SICK DAY

Sometimes It Snows In April

2006-04-05T12:11:00.000-04:00

Great Prince tune, one of my favorites...unfortunately, it's true...as I type this in beautiful Malvern, Pennsylvania, a mini blizzard is taking hold outside. April 5th. Brilliant. Looks like it won't stick, but still...as Samir says in Office Space..."THIS IS A FUCK!"

Mouth Of Wilson Live

2006-04-04T15:36:00.000-04:00

Hey ya'll, Mouth Of Wilson is playing its first show at the Jersey shore this Thursday, April 6th, at The Saint in Asbury Park. We are the early slot, currently slated for an 8:30pm show time. Hope to see you all there.

Disgusting

2006-04-04T15:31:00.000-04:00

This is quite disturbing, all the more weird to me as the center of this controversy is Superior Twp, Michigan, right outside of Ann Arbor, where I used to frequent a driving range.....

Dog decapitations shock Michigan town

At first, piles of skinned animals, mostly foxes and coyotes, turned up on the edges of dirt roads in this semi-rural community outside Ann Arbor.

Though gruesome, they looked like little more than the work of a sloppy trapper too lazy to properly dispose of the carcasses.

Things took a more shocking turn on March 16, when what appeared to be someone's pet was found along with more skinned coyotes. The Rottweiler had been decapitated and its feet were bound with duct tape.

Since then, eight more dead dogs, including three without heads, have been discovered by residents and investigators with the Humane Society of Huron Valley.

Despite a reward that has swelled to at least $18,000 with donations from community members, officials have so far been unable to determine even who the dogs belonged to.

The mysterious dog deaths -- now being investigated separately from the wild animal carcasses -- have rattled this picturesque Washtenaw County township, dominated by empty fields and wooded preserves and dotted with old, red barns.

Who does this sort of thing? I mean, I don't know of any Chinese restaurants in the area......

New Car

2006-03-01T00:43:00.000-05:00

Yeah, so tomorrow morning I will begin my Saab ownership era, let's hope it's a good one. I haven't been posting much AGAIN but I was a little busy what with the studio almost wrapping up and....oh yeah, the aftermath of my head on collision with a county owned snowplow. It's a cool car, I can tell I will fall in love with it. It's a 1986 Saab 900, so that's cool, it's got high miles, some signs of wear, but a whole butt load of character. Wish me luck.

Alabama Burning

2006-02-08T11:58:00.000-05:00

I don't know what the hell this is all about, but it is quite disturbing....

Fires burn 4 more Alabama churches

BOLIGEE, Alabama (AP) -- Fires damaged or destroyed four more Baptist churches across the Alabama countryside Tuesday, less than a week after a string of five blazes that were ruled arson.

"I'm not prepared to talk about the evidence yet ... but common sense tells you there is a clear indication these fires are going to be linked," FBI acting assistant director Chip Burrus said in an interview with The Associated Press in Washington, D.C.

Rich Marianos, a spokesman for the federal Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives agency, said more than 50 agents were assigned to the case in Alabama.

"This is our No. 1 priority nationally," he said.

Among the churches damaged was Morning Star Baptist in Boligee. Member Johnny Archibald said smoke was pouring from the church when he arrived around daybreak.

"They had kicked the door in," he said. "Evidently they had set the pulpit on fire and went out the front door."

Tuesday's fires took place at churches off rural roads, about 10 to 20 miles apart. They were in a cluster of three counties, about 60 miles from the Bibb County area where the five other churches were burned early Friday.

This is exactly the kind of shit my beloved Alabama does NOT need. No one ever talks about the fact that Birmingham is the headquarter city for more of the nation’s top 50 largest banking institutions than any U. S. city outside of New York City, or the state of the art medical facilities of UAB, or the aeronautics and space research done in Huntsville, second only to NASA's headquarters in Houston, or having one of the best restaurants in the United States, or the many state parks and scenic beauty that abound across the state. Nope, we've got ignorant hicks burning churches, which only serves to enforce the rampant negative stereotypes that stain Alabama's reputation. Hopefully, they'll catch these assholes soon, but until then, I fear I can look forward to more negative press and rushes to judgement caused by religious fervor by a minority of extremists. And New Jersey thinks IT has it bad....

Global Warning

2006-02-06T11:41:00.000-05:00

I love running across stories like this on a Monday morning.....fitting, as we had one of the warmest January's on record this year.....

Global warming boosting Greenland glacier flow

Scientists predict that global average temperatures will rise by between one and six degrees Celsius this century unless urgent action is taken now to cap and reduce carbon emissions.

Even a rise of three degrees could result in cataclysmic species loss, melting polar icecaps raising sea levels by many meters and wholesale famine and disease.

Greenland is only part of the picture, and there is also evidence of local warming and melting on the giant Western Antarctic ice sheet.

Scientists said on Monday the world had to halt greenhouse gas emissions and reverse them within two decades or watch the planet spiraling towards destruction.

The first phase of the global Kyoto protocol on cutting greenhouse gas emissions runs until 2012, and negotiations have only just started on finding a way of taking it beyond that.

The United States, the world's biggest polluter, has rejected both the protocol in its current form and any suggestion of expanding or extending it.

Oh joy. This of course comes on the heels of Bush's 2006 Budget proposal which focuses mostly on....yep, you guessed it, increasing military spending and the war on terror. Two thumbs up for our biggest projected deficit. Knowing the Democrats, we'll win in 2008 and get stuck with the bill. Figures.

Jesus H. Christ...

2006-02-01T09:12:00.000-05:00

Wow, I must admit, I know stupid. Believe me, I do. I like Benny Hill. I watched The Day After Tomorrow. Larry is my favorite stooge. I am a Lions fan. But this here has to be the most stupid, most shockingly imbecilic bit of tripe I've read about in a long ass time.....still, what scares me most is not that this exists, but that there is a strong chance it will succeed.

NASCAR, Harlequin Gear Up for Love Stories

Strange bedfellows, indeed. Or maybe not. If it's true that opposites attract, then a licensing agreement between Harlequin Romance novels and NASCAR Inc., should be a marriage made in heaven. The first offspring of this new union, a racetrack romance entitled In the Groove by Pamela Britton, goes on sale Tuesday — just a few weeks before the Daytona 500 on Feb. 19. Two other NASCAR-themed love stories will be published this year: On the Edge by Britton in September and A NASCAR Holiday by Kimberly Raye, Roxanne St. Claire and Debra Webb in November. At least 17 more, by various authors, are planned for 2007.

I can't help but think of Joe Dirt, when he kisses that hottie at the oil field and is like, "hey baby, you can keep that Skoal...."

"NASCAR very much portrays themselves as a family-oriented sport, and most romance fiction is about commitment and about the promise of happily-ever-after," says Gayle Wilson, president of the 9,500-member Romance Writers of America.

HA! This shit just gets better and better....but, if you're me like, you are wondering what this In The Groove storyline might possibly entail, besides maybe some sloppy heavy petting in the back of a shitty Monte Carlo to the tune of Tim McGraw's "Drugs or Jesus"? Domestic violence and some good ol' fahsioned subjugation? Surprisingly, no.

In the Groove features down-on-his-luck NASCAR driver Lance Cooper and ex-kindergarten teacher Sarah Tingle. They meet when his car hits her. She gets a bump on the head. He's driven to distraction. When he looks at Sarah, Cooper "feels like he has been shocked by a loose spark plug wire."

Well, folks, the world is officially coming to an end. This rant brought to you by Miller High Life and AutoZone. Yeehaw.

Mouth Of Wilson Tour Dates

2006-01-31T12:30:00.000-05:00

MOW in concert
Originally uploaded by seinspahr.

Also, Mouth Of Wilson is in the studio getting the record nearly finished. We've cut down our live appearances until this is done, but we do have some shows coming up that we would love for you to attend......

FEB 3 / TRIUMPH BREWERY / New Hope, PA
FEB 10 / JOHN & PETER'S / New Hope, PA
MAR 10 / JOHN & PETER'S / New Hope, PA
MAR 17 / THE CONDUIT / Trenton, NJ

Cheers.

All New Mouth Of Wilson Website

2006-01-31T12:27:00.000-05:00

New Website
Originally uploaded by seinspahr.

Thought I'd share that Mouth Of Wilson has its new website up and running, have a look around, it's where you can find everything you need for all MOW related activity.

The Official Mouth Of Wilson Website

Gee, This Never Happens

2006-01-31T12:14:00.000-05:00

God, this is awful, and it keeps happening. There something about being a postal worker that just sets people off. Is the working conditions? The repetive nature of the job? I always wanted to drive one of those cool cars that my mailman got to pimp, it can't be THAT bad....I always figured it would be the DMV that got this type of job notoriety...I mean, that place gives me the fucking creeps, and half the people that work there I could swear might be zombies...Dawn of the Dead indeed...shit, that reminds, I have to get my address changed on my driver's license....ooo boy.

Ex-postal employee kills six, commits suicide at Calif. mail plant

“We do not believe there is any additional threat to the community,” Anderson said.

The Monday night rampage sent dozens of employees running from the sprawling distribution center and prompted authorities to warn nearby residents to stay indoors.

Now if they could just get those pesky mudslides and skyrocketing housing costs under control.....

Michigan Back In Top 25

2006-01-31T12:04:00.000-05:00

Michigan Back In Top 25
Originally uploaded by seinspahr.

Damn....it's been a while since the Michigan Wolverines basketball team has been a success. Actually, it's been a friggin rough go, minus the odd NIT title, but no one really cares about that.

So I'm very pleased to be able to say that Michigan is actually ranked in the Top 25 again!

After a pair of victories against top 25 programs, the University of Michigan men's basketball team has been voted into the national polls for the first time in eight years. The Maize and Blue have earned national rankings of No. 21 from the Associated Press poll and No. 20 in the ESPN/USA Today Coaches poll. The last time the Wolverines were among the nation's top 25 was at the end of the 1997-98 season when the Wolverines were No. 12 in the final polls (March 10, 1998).

Michigan's 15-3 start is the best for the Wolverines since the beginning of the 1992-93 season (16-2). The Maize and Blue's 5-2 start in conference play, which puts them tied atop the Big Ten standings, is the best since 2002-03 (6-1). The 15 wins for the Maize and Blue already surpasses last year's total for wins (13) and the five conference wins eclipses last year's total of four. Earlier this week, Michigan won back-to-back games against ranked opponents for first time in 12 years. U-M defeated 11th-ranked Michigan State (72-67, Jan. 25) and 23rd-ranked Wisconsin (85-76, Jan. 28), a feat that has not been done since 1993-94.

The newly ranked Wolverines will continue their Big Ten regular season with a pair of road contests at Penn State, Wednesday (Feb. 1) followed by a road game at Iowa, Saturday (Feb. 4).

Awesome, the last time I got really excited about Michigan hoops was my senior year in college (1998) when we won the inaugural Big Ten Tournament and lost in the second round of the NCAA Tournament. Of course, we cheated a little so that banner had to come down, but it was cool. I'm hoping for a trip to the Sweet Sixteen, it's been ages since I've really had my team in there with a chance to do something magical.

Movie Marathons

2006-01-31T11:57:00.000-05:00

Mmmm....Jello Shots!
Originally uploaded by seinspahr.

One of the best things about moving to Hopewell, besides having a liquor store across the street, is the recent couple Movie Marathons my friend Meredith and I hosted at my new pad. The first, a Rocky Marathon, was a success, and last weekend, we had the second, a drunken idiot comedy marathon. Of course, the real reason we all do this is to play copious amounts of beer pong in my attic and get trashed. It's an awesome time and a great way for all of us, as extremely busy individuals, to get together, catch up, and let loose. The next one is already in production, it will involve more beer pong, a poker tournament, and a Halloween theme where everyone has to wear a costume.....stay tuned, make your reservations now....

This New Way

2006-01-22T13:35:00.000-05:00

Well, hello all, Sick Day is now back in action after some much needed time off. I have been extremely busy with the band, the studio, work, and the occasional bout of extreme and crippling depression and loneliness. Thank you to my friends, in particular, the band, Meredith and Mike for getting me through without me completely breaking down or losing my mind.

So, on to rosier things in 2006.....

