Yesterday’s highlight: I met Detroitblogger John, the genius writer behind the stories at Detroitblog and their dead-tree versions in the Metro Times. (The former publishes more pictures; the latter pays him money, so I always click both.) I’ve known his name for a while, having wheedled it out of a filmmaker working on a documentary based on one of his stories. (This one.) I looked him up online, saw that he’s employed as an editor at a newspaper concern that never, ever publishes stories like the ones he writes, and took momentary pleasure in my accurate guess when I first stumbled across his work online — newspaperman. I don’t know much, but I know a prose style.
I didn’t try to contact him otherwise, having once exchanged an e-mail with him in which he said he keeps an anonymous byline because of his employer’s prickliness about freelancing. Besides, I’d already expressed my fangirl love; what else would there be to say?
But yesterday, when I walked into my department chairman’s office and found him talking to someone, and was introduced to John Redacted, the first thing I did was to blurt out, “I know your secret!” What a tool. I could share a cab with Colin Firth and never feel the need to tell him how much I love him. But writers? I lose all self-control.
“I think most people know by now,” he said. Well, that’s good. A man deserves credit for great work. I gather that he’s reached a rapprochement with his employer over the freelancing, but chooses to keep his profile low. Wise.
Then I asked something that’s been knocking around my head for some time: “Do you think Jay Thunderbolt would be amenable to having a spec screenplay written about him?” Cuz, you know, nothing is quite as visual as a six-foot-five-inch chain smoker whose face droops to one side and always wears a black suit with a bulletproof vest underneath. And runs a strip club out of his house. He already looks like a taller, younger, more facially paralyzed Christopher Walken.
“Sure,” he said. “He’s all about self-promotion.”
Don’t none of you folks steal my idea. Although I’m surely not the only one to comprehend his awesomeness. I was trying to find that story a couple weeks ago, I ran across another — apparently MTV did a piece on him for one of their series. Money quote from the show hosts:
“The thing about Jay is he probably hasn’t left Detroit in 30 years. He hasn’t flown in, God knows how long. When we booked him a flight his first question was, ‘How many of my guns can I bring?’ His second was, ‘Could you get me a smoking seat?'”
When you’re as awesome as Jay, you don’t need to leave Detroit. The party comes to you.
So that was yesterday. It also included a bowl of carrot-ginger soup from Russell Street Deli. Win-win.
Before I leave today, I have an RFK — request for kindness. Or to make it even more low-pressure, call it a request for karma, or even a DOYITAWC (direction of your interest to a worthy cause). One of our number, who comments from time to time as Velvet Goldmine, has a daughter who’s been invited to a National Youth Leadership Forum program at Yale this summer. It’s pricey, a deposit has to be sent pretty soon, and the money isn’t in this month’s budget. VG — I don’t think she’d mind if I told you her name is Melissa, and she’s the sister-in-law of my trusted friend Lance Mannion — is in a cash pinch. I told her that if she had a PayPal account, I’d send her a few shekels, and I just did. If you feel like sending a few of your own, the linked e-mail is qwerty1017 at ay-oh-ell dot you-know-what. (You can figure that out, right?) One of the great things about PayPal is, you can send any amount. I look at this as the online equivalent of a kid knocking on your door selling candy bars to finance a band trip. I always give those kids a fiver or so, so why not someone in Connecticut?
I stress that this isn’t an endorsement, I’m keeping no records, everything is between you and VG, and if you’d like to ask her any questions privately, you can send her an e-mail.
And is that all? I think that is all. Have an outstanding weekend. We’re expecting freezing rain!
Halloween Jack said on March 4, 2011 at 10:08 am
The faux-fur leg warmers that “Summer” is wearing reminds me of the Cookie Monster Slayer.
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velvet goldmine said on March 4, 2011 at 10:19 am
I am beyond grateful, as is Phoebe, who was moved and excited when I told her about it after school yesterday. (I’m also relieved to see it worked because my mother swore up and down my PayPal isn’t working. She often has a contentious relationship with certain web sites).
Just wanted to mention that I need to update that email address — questions can be sent to either the PayPal email, qwerty1017 or mjordanreilly, both at the oh-hell platform Nancy mentioned. My only “plea” related to this is that if anyone does this, PLEASE send me your snail mail, if you are comfortable with that, so Phoebe can thank you properly.
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Jeff (the mild-mannered one) said on March 4, 2011 at 10:39 am
Sorry it can’t be more, VG; thanking properly can only be done forward, so blessings on her way to New Haven, no notes needed. The non-profit I most work with has been blessed by the NN.C family in the past, so this is some of my payment forward.
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LAMary said on March 4, 2011 at 10:59 am
Good luck to Phoebe, and I wish I could have sent more.
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beb said on March 4, 2011 at 11:50 am
I see where Obama has caved to the Republican even before the budget conference started. I’ve come to the opinion that Obama is this country’s worst president since Herbert Hoover. He has bailed on all the known, Keynesian solution to a recession and somehow thinks sending hundreds of thousands of more people out of work will somehow help the economy. The man’s a fool and the worst negotiator — ever!
