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Entries from May 2008

Harvey Korman: Video Tribute to the Quintessential Ham

May 30, 2008 · Leave a Comment

Harvey Korman, Mel Brooks, Blazing Saddles
Harvey Korman (left) as Hedley Lamarr hamming it
up with Mel Brooks in Blazing Saddles

We wanted to write a piece on the passing of one of the greatest actor-comedians of our time, Harvey Korman. We’ve found three videos which highlight Korman’s comedic range: Hedley Lamarr in Blazing Saddles, Rhett Butler on the Carol Burnett Show’s Gone With the Wind spoof, and an outtake of a “commercial” parody with Carol Burnett.

Governor William J. Le Petomane: Thank you, Hedy, thank you
Hedley Lamarr: It’s not *Hedy*, it’s *Hedley*. Hedley Lamarr.
Governor William J. Le Petomane: What the hell are you worried about? This is 1874. You’ll be able to sue *her*.

Harvey was a hoot, whatever character he played, he played with panache. From the Hedley Lamarr in the 1974’s Blazing Saddles and Dr. Charles Montague in 1977’s High Anxiety to Carol Burnett’s eleven year sidekick in the Carol Burnett Show, Harvey made us laugh, not only at the antics of Korman but at his own apparent mirth. You could tell, Harvey and his cohorts in comedy had a great time working together as Harvey Korman was the quintessential ham.

To see the videos and rest of post:

Harvey Korman: Video Tribute to the Quintessential Ham” at DBKP.com.

by LBG
Source: Harvey Korman: Video Tribute to the Quintessential Ham

Categories: video
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Government-Created Demand for Ethanol Also Creates Demand for Spam

May 30, 2008 · Leave a Comment

Good News!
Spam Is On The Table And In The News.

Spam

One of the more profound effects of the US Government’s mindless Cellulosic ethanol production subsidies is runaway food inflation. The joy of this policy is the , ah, down grading of the Family menu.

“There’s no sign of a slowdown. Food inflation is running at an annualized rate of 6.1 percent as of April, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics”

Spam is back!

“Spam’s maker, Hormel Foods Corp., reported last week that it saw strong sales of Spam in the second quarter, helping push up its profits 14 percent. According to sales information coming from Hormel, provided by The Nielsen Co., Spam sales were up 10.6 percent in the 12-week period ending May 3, compared to last year. In the last 24 weeks, sales were up nearly 9 percent.”

It is hard to stomach such good news.

Spam was launched in 1937, but sales took off after WWII when GIs returned with a ‘taste’ for the product and no money.

150 million cans of Spam are sold annually. And while it was once thought they were all eaten in Hawaii, apparently the joy of the poverty driven pantry will be the joy of all America. Amen. And for you Jewish-Americans, the delicacy comes in turkey flavor. Bit of unfortunate news there, eh?

And soon, home delivery.

Finally, a tribute to Spam–in haiku form.

Above all others
porcine treat without equal
there is but one Spam
–Keola Beamer

Bon Appetite.

by pat
images:
* neatorama
* gypsyfirechicklet
* myninjaplease
Sources:
* Spam Sales rise as Consumers Trim Food Costs
* Wyman, I’m a Spam Fan

[This post originally appeared at DBKP.com.

Categories: politics
Tagged: , , ,

Why Liberals are Angry: Fifteen Quotes

May 28, 2008 · Leave a Comment

“Resentment is like taking poison and waiting for the other person to die.”
–Malachy McCourt

Anger

The “angry white male” is old and busted news. New and hot is the “angry liberal”.

Why are liberals angry? 15 quotes that might shed some light on the phenomenon of The Angry Liberal.

“We have been too nice. We have been too polite.”
–Ann Lewis, veteran strategist with the Democratic National Committee, where the official party weblog is called “Kicking Ass.”

“He who angers you conquers you.”
–Elizabeth Kenny

ALSO at DBKP:
Quotes: DBKP Library of Quotes

Q: Anybody else see the outrage on the part of liberals at ABC because they had the ‘audacity’ to ask the Holy Messiah Obama slightly tougher questions than say ‘do you wear boxers or briefs’? Imagine for a second that John McCain had had a fundraiser for his campaign years ago with Timothy McVeigh. How is it unfair to ask Obama about his personal relationship with a DOMESTIC TERRORIST? Why are liberals angry over this?

