There are endless combinations though, & I often use it to make ambient sound in my room while I'm on the computer, napping, or reading.

Obama's Jobs Speech

Tonight, President Obama used the setting of a joint session of Congress to try and initiate some action on the country's unemployment rate & related economic problems.

The guy can give a hell of a speech & I agree with many of his ideas, but dealing with Congress to pass effective legislation is another story. Measures such as, re-hiring first responders & teachers, fixing schools, working on infrastructure, small business tax breaks, etc., should be a no-brainer. It is Congress, though... so it's hard to be optimistic. There are a few GOP knuckleheads who didn't even want to do their jobs and show up for the joint session addressing a critical national issue. These buffoons are supposed to be relied upon for reasonable compromise?

GOP Lawmakers Skipping Obama Jobs Speech

It's crazy that there are so many people unemployed when there's potential for so much work to be done. It's even crazier for people (like the cult of Ron Paul) to think that the Free Market can somehow magically solve everything. If the private sector is stagnant & the source of jobs needs to be purposeful government projects, then so be it. People complain about teachers or cushy gov't jobs with their generous benefits- but somehow a CEO for a bailed-out company who gets a bonus larger than the entire company's tax burden deserves it & is just 'living the American dream'. It's silly.

Anyway, it seems to me that creating constructive, functional public works projects would be a wise investment. Any improvement to the effectiveness of education would be an even greater benefit to society.
Both of these would also help to reduce the "entitlement" culture that right-wingers loathe so much. Speaking of which, I saw this absolutely ri-dic-u-lous video that I'm not even going to embed because it's just tooo much, even if it is a parody. I can imagine it's what some people imagine everyone getting public assistance is like.

The bottom line is: the more people who are working, in the public or private sector, the less likely it will be for the other related economic problems to develop.

If I could be their PR consultant, my slogan for Obama's campaign would be "Working for America".

Republican Debate..yawn

What a Crowd

Since I like to get all perspectives on the issues of the day, I'll probably force myself to watch some of the debate tonight between the GOP Presidential candidates.


It's difficult to watch the tired old arguments of these candidates, especially after I just watched other more insightful politicians offering real solutions to the country's problems. I was watching an interview w/ Sherrod Brown from Ohio regarding job creation, who I think is right about most issues I hear him talk about. Then, on C-Span, I saw the last part of a speech on the House floor by Dennis Kucinich regarding the NEED Act that he is sponsoring.

Then I watch the Republican debate, hearing people like Michele Bachmann recite her usual falsehoods.

I'm really interested to see who ends up the GOP nominee. If they don't pick Mitt Romney they're crazy. He's the only one who most independent voters would even think about voting for. Rick Perry is just Dubya Part II & he's the only other one with any chance. 

One thing I'm sure will not change from watching the debate is that I wouldn't vote for any of them. I think Obama's a far better choice, despite his faults. My biggest problem with President Long-Legged Mack Daddy is that he has not governed like the socialist far-left progressive that his opponents make him out to be. He's been more of a Wall Street-sponsored corporate Democrat, who just panders to the base on some issues. If anything, his presidency has definitely demonstrated how difficult it is to realize fundamental institutional change. However, even if he did aggressively push to enact progressive programs, he would continue to be challenged by the defiant & unified opposition.

As an Independent voter, I don't have any party interest in having Obama stay another term. I'm more concerned with the fact that each one of his Republican challengers would probably be a disaster if they were in charge.

This article by a former GOP staffer on the state of the party-at-large seemed to be pretty accurate to me:

"Goodbye to All That: Reflections of a GOP Operative Who Left the Cult"

Cape May 2011

From Cape May 2011

I've uploaded a bunch of photos from my vacation in Cape May, NJ a couple weeks ago.

 

Paul Mic's Picasa Albums

Cape May 2011

My family stayed in a small bungalow right on the Delaware Bay. We were across the street from the beach, which is great for all the beach bums in my family.

We had a bar down the road, but we were stocked up on liquor & beer so we mostly just hung out at the house at night, by the chiminea fire. From the yard, we could hear the waves crashing on the beach. Along with the sounds of the breeze, crackling fire, & crickets, it was a very relaxing natural soundtrack.