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Dorothy said on March 4, 2011 at 12:22 pm
Save the 44 cents – no thanks necessary and I’m happy to help a wee bit. I hope Phoebe has a fun time! My son got to go to the same forum (I think it was the one about National Security) in his senior year of high school – he went to Washington DC and heard General Peter Pace speak. Same son is on track to become a lieutenant in the Army National Guard soon, and found out he got his desired position this week – he’ll be in the MP unit that is located close to his apartment. Additionally, this week he interviewed with the Secret Service; he’s already passed his TEA exam. When I asked him how the interview went, he said “Ehhh it was okay. I think they just wanted to be sure I knew how to get dressed correctly.” Smartass. He’s probably the perfect candidate for Secret Service with that kind of attitude.
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Jeff (the mild-mannered one) said on March 4, 2011 at 12:41 pm
Does he occasionally whisper into his shirt cuffs?
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Dorothy said on March 4, 2011 at 12:48 pm
Not to my knowledge. Actually the National Geographic channel ran four episodes recently about what the Secret Service does in addition to guarding the President. The only episode we watched so far showed them working in Miami and Brazil to break up counterfeiting rings. Very interesting stuff. I probably won’t be privy to the intricacies of the job if he is chosen for it. We think the fact that he double majored in Chinese and Criminal Justice is strongly in his favor. He hasn’t used the Chinese at all yet in his current job but it should give him a distinct advantage, I’d think.
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Julie Robinson said on March 4, 2011 at 1:00 pm
A friend’s son is also majoring in criminal justice and will go to the police academy this summer. For her birthday he gave her “Survival for Families of Law Enforcement”. I told her I couldn’t wait to hear her Mother’s Day present. Thank you for sharing your son for the better good, Dorothy.
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MichaelG said on March 4, 2011 at 1:46 pm
Best I could do with taxes due, VG. Hope Phoebe has a great time!
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velvet goldmine said on March 4, 2011 at 2:00 pm
To no one’s surprise, Nancy Nall and her readers are the best. I am so appreciative, I just can’t say. We are almost to the stage where we can make the deposit and officially enroll her. I don’t want to “out” the people who haven’t mentioned their contributions in the comments, but Nance, Jeff, Mary, Dorothy, Michael and the anons, my heart is full. If for some reason Phoebe gets diverted to a program we can’t drive her to (Yale and the Boston sessions are doable), I will either hit the handy-dandy “return” button on Paypal or send it back the most logical way.
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nancy said on March 4, 2011 at 2:04 pm
Wow, it’s like pledge week on NPR. “We just need three more calls to get us to this hour’s goal.”
Seriously, though — don’t mention it, VG. This is just a little crowdsourced problem-solving.
Now if you will all send ME $10 each…
(I might also mention, my stuffed Nancy doll and signed strip sits in my office as evidence that this works both ways. VG got it for me from the heirs of Ernie Bushmiller himself.)
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moe99 said on March 4, 2011 at 2:38 pm
this is great news, Velvet. Ever since my brother’s dog was found last Saturday, I’ve determined to ‘pay it forward.’
This morning, however, the guy I gave all my change to was pissed because it wasn’t the $3 he was asking for. Love that gratitude!
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Deborah said on March 4, 2011 at 2:45 pm
I’ve got to be the lamest person in the universe who can’t figure out how to use Paypal. Can someone give me a clue?
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Julie Robinson said on March 4, 2011 at 2:58 pm
Eh, Deborah, my daughter set up mine.
Appropos of nothing I just ran across this anonymous quote: “Mrs. Palin needs to be reminded that Jesus was a community organizer, Pontius Pilate was a governor.”
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Dexter said on March 4, 2011 at 3:13 pm
Jay Thunderbolt is one of the most unforgettable characters I have ever read about. Ted Griffin, who worked on the “Oceans 11” screenplay and created the FX now-cancelled “Terriers” show, and who also was involved with “The Shield”, is , to me, the obvious choice to interview Jay Thunderbolt and create a series for FX.
“Terriers” was easily my fave TV show last fall, but it appears the title threw the public off the scent and it was only getting a half-million viewers a show, and that is doom-city these days.
Of course, the only Griffins I know are Kathy and Peter, and neither of them could help me contact Ted Griffin, although both make me howl with laughter until my sides split.
http://www.downtownphoenix.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2010/01/Kathy_Griffin.jpg
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jcburns said on March 4, 2011 at 3:14 pm
I’m looking forward to having Jay Thunderbolt ports on my MacBook Pro.
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velvet goldmine said on March 4, 2011 at 3:38 pm
Deborah, I would answer you, but I seem to be leading my mother astray with my advice. She keeps getting rebuffed when she tries to money in the account for Phoebe, but NNC readers have not. She does not have PayPal, but I was under the impression that you didn’t need a PP account to pay/contribute something to someone’s PP.
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Little Bird said on March 4, 2011 at 3:39 pm
Deborah, it should work somewhat similar to e-bay.
