Clip of The Who My Gen @HP Pavilion San Jose Nov 8 06

Amature video but captures the moment of the show I was at. Entire, pro shot, show is available as part of The Who's encore series on DVD from themusic.com

Lost Seinfeld episode featuring Kramer!

Now this is some funny shit! Click on the picture to see the video.

My wallpaper photo albums 2

Wallpaper

My wallpaper photo albums 1

Web wallpaper

The Word - Expecting

Once again, Steven Colbert nails the hypocrisy. This is in the top 5 he has ever done. For all those opposed to stem cell research this is your chance to step up and put your commitment to your cause on the line.

Comedy central no longer allows their videos to be posted in blogs so click here to view "Expecting"

F**K'N 49ers!!

I knew this was going to happen. They start to give you hope, draw you in and let you think, "Hey, this team might actually go somewhere". But noooo.....they are still a bunch of not ready for prime time players. Why did Coach Nolan not have the balls to go for it on 4th and 2 inches inside the 10 yd line with 3 minutes to play? A touchdown there puts the 49er's up by 8 with 3 minutes left! Worse case scenario if they didn't pick up 2 inches the Rams would get the ball back at the 7 and have to go 93 yards!

While I am at it, what is with the constant stream of 3-5 yard swing passes and side passes on 3rd and long. Can't Norv Turner come up with a series of high percentage plays that at least involve the pass going as far as the 1st down line? Come on! If you need 7 yards why throw it 4 yards short? Those failures to convert 1 st downs are the main problem with this team.

Let me acknowledge some positives. Frank Gore is doing an amazing job with the holes his front line is opening. He is also great at making tacklers miss.

Alex Smith (who looks eerily like Joe with his helmet on) is also starting to show some promise. Kid has some zip on the ball.

My new favorite Web tool...Listpic!

I love craigslist and do a lot of buying and selling there. This site let's you search in a similar fasion to craigslist but shows thumbnails of all the pictures and, opens the ad text in a small drop down window on the main page. Sometimes a little slow to load when set to 100 ads but worth the wait.

Hey, it's free!

http://sfbay.listpic.com/- Craigslist Pic Viewer

Hacking Democracy

I just watched the HBO documentary Hacking Democracy.

Wow.

Frightening what is happening to our election system. It is an outrage that our votes can be so easily manipulated and that so little is being done to correct that. This is not fringe conspiracy theory any longer. This has happened and will continue. Everyone should see this documentary. To see that the Diebold president was quoted as saying “we will deliver the votes for President Bush in Ohio” is scary. Especially when you put this documentary together with Robert Kennedy Jr.’s expose on the Ohio election fraud in 2004. That can be seen here: http://www.rollingstone.com/news/story/10432334/was_the_2004_election_stolen


What is happening to America?

An open letter to Senator Dianne Feinstein

In response to her exploring legislation to prevent the 49ers from using their name if they move 30 miles south to Santa Clara I sent her this.

Senator Feinstein,

Your e-mail form does not offer a "government interference" topic choice, as it should in this case.

I was very unhappy to hear of your position on the 49ers possible move to Santa Clara and using the San Francisco name. You are supposed to be a California senator not a representative of San Francisco. I fear you have offended much of your voter base outside of S.F., certainly myself, in exploring legislation to prevent the 49ers from using their name. If you do a little research you will see that many teams play outside of the city they are named for and, some even play in the next state. In all those cases the name remains the same because it is part of the soul of the team and in the hearts of fans. Fans who come from all geographic points. I would bet a majority of the 49er's fans are from outside the city limits and a large portion of those from the south bay, the lower peninsula and southern Alameda county. I doubt one fan in 100 would want to see the name changed. All of those fans would be delighted to have the team play in a nicer stadium that will have better weather, access, parking and amenities. You want to meddle in that delight by banning them from remaining the S.F. 49ers? This is not the kind of issue I voted for you to handle. You are not representing myself or your voters outside of S.F. by doing this. In fact you are angering the vast majority that live outside of S.F. and support the 49ers. Even the San Jose Mercury has stepped up to chastise you. Try to remember that the population (your soon to be former constituents) is much greater in Santa Clara County than in S.F.