As I explained in a previous post, I completely missed the East Coast earthquake while I was on the beach. During the week I went on a eventful fishing trip w/ my Dad & brothers, spent the other days on the beach, ate like a glutton, relaxed & drank by the fire at night, and at the end of the week we had all-you-can-eat crab fest, sitting on the pier in a thunderstorm. That was the night before we had to leave, since the Jersey shore was evacuated due to the approach of Hurrican Irene.

Going on summer vacations with my family is something we all look forward to all year. We enjoy each other's company and are thankful for the great time we get to spend together. Inevitably, we end up with material for great (usually humorous) stories. One of the important things in life is the stories you have to share. The tales you have to tell are a measure of your life experiences.

The Art of A.I. Conversation

AI vs. AI. Two chatbots talking to each other

I find this exchange of computer-generated words to be highly unsettling- especially the part about wanting a body. Creepy.

On the bright side, I'm glad to see machines using artificial intelligence will probably be too busy to destroy us... they'll be arguing with each other about crazy nonsense, just like people!

Darth Maul Costume

This is a photo of me from an old ROLL of film that I just got developed. This pic is from waaaay back... on Halloween 2001. It was crazy to look at photos I haven't seen yet... from 10 yrs ago. :P

Anyway, I did the Darth Maul makeup myself & I still think it turned out pretty cool.

The glowing red eyes are natural, of course.

Hurricane Irene: The Aftermath

Despite my parents & my brother both wanting me to stay with either of them, I stuck out the hurricane at my place by myself.

Being alone doesn't bother me, even in a crazy situation like that. From following the news on the storm, I didn't think it was going to be strong enough to blow the house away or anything.

However, I was bracing myself for a certain level of carnage, while stocking up on the survival essentials: jugs of water, a freezer full of ice, trail mix, pizza, & of course beer.

It started raining around 2PM on Saturday & I went to my parents for dinner then drove back afterward, before it really picked up at night. It seemed like there was non-stop rain but, fortunately, a lack of extremely violent winds. The rain didn't stop completely for about 20 hours. Around 2AM when the center of the storm was supposedly passing by, I went outside onto my back patio & it seemed like a normal rainstorm.

The next afternoon, the only damage I could see was a big tree that fell in the yard across the street. I had a couple leaks, but my house was still standing.

It wasn't till the day after when I realized how much water had been dumped on the area. There's several lakes near me, & alot of roads had sections that were flooded over.

Unfortunately basement flooded from all the rainfall, so I was sitting on my cellar steps pumping water last nite. All of a sudden a helicopter started flying overhead. My brother texted me the report he saw on Action News 6. Someone had tried to drive through a blocked section of road that had flooded & need to be rescued about a mile from me.

I've seen some Youtube videos of the flooding & it's pretty extreme. Despite the unstoppable power of nature, though, it's impressive how resilient people can be in such harsh conditions.

Vacationing Through Disasters

This past week I was on vacation in Cape May, NJ with my family.

We really had a great week... but got stuck between 2 natural disasters & had to evacuate the shore a day early. Perfect timing!

Earlier in the week, the uncharacteristic earthquake hit the East Coast from the epicenter in Virginia.

US Geological Survey
Magnitude 5.8 - VIRGINIA

Amazingly, although I was at the Jersey Shore & everyone else in our family experienced it... somehow my brother & I completely missed it!!!!

I am still in disbelief that I missed a friggin earthquake. My brother & I were on the beach, which is fairly secluded & only had about 12 other people at the most along the whole stretch.

At the time of the earthquake, we were either:
1) in the water jumping around playing with the awesome Waboba ball & didn't feel it somehow.
2) passed out lying on the beach & didn't feel it while we were snoozing.

Either way it's crazy.

My other brother was with my parents crabbing on a pier & they felt it. My sister was napping with my nephews at the rental house & everything started moving. I came back from the beach to see if she was coming down & she asked me if I felt the earth shaking. I had no idea what she was talking about, & thought she was making a joke about my nephew pooping.

