The Doctor: I'm being extremely clever up here and there's no one to stand around looking impressed! What's the point in having you all?
--“The Impossible Astronaut”
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Tuesday, May 31, 2011
Quote of the Day (6/1/11) (The Eleventh Doctor Week)
"Beer Bad" is Bad
I contributed to the Great Buffy Rewatch debate on "Beer Bad" this evening. Here's what I said:
A now-retired, often cantankerous colleague of mine used to insist literature professors customarily teach the wrong stuff in their classes. Instead of having students read and write about masterpieces / classics — Tom Jones, say, or The Great Gatsby — we should be concentrating on bestsellers. He would teach appalling novels by Nora Roberts and Danielle Steele in a course, all the better, he was convinced, to make clear, by contrast, what makes great literature great.
If those of us studying and teaching the Buffyverse were to accept such an approach, we would not be focusing like a laser on “Innocence” and “Becoming” and “Hush” “Restless” and “The Body” and “Once More with Feeling.” Instead, bottom feeders like “Beer Bad” and “Where the Wild Things Are” would captivate our scholarly and pedagogical imaginations.
Revisiting “Beer Bad” for the Great Buffy Rewatch I am more dubious than ever about the value of the “begin at the bottom” approach. If all copies of Buffy the Vampire Slayer in the world were destroyed except for “Bad,” future humans could ascertain nothing about the genius of Joss Whedon’s series. I had forgotten how inconsequential it is, not just a stand-alone episode but a go-and-stand-by-yourself-in-a-corner episode. Who are these characters? These are not the Xander, or Buffy, or Giles I know. Only Willow comes through relatively unscathed. It’s so off, so out-of-synch, that I like to think of it as non-canonical. A professor of mine once returned a paper to be without a grade and whispered “Let’s just pretend you didn’t write this.” I like to pretend “Bad” doesn’t really exist.
I began watching Buffy with “The Freshman,” and “Bad” arrived only four episodes later. I gave up on Vampires Diaries after only two, but “Bad” did not drive me away and obviously I am glad I stuck with BtVS. Not even the execrable “Where the Wild Things Are” (4.18) later in Season 4, also written by “Bad’s” Tracey Forbes, could drive me away.
2011 FRENCH OPEN: Federer, Schiavone, Bartoli in Semifinals
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| Getty |
In other matches completed, Andy Murray reached the quarterfinals by coming back from 2-5 in the 5th set to win 7-5. He will face Juan Ignaco Chela for the right to face the winner of tomorrow's blockbuster quarterfinal between Rafael Nadal and Robin Soderling. Francescha Schiavone came back from 1-6 1-4 down to against youngster Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova to win 1-6 7-5 7-5 in an astonishing result for the defending champion. Schiavone will face Frenchwoman Marion Bartoli who defied my predictions and bounced 2009 French Open champion Svetlana Kuznetsova from the tournament 7-6(4) 6-4. Schiavone is very likely to reach her second consecutive French Open final.
President Obama 2011 LGBT Pride Month Declaration
Office of the Press Secretary
For Immediate Release May 31, 2011
LESBIAN, GAY, BISEXUAL, AND TRANSGENDER PRIDE MONTH, 2011
- - - - - - -
BY THE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
A PROCLAMATION
The story of America's Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and
Transgender (LGBT) community is the story of our fathers and
sons, our mothers and daughters, and our friends and neighbors
who continue the task of making our country a more perfect Union.
It is a story about the struggle to realize the great American
promise that all people can live with dignity and fairness under
the law. Each June, we commemorate the courageous individuals
who have fought to achieve this promise for LGBT Americans, and
we rededicate ourselves to the pursuit of equal rights for all,
regardless of sexual orientation or gender identity.
Since taking office, my Administration has made significant
progress towards achieving equality for LGBT Americans. Last
December, I was proud to sign the repeal of the discriminatory
"Don't Ask, Don't Tell" policy. With this repeal, gay and lesbian
Americans will be able to serve openly in our Armed Forces for the
first time in our Nation's history. Our national security will be
strengthened and the heroic contributions these Americans make to
our military, and have made throughout our history, will be fully
recognized.
My Administration has also taken steps to eliminate
discrimination against LGBT Americans in Federal housing programs
and to give LGBT Americans the right to visit their loved ones
in the hospital. We have made clear through executive branch
nondiscrimination policies that discrimination on the basis of
gender identity in the Federal workplace will not be tolerated.