I for one do not want a senator in office that does not consider the opinions of all the voters she represents.

Beliefs

Say's a lot don't you think?

The Who in San Jose

So happy they played another great show. They seemed energized playing so much new material. I had 2nd row seats in front of Pete! Here is the set list:

I Can't Explain, The Seeker, Substitute, Fragments, Who Are You, Behind Blue Eyes, Sound Round, Pick Up The Peace, Endless Wire, We Got A Hit, They Made My Dream Come True, Mirror Door, Baba O'Riley, Eminence Front, A Man In A Purple Dress, Black Widow's Eyes, Mike Post Theme, You Better You Bet, My Generation, Cry If You Want, Won't Get Fooled Again, Pinball Wizard, Amazing Journey, Sparks, See Me Feel Me, Tea And Theatre

Oversight is back!!!

Now that the Democrats are in power, the oversight office shut down by the GOP leaders will be put back in place. The bills to do that, the first of what are likely to be many Democratic efforts to resurrect investigations of war profiteering and financial fraud in government contracting, will be introduced next week

“The unilateral decision made by House Republicans to shut down this critical office should be reversed immediately,” said Senator Harry Reid, (D- Nevada) who is likely to become the majority leader.

In the Senate, Carl Levin, the (D-Michigan) who is in line to become chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee, said that seeking a new strategy for Iraq would be his primary focus, but that he would also look carefully at military contracting.

“There have been serious allegations and evidence of misconduct among suppliers,” Mr. Levin said. “And the taxpayers, of course, get socked on that. And the troops are not properly taken care of when that happens.”

Some credit should go to Senator Susan Collins (R-Maine) who will introduce one of the oversight bills with her co-authors, Russell Feingold, (D-Wisconsin), and Joe Lieberman (I-Connecticut)

“It is inconceivable that we would remove this aggressive oversight while the American taxpayer is still spending billions of dollars on Iraq reconstruction projects,” Collins said.

Wow, there are still some logical Republicans!

Rumsfeld quitting as defense secretary

Halle-fuckin-lujah (or should it be Halle-fuckin-Fulujah?)

Sadly, too little, too late....

Talk about your flip-flopper's, wasn't it just Monday when Bush announced the Rummy would stay on to the end of his term despite the criticism?

Separated at birth?

Katherine Harris (from today) and Beavis?

From "The Daily Show", "America the calendar" , todays page

Stones vs. the Who

A recent question posed by the San Jose Mercury News asked the question, who is the better band? The author listed his breakdown, here is my take.

It is not really much of a contest. I love the Stones and they are a great pop/rock band and are always enjoyable entertainment.

The Who is a musical, lyrical and performing force that has, and, inspires passion. The Stones do not have much depth to their music and lyrics that would touch my life. The Who's music and lyrics are something every person with teen angst through middle age introspection can identify with. Both groups started out as great pop bands but The Who transcended to a whole different level. The pure rock fury of their live shows is well known. The Stones put on great theater but The Who can leave you feeling as though you have climbed a mountain and witnessed a breathtaking view that has altered your perspective.

No one can match the hit machine that is the Glimmer twins but, is great music just about hits? It’s like saying that great art is “Dogs playing poker” because everyone knows that one. Great musical art is with out a doubt The Who’s legacy. Great art inspires passion and was created from the passion from the artist’s views of life around them.

To quote a great review I once read about The Who; “The Rolling Stones may be better known and Led Zeppelin may sell more records but The Who is the greatest live performing band in the history of music”

Soldiers in Iraq Say Pullout Would Have Devastating Results

I would love to see a vote from all the troops on this topic. I doubt a majority would agree with this.
Yes, pulling out now would have "devastating consequences" like leaving military trauma center workers idle and causing a slowdown in the casket making and prosthetic limb industries. Not to mention the temporary reduction in profits for VP Cheney's conflict of interest stocks in Halliburton and Kellogg, Brown and Root. Those companies are currently raping the taxpayers and the military with unchecked, no-bid spending from government budgets that even congress does not have access to review. Yes, a withdrawal of troops from Iraq would have "devastating consequences" indeed.

