I'm not one to write about sports often and rarely do I show my allegiance. However, I love the New York Giants. I love them more than any other team in any sport. I was elated when Plaxico Burress caught the final touchdown in their superbowl win over the Patriots, but Mr. Burress what the heck has happened to you this season. You've been suspended, fined, injured, and now you shot yourself? You now face possible charges on your invalid and expired gun permit by the NYPD. The NFL will look to see if you violated its Personal Conduct Policy and if you did you will be suspended. You just signed before the start of the season for five-years, $35 million, please don't continue to spiral into the newest Giant's nuisance 'a la Jeremy Shockey. Our Giants are 10-1 don't screw it up for the rest of us.
For most of us westerners it is easier to believe in a hard boiled egg bearing bunny than modern pirates hijacking oil tankers. But, pirate activity has been rising around the world due to unstable governments, which can not supply the needs of its citizens.
So what do modern pirates look like?
nope. Although I wish he were so people who really like music could get together and make him eat 1000 cheesburgers.
nope.
Nope. However if this were 1717 Edward “Blackbeard” Teach would be a real pirate. Blackbeard apparently “wove hemp into his beard and lit it on fire to scare his adversaries and to take the edge off. He was a bad ass
For most of us westerners it is easier to believe in a hard boiled egg bearing bunny than modern pirates hijacking oil tankers. But, pirate activity has been rising around the world due to unstable governments, which can not supply the needs of its citizens.
According to Robert F. Worth’s report in The New York Times, there has been over 80 ships attacked off the coast of Somalia this year. “In September a Ukrainian freighter packed with tanks, antiaircraft guns and other heavy weapons was captured," writes Worth.
These pirates armed with modern guns take over ships over 100 times their small sailing vessels size.
The most recent standout amongst pirate conquest is the Saudi Arabian oil tanker with more than $100 million worth of crude oil.
The International Chamber of Commerce lists pirate encounters each week and has a map showing where piracy has taken place.
These pirates are not taking over ships because they’ve seen Pirates of the Caribbean 10 times and definitely not any of the sequels, which frankly turned me off to piracy for good and has me considering Johnny Depp to be a pandering jester to the masses. Really in the movie he’s like a clown without a red nose. A movie whose tag line is “Prepare to be blown out of the water” should give you the same disgusted feeling as walking in on your parents in the hot tub. Every time after, when they ask you how come you haven’t been using it you say, “I just don’t want to, ok” and then run straight to the toilet and dry heave for a couple of minutes, all the time knowing the only way to forget about it is to have sex in their bed while their away (you know you did that).
(look at the uncanny resemblance)
These pirates are after money. Why? Their governments aren’t working for them and piracy is a very lucrative endeavor.
Somalia has been an unstable country for the past 17 years. Its government has been in chaos and its people are starving. Poor government control has led to the rise of Somoli pirates who flaunt their money, buying businesses and constructing new buildings next to rundown shacks.
Somali officials say the pirates are on par to make a record $50 million in 2008 (hmm… sounds like a certain group who enjoy barrels in the United States).
So what does the world do? It sends warships from the United States, Russia, NATO, the European Union and India to patrol 2.5 million square miles of the Indian Ocean. So much for helping to stabilize a government and help its people out of poverty, violence, and starvation, I guess shipping lanes and protecting the oceans are more important. I think the whole thing resembles the war on drugs here in the United States. Instead of helping people with their circumstances, our government prefers the crack heads approach to keep the streets safe for sadly you and me.
Northampton, MA - The area LGBTQ community and their Allies rallied on the steps of City Hall yesterday to show their solidarity the country and world with the gay marriage movement in the 50 states.
A group of over 500 people, which overflowed onto Main street held signs and banners while listening to a number of speakers at the three hour event.
Lorelei, a powerful and passionate speaker, asked the crowd to support our brothers and sisters. “Let them get married,” she said.
The rally was part of the Join the Impact campaign designed to show solidarity and promote conversation between all members of society on equal rights.
Join the Impact calls themselves a grassweb campaign. The campaign along with Obama’s success showcases the power of the Internet to quickly gather people for a cause.
The results of California’s proposition eight and the success of four other states to ban gay marriage were a few of the many topics covered in the rally.