I have continued to nominate and appoint highly qualified,
openly LGBT individuals to executive branch and judicial
positions. Because we recognize that LGBT rights are human
rights, my Administration stands with advocates of equality around
the world in leading the fight against pernicious laws targeting
LGBT persons and malicious attempts to exclude LGBT organizations
from full participation in the international system. We led a
global campaign to ensure "sexual orientation" was included in
the United Nations resolution on extrajudicial execution -- the
only United Nations resolution that specifically mentions LGBT
people -- to send the unequivocal message that no matter where
it occurs, state-sanctioned killing of gays and lesbians is
indefensible. No one should be harmed because of who they are or
who they love, and my Administration has mobilized unprecedented
public commitments from countries around the world to join in the
fight against hate and homophobia.
At home, we are working to address and eliminate
violence against LGBT individuals through our enforcement
and implementation of the Matthew Shepard and James Byrd, Jr.
Hate Crimes Prevention Act. We are also working to reduce the
threat of bullying against young people, including LGBT youth.
My Administration is actively engaged with educators and community
leaders across America to reduce violence and discrimination in
schools. To help dispel the myth that bullying is a harmless or
inevitable part of growing up, the First Lady and I hosted the
first White House Conference on Bullying Prevention in March.
Many senior Administration officials have also joined me in
reaching out to LGBT youth who have been bullied by recording
"It Gets Better" video messages to assure them they are not alone.
This month also marks the 30th anniversary of the emergence
of the HIV/AIDS epidemic, which has had a profound impact on the
LGBT community. Though we have made strides in combating this
devastating disease, more work remains to be done, and I am
committed to expanding access to HIV/AIDS prevention and care.
Last year, I announced the first comprehensive National HIV/AIDS
Strategy for the United States. This strategy focuses on
combinations of evidence-based approaches to decrease new
HIV infections in high risk communities, improve care for
people living with HIV/AIDS, and reduce health disparities.
My Administration also increased domestic HIV/AIDS funding to
support the Ryan White HIV/AIDS Program and HIV prevention, and
to invest in HIV/AIDS-related research. However, government
cannot take on this disease alone. This landmark anniversary
is an opportunity for the LGBT community and allies to recommit to
raising awareness about HIV/AIDS and continuing the fight against
this deadly pandemic.
Every generation of Americans has brought our Nation closer
to fulfilling its promise of equality. While progress has taken
time, our achievements in advancing the rights of LGBT Americans
remind us that history is on our side, and that the American
people will never stop striving toward liberty and justice for
all.
NOW, THEREFORE, I, BARACK OBAMA, President of the
United States of America, by virtue of the authority vested in me
by the Constitution and the laws of the United States, do hereby
proclaim June 2011 as Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender
Pride Month. I call upon the people of the United States to
eliminate prejudice everywhere it exists, and to celebrate the
great diversity of the American people.
IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand this
thirty-first day of May, in the year of our Lord
two thousand eleven, and of the Independence of the United States
of America the two hundred and thirty-fifth.
BARACK OBAMA
# # #
VERMONT: Democrats Enact Single-Payer Health Care!
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| Peter Shumlin is the Democratic Governor of Vermont |
Democrats, however, use their power for good, like in Vermont where they are ensuring that all state citizens will have access to health care.
Amy Goodman of TruthDig reports:
Governor Peter Shumlin did indeed sign the bill into law. 1 state down, 49 to go. California also has a single-payer health care bill pending in the legislature. MadProfessah has endorsed this legislation.Vermont hired Harvard economist William Hsiao to come up with three alternatives to the current system. The single-payer system, Hsiao wrote, “will produce savings of 24.3 percent of total health expenditure between 2015 and 2024.” An analysis by Don McCanne, M.D., of Physicians for a National Health Program pointed out that “these plans would cover everyone without any increase in spending since the single payer efficiencies would be enough to pay for those currently uninsured or underinsured. So this is the really good news—single payer works.”Vermont Gov. Peter Shumlin explained to me his intention to sign the bill into law: “Here’s our challenge. Our premiums go up 10, 15, 20 percent a year. This is true in the rest of the country as well. They are killing small business. They’re killing middle class Americans, who have been kicked in the teeth over the last several years. What our plan will do is create a single pool, get the insurance company profits, the pharmaceutical company profits, the other folks that are mining the system to make a lot of money on the backs of our illnesses, and ensure that we’re using those dollars to make Vermonters healthy.”