Yesterday, I hosted the second Movie Marathon at my place, and as last time showed, you throw beer pong into the equation, and fewer movies are watched, this time, we got through Wet Hot American Summer and The Big Lebowski....it was an excellent day of drunken idiocy and outside of a run in with a ceiling which was cleverly treated with some frozen sausage, no one was injured and everyone had an excellent time. Mi cabesa, no me gusta. Ay yay yay.

So, yeah, I'm back bitches. I never did my Best Music of 2005 section so I suppose I may do that. Today, I watch football. Joy.

Merry Christmas!!!

2005-12-21T14:02:00.000-05:00

Here to a happy holiday season and 2006!!!!

I haven't been posting much of late, sorry to those who have been asking about it, my mind is elsewhere and simply don't have the energy right now, other commitments notwithstanding.

I'll be back sometime in the new year, until then, Sick Day is on temporary hiatus.

Thanks for reading!

Top 15 Albums of 2005

2005-12-02T16:51:00.000-05:00

Ah, being the list freak that I am, I will soon be counting down my Top 15 records of 2005. I'll do one a day, so if you don't own these, you damn well should. That will be all, have a great weekend. If you'll excuse, I have to go blow my nose and cry while I attempt to get my ears to pop. Peace. Cough.

Lions In Disarray....Simon Plans To Eat Crow

2005-12-01T16:33:00.006-05:00

How could it be any worse?
Originally uploaded by seinspahr.

Well, it's December and along with Christmas, cold weather, long lines at Best Buy, and egg nog, one thing I can always count on is that the Detroit Lions will be out of playoff contention. What sucks MOST is I really believed the team would contend for the NFC North this year. So did others, and heads have started to roll. Earlier this week, the Lions fired coach Steve Mariucci and now interim coach Dick Jauron has named Jeff Garcia the starter, effectively ending the Joey Harrington era in Detroit....2-14...3-13....4-12...5-11...5-11...this year...???? who knows....what I know is I'm tired of my team being a fucking joke to the rest of the NFL and me being a joke for liking them. I watch almost every game, and from 2001 through 2004, I saw a grand total of, you guessed it, 14 wins...IN FOUR SEASONS. Jesus. It's been a long haul and I feel there's a lot of talent on the team, so not all is lost. But fuggin a, I could use a little optimism here. Perhaps a lot of the young guys will get some playing time and be hungry for wins as they fight for starting positions next year.
Yeah, we'll see. I'm staring down the barrel of a thrid straight 5-11 season. Whoopty-fucking-doo.

News Of The Weird

2005-12-01T16:17:00.000-05:00

Another odd story I came across, this one courtesy of loyal reader Mike....

Fate Unknown for NJ's 60-Foot Beer Bottle

I know I've seen this, it must be from the Sopranos. Speaking of, I can't wait 'til that starts again, I suppose since it's been a year and a half, another 3 months ain't that long to wait.

Tequila Mockingbird

2005-11-23T10:19:00.000-05:00

I'm not quite sure WHY someone would think it wise to do 19 shots of Tequila in 90 minutes. He probably wasn't and it probably involved a woman. It's doesn't help when the bartender is egging you on either....

Bartender jailed for lethal tequila

A 32-year-old Norwegian bartender was sentenced to six months in prison Wednesday for serving a customer so much tequila that he fell into a coma and died.

According to a district court in the southwestern city of Hokksund the bartender, whose name was withheld, pleaded guilty to serving 34-year-old Leif Henning Nilsen 19 shots of the strong Mexican liquor in 90 minutes at the Spiseriet restaurant in May 2004.

Nilsen lost consciousness and died three days later.

The court said it could not hold the bartender accountable for the death itself, but sentenced him to prison for illegally serving alcohol to a clearly intoxicated person.

The ruling said the bartender intentionally contributed to the excess by drinking shots of water, tricking the victim into what he thought was a drinking contest.

See, now, that's just wrong, 'cause anyone who drinks tequila knows you grow wings with that shit. Never challenge a man's abilities with a full stomach of liquor. Jeez. If it wasn't for the whole "water shot" bit on the part of the bartender, I'd say it was the dead guy's fault, but that shit spells negligence.

Now he's in a box. Isn't it good Norwegian wood?

Amenthol

2005-11-21T17:40:00.000-05:00

The stupidity of some people just never ceases to amaze....

Smoker tried to open airliner door

BRISBANE, Australia (AP) -- A French woman who is terrified of flying admitted in an Australian court Monday that she drunkenly tried to open an airplane door mid-flight to smoke a cigarette.

Sadrine Helene Sellies, 34, was placed on a good behavior bond after pleading guilty in Brisbane Magistrates Court to endangering the safety of an aircraft.

Sellies was traveling on a Cathay Pacific flight from Hong Kong to the east coast city of Brisbane on Saturday when the incident occurred at the start of a three-week Australian vacation with her husband, the court heard.

She walked toward one of the aircraft's emergency exits with an unlit cigarette and a lighter in her hand and began tampering with the door, prosecutors said. But a flight attendant intervened and took Sellies back to her seat.

As a smoker, I get it, but honestly, how did she think this was going to work out? She should stick to tampering with smoke detectors in the lavatories like any depraved smoker stuck on a flight from Australia........

I Love The Onion

2005-11-14T17:00:00.000-05:00

FAITH HEALER LOSES PATIENT DURING ROUTINE MIRACLE

WAYCROSS, GA—A routine laying-on of hands ended in a fatal cardiac embolism for a worshiper at the One, True, Glorious, Excruciated, And Risen Christ Traveling Gospel Church Sunday. "Losing a fellow Christian is always the hardest part of this job," attending faith healer Harlon Pearcey said. "I invoked the name of the Holy Trinity to drive the sickness out from the poor sinner's heart, but sadly, a blockage in the sinner's pulmonary artery stopped God's love, and much blood, from getting through." The American Faith-Healing Association issued a statement saying that Pearcey followed trinity-invocation and snake-handling guidelines during the procedure

Mouth Of WIlson Live!

2005-11-12T08:55:00.000-05:00

Hey kids,

Time for my semi-regular update of upcoming shows for my band, Mouth Of Wilson, or M.O.W. as the kids are saying. Here ya go, if you can make it out, that would be sweet, and stuff. Plus, December is an off month for us (well, show wise yes, we'll be finishing up in the studio)---

SAT / NOV 12 / TRIUMPH / New Hope, PA
FRI / NOV 18 / GRAPE STREET / Philadelphia, PA
SAT / NOV 19 / THE CONDUIT / Trenton, NJ

Also, if you haven't signed up for myspace, now is the time, it's free and what not, and you can check out more about us! I have taken over page management duties, so check it out, there's some new content. www.mouthofwilson.com will be up as soon as our web person recovers from Hurricane Wilma in FLA. D'OH! Good luck with all that, as my friend Jilly likes to say.

How Many Michigan College Students does it take to screw in a light bulb?

2005-11-10T11:14:00.000-05:00

Since I went to school in Michigan, I found this funny. It's very true.

At Michigan State it takes two thousand. One to change the bulb, and the other one thousand nine hundred ninety nine to riot and set it on fire.

At Michigan it takes three. One to change it and the other two to talk about how they did it every bit as good as an ivy leaguer.

At Grand Valley it takes four. One to do it and three to discuss how Grand Valley is as good as a Division I school.

At Concordia it takes ten, one to change the bulb and the other nine to sit around and watch because it is the big entertainment of the evening.

At Ferris it takes zero. They are all too drunk from the night before to care whether or not the lights are on.

At Eastern it takes four. One to change the bulb, one to steal the new bulb from the store, one as a look out, and one to drive the getaway car.

At Central Michigan it takes nine. One to screw it in and the other eight just screw each other in celebration.

At Wayne State it takes zero. Who wants to be in Detroit after dark anyway?

At Western it takes twelve, two to figure out how to screw it in and ten other drunks to find an ugly enough lamp shade to match their school colors.

At Adrian it takes zero. There is no electricity in Adrian, only cows and corn.

At Northern it takes five. Four to strap on snow shoes and hike 10 miles to the nearest store to get the new bulb and a 30 Pack of Pabst Blue Ribbon and one to screw it in.

At Michigan Tech and Kettering University it takes twenty. One to change the bulb and the other nineteen to find a new way to engineer it so it never has to be changed again.

At Hillsdale, Albion, and Kalamazoo it takes zero. They have Mommy and Daddy pay someone to do it for them.

At Saginaw Valley it takes five, one to bring the weed and four to smoke it while they all imagine they screwed it in.

At Oakland it takes zero, they can't afford light bulbs just like they cannot afford a football team.

At Macomb it takes zero, they live at home, mom and dad control the lights.

If That's Movin' Up, Then I'm Movin' Out

2005-11-07T17:41:00.000-05:00

Man, what a weekend. I spent all day Friday, part of the day Saturday, and most of the day Sunday moving out of my place in Plainsboro into the sweet, old, possibly haunted house in Hopewell (I hope it's the Lindberg baby)....

I'm a little sore, but not too bad, my buddy Mike and roommate helped out so it was cool. I may get some pictures up of the place, it rules. Back to the grind.

No Love Lost

2005-11-04T11:26:00.000-05:00

Just when I thought I had seen it all....

Mike Love is suing his cousin and former Beach Boys bandmate Brian Wilson

You would think one of the most influential acts of all time, certainly in US history, could avoid this sort of thing. Oh how the times have changed.

Honoring True Courage

2005-11-02T11:20:00.000-05:00

Today, Rosa Parks is being buried in Detroit, Michigan. Of course, Rosa Parks is hailed as the spark if the Civil Rights Movement in the Southern States that eventually, 9 years after Rosa Parks famously refused to give up her seat on a bus in Montgomery, Alabama, pinaccled with a Civil Rights Bill that procured equal civil rights for all Americans. It's hard for me to think of a more noble fight that was undertaken in the 20th century that had such a tangible impact on so many Americans. A simple action like what Rosa Parks did can truly spark a revolution. As we remember her, I'm glad to say I'm an Alabamian, as she is a true American hero and it was there that much of this good fight was spearheaded.

Good Lord....

2005-10-28T16:55:00.000-04:00

I thought I had seen and heard it all. Then I stumbled across this...

Rising Stars: Prussian Blue

They're smart. They're sweet. They're pretty. They're multitalented instrumentalists and singers. They're twins. They're loving sisters to the new baby in the family. They beat neocon radio talk show hosts at their own game. They're just twelve years old. They make beautiful, soaring, harmonious music together -- music with a pro-White slant. They're the daughters of National Vanguard writer and activist April Gaede. And they are the most talked-about duo in the burgeoning Euromusic scene: They are... Prussian Blue.

It gets worse. From the "interview"........

What do you think is the most important social issue facing the white race right now? Do you have any songs that address this issue?
Not having enough white babies born to replace ourselves and generally not having good-quality white people being born. It seems like smart white girls who have good eugenics are more interested in making money in a career or partying than getting married and having a family. And yes, we are working on some new songs about this issue.

Please tell me the significance of the name Prussian Blue.
Part of our heritage is Prussian German. Also our eyes are blue, and Prussian Blue is just a really pretty color. There is also the discussion of the lack of "Prussian Blue" coloring (Zyklon B residue) in the so-called gas chambers in the concentration camps. We think it might make people question some of the inaccuracies of the "Holocaust" myth.

Man, I'm scared. Really scared.

Prime Candidates For Biggest Loser Award 2005

2005-10-28T16:43:00.000-04:00

Man, these two are some kind of stupid, I'll tell ya.

Police: Winning lottery ticket purchased with stolen credit card

Mercy for Man Found in Porta Potty Tank

This just in, behind Door Number Three:

Lewis Libby, Vice President Dick Cheney's chief of staff, indicted on 5 counts

Quite A Legace

2005-10-28T09:40:00.000-04:00

10 Wins In October....Well Sheeit.
Originally uploaded by seinspahr.

The Detroit Red Wings are off to a flying start, thanks mostly to tight disciplined defense and the stellar play of starting goaltender Manny Legace, who has (so far) won 10 games for Detroit, setting an NHL record.

Legace made 21 saves in becoming the first NHL goalie to win 10 games in a month and Mathieu Schneider scored twice in Detroit's 5-2 win over the Chicago Blackhawks on Thursday night.

"It's a great honor to be in the record book," said Legace, who earns just over $1 million per year. "I just wish I was playing baseball. I'd be making millions."

Well, you'd be making more if you decided not to waste an entire season. Idiots.