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prospero said on March 4, 2011 at 4:20 pm
don’t envy Charlie Sheen’s obvious mental illness, although he seems to enjoy it, and he’s got the cash to indulge himself. But I do object to anybody that thinks it’s funny. It’s not. And he hit a ball out of Dodger stadium. How he’s a a subject of ridicule and not compassion is somewhat beyond me. He’s nucking futs. This is not remotely funny . This is way Republican. And with his addiction to hos, this guy seems like a poster child for Republicans. But hitting one out of Dodger stadium, that’s awesome. Sort of right where Kirk Gibson hit the greatest homer in the history of baseball. Did Johnny Bench or Croaker Joe Morgan hit a more amazing HR? Joe would probably say he did, The saddest self-promoter ever. Joe Morgan, what a sorry POS telling you jow great Joe amorgan is. Sorry little guy, nobody cares. Real world series you dumbasses. Anyway, this guy’s obviously nuts, and there’s nothing funny about that. It diminishes everybody to make fun of mental illness. He’s not funny, he’s crazy, and he needs help. That is not funny. We don’t make fun of people with MS do we. Same thing. Guy is a wreck and seriously diseased. Think that’s funny because he’s rich? Nope. He’s some altered state asshole because Republicants despise everybody from Hollywood for calling them out on their spectacularly lying bullshit. Matt Damon doesn’t have a right to express his political opinions but Rush does? How’d you screw things around to get to that bizarre opinion? What is wrong with people?
And community organizing is next to God. And what does crowd-sourced mean? Exactly? And based on statistics, how is Johnny Bench a better ballplayer than Pudge Fisk. He isn’t. That’s just nonsense perpretated by the endlessly self-promoting greatest second baseman that couldn’t carry Davey-Lopes jock, Joe Morgan. Every single player on the big red machine was the greatest player that ever lived. If Pete Rose played outfield, he must have been a berrer player than the babe. Anybody that knows dick about baseball knows Pete Rose was a butcher, Totallyincapab;e of fielding a position, He just couldn’t do it, He sucked, abd they tried to hide his sorry ass. . All you Reds fan7s Did Ed Armbrister cheat? Hell yes he did. How could you claim he didn’t? Not close. He cheated his ass off. Reds suck big time, and they cheated
Campy was obviously a better catcher and Joe Morgan should just shut his piehole. He thinks DavConcepsion was a great SS. In what world? Concepcion was mediocre at best. Joe was an almost decent 2nd baseman, but he’ll tell you forever he was the best, He talks a good game Better than everybody, Joe, He was better than Lopes. In his own mind. And Concepcion was better than Maury Wills, Only in this deluded mind.
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LAMary said on March 4, 2011 at 4:24 pm
Deborah, you need to go the paypal website and then use the email address qwerty1017 etc. as the account you are paying into.
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Jolene said on March 4, 2011 at 4:29 pm
Deborah, I think you have to establish an account on PayPal so that you can specify a source of the payment before you can send money. I’ve had an account for a long time, so I’m not absolutely sure how it works w/o one. I did try to sign in as a new person to see how that would work, but I couldn’t get all the way through it w/o being “recognized”.
If you click on the image on the paypal.com homepage and then on the blue “Send Money” tab, I think you’ll be guided through the necessary steps. A PayPal account is a handy thing to have, so it’s worth the trouble.
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velvet goldmine said on March 4, 2011 at 4:35 pm
Jolene, thanks for that explanation — and the donation! My mother is suspicious of PayPal, so she doesn’t have one. I think I am actually going to have to “invoice” her. Should I put Phoebe under goods or services? 😉
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prospero said on March 4, 2011 at 4:35 pm
If Pete Rose could actually have played a defensive position, I’d like to hear what it might have been Johnny Bench was a great playeer. Pete Rose was a great hitter, but he wasn’t Ichiro, who was and contiues to be one awesome outfielder. Pete was incapab;e of actually playing baseball. He was an atrocious first baseman. They could not hide that butcher. He was horrendous. /But your Reds fans. Pete didn’t just suck? At which position did he suck least? He was generally horrible, He could not plaay,
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velvet goldmine said on March 4, 2011 at 4:45 pm
Prospero, I agree with you about Charlie Sheen. Every time I am tempted to create a “tiger’s blood” T-shirt or something, I consider the all-too-likely possibility that some reporter is, in fact, going to find the head of one of his exes in the mail. He has the demonstrated history of violence, he has the downward spiral, and he certainly has the chemical fuel.
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paddyo' said on March 4, 2011 at 4:54 pm
Velvet, save the postage stamps, as Dorothy said, and invite Phoebe to post a group hey-hi-and-thank-ya here someday for our PayPal’ing it forward . . . and good luck to her . . .
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Jolene said on March 4, 2011 at 5:00 pm
Velvet, save the postage stamps, as Dorothy said, and invite Phoebe to post a group hey-hi-and-thank-ya here someday for our PayPal’ing it forward . . . and good luck to her . . .
