Now you must suffer with me

On the day of our final, my science teacher showed us some videos to relax us a bit, one of which has been stuck in my head for, like, 2 weeks now. And apparently my professor's 4-year-old loves them.

Hippo and Dog


Hippo fart annoys Dog


And last, but not least, the creepy German Gummy Bear (also comes in Spanish, French, Swedish and Slovak, but I think I like the German one the best, because German is inherently funny):


Good luck getting it out of your head if you watch it.

Eli Roth has got nothing on these guys

TomDrew has a link today to a Salon post I missed about waterboarding and the United States' use of torture. If this video doesn't alternately enrage and depress the hell out of you (or at the very least, frighten you), then you care nothing for democracy or morality. Or you're just an idiot who doesn't get it.

I'm gonna go read some Freud now.

Stupid bitch-face booed on the Daily Show

And by "bitch-face," I mean Lynne Cheney. You can watch her interview here. I saw this interview when it aired a few days ago, and I have to say I was pretty impressed by both Jon Stewart's manners and tenacity, as much as by the fact that Lynne Cheney, though a stupid bitch untouched by any kind of reality, also seems to have somewhat of a sense of humor. I was impressed she even went on the show, frankly. You have to give her some kudos for that.

Andrew Sullivan, however, had an interesting response to her answers to Stewart's questioning of this Republican administrations's vile anti-gay politics:

"You know, when we were growing up, the idea of people being gay simply wasn't something we ever thought about. And lo these many years later, we know that some of our classmates were, and it is interesting. It’s been this real evolution in our society. I think we've become more an evermore inclusive…and we’ve become more interested in the different ways that some kids are interested in dating early, some aren’t interested in dating until later in high school, and we no longer, I think, try to press everyone into a single mold, and that’s good," - Lynne Cheney, on the Hugh Hewitt show.

Cheney's view about the Republican party's brutal treatment of gay men and lesbians, reiterated on the Daily Show last night, is that she disagrees with it and has said so publicly. And that's supposed to be the end of the matter. That her own daughter is denied even the ability to form a legally-secure private contract with her wife in Virginia where they live - thanks entirely to the Republican party - is somehow glossed over. I have to say I don't buy it - and Hugh Hewitt's attempt to portray himself as tolerant of gays is also a cop-out. He isn't. If he had his way, my civil marriage would be shredded. The Cheneys routinely support and give credibility to and rely upon people who demonize their own family, and embolden forces that make life intolerable for many people in this country. A few platitudes, almost always uttered to get themselves off the hook in decent society, do not count as courage. And their invocation of privacy to protect themselves from legitimate questions about their rank hypocrisy is b.s. of the most refined variety.

"There are gay men who are happy to assist heterosexually-identified men in all sorts of ways."

Dan Savage was on Colbert last night. A couple of Stephen's expressions are pretty priceless. It's all worth a little giggle.

You can look at the clip here.

(If for some reason the video that comes up isn't the right one, just type Dan Savage in the search bar and it's the first one that appears.)

Voices From the Gulf

Today is the two-year anniversary of Hurricane Katrina. It's hard to believe. I remember sitting, totally riveted, in front of my telelvision that morning, watching live footage of the Super Dome getting torn to pieces with thousands of people inside of it. I think I was, like, 45 minutes late to work that day because I couldn't stop watching. For days afterward, I was glued to my TV, watching footage and commentary, and of course, raging inside at the incompetence and pathetic values of our federal government.

Voices from the Gulf is a collection of videos by people struggling to rebuild their lives in New Orleans. Take a look.

(Source: Americablog)

Mormon smut

Gosh, with all the fun going on this week, and all the residual hangovers from fun past, and all the pranksters that may or may not be off the hook for all their silly pranks, well, this just seems like the next logical step.

I'm not complaining.

The Daily Show's Most Immature Montage Ever

I can't figure out how to actually load this video, so you'll have to follow the link. It's from the Daily Show's August 14th coverage of the Democrats' gay debate on LOGO. It's almost 6 minutes, but worth it.

The Daily Show's Most Immature Montage Ever!

2 minutes of Hurricane Dean from space

Makes you feel pretty small, doesn't it?

Tipping point? I doubt it.

But it gives me chills that the subject of healthcare is even becoming such a critical factor in this presidential election. Forgive me for being cynical, but if there's one thing the Bush Legacy of Terror has taught us about politics, it's that not only does the will of the people not have to translate to political action, but with a minimal amount of coercion, the lazy American public can fairly easily be convinced to vote against their own best interests.

Nevertheless, the people are angry. And that's as good a start as any.