Dead Ringer

2005-10-28T09:23:00.000-04:00

Many times, over the course of my trick-or-treat years, I saw some pretty outlandish and gory decorations. So I suppose, given that Halloween is right around the corner, I might not think twice if I saw what appeared to be a body hanging from a tree, even on a fairly busy road. Imagine if you came to find it was a real body? OOOHHHH SCARY!!!!

Body hanging from tree mistaken for Halloween decoration

Liddy Begat Libby

2005-10-25T12:07:00.000-04:00

Man this is getting good. According to a report from the New York Times (and screw you, Carlson, Reilly, et al, I know what you'll say, WAH! Liberal Bias! WAH! I don't bitch about the Washington Post's integrity just cause I happen to not like it), Vice President Vader, I mean, Cheney passed on to his top aide the identity of a CIA officer central to a federal grand jury probe.

The Times said notes of a previously undisclosed June 12, 2003, conversation between Libby and Cheney appear to differ from Libby’s grand jury testimony that he first heard of Valerie Plame from journalists.

“This is a question relating to an ongoing investigation and we’re not having any further comment on the investigation while it’s ongoing,” White House press secretary Scott McClellan said.

Pressed about Cheney’s knowledge about the CIA officer, McClellan said: “I think you’re prejudging things and speculating and we’re not going to prejudge or speculate about things.”

The New York Times identified its sources in the story as lawyers involved in the case.

Libby has emerged at the center of Special Counsel Patrick Fitzgerald’s criminal investigation in recent weeks because of the Cheney aide’s conversations about Plame with New York Times reporter Judith Miller.

Miller said Libby spoke to her about Plame and her husband, Bush administration critic Joseph Wilson, on three occasions — although not necessarily by name and without indicating he knew she was undercover.

Libby’s notes show that Cheney knew Plame worked at the CIA more than a month before her identity was publicly exposed by columnist Robert Novak.

At the time of the Cheney-Libby conversation, Wilson had been referred to — but not by name — in the Times and on the morning of June 12, 2003, on the front page of The Washington Post.

Wow, this is eerily similar to how Watergate all played out, and what not. G. Gordon Liddy? I. Lewis Libby? Coincidence? Well, yeah, but still.......very interesting....

Finally

2005-10-24T12:33:00.000-04:00

Tonight will mark the first time since the 2004 Playoffs that I can watch a Detroit Red Wings game, and I'm totally psyched. The Wings are off to a flying start, thanks to the suberb play of goalie Manny Legace, and look to move to 9-1 with a win tonight against Columbus. Detroit is so going to win the Cup this year. Yeah!

Lennon

2005-10-18T11:52:00.000-04:00

just like starting over
Originally uploaded by seinspahr.

Thanks to mgmystic for this....

American Society of Magazine Editors Unveils Top 40 Magazine Covers of the Last 40 Years

The number one, of course, is Annie Leibowitz's haunting photo of John Lennon and Yoko Ono hours before his murder, which would end up being the cover of Rolling Stone's tribute to the slain Beatle. Twenty Five years on, John Lennon is still one of the most lumonous figures in popular music and is a testatment to the rare ability he had to connect and speak for millions of people. John Lennon's murder is one of my earliest memories and I still have trouble hearing Just Like Starting Over without getting a little misty eyed.

Here are some of my favorite Lennon quotes:

"Life is what happens to you while you're busy making other plans."

"No one who deserves confidence ever solicits it."

"Time you enjoy wasting, was not wasted."

"If being an egomaniac means I believe in what I do and in my art or music, then in that respect you can call me that ... I believe in what I do, and I'll say it."

and my favorite:

"God is a concept by which we measure our pain."

The Best Kind Of Surprise

2005-10-17T16:53:00.000-04:00

On Saturday night, I thought I was going out for an enjoyable but relatively standard birthday celebration with my buds Mike and Rob. Instead, I was tricked. Completely. I was taken to a bar in Trenton, under the guise of meeting up with some of Rob's state trooper buddies for a quick drink before dinner. When I arrived, roughly 30 of the people closest to me were there to surprise me for my 30th birthday. I was shocked and touched. No one has ever done anything so nice for my birthday, and given that I turned 30, this was special; made more so when I saw my brother had been secretly flown in from Minneapolis and my good friend Adam from Tampa had shown up as well. I got ridulously drunk, so much in fact, that I don't have a great recollection of things. But I have pictures to prove I had an awesome time, and I remember everything before 10pm. Thanks again to everyone, and especially Mike and Meredith, who put all of it together. It was a very special occasion for me, one I'll always remember.

Mouth Of Wilson LIVE

2005-10-14T16:55:00.000-04:00

Tonight, Mouth Of Wilson will be performing at John & Peter's in New Hope, PA with Strawdogs, which features Joe Edwards, our guitarist/keyboardist/psychic/cross dresser. We go on at 10pm, we hope to see you all at the show.

Peace.

Quoth The Ravens: "Fuck You Zebra!"

2005-10-11T12:25:00.000-04:00

McQuarter Pounder
Originally uploaded by seinspahr.

Hey, with the Detroit Lions, I savor each victory earned so I'm not really complaining....but this week's 35-17 beating of Baltimore feels a bit cheap, giving the Lions offense was meek at best, sometimes downright awful, and Joey Harrington had another subpar game tossing out some mindbending interceptions. The officiating crew also seemed to have it out for the Ravens who racked up penalty after penalty, many of them questionable at best. This comes as the Lions seem to be falling apart from within.

from the Detroit News:
From what I understand, the Detroit Lions offense had a hell of a practice last Wednesday. The quarterbacks frequently misfired on their passes. The receivers constantly dropped catchable balls. Frustrated teammates watched in disgust, complaining about the lack of efficiency, demanding others pick up their play. There was so much finger-pointing and bickering, Lions wide receiver Roy Williams couldn't remember a more frustrating day before a game. "It was the worst practice I've ever been a part of," Williams says. "And that goes all the way back to Pee-wee football. We definitely looked like a divided team on that day.

This is no longer just a team that is trying to fight its way through a disappointing 2-2 start. It's one that is hoping to stay unified under the weight of lofty expectations.

This is especially true for Detroit's offense. It has been a troubling issue in Detroit ever since Barry Sanders left town, but in the past the major concern was an obvious lack of talent. Now it's immaturity that is dogging this team, along with a glaring lack of chemistry. As Williams says, "There's a lot of frustration here. We look good on paper but when we get on the field, it's like we're the Bad News Bears. We jump offsides. We're running the wrong routes -- and that includes me. The worst thing is that we know how good we can be and we just can't get there."

Still, the Lions have been in at least a tie for 1st place in the NFC North since the start of the season. With 8-8 a potential division winning record, the Lions are in the hunt. So I'll remain positive.

Here's Mitch Albom's take.

New Digs

2005-10-06T14:25:00.000-04:00

New House In Hopewell
Originally uploaded by seinspahr.

As of November 1st, I will no longer be a resident of Plainsboro, NJ. Alas, I will be returning to Mercer County to my new town, Hopewell. Check out the house, cool, huh? My roommate and I shall occupy the second floor and attic. It will no doubt rule, as I have a bar, bakery, pizza joint, liquor store, convenience store, and Hungarian restaurant all within walking distance. And a Lotus dealership....rich people...ughh.

Alabama #1 In Golf Ranking

2005-10-06T14:12:00.000-04:00

Heart Of Dixie / Number One In Public Golf
Originally uploaded by seinspahr.

The state I live in now, New Jersey, may have the Golf Hall Of Fame. And Michigan, my previous state, has the most number of golf courses per capita of any state. But my beloved Alabama has scored highest in the USA for public golf from Golf Digest. In particular, the Auburn/Opelika area of southeastern Alabama has been singled out in this article about the region....

Golf Digest decided nowhere in the United States was better for a long golfing weekend than Auburn-Opelika, which is better known for college football than doglegs. The magazine ranked cities on the basis of the number of courses available to the public; weather; and the quality of courses.

Local boosters are trying to make the most of their golf courses, which they view as a nice complement to the area's other big draw, Auburn University.

Damn straight, and you got War Eagle next door. I gotta get down here for some golf before too long. After all, the average high temperature is in the 60s in December. Hell yeah.

Drop The Puck!

2005-10-04T21:41:00.000-04:00

Let's Get The Cup!!!!
Originally uploaded by seinspahr.

Alright, tomorrow the NHL finally plays a regular season game. After getting last year cancelled due to the infamous labor dispute, it seemed like this day would never arrive. But tomorrow, the NHL plays an unprecedented 15 games, with Detroit taking on St. Louis. I have high hopes for Detroit, we'll see if they can avoid the injury bug. This is gonna be great!!!! DROP THE PUCK!!!!!!!

NHL celebrates opening night with historic 15-game slate

Lo! Michigan Beats Michigan State

2005-10-02T12:58:00.000-04:00

Your School Sucks Too
Originally uploaded by seinspahr.

Well, Michigan may have stunk in September but they started October in style, by beating the Spartans of Michigan's OTHER public school, Michigan State.

It didn’t matter that Michigan State had the better record, the national ranking, the more potent offense.

The end result remained the same. Michigan was the better team.

Michigan beat Michigan State for the fourth consecutive year and recorded a second-consecutive overtime victory over the Spartans. U-M kicker Garrett Rivas booted a 35-yard field goal in overtime to give the Wolverines a 34-31 win at Spartan Stadium.

It was tailback Mike Hart, however, who provided that extra something the Wolverines were lacking in their previous two losses. Hart, who missed two full games and much of the Notre Dame loss with a hamstring injury, rushed for 218 yards on 36 carries to power Michigan’s offense.

“I’m very proud of our football team,” U-M coach Lloyd Carr said, choking up. “We’ve been the most unlucky football team I’ve ever been around from an injury standpoint, and I think our coaches did a great job. The leaders have done a great job keeping this football team together.

Damn straight. Let's keep it going. A Big Ten Title and BCS berth are in sight.

Bushwhacked

2005-09-30T12:26:00.000-04:00

Life Was A Lot Easier Snorting All That Blow WIth Daddy's CIA Money
Originally uploaded by seinspahr.

What a track record....

1. Dubya is dubiously elected via conservative Supreme Court who stopped a recount process that showed Al Gore won Florida.

2. Under Dubya, economy tanks, massive exodus of jobs follow.

3. Bush ignores warnings of imminent terrorist threats from Bin Laden, 9/11 happens.

4. Dubya tries to hunt down Bin Laden in Afghanistan, fails, decides to invade Iraq as a smokescreen to avenge Daddy's failure in 1991. Despite harvesting the vast majority of terrorists involved in 9/11 plot, Bush ignores Saudi Arabia (cause we need their oil and stuff and are friends of the family).

5. Bush swears Saddam has WMDs. He doesn't. Colin Powell takes it like a man. Bush doesn't. Changes rationale; all of sudden, Saddam is evil and must be stopped so the Iraq people can be free. Bush ignores dictators around the globe who pose much bigger threats to us. Mission Accomplised indeed.

6. Dick Cheney and Halliburton prosper financially because of this. More troops continue to die in a war fought on a false premise. Economy continues to tank.

7. Tom Delay.

8. Bill Frist.

9. Mike Brown.

10. In 2003, Joe Wilson, a former U.S. ambassador to Iraq, questions Bush administration. Not a good idea. Dick Cheney's chief of staff, Scooter Libby leaks Wilson wife's name in retaliation. Oh yeah, she's a CIA operative. Nice one, you showed him. Robert Novak all too happy to cooperate.

What's next? Man, and the GOP wanted to hang Clinton from the nearest tree because of all that prosperity, surplus, and cause he got a blowjob and didn't want his wife to know. Hmmmm.....funny thing about self righteousness; it's a two way street.

Apparently, I Know Very Little

2005-09-28T15:10:00.000-04:00

After three weeks of picking the NFL games this season, I am not doing so hot. Week 1: 7-9. Week 2: 6-10. Ouch. However, last week I rebounded with an 11-3 record (mental note: Miami is for real, Arizona and the NY Jets are a joke). At 24-22, I can still salvage a decent September "procnostication."

Here are my picks a little early, but hey as McCartney sings, "I've Got A Feeling."