Yes, perhaps a quick note now with something about the experience to follow. Would be interesting to know what they do there.
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velvet goldmine said on March 4, 2011 at 5:10 pm
Paddyo, you read my mind. An exasperating number of you are putting “no thanks needed” in your PayPal messages, so it will have to be forced down your throats on Monday. After all, WWMDTA? (What would Martha do to Alexis?)
I am horrified to see I put a winkie icon upthread, so I am not going to add to the carnage with another.
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Dorothy said on March 4, 2011 at 6:06 pm
I only opened a PayPal account when I wanted to buy some quilt fabric on E Bay. I think I’ve done 49 transactions (they tally it for you; I am not keeping track of it myself!) This past Sunday we decided to try to sell some stuff from my late father-in-law’s house. I had never sold anything in E Bay so I was sort of nervous about trying it. After reading a lot at the E Bay website and asking a few friends, we launched four items. We chose the price, I did the descriptions, and so far only one item has had any offers on it. Of all the things to have in a bidding war, this old Fort Pitt beer tray is going gangbusters, currently priced at $214! We started the price at $15 – what the hell did we know about beer tray demand? On Wednesday it might well be a frenzy of bidding when the auction ends. 82 people are following it.
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Jolene said on March 4, 2011 at 6:08 pm
Should I put Phoebe under goods or services?
Depends. Is she the kind of kid who will get you a beer from the refrigerator w/o rolling her eyes? If so, go with services.
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coozledad said on March 4, 2011 at 9:33 pm
I had a friend fresh out of law school who was amazed at the lack of employment opportunities in the waning days of the elder Bush’s presidency. The CIA was hiring, though, and they were accepting applications through their Little China station on the UNC campus. He was never sure if he flubbed his test by urinating seeds and stems, or telling the cab driver he was trying to get into “the firm”.
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prospero said on March 4, 2011 at 10:34 pm
Paypal works great. I just wouldn’t keep much money in that account. It’s very useful for making impulsive political donations, for buying books, and for buying music online. I’ve used it for years, and they have not looted my bank accounts. I suppose they could, but I don’t see it happening. I’m pretty sure it’s a legitimate concern. Like Arab banking. Now Facebook, I’m not altogether sure, at all. I’m deeply distrustful, and I only did it to get pictures of my grandson. Fort Pitt beer? I’d guess it tastes pretty much like Gansett. Or Balantyne that used to be 99cents for a sixpack at the drugstore in Detroit. We could use the tray on our coffee table, but that’s pricey at $214. And Jolene, that is a very funny observation about the beer and the fridge and the services.
I always send money to myself under services. I get the brewski and don’t roll my eyes, that I’m aware of. Sometimes S. gets the beer and I know she doesn’t roll her eyes. Well she does, but that’s why we’ve gotten along so well for so long. I don’t choose to see it, and she’s not obvious about it.
The business about Charley Sheen. Wouldn’t you think Emilio Estevez would duct tape his ass and talk some sense into him? No, he’s crazy. Serious mental illness. And that is not funny. By any stretch of the imagination. Crazy is difficult to deal with. Just give it a try. If you care, you do. Sometimes you might just feel like you’ll wear out and not be able to deal with it any more. I’m not entirely sane, I don’t think, so dealing day to day with somebody legitimately nuts can be difficult. And when people make fun of the situation, it’s more difficult.
Just a great song written by Warren Zevon. performed by Georgia Satellites. I was thinking about Stelazine and how it affects my life, and how it isn’t remotely funny. So why exactly did I just send money to Phoebe, other than having a brilliant classical Greek name. I assume it’s for a good cause.
Dexter, Terriers was so good it couldn’t possibly survive. The theme song is probably the best in the history of TV. Like Rockford. This was a throwback to Bogart and Sam Spade, It was actually literary,and people would apparently rather watch that chubby twat Bristol on Dancing. With the Stars? Bristol Palin is a “star”? Trent fucking Lott? is a star and not a Haley Barbour KKK retread? What is wrong with people?. It was actually like the Damien Lewis series Life that was way too intelligent to make it past a year. This gets old. The better, the more likely to get cancelled. Better the show, shorter the lifespan. People are dickheads.
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prospero said on March 4, 2011 at 11:01 pm
Phoebe, you go, keedo.
This sounds like a wonderful experience. You’ll be brilliant. And, as they say, it’ll look great on your college applications. That’s why I’m an Eagle Scout. Which was a great deal of fun, by the way.
Velvet, sounds like a terrific kid. If I can help, I’m very happy to. Since Republicans and Baggers have entirely given up on the promise of kids, and since I recently became a Grampa, I think being able to help in your situation is felicitous. It is the most wonderful thing in the world to be very proud of your kid. Unfortunately, you have to get old for this to kick in. And who the hell still has an aol account? They suck, bigtime. We are all going to expect to hear everything about it.
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Dexter said on March 4, 2011 at 11:01 pm
This Larry The Cable Guy Tours America show actually is funny as hell and a fun way to while away a nothing-on-television Friday. Larry in a mermaid suit at Weeki-Wachee was a real laffer.
