Just Friends

I'm feeling it tonight.

All Starbucks Closed Today At 5ish P.M.?

Starbucks Corp. retaught baristas how to make espresso shots, steam milk and hand drinks to customers while it shut down nearly 7,100 stores in the U.S. on Tuesday evening.

Tell me about it! My local Starbucks forgot to lock the door, so there I go at about 5:45 p.m., marching into my local shop looking for my dopio on ice, only to be ushered OUT!

How dare they!

Rock Me Lord

Ok, switching gears! One of my most favorite gospel songs, done by one of my most favorite gospel groups.

Patriotism .. religiousness ... what will eventually define America in this 21's century? Me, as long as the music rocks me (laughs) ...

La Marseillaise

When will the Democrats rise up against the Republicans in Congress the way the French stood up to the Germans in the movie Casablanca?




No matter how many times I see this scene, it still makes me cry. The false patriotism that is espoused by the so called Republican party, coupled with the same false patriotism by many in the Democratic party, also makes me want to cry.

Viva America is the people's cry. Viva Corporate America is our government's mantra.

How sad.

Footloose And Fancy Free

Sorry, it's that kind of night!

HAPPY VALENTINE'S DAY to everyone. And let's get footloose out there, ok?

2008 L.A. Marathon

My grandson, who is five years old, and I, are going to attempt to run one mile in the L.A. Marathon on March 2, 2008. It used to run right in front of my apartment building since he was two, and he'd want to run so bad, that we'd put a fake number on him and videotape him running a few blocks.

Last year, they changed the route (and don't EVEN get me started on that!) and after a lot of attempts to find the right spot for this four year old to try to "spontaneously" run, I promised him that "next year" grandma would run with him.

Well, "next year" is just a few weeks away. We'll most likely run the mile between Western Ave. and Normandie in Koreatown, and, for sure, we'll have video of it. For those that want to see my grandson's past runs, just check out MyYouTube site.

Just Fucking Legalize It, Already

A large and respected association of physicians is calling on the federal government to ease its strict ban on marijuana as medicine and hasten research into the drug's therapeutic uses.

The American College of Physicians, the nation's largest organization of doctors of internal medicine, with 124,000 members, contends that the long and rancorous debate over marijuana legalization has obscured good science that has demonstrated the benefits and medicinal promise of cannabis.

Colonization In The Future?

Astronomers said Wednesday that they had found a miniature version of our own solar system 5,000 light-years across the galaxy — the first planetary system that really looks like our own, with outer giant planets and room for smaller inner planets.

That's not a photograph of the "new solar system," but it's the best solar system picture I currently have!

Makes Star Trek Enterprise seem not that distant a reality.

Some Recollections of 2008 Grammy Awards

Amy Winehouse Grammy Performance.



Damn, this brought back memories!

Amy Winehouse Strikes Gold

My girl took five of her six nominations!

I haven't heard a voice like this since the 40's.

"Can I get a big Jack Daniels, please?" June 2007 concert in France.






And of course, a kick ass band, and back up singers.



I don't care if she's had a pint of Jack Daniels by this time, I like her, and this song.


And my most favorite Amy song ...

"What kind of fuckery is this? You made me miss the Slick Rick gig."

"You thought I didn't love you, when I did. Can't believe you played me out like that."



Check out video of entire concert at MyYouTube.

Bend Over And Take It Like A Bitch

After more than a year of wrangling, the Senate handed the White House a major victory on Tuesday by voting to broaden the government’s spy powers and to give legal protection to phone companies that cooperated in President Bush’s program of eavesdropping without warrants.

Time to really bend over and kiss your ass, er, civil liberties goodbye.

SMOOCHES, bitch ass Democrats. No balls whatsoever. God help us, because this party surely has no interest in representing the people that actually vote them into office. They are, by and large, entirely beholding to the corporate liars that line their coffers.

Where's the revolution, baby? House representatives ... please do your job.

A Shout Out To Donna Edwards

U.S. Rep. Albert R. Wynn (D) conceded a short time ago after losing to Prince George's County lawyer Donna F. Edwards.

It's about fucking time! I'm tired of the Democrats crossing the line, like Wynn. Congrats to Matt Stoller of MyDD for being the pitbull in this race.

Mardi Gras

A lot of Americans think of New Orleans when Mardis Gras comes around. Personally, I prefer Carnival to Mardis Gras, and I tend to think of Rio de Janeiro and samba. The scantilly clad women, the giant floats, and the samba contests are so vivid and colorful, they make Mardis Gras in New Orleans seem like a kindergarten outing in comparison!

Almost all of the music played during Rio Carnival is samba. It is a uniquely Brazilian music originating from Rio and a dance form that was invented by the poor Afro-Brazilians. The word samba comes from the Angolan world semba referring to a type of ritual music. The word had a variety of meanings to the African slaves brought to Brazil during the 17th, 18th and 19th centuries. It meant to pray or invoke the spirits of the ancestors and the gods of the African Pantheon. As a noun, it could mean a complaint, a cry, or something like "the blues".

Although Carnival (Carnaval in Portuguese) is celebrated in towns and villages throughout Brazil and other Catholic countries, Rio de Janeiro has long been regarded as the Carnival Capital of the World. The Rio Carnaval is not only the biggest Carnival, benchmark against which every other carnival is compared but also one of the most interesting artistic events on the Globe. Pretty much everyone has heard of the Rio Carnaval. Foreign visitors to it alone number around 500,000 every year.

On Fat Tuesday, I'll switch over and blog some live shots from New Orleans, which has a number of webcams that stream live from Burbon Street.