Anyway, then we got the news of Hurricane Irene approaching, & Friday evacuation orders were given for Cape May. So, we left vacation a day early & I've been preparing for whatever this monstrous fractal whirlwind is going to bring.

We're already getting some rain in southern NJ... so, unlike the earthquake, I don't think I'm going to be able to miss this storm.

WTF

Interactive Planetarium

The infinite scale of cosmic space can make any earthly concerns seem insignificant.

I came across this interactive program that lets you view the heavenly bodies from different perspectives & times.

There are alot of customizable options & it's fun to play around with.

Solar System Scope

An amazing tool like this makes me think about the tremendous effort by ancient civilizations to track the thousands of visible celestial bodies.

It's awe-inspiring that, over many generations, our ancestors were able to record, visualize, and predict the relative movements of the myriad stars & planets using their limited technologies.

Trying to understand the vast forces of nature makes us realize our small place in the world, which is itself just a speck in the cosmos.

Cosmic Politics

Saw this on BoingBoing

The Daily Show: World Class Warfare

Jon Stewart & the Daily Show blew some gaping holes in some of the right-wing/Fox News talking points the other night. It's always fun to watch.

The Daily Show
August 18th: World Class Warfare

The race for the Republican Presidential nomination has been a real clown show. It's pretty bad when your field of candidates make Mitt Romney look like the most appealing candidate.

Obama has been a corporate centrist, but from the way some of these people talk you'd think he was Socialism incarnate.

I personally would like to see a Perry/Palin 2012 ticket. Then we can see who are the truly craziest citizens in the country.

Anyway, The Daily Show has really been properly tearing into the Fox propaganda lately:

The Daily Show
July 27th: GOP Special Victims Unit

Graham Hancock on Ancient Civilizations

"Gold Sun Stone Pyramid"
from The Monkey Buddha Bazaar

One of the books I'm reading right now is Graham Hancock's "Fingerprints of the Gods: The Evidence of Earth's Lost Civilizations".

It's a great read... an investigation of the ancient anomalies & structures that exist around the planet. These kinds of mysteries from the fog of distant history have always fascinated me.

Graham Hancock describes the abundant evidence that mankind's past is much richer and older than traditional history allows. So far, it seems like he isn't making any truly controversial conclusions in the book (such as- everything was made by UFOs). Mostly, he simply points out the many truly unexplainable discoveries that don't fit into the currently accepted historical narrative.

Fortunately, the information we are learning about these cultures is now growing exponentially. Thanks to the expanding field of archaeology, with its improving techniques & technologies, we are learning more about our ancient heritage than ever before.

I'll talk more about the book once I finish it, but on The Daily Grail I saw this excellent video of a presentation Mr. Hancock gave about the same topics that are in the book. It's definitely worth the time to watch:

Graham Hancock Presenting at the 2012 Conference

Paths to Wisdom w/ Steven Seagal

Steven Seagal imparts Zen wisdom:

I have just experienced satori.

Obviously, It Was Aliens...

After talking to my brother & some of my friends recently about the program "Ancient Aliens" on History Channel, I had to make this graphic. The series attempts to investigate the world's mysteries and how they may relate to extraterrestrial visitors.

I think the show is mildly interesting, but definitely don't take any of it seriously. To it's credit, the discussion of ancient anomalies brings to light the many questions that still exist about the history of our species. The series also has alot of footage of interesting places around the globe.

However, some of the assertions made by the various "experts" are simply outrageous in their ignorance. The most hardcore of the 'ancient alien-ologists' like Giorgio Tsoukalos in the picture above, confidently assert that almost any phenomena we don't understand is UFO-related. They are as bad as traditional archaeology when it comes to underestimating the imagination & ingenuity of ancient man.

One of the worst segments I've seen was about the ancient Mayan culture. I've read alot about the Maya, & I rolled my eyes when they started talking about the sarcophagus lid of Lord Pakal. This stone lid has decoration which has been described as a 'rocketship,' but it's not:

Mesoamerica Astrology

A minimal amount of research would uncover the truth behind the art. It is a stylized depiction of the Mayan World Tree, with the underworld beneath Pakal. Doing a search for Mayan World Tree shows several images of the same cosmic motif, without the 'spaceship' appearance.