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prospero said on March 4, 2011 at 11:16 pm
Cable Guy is way lame in my approximation, like that If you think redneck guy that just stole that shit from the great Lewis Grizzard. Tater Salad, Ron whathisname on the other hand, is extremely funny. You can’t fix stupid Mike Huckleberrybee. Once you been down that stupid road, you just get stupider. You meant to say Indonesia. Where there were all those Mau Maus? And of course, the Brits were never insane colonialists and imperialists. Of course, they weren’t the neurasthenic snuff-huffing British Empire either. How many ways could this goober expose himself as a racist idiot in such a short time? What a dumbass. Ain’t that a teabagger presidential candidate. They love his redneck ass today.
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prospero said on March 4, 2011 at 11:37 pm
Dexter, there is no way there has been a better TV show in a long time than Terriers. Donal Logue on Jimmy Kimmel. This guy is so smart and so funny it’s amazing. He’s the dude, sort of. The Wapner story is hilarious.
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prospero said on March 5, 2011 at 2:06 am
Phoebe rules. Maybe someday she will, actually. Send up a picture Velvet. You know, in Greek (classical, I don’t know about modern) Phoebe means shiny, brilliant, coruscating (I could not resist that word, it is absurdly wonderful, like the most beautiful word in the English language: ineffable)). And it sounds beautiful. No joke, let’s have an account of the experience. And photos. Did y’all see that 55 foot gamewinner on ESPN? Women’s basketball is spectacular. Hell at UGA we had the two best girl basketball players that ever lived Teresa Edwards and Katrina McClain. Hands down, Teresa is the alltime greatest. Five Olympics. Won them all.
Isn’t it kind of hilarious, and by hilarious I mean bone fucking stupid that Gov. Wanker waged war on unions st the same time the NFL owners did the same thing? People would be much happier if the governors get recalled and the players get back on the field.
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Tom M said on March 5, 2011 at 6:40 am
Not to rain on the parade, but the National Leadership Forum is a business. We’ve been there and done that. Attending will do nothing for her resume, it is not the least prestigious and as you have discovered, it’s expensive.
We did it. Our daughter, as yours it would seem, is very smart, 4.0+, active in school and out, or at least she was in high school. When we got the invitation, it was very impressive sounding and so despite the cost, we signed up and sent her off to George Washington U for several days of programs.
Not worth it3 at all. One of the give away features was asking for friends who would like to attend. It was like Amway. By inviting you, they get to invite another circle and charge them a lot of money.
It is an experience and as in so many things, your experience may vary, but save your money for a trip all of you can take to visit museums, art galleries and sights. At least then you’ll have gotten something for your money. We, and more importantly our daughter, got nothing from the National Youth Forum.
Except another invitation. And another.
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ROgirl said on March 5, 2011 at 7:43 am
Tom M, I’m not familiar with the National Leadership Forum, but I took some classes at a local community college last year and received an invitation to join the Honor Society after I ended up on the Dean’s List one semester. It seemed pretty impressive and all that, but other than paying them to list me on their roster, there was nothing in it for me.
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velvet goldmine said on March 5, 2011 at 9:11 am
Propspero, I don’t know if it was the naming of her that did it, but she is studying Ancient Greek right now and teaching me a lot. Her middle name means light, so we’ve called her “Shining Light” since babyhood.
Tom, I appreciate the insight. These things come out of the blue — offers to buy national “yearbooks” for the prestigue level, and it is indeed hard to tell what is legit or not. I have to say I hope she has a different experience than your daughter did, if only by lucking out and getting some good advice on applying for scholarships and schools, which is part of the program.
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brian stouder said on March 5, 2011 at 1:38 pm
So I was looking at the headlines in the paper this morning, and was taken aback by the story about the high school basketball player who hit the last second, game-winning shot, and then celebrated, and then collapsed to the floor and died – despite the best efforts of all around him.
And then I skipped the article about the mom who put her baby into the oven (Good God Almighty) and read the one about the wife who burned down the house after an argument (via telephone) with her husband…and then I saw the headline about Lincoln favoring colonization of freed slaves. And when we stopped to see grandma, THAT was the article she asked me about! (I told her, that was the oldest of old news)
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brian stouder said on March 5, 2011 at 3:02 pm
btw (and somehow reassuringly) – Detroit speaks softly, and carries a big stick…or, at least Ferrari fears fretting Ford Motor Company
http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/motorsport/formula_one/9415505.stm
an excerpt:
Ferrari have finally come up with a name for their 2011 Formula 1 racing car following a trademark dispute with American car manufacturer Ford. Originally called the F150, Ferrari renamed the car the F150th Italia after Ford dropped a lawsuit, before settling on Ferrari 150° Italia on Friday.
‘Course, the Italians couldn’t help but toss a little disrespect Dearborn’s way –
“In order to avoid the slightest risk of anyone confusing a Formula One car with a pick-up truck… the men from Maranello have decided that the car will lose the F that precedes the number 150 and which stands for Ferrari,” the Italian team said in a tongue-in-cheek posting on its website’s ‘Horse Whisperer’ column.