A: People who are not secure in their positions do not like to be questioned. Those who are secure, encourage questioning because it gives them the opportunity to convince others.
–Answers, Yahoo.com

“Liberals enjoy claiming that they are intellectuals, thrilled to engage in a battle of wits. This, they believe, distinguishes them from conservatives, who are religious fanatics who react with impotent rage to opposing ideas.”
–Ann Coulter

“Get mad, then get over it.”
–Colin Powell

“”My contribution to the civility of the dialogue has been to get down and say, ‘You’re lying, and we’re going to call you on it.’ “
–Al Franken, MN senate candidate and talk radio host

“[T]he decision in the Florida election case may be ranked as the single most corrupt decision in Supreme Court history, because it is the only one that I know of where the majority justices decided as they did because of the personal identity and political affiliation of the litigants. This was cheating, and a violation of the judicial oath.”
–Alan Dershowitz, Harvard law professor

“I was very angry. I was angry for a period of two days.”
–Keith Olbermann, explaining to Bill Moyers his reaction upon reading in August of 2006 about Don Rumsfeld talking to the veterans and talking about how “every– everyone who was in opposition to the Iraq War policy, the so-called war on terror, even to some degree the Bush administration, was the equivalent in his mind to the Nazi appeasers of the 1930s.”

“Republicans had better worry. Angry people are motivated to get out to vote. If they can channel that anger into something constructive, they can literally upset the presidency.”
–Paul Weyrich, veteran conservative organizer

“I think a lot of people felt the media was giving a pass to Bush.”
–”Bill Scher, a 31-year old publicist who runs LiberalOasis.com

“Liberals believe that men–left to their own devices–are not to be trusted. They also believe in the goodness of government; a government composed of men. This paradox may help explain why many liberals are angry much of the time.”
–RE Bierce

“Sure, liberals still seethe from a doubtful election, an illegal war and political prosecutions. But there’s a genuine anger out there engendered by something rooted far deeper in the past: a quarter-century of callous right-wing tactics. Its purveyors now carping about liberal anger have no one to blame but themselves.”
–P.M. Carpenter, History News Network

“I thought liberalism was supposed to be all about tolerance and diversity and stuff. I guess that applies only to skin, but not to thought or ideas.”
–Fred Dooley, Real Debate Wisconsin

“Never go to bed mad. Stay up and fight.”
–Phyllis Diller

Okay, a confession: the last quote could apply to liberals or conservatives.

by Mondoreb
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images: variety.blogs
Source:
* paradox
* When Angry Liberals Attack
* Entertainment for Angry Liberals
* Why are liberals angry at Stephanapolous for asking Obama totally legitimate questions?
* Why Liberals are Angry
* Why Are Liberals so Angry?
* Liberals Finding Their Voice–and It’s Angry
* Bill Moyers talks with MSNBC host Keith Olbermann.
* Anger quotes
* The Angry Liberal: Fifteen Quotes

Categories: quotes
Tagged: , ,

Jimmy Carter Magical Misery Tour Calls for EU to Break with USA

May 26, 2008 · Leave a Comment

* Mr. Peanut’s Magical Mystery Tour
* The Jimmy Carter Trifecta

Jimmy Carter\'s bus

Beep! Beep! Come on, Jimmy! Time to go!

Jimmy Carter continues his brave but losing battle against diarrhea of the mouth.

Carter, ex-president, continued his nearly 3-decades-long “Crusade to Be Relevant” by calling for the European Union to break with the U.S. over Jimmy’s Kids, the Palestinians.

Britain and other European governments should break from the US over the international embargo on Gaza, former US president Jimmy Carter told the Guardian yesterday. Carter, visiting the Welsh border town of Hay for the Guardian literary festival, described the EU’s position on the Israeli-Palestinian dispute as “supine” and its failure to criticise the Israeli blockade of Gaza as “embarrassing”.

Referring to the possibility of Europe breaking with the US in an interview with the Guardian, he said: “Why not? They’re not our vassals. They occupy an equal position with the US.”

Carter is no more relevant today than 30 years ago. To recount the blunderful Carter years would keep one busy for months–even if Jimmy suddenly went deaf, dumb and blind.

So, we turned to one of the best.