Audrina Episode 8 Recap: A Knuckle In Her Back
It's all par for the course with Audrina. Going out with overly-possessive Corey does not stop her from flirting with the first guy with a pair of balls in her vicinity. On last week's episode, Audrina received an invite to the exclusive Palm Beach Polo Club for a one-on-one polo lesson. She takes up the invitation and travels to Palm Beach with her stylist Joey and her brother. The three of them receive a lesson from a pair of handsome polo instructors, one of whom, naturally, is originally from Argentina. To Audrina's surprise, the lesson involved the ladies riding the horses with their instructors immediately behind them, sitting on the same saddle. They were not expecting to feel a "knuckle in their back" as they rode the horses, and I think you, dear reader, can figure out what that means. From there, Audrina and her personal polo instructor, Nick, get closer and closer, but Audrina's boyfriend Corey continues to blow up her phone. Clearly it's okay for Audrina to be playful with guys, but it's not alright for Corey to do the same. Can Audrina and Corey's relationship survive Corey's insecurity and Audrina's vanity? Just another day in the life of Audrina Patridge.
Those polo pants are awful tight
Introducing Single Ladies: VH1's Sex And The City For Black People
Stacey Dash and her friends are also surprised at how bad the show is
Alright, I actually thought this was supposed to be a reality show when I started watching and was pretty excited to see something with Stacey Dash. The excitement was quickly followed by a five minute face palm as this disaster of a show unfolded. I made it through the first fifteen minutes of Single Ladies and then I picked up "War and Peace" and started reading. The problem with the show initially appears to be the acting, but in reality, it is the poor writing which is primarily to blame. An actor cannot do much with a poor script; the dialogue is predictable and on a junior high school level. To be fair, first episodes (like first chapters of a book) are difficult, because the writer has to introduce new characters and a new setting in a compelling manner, but for a show like this, a strong dialogue is key. So watch Single Ladies if you would like to hear a bunch of hormonal women talk about dating a fine young thing, while keeping a "Chocolate Trump" on the side. Yes, it's like that. There's even a sassy gay friend. Can't we bring back the Clueless-era Stacey Dash?
I miss "Dionne" and her crazy hats
Monday, May 30, 2011
Quote of the Day (5/31/11) (The Eleventh Doctor Week)
The Doctor: It's funny. I thought if you could hear me I could hang on somehow. Silly me. Silly old Doctor. When you wake up you'll have a mum and dad and you won't even remember me. Well, you'll remember me a little. I'll be a story in your head. But that 's OK. We're all stories in the end. Just make it a good one, eh? Cuz it was, you know. It was the best. The daft old man who stole a magic box and ran away. Did I ever tell you that I stole it? Well, I borrowed it. I was always going to take it back. Oh that box. Amy, you'll dream about that box. It'll never leave you. Big and little at the same time. Brand new and ancient. And the bluest blue... ever. And the times we had, eh? Would've had. Never had. In your dreams, they'll still be there. The Doctor and Amy Pond. And the days that never came.... The cracks are closing. But they can't close properly until I'm on the other side. I don't belong here anymore. I think I'll skip the rest of the rewind. I hate repeats. Live well. Love Rory. [kisses Amelia's forehead] Bye bye, Pond.
--“The Big Bang”
2011 FRENCH OPEN: Men's Quarterfinals Preview
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| Fabio Fognini won his marathon 4th round match to a chorus of boos and cheers and then withdrew from the tournament prior to playing the biggest match of his career. (Photo credit: Benoit Tessier, REUTERS) |
Rafael Nadal ESP (1) vs. Robin Soderling SWE (5). The dream quarterfinal. Rafael Nadal has only ever lost one match at Roland Garros, and it was to his quarterfinal opponent, the World #5 tall, muscular Swede Robin Soderling. He defeated the 4-time defending champion in 2009, in one of the greatest upsets in sports of the last decade; Soderling followed up that upset by repeating it the following year by beating the defending champion Roger Federer in the quarterfinals to end Federer's incredible streak of 23 consecutive Grand Slam semifinals. Nadal does not appear to be playing his best tennis this year but still must be considered the favorite considering his overall clay court record. However, Nadal's confidence must be shaken by his two recent losses to Djokovic in two clay court Masters finals this season. Soderling does not lack confidence, and if he plays his best tennis against Nadal's not-best tennis, he will repeat his 2009 result. If Nadal plays at his 2010 level, then the defending champion should get through and possibly win a 6th Roland Garros title, tying Bjorn Borg's record. PREDICTION: Soderling in 4 sets.