Didja catch that “men from Maranello” bit? As opposed to the dolts from Dearborn?
Huh!
edit – this Reuters article is better yet:
http://www.reuters.com/article/2011/03/04/ferrari-ford-idUSN0420807220110304
Check out the fuller quote from the “men from Maranello”:
“In order to avoid the slightest risk of anyone confusing a Formula 1 car with a pick-up truck, for their part, the men from Maranello have decided that the car will lose the F,” it said. “Therefore the name will now read as the Ferrari 150 Italia, which should make it clear even to the thickest of people.”
“The thickest of people”??? Really?
Just for the record, it should be noted that the Red Bull Renault team is running the very same engine as they had last year, only now they’re putting a badge on their that says “Infinity”. And the value of using that name, for the Red Bull Team is…? Anyone??…
$71,000,000
Maybe the ‘thick’ people at Ford are showing too much American hospitality to the small ‘men from Maranello’
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MichaelG said on March 5, 2011 at 5:01 pm
Was just down at one of the Vietnamese supermarkets in Sacto’s Little Saigon, one on Stockton Blvd. and 65th. There must be eight or so of them along Stockton there. I’m not talking little corner markets; these are supermarkets as large as any Safeway or Kroger or Food Lion or whatever’s in your area. After all these years the incredible variety of exotic stuff sold in those places still amazes me. Also, looking around and noting that I’m the only gringo in sight is different.
I saw an attractive woman whom I took to be Indonesian, maybe mid thirties, with a Muslim type wrap around her head obscuring her hair and neck. Below that she had on a very thin, very tight cotton sweater that boldly highlighted her rather sizeable assets and a pair of jeans in a thin fabric that looked to have been sprayed on. The contrast was startling. I had to look again just to be sure.
Oh, and they had duck balut eggs for eighty nine cents each. I managed to struggle past the display without buying one.
What a story Stockton Blvd. is. Just a few years ago it was a wasteland. A couple of miles of deserted, falling down commercial buildings, empty, weed infested lots, bums, gang bangers, a couple of sad looking used tire stores. You’ve all seen urban blight. Now it’s block after shining block of Vietnamese malls, supermarkets, office buildings and restaurants. It’s crowded, thriving, alive and a generally wonderful area. I don’t know where all the money came from but I’m glad it came.
Brian, Hank the deuce came within an ace of buying Ferrari back in the seventies. I saw that F-150 controversy a while ago. It reminded me of when Chevrolet, back in the eighties, fielded two models, one called a Corsica and the other called a Beretta. For the first, I couldn’t see why they would name a car after a French island known principally for its gangsters. For the second, the story was that the Italian gun manufacturer planned to make a cheap Saturday night special and call it a Chevy.
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nancy said on March 5, 2011 at 5:16 pm
The Muslim come-hither look is pretty common on the Wayne State campus, too. I saw a woman last year in spray-on (but long-sleeved!) clothing last year, her hijab straining to cover an Amy Winehouse beehive. Kitten heels, the whole bit. I’m sure her father is being driven nuts, but sometimes a girl’s just gotta work it.
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prospero said on March 5, 2011 at 6:59 pm
Dexter:
If you thought Terriers outstanding, I’d recommend Justified. Same sort of naturalistic writing. Brilliant dialogue. Apparently American TV viewers have no taste, whatever. And the basic idea was from Elmore Leonard. Very good until another season of Sons comes back.
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prospero said on March 5, 2011 at 7:51 pm
Memphis Blues is very good too, and it’s amazing, because that Earl show was atrocious redneck horse crp. People from the south, how do you get to be a person from the south, that isn’t a designated ninny like Huckabee. Guy is a jackshit moron, and he’s got no idea about being southren. He’s a dickhead that makes Southerners look like idiots. I grew up largely in Arkansas, Memphis. Then moved to Detroit, and the best school the area had to offer. UDHigh Best Swimmers, Best hoops.. That boy can sing. Doubt he play’s a guitar. NCIS is pretty excellent too. Two of the most absurdly empowered women characters of all time on TV. This show is a no-brainer.. And they are both ridiculously smart and gorgeous What an inexcusable shitheel? Huckleberrybee, He is so dumb there is no way to translate his dumbitude. What a dumbass. My daughter actually got married to an apparently good guy. She’s got bad politics. Ahe might think Republicans are shitheels. I know fir a fact she knows this for a fact. She’s got brains intact. Those of you that don’t. Suck it up.
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moe99 said on March 6, 2011 at 2:21 am
Just saw the Oscar winning documentary, “Inside Job.” I wish more people would go see it. Time to be demonstrating on Wall Street and time for some perp walks for fancy pants financial services CEOs. I wouldn’t recommend to prospero though, because his heart might not be able to take it.
