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...merely strapped for time and motivation. Truth be told, I haven't felt this good -- physically or mentally -- in years. I'll give at least a little bit of credit for that to my new friend, Cymbalta. ;) That said, I'll probably drop dead from a heart attack tomorrow, right? It would figure. Seriously, I do plan on jump-starting this wretched journal in the weeks ahead, so don't give up on me just yet. Meantime, if, for some strange reason, you kids want to keep tabs on me over at FB, drop me an e-mail at jblaque@gmail.com and I'll cheerfully add you to my friend's roster. I'm just about done posting all the shitty high school photos and other nostalgic crap over there, so there's a pretty good chance I won't bore you to tears. Election season is, after all, just around the corner, and I'm feeling the urge to drain my long-neglected venom gland on the Wingnut Nation. You can also find me on Twitter at jblaque, if you so desire. Same deal. More soon... hope everyone is well-fed, well-feathered and, well... well. Tags: friends
From: Planet of the Apes
Mood:  Out of Hibernation
Now Playing: 'Love Hurts' - Emmylou Harris & Elvis Costello
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By now, I'm sure most (if not all) of you are aware of Google's new Privacy Policy (or, more accurately, their Lack of Privacy Policy), set to take effect at midnight tonight. If you have a Google account (e.g., Gmail, Google+, Google Checkout), and have not specifically located and paused your Web History setting, Google will now be keeping track of every search you make, every site you visit, personal info such as your name, address, IP, mobile phone number, Gmail activity (with the ability to read, copy, collect and share your incoming and outgoing e-mails with third parties) and more -- most anything and everything they can get their hands on, in fact. Up to now, this data has been separated from other Google products, but tomorrow, when the new policy goes into effect, it will be shared across all of the Google products you use. If you'd like to prevent Google from combining this potentially sensitive data with the information it has collected from your YouTube, Google+ and other Google accounts, you can remove your Web History and stop it from being recorded moving forward. Simple, really: 1) After logging into your Google account, type https://www.google.com/history into your browser. (Alternatively, you can choose Account Settings from the pull-down menu in the upper-right corner of a Google product such as Gmail, Google+, or Google.com.) 2) From the Account Settings page, scroll down to the Services header and click on the Go to Web History link.) If your Web History is enabled, you'll see a list of recent searches and sites visited. 3) Click the gray Remove All Web History button at the top of the page and a subsequent OK button to clear your Web History. This action also pauses the Web History feature so that it will no longer track your Web searches and whereabouts. If you'd like to fire it back up in the future, simply click the blue Resume button. There you go... history erased, collection mechanism disabled, and your dark, lurid little secrets protected. ☺Tags: friends, google
Mood:  Distrust
Now Playing: 'Hush, Darling' ~ Gregory Isaacs
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Please click on the image and tell Congress to reauthorize vital programs that protect elephants. Reposting to your LJ, Twitter, Facebook, etc. is also appreciated...  More on the elephant poaching crisis from the IFAW, Center for Conservation Biology Guardian, Wildlife Extra and Elephant Newswire. Left up to me, there'd be a worldwide, shoot-on-sight helicopter hunting season for poachers... I'd hang their fuckin' heads in my den with glee. Tags: africa, animals, crime, elephants, environment, extinction, poaching, scumbags
From: Chicago
Mood: Bastards
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Never thought I'd agree with anything Bill Bennett had to say... "If Herman Cain wants to be taken seriously as a public advocate for anything, never mind running for the chief executive and commander in chief...he needs to give a full press conference dedicated exclusively to this issue and these allegations... For we who led the charge against Bill Clinton on a number of related issues to continue to blame the media or other campaigns or say it simply doesn't matter makes us the hypocrites as well.