Andy Murray GBR (4) vs. Juan Ignacio Chela ARG. Andy Murray's dream draw turned into a nightmare during his 3rd round victory over a lefty qualifier Michael Berrer when he badly twisted his ankle in a 3-set win. He started his next round gingerly, losing the first 5 games of his 4th round match with Serbian Viktor Troicki. The World #4 came within one point of drawing even in the first set but ultimately ended up losing the first two sets 6-4 6-4. However, his movement and attitude visibly improved and he was able to force a fifth and deciding set before darkness fell. I presume he will be able to win the deciding fifth set when play resumes on Tuesday and should have no problem dismissing the 31-year-old Argentine clay court specialist playing in his 3rd career major quarterfinal on Thursday. PREDICTION: Murray in 3 sets.
Gael Monfils FRA (9) vs. Roger Federer SUI (3). Federer continues to write his name in the tennis record books by reaching his 28th consecutive major quarterfinal with an efficient dispatch of countryman Stanislas Wawrinka in the 4th round. While Djokovic is winning universal acclaim and attention by continuing his flawless 2011 season, Federer continues to demonstrate why he has been at the upper echelon of men's tennis for the last seven consecutive years. There are few players in the Top 10 who have even played 28 consecutive major tournaments, and Federer has been in the last 8 or better in 28 consecutive major tournaments. His opponent is the Pride of France, "La Monf" who is in his 3rd quarterfinal at Roland Garros in 4 years. Unfortunately for the Frenchman, he has never won a match on clay against Federer. In fact, last fall in front of a Paris crowd, Monfils won his first match ever (in 6 tries) against the Swiss Great when he saved an incredible 5 match points and went on to win one of the best matches of the year in three tiebreak sets. However, getting through a tough 5-set against the always hard-to-beat David Ferrer in the 4th round was another indicator that the excessively talented, prodigiously athletic Monfils' results may start matching his potential. Federer is yet to lose a set in his 2011 appearance at Roland Garros, and while I expect that streak to end, I also expect he will again find a way to yet another major semifinal and a historic showdown with Novak Djokovic. PREDICTION: Federer in 4 sets.
Snooki Gets Into Car Accident In Italy, Escorted To Police Station
It looks like you can take the girl out of Jersey, but you can't take Jersey out of the girl. Filming of the fourth season of Jersey Shore is well underway in Florence, Italy, but, as usual, taping of the series is not without its mishaps. Today it was revealed that Nicole "Snooki" Polizzi and Deena Cortese were involved in a car accident in Florence in which they trapped their Fiat automobile in between a police car and a roadside railing. What's worse is that the police vehicle was actually a personal escort for their safety. The two police officers in the vehicle were subsequently transported to the local emergency department for further evaluation, while Snooki (who was apparently behind the wheel) and Deena refused treatment and were escorted to the police station. The two gremlins are looking more put together than usual, but do not seem inclined to put aside their gremlin antics. I am still trying to get my nickname for Deena (Gremlin XXL) into common usage to little avail... Woe is me.
"Nothing to see here, folks... except for two roasted gremlins sitting in a police automobile. But other than that, nothing to see!" Bauer-Griffin
Did I do that? Pacific Coast News
2011 FRENCH OPEN: Women's Quarterfinals Preview
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| Viktoria Azarenka is the favorite to capture the Roland Garros title this year, or is she? |
Svetlana Kuznetsova RUS (13) vs. Marion Bartoli FRA (11). The 2007 Wimbledon finalist has reached her first quarterfinal at her country's major tournament for the first time. She will face Kuznetsova, one of only two women left in the tournament who have won the entire event (the other, of course is Francesca Schiavone who won last year). In fact, Kuznetsova lost the final in 2006 and won the final in 2009. While Bartoli won her match when Gisela Dulko retired in the second set, Kuznetsova won a hard-fought 3-set affair with Daniela Hantuchova who had easily dismissed World #1 and top-seeded Caroline Wozniacki the round before. This could be a very ugly affair, with both players trying to lose the match, but I believe that Kutnetsova's prodigious talent will be the deciding factor. PREDICTION: Kuznetsova in 3 sets.
Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova RUS (14) vs. Francesca Schiavone ITA (5). The 2010 French Open defending champion made it through to this quarterfinal by winning a marathon 2 hour, 40-minute battle with 3-time French Open semifinalist (and former World #1) Jelena Jankovic which featured over 30 breakpoints combined. The passionate Italian faces the talented Russian youngster who took out the last remaining top seed in World #3 Vera Zvonareva to reach her first career major quarterfinal. Pavlyuchenkova hits the ball hard and flat on both wings, while Schiavone rarely hits the ball the same way twice, and actually wants to move forward to show off her sterling net play. Plus Schiavone has the benefit of knowing that her style of play can be rewarded on the red clay courts of Paris from last year. PREDICTION: Schiavone in 2 sets.