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prospero said on March 6, 2011 at 9:14 am
And who killed the miner? What a surprise. The corparatist swine didn’t give a shit about the workers? There’s a shocker. It;s kinda like carving the turkey, Kinda like mowing the lawn. Everything gets to this certain dimension, winds up on a customer’s plate, and it’s gone. Did Ayn Rand actually think she wasn’t an exceptionally homely woman that could write her way out of a paper bag? Did she believe there was some reason she wasn’t boring, homely and one of those people she’d discard? What a sad excuse.
There may be a more evil piece of shit than Don Blankenship, and his name is probably Koch, but it’s a little hard to imagine. And Phoebe, This child seems a blessing. Somebody that does a grace for the human race. This subject made me think about the little kid that wanted to meet Congresswoman Giffords. And I’d say, the first thing I thought about when that all happened is what a better world it would be if Rosey Grier had crushed Sirhan before he shot the gun. No Nixon, probably no Raygun. A better world.
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prospero said on March 6, 2011 at 1:46 pm
Republicans. : Babies are important until they’re born. Life begins when sperm meets egg, Then it starts to be a drain on my inherited wealth. Then they;Republican are odious. They act like the unborn shild is sacrosanct, They make a political career out of screwing over born kids. Can anybody say that;s not true. That is what they do. Theygo out of their way to fuck over kids. The Schip battle was a perfect exMple. Why do thesee assholes find kids are wonderful in utero, but despise them once they’re living and breathing? How is that not a rational and reasonable qustion? Kids will hve sex. These assholes think that won’t happen? The child’aateachers, why pay those leaches? Teachers, why pay those leaches, It’all LL be about some lies, like evolution.life is sacred, until he’s born. Then he becomes a drain on my money.
o joke you morons. And the stupider the voter, the more likely he votes for moron republicans,
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Dave said on March 6, 2011 at 6:42 pm
I thought he was a good singer, too, Prospero, until I learned that Jason Lee is not doing his own singing on Memphis Blues. I also thought of My Name is Earl as a satire, so if that makes me a, what’d you say, redneck horsecrap lover, so be it.
Not looking for sympathy by a long shot but our Bichon Frise, Desi, that I’ve mentioned here a couple of times, lost her struggle today, so we’re in mourning, she had a multitude of things wrong with her but kidney failure was the new worst of it, along with all her other ailments.
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brian stouder said on March 6, 2011 at 7:38 pm
Strength to you and yours, Dave
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Dexter said on March 6, 2011 at 8:28 pm
Dave…the torch is passed…so sorry to hear about your beautiful dog…my friend has one of those outstanding dogs.
Last night my daughter showed up unexpectedly with a new dog for me. She is marked almost like my late Black Labrador Retriever was marked, but she’s different, different genes, smaller ears, smaller by far in stature.
She is so good, only peeing in the house once and only pooping in the house once…and of course I STEPPED IN IT BAREFOOTED…but oh well…had her to the park twice and she is a good walker. Twenty months old, very nice. I assume the accidents can be attributed to nerves. A great dog. She has a doggie bed, a new harness, a big bag of food…she is set. I love dogs…more than some people, if you want to know the truth.
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Rana said on March 6, 2011 at 9:20 pm
I’m sorry to hear about your dog, Dave.
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moe99 said on March 7, 2011 at 1:02 am
Oh, Dave. My favorite bumpersticker is, “I want to be the kind of person my dog thinks I am.” I understand exactly what you are going through. Hugs and sympathy in abundance.
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prospero said on March 7, 2011 at 1:22 am
A very amusing blog. Rack of spam and Debbie Drake.
Dave. I have to admit to watching Earl occasionally, and if somebody held a gun to my head and said The Office or Earl, I’m going trailer park and Crabman. What in God’s name does anybody find remotely amusing about The Office? In fact, when was the last time there was a sitcom that was remotely funny. I know the answer. It was Frazier, a freaking long time ago. Watch a couple of Mash reruns, then any Seinfeld after the second season. The characters in Seinfeld are all a bunch of self-absorbed aholes who don’t give a shit about, and don’t actualy even converse with, each other. Sort of like being forced to spend time with Larry David. Mash, another story. Once Charles Winchester replaced Frank Burns, there was nobody in the cast you wouldn’t happily spend time with. And Colonel Potter was way better than Henry Blake, and Henry was excellent. It was like watching What Did You Do In the War Daddy, every week. . So what passes now for TV comedy. We avoid and eschew. I mean, they make ads for these shows. I’d aassume they’d actually put some of their better moments on the ads. Nada. The Star Trek groupie wierdos? Not close. Hank and Peggy and Bobby are still funny. Family Guy is still lewd, crude and basically hilarious. But seriously, if The Office is supposed to be funny, pass me the nitrous and roll another bomber, Cathcart.
It’s a very difficult thing to lose a dog. I’ve even had a couple of cats with enough dog in them to get pretty emotional about. For some reason, I always confuse the breed Bichon Frise with those ginormous French dogs that look like bears. When animals I’m close to die, I always think of Richard Pryor‘s monkees, and the German Shepherd that lived next door. “Whusamatter Rich?” And, it’s terrible to say, but I have a brother I don’t like as much as I like his dog. If the Koch Bros. are a person, according to Scalia, I’d say give dogs the vote. We’d get a better class of politicians.