"[...] If Herman Cain cannot stand up to these charges, if he refuses to, then he should step out of the race. A man big enough to run for president should be big enough to have a full and candid press conference on all of this -- he wants us to elect him president after all, he's asking us to trust our lives and the country's life to him. This could be one of his finest moments and it could be one of his worst. But either way, he must confront the moment candidly and manfully." Not that this blowhard coward had a shot at the nomination to begin with. Shame, really. I'd have relished seeing him publicly disemboweled. Looks like you're still stuck with this piece of shit, 'Pugs... Good luck with that. ☺Tags: '12 elections, herman cain, loathsome people, republican sex scandals, scumbags
From: Chicago
Mood:  Amused
Now Playing: 'The Boogie Man' - The Cadillacs
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Just toss a little statistical accelerant at 'em... 
• Percentage change, since 2001, of the number of white children in the U.S.: -9.8
• Percentage change, since 2001, of the number of black children in the U.S.: -2.3
• Percentage change, since 2001, of the number of Hispanic children in the U.S.: +38.8That alone oughta send 'em straight into speaking tongues. ☺Quoting Chris Healey, via AddictingInfo (emphasis mine): "The Tea Party, as we know them today, sprang forth soon after Barack Obama took office, and suddenly started protesting our terrible tax burden and seemed to believe that they had something in common with the colonists of 1773. Some even dressed in period costume; a sure sign they had a valid point.
Unfortunately,facts really aren’t on the Teabaggers' side. Recent, widely reported figures actually show that in real terms the tax revenue collected from Americans is actually the lowest it has been since Truman. Yep, the job killing, socialist, Marxist, Kenyan, radical, do-too-much, do nothing, Muslim president is actually in office during a time when our tax burden is lower than during Ronald Reagen and both George Bushes! And, unlike the Brit hating tea-tossers of '73, the average Teabagger in America does in fact have full democratic representation in exchange for their tax dollars.
The reality is our economy cannot really continue with such low taxation levels. Should you actually talk to a Teabagger or a Republican about what they actually want to cut, they may go into a little rant about welfare recipients and making government smaller, but in the real world they won’t actually address the elephant in the room: Military spending.
As a nation our military spending is over half a trillion dollars a year. Put another way, if every country in the world had their military spending displayed on a pie chart, the American slice would be 43%; almost as much as the entire rest of the world combined.
But does smaller government mean not having a military presence in over 150 countries to the average Teabagger or Republican? No, of course not. It seems they would rather spend their time trying to repeal ‘Obamacare’ so that we can return to a time when sick children were kicked off health care plans for being too sick, or too expensive to help. They will be quick to support the abolition of abortion because it is “killing babies” but when said babies are born into the world, if their parents are poor, tough luck; no Obamacare for you. You can just contribute to our embarrassingly high infant mortality figures (We’re currently 46th in the world, according to the CIA 2009 numbers – in case you're keeping score).
When you peel back the nonsense of the Tea Party and look under the hood, what you actually see are a bunch of selfish morons who basically dislike our President (or possibly any non-white person), want to pay little to no taxes, and want to cut social and welfare programs to anyone other than themselves. Much like the Republican controlled Congress, who recently implemented new ‘spending controls’ that were designed to cut ‘wasteful’ Democratic spending, but just so happened to contain exemptions for pretty much anything they wanted to spend money on.
So what does the Tea Party really stand for? According to their web site, they want “fiscal responsibility, limited government, and free market.” But despite the concept of fiscal responsibility there seems to be no clamor on the right to reduce our unsustainable military presence and spending around the world. When it comes to limited government, the average Teabagger seems to side with Republicans and demand that the government outlaw or severely curtail abortion and gay marriage rights, enact flag-burning laws, outlaw smoking pot, and so on and so forth. They seem to be down with a free market, but it’s a lack of regulation that caused a meltdown in our economy recently, not government interference or regulation.
Ultimately this is my issue with the Teabaggers: They're playing the role of an oppressed minority who are being terrorized by a big government machine hell-bent on stealing their guns, their liberty and life as they know it, all while increasing taxes. However, the reality is that the Teabaggers are mainly middle to upper class white people who want to “take our country back.” These people want lower taxes, despite the reality that they are about as low as they have been for a very long time. They want limited/small government, yet this seems to exclude the military spending and on issues they care about such as the prevention of gay marriage, abortion and potheads.