Read more at DBKP.com:
Jimmy Carter: Calls for the EU to Break with USA over Gaza

by Mondoreb
Source: Jimmy Carter: Calls for the EU to Break with USA over Gaza

Categories: politics
Tagged: , , , ,

DBKP Alcapulco Travel Advisory: Sun, Sand and Raw Sewage at Resort

May 26, 2008 · Leave a Comment

La Quebrada Cliff Diver

DBKP Travel Advisory: Acapulco, Mexico: the spectacular city built along the cliffs above the Pacific Ocean, home of sun, sand, and every second an estimated 400 gallons of raw sewage “spewing” into the once crystal blue waters of the Bay.

Acapulco, a once popular resort, where American movie stars such as Frank Sinatra partied in palatial homes, whose Bay was described as one of the most beautiful in the world with its famous cliff divers, the La Quebrada, has its hand’s full: of raw sewage and water treatment plants that need rehabbing.

President Calderon has pledged US $70 million to upgrade 14 plants, including the one that treats 80% of the city’s estimated two million resident’s sewage.

La Quebrada “clavadistas” perform for tourists. Each day the divers climb the face of the cliff then pray at a small shrine. They need to, they’re about to dive a distance of 130 feet into a gorge of once pristine waters, now polluted with raw sewage, all for the sum of two dollars and/or tips from tourists.

By LBG

Source – Sign on San Diego – Mexico to Clean up Sewage in Acapulco Bay
Source - MexicoDoc – La Quebrada Divers
Image –

Categories: travelers
Tagged: , ,

Memorial Day: The Many Reasons We Celebrate Memorial Day

May 26, 2008 · 1 Comment

Memorial Day 2008Click on image to enlarge

by RidesAPaleHorse
image: RAPH

Categories: holidays
Tagged: , ,

Toad Venom Kills NY Man: Are There REALLY Any Aphrodisiacs?

May 23, 2008 · 1 Comment

“The best aphrodisiac is loving your partner”.

Aphrodisiac

One man’s search for the enhanced sexual performance and desire that only an aphrodisiac can give, ended with death instead of desire. Now New York health officials are warning residents to refrain from an illegal aphrodisiac made from–toad venom?

What won’t humans do for love and sex?

The alert went out Friday after New York City’s poison control center received a report from an area hospital that a 35-year-old man had died earlier this month after ingesting a small chunk of the hard, brown substance.

The product is sold at sex shops and neighborhood stores under names including Piedra, Love Stone, Jamaican Stone, Black Stone and Chinese Rock. It is banned by the Food and Drug Administration, but shipments from overseas suppliers still occasionally slip past customs.

According to Wikipedia:

An aphrodisiac is an agent which is used in the belief that it increases sexual desire. The name comes from Aphrodite, the Greek goddess of sensuality. Throughout history, many foods, drinks, and behaviors have had a reputation for making sex more attainable and/or pleasurable. However, from a historical and scientific standpoint, the alleged results may have been mainly due to mere belief by their users that they would be effective (i.e., the placebo effect). In particular, medical science has not substantiated claims that any particular food increases sexual desire or performance.

The most famous of aphrodisiacs is probably “Spanish fly”. Made from crushed beetles, more than a little can kill a human. It works–on farm animals–by irritating the mucous glands, creating an urge to scratch the itch with sex.

If sex is what one thinks of when their mucous glands are afire, then “Spanish fly” might be the Ticket to Paradise.

Some of the many substances considered by people as useful in increasing sexual desire are listed below.

Read more at DBKP.com “Toad Venom Aphrodisiac Blamed in Death of NY Man“.

by Mondoreb
Source: Toad Venom Aphrodisiac Blamed in Death of NY Man

Categories: love
Tagged: , , ,

Pittsburgh Steelers: Ben Rothliesberger Just Another QB since Bradshaw?

May 22, 2008 · 2 Comments

Steeler QBs since Terry Bradshaw

Ben RothliesbergerSteeler Nation under Ben

As it turns out Mondoreb and myself are both fans of the vaunted and mighty Pittsburgh Steelers. However, as much as we bleed Black and Gold, we disagree on the multi-year, multi-million dollar signing of Ben Rothliesberger.

Mondo is still high on the Super Bowl win–considering it was the first Steelers Super Bowl victory since the days of Terry Bradshaw. I on the other hand, am very skeptical, due to the Steelers’ history of disappointing quarterbacks since Terry Bradshaw.