And since I so roundly offended all of you midwestern baseball fans on the subject of Johnny Bench, sorry, Pudge might not have been quite as good, but if Ed Armbrister din’t flat out cheat, Red Sox won the 1975 Series. No Big Red Machine. And he cheated. Just like Reggie Jackson cheated in ’77. What sort of asshole do you have to be to actually get to play i the World Series and cheat? Neither catcher hit well in that series. I defy anybody to compare statistics and tell me Bench was demonstrably better. Defensively, Scioscia and Yeager were both better than Bench. Yeager picked guys off 3rd, with righties at the plate.
Cheating at sports is abhorrent to anybody that actualy loves playing. That’s why Michael Jordan was always a smirking obnoxious jerk. He knew he took three to the hoop, he knew he reached in, he knew for a fact that was an offensive foul against Byron Russell. Much more contact than KG and that wussie Channing Frye. I just think. I was never more than a great Litte league fielder qnd a dogass hitter, but cheating on purpose in the world series, that is tremendously lame. Didn’t phase AirMike. Republicans buy shoes too. And Gordie Howe was unqyestiagly oe of the most qcc9pliwhed s846 0o
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prospero said on March 7, 2011 at 1:50 am
And Moe. I kinda saw that coming. The Democratic party didn’t deregulate the corporate criminals. This is Republican bidness. They figured out a direct money transfer to Cheney. Palettes of cash, Halliburton. Dickless. Off the books. Liars, thieves, war criminals. Clinton may have been complicit, but the overwhelming shift of wealth is Republican doing, and morons are voting in abject opposition to their own self-interest because the President has browner than orange skin. This meme that Democrats empowered the wall street abscondement (that should be a word) with the cash makes no sense but to teabaggers. Who gets the cash? That would undoubtedly be Republicans. Ouroboros. Snake eating itself. They don’t really want to kill government, they want to recreate a wild west where they can really screw over everybody.
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prospero said on March 7, 2011 at 3:21 am
Republicans want Americans ill-educated, ill-informed, biscuits in the oven and preggers more often than not. Then there will be more newborns to deny education and government cheese to. The wealth has all been redistributed, so what is the goal in these people’s lives. Probably expunge us all from their perfect inherited world. Does anybody believe most rich people in America worked for it instead of having it handed to them. Robot laugh. HQ HQ HQ. And I’m not black, nor poor Nor needy. I could probably buy and sell you, but what sort of person thinks that’s a reasonable way to act? A Republican. Rich people mostly just inherited it. Those that didn’t mostly stole it. Last time two rich assholes like the Kochs tried to fuck all of us Murricans over, it was the Hunt Brothers, and silver futures. Even Milhous wasn’t buying that shite.
I’m not big on mixing government and religion. but if this idea of American democracy has some sort of basis in Christianity, isn’t it about the part about we take care of each other? Isn’t that the part Jesus meant? We take care of each other. I don’t recall Jesus being keen on predatory lenders or bundling. Holy shit Moe99 Who did these people make their sdonations to? .
In my opinion, here’s the deal. We are here to take care of each other. We should do the best we can at that simple task. I’ve actually saved peoplee’s lives, on several occasions One of them tried to kill me subsequently becaus he blamed me for ending up in DUI court.. Jesus mqde that fairly clear. And whatever, he was fairly wise. Politicians that pit us in oppostion and claim to believe in Christianity are vile liars. If they are also robbing you blind, they are Republicans. and you more or less deserve it, because you’re stupid and buy their bullshit because there’s a dangerous black guy. It’s Willie Horton and Carl Rove told you he’s dangerous.
And seriously, trying to blame the securities meltdown on Democrats isn’t just idiotic, it’s after-the -fact moronic. This is morons that dislike the President because he’s black trying to claim he created the Republican fincial fiasco because he hire some of the guys that caused the problem to straighten it out. Of course, he’s gotta listen to the same old shit from his own side. Or both sides of MS. HUFFINGTON’S MOUTH.
There has never been a single human being more damned whichever way he acts. And It’s mostly because he’s a black guy. Look what we ended up with about healthcare. The Nation opposed the President. Hell, No. Conflaring people that believed in extending Medicare to everybody with diehard teabaggers,, that is just horseshit. This is obviously why teabaggers caqn’t stand him. I’m sure Beck would claim he has no racial animus. Yeh, Glenn Beck isn’t a racist. zLike that birther shote he goes on and on about isn’t blatant Karl Rove racism that Lee Atwater asked for forgiveness on his deathbed about. Yup. Lee Atwater, the guitar-slingin’ inventor of the Southern Strategy. They did this to separate normal working folks from their cash, and hand it to assholes like the Koch Brothers. And if I believe this was Rwpublican bullshit, it’s because it’s seriously obvious where the cash ended up, moe. It’s like White Collar. Get the smart bastards that accomplished the crime to try to steraighten out the mess they created.
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