Maria Sharapova RUS (7) vs. Andrea Petkovic GER (15). Could this really be Sharapova's year to win the French Open? If so, she needs to get through matches like this next one. In Petkovic she is playing a player who beat her in the previous major played this year and is unafraid of the 3-time major champion's firepower. Sharapova was able to get revenge a few months later in Miami and leads their career head-to-head 2-1, all played on hard courts. The two have never played on hard courts, but this match will be played on clay which us Sharapova's worst surface. Both players have won clay court titles this year. I have seen all of Sharapova's matches played at Roland Garros this year but none of Petkovic's. I suspect that the fact that Sharapova is in her 14th major quarterfinal (only her 2nd in the last two years) while Petkovic is in her second quarterfinal of her career despite the two being born in the same year will be the ultimate deciding factor. PREDICTION: Sharapova in 3 sets.
Replicant On The Cover of Numero Mag
Daphne Groeneveld is channeling Blade Runner's Pris in this cover for the June/July issue of Numero Mag. Sorry, slow news day. (via Fashion Gone Rogue)
And Pris from Blade Runner, played by the infamous Daryl Hannah
Greg Kadel/Numero Mag
One of my fav robots EVAH
Eye Candy: Max Philisaire (reprise)
Max Philisaire has appeared as an Eye Candy model before, on April 27, 2009. According to LOL Darian, He is a Haitian-American former Army Combat Engineer. Max has his own website, HollywoodBodyClub, and is a well-known fitness trainer in Los Angeles. According to his website, he was born in August 1984. He has modeled for various publications and appeared in multiple music videos.
I think we can see why, yes?
Sunday, May 29, 2011
Quote of the Day (5/30/11) (The Eleventh Doctor Week)
River Song: I have questions, but number one is this: What in the name of sanity have you got on your head?
The Doctor: It's a fez. I wear a fez now. Fezes are cool.
--“The Big Bang”
Christina Hendricks And Her Huge Breasts Make It To Lake Como
I don't know, she just looks fat here. She has to be curvy for her Mad Men role, since that's what she's there for, but her body is certainly expanding horizontally. On a positive note, it looks like her... uh... bust size has benefited from the weight she's put on recently. Before you fall into the trap of thinking the lovely Ms. Hendricks is all natural, take a look at this old photo shoot from Playboy, where it becomes obvious that the incredible bust she has is very much enhanced. (via Daily Mail)
Christina and her much smaller bust are on the far right, gazing into the camera
Too Meta?
Engaged in a Castle marathon this weekend.
I loved this scene in "Nikki Heat" (3.11), an episode in which B-movie actress Natalie Rhodes shadows Beckett (just as Castle himself does--the series' whole premise) in order to prepare for her role as Nikki Heat in the film adaptation of Castle's novelized version of the real Beckett.
At first, she doesn't even know who Castle is (she hasn't read the book), but later she tries to seduce him--unsuccessfully--as part of her prep. Beckett finds Rhodes increasingly aggravating and is dismayed looking at herself in the actress/mirror, which leads to this delightful exchange.
I loved this scene in "Nikki Heat" (3.11), an episode in which B-movie actress Natalie Rhodes shadows Beckett (just as Castle himself does--the series' whole premise) in order to prepare for her role as Nikki Heat in the film adaptation of Castle's novelized version of the real Beckett.
At first, she doesn't even know who Castle is (she hasn't read the book), but later she tries to seduce him--unsuccessfully--as part of her prep. Beckett finds Rhodes increasingly aggravating and is dismayed looking at herself in the actress/mirror, which leads to this delightful exchange.
Beckett: [Watching Natalie at the murder board] Do I really do that?
Castle: Yes, and it's adorable.
Beckett: If it's so adorable, why didn't you sleep with me? [Castle looks momentarily puzzled] Her me, not me me.
Castle: Oh, well a fictional character that I wrote, based on you, played by Natalie Rhodes? It's just way too... meta.