What really is amazing is the astronomical knowledge the ancient cultures knew, which they incorporated into their art & architecture.

What really blew my mind, though, was when 'UFO archaeologist' David Childress said one of the the dumbest things I've ever heard on TV. While discussing the fall of Mayan civilization, he claimed it was possible that the people 'disappeared' because they were all taken off-planet in spaceships!!! I couldn't believe such blatantly false information wasn't edited out of the show.

If that was the case, how did I have a Mayan descendant driving me to the airport when I was in Mexico? It's pretty well-known that the Mayan people spread south, into Belize & Guatemala where they live today.

Anyway, to sum up my feelings on this whole "ancient astronaut" idea:

I do think there is most likely life throughout the universe.
(For all I know, Earth could be a zoo for inter-dimensional beings to observe.)
However, I don't think "aliens" should be the default answer to every mysterious aspect of human history, especially feats of colossal engineering.

Human imagination is a powerful force in it's own right.

Arthur C. Clarke on BBC Horizon

In the latter part of this video from the 1960's features one of the great visionaries of the 20th century, Arthur C. Clarke.

He presciently talks about the state of current communication technology.
The concepts he discusses, analogous to modern tech like cell phones & the Internet, were just imaginative science fiction in the early 60's.

However, human imagination, manifested in works of science fiction, can often drive scientific discovery & development.

When I was younger, I used to watch his awesome TV show "Arthur C. Clarke's World of Strange Powers".

One his best known works is the epic movie, "2001: A Space Odyssey".

He was a true genius & definitely inspired me when I was growing up to try to be a forward thinker.

The Universe is Brain-Shaped

This is the 1,000th post I've written since I started this blog over 6 years ago, in 2005.

"Intro to the Monkey Buddha"

Although I don't usually have time to post as often as I'd like, this is a great creative outlet for me.

Since I'm usually busy creating visual art, I'm not sure how else I would get to write about all the topics that interest me.

Anyway, for a milestone post such as this, I decided to reveal one of the funda-mental mysteries of the universe, in graphic form:




I've also added this design to my Cafepress shop, The Monkey Buddha Bazaar, featured on different items:

Cafepress:

"The Universe is Brain Shaped"



“We are what we think.
All that we are arises with our thoughts.
With our thoughts, we make the world.”

-Siddhartha Guatama, The Buddha

Dear Human...

I thought this comic was pretty funny, even if not entirely accurate:

Click to see it all:

The First Web Page Ever

20 years ago, the first "page" of information went online, beginning the development of the World Wide Web.

FLASHBACK:
This Is What The First-Ever Website Looked Like

When I was a kid, I thought that having to use encyclopedias & going to the library to research any given topic was a real pain in the ass. The Internet (despite the abundance of garbage & ridiculousness) has already clearly revolutionized the human race & is the catalyst for profound changes to our world.

Even for people my age and older who grew up without the capability of digital search engines, the almost magical ease of The Web is still easy to take for granted. The volume of knowledge (& stupidity) existing in the virtual realm is amazing, especially when you consider the rate at which it's increasing.

Despite all the effort and creativity that's gone into it, it's always possible that a natural or cosmic event could destroy mankind's digital archive- & everything else we've worked for- in an instant.

People are currently trying to ensure preservation of cultural artifacts like the Internet. However, it's possible that tens of thousands of years into the future, it will be something like the granite sculptures of Mount Rushmore that will have more of a lasting legacy than our virtual mountains of digital data.

On the other hand...
Maybe by that time in the future, mankind will have begun colonizing space with spacetime warp drive systems & we'll have a Galactic Internet among the stars, instantly connected through quantum entanglement.

Either way, I (probably) won't be around...
so it doesn't really matter.
:P

Shark Week Morsels

Sharks, especially Great Whites, epitomize the ultimate savagery of nature. A predator lurking unseen in the depths of the sea, they cause fear in all but the craziest of people.