For all of these reasons, I’d like to call the Teabaggers out for their B.S. ...
- Don’t talk to me about small government if you're not planning on at least halving our military budget (which would still leave it three times higher than China’s).
- Don’t talk to me about free market and less government interference, when you seem to want the government to impose religious and moral ‘values’ on those of us who may not share said values.
- Don’t talk to me about wanting to pay less taxes, while you are supporting Republican handouts to millionaires...
In fact, take your stupid costume, your stupid, selfish ideas, your racism, and your small-minded bigotry and just don’t talk to me at all.Tags: dumb americans, hate, hillbillies, racism, rednecks, republican scum, teabaggers
From: Chicago
Mood:  Torch Their Dens
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This Friday, Arizona's Medicaid program will take an estimated $190 million hit, directly affecting up to 150,000 lazy slackers low-income state residents. That's when Brewer & Co. will begin denying health coverage to childless adults who fall below the federal poverty line. Arizona has been providing health insurance coverage to welfare leeches poverty-stricken citizens for a decade under a ballot measure approved by the voters in 2000, but Brewer will no longer stand for such socialist handouts costly programs. She expects the new move to save $190 million during the first year alone by sweeping 135,000 undeserving vermin poor people off the state's health care rolls. I still say that Phoenix, Flagstaff, Tucson, Chandler, Scottsdale and John McCain's swimming pool would all make perfect locations for nuclear waste dumps. What harm could it do that the xenophobes, wingnuts and 'baggers haven't already done? Tags: armpit of america, cactus, desert, drought, gop lizard queens, jan brewer, joe arpaio, john kyl, john mccain, poverty, shithole, slow death, teabaggers, tumbleweeds, wastelands
From: Not Arizona
Mood:  Pyew
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Does anyone know enough about " pepper-box" pistols to tell me anything about this one (history, country of origin, retail/auction value, etc.)?  All I know is that the gun (and the companion powder flask) was found in a tattered leather doctor's bag on St. John, USVI in 1961. Unfortunately, it has no maker markings at all. The grip is forged from a particularly dense wood (lignum vitae?), with abalone inlays and decorative brass trim. FWIW, the doctor's bag also contained some surgical tools, a wooden horse-hair brush, an inkwell and an assortment of small bottles, tubes and tins (none labeled, marked or numbered). ( Two more angles )
Any information I can use prior to a paid appraisal would be greatly appreciated!Tags: antiques, firearms, friends, guns, history
From: Chicago
Mood:  Fortune... or Phony?
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Vinnie Jordan: 1955-2001For those of you that have been my friends since the alt.tasteless days, the name Vinnie Jordan needs no introduction. For those of you that've never heard of him: Vinnie Jordan blasted on to the 'net in the early 1990s. He found a home in alt.tasteless (in fact, he was named Mr. Alt Tasteless for 1997) and its less slutty stepsister group, alt.peeves, and he was well-known on the ba.* and scruz.* groups. A Google Groups search on pigface@deeptht.armory.com, pigface@netcom.com and vinniej@sco.com will show his meanderings into other newsgroups through cross-posted flamewars and trolls.
He had a number of noms de 'net: Pigface, Notorious P.I.G, One Sick Individual, King of Beasts, Missing Link, Dirty White Boy, Filthy McNasty, Pickled Punk, Doggiestyle, Official Asshole of the 1996 Olympics, and I.M. Bent.
Off the 'net, Vinnie was a gentleman (except when he was channeling Pigface; in that case, he could be both funny and infuriating to be around, depending on whether you were his target or his audience). Yet Vinnie had a streak of self-destruction and seemed destined (and at times, determined) to meet an early death. He said he expected to live to age 40 and that anything after that was borrowed time.
Vinnie was expressive and profane and belligerent. But those who knew him well knew another side to Vinnie — a side that was rarely expressed in the public sphere of the 'net. You'll see proof of that in some of the e-mail exchanges that people have contributed. Vinnie died in 2001 at age 46, in Santa Cruz, California. The following post was among the first of Vinnie's works that I read after aimlessly wandering into a.t. in 1995, and one that I have reposted in various other forums every July 4th as a nod to his twisted talent. I warn you that it isn't pretty, but I hope that you'll enjoy it as much as I (still) do. ( Rest in peace, old soldier... )Tags: alt.tasteless, death, farewell old friend, independence day, mortality, remember when, vinnie jordan
From: Jesus Just Left
Mood:  Nostalgic
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Good advice from Chicagoland's toughest anti-gang vigilante neighborhood watch commander (and old pal), Dr. Dane: I'm not sure how many of you have been following this as closely as I have but we're in for a potentially life-threatening blizzard/winter storm starting tomorrow evening and lasting until Wednesday afternoon. The National Weather Service doesn't usually use these terms to describe an event like this:
"Dangerous, multi-faceted... potentially life threatening."
Possibly freezing rain and very high winds (60 mph) and as much as one-two feet of snow by Wednesday morning. Drifting and lake effect snow could make things much worse than anything you've ever experienced before.
They could be wrong, and I hope they are, but the possibility of a crippling winter storm beginning at about 3:00 pm Tuesday exists. Please take precautions such as stocking food and water and batteries for your flashlights and radios.
The ice storm could easily bring down power lines and leave you in the dark with no heat. Make sure you've got thermal underwear, sweaters, gloves and knit caps ready should you find yourself in a dark and cold situation. The combination of ice on the power lines and trees with high winds could halt electrical service for many of us for an unknown period of time.
Remember to check on seniors in your neighborhood. Some of them might not be properly prepared to endure an extreme weather event such as this. Help them out.
I'm not trying to scare anyone about this and it might not be as bad as they're saying it could be. But I was a Boy Scout and our motto is "Be Prepared." Stay warm & safe, kids. P.S. One great thing about having a 17-year-old around the house: He's on shoveling duty. ☺Tags: chicago, climate change, friends, global warming, global warming deniers
From: Ground Zero
Mood: Buried
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For those of you who expressed an interest in the new art project... My lovely model arrived in perfect condition yesterday, and I had a chance to do a little introductory work (starting on her left arm):  Mind you, this is just the very beginning of a long, detailed project. My goal is to mix, match and incorporate at least 7-8 different colors on each section of her body. From there, I'll experiment with various beads, bangles, bracelets & other bling and see what I come up with to complete her look. Speaking of accoutrements, Jessi & I are heading over to Michael's on Saturday for more paints, brushes, swabs, tinted inks and a variety of possible accessories. Final wardrobe options — assuming I choose to clothe her at all ☺ — have yet to be examined; we'll have to wait until the design really starts taking shape to make a determination. (And yes, I'll very likely be running a reader poll on garments when the time comes.) As I touched on in my original entry, I am basing the "root system" design on a collection of paintings I've done over the years, mostly on unusual surfaces such as metal (from old street signs), wood (from discarded furniture & paneling) and formica laminate (from kitchen remodeling scrap). Also mentioned in the first post, I'll be adding a similarly painted male mannequin to the project, once I am 100% satisfied with the female. The Happy Couple will eventually be mounted in a stylish (yet slightly eerie) plexiglass diorama, based with volcanic (black) sand, white quartz and maybe a few nice pieces of driftwood or brain coral... TBD. OK, then - here's the part where I could really use some in selecting a killer wig to complete m'lady's look...Below are twelve different styles that Jessi & I whittled down as "finalists" from a group of 200+, ranging in layer, length and color (all being reasonably affordable at $10-$40). I realize that this is a real "different strokes" type of question to be asking of you, but I'd really like to get your two cents before making a final decision. Before voting, please have one more look at her, taking into account her flesh tone, build, pose, etc...  So, whaddya think? Long, thick dark locks? Short, blonde bob? Fiery, scorching red bangs? Or maybe something altogether different?
Poll #1673462
Which Wig Works Best?
Open to: All, detailed results viewable to: All, participants: 60
My favorite wig of the bunch Is...
View Answers
| A |
   1 (1.7%) |
| B |
| 3 (5.0%) |
| C |
| 2 (3.3%) |
| D |
| 5 (8.3%) |
| E |
| 3 (5.0%) |
| F |
| 21 (35.0%) |
| G |
| 8 (13.3%) |
| H |
| 2 (3.3%) |
| I |
| 4 (6.7%) |
| J |
| 1 (1.7%) |
| K |
| 7 (11.7%) |
| L |
| 1 (1.7%) |
| Different (Post Pic or Link in Comments) |
| 0 (0.0%) |
| Other (Explain in Comments) |
| 2 (3.3%) |
Tags: arts & crafts, filtered, friends, pretty girls, reader poll, sculpture, thank you
From: Chicago
Mood: Motivated
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Another quick update on my daughter Jessica's holiday fundraiser for no-kill animal shelters... As of noon today, Jessi has pulled to within of matching last year's total, and she's asked me to post this note again, in case you missed it the first time:  If you haven't yet had a chance to donate (and can afford to do so, in any amount), we'd be very grateful. Please refer to my original announcement for campaign details, including suggested donation levels and examples of the many supplies & services your contribution will fund. For those of you that have already donated (and/or spread the word in your LJ, Facebook, Twitter, etc.), for making this year's fundraiser a success. We're almost there! FYI: We're keeping the donation hub open until the end of the month to make up for Jessi's late start in December. Final tally will be published soon thereafter. NOTE: If anyone would like to purchase a signed/dedicated copy of my , I will donate all proceeds (minus postage) to the fundraiser... Simply click the banner below to order:
Tags: animal cruelty, animals, cats, dogs, fatherhood, friends, pet rescue, thank you
From: Chicago
Mood: Beholden
Now Playing: 'Poor Millionaire' - Gregory Isaacs
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"We then have to ask ourselves: Was our president paid off by Islamic foes to bow down and pander to them and their professed radical religion? Only time will tell, but I for one am not going to rock back in my easy chair and not try to get to the bottom of this outrage...
"Like the sorority girl who fell asleep drunk, awakening to an opportunistic frat boy peeling her clothes off, Americans let their guard down in a big way. Fortunately, the fear roused us from that torpor and insensibility, and we were able to fend him off before the deed was done. But we have a responsibility now to determine that he doesn't have the opportunity to harm anyone else."- Erik Rush, 11/01/10 WorldNetDaily column Tags: barack obama, loathsome people, right-wing lunatics, tea bagging, violence
From: Chicago
Mood: En Garde
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Something I've been wanting to do for years now, finally underway... I'm ordering these two mannequins — as lifelike a pair as I could find on a modest budget — and will be "tattooing" them, head to toe, with the same type of intricate patterns & colors I often use in my paintings & drawings... ( ~ Examples Here ~ )In addition to the extensive ink & paint work, I'm also going to experiment with a variety of accoutrements, including unusual fabrics, silver jewelry, polished gemstones, string lights and whatever other materials strike my fancy. Once completed, the pair — him seated, her standing — will be mounted on a rich, wooden base (variously embedded with black sand, white quartz gravel, crushed coral & animal bone) and uplit through a plexiglass backdrop. After looking over a rough sketch of the finished piece, Madame & I agreed that it will look extraordinary displayed in the living room, opposite our African & Caribbean carving collection (how's that for eclectic?). I'm planning on posting a series of "work in progress" photos at various stages of construction, so please let me know if you'd like to be included on that filter... Wish me luck! ☺Tags: arts & crafts
From: Chicago
Mood:  Contemplative
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Chicago vs. Green Bay for the NFC crown... unbelievable! ...and I do believe this is only the second time in history that these two have gone head-to-head for a Super Bowl berth (the last time being 1941). Quoting SportiFI: "The Chicago Bears and Green Bay Packers have the longest-running rivalry in the NFL, but now the rivalry goes somewhere it has never gone before: deciding who will play in the Super Bowl... there simply is not another conference championship matchup that could possibly measure up to the drama, intrigue, and history of this one." So, I ask you, dear readers:
Poll #1668812
Super Bowl Prediction
Open to: All, detailed results viewable to: All, participants: 38
Who Goes to the Big Game? (Pick One NFC & One AFC)
View Answers
| Chicago (NFC) |
| 16 (22.5%) |
| Green Bay (NFC) |
| 22 (31.0%) |
| New York (AFC) |
| 12 (16.9%) |
| Pittsburgh (AFC) |
| 21 (29.6%) |
Who Wins?
View Answers
| Chicago |
| 11 (28.9%) |
| Green Bay |
| 14 (36.8%) |
| New York |
| 6 (15.8%) |
| Pittsburgh |
| 7 (18.4%) |
Tags: chicago bears, football, friends, nfl, reader poll, sports, super bowl
From: Chicago
Mood:  Enthralled
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As The Pap points out here during a guest appearance on The Ed Show, venomous, violent rhetoric from the right is nothing new, dating back to the days of JFK. In fact, many believe that wingnut hate-talk is what led to Kennedy's assassination: On a bright note: The Tucson Sentinel is reporting that Gabrielle Giffords' condition has been upgraded from critical to serious, and that the congresswoman is breathing on her own after being removed from her ventilator on Saturday. A tracheotomy was performed on Giffords to "replace the breathing tube that ran down her throat with a tracheotomy tube in her windpipe, protecting her airway and freeing her from the ventilator," UMC spokesman Michael Griffith said Saturday. A feeding tube as inserted as well, Griffith said. The other two patients from the shooting who remain at UMC are in good condition. Tags: right-wing hate radio, youtube
From: Chicago
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Quick update on my daughter Jessica's holiday fundraiser for no-kill animal shelters... As of 8:00 PM this evening, Jessi has pulled to within of matching last year's total, and she's asked me to share this note with you guys: If you haven't yet had a chance to donate (and can afford to do so, in any amount), we'd be very grateful. Please refer to my original announcement for campaign details, including suggested donation levels and examples of the many supplies & services your benefaction will fund. For those of you that have already donated (and/or spread the word in your LJ, Facebook, Twitter, etc.), for making the fundraiser a success again this holiday season. P.S. We're keeping the donation hub open until the end of the month to make up for Jessi's late start in December. Final tally will be published on February 1st. ☺Tags: cats, dogs, friends, pet rescue
From: Chicago
Mood:  Appreciative
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Three questions for the readers of this journal (for which I will explain my asking reason in an upcoming post): 1) Do you agree or disagree with the following statement? "It's not about my ability to hunt. It's not about the ability for me to protect my family and property against criminals. It's all about us protecting ourselves from a tyrannical government of the United States." 2) Which of the following do you consiider to be reasonable, general public weapon restrictions? • Reinstatement of the Assault Weapons Ban of 1994 • Ban on fully automatic weapons • Ban on hand grenades, RPGs, mortars, missile launchers and certain types of high-powered ammunition • Ban on high capacity ammo magazines/clips (defined as any mag that holds more than 10 rounds) •Ban on gun possession within 300 yards of a school• Raising the legal age of gun purchase/ownership from 18 to 21, nationwide • Requiring instant background checks at gun shows, nationwide • Requiring trigger locks with all handgun sales, nationwide • Handgun purchase limit of one per month, per person And lastly... 3) In the wake of the murder of 9-year-old Christina Green and others in Tucson, the issue of guns, gun violence and gun restriction is once again in the MSM spotlight, as well as at dinner tables across the country... Why, in your opinion, doesn't this very same issue receive even a fraction of public & media attention when children in places like Chicago, Detroit, St.Louis and Oakland are murdered with guns on a daily basis? Tags: guns, justice, law, reader poll, weapons
From: Chicago
Mood: Contemplative
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jblaque's journal
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