Steeler Quarterbacks Since Bradshaw

Cliff Stoudt
: I know. I don’t even remember this guy but he took over
for an injured Terry Bradshaw in 1983. After the ‘83 season he went to play in the USFL. How did that work out Cliff?

David Woodley: His biggest claim to fame was being the quarterback between legends Bob Griese and Dan Marino on the Miami Dolphins. He split snaps with Mark Malone for one season in Pittsburgh.

Mark Malone: Not a horrible quarterback but not a great one either. He’s a better announcer than he was a quarterback. Both the fans and his teammates couldn’t stand him as he blamed his game mistakes on other teammates.

Bubby Brister: Won two Super Bowl rings by holding John Elway’s clipboard. Got to some playoffs with Pittsburgh but didn’t do all that well in the post season.

O’Donnell under pressure

Neil O’Donnell: Neil took The Steelers to the Super Bowl where he threw two of the best passes of his life…to Larry Brown of the Dallas Cowboys.

Jim Miller/Mike Tomczak: ‘Nuff said.

Kordell Stewart: Too unpredictable. One year he’s going to the AFC championship game, the next he’s throwing Neil O’Donnel-like
interceptions. He was great in his “Slash” role, but mediocre–at best–as a quarterback.

Kent Graham: See Jim Miller/Mike Tomczak

Tommy Maddox under pressure

Tommy Maddox: My favorite XFL player that wasn’t He Hate Me. Tommy was in the wrong place at the wrong time. Did great in his first season with the Steelers then history repeated itself with Tommy having a 6-10
second season.

Which brings us to Ben.

If you look at his stats, he has the ability to be even better than Bradshaw ever was. When it’s all said and done he could have a fistful of Super Bowl rings. However, I think it was too early to sign him to an 8 year deal and I’ll give you a stupid reason why: his motorcycle accident.

I thought it showed great immaturity to not wear a helmet when the Steelers are paying you large sums of money to take them to another Super Bowl. Last season he showed definite improvement from his “accident season”, but I don’t think it was enough of a test for the Steelers to sign him to this deal.

EVALUATION:
I think the upcoming season will be the true acid test for Ben.

by Trench Reynolds

images:
* mcmillenandwife
* sportsillustrated
* post-gazette
* Pittsburgh Steelers: Was Ben Rothliesberger Worth It?

Categories: sports
Tagged: , , ,

John McCain’s Memorial Day Weekend VP Pick Dog-and-Pony Show

May 22, 2008 · Leave a Comment

Dog and Pony Show

John McCain is having a Republican VP Pick Dog and Pony Show this weekend at his Sedona, Arizona ranch where three potential candidates will vie for the second slot on the Republican ticket in the upcoming November presidential election.

According to the New York Times, McCain has at least 20 candidates to look over before he settles on his “second-in-command”. This Memorial Day weekend three politicians and their mates are invited for “social context” which is also the dreaded “dog and pony show”.

The Setting: McCain’s Sedona, Arizona Ranch

Sedonna, Arizona is a land of red sandstone cliffs and formations against the background of crystal clear blue skies and the Oak Creek Canyon. The air is dry and crisp, at night, the sky full of a million stars. A beautiful place to also pick a future running mate and potentially the next Vice President of the United States.

The McCain’s call their ranch near Sedona, Hidden Valley. They built their first house on their little bit of western heaven 24 years ago. Oak Creek wends its way through the property where the McCains like to rustle up the standard western fare of barbeque to their guests.

The VP candidates will relax in the McCain’s ranch style home replete with leather sofas, Navaho rugs and a painting of the Grand Canyon.

Dog and Pony Show

The term originated in the late 19th century to describe circuses which featured dog and pony acts that toured towns and cities across the United States but also refers to people who are thrust into social interactions such as cocktail parties, conventions, or McCain’s Sedona VP Pick Retreat, where candidates are judged on their ability to interact socially.

It may seem simple, casual, and relaxed but the three candidates at McCain’s Sedona ranch know every action, every remark, every faux pax will be carefully weighed by McCain and his advisers as to who will eventually fill the other half of McCain’s Republican ticket. Not only will the candidates be on a 24 hour watch but so will their wives. The old adage, loose lips sink ships should be embroidered on the guest pillow shams as well as Miss Manners on the bedside table.