On Leave

So, I'm on leave today, once again enjoying the peace and tranquility of Matt and Angela's lovely abode. I actually have some homework I need to be doing for my internship class, which of course I'm procrastinating on. There is so much I could, and want, to say about camp...but I can't. Not until I leave. I have to use public computers there, and I know for a fact that at least one staff member has alredy found this thing. So, tight-lips until then. Not that I really want to say anything negative, because overall, I'm having a great time. But, I just feel like I shouldn't say anything.

...

If no one's been keeping up with the Andrew Sullivan's blogging of the opera singer guy from "Britain's Got Talent," you really should start. The first video is below, and if it doesn't at least give you chills, you're not human (though I could do without the Aerosmith garbage at the end. Just watch it; you'll know what I mean). This guy even left that wretched Simon guy speechless.



And here he is at the semi-finals:



People finally discovering their potential and being able, after years of struggling, to admit that they have something to offer, always gets me all weepy.

Just in case that last post didn't quite reveal the hallowed depths of my gayness, then this one surely will.

Yes, lots of people (like me!) have far too much free time on their hands.

When I was in junior high I loved Jem. It seems many people don't remember this little gem (ahem!) about an all female glam band and their evil rivals, the all female Misfits. But I do. It was a spin off from Barbie characters, and it was awesome, and I watched it almost every day on USA. I loved it.

Then one day my devotion was rewarded with this adorable little video some very bored person fashioned out of clips from Jem and what might be the best Le Tigre song ever, "Deceptacon."



And then, upon further time-wasting research, I found this pretty awesome clip of Le Tigre playing on...Conan 'O Brien? He really is the awesomest. And like, twice as tall as Kathleen Hanna.

They said it wouldn't last, we had to prove them wrong.

I'm not one of those people necessarily that bemoans a time when things were different, or better, or more wholesome. I came of age in the 80's, for god's sake, in an age of Madonna, and "Girls on Film," and "I Want Your Sex," club kids and cocaine, the genesis of AIDS. Though I wasn't really cognizant of a lot of that stuff, I'm sure that somewhere along the way it seeped in, if in no other way than through drug and sex abstinence programs at school.

So it seems funny to me that people today are so much touchier about slutty pop stars and celebrities with drug problems. Maybe back then things were just kept under the rug better, and if Madonna had had a cocaine problem, maybe the whole world wouldn't have known about it. Maybe Madonna did have a cocaine problem, and my point is proven. Regardless, on my way to work today, on the Jammin' Oldies station here in Austin (where the use of the adjective "oldies" is used very liberally) I heard the song "Love Will Never Do (Without You)" by Janet Jackson. Surprisingly, it actually held up for me, and despite that I was a little embarrased to be listening to it (even though I was alone in my car), I really enjoyed it, and still remembered every single lyric, despite not having heard it in years and years.

What this has to do with the beginning of the post is that I remember how scandalized I and some of my friends were by the video. Why? Because Janet's wearing some kind of halter-top and frollicking on a beach with two nearly-naked men (though you didn't hear me lodging any complaints about Antonio Sabato, Jr. prancing around in a skimpy white speedo!); it seems downright wholesome today! In restrospect, I guess, it wasn't scandalous, but just unexpected from Janet. This was probably the only light-hearted single off of her Rhythm Nation 1814 record (which I probably listened to twice a day for 2 years), and thus far, her style of buttoned-up tops and having every inch of skin covered, even her hands, had achieved the maximum amount of stuffiness. But she was It for me. She was the Godmother of my personal Holy Trinity: Janet Jackson, Debbie Gibson, and Paula Abdul.



Whatever, I'm not ashamed. And you know the ironic thing about that is to this day, out of those three, the one whose music I still find the most listenable is Debbie Gibson's. Come on, "Only in My Dreams" is a fucking really cute, catchy little song.



Anyway, I guess I knew it was all over when Janet, at the 1990 MTV Video Music Awards, while performing "Black Cat," ripped open her shirt to reveal her black bra and big ole luscious boobs in what would be the first of her many wardrobe malfunctions. Then Debbie Gibson grasped desperately at straws by playing a stripper in a video, and, well, I just realized how much Paula Abdul sucked. (And whose music is absolutely, totally 100% unlistenable to me these days.)

I'd already flirted briefly with some hair bands like Poison and Skid Row, but my sugary pop obsession officially ended, I think, in 9th grade when I discovered Disintegration by the Cure, and Somewhere Between Heaven and Hell by Social Distortion. I had new crushes, and this was the music, along with REM and some other crap, that my brother's friends listened to when they spent the night (he was 4 years older than I was) and walked around in their underwear. And gave me boners.

Reclaiming Patriotism

I like it. The more I hear from John Edwards, the more I like the idea of him as a viable candidate. I have to say, my enthusiasm for Obama has waned a little (burnout already?), and I think Edwards might really have a decent chance of taking the nomination. It'll be interesting to see what happens. Obviously, it's too early to really speculate strongly. But I get a good feeling about Edwards.

Cathy for President?

