http://www.glenn.tapley.us/MC.swf
December 22, 2008
Dear Mr. President, (Grimgold)
I e-mailed this to the white house yesterday:
Sir, I support your decision to help the auto companies, as long as it does not include Chrysler, which is owned by the hedge fund, Cerberus Capital Management, L.P.
Do you want to be remembered as the republican who signed every spending bill to cross his desk, refused to do anything about our southern border, and now the president who bailed out a hedge fund?!?
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December 20, 2008
December 12, 2008
The Gray Nomads
A number of experienced Bush-bashers may be retiring next month and so, as a columnist who can offer perceptive insightful comments on a smorgasbord of topics, we will pass along this suggestion on how to spend their time while going “cold turkey.”
Qantas has spent a few bucks on backing for the movie “Australia,” in the hopes of boosting tourism. They may be overlooking the biggest niche audience. When (If?) this columnist return to the U. S. A., the people who will get the most enthusiastic reports (and urgings to “go see for yourself”) will be my high school classmate Jersey Bill and his wife Marcia, his brother Andy and his wife Dianne, and my good pal Susan. In the U. S. a good many older folks buy an RV camper and blog about <a href =http://thehitzels.blogspot.com/>their travels</a>.
If Qantas (or whoever) were to use their promotion budget to put ads in RV and 4WD magazines they would be reaching the audience most y to enjoy a vacation in Australia. Many Americans think that roughing it means staying in a hotel without room service, but folks who have roamed about the U. S. in a mobile home are the best suited to rent a van in Australia and feel comfortable contending with the challenges of being “on the road.” Most Americans are not good candidates for buying a hosteling adventure/vacation. They are also not likely to want to travel around in a van and do their own cooking.
It is easy to imagine Jersey Bill and his wife parking their own vehicle and renting one in Australia and seeing new scenery and meeting new “snow birds.”
It is a common sight in the Perth area to see a vehicle on the streets with a snorkel. That indicates that the four-wheel drive enthusiasts in the U. S. A. would find like-minded people if they could rent a rig and explore Western Australia.
If Qantas thinks that all Americans are clones of Ansel Adams and/or David Plowden who would relish any challenge to be able to photograph some magnificent scenery, they may be underestimating the comfort level that many American travelers require.
RVers and 4WD enthusiasts are more likely to be able to cope with unexpected snags and malfunctions.
Most Americans are not going to want to travel for a day to admire a pet rock that has been elevated to the status of national symbol, but the people who huddle together in RV parks in the U. S. A. are going to enjoy riding though the outback and (perhaps) tuning in to Triple J to sample the local music scene.
The Australians call traveling through the outback, bush-bashing, so perhaps some retired critics of President Bush would get a bit of satisfaction from indulging in just such a venture.
Jersey Bill and the others might want to start their fact finding about vanning in Australia by clicking to”The Grey Nomads” website.
http://www.thegreynomads.com.au/
Ansel Adams has expressed it thus: “It is my intention to present – through the medium of photography – intuitive observations of the natural world which may have meaning to the spectators.”
Now, the disk jockey will play a song (heard for the first time last week in Fremantle) that was a hit in Britain in 1967 for Clinton Ford, “Run For the Door” and we will head for Kalgoorlie. Have a sunny and warm type week.
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December 11, 2008
Squeaky
Squeaky
http://link.brightcove.com/services/player/bcpid960594369?bctid=1716406566
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Republican Spruikers
(Fremantle W. A.) December 11, 2008 If this columnist told you that he would sell you some magic snake-oil that would cure your leprosy, and if you bought some and it didn’t work, you could take the matter to the police.
The conservative talk show hosts who promote the Republican agenda (a spruiker is Australian slang meaning someone who touts something. http://www.allwords.com/word-spruiker.html) seem to be immune to any accountability. Aussies want to know if the Americans are stupid or just too lazy to make the effort to become well enough informed to know BS when they are presented with a massive serving. (Kinda like the old song about Moose Turd Pie, eh?)