In honor of Discovery's Shark Week, dedicated to these awesome creatures, here's a fun bunch of random shark stuff:

Mattson Creative:

Gorilla riding a shark.
Awesome:


This is what happens
after the battle in the pic above:


Sharks in Space:

Play

"MAD SHARK" GAME

Finally,

Tracy Morgan is craaazy:

Words of wisdom

Hidden World: Zen Pond

I saw this video on MindTV & was mesmerized by the views of various microscopic lifeforms.

The zen-inspired music adds an introspective quality to the footage of the life that exists all around us, but is unnoticed by our normal perception.

Hidden World: Zen Pond

The Un-restricted Hand of the Free Market

Several years ago, I was at a relative's house for a BBQ.

There was a guy there who was a real "know-it-all" and was going on & on about how the government should stay out of the affairs of business and "The Free Market".

He argued that there was never a place for government regulations, or any other kind of interference with private economic activity.

A person with any common sense realizes that this is simply a stupid idea.

Being someone who enjoys discussing politics & current events, as well as having already had a few beers, I couldn't help injecting myself into his little tirade.

My ultimate point that I kept coming back to was this- without any kind of oversight or regulation, the end result of free-market capitalism is, inevitably, slavery.

I mean this in both a virtual and real sense. Most people in developed countries can be considered virtual slaves, due to the predatory elements of capitalist economies that lead to personal debt. This is probably the most freedom-restricting element of modern society.

In a real sense, also, the insatiable quest for more valuable forms of capital will eventually lead immoral people or corporations to fully exploit the human being itself- seen as just another commodity to be owned.

The other guy's argument was that the public wouldn't let exploitation like that happen. He claimed that the customers would demand ethical behavior from banks & business. This is, of course, completely absurd.

Especially at this point in time, it is painfully apparent that left to their own devices, powerful corporations & organizations will endlessly exploit people for their own financial benefit.
That is why the world economy is in the chaos it's in now.

Although government is clearly an imperfect institution, Democracy is the last line of defense against the parasitic nature of "The Free Market".

Just because I'm cynical about the Capitalist system, I don't consider myself to be a Socialist or anything like that. I prefer to think beyond labels... & to just do things that work regardless of the system it supposedly belongs to.

Anyway, our semi-friendly debate ended up with neither of us persuading the other.

However, I feel like my argument was based on demonstrable fact. The other guy's argument was basically an Ayn Rand fantasy world- that would, in reality, be an escalation of the financial disaster we experienced from the years of Bush/Greenspan economic policy. These policies were an admitted failure, and we are still trying to deal with the consequences today.

In truth, such things as the economy, budgets, & even money itself are all abstractions, nothing more than tools we use in the real world. Humans are always capable of evil, so these abstract tools can be misused as systems of control to restrict real people.

Fortunately, they can also be improved & changed as surely as we can change our own minds.

Monkey Drawing a Skull

I saw this interesting picture on FFFFOUND!.

It's a watercolor by an artist named Walton Ford.

This brooding monkey genius, creating a mechanical drawing of a skull, seems to be a reflection of the artistic & scientific achievements of man.

Paul Mic's Magic Bus

There was an album with a bunch of crazy pictures from my vacation in the Poconos in my last post.

There's one photo of me behind the wheel of a painted hippie 'magic bus'.
It was just sitting in a field full of other crazy crap, behind the "world's largest general store", Country Junction.

I thought it would be funny to create a psychedelic background in Photoshop,

so, I did...

GROOOOOOOVY!!!!!!!

Here's a link to the original photo.

Poconos 2011

From Poconos 2011

This year my family went on our summer vacation, back to the house we stayed at last year. It's on a lake in the Pocono Mountains in PA & has become one of our all-time favorite vacation spots.

Fortunately, the weather was great all week. The heatwave blasting the rest of the East Coast didn't really catch up with us until Thursday. Even the cooling effects of the lake can't stop 100º+ heat.
I spent most of my time swimming, kayaking, fishing, or relaxing, with plenty of eating and drinking. We all take turns making dinner each nite which works out great. We all get along well, so vacations are always fun. With the family growing, it only gets more & more interesting.