Once again, the Daily Show shows what's up.

(Psst....It's the "Hillary on the Insider" one you want to watch. Sorry you have to sit through a commercial.)

Good God, it's like a coalition of monkeys. But non-evolved monkeys.

A big part of me hopes that they're all just joking, that this is a big leg-pull of the American people. Or maybe they're pulling their own legs. God help us if even one of these wackos gets within a foot of the White House next year. I have to say, though, that the American people have been suffering so much under this kind of right-wing, dare I say idiotic, thinking for the past 7 years, and they've seen what it yields. I'm fairly certain most of them have had enough.

What if Roe v. Wade was repealed? I think Guiliani's answer is probably by far the worst, most incoherent, and most insincere. That man is a fucking moron.

And evolution? I'm sorry they asked. I like how McCain hesitates before he answers, as if he's thinking about what the correct answer should be.

The last time I saw so many phonies was when I was shopping in the Fashion District in L.A.

I'm sort of loath to even draw attention to it, because I think the less attention they get, the better, but I couldn't peel my eyes away.

I've posted the first part of a 7-part BBC documentary on the Phelps (the crazy God Hates Fags family) called The Most Hated Family in America. So far I've only watched the first episode (each one is about 8 minutes) but I'm sure I'll watch them all in time. Or maybe I'll get bored.

Honestly, these people are so nuts, and everybody hates them so much, that they don't get me riled up like people do who actually have any power or influence. If anything, the Phelps probably turn more people sympathetic to the gays than create any more hatred. I just wish people wouldn't engage with them, or have them on talk shows. (Although I guess that makes me a bit of a hypocrite posting this video. Oh well.)

And sadly, if nothing else, I hate them because in the clip they inspire Sean Hannity to actually say something I agree with. And that turns my stomach.

2 Otters Holding Hands, er, Paws

From Boing Boing, a video that will "make your teeth hurt."

Be sure to watch the whole thing; the best part comes about a minute, 20 seconds in.

I love you so much, it makes me sick.

Well, I have to say I'm a little disappointed that it wasn't actually directed by Alexander Payne, but the trailer for I Now Pronounce You Chuck and Larry is out. I'll withold judgement until further notice, but the trailer mostly looks like the same old tired gay jokes, stereotypes, and satiric send-up of homophobic violence that everyone thinks is so funny these days. I don't doubt the integrity of its ultimate message (that everyone is equal, I'm assuming), but the packaging looks fairly unbearable.



In other news, good ole Barack has made the closest endorsement a mainstream politician running for president is ever likely to make in favor of gay marriage. It was yesterday on The Situation Room with Wolf Blitzer, and though his response was fairly dodgy, all you have to do is read between the lines (and not even very carefully) that he's clearly in favor of gay marriage.

"Well, I think that 'marriage' has a religious connotation in this society, in our culture, that makes it very difficult to disentangle from the civil aspects of marriage. And as a consequence it's almost -- it would be extraordinarily difficult and distracting to try to build a consensus around marriage for gays and lesbians. What we can do is form civil unions that provide all the civil rights that marriage entails to same sex couples. And that is something that I have consistently been in favor of. And I think that the vast majority of Americans don't want to see gay and lesbian couples discriminated against, when it comes to hospital visitations and so on."

Civil unions are almost always used for a cop-out to say that you support gay relationships when you really don't, but in this case (and maybe it's just wishful thinking) I want to believe that that's not what Barack is talking about.

We were actually talking about gay marriage in my American Dilemmas class this morning, and people can parade around "civil unions" all they want to, but under federal guidelines set up by the hideously hateful Defense of Marriage Act signed by one Bill Clinton in 1996, even civil unions lack most of the legal benefits of marriage. All civil unions can really do is make a relationship legally recognized in whatever state they occur in, and offer some extra rights afforded to gay couples, but since DOMA is a federal law, most of the rights granted to married couples (like joint income tax filing, and automatic inheritance, just to name 2 big ones) can't be given by any state. Furthermore, it's because of DOMA that states can hold elections to make gay marriage unconstitutional in any particular state. Before that, according to federal law, a marriage in one state was a marriage in every state. So, Massachusetts granting gay marriage to its citizens (which is looking less and less likely to be the case in the near future), would have translated to every state. Not so anymore, thanks to Bill Clinton. Of course, if that was still the case, I'm sure there would have been all kinds of states that would have refused to acknowledge marriages performed in Massachusetts and there would still be legal problems, but were that the case, and the Defense of Marriage Act didn't exist, then legally, those states would probably have had to recognize the marriages.

Which is sort of crazy to think about.

Did anyone else see the dancing horse on Sullivan?

It's so cute it made me squeal.

Dick Cheney's...clout?

As narrated by everyone's second favorite "news" person.



Do you think Dick Cheney has ever laughed?