Buffalo over New Orleans
New England over San Diego
Jacksonville over Denver
Cincinnati over Houston
Seattle over Washington
Tennessee over Indianapolis
Tampa Bay over Detroit (D'OH!)
St. Louis over NY Giants
Baltimore over NY Jets
Oakland over Dallas
Minnesota over Atlanta
Kansas City over Philadelphia
Arizona over San Francisco
Carolina over Green Bay

Science vs. Stupidity

2005-09-28T15:00:00.000-04:00

Sadly, sometimes superstition and stupidity win. However, it's nice to see that some are fighting back such as the lawsuit against intelligent design being taught in science classrooms in the Dover School District in Pennsylvania.

Robert T. Pennock, a professor of science and philosophy at Michigan State University, testified on behalf of families who sued the Dover Area School District. He said supporters of intelligent design don't offer evidence to support their idea.

"As scientists go about their business, they follow a method," Pennock said. "Intelligent design wants to reject that and so it doesn't really fall within the purview of science."

Pennock said intelligent design does not belong in a science class, but added that it could possibly be addressed in other types of courses.

In October 2004, the Dover school board voted 6-3 to require teachers to read a brief statement about intelligent design to students before classes on evolution. The statement says Darwin's theory is "not a fact" and has inexplicable "gaps," and refers students to an intelligent-design textbook for more information.

Thank you, Professor Pennock for defending reason and intelligence. The idea of intelligent design has more in common with fairy tales than it does biology.

Slow Ride

2005-09-24T00:00:00.000-04:00

At last, Mouth Of Wilson will take its first road trip...to Baltimore for a show at the Street Beat Festival on Sunday, featuring headliner Foghat. Yes, that Foghat. It should be fun, partying with the guys tomorrow night and the show on Sunday. Thanks to anyone reading this who plans to attend, we appreciate it.

Rita

2005-09-23T23:48:00.000-04:00

Well, as if Katrina wasn't bad enough, killing over 1,000 people and seriously fucking up some of my favorites parts of the country (New Orleans, coastal Missisippi, and my native Alabama's beaches including Dauphin Island, the site of many a childhood memory), now we have Rita. This storm, currently a Category 3, is headed straight for Beaumont, Texas, my father's hometown. Granted, my family and friends are all safe, but I am a bit depressed that these storms have and will wreak havoc on places very special to my immediate family. Let's hope for the best.

All About Steve

2005-09-21T23:21:00.000-04:00

Class Embodied
Originally uploaded by seinspahr.

As any of my friends, especially those who follow hockey, know, Steve Yzerman is not just my favorite hockey player as captain for 22 years of the Detroit Red Wings, he's my all time favorite athlete (ahead of Barry Sanders and Pete Sampras). After taking a puck to the eye in the 2004 playoffs and with the lockout fiasco, I wondered if, after accomplishing so much, Steve would return to my beloved Red Wings. ESPN's Scott Burnside has written an interesting piece on that very subject.

Having won three Stanley Cups and a playoff MVP award since 1997, Yzerman is the most prominent athlete in one of the best sports cities in North America. Apart perhaps from the incomparable Gordie Howe, Yzerman is his team's most important player ever.

"He's right up there with Gordie Howe," Detroit GM Ken Holland said. "Anything I add to that is going to diminish it.

"He came here and he really had to rebuild the franchise. He's a slam-dunk Hall of Famer, and he's going to be one of the best players of his era."

And still he is here at age 40, slogging through his 22nd NHL training camp. He is here with nothing left to prove, nothing left to accomplish, beyond feeding that powerful need to compete, and the equally powerful desire to be wanted, to be needed, to believe he can make a difference once more.

That's my dog.

Yzerman has had the rare ability to assess himself and his role in the game without sentiment. He has gone from a player who recorded seven straight seasons of 100 points or more, to a player who learned to lead a team by blocking shots and killing penalties.

When he sat down with Devellano and Holland, Yzerman told them he imagined himself playing 12 to 15 minutes a night, likely on a checking line, maybe logging some power-play time.

"He's got his head on straight. He reads himself properly," Devellano said.

At the start of the 2003-04 season, it was expected Yzerman would play 60-65 games but, said Holland, "that plan went down the tubes the first week of the season."

Yzerman played in 75 contests and was the fifth-leading scorer on a team that won the Presidents' Trophy for the second time in the past three seasons.

"He does so many different things for us," Holland said.

If Yzerman can replicate that kind of production and durability this season, "We'd be thrilled," Holland said.

"He may not put the numbers up that he used to, but he brings a lot more to the table, in the dressing room and the bench and even the composure he has on the ice," said teammate Kirk Maltby, who's been in Detroit since March of 1996 and is also a three-time Cup winner.

Yzerman is a rare type of athlete who leads by example and never asks his fellow teammates to do what will not. There are countless examples of this I'll choose not to bore you with, but since I became a Red Wings fan in 1990, I've seen Steve Yzerman do more for a team than any other hockey player I've witnessed. I hope he can rub some of that leadership ability onto other players, although expecting the Red Wings to ever have a player with as much skill, drive, dedication, intelligence, and class again is foolish. I'm going to cherish however long Stevie Y decides to play because I doubt I'll see the likes of him again.

Most Horrifying Sports Injuries

2005-09-21T15:49:00.000-04:00

Sweet Jesus
Originally uploaded by seinspahr.

Thanks to my bud Mike, who sent me cnnsi.com's The 10 Spot, which this week details the Top Ten most gruesome sports injuries. My number 1, a slight favorite over Joe Theismann's leg shatter, is Buffalo Sabres goalie Clint Malarchuk getting his jugular sliced open by a skate in 1989....

The Sabres goalie had his neck slashed in a freak incident when Blues forward Steve Tuttle slid into him skates-first. Malarchuk's blood gushed in an arc and created a pool on the ice, causing nine fans to faint and two to suffer heart attacks. Sabres trainer Jim Pizzutelli, however, was able to stanch the bleeding by applying pressure to the six-inch wound and doctors sewed the vein back together. Amazingly, Malarchuk was back on the ice a few weeks later.

My God, that had to suck. Of course, leave to a hockey player to return weeks later. Take that, Curt "oh waaahhh, my ankle is bleeding, cry for me" Schilling.

NFL Picks / Week 2

2005-09-18T11:32:00.000-04:00

My God. Hey, at least the Detroit Lions won....otherwise, Week One was a disaster for me, coming in at 7-9.

This week I will do better..OH YES...I will do better....

Steelers over Texans
Ravens over Titans
Buccaneers over Bills
Eagles over 49ers
Colts over Jaguars
Vikings over Bengals
Lions over Bears
Panthers over Patriots
Falcons over Seahawks
Arizona over St. Louis
Jets over Dolphins
Packers over Browns
Chargers over Broncos
Chiefs over Raiders
Saints over Giants
Cowboys over Redskins

A Joke At North Dakota's Expense

2005-09-16T14:12:00.000-04:00

North Dakota's New State Quarter
Originally uploaded by seinspahr.

I recently received an email with funny fake state quarters, I thought I'd post one here.

Mouth Of Wilson Fall Tour Dates

2005-09-16T10:49:00.000-04:00

Hey Ya'll-

Tonight, Mouth Of Wilson will be taking the stage at Finnegan's in Hightstown, NJ. The show starts at 10, we are the last band of the night (two openers will also play for you while you get nice and loaded). It's been a while since we've played out, so this is going to be fun.

FALL DATES (more to follow as we get them)

09/16/05 FINNEGAN'S / Hightstown, NJ / 10pm
09/25/05 STREET BEAT FESTIVAL / Baltimore, MD / 12pm
09/29/05 GRAPE STREET / Philadelphia, PA / 9pm
10/06/05 WHISKEY DIX / Philadelphia, PA / 9pm
10/09/05 KAT MAN DU Hurricane Katrina Benefit / Trenton, NJ / TBA
10/14/05 JOHN & PETER'S / New Hope, PA / TBA
11/12/05 TRIUMPH NEW HOPE / New Hope, PA / TBA

80s Movies Miscellany

2005-09-14T23:59:00.000-04:00

Doing some blog surfing, I found these two posts about teen movies from the 80s...check them out, they're really funny and for me, nostalgic.

Top 5 worst best friends from 80's teen movies...

80's Teen Movie Parties: a Tribute

Both posts fail to mention the unmistakeable 80s movie dance, you know, the one from the Dancing In The Dark video....ha ha ha.

Another Classic From The Onion

2005-09-14T11:16:00.000-04:00

Report: More Kids Being Home-Churched

My favorite sections:

"I couldn't believe that the liberal elite had infiltrated even the study of our Holy Scriptures," Tucker said. "It was bad enough that my youngsters were being taught evolution in public schools, but when I discovered they were learning to embrace foreigners and Big Government in Sunday school, I drew the line."

and

"When I open the Good Book and begin to preach, my kids associate all the things they learn about—the floods, the plagues, the impalings, the threat of eternal hellfire—with their daddy," Tucker said.

and finally

"My kids don't have to understand everything in the Bible—I don't claim to," Beebe said. "But it ain't my place to question God's will. As long as my Caleb grows up understanding pestilence, sin, massacres, and to eternally fear the wrath of our Lord—and not this warm and fuzzy 'universal brotherhood' crap—then I've done right by Jesus."

The Evangelical Christian gives any Islamic Radical a run for their money. One kills "infidels", the other "abortionists." Ahh, the sweet smell of self-righteousness....one negative....they base the "report" in my hometown, Birmingham. Oh well, can't win 'em all.

Lions Thump Packers

2005-09-12T14:26:00.000-04:00

Sweet.......
Originally uploaded by seinspahr.

After Michigan's humiliating loss to Notre Dame on Saturday, I was hoping Detroit would have a good showing in its first game vs. Green Bay. However, the dominating 17-3 victory yesterday was especially sweet as Detroit opened their second straight season with a win, this time against one of their biggest rivals. Harrington looked calm and collected and executed the offense well, and Detroit's defense, with the help from some turnovers, held Favre's Packers to a field goal. I am optimistic that Detroit will be a much tougher team this year, one that other teams think twice about. Go Lions!

Karma Police....Arrest This Man

2005-09-12T11:03:00.000-04:00

Where's 9/11 when you need it?
Originally uploaded by seinspahr.

Perhaps finally, Bush's absolutely horrible efforts as Commander In Chief will come back to haunt him...this picture is great, it says more about Dubya than it does Katrina. As we try to clean up this current mess, Bush's ratings continue to plummet...worst two term president...ever. Well, there was Grant...We need to impeach this fucker before the damage is irreversible.

Not Again

2005-09-11T14:08:00.000-04:00

For the second straight year, Notre Dame has upset Michigan in early September, this time, a lethargic 17-10 game at the Big House. What the fuck. Goodbye national title. I knew Michigan's defense was suspect, but I figured that offense would have more than 3 points into the 4th quarter. God damn it, I hate the Irish. Alas, the Detorit Lions play today, a win over Green Bay would be nice.

NFL Week One Picks

2005-09-08T15:07:00.000-04:00

As I've done, this year I will be picking every NFL game to see how well I can pretend like I know what I'm talking about...here are my picks for Week One:

New England over Oakland
Washington over Chicago
Cincinnati over Cleveland
Denver over Miami
Buffalo over Houston
Carolina over New Orleans
Kansas City over NY Jets
Jacksonville over Seattle
Minnesota over Tampa Bay
Tennessee over Pittsburgh
Arizona over NY Giants
San Diego over Dallas
Detroit over Green Bay
St. Louis over San Francisco
Baltimore over Indianapolis
Philadelphia over Atlanta

2005 NFL Season Predictions

2005-09-07T13:27:00.000-04:00

11lions1010
Originally uploaded by seinspahr.

Well, it's time for your fearless prognosticator to make his picks for the 2005 season. And guess what? I think Detroit is going to make the postseason! How bout that? Joey Harrington is going to finally have the weapons and the offensive line to make more use of his talents as the Lions will go 9-7 to grab a Wildcard berth in the playoffs.