The only real activity we left the house for was to go to the world's largest general store/redneck amusement park, Country Junction. They have a gigantic store full of both everyday items & more bizarre stuff. One of our favorite things there is a mangy stuffed lion that's $25,000. There's also a full-size home theater area inside. Outside, they have a petting zoo/playground. Behind the whole complex is a large field, with crazy stuff like a huge pirate ship, a "haunted house" that looks like it's inside a shack, and a psychedelically-decorated magic bus. My nephew loved playing on all the wacky crap there, but I was just amused by it all.

I didn't go on any long nature hikes this year. However, I did make a couple trips to a trail (about a mile long) which leads to a cool waterfall. The first time was with my brothers & a friend, then I went back a couple days later w/ my sister's family. I went swimming in the water in the lagoons beneath the falls & it was bone-chillingly cold.

From Poconos 2011

Despite not seeing any rattlesnakes this year, there were a few water snakes living in the area of the dock behind the house. I felt like a Natural Geographic photographer, crawling in the shallow water by the shore to get a close photo of the snake. We found out they're not poisonous, but they're still creepy.

Here are some of the photos I took of the fun & craziness of the week:

Photo Album:
"Poconos 2011"

Poconos 2011 Preview

I'm on vacation in the Poconos with my family this week. We always have a great time together & always enjoy our annual trip to relax, swim, fish, eat & drink on a mountain lake.

I try to stay offline for the most part while I'm up here, especially since there's so much other stuff to do. However, I'm posting some pics of the lake behind the house, until I get home & upload more photos.

Here are a couple views from the house we're staying at. There's a pic of the lake during the day & also of one of the beautiful sunsets over the mountains.

I only have one more full day here, but we've had an awesome week so far & I have alot more great photos.

The Dalai Lama & Kalachakra

This past week, the Dalia Lama has been in Washington DC to coincide with his 76th birthday.

He has also presided over Kalachakra ceremonies, consisting of extensive spiritual teachings.

These are once-secret teachings give insights into the microcosm of the human mind & body and the relationship to the macrocosm of the Universe.

Introduction to Kalachakra

The culmination of the Kalachakra is the creation & destruction of an intricate sand mandala, representing the Wheel of Time.

The Kalachakra Mandala

There are many aspects of Buddhist thought that have greatly influenced my view of the world. In particular, I have always found the creative process of the mandala to be a profound expression of transient existence.

Kalachakra Mandala from peacefeather imagery on Vimeo.

Deliberately dismantling such a dedicated, detailed work is a contemplative symbol for the impermanent nature of all reality.

Monkey Knife Fight

I saw this on the Chive:

'All is fair in love & war', so to go along with my previous post about Monkey Marriage, here's a crazy pic of a knife fight between 2 monkeys. They appear to be in the Planet of the Apes equivalent of the Victorian Age:



Of course, this is not related to the decadent superhero-sponsored monkey knife fight.

Monkey Marriage

The assault on traditional marriage continues!...

"Monkey Wedding Draws the Crowds in India"

Seriously, though, at least the newlywed pet monkeys were free from their chains...

so, if a slightly ridiculous human ceremony made that happen, all the better.

India isn't the only country friendly to monkey nuptials...
As I previously noted, China has also taken the leap into the magical world of monkey weddings.

GOP "Leadership"

Losing the Future.

After the Bush years, when the Republican-controlled Congress was led by the likes of Majority Leader Denny Hastert & the infamous Speaker-turned-felon Tom Delay, it's hard to imagine any worse.

However, the current group of GOP leadership has turned out to be inept beyond belief.

The Republicans in Congress are unwittingly doing Obama a favor by making him look like the only guy in DC trying to get things done in a reasonable manner.

I watch this stuff closely (for some reason)... & try to objectively see the points of views I disagree with. During these lengthy 'negotiations' on the debt ceiling & the budget, the Republicans have been defending the indefensible, though. Of course, nobody wants to raise taxes on lower incomes, but to say that no new revenues can be raised by any means... is just not realistic.

Minority Leader McConnell, House Speaker Boehner, & Eric "Bet Against America" Cantor have openly dedicated themselves to the cult of Grover Norquist's government-drowning fantasies & people are seeing the real potential for disaster.