Reverend Emily Heath from the utilitarian church commenting on the threat that gay marriage poses to some people said, ”The threat is hate projected on two people that love one another.” “Threat is not two people who love each other,” she said.
The Raging Grannies made an appearance and led the crowd in singing, “Marriage is our right today, gay or straight, straight or gay.”
The actions central theme was about love that we as all humans share. Reverend Heath concluded her commentary by saying, “ Love Wins.”
The next action by Join the Impact is planned for December 10, International Human Rights Day and is called Day Without a Gay.
The organizers are encouraging the LGBTQ community to call in "gay" and not sick. Join the Impact would like the community to take the day to volunteer for nonprofits in the their area. The donation of their time is to show the world how the LGBTQ community loves the country and its fellow citizens.
In New England, in my liberal state of Massachusetts, it is raining heavily. The drops are knocking hard against the windows and the cars heading north and south are sounding those little wave like crashes from the water of puddles being displaced and uprooted from their dormancy by the rubber tires earnestly gripping then shoving the road behind causing the water to hit undercarriages and splash back down to the road.
In New York City, I am told it is also raining. There is a planned protest at City hall; 260 Broadway against the passing of California’s prop 8. The protest is simultaneously happening in over 300 cities including cities in 10 countries besides the US with an estimated turnout of over 1 million protesters. There are 4 locations in Massachusetts. The protest in Northampton is City Hall located at 210 Main Street. The event is organized by Join the Impact, a group founded the day after the election who write, “We've reacted to Prop 8 with anger, with resolve, and with courage. NOW, it's time to show America and the world how we love. “
On election day, the democrats in the New York state senate won a narrow margin of control. Eyewitness news 7 an ABC affiliate out of New York reports on November 8 that there are 4 democrats who may shift to the republican side.
The Rev. Duane Motley, founder of New Yorkers for Constitutional Freedoms, which opposes gay marriage, said they knew that with Republicans in control of the Senate that legislation to legalize it "was not going to come up." With Democrats in control, he said party members will be pushing for it, but he questioned whether they have the votes.
"I think there's at least four or five Democrats who wouldn't support it," said Motley, who said his group represents more than 2,000 evangelical churches and 500 other Christian organizations statewide. He believes the Republican senators will remain opposed.”
How something like marriage can become engulfed in political maneuvering is sickening. Government should not be able to deny rights to individuals. The Reverands NYCF in their "Petition to save Marriage in New York State," writes, "The institution of marriage provides the basic family unit within which children are born and nurtured. It is the essential building block of our society, not an archaic, outmoded tradition to ever be redefined or cast aside."
How is it being redefined using the definition the NYCF themselves and other like groups have written in the petition. The institution of marriage is all the things they say it is in their petition statement. Family is an interpreted substance. The family unit is evolving. How many kids are being raised by grandparents aunts, uncles, foster care, brothers sisters , etc.
In a letter to current Senate Majority leader, Senator Dean G. Skelos, Rev. Motley writes:
“New Yorkers for Constitutional Freedoms has always appreciated the fact that you do not surrender your core values for purposes of political expediency. I urge you and the Republican Majority Conference to continue to stand firm for the traditional definition of marriage as being between one man and one woman only.”
It’s always about tradition. It was tradition once to import African slaves and use them for labor. It was tradition for women to be owned by their husbands. It was tradition for Egyptians to continue to enslave the Jews and it is tradition for the majority in this country to oppress minorities.
Perhaps, the solidarity that the protest today will give to the LGBTQ and Ally community will propel the New York government to open their eyes to the reality that this is not only a civil rights issue, but an issue that weighs on our humanity. This rain is not a hinder on the protesters, but on those who refuse to give the same rights to all human beings. It is their ominous warning of our mobilization, of our coming together, of the true sense of morality: the equality, kindness and compassion that every human being on this planet has if they so choose. Choose well.
The passing of proposition 8 in California is a setback for gay rights in this country. As an ally of this movement I am deeply saddened. Keith Olbermann's sentiments echo many in the LGBTQ and Ally community.
On November 7, The Los Angeles Times reported on the anger Gay Rights Supporters have for the Mormon church who spent an estimated 20 million or more in support of the ban on equal marriage. A group supported by the Los Angeles Gay & Lesbian Center protested outside the Mormon Church in Brentwood. Another overlooked problem for supporters is 53% of Latinos also supported proposition 8. Whether due to religious reasons or other, those votes could have helped. Perhaps they were overlooked by opponents of prop. 8 or thought of to vote along with their vote for President-elect Obama.