My 2005 Season predictions:

NFC East: Philadelphia Eagles
NFC North: Minnesota Vikings
NFC South: Carolina Panthers
NFC West: Arizona Cardinals
NFC Wildcard1: St. Louis Rams
NFC Wildcard2: Detroit Lions

AFC East: New England Patriots
AFC North: Baltimore Ravens
AFC South: Indianapolis Colts
AFC West: San Diego Chargers
NFC Wildcard1: Pittsburgh Steelers
NFC Wildcard2: Kansas City Chiefs

NFC Championship: Minnesota over Philadelphia
AFC Championship: Indianapolis over New England

SUPER BOWL XL in 8 Mile: Indianapolis over Minnesota

2005 CHAMPION: INDIANAPOLIS COLTS
SUPER BOWL MVP: PEYTON MANNING

Laying Blame

2005-09-06T16:28:00.000-04:00

His Excremency
Originally uploaded by seinspahr.

I just read an interesting blog entry from Tony Pierce's Busblog, I thought I'd share it:

people wanna lay blame regarding this disaster and others are nervous about it, and i think i know why some arent sure about getting into it.

because at some point the blame is going to be directed at those who really deserve it.

ourselves.

its not really Bush's fault, entirely, that he didnt feel it necessary to go to new orleans earlier, or stay longer, or get more done while he was there. sure hes a dipshit, but he's been supported by a majority of the american public for the last five years with nary a bullshit yelled from the crowd.

abu ghraib happened, you let it slide. no wmds were found, you let it go. obl is flipping through his tivo - youre all, no big deal. theres a reporter Still in jail over RoveGate and you've totally forgotten it.

gas is over $3, youre like, thats not bush's fault. theres a civil war happening in iraq right now, but you'll swear thats not george's fault. reporters are paid off by the white house, and a gay hooker is discovered getting a day pass into the west wing for a year and youre all whatev.

so yes, many of you have enabled this bush behavoir of incompentence.

which means, i hate to say it, America, that destruction, that death, that misery, that bullshit that went down in New Orleans, thats not just Brownie's fault, FEMAs fault, the dipshits at the Department of Homeland Securty's fault

its youre fault.

you voted for Bush.

twice!

Bush was the one who sent our troops AND our national guardsmen to Iraq for a war based on lies and phantom wmds.

Bush was the one who slashed the budgets of the levee funding and the flood control funding so the rich could retain their tax cuts and so the war in iraq could continue.

Bush was the one who undid Clinton's plan of having FEMA be a cabinet level department. Bush demoted it so it could fit underneath the DHS.

Bush invented the DHS and sold it to us under the terms that in times of crisis there would be Less red tape so that if there was a terror attack or a disaster the DHS could oversee and manage all the aspects of saving lives and protecting the citizens.

in fact we gave up huge chunks of personal liberties so that the DHS could better serve us. ask those getting searched in subways. ask those taking off their shoes at airports.

sadly this storm has shown us that we are not safer or being any better served.

yes its Bush's fault, in part, but Bush wouldnt have ever had a chance to hire Brownie, or demote FEMA, or create the DHS, or invade Iraq, or still be in Iraq if the majority of US voters hadnt voted for this genius.

if you have a Bush/Cheeney sticker on your SUV, the blood of New Orleans is on your hands.

straight up.

go ahead and try to blame the mayor of new orleans. go ahead and keep showing us those school busses in that flooded parking lot and you try and pretend that that one lot could have solved all the problems of the broken levee.

go ahead and try to pretend that those school busses were the reason for the panic and chaos and dumbfuckery and mahem and rape and murder and cops quitting on the job and help not arriving for nearly a week.

i'll meet you half way right now and say, fine, fire the mayor. will you say fire the president?

the first term of the Bush administration was one of the biggest jokes of all time. the economy tanked in that he took the biggest surplus ever and dumbfucked it into the biggest deficit ever. he took the biggest outpouring of international support after 9/11 and turned it into worldwide hatred after we invaded iraq. and he refused to persue the real terrorist center, saudi arabia, home of 15 of the 19 terrorists involved in 9/11 and osama bin ladin, who was still on the loose. and to cap off that spectacular run, he took part in a video where he jokingly looked for wmds under a couch in the white house.

he ran against a 20yr senator who was a decorated war hero who swore to be fiscially responsible, enviornmentally concious, and true to the ideal of the seperation of church and state.

but you, america, voted to give your dumbass a second shot at cowboy quartback.

mostly because he promised to keep gay people from being married.

as a matter of fact, you came out in droves to make sure that gay people wouldnt be allowed to be married.

do you have the courage to admit that we dont have a leader, and youre to blame?

or will you continue to pass the buck and point elsewhere.

just like the mayor of new orleans, you didnt prepare properly for disaster, you didnt make the right call, and your representative has continued to drop the ball just like he fumbled for the last five years.

this president has often been criticized as not being able to admit when he's wrong. even during the debates he was asked to talk about any mistake that he had made during his first term and he couldnt do it.

are you, america, ready to admit you made a mistake, or will you continue to mimic your boy and pretend that youre blameless - that its not your fault or his fault, its the fault of the person he hired.

you hired the president and he hired everyone on his team pre 9/11. nobody was fired post 9/11. and then you didnt fire him.

you rehired the president and he hired everyone on his team pre katrina

just like post 9/11 there should have been wholesale terminations, starting at the top, begining with those who got the PDB titled "bin laden determined to strike in the us" who then ignored it.

therefore post katrina there should be wholesale terminations, starting at the top, begining with those who knew of the likihood of this devistation in the wake of the hurricane, including those who refused to take charge of the multi-state national disaster, including those who let school busses get parked in unusable lots

and including those who played his lyre and ate cake as a goodly portion of his nation drowned.

katrina is simply just one more notch on the bush bedpost of failure

how many more will you allow until you

yes, you,

stop it.

you are not powerless on a roof unable to make change

you are the people of the united states of america

the greatest country in the world

you deserve better.

but before you will get it, you need to do what your president refuses to do

you need to start firing people.

and you know where you need to start.

Mission Accomplished

2005-09-01T14:09:00.000-04:00

The general stupidity of some people will never cease to amaze me.

Woman torches house trying to kill spiders

I guess they met their match. Ugh, sorry.

God Must REALLY Hate Mississippi, Then

2005-09-01T13:58:00.000-04:00

A fine quote from the 43rd President Of The United States:

"We dodged a bullet today. It was no doubt the result of millions of Americans praying and the mercy of God Almighty and the Lord Jesus Christ that pushed this catastrophic storm eastward of New Orleans. Never Doubt the power of prayer or the resolve of Americans to get back to business."
- President Bush to a group of senior citizens
August 29, 2005

Just a thought, but if God could be swayed by prayer, was it just sheer numbers that allowed Katrina to miss New Orleans dead on and instead level entire communities such as Waveland, MS? Perhaps. I blame the people of New Orleans for not praying hard enough because then maybe the storm never would have happened in the first place. You know, the Jews in World War II, victims of the Rwandan genocide, and kids with cancer could have learned a lot from the power of prayer of the folks of New Orleans. Man, our President is stupid. That's just insulting.

Full Blown AIDS....

2005-08-31T17:04:00.000-04:00

Well, I knew it was only a matter of time before the show Family Guy pissed off some advocacy groups. This time, it was from the hilarious "You Have AIDS" song as sung by Peter Griffin and a barbershop quartet, as a fantasy brought on by the notion that Peter was good at breaking bad news to people. Again, I thought it was great, but these people didn't get it. Alas.

Walking On Rooftops

2005-08-30T11:27:00.000-04:00

Alright, I apologize for the title, but bear with me. You see, normally when I drive to work I listen to CDs, but today, as I was switching discs (Stevie Wonder to The White Album, should you care), I caught a snippet of the radio. Normally, I can't listen to NJ 101.5 which is mostly talk radio, but it was still my current station as I was last using my FM dial to procure a current traffic report. Here's the rub, and I don't think anyone caught this: the song playing? You guessed it, Walking On Sunshine, by none other than Katrina and the Waves. Given the wanton distruction that people are facing in the wake of Hurricane Katrina, I found the song choice a bit odd. It'd be like hearing Jet Airliner by Steve Miller Band after 9-11-01. Oh well, I wonder how many people caught the ill-suited irony.

Lion State

2005-08-30T11:21:00.000-04:00

De Ja Vu
Originally uploaded by seinspahr.

Last night, I was psyched. A night off. My favorite NFL team, the Detroit Lions, playing on MNF (albeit preseason) against a hearty opponent in St. Louis, ready to put Mike Williams, Roy Williams, Charles Rogers, Kevin Jones, Marcus Pollard, and QB Joey Harrington to work with expectations for a successful 2005 a realistic goal. They even had Barry Sanders out in force to do the opening bit. Good feelings abound. Right? Wrong. Signal "wah wah" trumpets as Detroit stunk up Ford Field in a 37-13 loss that was a sight all too familiar over the course of the past 5 seasons. Fuck. 0-3 in the preseason and everyone sucked ass. Except for steady Jason Hanson, my man. It was an embarrassment and stings a bit, as the Lions get to remain a joke to a national audience.

"No excuses for a game like this," Lions coach Steve Mariucci said. "I thought our team was very high, fired up, ready to go, fresh and ready to go for a game like this. And then it just didn't happen on the field."

The offense, so promising with all that talent? The first string still hasn't scored an exhibition touchdown. The starters played into the third quarter and produced only two field goals. They had a TD called back because of a penalty.

The defense, with all that added depth? It continued to look soft. Missing defensive end James Hall, linebacker Teddy Lehman and defensive tackle Shaun Rogers because of injuries, the starters allowed touchdown drives of 78, 90 and 69 yards in the first half.

Mariucci said it was "alarming."

"I was disappointed that it didn't come together," he said. "That's what we have to make this team do, come together as a unit. ... If you're going to win the division, it's got to come together -- and quickly. And it hasn't yet."

Yeah, no shit.

"We have lots of stuff to correct," Harrington said. "It's not beyond our ability to get this fixed. It's frustrating, but I'm not worried. We're going to score points. We have plenty of talent."

Hey Joey, it might be Jeff Garcia running the offense. Of course, the sting will pass, it's one I know well, and my optimism remains high as my teams looks to improve and maybe contend for a wildcard berth. But all that is moot if they play like that. Jesus.

A Message by George Carlin

2005-08-29T14:14:00.000-04:00

McMansions On The Hill...Anyone Home???
Originally uploaded by seinspahr.

My roommate just sent me this and thought I'd share....

Comedian George Carlin's wife recently passed away. The gross and mouthy icon of the 70's and 80's has written something very eloquent...and so very
appropriate for these times.

A Message by George Carlin:

The paradox of our time in history is that we have taller buildings but shorter tempers, wider freeways, but narrower viewpoints. We spend more, but have less; we buy more, but enjoy less.
We have bigger houses and smaller families, more conveniences, but less time. We have more degrees but less sense, more knowledge, but less judgment, more experts, yet more problems, more medicine, but less wellness. We drink too much, smoke too much, spend too recklessly, laugh too little, drive too fast, get too angry, stay up too late, get up too tired, read
too little, watch TV too much, and pray too seldom.

We have multiplied our possessions, but reduced our values. We talk too much, love too seldom, and hate too often.
We've learned how to make a living, but not a life. We've added years to life, not life to years. We've been all the way to the moon and back, but have trouble crossing the street to meet a new neighbor. We conquered outer space but not inner space.

We've done larger things, but not better things. We've cleaned up the air, but polluted the soul. We've conquered the atom, but not our prejudice. We write more, but learn less. We plan more, but accomplish less. We've learned to rush, but not to wait. We build more computers to hold more information, to produce more copies than ever, but we communicate less and less.

These are the times of fast foods and slow digestion, big men and small character, steep profits and shallow relationships. These are the days of two incomes but more divorce, fancier houses, but broken homes. These are days of quick trips, disposable diapers, throwaway morality, one night stands, overweight bodies, and pills that do everything from cheer, to quiet, to kill...

It is a time when there is much in the showroom window and nothing in the stockroom. A time when technology can bring this letter to you, and a time when you can choose either to share this
insight, or to just hit delete.

Remember, spend some time with your loved ones, because they are not going to be around forever. Remember, say a kind word to your little children who look up to you, because they will soon grow up and leave your side. Remember, to give a warm hug to the one next to you, because that is the only treasure you can give with your heart and it doesn't cost a cent. Remember, to say, "I love you" to your partner and your loved ones, but most of all "mean it". A kiss and an embrace will mend hurt when it comes from deep inside of you. Remember to hold hands and cherish the moment for someday that person will not be there again. Give time to love, give time to speak, and give time to share the precious thoughts in your mind.

AND ALWAYS REMEMBER:

Life is not measured by the number of breaths we take, but by the moments that take our breath away.

GEORGE CARLIN

In Atlantic City....

2005-08-28T23:59:00.000-04:00

So, I took a day trip to Atlantic City today with my buds Mike and Adam (from Tampa) and it was pretty cool. I'm not normally the type to go to A.C. (as the kids are calling it), but I had a good time. I gambled all of two minutes and won $60, so that pretty much paid for the trip. An unexpected bonus of the day was the fact that not a single homeless or crazy person accosted me for crack, cigarettes, money, or gfkhdkhdkhfd (cough).

The rest of the time, I proceeded to get nice and toasty at a bar on the beach across from Caesar's Palace with loyal Sick Day reader Mike. All in all, it was good way to spend a Sunday as the last yawns of summer slowly sink into the weary horizon (wow, I'm like, poetic and stuff). Another busy week in the studio awaits as we attempt to get as much done as possible before our practice schedule and live shows pick up steam. Life is pretty good, no?

Happy Birthday!!!

2005-08-28T23:18:00.000-04:00

Happy Birthday to Mouth Of Wilson bassist Tom Barnett, who turns 28 today. Not only is he a great musician to have on our team, he routinely saves lives (and grotty basements) as a West Trenton Fireman. Cheers mate, and many more!

PS - Check out his online store for all the hot deals on some neat stuff, or something.

H-I-T-L-E-R

2005-08-26T12:38:00.000-04:00

Man, this is funny, apparently Adolf Hitler is back but is now a rapper. Check out this comedy troupe's other stuff here.

Guuyyys....we NEED....reFORM!!!!!

2005-08-26T09:45:00.000-04:00

Holy shit. Christopher Walken is running for President of the United States in 2008. Can you imagine if he gets enough support to join debates? I don't think I'd ever laugh at anything so hard.

Actor Christopher Walken to run as Candidate in 2008 Presidential Race
For Immediate Release

New York - Early today, actor Christopher Walken, 62, held a private conference at the Waldorf Astoria Hotel in New York in which he announced his intentions to run for the Presidency of the United States in the 2008 Election.

Said the Queens native, “I have always been a follower of politics. My father was friends with the mayor of Schodack (NY) back in the 1940’s. We would walk the streets of Schodack and the people, they would wave to him. The children adored him. That is what I love to be, a man of respect and love.”

From a statement by Walken's agent, Toni Howard: “Mr. Walken has greatly admired the celebrities who have entered politics and he wants to be able to give a good name and reputation to the acting community as well as the political community. As for going national with this news we have not made any plans for the immediate future."

Because Mr. Walken is currently contracted for more than one film production, the Walken campaign manager Michael Hansee admitted that there would be relatively minimal publicity at this early stage. "[Mr. Walken] has a full plate right now, acting in a number of different films, and can't start any personal campaign work until these obligations are fulfilled," he commented. "We're looking to spread the word and build a little support base with our website, in preparation for a full campaign in early 2007."

The campaign website is patriotic-themed, with the tag-line "To Get America Back on Track." Hansee stated that the campaign is hoping to drum up early support through their online presence, much like Howard Dean did in the 2004 race.

Let's pray he goes through with this, I mean, can you imagine?

Broken Flowers: Go See This Film

2005-08-24T17:02:00.000-04:00

I'm A Stalker With A Taurus
Originally uploaded by seinspahr.

I saw an excellent film last weekend, Broken Flowers, and it has been rooting around in my subconscious for days now. Certainly, this is one of the best films I've seen so far this year, and has stuck with me long enough to make owning it a must. Directed by Jim Jarmusch (Dead Man, Ghost Dog) and starring Bill Murray, the film is one of the most intelligent takes on dealing with the past and the multi-layered emotions of regret. Murray is once again a genius, a performance that along with Rushmore, Royal Tenenbaums, Lost In Translation and Life Aquatic, has reinvented his career as a dramatic and understated comedic master. You can watch the trailer for the film here.

The gist of the film is that Murray's character, Don Johnston, has spent most of life in disaffected, cold and untimately failed relationships and the film opens as his current girlfriend, played by Julie Delpy, leaves him. This is a man who is utterly lost and separated from the world around him. His neighbor and only discernable friend, the hilarious Winston, implores him to explore the mystery surrounding an anonymous letter in a pink envelope he receives stating he has a 19 year old son from a former girlfriend and that he may be on a trip to find him. Don sheepishly agrees to follow a detailed itinerary Winston assembles for him visting his 4 old girlfriends (1 is deceased) that could be the mother of his mystery child.

The best part of the film is the amazing performances of the women in the film, Sharon Stone, Frances Conroy, Jessica Lange, CHloe Sevigny, and Tilda Swinton. Little is expressly told about their relationships with Don, but the subtleties of the scenes and their reactions to him tell so much about what kind of man Don was and who these women have become; I think it is important that all four women are so different, it's clear Murray has spent his life unsure of what he wants.

Don visits all four women and the grave of the fifth, and returns home without answers but was obviously moved by his regret over his past. He spots a young man at the airport and later runs into him at a restaurant near his home, and is obviously excited that this boy might be his son. The film finishes without directly answering the big question, but suggests that Don has learned much about his life and the choices he's made; it's clear to me that he wants to have and know the son. Murray is brilliant throughout and can say more with his face than with his words. Simply, this is an excellent film that I recommend anyone see, a story about finding one's self, facing demons and failed pasts, and moving past regret into the future.

P.S. - My theory is that the letter is a fake, from Julie Delpy's character (she's wearing all pink as she leaves and twice puts the letter on top of the pile). In her brief scene, it's apparent she loves Don, but wants him to figure out his wants and needs if she is to stay with him. The letter can be seen as a way to help him figure out his life and if he wants a family, if this is the case, it most certainly worked. I wouldn't be surprised is this is my favorite film of the year.

Twin Freaks

2005-08-24T14:59:00.000-04:00

Come Along With Me To My Darkroom....
Originally uploaded by seinspahr.

As it turns out, Paul McCartney has collaborated with DJ Freelance Hellraiser, who opened for Paul's last European Tour, on a project called Twin Freaks, available only on double vinyl and for download. It takes songs and snippets of Paul's solo career and churns out some pretty crazy remixes and dance tracks. It's like, far out, man. Gotta dig the cover, which Paul painted himself. It's cool because the project shines some new light on tracks that freaks like me know but for most are unfamiliar. I urge you to check it out.

The Fab Two

2005-08-24T09:31:00.000-04:00

I just came across this article suggesting that the Beatles may release another song, similar to Real Love and Free As A Bird, based on old recordings of John Lennon. This song, I Don't Want To Lose You, began to receive the same treatment when the other two songs were done with Jeff Lynne for the Beatles Anthology project in 1994, but never was finished.

It was left incomplete, but McCartney has said that might change. "When we did 'Free as a Bird' and "Real Love,' " McCartney said in a 2002 MSN Internet chat, "there was another track under consideration for us to work on but we didn't get around to it, so I wonder if there will be a chance in the future. I wouldn't mind doing it."

In fact, though, he, Harrison and Starr did "get around" to the song. It was worked on, according to one report, in 1994 and 1995 at McCartney's Mill Studio in Sussex.

Producer Lynne recalls it differently: "It was one day -- one afternoon, really -- messing with it," he said in the only comments he has made about the song, to this writer in 1995. "The song had a chorus but is almost totally lacking in verses. We did the backing track . . . a rough go that we didn't really finish.

"It was sort of a bluesy sort of ballad, I suppose, in A minor. It was a very sweet song; I liked it a lot, and I wish we could have finished it."

Added longtime Beatles engineer Geoff Emerick, who also worked on the sessions, in a 1997 interview with this writer: "It would be nice to get it finished. Paul's up for it. . . . The chorus is great . . . it would make a great record."

Well, we'll see, the other two turned out extrememly well, although I believe the highlight of the first two, besides hearing John sing with everyone else, was George's gorgeous guitar work. That will be noticeable absent this time around, should it even happen. After all, Yoko has to sign off on it.

Yoko Ono, who in 1994 chose the song, as well as "Bird" and "Real Love," for the remaining group members to turn into full-fledged Beatles tunes, says she does not oppose having it finished today.

"I sent those songs to them when the situation was quite different," she said from her home in New York. "Now that George is gone, I don't know if the same would apply. I will consider the possibility, that is, when I get the call."

Perhaps they should just let this one go. Of course, upon its release it would automatically sell like a kazillion copies, or something. Me, I'm looking forward to Paul's new solo record.

Mouth Of Wilson Fall Tour Dates

2005-08-23T16:48:00.000-04:00

They're Back!!!!
Originally uploaded by seinspahr.

Hey peoples, I gots some tour dates for that ass hot off the press. I haven't included any October NYC shows as we don't have dates confirmed yet, but as soon as I know, so will you...notice a trip to Baltimore??...coolness.

MOW Live:

FRI / SEP 16 / FINNIGANS / Hightstown, NJ
SUN / SEP 25 / STREETBEAT FESTIVAL / Baltimore, MD
THU / SEP 29 / GRAPE STREET PUB / Phila, PA
THU / OCT 06 / WHISKEY DIX / Phila, PA
FRI / OCT 14 / JOHN & PETER'S / New Hope, PA
SAT / NOV 12 / TRIUMPH BREWERY / New Hope, PA

Details to follow and as more dates become available. See you soon, mark your calendar.

What Would Jesus Do?

2005-08-23T12:01:00.000-04:00

Pat Robertson might want to think about such things before he goes and says, oh I don't know, we should kill the President of Venezuela. I love these evangelical Christians, it's better than any sitcom I can ever come up with, Rejoice!

Intelligent Falling

2005-08-21T17:47:00.000-04:00

Thanks to MgMystic for finding this:

Man, I love The Onion, they always seem to hit the nail on the head. Here's a great one that lampoons intelligent design and fanatic Christians. I love it:

Evangelical Scientists Refute Gravity With New "Intelligent Falling" Theory

Ha ha ha.

R.I.P.

2005-08-21T17:30:00.000-04:00

Tonight, my favorite television show, Six Feet Under, unveils its swan song as the show ends after 5 seasons. Personally, I think it will be tastefully done without any unnecessary melodrama, a common problem with how many lesser shows choose to say goodbye. Of course, they killed off the main character two weeks ago, so anything is possible....my guess is David gives up the business to get well and raise his adopted kids and Rico and Vanessa take over. That's all I got.

The Best President We Never Had

2005-08-19T17:47:00.000-04:00

I've been an Al Gore supporter for quite a while and I'm still getting over his "loss" to Dubya in 2000 that comfirmed my worst fears about a Bush presidency. In 2008, I believe Al Gore can win the Democratic Nomination and, if the party is smarter about picking a running mate, will take the presidency back and steer this country back on track. I've listed a great piece by Charles Cutter on The Best President We Never Had, which speculates how things would have been different if we had a Democratic Supreme Court in 2000....

From Magic City Morning Star

Charles Cutter
The Best President America Never Had
By Charles Cutter (www.cuttersway.com)
Jul 29, 2005, 04:42

Americans have not yet begun to pay the price for the Bush presidency. The global ramifications of his foreign policy, the long-term impact of his budgetary excesses, our depleted military, the ongoing erosion of civil liberties and church/state separation, the unprecedented acquiescence to corporate power…all these factors, and more, will dictate the course of this nation for decades to come.

Had Al Gore assumed the presidency in 2001, he would have confronted the same challenges - a nation, and world, simmering in a mix of cultural/religious extremism and declining resources. Realistically speaking, Mr. Gore could probably not have solved any of these problems, but he would have worked in the direction of long-term solutions - and by doing so, minimized the overall impact.

George W. Bush, on the other hand, has worked feverishly to exacerbate virtually every problem confronting America and the world. The differences between these two men - on policies both foreign and domestic - are surprisingly black and white.

Mr. Gore had proposed using the now-nonexistent budget surplus to strengthen Social Security. He also backed a Medicare prescription drug program that used the government’s buying power to yield volume discounts - a tremendous savings to taxpayers. Mr. Bush has been a spendthrift of historic proportions - he first engineered huge tax cuts for the ultra-wealthy, then started screaming about how Social Security was "bankrupt." Bush’s "privatization" scheme for Social Security was designed to benefit Wall Street, not retirees. His Medicare prescription drug program was not structured to benefit the elderly, but rather the pharmaceutical and insurance industries.

Mr. Gore supported conservation and fuel-efficiency, touting the emerging technology of hybrid automobiles. Mr. Bush ridiculed those vehicles and allowed energy companies to set America’s energy policies in secret meetings with Dick Cheney. (Mr. Cheney, of course, also ridiculed the idea of using energy conservation as an aspect of a national energy policy). The result, of course, is that the foreseeable oil needs of China and India are skyrocketing, demand is at an all-time high, and domestic gasoline prices are over two dollars a gallon.

Perhaps most importantly, Mr. Gore would likely have carried over a Clinton administration focus on terrorist cells and Osama bin Laden. On the other hand, the Bush administration was actually dismantling America’s anti-terrorist infrastructure at the time of the September 11 attacks. Bush & Co., of course, totally ignored a written warning proclaiming "bin Laden determined to strike in U.S." Would a Gore administration have connected the dots and prevented the horror of 9/11? That, of course, is impossible to assess. What is crystal clear: No administration could have done worse than Mr. Bush and his people.

It’s not so difficult to assess the different responses to 9/11 we would have seen. Mr. Bush launched what has turned out to be a fairly minor excursion into Afghanistan - with surprisingly little focus on Osama bin Laden - then turned all his attention toward Iraq and Saddam Hussein. It is a fair speculation to say that bin Laden would have been Mr. Gore’s primary focus - and that we would have seen Osama brought to justice. Instead, it is now almost four years since September 11, 2001, and Osama bin Laden continues to send his taunting messages. Again, to this point, no administration could have done worse than Mr. Bush’s in capturing or killing Osama bin Laden.

It is virtually certain that Mr. Gore would not have become fixated on Bush’s wasteful, unnecessary, and illegal venture into Iraq. During the 2000 campaign, you’ll recall, Bush & Co. - with the media’s assistance - became fixated on every minor inaccuracy stated by Al Gore. (Remember the flap about whether or not Gore actually flew in the same plane with the director of FEMA?) History, apparently, has a strong sense of irony, for we’ve since been treated to the criminally deliberate deceptions of Mr. Bush-fairy tales about Iraq’s weapons of mass destruction and an Osama-Saddam connection.

Mr. Gore’s misstatements amounted to meaningless minutiae. Mr. Bush’s web of lies has resulted in the ongoing slaughter of American soldiers and Iraqi civilians. This war will have cost the American taxpayers well over $200 billion, added to the national debt. And for what? A country reduced to bloody chaos, a training ground for a new generation of terrorists.

The difference between a Gore administration and the Bush administration is a stark reminder of what America could have been, and what it has become. Barring a political miracle, we still have more than three years remaining of Bush’s second term, with an impact horizon extending decades beyond. As we seek to endure the times we now live in, it’s worth speculating on the man who might have been the best president this country never had.

It's A Gas, Gas, Gas

2005-08-18T11:42:00.000-04:00

Lately, I've heard quite a bit of bellyaching over rising fuel costs...I'm guilty too, for sure (the Mobil station near my parents' home is currently charging $2.71 for regular). However, most Americans don't know how good they have it.

Even as American drivers complain about "gas pains," they can count their blessings that they don't live in Europe, where motorists pay more than twice as much at the petrol pumps.

Yet, the panic that has gripped the United States is almost absent here and gas prices are not the number one issue on drivers’ minds.

“There’s not a lot you can do, so you just pay it,” said Chris Parsons, a security systems installer from Hampshire, who spends much of his day on the road driving from job to job. “I’m paying 5 to 10 pounds more a week now than I was several months ago. It would have to get to £1.10 a liter ($7.52 a gallon) for it to really make a difference to me.”

Man, in England, the average price in American dollars is $6.02. Kinda puts things in perspective, doesn't it?

F.U.T.O.

2005-08-17T13:49:00.000-04:00

F.U.T.O.
Originally uploaded by seinspahr.

This is awesome:

Dear TO,

All I want is for the Eagles to win the Super Bowl. Before you came, the Eagles couldn’t even get to the Super Bowl. Then you came, and we were the best Eagles team I had ever seen. We got to the Super Bowl and almost won. You were awesome! I decided that with just a little more practice this year, we could win it all.

But then my dad told me that you might not be on the team anymore. I was really upset and cried. Then I watched the news and saw that you were crying too! This made me cry even more! You said you needed to feed your family. I asked my mom if maybe we could help feed your family so that you would stop crying and help us win the Super Bowl. My mom told me that the Eagles gave you over 9 million dollars last year and that you can afford to buy your own food. I told her that you were crying and maybe you had spent it all already. She told me you were going to get 3 million more dollars this year. I asked her how much a hot dog costs. That’s my favorite food! She told me they were 25 cents unless you buy them from the Eagles in which case they cost 5 dollars. I asked if she thought you could afford to buy enough hot dogs to feed your family and she said “Oh yeah”, but not in a normal way, she said “Oh yeah” in the way she says it when I ask her if I have to go to school or take a bath. I hate baths! I asked her how many hot dogs you could buy and she told me to figure it out myself. I had to get my calculator to do it and the answer was 12 million hot dogs! That’s a lot of hot dogs! But then I was thinking maybe you buy your hot dogs from the Eagles in which case they cost 5 dollars. So then I was thinking maybe you had more than 12 million people in your family. Do you? We have 4. 5 if you count my turtle. His name is Donovan McTurtle.

Then I saw you doing sit-ups in front of a mall. My dad told me that it was your house. So I asked my dad if 12 million people could fit in that house and he said “probably”. That’s when I realized that Eagles were being selfish and that the Eagles need to give you more money so that you can feed your entire family. And maybe they should make their hot dogs cheaper too. I thought this would help other people too because sometimes I eat a hot dog when my dad takes me to see you play.

But then I decided that maybe I could just start saving my hot dogs for you and that way I could help you feed all 12 million people in your family. So the other night when my mom made hot dogs, I sneaked 2 halves up to my room and put them in a drawer. But then I realized it would take me a very very very very very long time to have 12 million hot dogs and so I needed to get other people to help. So then I went around my neighborhood and asked people for hot dogs for you. But I got tired of telling them the whole story so I came up with a slogan that I thought might help everyone understand the situation. Then I tried to put the slogan on a shirt. At first the slogan was “For You T.O.” but I didn’t have enuff room for all of that so I just took the first letter of the “For” and just made the "You" a “U”, which is funny because that’s the way I always used to think it was spelled! So now my shirt says F.U.T.O!

I showed my dad the shirt and he laffed. He said it really got the message across. He said he knew lots of people that would wear that shirt. So that gave me another idea which was to try to sell the shirt itself! Which was a great idea because then I could just give the money to you to buy hot dogs for your humongous starving family that lives in a mall.

All for you TO!

F.U.T.O! Yours Truly, Jeremy

GET YOUR T-SHIRT HERE

Chomp USA

2005-08-16T16:39:00.000-04:00

As soon as I start to think consumer culture may not be getting the best of us, a story pops up that reminds me how far we have to go:

$50 laptop sale sets off violent stampede

Jesus....people getting thrown to the pavement, beaten with a folding chair and nearly driven over....yeah, that's worth it.

Mouth Of Wilson Update

2005-08-15T14:04:00.000-04:00

I am pleased to report that two of our demo tracks, Inevitable and Talk To Me (you can hear them at www.myspace.com/mouthofwilson) will be added to the playlist at radio104, Connecticut's streaming rock station. You can check it out here. We'll see if anything comes of it, but any help is good news.

Also, we are talking with Shut Eye Reconds in Atlanta, GA. For now, they would like to feature Talk To Me on their fall label compilation CD that ships and promotes to college radio stations across the US. We are discussing details as to what this entails, but there's a good chance we'll work together. Also a good thing.

The studio stuff is going well, we are working really hard. We should have our 10 song album done and available by year's end. How we go about putting this out is also up the air, but we'll make it available to the fans.

Oh yeah, we will have some live dates come fall, so keep an eye out. For now, we can confirm one date:

FRI, SEPT 16th - FINNEGAN'S / Hightstown, NJ

Thanks for being patient with everything we look forward to getting out and playing live soon.

Peace.

Mickelson Wins 2005 PGA Championship

2005-08-15T12:29:00.000-04:00

That's two!
Originally uploaded by seinspahr.

Phil Mickelson, one of my favorite athletes, won his second major championship this morning, by taking the 87th PGA Championship. He hit an amazing chip shot to set up a birdie on the final hole to win by one shot. GO PHIL! Next year, I believe he will win the US Open at Winged Foot. Nice to see a fellow Lefty golfer win titles.

Kicked In The Baltusrol

2005-08-12T11:45:00.000-04:00

Hello, Springfield!
Originally uploaded by seinspahr.

As I type this, the golf season's final major, the PGA Championship, is being played at famed Baltusrol in Springfield, New Jersey. Also, I am pleased to report that Phil Mickelson is having a hell of a day and is in 1st place. My friend Adam, who lives in Florida, and I both predicted he would be the champion, I hope it plays out as such. Many people overlook this championship, but in many regards, it is the best golf major, given the strength of the field and the fairness of the PGA's course layouts compared with the USGA, who likes to torture the players and make the greens like putting in a jacuzzi. For more, here's a great article about the strengths of the PGA Championship. Go Phil! New Jersey represent!

Sopranos To Return

2005-08-12T11:31:00.000-04:00

Deez Fuckin' Guys!
Originally uploaded by seinspahr.

Finally, some official news on the return of The Sopranos; the show will return in March 2006 with a full 12 episode season, the show's sixth for HBO. That we kinda expected; the good news is that an additional 8 episodes are being shot as a mini 7th season, or extended 6th, depending on how you look at it, which will air in January 2007. Given that Six Feet Under is, well, about to be six feet under, this is welcome news for me, as these are the only two shows I watch religiously. Of course, David Chase has remained tight lipped about any details, but I'm sure it will be good. Any show about Jersey has to be. Madon!

Karaoke, Ya'll

2005-08-12T01:51:00.000-04:00

I spent years never thinking karaoke was anything to write home about...and, well, it still isn't, but it's sure as shit fun. Damn. After finishing up at the studio, we all went to Ivy Tavern in Princeton for karoake and $1 Rolling Rocks, it was quite the time...I sang Always Somthing There To Remind Me by Naked Eyes and Smile by Pearl Jam. Good times, good times. Oh yeah.....good times. I need to do that more often, the ladies love a man who can sing. Apparently, they like me too. Ha ha. Off to sleep and work tomorrow, I finish up at 1pm, that rules. Peace out.

Who Wants A Severe Beating???

2005-08-11T16:06:00.000-04:00

Douchebagus Maximus The Elder
Originally uploaded by seinspahr.

Courtesy of loyal Sick Day reader Mike, here is an especially bitter diatribe from the Phat Phree about 50 People Who Need A Serious Beating.

It's pretty funny, worth the time it takes to read.

Check it out here.

Eye Of The Liger

2005-08-09T12:25:00.000-04:00

Eat Some Ham!!!!
Originally uploaded by seinspahr.

Anyone who's seen Napoleon Dynamite knows what a liger is: half lion, half tiger. It's totally sweet. And yet, I bet few of you out there knew it's a real animal!

The faintly striped, shaggy-maned creatures are the offspring of male lions and female tigers, which gives them the ability to both roar like lions and chuff like tigers—a supposedly affectionate sound that falls somewhere between a purr and a raspberry.

Weighing in at about a thousand pounds (450 kilograms) each, they typically devour 50 pounds (23 kilograms) of raw meat in a meal.

"For the most part they're really laid back," said Jason Hutcherson, vice president of Wild Animal Safari in Pine Mountain, Georgia. "They like to swim and play in the water."

The drive-through wildlife park is believed to have the country's largest concentration of ligers, housing ten of the massive cats.

You learn something new everyday.

Ouch!

2005-08-09T12:19:00.000-04:00

What in God's name what this dude thinking? Or drinking?

Police: Man's Testicles Locked In Padlock

The scariest part:

The man told police that he tried to remove the lock with a hacksaw because the key had broken off in the lock.

I feel sick.

Oh, Come On!

2005-08-08T17:05:00.000-04:00

Belmar, NJ has decided to outlaw beer pong and related activities outdoors. I can understand if Spring Lake, or Stone Harbor decided to do this, but Belmar? That's a party beach. Let the kids have their fun!

Stu-Stu-Studio

2005-08-08T16:18:00.000-04:00

I've spent the better part of the last week recording drums in the studio, I do love it, but it is exhausting, it makes me long for the days of guitar straps and what not. Plus, I have to be done before we do anything else. Still, I'm having a good time and progress is noticeable. I hope we'll have a full CD done by the end of the year, I promise it will be good, we are working our tails off. More updates to come.

Be...Arrested!!!, Be...Be...Arrested!!!

2005-08-08T16:12:00.000-04:00

More news from my old stomping grounds...strange news seems to fly out of my old haunts....

Cheerleaders help police catch driver who left accident scene

Members of the Lincoln High School varsity cheerleading squad from neighboring Ypsilanti were in Ann Arbor for a Universal Cheerleaders Association's camp when they saw the wreck near the University of Michigan campus.

"I knew I was going to not remember it because there was too much going on," coach Patricia Clark said Monday on NBC's "Today." "So, when I ran down the street and got the plate number, I yelled to the girls: 'Remember this!"'

The cheerleaders put their skills to work, chanting the license number.

The best part:

The truck driver, found at his home, told officers he didn't think the damage was severe enough to stop, police Lt. Mike Logghe told The Ann Arbor News.

Yeah, uh huh. I know what driving in Ann Arbor is like, especially with the pedestrians thinking they own the roads (when I was there sans car, we did). I'm surprised more people don't get run over.

Mad Flavor

2005-08-05T17:03:00.000-04:00

Man, this is the coolest video I've seen in a while...check it out, it's for the song, A Million Ways, the new single from OK Go (side note: the bassist is Tim Nordwind, an old chum of mine from junior high and high school, he's the guy singing in the video). I can't imagine how hard it must have been to pull this off without cracking up. That's some talent, right there.

Here is the link:

Turn it up, it's a great song as well!

Going Down For The Count

2005-08-04T14:46:00.000-04:00

My God. Courtesy of loyal Sick Day reader Chris Arland, I learned that Mike Tyson is seriously considering a foray into the Adult Film Industry. WTF. Actually, who am I kidding, I'd rent it, it'd be like driving past a car wreck, you almost have to slow down to catch a peek. The higher they climb, the harder they fall. Poor bastard. Wait, he's a convicted rapist, repeatedly abused his spouse, and bitten off Evander Holyfield's ear. Not to mention, he has threatened to eat an opponent's children. Perhaps these "actresses" should wear protection, as in, body armor.

This Is The Coolest

2005-08-04T14:39:00.000-04:00

Chris, of Mouth Of Wilson fame, sent me this link about one of the coolest gadgets and "lifestyle aides" I've seen in a while, the MetroNap. Wow. I could get used to one of these, especially in the afternoon. I can't believe they have these in the Vancouver International Airport. Fantastic.

Jesus Christ. Not Again

2005-08-03T14:06:00.000-04:00

I wish God would reach down from the heavens and bitch slap George W. Bush for being so willfully stupid. I keep thinking of the Weird Al parody of Coolio, "Amish Paradise", where he says, "tonight we're gonna party like it's 1699." You see, His Idiocy decreed he believes schools should discuss "intelligent design" alongside evolution when teaching students about the creation of life.

During a round-table interview with reporters from five Texas newspapers, Bush declined to go into detail on his personal views of the origin of life. But he said students should learn about both theories, Knight Ridder Newspapers reported.

"I think that part of education is to expose people to different schools of thought," Bush said. "You're asking me whether or not people ought to be exposed to different ideas, the answer is yes."

The theory of intelligent design says life on earth is too complex to have developed through evolution, implying that a higher power must have had a hand in creation.

Christian conservatives -- a substantial part of Bush's voting base -- have been pushing for the teaching of intelligent design in public schools. Scientists have rejected the theory as an attempt to force religion into science education.

I'm sorry, but I can't believe people have such a deficient understanding of science that they actually think Intelligent Design has any place within four football fields of evolution. Jesus. I'm at a loss. I don't what disturbs me more, that this shit-for-brains is our President, or that so many other mouth breathers out there actually agree. You know what, I have my own theory, you see, way up there in space, gosh, WAY WAY up there, the universe is held in place with strings and White Castle mozzarella sticks. You can't prove is isn't? Same Goddamned Logic. People are so all-emcompassingly stupid and short sighted, it makes me want to vomit. Then I realize they have more power than me. That's when I do. I feel really bad for Christians with half a brain who have to put up with these morons.

Yoopers: A Strange And Proud Folk

2005-08-03T10:22:00.000-04:00

Oh Jeez...You Betcha!!!
Originally uploaded by seinspahr.

I was putzing around on University of Michigan's website recently and came across this piece by Prof. Richard Bailey about the people and language of Michigan's Upper Peninsula. I was just up there last month, it really is a beautiful place, but is quite different from the rest of the state, or anywhere really. Yet a Michigan House Resolution exists that would make Yooper an official state dialect.

The watershed year for the Yooper way of talking was 1993, when Joe Potila and Jim DeCaire published The Yooperland Dictionary: A Tourist's Guide to a Better Understanding of the Yoopanese Language. The two lexicographers were also founding members of the "country" rock-and-roll band, Da Yoopers, which flashed onto the national scene in 1986. Their dictionary included entries that have subsequently been enshrined in the Yooper linguistic repertoire: Holywha 'Yooper Expletive,' pank 'to pack snow down', and tarts 'tings you trow at a tartboard'.

Strange stuff. Here is an interesting link should you care to learn more about the Yooper way.

Yzerman Returning To Detroit

2005-08-02T15:48:00.000-04:00

To Hell With Ye, Patrick Roy!!!
Originally uploaded by seinspahr.

I am overjoyed at the news that Steve Yzerman has agreed to a one year deal to return to the Detroit Red Wings. He is far and away my favorite athlete, I'm glad his career won't end getting his eye souffled against the Calgary Flames back in the 2004 playoffs. I now feel confident the leadership is in place to guide this new edition of the Red Wings towards a 4th Stanley Cup in 8 years. Yzerman is one of the greatest leaders in professional sports, and lives what he preaches. I could go on and on, suffice it to say, its a true honor and measure of greatness to captain a team for 22 years. My favorite Yzerman moment: his goal in Game 7 double OT in the 2nd round of the 1996 playoffs to cap a 3-1 comeback in the series against Gretzky's Blues. Amazing.

Bite The Big Apple....Don't Bite No Maggots....

2005-08-02T15:38:00.000-04:00

I am pleased to announce that Mouth Of Wilson will be making its first appearance in New York City this fall, sometime between October 12th and October 22nd. We applied and were accepted into the 4th Annual MEANY FEST 2005, meaning we will play at any number of awesome venues in the big apple:

4th ANNUAL M.E.A.N.Y. Fest 2005 10/12-10/22
Finals held on December 30th, 2005 (venue TBA)

The fourth annual M.E.A.N.Y. Fest (Musicians & Emerging Artists New York) will be held in New York City at world-renowned venues such as ARLENE'S GROCERY, PIANOS, SINE, CONTINENTAL, CBGB, CBGB GALLERY, CBGB LOUNGE, THE KNITTING FACTORY AND THE PUSSYCAT LOUNGE. (VENUES TBA & SUBJECT TO CHANGE ) One Grand Prize Winner will receive 30 hours of recording time, a radio package from Notorious Radio, and other great prizes . The top four finalists in NYC, (chosen by an audience balloting) along with one M.E.A.N.Y. FEST chosen NYC and one national pick finalist will play the finals on December 30th, 2005. The finalists & picks will be openers for a headlining special guest (TBA) in December 2005. Prize winners will be chosen by an industry panel of judges. Sponsors include NY PRESS, Rock n Roll Scene, East-Village.com, NYROCK.COM, Kerriblack Promotions, Frank Wood productions, Hudson Punch, and Notorious Radio. *** New media partners include NEMO and INTERNATIONAL SONGWRITING COMPETITION. Associate Producers are Kipp Elbaum and David Tanner.

Explanation of audience balloting taking place throughout M.E.A.N.Y. FEST venues from Oct 12-22nd:

Audience members that would like to cast a vote must choose 2 bands on the bill of the show they are attending on any given night of the fest. Just fill in 2 band entries- it's that simple. The ballot must be stamp validated that evening by M.E.A.N.Y. FEST staff . The ballot is then submitted to the ballot box.

Top four vote getting bands in all of NYC will move on to play DECEMBER 30TH, 2005 along with M.E.A.N.Y. FEST NATIONAL & NYC pick in front of an industry panel of judges.

So folks, be ready to come out and show the love.

Joke Of The Day

2005-08-02T15:30:00.000-04:00

A drunk gets up from the bar and heads for the bathroom. A few minutes later, a loud, blood curdling scream is heard from the bathroom. A few minutes after that, another loud scream reverberates through the bar.

The bartender goes into the bathroom to investigate why the drunk is screaming. "What's all the screaming about in there? You're scaring the customers!"

"I'm just sitting here on the toilet and every time I try to flush, something comes up and squeezes the hell out of my testicles."

With that, the bartender opens the door, looks in and says..."You idiot! You're sitting on the mop bucket!"

The Beatles / Final Album

2005-08-01T16:56:00.000-04:00

Joe, my bud from Mouth Of Wilson, and I were discussing The Beatles (as we often do) and were saying how if they Beatles put out one more record, in like 1971, made up of tracks from each member's early singles and records, it would hold up against anything they'd done up to that point: Here is my track list:

SIDE ONE
1. Mother (5:37) John
2. My Sweet Lord (4:43) George
3. Another Day (3:43) Paul
4. Instant Karma! (3:21) John
5. Every Night (2:34) Paul
6. All Things Must Pass (3:47) George

SIDE TWO
7. Man We Was Lonely (2:57) Paul
8. Love (3:24) John
9. It Don’t Come Easy (3:00) Ringo
10. Junk (1:57) Paul
11. Isolation (2:52) John
12. Isn’t It A Pity (4:45) George
13. Maybe I’m Amazed (3:52) Paul

Pretty good, huh? 5 Paul songs, 4 John, 3 George, and 1 Ringo (and best first single, which rose to #4 on the charts in 1971, go Ringo!).

Report: Local Man Loses Window, Mind Next

2005-08-01T15:54:00.000-04:00

This person feels my pain...so does my wallet
Originally uploaded by seinspahr.

July 30-New Brunswick, N.J.-

Local musician and sometime workaday citizen Simon Einspahr had a bit of bad luck befall him sometime between Friday evening and 4:35AM, Saturday morning. Someone, or something, or something thrown, heaved, or unflinchingly wielded by someone, smashed the rear window of his 1997 VW Jetta while parked on the street in downtown (i.e. Shittsville) New Brunswick, NJ. New Brunswick may have mastered the Fat Bitch sandwich, but the security near campus is noticeably lacking in fortitude. Mr. Einspahr was reported to have cursed repeatedly at the night sky and scraped broken glass off the back of his vehicle before calling the authorities. Naturally, said authorities were busy with a recent shooting and had no one or nothing to offer other than useless drivel masquerading as advice. Mr. Einspahr then drove his injured old man of a vehicle back to his apartment as the sun rose, often repeating his verbal assault on the unknown assailant reponsible for ruining Simon's weekend and forcing him to spend hundreds of dollars he had not wished to spend. Mr. Einspahr was reported to have been in better spirits Monday.

"The fuckers who did this are scum sucking, pathetic, mouth breathing shit for brains douches, who will no doubt use the fact that they got away with this to fuck with some other unsuspecting poor fucker in the future."

I SAID, Mr. Einspahr was reported to have been in better spirits Monday...

"Fuck you."

Come on now, honestly.

"I suppose it could have been worse, I could have been shot, or choked on my White Castle sliders."

That's better. The car is reportedly finished and ready to be picked up later this afternoon, bringing this relatively minor annoyance in Simon's life to a close. Fucking bastards.

Six Feet Blunder?

2005-07-31T23:32:00.000-04:00

Tonight, Six Feet Under bravely did what was hinted at in last week's episode....kill the main character, Nate Fisher. They were sneaky though, as he pulled through his initial AVM episode with only a little numbness on his right side. Then right at the end, he dies. I'm still trying to get the symbolism of the ending and the dream. Crap, Nate's dead. Next week's funeral with not be pleasant.