Even though there is alot of political theater going on, it can affect people's lives in real ways. They've acted like they are ready to play chicken with the debt limit & the American economy, in order to continue catering to the very wealthiest entities in this country. Turtleman McConnell has blinked, though, & is now taking some heat from his angry base for showing his true lack of resolve.

So, instead of purposefully solving America's problems, the GOP leadership have clearly been playing political brinkmanship to pander to the ideologues.

Here are some of my favorite recent tidbits coming from the characters Obama's trying to deal with:

MSNBC:
"Boehner:
Debt-limit Increase is Obama's Problem"

Huffington Post:
"Eric Cantor Hit By Democrats
For Potentially Profiting From U.S. Default"

Examiner.com
"Mitch McConnell (R-KY) maintains
GOP's priority is 'defeating Obama in 2012"

Unfortunately, Mitch McConnell's priority isn't creating jobs, or solving America's many crises.

Hopefully his constituents realize that soon & get him out of the Senate. He's unbearable to watch in interviews & speeches. Cantor's a close second.

Snake Lunch Buddy

More serpent sightings...

This weekend I walked out onto my back patio to eat lunch, & I saw this garter snake laying in the sun.

Instead of scaring it away, I let it sit there a few feet from me while I ate.

It just stayed motionless & watched me the whole time. They are crazy looking creatures.
I also got a more close-up photo below.





I asked him to tell his rattler buddies in the Pocono mountains to leave me alone when I go hiking up there on vacation!

Holiday on the Bay

To counteract the NASTY photos on my last post, I'm now posting a more serene view of nature.

Below is a photo I took last weekend, during my 3-day 'Independence Weekend Extravaganza'.
On Saturday, I stayed at a house right on the bay in Pleasantville, NJ.
The heron in the pic was hanging out for a minute, so I got a photo before he flew away. I think it looks pretty cool with the scenery:


Here's me & my brother drinking Coronas on the dock, enjoying the summer weather:


We made ridiculously delicious shiskabobs:


I ate and drank like a king all weekend.
After my trip to the shore, I went to my the annual cookout/crabfest with my friends on Sunday. Then, my parents grilled on the 4th.
It was a great holiday!

TOTALLY GROSS: Snake Eating a Frog

***WARNING: extremely disturbing content!***

Tonight, I was over my parents' house, & my brother was leaving to go to the gym.

He came back inside, & excitedly asked me if I had my camera. I was like, 'What?!?!'

Despite the wetness of the rainstorm, I threw on a pair of sandals & quickly followed him outside.

As I was walking out, my witty brother said, "I think we have a mutant out here."

Looking down in the front walkway by the garden, I saw what looked like a freaky snake creature with 2 front legs.
He must have seen the look of pure bewilderment on my face, & I looked closer after he told me... it was a snake swallowing the backside of a frog!!!

It was gross, fascinating, awesome & absolutely horrible- all at the same time.

Of course, I had to get these nasty-ass pictures, which are totally nightmare material....

Click to Enlarge

...if you dare

Poor bastard...

Snakes are NASTY!!!

Conservative Quotes on the GOP's Madness

I'm glad to see it's not just stupid dirty hippie 'liberals' like me who see how wrong the ultra-conservative right-wing fringe have been on just about everything dealing with meaningful public policy.

Rational conservatives are beginning to realize that the reactionary Teabaggers (unwittingly guided by corporate interests) have been driving the already incompetent GOP into political insanity.

The Grey Matter:
Conservative Voices Speaking Out

This sums it all up pretty well:

"It's very dismaying to see that 30-year descent
into the kind of nihilism, know-nothingism
that is represented by the Republican Party today."

- Former Reagan official David Stockman

Another former Reagan official's sentiment concerns the Teabaggers' infantile delusions of a balanced budget amendment:

"In short, this is quite possibly
the stupidest constitutional amendment I think I have ever seen.
It looks like it was drafted by a couple of interns on the back of a napkin.
Every senator cosponsoring this piece of sh*t should be ashamed of themselves."

- Former Reagan official Bruce Bartlett,
commenting on the Republican's balance budget amendment.

Here's more about the proposed amendment, part of the unyielding symphony of nonsense coming from Congressional Republicans:

The Nation:
The Paradoxical, Dangerous Balanced Budget Amendment

seen on Bartcop.