The Phenomenon of the Cauliflower Ear
Randy Couture's cauliflower ear
Having watched a lot of reruns of The Ultimate Fighter recently, I have to say that I am fascinated by the hypertrophic and distracting flesh often found on the sides of MMA fighters and wrestlers known as the "cauliflower ear". I was intrigued enough to do my homework (read: looked it up on Wikipedia) where I made an interesting discovery. I had assumed that the enlarged, puffy ears were simply a function of constant irritation of the ear due primarily to grappling, and that was partly true. In fact, what happens, apparently, is that small blood vessels in the ear are blown and bleed due to repetitive trauma, which causes the cartilage of the ear to be deformed and the skin to separate from the cartilaginous part of the ear. The underlying cartilage is separated from its blood supply and fibrous tissue grows in the region of trauma, resulting in the "cauliflower ear". The fibrous tissue is really just connective tissue that lacks a definitive function and only forms because something has to form there. The ear cannot be returned to a normal appearance without surgery, which clearly, a professional fighter or other athlete who will likely continue to be exposed to the same or similar trauma is unlikely to get. Check out a few examples of cauliflower ear and reconsider your dreams of auditioning for The Ultimate Fighter and one day entering the ring against GSP!
A cauliflower ear that has been worsened by new trauma. Shigeyuki Uchiyama.
James Thompson's cauliflower ear before his match-up with Kimbo Slice.
James Thompson post-Kimbo Slice
Get Your Very Own Negro And Indian Dolls!
I know that purchasing a pair of embarrassing Indian dolls that "drink and wet" was on the top of my bucket list, that's for sure. But that's just me. We've come a long way, America, haven't we??? These images have to be closely inspected to be believed. I guess we just have to be happy that the Indian doll isn't sporting feathers and carrying a fistful of hair from a freshly scalped white person.
Click image to enlarge
Mob Wives Episode 6 Recap: These Women Are Ready To Explode
All of these women need to be put on mood stabilizers, because this show is getting ridiculous. Frankly, a bunch of mob women acting crazy makes for good television, but I wouldn't be a good reality show viewer if I didn't get excited by the stupidity of the players involved. This episode was pretty predictable. Basically, Carla is still angry at Renee running her mouth about how she doesn't like her boyfriend, among other things. In fact, the real problem is the conflict between Karen and Drita about Lee, whom Karen dated for seven years and Drita eventually married, but this all gets pushed to the side with Renee and Carla's drama. Of course, the perfect setting to deal with all of this drama brewing is to throw an evening cocktail party where there are surprise guest enemies and lots of drinks involved. Naturally, Carla and Renee get into a drunken fist fight. Hilarity ensues. Well, not really, but this was almost along the lines of a Jerry Springer/Maury Povich redneck royal rumble. Good viewing all around! I have to admit that I freaking love this show!
Drita arranges a sexy photoshoot for her incarcerated husband Lee
Succulent Sunday: Cotyledon campanulata
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| Cotyledon campanulata |
Tiny hairs glisten on pale-green fingers, each tipped with a red crease -- Cotyledon campanulata from Eastern Cape Province, South Africa. Tall flower stems shoot up in late spring from which yellow flowers hang like little bells, except the petals are splayed wide open (unlike its Cotyledon cousins).Hat/tip to Sentient Meat
From a recent paper, "The only other species possessing cylindrical to urceolate shaped flowers, C. campanulata, is sister to a grouping of four species (C. velutina, C. woodii, C. barbeyi, and two varieties of C. orbiculata) that all share an erect growth form. Cotyledon campanulata is a decumbent, dwarf shrub (up to 20 cm) with yellow flowers that, like C. cuneata, are viscid on the outside of the corolla. However, C. campanulata has smaller flowers and is much more narrowly distributed, present only in a small region of the Eastern Cape Province of South Africa."
Get Ready! Season 4 of True Blood 4 weeks away!
Saturday, May 28, 2011
Quote of the Day (5/29/11) (The Eleventh Doctor Week)
Craig: Where did you learn to cook?
The Doctor: Paris in the 18th century. No, hang on, that's not recent is it? 17th? No no, 20th. Sorry, I'm not used to doing it in the right order.
Craig: Has anyone ever told you that you're a bit weird?
The Doctor: They never really stop.
--The Lodger”
Now There Are 4: GA Black Gay State Rep Comes Out
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| Georgia State Representative Rashad Taylor, comes out at a press conference May 27, 2011 |
Taylor, 30, came out in order to respond to and refute charges of improper conduct which had been emailed to various state legislators from a jealous former lover of Rashad's current boyfriend. You can watch video of the press conference here.