Colbert Summarizes Republican Folly

Colbert and Stewart are always right on the money. I love when they point out the hypocrisy of both sides. (Although the Bush administration is such an easy mark)

NOTE: You now have to view the video from the Comedy Central site here:
http://www.comedycentral.com/shows/the_colbert_report/videos/the_word/index.jhtml

Look for "Russian Dolls"

A recent e-mail I sent to a Republican friend

What Kerry said Monday at a campaign rally was this: "You know,
education, if you make the most of it, you study hard, you do your
homework and you make an effort to be smart, you can do well. If you
don't, you get stuck in Iraq."

A Kerry spokeswoman, Amy Brundage, said later that the
senator's prepared text had called for him to say: "Do you know where
you end up if you don't study, if you aren't smart, if you're
intellectually lazy? You end up getting us stuck in a war in
Iraq. Just ask President Bush"

I see this as more of advice about how important education is. I do not
see how it insults the troops and I certainly do no not believe that
someone who actually went overseas to fight in a war instead of
skipping national guard duty would ever intend to insult the
troops.



Remember your famous line, "what was the intention?" If you truly
believe that Kerry intended to insult the troops then you are certainly
in the right political wing.



In the past I have made a point of not engaging you over the stream of
Rumsfeld mistakes and lies he has been caught in (on video and print)
because I know that is someone you respect and do not want to see flaws
in. The fact that you would jump on this non-issue and buy into the
White House spin makes me think I should be showing you all the
negative things about him to open your eyes.



Kerry is not someone I care about much one way or the other since he is
not president, it's just the twisting of words and intentions from the
most corrupt administration, senate and congress in modern times gets
very tiresome. Look at your party's recent history of scandals from
Duke Cunningham to Jeff Gannon to Jack Abromoff to Tom Delay to Mark
Foley and a host of others who have disgraced themselves, their
positions and the American people. The Democrats are far from perfect
but the list of indictments and resignations from the republicans is
sickening. The Republicans are the party who run on a "moral" platform
and appear tied at the hip to Christian conservative values and they
currently control all of the branches of government.



For further reading here are 34 scandals from the first four years of George W. Bush's presidency

http://dir.salon.com/story/news/feature/2005/01/18/scandal/index.html





For a humorous look at a list of Republican scandals see this

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gT1uUQGSy_4

Keith Olberman oct 23rd 2006 special commentary

Can we talk KO into running for president? How refreshing to hear logic applied. He rarely misses the mark with his commentary's

Keith Olbermann on Donald Rumsfeld (8/30/06)

The man always makes a good point

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What is your type?

Skinny and Sexy Raw score: 7% Big Breasts, 10% Big Ass, and 60% Cute!

Thanks for taking the T and A and C test! Based on your selections, the results are clear: you show an attraction to smaller breasts, smaller asses, and sexier composure than others who've taken the test. Note that you scored low on both breast and ass size. This means you appreciate thinner, harder bodies. You are most likely to appreciate a super-model. Relatively, you are less attracted to round, soft, sloppy women. My third variable, "cuteness" is a mostly objective measure of how innocent a given model looked. It's determined by a combination of a lot of factors: lack of dark eye makeup, facial expression, posture, etc. If you scored high on that variable, you are either really nice OR you're into deflowering teens. If you scored low, you are attracted to raunchier, sexier, women. In your case, your lower than average score suggests you appreciate a sluttier look. Kudos! Recommended Celebrities: Kate Moss and Kate Moss, but 'em post-coke-binge for a cheaper date.

My test tracked 3 variables How you compared to other people your age and gender: You scored higher than 0% on tit-size You scored higher than 1% on ass-size You scored higher than 66% on cuteness

Link: The Tits, Ass, and Cuteness Test written by chicken_pot_pie on OkCupid Free Online Dating, home of the The Dating Persona Test

What is your dating personality?