If a man gives false testimony, in court, under oath, and if it was proved that the facts contradicted what he said, he would be facing arrest for perjury.
If a reporter gets the facts wrong he can be fired even if there is no lawsuit for liable or slander.
The spruikers who tout the accomplishments of the Republicans can say whatever the **** (heck) they want and will usually get a big fat bonus if the rubes believe what they say.
Has accountability become an extinct requirement for talk show hosts? Has the U. S. become addicted to Republican spruikers?
If the conservative radio personalities tell falsehoods, why are then not held accountable by the citizens?
Famed comedian W. C. Fields used to portray a despicable salesman who sold phony patten medicine from the back of a wagon and everyone wanted to see him tarred and feathered for his dishonesty. Why do people like el Rushbo get a free pass?
Perhaps the very avid Republican cheerleaders believe the old Fields maxim: “Never give a sucker and even break!”?
Want to see an example of spruiking?
This columnist has promised to plug the anti-whaling efforts of Greenpeace in Australia and, since they don’t like to print fliers that get thrown away, we also promised to do so by providing our readers with the link to their website.
http://www.greenpeace.org/australia/
Now, we have kept our promise and given you an example of a spruiker at work.
There is an old adage: “Fool me once, shame on you; fool me twice, shame on you.” Listening to Conservative talk radio next year will be like advocating a “not guilty” verdict for the Nuremberg trial defendants.
Maybe this web site should start a pool to see who can make the most accurate prediction about exactly when the first conservative media personality will make the first suggestion urging that President Obama be impeached? (I say it will be Bill O’Reilly on Jan. 21, 2009 at 9:15 a.m. PST.)
One of W. C. Fields lines seems to cover the Republican Spruikers’ code of ethics: “If a thing is worth having, it’s worth cheating for.”
Now, the disk jockey will (after hearing it at the Record Finder) play Johnny Cash’s recording “What Is Truth?” and we will make our escape. Have a “and that’s no lie” type week.
December 9, 2008
Seeing “Australia” in Australia
Since it’s too early to write a column refuting the nasty insinuations raised by those who would question President-elect Obama’s whereabouts on the day Vince Foster turned up dead,(Rush is bound to raise some such scurrulous speculation sooner or later) this might be a good time to revive our film reviewing talents.
A movie reviewer might point out that Nicole Kidman’s acting is a bit contrived and comes off as unnaturally melodramatic, but Americans tend to say: “I’ll see it and make up my own mind.”
When a reporter notes that during a screening at the Queensgate (on William St. in Fremantle) Theater complex, members of the audience responded to some dramatic lines with inappropriate laughter, then folks may get a better idea of whether they would get their money’s worth if they paid to see this flick.
It has some interesting film allusions to classical films such as evoking the “Gone With the Wind” type climactic battle scenes, and the thought that the ranch house is reminiscent of a scene from “Giant” and music from “The Wizard of Oz” (Pun?), but these days some Brits don’t know that much about American film culture, so why bother mentioning such cinematic references?
The director manipulates the audience and (according to news reports) the management types at Twentieth Century Fox thought that the ending that relied on Australian culture for it’s ending, wouldn’t sell as many tickets as the traditional Hollywood “happy ending” and so the ending was redone to sell more tickets. Ahh the joys of crass commercialism!
Apparently one of the film’s lesser goals was to give Americans a glimpse of the nation without any borders and inspire some tourist interest in the country that spawned Qantas. Sitting in the theater, it sure seemed to work. The feeling that one could exit the theater and actually be in Australia was overwhelming. The fact that when the film was over such a response was natural and realistic, brought home the artistry of the film.
For someone who had an intense desire to travel “down under” (a local informed the columnist that some Aussies consider that a pejorative term), it was an amazing and exhilarating feeling to know that (with some cash help from a landlord who wanted to get a guy out of a rent-controlled apartment) dreams do come true.