Georgia Voice reports:
According to the national Victory Fund which works to elect openly gay officials, Taylor is only the sixth openly black LGBT person to serve in a state legislature. State Rep. Bell was the first black lesbian elected to a state legislature in 2009.
Yesterday and in days prior, a man who is the ex-boyfriend of Taylor's partner sent an email to state legislators outing him and alleging Taylor misused his office by promising men jobs in exchange for sex. Taylor denied those allegations today, but did say the truth is is he is gay.
"For some it may take two days, for some it take two years or 20 years [to come out]," he said.
MadProfessah has previously blogged about Simone Bell's election as the first Black lesbian state representative in December 2009. In Maryland, Mary Washington is the other openly lesbian elected state representative in the country. There are 6 openly LGBT, Black elected representatives nationwide."I serve in public office and try to retain some semblance of a private life. This is a journey I've been on," he said. "i wouldn't want to expedite anyone else's journey. It ought to be a personal decision."Taylor admitted that if the allegations against him had not been made he would not have come out."I would not be standing here today," he said, adding he considered ignoring the allegations.But now was the time to tell the truth, Taylor added."I felt like honestly this was it unless I spoke the truth," Taylor said, saying he didn't want someone to feel like they had something "over his head."He said before today, he could "count on one hand" the people who knew he was gay. Taylor also said that he came out to his mother and family in the past 24 hours. He thanked his mother for his support and she hugged him warmly after he spoke to the media.
Hat/tip to Wonder Man.
Basketball Wives Season 3, Episode 1 Recap: The New Girl in Town
So, somehow I missed the fact that the new season of possibly my favorite reality show Basketball Wives had begun. I was too busy engrossed in a self-imposed marathon of Season 6 (Team Rampage vs. Team Forrest) of The Ultimate Fighter to realize that the show was back into gear again. Honestly, it was more of the same. There is a new girl in town named Meeka, who is an even bigger troublemaker than Royce and Suzie (put together). She has been married to former Atlanta guard Speedy Claxton for five years and works in the "global real estate" business. Immediately, new girl Meeka gets off on the wrong foot with the other girls by dishing on her meeting with Royce to Jennifer and Evelyn, apparently in an attempt to get on their good side. The girls saw right through that nonsense. But the real drama of the show came courtesy of Tami Roman (no surprise there). It turns out that Evelyn is trying to earn some extra cash by selling t-shirts emblazoned with her catch phrase "You're a non-fu$#ing factor, bitch!", which, of course, is based on the fighting words she dished out to Tami. Tami has a good point that, in fact, Evelyn is the non-factor since she was with the same man for ten years and never got a ring. When Tami threatens to sue and hands Evelyn a piece of paper with (I'm assuming) a cease and desist recommendation from an attorney, Evelyn rips up the paper and throws the shreds at Tami. I'm inclined to think that the entire situation was staged (a la The Hills), but Evelyn was shaking with fear that Tami might actually clock her, so perhaps I'm wrong. In the end, Tami tells Evelyn that she is going to sue and take her store away, changing the name from "Dulce" to "Tami's", which I thought was hysterically funny. Tami storms away leaving Evelyn to pick up the shreds of the attorney's letter. These women are just too much.
Evelyn is lucky Tami did not knock her out.
Eddie Long Settles 4 Sexual Misconduct Cases
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reports:
Of course, does the fact that the terms of the agreement were undisclosed and the parties are not able to discuss the amount of money involved change how Long is viewed by his parishioners? These people believe an old white guy in the sky watches over every word, thought and deed so reality-based they are not:Attorneys involved in the four lawsuits against Long, the LongFellows Youth Academy and the 25,000-member Lithonia megachurch said the case had been settled but declined to comment further. The case is expected to be dismissed "with prejudice" -- meaning the defendant cannot be sued by the plaintiffs again in the same alleged offense -- by close of business Friday, said Barbara Marschalk, who represents New Birth Missionary Baptist Church and LongFellows Youth Academy.B.J. Bernstein, who represents the four men who sued Long, New Birth and the academy, also confirmed the lawsuits had been settled. The academy was named in three of the suits.Long, pastor of the Lithonia megachurch, which has an international following, had denied the men's allegations through a spokesman shortly after they first became public in September and told his congregation he planned to "vigorously" fight them.The accusations made against Long by Anthony Flagg, Spencer LeGrande, Jamal Parris and Maurice Robinson alleged that the bishop used his influence, trips, gifts and jobs to coerce them into sexual relations.