The Playboy Random Gentle Sex Master (RGSMm) Clean. Smooth. Successful. You're The Playboy. You're spontaneous, and your energy is highly contagious. Guys therefore find you fun to be around, and girls find you compelling. You have lots of sex, and you manage it all without seeming cheap or being hurtful. Well done. You probably know karate, too. Your exact opposite: The Mixed Messenger Deliberate Brutal Love Dreamer It's obvious to us, and probably everyone else, that you're after physical rather than emotional relationships, but you're straight up with potential partners. And if a girl you want isn't into something casual, it's no big deal. You move on. BEFORE sleeping with her. Usually. At least you try to. Such control is rare. If you're feeling unfulfilled, maybe you should raise your standards. New conquests will only be satisfying if there's a possibility of rejection. ALWAYS AVOID: The Priss CONSIDER: The Dirty Little Secret, The Nurse Link: The 32-Type Dating Test by OkCupid - Free Online Dating.

Man in a Purple Dress- Lyrics

A great view from Pete on Religon and power in general.

Man in a Purple Dress- Lyrics The Who

How dare you wear robes and reside
How dare you cover your head to hide
Your face from God

How dare you smile behind your beard
To hide the fact that your hearts are feared
You wave a rod

How dare you be the one to assess
Me in this godforsaken mess
You, a man in a purple dress
A man in a purple dress

You are all the same
Gilded and absurd
Regal, fast to blame
Rulers by last word
Men above men oppress
With your high hats

You priest, you mullah so high
You pope, you wise rabbi
You're invisible to me
Like vapor from the sea

How dare did you think I'll go quietly go
You are much braver than you know
For I can't die

Your staff, your stick and your special cap
They'll protect in hell
Oh yeah, what crap!
Believe the lie

How dare you be the one to assess
Me in this godforsaken mess
You, a man in a purple dress
A man in a purple dress

When you place your frown
Between my God and craft
However grand your crown
Or dignified your hair
Men above men oppress
With your high hats

You priest, you mullah so high
You pope, you wise rabbi
You're invisible to me
Like vapor from the sea

I lovingly mock you lawlords
We all dress up to grand awards
I do that as well

I dare condemn your fashion sense
At least you're not astride the fence
That wouldn't sell

But I will deliver this address
Your souls conditioned don't impress
You, a man in a purple dress
A man in a purple dress

A great take on The Man in a Purple Dress from E.L. Wisty

Click on the title to go to the originating page....

"Pete played two new songs which he had written recently. The first one was called 2000 Years. It was partly inspired by watching that Mel Gibson film The Passion of the Christ, partly by reading a book on the life of Mohammed. The song is about waiting for Jesus for 2000 years: people have been waiting for a man with a beard but actually missed the fact that Mohammed was the one, and probably have missed other returns. Pete played it on mandola, which is basically a mandolin but the difference between mandolin and mandola is the same as the difference between violin and viola. I hadn't even known that such an instrument exists but it sounded brilliant. The second song was called The Man in a Purple Dress, also came out of watching the film. Pete said he came out of it really angry about the pomposity of those in authority, those who sit in judgement, and the song is about how these figures so often wear absolutely ridiculous outfits: the pope, the Russian orthodox priests, the judges in the British judicial system...It was very interesting. Written in a folk song tuning, it sounded like a protest folk song of the early 60s, kind of like early Dylan. Surprisingly angry too: the lyrics started 'how dare you...' and he sang them almost like spitting the words out. It's a powerful comment. It's true that the uniforms, the outfits, are like costumes or masks, so when the figures of authority dress in these outfits they dress in the authority. And this often puts them out of touch with the ordinary people (those without power), precisely in terms of approach and attitudes."

Who are you?

You are a Social Liberal (66% permissive) and an... Economic Liberal (26% permissive) You are best described as a: Democrat Link: The Politics Test on Ok Cupid Also: The OkCupid Dating Persona Test