The next step will be litigation, litigation, litigation maybe until Congress and the President take a stand for the constitution and stop photocopying it onto rolls of toilet paper to wipe their asses with. I don't think we can rely on the supreme court.
This is Stephen Harper, Canada's Prime Minister or at least his wax figure from Madame Tussauds in London. Nonetheless Governor Palin should have known his name when she was pranked by 2 Montreal Disc Jockey's (what a strange word) who go by the moniker The Masked Avengers. Why 2 guys on the radio need to be masked is between the 2 of them and the laws of Quebec. The Avengers worked their way through Palin's staff by posing as a member of French President Nicolas Sarkozy's staff trying to set up a phone call between the French president and Palin. Somehow it worked.
Palin fails as most of us would to realize that the people the fake Sarkozy is mentioning are well known french figures. She really should have known the name of Canada's Prime Minster since she is more likely to see Canada from her yard than Russia and as she said deals with Canada a lot, probably due to the fact that traveling to the lower 48 from Seward's Folly is possible by going through Canada or the Pacific ocean.
The masked duo even manage to slip in a reference to a spoof porn video in the making, I'm sure some poor staffer had to tell her about. Hustler guru, Larry Flynt is producing the porn flick called "Nailin' Paylin" A typical pun the porn industry and my 13 year old friends and I would make up in line at the middle school cafeteria trying to off set the vomit inducing smell of sloppy joes and the sight of water disguised as iceberg lettuce. I have to hand it to Larry Flint, he takes free speech to new levels.
Can you really blame Flynt for giving this guy a bunch of shit? Mr. Falwell has passed on and now his hate and apocalyptic views are vomited to the masses by his 2 sons.
Desmond Ravenstone is an erotic author who's books include; Taken: A Story of Ravishment, the Atraxa Trilogy I, II, III, and The Principled Libertine: The Ethical Case for Sexual & Erotic Freedom which can all be purchased at Lulu.com.
The campaign slogan is - "Life, Liberty and the Pursuit of Orgasms!"
The candidate stands unequivocally for a woman's right to choose whether and when to bear and beget a child, including the right to abortion as well as sexual freedom and equality. These are the things mainstream candidates refuse to talk about. After an exhausting effort to set up a meeting with the candidate at Mistress Samantha Anderson's place of business all that was there was the picture on the right. (ok, that's not true)
On The Ravenstone/ Darklady myspace page the mood is always horny. The amount of libido may be due to the friends the site has, which is made up of 3/4 of all the pornstars in the greater United States who if they along with their fans and pornography users voted would make up a number around "40 million: The number of U.S. adults who regularly visit porn websites" according to the Internet Filter Review. This number is roughly 13% of the US population and 18% of thevoting population. In the 2004 presidential election roughly 56% of eligible voters voted. If all the smut lovers voted they would have garnered 33% of the votes leaving only 81 million for Bush and Kerry to fight over. I say go for it Mr. Ravenstone! Make this country sexy for once.
If you can tell me about the Federalist Papers in particular the essays written by James Madison our 4th president, I will be surprised. The war of 1812 happened under Madison's administration including the British setting the White House on fire and the 1st presidential mullet.
Thaddaus Hill of The Madison-Federalist party is continueing Madison's vice that the Constitution needs to be microscopically adhered to in his run for the presidency.
"It means what it says, and it says what it means."
-- TH
Besides having an enviously over the top presidential name, TH as he's known on the corner of Pecan and Front Streets in his hometown of New Ulm, Texaswhere the population has grown from 500 people in 1930 to the current record of 650.
For the most part TH and the Madison-Federalist party are against big government and here in Massachusetts they would probably vote to get rid of the state income tax. TH would also repeal getting money from federal taxes to run FEMA and the Department of Education.
TH makes some good points and despises the right leaners and there marketing of stately travel mugs. The one thing that bothers me is the shadowy use of initials for TH's advisors or maybe gang members: JGH, DH, WLB and JRT.
Possible images of the gang:
From left to right: JGH, DH,WLB (no known picture) and JRT.