A fool and his money are soon parted.Kamelya Hinson, a Web content editor who lives in Decatur, said the settlement has not shaken her faith."It doesn't make me think he's guilty or anything," she said. "I decided when this came out that I loved my pastor unconditionally. Even if he came out and grabbed the mic and said ‘I'm guilty,' it wouldn't change the way I feel about him. I wouldn't be angry like a lot of people are. You can't walk away after 15 years of being a member of a church."Hinson said it doesn't bother her that she may never know whether the allegations are true. "He's done 1,000 good things," she said, "and he may or may not have done four really bad things."
Hat/tip to Rod 2.0
Robot Movie of the Week: Battle: Los Angeles (May 22 - May 28)
Images courtesy of Columbia Pictures
Against my better judgment, I have chosen the much-maligned Battle: Los Angeles as "Robot Movie of the Week", since I appear to be the only person that actually enjoyed this film. The fact that Battle: Los Angeles has a lower rating on IMDB.com than Kenneth Branagh's Thor is nothing less than mind-boggling to me, and proof that the average internet user is probably... ahem... a lazy-eyed crack whore. I mean that in the nicest possible way, of course. This will be a very short review as this film is still in theaters in many places, including most countries outside of North America, and as, in many ways, the film was rather predictable. In spite of its flaws, Battle: Los Angeles managed to avoid the cringe-worthy moments that Thor was filled with. Indeed, Battle: Los Angeles was pretty entertaining for a war movie, hearkening back to the classic Blackhawk Down, easily the best war film of the last fifteen years. Battle: Los Angeles was impressive to me, because it was easy to forget who the actors were, as they seamlessly assumed the roles of their characters. The film stars Aaron Eckhardt, Michelle Rodriguez, Ne-yo, Ramon Rodriguez, and others. It was directed by South African director, Jonathan Liebesman.
Sgt. Nantz is played by Aaron Eckhardt
Battle: Los Angeles is supposedly based on the much-feared Japanese invasion of Los Angeles in World War II, which never actually occurred. The film falls into the predictable pattern of "aliens invade the Earth" film that the viewer will recall from Independence Day, and the like. Battle: Los Angeles takes a more serious, tone, however, focusing less on creating an entertaining family film, than on depicting the harsh realities of war. The protagonist of the film, if there is one, is Sergeant Nantz, a battle-hardened lifetime military man (played by Eckhardt), who joins a new team right on the heels of an unsuccessful tour in the Middle East, in which he lost several good men. When a meteor shower is revealed to in fact be an alien invasion, Nantz is placed on the team of a young lieutenant fresh out of officer's training (played by Ramon Rodriguez); the team is charged with making it through Santa Monica to a Marine base. Against incredible odds, the team manages to get to the base, only to discover that they are the only surviving Marines in the area. They are left with a unique opportunity to take down a droid control ship and open Los Angeles to air support from the Air Force. With Nantz in control, the liberation of Los Angeles enters the realm of possibility.
The civilians were the chief downfall thematically in the film.
As mentioned above, Battle: Los Angeles is very predictable, even when it comes to the scheduled tear jerker moments. The film might have been unwatchable if the occasional deaths of loved ones and comrades was not spaced between moments of incredible action and bravery on the part of Nantz's Marines. In fact, what saves the film is the high quality acting. Eckhardt and, surprisingly, Ne-yo, give quality performances while Michelle Rodriguez is her usual tough as nails, ambiguously lesbian self. This is a great film to review, for me, because it features robots, in this case, the droids sent by the aliens to wipe out entire areas of human settlement and prepare Los Angeles (and the other cities of the world) for colonization and extraction of resources. The viewer does not get to see much in the way of robotic detail in the film (all we see is the standard mindless killing that we might expect from a "droid"), but the nature of aliens and robots pairing together is unique.
Air support isn't possible with alien control of the air.
Robots in film are often used as the embodiment of the faceless enemy bent on the destruction of humanity and pairing them up with aliens magnifies this fear-inducing distillation of "the enemy". A brief glimpse at what the aliens were about, as was done in the later Predator films, would have been the perfect clincher for this type of movie, but as the focus seems to have been on creating a non-stop action film, it is not surprising that this route was not taken. The sentimental moments (the death of one of the civilians, and the death of the team's lieutenant) were excessively emotional, drawn out, and distracting, but did not detract from the overall quality of the film. Will there be a sequel? The open-ending denouement of the film suggests that the studio at least planned for one, but only time will tell.
The team reaches the base to discover that they are the only surviving Marines in the area.
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