Bernie Sanders Tries to Talk Sense

In honor of the birthday of this great country, here's some words of wisdom from one of the few sensible people in the madhouse of Congress. I'm referring to the Independent Senator from Vermont, Bernie Sanders.

Dear Mr. President

A Fair and Progressive Budget for America

Zero-G Dancing

It's Friday & I've got a 3 day weekend for the 4th of July...

This is kind of how holidays make me feel, but not quite as awesome:

seen on Neatorama

Political Circus Clowns

Here's some good news- the free market has spoken, & Glenn Beck's theater of the absurd is no longer on Fox News.

Media Matters:
Requiem For A Rodeo Clown

My God.. What a compilation! He's such a dramatic dork.
Some of the concerns he has are actually probably worth considering, but his whole persona is hard to take.

On another note,
The fact that one of Congress's fringe lunatics, Michele Bachmann, has gotten any kind of traction in the GOP nomination race is a testament to the level of degeneration in conservative politics in this country.

I follow politics closely, so I've known about Ol' Crazy Eyes Bachmann for awhile.
The first time I remember seeing her was when she was clinging to Dubya after his State of the Union speech. I thought "geez, that wacky lady is really trying to impress Bush.".

LOL:

...& she's only gotten crazier.

Her policy ideas are often wrongheaded. She's been proven to be one of the most shameless liars on Capitol Hill, but her Palin-esque insistence on her own righteousness is unwavering.

Politifact Truth-O-Meter:
Michele Bachmann

Speaking of Sarah Palin... the latest money-making scheme involving her is a movie that's probably ridiculous:

Sarah Palin:
The Undefeated

LMFAO

Are you kidding me?

As a designer, I can objectively say that is a really crappy movie poster. It's so cheesy & almost annoying to look at... but maybe that's mostly the Palin effect.

The Rude Pundit says it all:

The Rude Pundit:
Photos That Make the Rude Pundit
Want to Down a Fistful of Klonopin
with a Mug of Moose Blood

Political Primates

As the world continues its chaotic dance, governments around the world are trying to deal with the massive upheavals humanity is experiencing: nuclear disasters, financial collapse, and on a more positive note- social media & democratic revolution.

Here in the United States there's alot of the usual political turmoil.
Although I try to understand issues from a multitude of angles, I have opinions that I think are more right than certain other opinions.

The important thing to keep in perspective, though- is the fact that we are all just monkeys grunting at each other...

seen on deroidify

Star Wars 'Neon Sign' Animations

I saw these animated GIFs on Obvious Winner & they are a fun representation of each Star Wars movie.

This one for "Return of the Jedi" pretty much sums up the story of the entire saga:

The Star Wars Mythos

This weekend I caught the first half of the great documentary, Star Wars: The Legacy Revealed.

"Star Wars: The Legacy Revealed" pt.1-6

There's been plenty of Star Wars geekery on this blog. I've loved those movies since I was a little kid. Now, I'm older but still getting to have epic lightsaber duels with my 2 year old nephew, who insists on being Darth Vader. I don't see the massive popularity of the Star Wars universe going away any time soon.

I've also pointed out the saga's serious flaws, mostly due to what I would consider bad judgment calls by George Lucas. However I'll overlook that dumb stuff in light of the brilliance & creativity of the overall vision.

They are modern masterpieces that incorporate all of the most powerful & effective elements of storytelling, from the entire span of human history.


As I try to study the endless amounts of history & religious mythology from around the world, my appreciation for the themes explored in the Star Wars story only grows. I always enjoy good philosophical discussion, & there is plenty to think about in the Star Wars saga. They can always seem to relate with whatever political/military/cultural narratives are occurring in the real world on any given day.

The Secret Sun featured an awesome look at philosophical & symbolic elements of the movies. I would recommend reading each of these to any Star Wars fan:

• Star Wars Symbol Cycle:
The (Other) Source of the Force

• Star Wars Symbol Cycle:
Empire: or The Hanged Man

• Star Wars Symbol Cycle:
A Long Time Ago


Bonus!
The Mythology of Star Wars
w/ Bill Moyers & George Lucas: