The next time your pals say there is no such thing as Global Warming, show them this:

If this doesn’t convince them, suggest they go live in the grain producing areas of the midwest. That should back up their belief (but don’t laugh too hard.)

Related articles

• Local weather patterns affect beliefs about global warming (environmentalgeeksunited.com)
• Global Warming At The London Olympics (stevengoddard.wordpress.com)

NBC’s temper tantrum over leaked video exposes the network’s thin skin

Seems that NBC has fired an employee for posting a viral “Today” show video… 16 years ago!

This from Salon:

clipped from www.salon.com Katie Couric and Bryant Gumbel were just two of many people who didn’t understand the World Wide Web back in 1994. We know because of a video circulating across that once ill-defined Internet, showing the two — then hosts of the “Today” show — struggling with the complexities of the technology. Gumbel pondered its function (“What, do you write to it like mail?”). Couric turned to an expert, a producer offscreen (“Can you explain what Internet is?”). Neither of them had any idea what the hell that weird letter-A thing was (“@”). The clip caught fire yesterday. Then suddenly the original poster took it down from YouTube (though others would later repost it). Turns out the guy who originally posted the video was an NBC employee. The network promptly fired him.

Related Articles

• NBC Fires Guy Who Posted The Bryant Gumbel/Katie Couric ‘What Is Internet’ Video (techdirt.com)
• NBC Ruins The Fun, Fires Employee Over “What’s The Internet” Video (crunchgear.com)
• Katie Couric And Bryant Gumbel Discover The Internet (techdirt.com)
• “It Sounded Stupid When I Said It” – The Today Show Encounters the Internet ala 1994 (scholarlykitchen.sspnet.org)

I need an entertainment for the early afternoon…

The last couple of days with McChrystal and increased oil spill reaching Pensacola, FL, and starting my nominal “retirement” (first Social Security payment came yesterday), I have been increasingly depressed.

Then I discovered “Zombie Pirates in Love” by Tom Smith and I’m full of bubbly hope again!

Like that?

Here are the lyrics:
You’ve heard of Captain Blackbeard,
How he had a dozen wives,
Well, we’ve got something more weird,
And it’s surely changed our lives.
You may not think us gentle or kind,
But we’re all gallant swains,
We admire a lady for her mind,
Or more precisely her BRAINZ!

Zombie pirates in love, yo ho!
Zombie pirates in love,
We used to be normal buccaneers
Till those lights came from above,
Our ship met a glowing fog one night,
And we came out with an appetite
For human flesh, if it’s Miss Right…
Zombie pirates in love, yo ho!
Zombie pirates in love.

We’ve got that rakish swagger,
And we’ve got that roguish charm,
We’ve got that bug-eyed stagger,
And we’ve got somebody’s arm.
Now, you may think you’re faster
Than a zombie on a boat
But all we need’s a pastor
And you’re Mrs. Undead Cutthroat.

Zombie pirates in love, yo ho!
Zombie pirates in love,
We may be dead, but we’ll be wed
When pushing comes to shove,
Come on, me beauty, take a chance
On eternal love and true romance,
At the wedding we’ll do the Thriller dance….
Zombie pirates in love, yo ho!
Zombie pirates in love.

Our honeymoon will be a terror
Of connubial bliss
For no bride’s mother can prepare her
For a night like this,
In matrimony holy
Our bones will groan and creak
And if we both chew slowly
We could make it last all week.

So let’s hear all the cannons roar and
Let’s all celebrate.
Raise the Jolly Roger, Corman,
I’ve acquired a mate.
You’ll be my wife long after life,
You’ll always have my heart,
We’ll keep love fresh with living flesh
Until we fall apart.

Zombie pirates in love, yo ho!
Zombie pirates in love,
We’ll roam the sea eternally,
My rotting turtle dove,
It’s not the life you might have had,
But zombie pirating ain’t all bad,
And I can’t wait to eat — meet! your mom and dad —
Zombie pirates in love, yo ho!
Zombie pirates in love.
Zombie pirates in love, yo ho!
Zombie pirates in love.
Yo, ho, yo, ho, we’re zombie pirates in love!

Now back to my radio show prep.

Wednesday Humor – How to Speak Republican.

This from MoveOn.com gave me a chuckle (after watching a couple hours of Senate debate on the Reconciliation bill).

Have a good time:

Rap with Keynes and Hayek… here is some Morning Economic Entertainment.

In Fear the Boom and Bust, John Maynard Keynes and F. A. Hayek, two of the great economists of the 20th century, come back to life to attend an economics conference on the economic crisis. Before the conference begins, and at the insistence of Lord Keynes, they go out for a night on the town and sing about why there’s a “boom and bust” cycle in modern economies and good reason to fear it.

Get the full lyrics, story and free download of the song in high quality MP3 and AAC files at:

http://www.econstories.tv

Plus, to see and hear more from the stars of Fear the Boom and Bust, Billy Scafuri and Adam Lustick, visit their site: http://www.billyandadam.com

Music was produced by Jack Bradley at Blackboard3 Music and Sound Design. It was composed and performed by Richard Royston Jacobs.
http://www.blackboard3.com

Saving Animals with Mild Porn…

I really have to hand it to PeTA… They go to great lengths to protect animals. Even (very) mild porn… like the State Of The Union Undress.

See it HERE (you have to be over 18.)

Have a nice morning…

Images from Haiti

This thanks to CBS and Reuters:

Aside from the support from the US which was virtually immediate, support has come in from China, Brazil and other countries. I’m going to relist where you can send $$$ to help. May I also suggest that anyone who was going to make a donation to Pat Robertson’s ministry, via the 700 Club or other means. give that cash to one of the following Haiti support sites:

•The American Red Cross is pledging an initial $200,000 to assist communities impacted by this earthquake. They expect to provide immediate needs for food, water, temporary shelter, medical services and emotional support. They are accepting donations through their International Response Fund.

•UNICEF has issued a statement that “Children are always the most vulnerable population in any natural disaster, and UNICEF is there for them.” UNICEF requests donations for relief for children in Haiti via their Haiti Earthquake Fund. You can also call 1-800-4UNICEF.

•Donate through Wyclef Jean’s foundation, Yele Haiti. Text “Yele” to 501501 and $5 will be charged to your phone bill and given to relief projects through the organization.

•Operation USA is appealing for donations of funds from the public and corporate donations in bulk of health care materials, water purification supplies and food supplements which it will ship to the region from its base in the Port of Los Angeles. Donate online at www.opusa.org, by phone at 1-800-678-7255 or, by check made out to Operation USA, 3617 Hayden Ave, Suite A, Culver City, CA 90232.

___________________________________

Just as a side comment, here’s why I’m so glad Rush Limbaugh is aligned with Neo-Conservatives and not with human beings… this from the HuffPo:

Well, it didn’t take long for conservative firebrand Rush Limbaugh to use the crisis in Haiti to attack President Obama politically. On his radio show yesterday Limbaugh said the earthquake in Haiti will play right into Obama’s hands by allowing him to play up his “compassionate” and “humanitarian” credentials, and that the President will use this crisis to “boost his credibility with the black community.”

As if that weren’t enough, Limbaugh also pivoted off a caller who complained about Obama directing the public to the White House website to find charitable organizations operating in Haiti to promote a conspiracy theory that finding these charities via the White House website puts your money at risk of not reaching Haitians.

Limbaugh also seems to feel we’ve done enough already for Haiti: “We’ve already donated to Haiti. It’s called the U.S. income tax.”

UPDATE: WARNING
Dylan Ratigan made a disturbing announcement on his show this afternoon, Apparently Credit Card companies are slicing a fee off of donations going to Haiti…the one exception that he found was American Express. Ratigan was starting an alert to get people to call and complain about the practice by the other card companies… they may have pulled the fees by now… but it’s worth checking to see if these capitalist pigs are taking advantage of an international tragedy.
-BT

A Video from A Friend of the People

This is what we need to start the week… an inspiring call to action:

Michael Moore, Meet Bernie Sanders…

So what happens when the Director of “Capitalism, a Love Story” (which opens Nationwide tomorrow) asks a question of our one and only Socialist Senator (and my hero) Bernie Sanders of Vermont?

This is what happens:

MyBarackObama.com is having a Video Contest

The Obama/DNC support group, Organizing for America, is having a video competition called Health Reform Video Challenge. Contest starts 12:01 AM (ET) on 9/26/09 and ends 11:59 PM (ET) on 10/18/09. Winners will be selected by 11/7/09 and notified by phone and/or e-mail by 11/9/09. One winner will receive the following prize: all or part of the winner’s video may be used in a TV ad associated with DNC’s health reform campaign (approximate retail value: $0). 20 finalists will be selected by a panel of judges comprised of DNC employees; the winner will be selected by public voters and a panel of experts.

All you have to do is create a 30-second video.

For more details and official rules, go HERE.

Bernie Sanders asks…

…Who Owns Congress?

Chasing Clean Air, the Video…

Donna Barnett sent me a comment on this morning’s article about The Age Of Stupid, which led me to visit ner wonderful blog Chasing Clean Air

There, among a great deal of other great pieces about climate and pollution and what we have to do about the situation, you will find her video, also called Chasing Clean Air. Fom the Info:

Chasing Clean Air: Climate Change features Donna Barnett’s journey out of Los Angeles and into clean air where climate change markers were found along the way.

Athabasca glacier in Alberta, Canada: Accelerating ice melt is going to the Arctic, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans.

Central British Columbia: The mountain pine beetle is destroying forests and salmon runs are smaller than in cooler times.

Also featured solutions and positive changes happening now!

Beautiful original photographs and video from Southwest, Los Angeles, Yosemite, and Pacific Northwest.

New music “Turn It Around” by Paul Malysa.

The video was shot, produced and edited by Donna Barnett for the blog http://www.chasingcleanair.com

Here it is:

I’ve also added her blog to my blogroll so you can check in regularly.

Obama’s Labor Day Speech at Ohio AFL-CIO Picnic

This is in three parts… best I could get.

Part 1:

Part 2:

Part 3:

Looks like he still has not abandoned the Public Option… and he REALLY stood up against the Repiglicans. Now lets see how he deals with Max Baucus and the Health Insurance Lobbyists. Wednesday might be interesting.

Mousavi has called for another mass rally today…

… called a “Mourning” rally for the now over 30 killed by government soldiers in the ongoing protests over the Iranian elections.

And these rallies are getting bigger every day, despite the Iranian government’s attempts to block International press coverage and even Twitter.

There will be more leaks, I’m sure… I’m going to check in with Nico Pitney’s updates at HuffPo as the day goes on.

Another way to stay on top of what’s going on in Iran is through Citizentube which is lining up the YouTube videos coming out of that country (and note that the government has managed to block about 90% of those videos already)… the last video reports available since the broadcast networks were cut off.

Between Twitter and YouTube we are seeing a tremendous influence of the Internet on this ongoing protest activity… not something governments have had to consider in the past.