The scenery in the film is beautiful, but then again the drive along Motor Ave from MGM to Twentieth Century on Pico will take you past some marvelous homes, but that has nothing at all to do with the quality of this column.
The movie’s best line is “Give him a fucking drink!”
Now, the disk jockey will play Judy Garland’s “Somewhere Over the Rainbow” and we will (like those old soldiers in a barracks ballad) slowly fade away. Have a “happy ending” type week.
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stuff. Grimgold
Hello all!
I own Bristol-Meyers stock. I’d heartily recommend you explore it as a possible purchase. This company is well heeled and the stock is poised for growth as we work our way out of recession. You may want to own some.
Winter approaches!
Whose woods these are I think I know,
His house is in the village though.
He will not see me stopping here,
To watch his woods fill up with snow.
My little horse must think it queer,
To stop without a farmhouse near,
Between the woods and frozen lake,
The darkest evening of the year.
He gives his harness bells a shake,
To ask if there is some mistake.
The only other sound’s the sweep,
Of easy wind and downy flake.
The woods are lovely, dark and deep,
But I have promises to keep,
And miles to go before I sleep,
And miles to go before I sleep.
-Robert Frost
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How to deal with GM and inflation. Grimgold
The Main Scream Media is finally speaking to the issue of the result of our govt aggressively pumping more and more money into the economy – inflation.
Finally this truth is gaining awareness: if you print twice as many dollars, each one will be worth half as much. Of course, we won’t see this inflation until monetary velocity returns to normal (monetary velocity is the speed with which dollars trade hands).
Then suddenly, mysteriously, we will revisit the Carter years of inflation. I’d like to see the return to some sort of monetized currency (such as a gold and silver standard) before Carter inflation can occur, but see no enthusiasm in that direction (sigh!).
You liberals out there, with your supposedly soft hearts, should be especially concerned about inflation because inflation creates poor people, and causes pain to the already poor.
Concerning the govt loaning billions to the American auto makers, I say go ahead and loan them the money but as soon as they are solvent again, make them break up into smaller companies, on condition of getting that money.
Any company that is “too big to be allowed to fail” should be split up under the Sherman anti-trust laws, no exceptions. GM is one of the most poorly run corporations existent. Rescue it, then kill it.
Grimgold
The Real Issue : Canadian Politcial Crisis
from breadwithcircus.com
All hell, or at least a little part of it, has broken loose in Ottawa and Canadians are all riled up. We’re hearing our Prime Minister go into full attack mode, manufacturing a unity crisis where there need not be one. There is a lot of noise and bluster, but I think that we’ve lost sight of the issue that put us here.
Ignore the red herrings. The issue is that the Conservative Party has lost its mandate to govern.
A little reminder now about the way things are supposed to work. When Canadians vote, they vote to elect a local MP, not the broader government. Add all 308 MP’s together and you’ve got a House of Commons. Whichever political party or collection of political parties has the support of the majority of MP’s in the House makes up the government, because in order to pass legislation, you have to win votes. The issue at hand is that Stephen Harper’s Conservatives have lost the confidence of the House of Commons. They can’t win a vote, which means that they can’t pass legislation, which means that they can’t be the government.
The Prime Minister’s rhetoric is designed to get you all worked up emotionally. By talking about treason and sedition, invoking the image of evil separatists legislating the breakup of the country, or evil socialists running the treasury, Harper is obfuscating the real issue and playing the fear card. This is cynical, divisive, and shameful.
In order to survive, Harper needs to make a deal with one of the other parties. This has worked for him in the past. In the previous session of parliament, Harper passed legislation with the support of the same separatist bloc that he is now demonizing. Harper is going to need their support again if he is to govern, but given the way that he has burned all his bridges, that seems very unlikely to happen. In the last election, just eight weeks or so ago, Canadians elected a minority parliament. A minority parliament is dependent upon a coalition (at least informally) among different parties in order to function. What we need is a block of MP’s capable of getting 155 votes on any given issue. They can “prorogue” or delay parliament from taking any votes but that is a measure designed solely to buy time for the Conservative propaganda machine to try to scare the hell out of you. Don’t forget what the real issue is here. The Conservatives are incapable of governing. We really ought to see if any other combination of elected MP’s is up to the task.
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December 5, 2008
Does Truth Matter?
(Fremantle W. A.) December 6, 2008 Late December 6, 1941, the Queen Mary is reported to have departed rapidly from Pearl Harbor.
If that’s true, it may indicate that someone knew what was just about to happen. If that didn’t happen, then why worry about it?
Were the WMD’s in Iraq that important?
Don’t Americans always say: “All is fair in love and war!”?
Recently information has reached the World’s Laziest Journalist temporary World Headquarters in Fremantle Western Australia that, due to sanitary concerns, these days tourists do not kiss the Blarney Stone; they only touch it. Is that true or just a rumor?
Why worry about any of this? Santa doesn’t like troublemakers and so if folks know what’s good for themselves, they will pay no attention to agitators who try to stir up dissent by planting the seeds of doubt.
If an American President tells a big fib to start a war (Did Roosevelt know that Pearl Harbor was going to be attacked?), that’s a private matter between him and Santa. Any U. S. president who tells a fib to start a war knows that he will get a pail of coal for his Christmas present, because Santa knows if you’ve been naughty or nice.
A wise journalist once said: “Yes, Virginia, there is a Santa Claus.”
Now, the disk jockey will play Iggy Pop’s “Lust for Life” and we’ll burst out of here. Have a tropical paradise (just like in a Joseph Conrad novel) type week.
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December 3, 2008
Canadian Democracy by Numbers
from breadwithcircus.com
I didn’t see this coming at all. It looks as if the parties of Canada’s divided-majority left (Liberal Party, Bloc Quebecois and New Democratic Party) are about to join forces and defeat Stephen Harper’s Conservative minority government. Personally, I’m excited about this prospect. The proposed coalition could be the most representative government of my lifetime, it could perhaps be the most democratic government in Canadian history. The coalition government’s survival would depend upon appealing to the differing interests of the three parties involved. This would be good for democracy as the interests of a greater number of Canadians are represented. The coalition would be forced to act in good faith with measured compromises and political accommodation. Though Stephen Harper may have failed to understand it, this is how a minority parliament is supposed to work.
Let’s look at this by the numbers.
Seats
Stephen Harper’s Conservatives – 143
Coalition Parties – 163
Seats by %
Stephen Harper’s Conservatives – 46
Coalition Parties – 53
Popular Vote Share by %
Stephen Harper’s Conservatives – 38
Coalition Parties – 55*
*not including the 8% who voted for the Green party.
The Conservative talking points are calling what is happening a coup, but that’s nonsense, particularly if you look at the raw data and have an understanding of the way parliamentary democracy is supposed to work. Whoever controls the House of Commons makes up the government. Harper failed to win a majority of the house in the last election so the opposition has the right to govern. The Conservatives should have known that their survival depended upon appealing to at least one of the other three parties. Harper, however, has behaved as if he didn’t need to compromise. Perhaps he didn’t believe that the opposition would ever be able to put aside their egos or have enough of a spine to stand up to him. Regardless, Harper acted like an autocrat and now he’ll pay the price for it. The nearly two-thirds of Canadians who did not vote for the Conservative Party will be represented in government if the proposed coalition takes power. It is all up to the Governor General now. I hope that her decision is one that best serves the will of the people.
help for the economy. Grimgold
Did you know that there is over $13 trillion of American Capital in offshore banks due to the high tax structure in this country, money that could be used to create jobs?
How to bring that money back home?
Install a federal consumption tax to replace the federal income tax and all other income taxes including the social security tax.
A well researched proposal called the FairTax would do the job. If the FairTax eclipsed income taxes, not only would the IRS be out of your life, but the $13 trillion in moneys held in offshore banks would come home, dramatically stimulating the economy.
Grimgold
The Sacred Feast of Plastic Crap That You Don’t Need
from breadwithcircus.com
Originally Posted November 26th, 2005
The madness has begun. I don’t know how it goes in the rest of the “Christian” world, but North Americans are about to be inundated with a month of consumption. American Thanksgiving was Thursday, that led to “Black Friday” and the official start of the Shopping Season. Spend Spend Spend! Here is your chance to make up for a year of disappointing your friends and family by trying to buy their love. Since entertainment companies own the media, (and stand to profit by shaming people into buying what their parent companies sell) reporters acted as cheerleaders on Friday morning. Correspondents were stationed at big box stores across the US, capturing embarrassing footage of porcine consumers trampling each other in a race to the pile of DVD’s. These “reports” were little more than thinly disguised commercials for Wal Mart and the like. They interviewed executive types who were thrilled to talk about the great deals that their stores offered. They challenged viewers to get out there and consume, for the love of the economy, do your patriotic duty and buy crap now!
In North America, Christmas has very little to do with Christ. It is a (month long) holiday that celebrates our culture of consumption, nothing more. I would suggest that the very survival of our exploitative (not to mention unsustainable) economic system is entirely dependent upon Christmas spending. Why is the day after US Thanksgiving called “Black Friday?” It is the day that the retailers are expected to break even. In the last month of the year, there are tremendous cultural pressures urging us all to spend lots of money. The beast needs to feast before the end of the fiscal year. What does this have to do with Christianity? Though the gift-giving tradition may originate with Oriental Kings following their astrologer’s advice and making a pilgrimage to Palestine, Santa Claus is nothing more than the bastard child of Coca Cola. Would the Christ want us to celebrate its birthday by going into debt? Our culture tells us that we must be sure to match or outspend everyone else so as not to seem cheap or uncaring. If they spend hundreds of dollars, we must do the same. Its a classic race to the bottom, inspired more by pride and guilt than by love. Is this what the Christ would have wanted? We’ve really missed the point of Christmas. There’s nothing wrong with gift giving, but it has spiraled out of control. I challenge Christians to tone it down this year, give the gift of time rather than money. In the end, it will be much more appreciated. If you do intend to spend money, why not give it to the Red Cross, they need it more than Sony does. Let us reclaim Christmas from the retailers. Let us once again make it about spending quality time with family. Jesus was not a fan of merchants in the temple. The Beatles were right, you can’t buy me love.
December 1, 2008
Ryan Adams and the Cardinals bring Cardinology to the masses
Ryan Adams has always been one of those artists that you either loved or you hated. When you loved him you hoped he would get more focused so you could love him more. When you hated him you hoped he would become more focused so you could love him. With the release of Cardinology with the Cardinals he has finally found a band to make an album that reminds us of the genius of Whiskeytown.
Adams, along with his crack band the Cardinals, have made a classic rock-country record and I mean that in a very good way. Adams has messed around with a lot of sounds from the alt-country of Whiskeytown to his solo excursions in rock, rap and country, and Cardinology is the melting pot of all of it. The album opens with the stellar “Born Into A Light” which shows Adams at his melodic best. ”Let Us Down Easy” and “Fix It” are strong songs with great melody and strong muscular playing from the band of Neal Casal, Brad Pemberton, Chris Feinstein and Jon Graboff. The band veers throughout the album from rockers like “Magick” to more poignant songs like “Crossed Out Name” with equal grace and emotion.
Long time fans will appreciate the songwriting and consistency of this record along with the excellent playing of the Cardinals. Easy Tiger, Adams’ previous record, showed us a glimmer of what he could do, Cardinology shows us the light.
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The Tattlesnake – The Quotalizer Rides Again Edition
A Quoteload of Seasonal Quotable Quotes of the Quippy and Quirky Variety