Every drink, every joke, every lapse of judgment goes into the hopper for later dissection. The candidates and their wives are on “parade”, a dog and pony show where the winner takes the VP slot on the McCain ticket. The candidates must have the ability to balance charm, thoughtfulness, and intelligence with social graces.

A Careless Fart

By the end of Memorial Day weekend one of the three men invited to the McCain’s Sedona retreat may have passed the Dog and Pony Show muster and emerge as the candidate to fill the other half of the Republican ticket.

A careless fart, excessive sweating, or a lack of humor may be frowned upon as well as needless chatter. So does a wooden personality, but then again back in 1992 Al Gore and his wife Tipper made the ticket as Bill Clinton’s number two man where the Dog and Pony Show must have had a “slightly” different standard.

By LBG

Image – Dog and Pony Show
Source - New York Times – McCain Looks To Fill Ticket, and 3 Hopefuls Step up
Source – Visit Sedona
Image – Sedona
Source – CNN – No News, Just Ribs at McCain barbeque
Image – Fart

Categories: politics
Tagged: , , ,

PC in the UK: Cops Bust Teen For Calling Scientology a Cult

May 22, 2008 · Leave a Comment

Cruise Giving the Scientology Salute

Tom Cruise Giving the Scientology “Salute”

If there’s any doubt that the enforcement of political correctness in the U.K. is turning ordinary citizens into criminals, a 15-yr-old youth was issued a criminal summons after he had written on a sign that Scientology was a cult.

Police confiscated his protest sign at a demonstration against the Church of Scientology at their headquarters in London and then issued him a criminal summons. According to the British newspaper the Guardian, the 15-yr-old had written on a sign: “Scientology is not a religion, it is a dangerous cult”. The police called it “abusive and insulting”.

Just who was abusive and insulting?

The unnamed 15-yr-old boy stood his ground and quoted a 1984 High Court ruling by Justice Lahey in which the justice described the religion as “corrupt, sinister, and dangerous”.

We agree. We find the fact that anyone could face a criminal proceeding for calling Scientology a cult, abusive, insulting, and sinister.

This means that Scientology, which many people consider a cult, can now peddle its wares with impunity.

We wondered what Tom Cruise, producer, movie star, and the world’s most famous and vocal member of Scientology would say about police arresting people for calling his church a cult? Is his religion so fragile that a 15-yr-old boy, in a peaceful demonstration, now faces a fine or jail? Since when does a worldwide church with megabucks allow the U.K. police to act as their enforcers, effectively silencing its detractors? What does this say about the British government, who are protecting a “religion” and not the rights of its citizens to voice their opinions about a religion?

This smacks of the Saudi Arabia’s Sharia police, which are referred to as Haya or the Commission. The Haya are under the aegis of the Commission for the Promotion of Virtue and Prevention of Vice.

The Commission are the watchdogs of the Saudis and are hyperguardians of all things Islam. Women, not accompanied by a male member of her family, can be promptly arrested by the Haya. Improper dress or enforcing the strict Islam dress code and arresting those who, in the minds of the Commission, speak “ill” of Islam are some of the daily duties of the Vice and Virtue Squads that hit the streets of Saudi Arabia.

Now we’re beginning to see some of the same type of pattern, of a police organization, the Brit coppers, being used to effectively silence critics of a religion, Scientology.

Political Correctness, the use of governments and laws to foist thought behavior and what people can and cannot say in order to “not offend”. It’s evident that the police are now being used to protect certain people and organizations from being “offended”. Being “offensive” is now considered an illegal activity and punishable under the law.

This is a matter of legal ethics, people are being punished for vocalizing what others have deemed to be unethical, offensive, or insulting. The people who should be offended or insulted are the taxpayers who foot the bill for this and the citizens who are being branded as criminals for exercising their right to free speech.

Scientology and the British authorities should be ashamed of themselves. The Brit police for making criminals out of people who protest that Scientology is a cult. Scientology, for hiding behind the skirts of the British government, allowing people to face criminal charges because they’ve offended the religion.

In order not to “offend” the British authorities have become the offensive, abusing their authority, turning people into criminals for exercising their right to free speech.

Only cults are afraid of criticism and are willing to punish people.

By LBG
Source: PC Run Amok: UK Cops Bust Teen For Calling Scientology a Cult
Source – The Guardian – Teenager Faces Prosecution for calling Scientology a cult
Source – The Economist – Vicious About Virtue
Image – Tom Cruise

Categories: free speech
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